Author: Boria Majumdar

India’s 3-1 Davis Cup victory over ninth-seeded Switzerland in the World Group 1 was a result for the ages. Not only did it come away from home, at the Swiss Tennis Arena in Biel, but it was also against a fancied opponent, the sort of side India have not beaten in the recent past. This result puts India into the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers early next year, and Sumit Nagal played a huge part, winning both his singles – against Marc-Andrea Huelser (6-3, 7-6) and Henry Bernet (6-1, 6-3). In this exclusive chat with Boria Majumdar, RevSportz editor-in-chief, Nagal spoke…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai I have been arguing almost every day that the boycott solution doesn’t work. Where does it end? You boycott the Asia cup. What’s next? Will you boycott the women’s World Cup on home soil? The men’s T20 World Cup in February? Will you keep boycotting and playing into Pakistan’s hands? Once you start this, all Pakistan needs to do is field an athlete in every sports event and then wait for India to boycott. Boycott empowers Pakistan and allows it to have a field day at the expense of India. Instead, use the sports field to…

Boria Majumdar Now that the UAE formality is over, all eyes will be on India-Pakistan this Sunday. And that’s where we need to spare a thought for the players. In all honesty, you don’t want to be a player in this game. Either way, you will be questioned. If you play, you will be called anti-national by the boycott brigade who can’t even recognize that, as a cricketer, your job is to go out there and perform if picked. If you play and don’t win, all hell will break lose. This is the one match you can’t lose, and all…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai No, the Indians did not need water to drink. Nor was there any dearth of water for the travelling media. All of that was well taken care of. Rather, that water bottle became the bull’s-eye as the Indian team started to warm up at the ICC Academy. Placed 25 metres away, players were asked to hit it as part of their throwing drills. And each time someone did it, there were loud cheers. With the heat starting to go down as the sun lost a bit of steam, such fun drills lit up India’s practice. Captain…

Gautam Gambhir has one of the most talked about jobs in world cricket. Whatever he does, he will not please fans. Someone or the other will imply an agenda and ask questions. If he backs Sanju Samson and plays him at No. 5, fans will ask why Shubman Gill and not Sanju at the top of the order? If he plays Kuldeep Yadav and drops Arshdeep Singh, some will say he is being unfair towards the left-arm seamer. In India’s white-ball set-up, which has an abundance of riches, you can never please everyone. The best part about Gautam is that…

On September 14, India will play Pakistan in Dubai at the Asia Cup. It is understandable that most eyeballs will be on that game, which – against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor – isn’t just a normal T20 encounter. There are other considerations attached to it, and the setting of the game will be different. On the same day, India Women will play Australia Women in Mullanpur. It is the first of a three-match series building up to the World Cup at home. While there is little buzz, it is essential we back the women as they get ready to…

Boria Majumdar Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was the hero with his decisive penalty shootout save as Indian overcame Oman to take third place in the CAFA Cup in Tajikistan. Dropped by Manolo Marquez for the start of the Asian Cup campaign, Gurpreet went back to his old stomping ground in Norway in the summer to rediscover his best form. In this exclusive chat with Boria Majumdar, he talks of the road back, and why India have reason to be optimistic with Khalid Jamil as coach. Boria: From being dropped to being India’s saviour. The win against Oman. All of India’s…

A section on social media are active saying that India shouldn’t play Pakistan in the Asia Cup. In principle, I have absolutely no problems with the stand. The truth is that it is the government of India that has decided on the issue, and it has done so keeping India’s long-term sporting ambitions in mind. Even then, I understand this sentiment and appreciate it. Pakistan is a rogue nation, and there is no shying away from that. Where this stance turns hypocritical is when it is only restricted to men’s cricket. How many of this boycott-the-Pakistan-game group have said that…

Boria Majumdar The thumping win over South Korea in the Asia Cup final was yet another example of India’s men’s hockey team peaking at the right time. That triumph also sealed World Cup qualification ahead of a very busy period. In this exclusive interview with Boria Majumdar, RevSportz editor-in-chief, Craig Fulton, the team’s coach, spoke of the success and looked ahead to bigger challenges. Boria: Massive win, qualification for the World Cup assured. You have this tactical nose to raise the bar exactly when it matters. How do you keep doing this magic? Fulton: It is called practice [Laughs]. It…

The day stated with compound archery, and the Indian duo of Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Rishabh Yadav. The Indian pair won the silver at the World Championships in China in what is now an Olympic event. Yet again, Jyothi Surekha showed how good she is. We spoke soon after, and the interview was set for 2pm India time. Gargi Raut would do it and Jyothi, it was apparent, was keen. The men’s pairing added to the glory, and the interview was aired on RevSportz on Monday. As we recorded with Jyothi, we had one eye on Sandesh Jhingan and his…