Author: Boria Majumdar

The Wisconsin-born Kenny Bednarek is a two-time Olympic silver medallist, having finished on the second step of the podium in the men’s 200m at both the Tokyo (2021) and Paris (2024) Games. In Kolkata as the International Event Ambassador for the Tata Steel World 25K, he spoke exclusively to Boria Majumdar, RevSportz’s editor-in-chief, about getting into his prime, the rivalry with Noah Lyles and his first impressions of the city. Boria: First impression about Kolkata? Bednarek: It’s nice – the culture, the people. I’m loving everything about it. Boria: How important is an event like this for a country like…

Shamik Chakrabarty asked Ajit Agarkar at the press conference whether Shubman Gill had been dropped due to form. It was a very simple and clear question. Agarkar answered it, but did so diplomatically. His response suggested that Gill had been left out because he did not fit the combination, with the team management and selectors preferring a wicketkeeper-batter at the top of the order. By doing so, Agarkar managed to avoid directly addressing the question of Gill’s form. Let’s be clear: had Gill scored a couple of hundreds between September and now, he would have retained his spot in the…

I did a show yesterday on Shubman Gill and social-media toxicity. Gill, I would say, is now the most-trolled cricketer. The abuse is vile and toxic, and one wonders why. Let me make one fundamental point here. There are many who write that they want him to fail. Anyone who wants a national cricketer to fail is not a sports fan. They can never be. He or she is a qualified troll, but certainly not a sports fan. Second, Gill – possibly an all-format captain in the future – is actually hated by six different fan groups. This point was…

Sandesh Jhingan’s international career is now more than 11 years old, with him having worn the India jersey 72 times. During that time, Sandesh, who recently lifted the Super Cup with FC Goa, has also played 144 matches in the Indian Super League (ISL). Now, with Indian football yet to start its domestic season, the national team captain spoke exclusively to Boria Majumdar about an uncertain future and the impact on players and club staff, especially after a week that saw the country open its heart, and purse strings, for Lionel Messi. Boria: While we spend money and celebrate global…

It was around 9 pm that Sandesh Jhingan returned the call. I had messaged him in the afternoon soon after reading his social media post. It had disturbed me. The pain was evident. The anxiety and frustration were palpable. Jhingan is mentally strong, and if someone like him was reduced to this, what about others? While we celebrate Messi with every selfie and half-selfie, what about Indian football and our own? I jumped straight into the question, and for the first few seconds, Sandesh just couldn’t speak. Once he had gathered his thoughts, he started, “Paaji, I don’t grudge Messi.…

It’s now more than three years since Shikhar Dhawan made his last appearance for India. Only eight men have made more than his 24 centuries for the national team, and his record in the big tournaments was second to none. Now 40, Dhawan has moved on to the next phase of his life, focussing on charitable projects and mentoring younger players informally. In this episode of Backstage with Boria, he talks to Boria Majumdar about his recent book, the mindset that took him to the top and bouncing back from setbacks. Boria: Many congratulations on the book The One: Cricket,…

Sport, may I say, is no longer a silo that needs only a cursory mention in our day-to-day lives. Rather, it is mainstream and part of our public discourse. It is soft power, and states and corporates now know that by using sport, they can reach out to the masses better and much quicker. Sport brings credibility in its wake, and sportspersons are stars who are real, not reel. India has also awakened to the fact that it is not always about elite, high-performance sport. Rather, it is about sport for all and physical literacy. It is about being healthy…

At the Salt Lake Stadium, we all saw a very hapless Satadru Dutta screaming into the microphone, asking people to vacate the stadium. He tried his level best to keep announcing and was then seen passing the mic to a police officer, knowing that the event had gone out of control. That’s what brings me to ask: why did Satadru have to make the announcement? It wasn’t his expertise or his domain. The hosts should have done it and taken control. As event hosts, they should have owned the event. Taken control. All the hosts needed to do was give…

It did not come as a surprise to me that a number of uncapped players went for serious money in the IPL mini-auction. In fact, it is now the norm in the IPL. Each of these players has talent, and with scouting now highly professionalised and well researched, every team knows the strengths and weaknesses of uncapped players. I would go so far as to say that state selectors have now given way to IPL scouts, who are better paid and far more aware. The IPL is a much more lucrative property, and scouting has become a well-paid profession. Unlike…

You have to go past Lake Town in Kolkata every single time you go to the airport. And each time, you will see the 70-foot statue of Lionel Messi. Each such visit is a reminder of a disaster, a scar that will take time to heal. We have spent a lot of time analysing how it was a collective disaster. From the promoters to our hero-worship culture and political takeover, we know how things went south. But this isn’t about that anymore. Rather, when I think back and realise that Messi left Kolkata without kicking a football, it will…