Author: Boria Majumdar

Boria Majumdar in London You live for these moments. To cover and write about them. At the start of Day 5, I had said it was 75-25 in England’s favour, but had added that the cricket gods couldn’t have been more unkind on Mohammed Siraj. He deserved the miracle and who knows, if there was a final twist left in the tale. Many had since written to me that the words turned prophetic. The truth is I was most pleasantly surprised to see the unreal intensity that Siraj brought out. He could have taken a wicket every ball. I’d…

Boria Majumdar in London Miracles rarely happen. But when it happens you just want to soak it all in and be there in the moment. Today we witnessed something historic and every Indian cricket fan will forever remember it as part of lore. The truth is the team believed. And they believed more than England. When Jamie Smith walked out, he did not look the part. He seemed nervous. On the other hand, Mohammed Siraj looked like a man possessed. He wanted to do it for India. He did not want Lord’s to be the memory to take back. Nor…

Boria Majumdar in London There were a few comments on our post-play show yesterday, which said it was because of Mohammed Siraj that India could lose the Oval Test. Yes, it is true that he had dropped the catch of Harry Brook at a critical time in the game. It is also true that this could well be the turning point in hindsight. But India did not or will not lose because of one dropped catch. India will lose, if they eventually go down that is, because the bowling unit except Siraj wasn’t able to deliver when it mattered. And…

Aadmi ko mar ne se pehle uski sooch ko marna zaruri hai. Words immortalised by the great Amitabh Bachchan in the film Sarkar. Amitabh Bachchan to Mohammed Siraj is a real stretch. But truth be told these very words could be used by the Indian management ahead of the last day at the Oval. “We don’t care if you play Bazball, we are more than ready for it”, is India’s message to England. What is different now in Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna not to forget Washi and Jadeja, is that they are not afraid to be hit. Even…

Boria Majumdar at The Oval in London Mohammed Siraj had just been given out, and yes, there was an edge. India did not have reviews left, and despite Siraj showing his bat to the umpire, the call was final. As he walked away, India’s lead stood at 323. Was it enough against England’s Bazball approach, or would India need a few more? Washington Sundar was out there with Prasidh Krishna and the debate had started. With Washington, the one complaint has been that he doesn’t farm the strike well, and his batting with tail-enders hasn’t always yielded the desired results.…

Boria Majumdar at the Oval Test cricket is defined by fight. The same can be said of India at the Oval. A kind of dogged determination that lights up a series and lives in fan memory for years on end. The tail, for example, wasn’t doing much and it was hurting India. With the English lower-order looking strong, the contribution from the middle and lower middle-order had assumed enormous significance. That’s what we finally got with Akash Deep. He had come in as night-watchman to protect Shubman Gill and not even the most ardent Indian fan had expected much this…

Boria Majumdar in London India had just returned from Australia in January 2025, and the talk was of how the team was a divided one. No one gave India a chance to regroup and match England in England. At the time, when I suggested that we cover this series with a nine-member team, many felt I had lost my mind. There would be no interest and India would go down 5-0 was the refrain. For some reason, I did not abandon the plan. The truth is that multiple times, I was ridden with self-doubt. Is this a foolish plan, and…

Boria Majumdar at The Oval in London England had raced away to 109-1 at lunch, and India fans at The Oval were all subdued. In fact, you could feel the pain. A few came to our show and some even asked if we expected a fightback. On the show, many said the game was over and England would get 500. When I answered that this was Test cricket, and one session didn’t define it, I was met with the choicest abuse. The thing is, none of them had taken into account Mohammed Siraj. He has bowled more than 155 overs…

Boria Majumdar in London Finally, we got a pitch that well and truly tested the batters. In tough overcast conditions, with a drizzle around, the green on the wicket made sure that the ball moved all day. At no point was a batter in and each time the bowlers bowled good balls, they were rewarded. Take the example of Josh Tongue. He bowled two brilliant balls and both produced wickets. For the rest of his spells, he was all over the place. And that’s what sums up England’s effort. They should have had India on the mat by…

Boria Majumdar at The Oval in London This series will be remembered as the tale of two run-outs. While we don’t know yet if the Shubman Gill run-out will impact the outcome, the truth is that England must have felt like they had won the national lottery to see India’s best batter get run out like that. Gill was looking in fine touch once again, and nothing much was happening for England on a green wicket. The bowlers hadn’t been able to bowl the right lines and India, after the fall of the KL Rahul’s wicket, had taken control. Let’s…