Author: Boria Majumdar

Boria Majumdar in London The return of Chandra In the selection meeting ahead of the tour, the one key inclusion after some strong domestic performances was Bhagwat Chandrasekhar. Chandra had been the star performer for the team in the UK in 1966-67 and had started to lose form towards the end because of excessive bowling. He had been forced to come back from Australia in 1967 and had been left out of the team ever since. A man of prodigious ability and proven track record, he had gradually got himself back in the reckoning based on an impressive Ranji…

Boria Majumdar in London Gautam Gambhir’s stint as India’s red-ball coach has not been easy. Losing 3-0 against New Zealand at home, and then a 3-1 series loss against Australia down under meant he was under immense pressure coming to England. The retirement of senior players led to him mentoring a young team to the UK, and many had written them off at the start of the series. In fact, contrary to expectations, the team has shown serious fight. They could have won in Leeds and at Lord’s, and could well have been leading the series 2-1 coming to The…

Boria Majumdar in London Has Rishabh Pant’s unavailability mired the turf for Kuldeep Yadav? There is little doubt that the batting is weakened in the absence of the mercurial Indian team vice-captain. He had looked brilliant in the series and while no one will doubt’s Dhruv Jurel’s potential, it is also true that he hasn’t batted in these conditions and hasn’t played a Test for eight months. Does that make the Indian team management err on the side of caution and play Shardul Thakur to strengthen the batting? And does that mean Kuldeep continues to sit out? From what we…

I was recording my explainer of what happened between Gautam Gambhir and Lee Fortis from the stands just below the media box while two of the crew members from the rights-holding broadcaster were busy doing their work inside the ground. We were in close proximity to each other, and they were listening to me recounting what had transpired between Gautam and Fortis. As soon as I finished, one of them said to me, “That was actually very well said. We experience this all the time.” As I asked him to tell me more, he was conscious of what he had…

We are all in London for the final stop on this long and intense tour of England. For Sharmistha and me it is nearly three months — we had come mid-May. For the others, it will be two months away from home. But not one of the nine here has complained for a day. Nor the 35 back in India, who have worked day in and day out. Editing shifts, publishing duties, subbing copies, things have worked like clockwork and that’s why we as a team have delivered. As we start the coverage from the Oval, it is essential I…

The series is alive after the miracle in Manchester. India are alive and, in the context of the World Test Chamoionship(WTC) cycle, the result was huge. And that’s what sets up The Oval. Can India draw level and make the most of this opportunity? Can they draw on the momentum and push the bar? Can they grind down a tired English attack and force them to surrender? More importantly, can the bowlers redeem themselves and make a mark? Having conceded 669 in Manchester, the bowling has to improve a few notches. That’s what could be decisive at the Oval. That’s…

Boria Majumdar in Manchester KL Rahul had just played a brilliant innings but to every Indian’s dismay in Manchester, he was out to that man Ben Stokes. England had the opening they needed and the new ball was round the corner. It was the moment that could have defined the match and the series. Had it not been for Washington Sundar that is. First, it was a surprise to see Washington step out ahead of Ravindra Jadeja. The latter has played the new ball time and again and is perhaps one of India’s best batters this series. And yet, out…

Boria Majumdar in Manchester As Shubman Gill and KL Rahul were putting together their extraordinary resistance on the fourth evening, there was one thing that went in their favour. Ben Stokes wasn’t bowling. He has been England’s man with the magic wand. Each time his team has needed something, the captain has stepped up. Today was no different. Make no mistake, he was in pain. Each time he bowled, he immediately had his right hand on his hamstring and was also seen feeling the shoulder on occasions. But as is the case with Stokes, he kept bowling. Relentless energy and…

Boria Majumdar Test cricket is defined by fight. The was exemplified by India at Old Trafford in the last two sessions of Day 4. A kind of dogged determination that lights up a series and lives in fans’ memories for years on end. And that’s what the Indian team was lacking for the previous two days in Manchester. The bowling was rank poor and it clearly hurt India. And with the top order looking limp, the misery was further piled on after England scored a mammoth 669. It was all left to Shubman Gill and KL Rahul. India desperately needed…

Ahead of this series, Kuldeep Yadav had said to me, “There is this thing with spinners, which is ‘reading the batsmen’, that comes with time and experience. I personally think I have developed that sense of understanding the batsmen’s next move, especially due to my experience playing T20, where it is essential. And this skill is definitely going to help in red-ball cricket as well, to plan my strategy accordingly. “It gives a bowler a different sense of confidence when the bowling style can be adjusted with the batsmen’s strength and weakness. So, the challenge here is to decide on…