Author: Boria Majumdar

Boria Majumdar Over the last week, we have seen news of football clubs suspending their operations against the backdrop of the uncertainty surrounding the start of the Indian Super League (ISL). To be honest, they are right to do so. Football in India is a loss-making proposition, and no club will want to add to the overheads with the league itself being in doubt. In this context, the meeting between the AIFF and all the ISL clubs was of heightened significance. In the meeting, the clubs were unanimous that for the sake of Indian football, the ISL uncertainty needs to…

Boria Majumdar We had just landed in Dubai, and had to rush to make the flight to Kolkata. That was when the gentleman stopped me. “I was watching you every day from Amsterdam,” he said. “Lived the series through the eyes of RevSportz.” This was just a random person at Dubai Airport Terminal 3. After we exchanged a few words and I finally made it to the boarding gate, another gentleman came and said, “Did not disturb you at The Oval. But watched the shows every day. Keep going. I was there at The Oval on the last day and…

Boria Majumdar You will reading this piece just as I land in Kolkata after a long tour of the UK. And, may I say, it was a fantastic work trip with some incredible memories standing out. India winning at The Oval in what will rank as one of the great Test matches of all time, the win in Birmingham and the fight in Manchester can never ever be forgotten. In what was an intense series, you also need your moments of release. Moments when you can just laugh and unwind. And with my team around, you always have such moments.…

Boria Majumdar in Dubai We will be boarding for Kolkata soon. Readers will read this once we have landed in Kolkata. Already have multiple messages from office staff about urgent meetings back home. The travel desk has already started to check on visas for the Asia Cup, and tickets and bookings for the Women’s World Cup. And the thing is, we haven’t even recovered from this two-month-long madness! But that’s what journalism is all about. The wheel doesn’t stop. Ahead of our departure, we had a team meeting at a cafe in Waterloo in front of the London Eye. And…

Boria Majumdar in London Finally, it is time to head home. But for a brief four days in India in the middle, a two-and-a-half-month-long tour of the UK is finally coming to an end. The entire nine-member RevSportz team will be heading home this afternoon, and may I say, after having turned a new leaf in our coverage. The series was made for it and we grabbed the opportunity. We did not sensationalise and never will. We called things out whenever we felt the need for it and praised the team each time there was occasion to. We were…

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.…