Author: Boria Majumdar

Boria Majumdar in Manchester Rishabh Pant’s injury was one of the most unfortunate moments of day 1 in Manchester. In fact, it could well be one of the most inopportune moments of the entire series. And the truth is, it was a freakish injury. An external injury which could well rule out a key player out of the series. And in doing so, hand England a huge advantage in this match. This is where the rules should be revisited. If the ICC can allow a substitute for concussion, why is it that they won’t allow a substitute for an external…

Boria Majumdar at Old Trafford He has been one of the most consistent batters in recent seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL). But then, the IPL and Test cricket are chalk and cheese. Sai Sudharsan had experienced it in Leeds, when he got out for a duck. In the second innings, he was batting well before Ben Stokes exploited his on-side weakness and got him caught at short midwicket. Thereafter, he did not get another opportunity. With India going with Karun Nair at No. 3, Sai had to sit out. While he did take a few catches, it is…

Manchester, July 23 It is actually a myth that cricket is a gentlemanly sport, with the spirit of the game at its very core. The truth is it is like any other sport where teams do anything to win. And yet, they keep mentioning the spirit of the game argument. More so, if the action takes place at Lord’s. Listen to the English press conferences over the last two days, and you tend to think that the Indians are the only culprits who jumped on two innocent openers in Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, who weren’t really doing anything to…

Boria Majumdar in Manchester Back in Manchester one of the key things I was looking forward to seeing was if Rishabh Pant trained full steam with the Indian team on matchday-minus-two. India missed Pant the leader at Lord’s. His presence on the field, constant ideations with Shubman Gill and his contributions from behind the wicket was a key aspect of India’s fightback in Birmingham. May I say I was delighted to see Pant back full steam. He fielded with gusto, participated in each of the fielding drills and was involved in the banter and then kept wickets for a good…

What is excellence in journalism? Is it about working hard and producing copy after copy or story after story? Working 12–14-hour days non-stop and putting in the long hours? Or is it about the deep dive, an intellectual pursuit that goes beyond the surface and helps you get to the bottom of the story and understand it better? And in turn present it better for the readers and viewers? Or is it a mesh of the two in this age of demand and supply? The truth is the definition has changed. It is not about quantity. Never was. So don’t…

When the Indian men’s team played at Lord’s, the media was there in numbers to cover it. When the women played at Lord’s last night and trained the day before, there was no one except Sharmistha Gooptu and Rohit Juglan from Revsportz to report on the game. That no one else covered it is fine by us. Who are we to comment on what others will do or should do? Our job is to disrupt and offer holistic coverage and we will. Our job is to try and support the women’s game as much as the men. In fact, one…

India-Pakistan WCL game stands cancelled. As reported by Revsportz last night, this was always likely. The organisers have also issued a press release explaining why they had decided to go ahead with the game. They have cited the Pakistan hockey team’s possible visit to India as one of the reasons. They have also said that they wanted some entertainment for the fans. The truth is the explanation is lame, and the match was untenable. The Hockey clearance has been given for the Asia Cup and the Junior World Cup. These are international events and are guided by international norms…

The report tabled by the Karnataka government in the High Court on the Bengaluru stampede has been the burning topic over the last 24 hours. It implicates Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and has placed the blame on the franchise and its partners. While it is only natural and expected that RCB will now respond to the report and contest the findings, the truth is that all this will never really redeem either the administration or the franchise. Each stakeholder is responsible for the tragedy, and the failure was collective. While television debates can suggest otherwise, the ground reality will never…

The state government’s report in the High Court, implicating Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the stampede, has thrown up a lot of questions. While the points made are for the courts to decide and adjudicate on, the one I wish to address is what this means for the future of RCB as a franchise based out of Bengaluru? The state government and the franchise are now involved in a muddied court case, one that will decide which side is to be blamed for the tragedy. The relationship is bound to get even more acrimonious over time. The trophy win is…

I have been hearing a lot of people talk about Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the fourth Test in Manchester. I honestly find it silly to even contemplate the question. Bumrah is playing a collective sport, and the only thing that matters is what the team needs. With the series on the line, it is but natural that India would want and need their premier bowler. Nothing else is priority, and he has to play. Unless there is an injury – and from what we know, there isn’t – this is not even a debate or question worth a deep dive.…