Author: Boria Majumdar

It is yet again a one-innings shootout. India started the day on the back foot at 145-3. By the stroke of lunch, it was India who were calling the shots with Rishabh Pant, batting with an injured finger, and KL Rahul showing enough steel and resilience, playing superbly. In fact, it could have been India who dictated terms thereafter had it not been for a brain-fade moment just before lunch. Ben Stokes, athletic as always, pulled off a stunning run-out which pegged India back and cut short Pant’s brilliant effort. At lunch, it was yet again even. Things changed for…

Boria Majumdar in London There are moments that kind of make you feel that all this hard work is worth it. We generally do our post-day live shows from the park opposite the Danubius hotel. The Internet reception is really nice there. Yesterday also, the routine was the same. I had reached early while Gargi joined me a couple of minutes later. In that little time, a young man walked up to me and called out my name. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t really place him. That’s when he said, “Boria sir, recognise me? Met you at the…

Boria Majumdar in London Sunil Gavaskar is an all time favourite. For years, it has been the same and will remain the same for all times to come. Even during my ban, Sunny bhai, as I fondly call him, repeatedly said to me that I need to stay true to my conscience and things will change. It is a relationship I am justly proud of. So, it is very natural that I’d wish Sunny bhai on his 76thbirthday and try and celebrate it with him. So far, things were going to script. I wished him and he responded and it was all very…

Boria Majumdar at Lord’s It was his third delivery in red-ball cricket after four years and the impact was immediate. Jofra Archer had squared up Yashasvi Jaiswal and the joy was palpable. He sprinted towards his mates and it was Shoaib Bashir who got the first hug. Archer was back and all of Lord’s had started to celebrate. While Karun Nair and KL Rahul played out the rest of the hostile five-over spell, the real battle had not yet started. It did the moment the Indian captain had come in. Within an over, Ben Stokes got Archer back into the…

The responsibility fairly and squarely lies with AIFF. This isn’t a new negotiation and it is known to one and all that the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) expires on December 8. Now, following a Supreme Court order, AIFF can’t negotiate on a new MRA. But months back, these negotiations were on. Did they not foresee what was coming? Did they not realise that this is India’s premier football competition and not starting it on time will send a really bad signal? While FSDL in all its letters has expressed willingness to engage, sources confirm that they will not agree to…

Boria Majumdar at Lord’s It was his day. A young boy, who came to Lord’s for the first time 37 years back, finally witnessed his portrait unveiled at the home of cricket. He rang the bell to start the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Dreams, as Sachin Tendulkar always says, “do come true”. There is a caveat here. Hard work and more hard work to go with the talent he was blessed with. That’s what made him the world’s best and that’s what Lord’s celebrated yesterday on the first day of the third Test match. For me, it was…

Boria Majumdar at Lord’s When did we last watch a day of conventional Test cricket in England? A day when the scoring rate kept hovering around three runs an over. It was anything but Bazball, and India, may I say, forced this reaction out of England after the Edgbaston miracle. After winning the toss, Ben Stokes decided to bat, which in a sense went against the ethos of this England team. India came out strong, and at no point did they give easy runs. Jasprit Bumrah, as usual, kept beating the bat and both Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj too…

Boria Majumdar in London Sunil Gavaskar arrives The Dilip Sardesai masterclass of 212 had given the Indians a lot of confidence in the first Test in Jamaica in 1971. And the confidence gained was on display as the team played its next tour game in St Kitts. Playing the Leeward islands, India decided on resting all three frontline spinners, Bedi, Prasanna and Venkat, and yet managed to bowl the opponents out for 147 in the first innings with Jaisimha picking five. This was in response to the Indian score of 361-6 declared, an innings that saw Sunil Gavaskar bat for…

Boria Majumdar I was in the Compton Stand recording for my show when Rishabh Pant walked across the ground on his way to the press conference room. Seeing him go past and seeing the message from the Indian media manager that they were indeed on their way, I too started walking towards the press conference venue. I was a few steps behind Rishabh when Trisha asked me if I was ready for the live show. I suggested to her that we should go live straight after the press meet. Rishabh heard me say that and turned towards me with a…

Boria Majumdar in London A tour isn’t only about covering games. The behind-the-scenes is as much the story as the matches themselves. These stories are sometimes dark and sometimes funny. Whichever way you look at them, they are part of your diary. It started the day my colleagues landed in Birmingham. While Gargi missed her connection from Dubai to Birmingham with the war in the Middle East delaying flights, others in the team missed the coach from Birmingham to Leeds. As if this wasn’t enough, Amit Shah misplaced the apartment keys (one of the three apartments that we were using)…