Author: Boria Majumdar

Many have asked me if Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) are all set to sign Robson Robinho. The answer is that talks are on, but there is no final decision as yet. He is certainly one MBSG is keen on, but he is not their number-one target as of now. Mohun Bagan, determined to make a mark at the AFC level, want to do three things this season. First, add a foreigner in the midfield or up front. After the departure of Anwar Ali, Mohun Bagan were forced to play both foreign central defenders in Alberto Rodriguez and Tom Aldred.…

Yesterday, I got two messages which were instructive. One was from a physical education teacher who wrote to me having read my piece on Vaibhav Suryavanshi. I had argued that while we applaud him, we should not push the same envelope for our children. The teacher in question asked me a simple question. Vaibhav has said he used to wake up at 2am and his parents, mother in his case, did the same with him. Shouldn’t we wake up our kids at 3:30am and start training them? Isn’t that the best time? The answer to this is that I have…

We celebrate Satyajit Ray’s 104th birth anniversary. One of the greatest Indians ever, Ray will forever be a beacon of pride for us in India. The truth is we continue to look to the west on many counts. We continue to admire their universities, their libraries, sense of history, architecture, beautiful parks and, most of all, the opulence. We have fashioned our shopping malls, which have become synonymous with development in most Indian cities, on the Western model and follow Hollywood religiously. Yes, we have the Indian Premier League (IPL), but most English-language commentators are still foreigners, and almost all…

Boria Majumdar Cheteshwar Pujara hasn’t played for India since the World Test Championshi (WTC) final against Australia at The Oval in June 2023. But with India’s Test side going through a horror run that saw them miss out on a place in this year’s WTC final, is the door open for a comeback in England, where India start the next cycle. In this episode of Backstage with Boria, Pujara opens up on his disappointment at missing out on the Australia tour, the importance of domestic cricket, and how youngsters can be encouraged to play more Tests. Boria: Do…

If you follow James Hillier closely, you will know that under the aegis of the Reliance Foundation some stellar work is going on in the Indian sprint domain under him. And in fact, the moment Reliance fielded the quartet of Gurindervir Singh, Manikanta Hoblidhar, Animesh Kujur and Amlan Borgohain in the 4x100m relay, there was anticipation all round. Serious social media influencers who follow athletics closely, like Rahul Bhutani, were confident a record could indeed happen and the 15-year-long-standing record could be broken. The quartet came close in the morning and the anticipation was there leading up to the final.…

Will Indian Football see a major reboot come July? With the Supreme Court bench making it clear that the current dispensation can no longer take any major decisions or negotiate with FSDL on the future of the ISL, it is evident that elections are round the corner. And between now and July 15, the final verdict is expected, which will outline the way forward and also give us a sense of the election timeline. Will we see an infusion of fresh energy? Will there be a revamp and some real growth? The national team has seen a downward slide in…

It was in the late 1990s that I first met Professor Sunny Thomas. Honestly, I don’t remember where exactly. I was told he was India’s national shooting coach and was doing a great job with our athletes. As someone who had interest in multisport coverage, I had asked him if we would ever have a chance at the Olympics. He said in 10 years, India will win many medals. I did not believe him. The truth is, India did not win many medals at the Olympics. We won 1 in 2004, 1 in 2008, 2 in 2012, none in 2016…

India were up 1-0 against Indonesia in the second match of the Sudirman Cup thanks to a stellar effort put in by Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto. And it was all on PV Sindhu thereafter. Had she won against Putri Kusuma Wardani, India had a chance to make the quarter final. A loss would mean Indonesia were back level and would walk away with the tie, since India were missing key players like Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Unfortunately for India, Sindhu was no match for Wardani. A straight-game loss and it did not come as a surprise to many.…

It was sometime in February 2011 that I first had a chance meeting with Rohit Sharma in Mumbai. He had failed to make the Indian team for the world cup at home and was understandably low. All he said was “I did not perform well enough and I have to do much better”. Few words but enough to reveal what was a moment of reckoning for the talented man. Talent, it must be said, did not get Rohit where he now belongs. Hard work did. For someone who started out as an off-spinner, to make a name as one of…

It was 136-3, and Axar Patel was just blazing away. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were playing their most important game of the IPL, for a loss would mean elimination became a near-certainty. The stakes were at their highest. Both Faf du Plessis and Axar were settled, and Delhi Capitals (DC) seemed in cruise control. Sunil Narine, wicketless in two games, had yet again started badly. He had gone for 20 off 2 and the talisman looked bereft of ideas. To add to it, the first ball of his third over was dismissed by Axar for a six. That’s when Narine…