Author: Boria Majumdar

Vaibhav Suryavanshi is the toast of the cricketing world at the moment. His 100 off 35 balls is the talk everywhere. But that’s what raises a number of key questions, mostly for parents. Not every son or every daughter will be a Vaibhav Suryavanshi at the age of 14. The truth is not everyone needs to be. He has special talent and is an aberration. But that doesn’t make any other aspiring cricketer at 14 any less talented or capable. No parent needs to push their child, 14 or 15, to be a Vaibhav. In India, we know it will…

Swapan Sadhan Bose, Tutu Bose to millions, has resigned as the president of Mohun Bagan. It is a fair call, with his son certain to contest for the position of General Secretary. To ensure that there are no allegations of conflict of interest, Shri Bose, long-standing president of the club, has finally put in his papers. But that’s not the subject of this piece. Tutu Bose and Mohun Bagan are. Some people can never resign. Their contributions are such that memories will last forever. Tutu Babu is one such. Walk into his sprawling bungalow in Ballygunge, and the first thing…

The night before he made his debut, Vaibhav Suryavanshi was apparently nervous about how it’d all go. At the same time, he was determined to set things on fire from the outset. If the debut innings was a trailer, starting with a first-ball six, the one against Gujarat Titans was a full-blown action movie. Taking on four international bowlers, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan, Vaibhav blasted the fastest fifty of the IPL. In fact, the first six set the tone. Siraj had pitched it up expecting some swing. It was the very first over, and Vaibhav…

Three run-outs. That’s how it all changed. After being down and out in the first three weeks of the IPL, Mumbai Indians (MI) are now firmly entrenched in the top four and look poised to make the play-offs yet again. Sport is all about grabbing your opportunity, and that’s what stands out in this team. Against Delhi in Delhi, it all seemed done and dusted. Vipraj Nigam was batting beautifully after a Karun Nair classic, and Mumbai were literally rock bottom in the league table. Jasprit Bumrah, who took 4-22 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Sunday, was hit all…

By Boria Mjumdar The IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens was washed out because at long last a Nor’wester hit the city. While KKR should be happy with a point, the question is what about the fans? For the 35,000 people present at the stadium what was the takeaway? While in the case of football, you can actually watch and celebrate your team in the rain, it isn’t the case for cricket. The IPL has become an addiction for many and with ticket prices being fairly steep, it isn’t always possible for all to…

KKR needed some form of intervention. When nothing was going right for them, the rain gods came to their rescue. For the 35000 fans present, to see Varun Chakravarty being hit all round the park by Prabhsimran Singh was a story of the IPL. It was a campaign going south. None of the bowlers were penetrative and on a wicket where batting wasn’t a piece of cake, Punjab had scored 200 plus. Most KKR fans were frustrated at the dinner break. It was going to be a very difficult chase against the likes of Arshdeep, Jansen and Chahal and another…

Fans often overreact, and that’s often been the story of fandom. But, to a degree, they are entitled. In my book, the two most important constituents of the IPL are the players and the fans. Unless the fans watch the action, there is no IPL. They help the broadcaster make money, encourage the advertisers to spend and make the tournament what it is. They make heroes of the players and create brands of them. The best example was when the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the tournament for the first time in 2012. Over 80,000 fans made it to the…

No sport whatsoever with Pakistan, against the backdrop of what transpired in Pahalgam, is now a given. And by no sport, we mean no sport whatsoever. No table tennis, no football, no cricket. India should, in fact, communicate to the ICC that it does not want to be in the same group as Pakistan in ICC competitions. Not when the backdrop is that of terror. And that’s where Neeraj Chopra and his statement becomes relevant. We at RevSportz strongly condemn any attack or abuse directed at Neeraj’s family. As he has already clarified, his invite to Arshad Nadeem was sent…

One key takeaway from the BCCI’s central contracts announcement was Rohit Sharma being retained in the A+ category. Despite the fact that the contracts were premised on earlier performances, Rohit, who doesn’t play international T20 anymore, is now expected to lead India on the forthcoming tour of England. Another gruelling five-Test tour, it will challenge India. And Rohit. Against the moving ball, it will be a real Test of skill and patience. And that’s where his last two IPL performances have been heartening. While I am not trying to suggest that we can make any inference based on IPL efforts,…

India is in mourning as we continue to grieve the dastardly attack on tourists in Pahalgam. It has enraged us all, and yet, there is a sense of helplessness all round. As civil society, what role can we play? How can we show solidarity? As journalists, the question we have asked ourselves is how can sport make a difference and strengthen our hands against terror? On Sachin Tendulkar’s 52nd birthday, it is fair that I try and answer this question with a reference to the master. Sachin played the most difficult Test match of his life in December 2008, just…