Author: Boria Majumdar

Till 10pm the day before yesterday, Vignesh Puthur was a nobody. Some nerds who follow cricket 24/7 had heard of him, but for the rest of India, he was an unknown commodity. And then, it all changed with the three wickets at the Chepauk. Analytics show he was one of the most-searched names around 10pm on Sunday, and is now a story that is nationally known. Vignesh, overnight, is a celebrity and that’s what brings us to brand IPL and its aura. Ishan Kishan scored a 100 on his comeback in the Buchi Babu tournament. No more than two lines…

15.25 crores. The figure was such that it would send a chill down anyone’s spine. And when a young man of 23 has to justify this price tag, it can turn into the kind of pressure that’s too much to bear. Firstly, Ishan Kishan did not orchestrate the price in 2022. His franchise found him worthy enough to pay that amount, and he had no hand in it. So, for anyone to say ‘Oh, he was paid 15 crores’ was actually unfair on the young man. Call it the pressure of expectations or the pressure of the price tag, but…

Self confidence, often mistaken for arrogance by some, is the key to understanding Virat Kohli. “He might appear flamboyant but he has great peripheral vision,” Sachin Tendulkar had once said. “He can read the game brilliantly and can anticipate what is likely to happen five or six overs down the line. That’s what makes him different from many of his contemporaries.” Did Sachin mean that Virat has a great sense of how an innings is poised and how to pace his own knock? In other words, was Sachin crediting him with some kind of cricketing prescience? “He reads a game…

Season 18 is upon us, and it is perhaps pertinent to take a look at the journey thus far. First things first, the IPL has resulted in an unprecedented windfall for the BCCI and for franchise owners of all the competing teams – a number that has now gone up to ten. It is this unprecedented success of the IPL, repeated for 17 straight years between 2008 and 2024, that helped consolidate India’s position at world cricket’s centre, while completing the process of financial takeover of the game. Apprehensions The BCCI’s decision to put iconic cricketers under the commercial hammer…

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is not just a name in Indian cricket; he is one of the pillars of its rich history. His contributions to the game are unmatched, and his legacy continues to inspire generations. Recently, he was seen in action once again, leading India Masters to the IML T20 title after defeating West Indies in the final in Raipur. Even years after retiring from international cricket, his presence on the field continues to captivate fans. In the second episode of the sixth season of Backstage with Boria (BWB), RevSportz’s editor-in-chief, Boria Majumdar, had an exclusive chat with the Indian…

I have interviewed Sachin Tendulkar close to 100 times in my career. As his biographer, I also had the privilege of spending hours with him when we worked on the book. But this interview was different. Refreshing and candid. Funny and heartwarming. I had written to Sachin last Sunday after seeing him play the half-upper-cut in the IML final. It had taken me back to 2003 and to Centurion. That classic stroke over third man off Shoaib Akhtar. Sachin was still able to do it and with the same passion. To see 60,000 people cheer for him and chant ‘Sachin!…

She was the favourite going into election day at the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Despite strong challengers like Seb Coe or Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior, Kirsty Coventry was always the one to watch out for. With the support of outgoing President Thomas Bach in her corner, Coventry went into the contest strong. While her manisfesto wasn’t the best received, the fact that Lord Coe had a fallout with the existing management over the monetary awards to Olympic gold medallists helped Coventry. Coe, in many ways, for a formidable candidate, but with the existing set up opposing him, it helped…

There are some shows that become a part of you. Backstage With Boria is one such. RevSportz started its journey with this show in December 2021 and it has only grown better with time. I have had the privilege of interviewing global superstars as part of the show, and also homegrown men and women who are the superstars of tomorrow. The best part of it is how almost all of my guests have opened up. To let your guard down isn’t easy for many of them, and yet that’s what we have been able to do. For Venkatesh Iyer, KKR…

In 24 hours from now, we will know who succeeds President Thomas Bach as the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The office of the IOC President is clearly the most powerful sports position in the world, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Whoever wins the contest will have to deal with President Donald Trump leading up to the 2028 Games, and also play a key role in allocating the 2036 Games to one of the many countries in the fray, India being one of the potential hosts. While there are a half a dozen candidates vying for office,…

In sport, the only constant is fandom. Rather, it can be said that it is one of the rare constants in human life. Every other choice or preference can change, but not fandom. You might decide to dress differently or eat a different kind of cuisine, live in another country or switch careers, but a Sachin Tendulkar fan at the age of 6 will remain one at the age of 60. For them, he is always the God of cricket. That’s how cults are built. Take the Mahendra Singh Dhoni example. Dhoni and CSK are a cult. Fans love their…