Author: Boria Majumdar

Over the course of the last week, we have heard much about who is the real ‘Sarpanch’ of Indian sport. Sunil Taneja, who first named Harmanpreet Singh as the “sarpanch”, said it nicely in a video. “Why create a controversy over this? Let there be more than one, but it is impossible to take away the sarpanch tag from captain Harmanpreet Singh. His exploits in Paris 2024 justly earned him the tag of sarpanch.” Taneja is right. However much Punjab Kings try and name someone else as the new sarpanch, there will always be a pushback. But that’s where we…

A fan ending up in hospital is the worst outcome possible in a sports event. And that’s what happened last night in Jamshedpur. Also, it isn’t the first time. There are instances when things have crossed the line in the past and yet no correctives have been taken. My colleague, Rahul Giri, who was covering the game, tells me that after the match had ended 2-1 in favour of Jamshedpur, the supporters heaped abuse on MBSG fans. There were constant racism chants, and they were abused as Bengalis. Nothing was done to stop things from escalating. This is what…

Rishabh Pant has had a very ordinary start to the IPL. And it is natural that people will refer to the 27-crore price tag each time he fails. The figure is such that it would send a chill down anyone’s spine. And when a young man has to justify such a fee, it can turn into a kind of pressure that’s too much to bear. However, it is important to note that Pant did not orchestrate the price. His franchise found him worthy enough to pay this amount and he had no hand in it. So, for anyone to say…

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won, and quite easily in the end. May I say, the game was won in the first seven overs of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) innings when four wickets fell for 50 runs. And that’s where the question needs to be asked? How many of these wickets did the spinners take? How much turn was there on this wicket? What was all the pitch talk about? Each of the first four wickets were picked up by the KKR pacers. Vaibhav Arora picked up two, while Harshit Rana and Andre Russell took one each. This was much like…

Shah Rukh Khan is an inspiration to many. A fantastic showman, he is one who has seen it all in his career. Written off by many, he has risen to the very top of his profession. He has seen his son getting targeted and emotionally it must have been the toughest phase for him. And yet he did not give up. With Jawan and Pathan, he not only made a comeback of epic proportions but also reclaimed his position as one of India’s biggest icons. In sum, he inspires. By his words and his actions. And that’s what his team…

In three years, Mohammed Siraj had turned himself into India’s go-to bowler. And when we look back, it was only fitting that his teammates handed him the tricolour during the team’s victory march at the Gabba in 2021. He was so much more than a cricketer. He was a young boy who had become a man in the course of the two months in Australia. He was subjected to racist taunts in Australia. Abuse and barracking. It did not matter to him. Siraj is the new India that has learnt to speak out. Always fight when the going is tough.…

Victory in the Champions Trophy, less than a year after clinching the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, put smiles on the faces of millions of Indian cricket fans. What hasn’t is the team’s dismal Test form, with a 3-0 home loss to New Zealand and a 3-1 reverse in Australia seeing Rohit Sharma’s side miss out on a third straight World Test Championship (WTC) final. India’s next red-ball assignment is a five-Test series in England which starts in June, just weeks after the conclusion of the IPL. And though India have won only one series on English soil in…

For Michael Clarke, who led Australia to World Cup glory in 2015, the hue and cry over ‘home advantage’ in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is much ado about nothing. In the latest episode of Backstage with Boria, he spoke at length on how it’s been part of cricket’s fabric from the very beginning. “I think that is the way cricket is,” said Clarke. “It happens in international cricket. It happens in state cricket. And that is why I think Chennai [Super kings] have picked their squad based on the conditions that you generally get in Chennai. It spins. “That…

Michael Clarke has forever polarised opinion. There are people who like him for his straight talk while others disagree with him strongly. Michael, however, remains unfazed. His take is simple, “I have always believed in speaking my mind.” On his birthday, it was a pleasure to speak to the lower middle-class Western Suburbs boy from Sydney who, by his obsessive love for the game of cricket and his passion and discipline, played 115 Tests for Australia. A respected voice and a dear friend, Michael is commentating at the moment on the IPL. Be it the Ferrari 355, which was beyond…

Vandana Katariya has just announced her retirement from international hockey. One of the best ever to play for India, her 300 plus caps for the national team stand testimony to her talent and resilience. In fact, her getting injured will always remain the key reason for me as to why India failed to make it to Paris 2024. She missed the Olympic qualifiers in Jharkhand and it was one of the key reasons India fell short of making it to the Olympics. While she will continue to be a part of the Hockey India league, we will always remember her…