Author: Boria Majumdar

Mohun Bagan versus East Bengal isn’t a mere football rivalry. It is a sentiment and a part of the ethos that is integral to the Bengali identity. It doesn’t matter who plays for either of the teams, or who coaches them, for all that is relevant is the contest between the Green-and-Maroon and the Red-and-Yellow. And that’s why fans shouldn’t really bother much about where the game is being played, and just continue to enjoy this 100-year-old legacy. From the time Nepal Chakrabarty scored the first goal in the Kolkata Derby in 1925 to MBSG’s 2-0 win last October, the…

I was just about settling down into my seat, 23D, on the Singapore Airlines A380, when a familiar face walked up and gave me a nudge. The boarding process wasn’t really smooth, with three of my colleagues on standby, and as their editor, it was my responsibility to make sure everyone boarded and all was okay. These things can get stressful at times, and it was time to relax and take a quick nap. That was when Harsha Bhogle came to my seat and we started chatting. Harsha has been someone we grew up listening to, and to his credit,…

Boria Majumdar in Sydney India endured a disappointing 3-1 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, ending their hopes of securing a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in the ongoing cycle. After this victory, Australia will now face South Africa in the WTC final. The series saw Jasprit Bumrah emerge as the lone warrior for the visitors while India’s batting unit, particularly senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, had a forgettable tour. Afterwards, RevSportz’s Editor-in-Chief, Boria Majumdar, engaged in a candid conversation with former Australian skipper Michael Clarke. During their chat, Clarke shared his insights on Kohli’s…

Boria Majumdar in Sydney Who is India’s best red-ball cricketer at the moment? Rather, who is India’s best player across all formats? The answer, most will agree, is Jasprit Bumrah. He is India’s numero uno, and the impact he has had globally is just phenomenal. And yet, he isn’t Indian cricket’s biggest brand. If you look at crowd pullers or men who command much more money in the market, you will see Bumrah way down the pecking order. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and then, maybe, Bumrah alongside KL Rahul. Shouldn’t it be that your best player…

The one thing that needs to improve on away tours is the relationship between the Indian players and management and the touring media. At the moment, the press conferences are more routine than anything else. Ask a player if he wants to meet the press and hand on heart the answer will be no. It is more out of compulsion than anything else that they do these interactions. And over the years, this is one aspect that has progressively deteriorated. Gone are the days when the media and the players would spend time like in 1989 in Pakistan – remember…

Indian badminton had a modest year in 2024. While Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty started the year well, things did not go to plan at the Olympics. Thereafter, the duo had to take a long break on account of the injury to Satwik. PV Sindhu was modest at best, while HS Prannoy was laid low by Chikungunya and other health concerns from the middle of the year. Lakshya Sen was good in patches and did well at the Olympics but missed out on a medal. He played some good matches and beat many higher-ranked opponents, but lacked the consistency that…

Boria Majumdar in Sydney As the dust settles on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and India get ready to refocus on white-ball cricket, the one question doing the rounds is what impact this series will have on the ODI team, if any? The answer, sources confirmed, is “nothing or no impact”, whatsoever. When probed further, the answer was even clearer. “Nothing has changed.” Red-ball and white-ball are two fundamentally different games, and to extrapolate red-ball form into the white-ball arena would be foolish. Rohit Sharma will continue to be India’s white-ball skipper and Virat Kohli will continue to bat at No. 3. …

Boria Majumdar in Australia India has lost the series fair and square and that’s a fact. Indian batters failed as a collective and the bowling except Bumrah wasn’t up to the mark. Questions need to be asked. For example, will senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play Ranji Trophy? Are they ready to miss a part of the IPL and play county cricket, play for India A against England Lions and try and get back to form ahead of the England series in June? If they don’t, should the selectors include them in the red-ball team? Are the…

Boria Majumdar in Sydney Gautam Gambhir mentioned at the press conference that India had their moments and not having Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t an excuse. Yes, it shouldn’t be an excuse. But the truth is that the Indian bowling without Bumrah was listless. On a pitch where a 30-over-old ball did the trick for Australia and the ball moved and jumped all morning, India sprayed it all over and couldn’t make use of the conditions. Make no mistake, this wicket had a lot in it. Also, the same Indian bowling attack had picked the last five Australian wickets for 80 runs…

Boria Majumdar in Sydney He has copped a lot of criticism for the shots he played in Melbourne. And rightly so. On both occasions, first and second innings at the MCG, the shots weren’t on. The reason is there were fielders stationed for those shots and Rishabh played into Australian hands. Today, it was the other way round. Rishabh literally toyed with the Australians and got into their mind. The fact that India is still in, and with a chance, is because of Pant. He picked his spots and that’s what stood out about his innings. Even Sachin Tendulkar tweeted…