Author: Boria Majumdar

I reached the venue around 12:05 pm, and the teams had already stepped out to warm up ahead of the 12:30 pm start. A couple of hundred people had turned up after hearing the announcements, and the atmosphere was festive. There were balloons, flags, and food — it felt more like a carnival. The start of the RevSportz Empowerment Cup, the interstate open women’s football tournament, stood out for the passion of the players. As I was being introduced to the two teams, the first thing that struck me was the number of married women in the team from Purulia.…

Shubman Gill has no nerve injury. The injury isn’t serious either. So why the delay? Shubman Gill, the Indian red-ball and white-ball 50-over skipper, has no nerve injury. Let us also say this very clearly, his injury isn’t serious. Then the obvious question is what’s causing him to be out of the team and why this long delay? In normal circumstances, neck spasms are a very common thing. If you sleep on a different pillow for example or undertake a long flight, you might get a stiff neck. Gill too has had similar issues in the past and each time…

When I write the story of RevSportz at 4, I have to write about something I have not done in the past. I have to write about Sharmistha. Each one of us at RevSportz owes it to her. I was negotiating a ban, and all of a sudden, the future was uncertain. We did not know if the sponsors would stay or walk out on us. It was very possible that they would. Paying salaries would be difficult, for twenty-four months is a very long time. I couldn’t go out and ask for support, for I was trending for all…

Guwahati is a good wicket to bat on. The ball didn’t do much, and it was really hard work for the bowlers. That’s where Kuldeep Yadav stood up and made a difference for India, and that’s what we have been harping on for a while. India don’t need wickets that spin from day one. On such decks, a mediocre spinner can appear to be in the same class as Kuldeep, and Kuldeep, in turn, is rendered ineffective. If the wicket is already doing a lot, the bowler’s skill isn’t really needed. That’s why you don’t need such tracks on home…

Atreyo Mukhopadhyay, who was covering the FIDE World Cup for us in Goa, messaged me early last week to say that he had been introduced to a stranger with the words, “He is from Revsportz, India’s fastest-growing sports media platform.” Naturally, I was pleased. At the Eden Gardens, many walked up to Gargi Raut in the stands and told her they watch the shows and love to engage. The same happened with Trisha Ghosal and Snehasis Mukherjee during the Women’s World Cup, and it has now become a regular occurrence around the country. Until a year ago, every meeting with…

As my readers go through this, it is time for the all-important Test match in Guwahati. With India 0–1 down in the series and World Test Championship (WTC) points on the line, the stakes couldn’t be higher. In the absence of skipper Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant’s India will have their task cut out. There is a lot of negativity around, and that’s what makes this match all the more interesting. A deep dive reveals one issue that could decide the game: India’s ability to play spin. To say this would have been unimaginable a few years back. India and spin…

Boria Majumdar News reporting isn’t an easy business, especially when it comes to Indian cricket. Every piece of information is dissected on social media and, if you make a mistake, you can end up being viciously trolled. The truth is that each one of us will make mistakes. No journalist can ever get everything right. While the quest is always to be spot-on, even the best batter will get out for a duck on occasion. Journalists are no different, and each one of us should remember that. Take the Shubman Gill case. We at RevSportz had been reporting for the…

Boria Majumdar RevSportz turns four in a week, and yes, we will make a major announcement on our foundation day. That said, it is also time to reflect on the journey so far over the next few days. A company that started as a dream has now taken strong strides and can claim to have made a real impact in the sports media domain. We are now a team of 50-plus—yes, over 50—and I finally have a team capable of taking care of programming in my absence or when I am traveling. In each of the three languages—Hindi,…

Should he or should he not? What is the right call to make? Is there ever a right call in these situations? These were the questions doing the rounds about Shubman Gill. Let’s state the facts, medical advice was against Gill travelling to Guwahati. It was said that he could aggravate the injury by doing so. Gill, however, wanted to travel. As leader, he wanted to be with the team and go to Guwahati. That’s what he did. Take the case of Rishabh Pant in Manchester or Chris Woakes at The Oval or, for that matter, Anil Kumble in the…

I have always considered Rishabh Pant a fantastic red-ball player, and he has more than enough in his cupboard to stand testimony to that. Even in England, he was brilliant before he got injured, and he has had the maximum impact for India in red-ball cricket over the last five years. That’s what made me feel that it was Pant who needed to win India the game at Eden Gardens. He plays spin well and has the ability to counterpunch. And yet, things did not look good for him in the second innings. Off the very first ball he faced,…