Author: Boria Majumdar

Two press releases arrived back to back. The first was issued at 3pm by JSW Sports, which announced Sourav Ganguly as their Director of Cricket, who will be heading all cricket for the JSW group. The second release came an hour later from the Delhi Capitals official handle, and announced Venugopal Rao and Hemang Badani as Director of Cricket and Head Coach respectively. The two pieces of paper tell us a story. That Ganguly continues to have the backing of Parth Jindal and JSW. Also that he doesn’t enjoy the backing of GMR, and hence has been pushed back for…

Franchise teams aren’t easy to run, and they tend to throw up something out of the ordinary from time to time. The Delhi Capitals story is one such. That there were issues between the two corporates who run the franchise was known. And yet, nothing really surfaced. To their credit, things were kept under wraps for a long time. Having said that, it was always an issue as to how the team would be run going forward. Now, it has been decided that JSW, led by Parth Jindal, and GMR will take turns to run the team for two years…

The T20 World Cup experience has left Indian women’s cricket with more questions than answers. But of all the questions that we need answers for, the most important is whether we need Harmanpreet Kaur the batter or is she more important as a leader going forward? From the cup experience, it was evident that Harmanpreet is still the best batter in the team in pressure situations. She was the only one to stand up in the game against Australia, and there are few who come close. For India, it will be essential to have Harmanpreet the batter in her best…

Over the last two days, I have seen a lot of posts on social media which say that India ran Australia close. That India played well, and it was just nine runs that separated the two teams. Some have said that it was luck that India did not have on their side. We were gallant losers. The truth is there is seldom anything gallant in defeat. India did not make the semi-finals, and that’s the harsh reality. Competing isn’t enough. Against New Zealand, India did not even compete. Individual runs in a losing cause don’t matter, for it is the…

As I sit down to write this piece, India’s Women’s T20 World Cup campaign is over. Inconsistency and the inability to chase down totals has impacted the team hard, and the pressure, needless to say, will mount on the captain and the coach. Interestingly, it has always come down to that one crucial game for India in key tournaments. In the 2022 Commonwealth Games final, it was the very same Australia. The script was the same in the T20 World Cup semi-final in 2023. India lost to Australia and were out. That 2024 has been no different is what leads…

As the dust settles on India’s defeat and we come to terms with yet another World Cup exit, unless Pakistan script a miracle tonight, it is important to keep calm and exercise restraint. No one is hurting more than the players, and it is important we empathise while still asking the tough questions. While no over-the-top reaction is required, it is important to take stock and introspect. Analyse what went wrong, and why it happens time and again with the women’s team. The one difference between Australia’s approach and India’s lies in the fear of failure. Australia played without fear,…

We now know that victory alone may not be enough. In fact, it is more than likely that India will return home on Monday. And yet, a win is all that we need. It is essential for the future of the women’s game. To be able to say that it was one bad game against New Zealand that cost India, and that the team responded by beating the best in the world in Australia. We will indeed lament the lack of intent against Pakistan, and argue that the approach cost us dear. But all that is for later. For the…

There are less than 36 hours to go before India take the field against Australia for their all-important T20 World Cup game. It is clearly one of the most significant matches the team will play, and nothing but a win will suffice. And the two players who will have to lead from the front and take responsibility are Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana. Both played well against Sri Lanka and found form. But then, that was Sri Lanka. There is a massive difference between them and Australia, and both women will have to be at their best to make a…

Everything that could come good for India did so against Sri Lanka. A superb start followed by a brilliant effort from the skipper, a decent cameo from Jemimah Rodrigues and then a fantastic bowling and, more importantly, fielding effort. By winning as they did, India also got their net run rate (NRR) back on track. But the question is, will it be enough? Can we now say that India have managed to reopen the semi-final doors after two underwhelming games in Dubai, or is that premature? First, New Zealand have two games left. Their final match is on Monday, October…

It was back in 2015 that I asked Rafael Nadal this. “You have been plagued by many injuries in recent times. Have you ever thought that had it not been for injuries, where you would be today? Perhaps a few more Grand Slams, perhaps a higher ranking?” His answer was straight up and candid. “Injuries are part and parcel of a sportsman’s life,” he said. “They will happen. Having said that, I don’t always think about them or about what could have been. It doesn’t work like that. I have missed key tournaments because of injuries this year, but…