Author: Boria Majumdar

The similarities were uncanny. As we witnessed the scenes in Mumbai last evening, snapshots that will forever be etched in fans’ memories, one was forced to go back to 1971, the first time such a parade was witnessed in the history of Indian cricket. And interestingly, it was for the team that had beaten West Indies in the West Indies and travelled back to India from the Caribbean – much like Rohit Sharma’s World Cup-winning brigade did from Barbados. Back in 1971, it was initially decided to offer a simple welcome to the team members at the airport, for they…

While the victorious Indian team left Barbados for New Delhi, and landed in India just before you read this, one man left for Harare to join the squad touring Zimbabwe. Rinku Singh, on a mission, will want to make a fresh start and a statement. Rinku wouldn’t know why he wasn’t part of the team. He wouldn’t know what more he needed to do to make the side as a finisher. But what he will know is that there is no room to sulk. He needs to pick himself up and move on. Shivam Dube, despite his final heroics, didn’t…

It was 130am IST time when Suryakumar Yadav messaged me. I had sent him an Oped piece I had done for ET and it was titled, “Anatomy of a Catch.” His message was funny. It read, “Arre apne itna bara piece likh diya hai! Par who catch ekdom jam gaya hai kya kehte ho”. Very Surya. Witty, funny, passionate and a friend. I asked him if he’d want to talk a little more in detail about the catch, about Rohit Sharma as leader and Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid. My questions were overflowing. Surya, as always, was forthcoming. I hadn’t…

We were in the commentary box in Dubai in November 2021 when news came in that Rahul Dravid had been formally appointed head coach of the Indian cricket team. Sir Clive Lloyd, one of the greatest captains the sport has seen, was on the microphone with me at the time. Soon after I had finished reading out Dravid’s quote, Sir Clive burst out in excitement, “Rahul Dravid will be a very successful head coach for India. Someone who has scored 13,000 Test runs will have the respect in the dressing room to tell anyone where they are going wrong. His…

Today is World Sports Journalists Day. All that needs to be said is that it is a very small fraternity. And yet, a deeply divided one. While there will be competition and it is only natural, we need to be united and back each other up. There is a larger cause – to document stories that inspire millions. While we compete, we must also have each other’s back. Else, we will all lose out. The entire fraternity is discriminated against at every level. By news editors and political editors who always claim the cherry – once there is a significant…

Much has been said about how Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya bowled in the final. Let me add the 19th over bowled by Arshdeep Singh to this list. Three dot balls to start the over against Keshav Maharaj – that was the penultimate nail in the South African coffin, with Suryakumar Yadav and Pandya closing the lid in the 20th over. Arshdeep, may I say, was effective right through the competition. Even when he went for a few runs, he came back strong. He picked up wickets with regularity and made a big difference to the…

When Rahul Dravid, now former head coach, pointed out in January 2022 that the Indian team lacked balance with key players missing at numbers 6 and 7 in South Africa, it was clear to one and all that he was referring to Hardik Pandya. Having taken an indefinite break, Pandya was on the comeback trail at the time. Hardik at full intensity was something the team was missing. And now, we know why Dravid said what he did. In this World Cup, Hardik the all-rounder stole the show. Bowling at speeds between 135-140kmph, it was almost the Hardik of old.…

There were 27 needed off 28 balls and it seemed like Rohit Sharma was yet again staring at heartbreak. As skipper, it would be the third time in nine months. That’s when it is all in the mind. Most give up. And if the skipper does so, shoulders drop all round. Against Heinrich Klaasen, who had plundered Axar Patel for 24 runs in an over and negated Kuldeep Yadav, the captain had very few options to turn to. Against all odds, he went to Hardik Pandya. It may not have been as startling as MS Dhoni going to Joginder Sharma…

Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990 and the return of the African National Congress (ANC) the year before marked the end of apartheid in South Africa. India was the first country to invite South Africa for an ODI series after masterminding South Africa’s readmission into the ICC. Though the Indian board had agreed in principle to support the motion for South Africa’s re-entry, that the Indians would move the motion at the ICC was a last-minute decision. Supported by then BCCI president Madhavrao Scindia, Dalmiya moved the proposition for South Africa’s readmission at the ICC annual meeting in…

I was sceptical of this team ahead of the World Cup. Time and again, I have said that I felt India would find it hard to progress beyond the semi-final. I felt that England and Australia were better T20 teams, and India is a better 50-overs and Test side. So far, they have proved me wrong. And never can you be as happy as when your national team exceeds expectations and proves you wrong. Yes, they have already exceeded expectations for me. But now, can they go the distance? Can they make it the perfect farewell for Rahul Dravid, and…