Author: Boria Majumdar

Boria Majumdar in Paris The competition had just finished and Abhilasha Chaudhary, her coach, had left to check on the final set of arrows with the judges. Sheetal Devi, unfazed, stood up and walked back a few steps to where the television monitor was and started looking at her final few shots. For the entire time during her competition, I stood within a few feet of her and watched her perform. As we looked at each other, I asked if she had managed to break the world record. “Nahi pata [I don’t know],” replied Sheetal, looking the other way towards…

Boria Majumdar in Paris On National Sports Day, let’s make a bold prediction. India will win 8-10 gold medals at the Paralympics here in Paris. If that happens, it will make Paris the best-ever Games and historic in the annals of Indian sport. Is this prediction realistic or is it just something that I am saying on National Sports Day? Can the Indian athletes absorb the pressure of the big stage and deliver in the next 12 days to make it to India’s Games? Could India actually finish in the top 20 on the medals table? Yes, they can. A…

Boria Majumdar in Paris I have said a number of times already that India is expected to win 25 medals at the Paralympics. If that happens, the one thing that will surely occur on the side is that people will start commenting on social media that while the Paralympians have done really well, the Olympic campaign was a failure. ‘When the Paralympians can, why can’t the Olympians?’ will be the refrain. Some will surely say that while some lakhs have been spent on Sumit Antil, who is expected to win the gold with a possible world record in his event,…

Boria Majumdar in Paris I was going through the Indian papers yesterday evening, and I am sorry to say I hardly found much Paralympics coverage. With 24 hours to go, one expected a lot more coverage in the Indian press with the 84-strong Indian contingent poised to win over 25 medals at the Games. At the Olympics, I was pleasantly surprised to see the strong Indian media presence. Yes, there were some who had never covered Olympic sport or had turned Olympic reporters for the first time in four years, but at least they were there. And they made an…

There is no shying away from the fact that there is a lot of negativity around in India at the moment. With justice still not delivered in the RG Kar case, the situation is far from normal. And it might get far more complicated in the coming months unless serious action is taken by the political class. Besides, there are other issues as well. We have seen the worst of human behaviour in the RG Kar case, and it has challenged the very foundations of our society. In all this negativity, sport has been a ray of hope. It brings…

Now that the itinerary for India’s tour to England in 2025 has been announced and we are playing a June Test after a gap of 29 years, it is time to look back on the first tour 92 years ago, when a young and unfancied Indian side traveled to England for the first time. The Times, London on March 1, 1932, one-and-a-half months before the Indians embarked on their tour of England, published the following report: “The game gown on…The Delhi police may be having three sharp rounds with a rioting crowd in the Chandni Chowk, the crowded bazaar of…

Every football fan in India is eager to know the outcome of what is now well known as the Anwar Ali saga. The All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) Players’ Status Committee (PSC) hasn’t yet given its verdict and from what we know, it will take a little time to do so. This is because the PSC is keen on connecting all the dots and delivering a comprehensive judgment on all the issues at hand rather than giving a partial verdict, which could result in serious complications and heartburn. So rather than getting an operative part of the verdict like we…

Dream on. Dreams do come true. For others, these may be words of encouragement. For Manasi Joshi, however, they are much more. These words define her life in a way. Sample this. “When I was trying to make a comeback to sport and make a career out of it, these words were a constant source of support,” she said. “As a para-athlete, I had my own share of challenges. Life wasn’t easy. But that’s what it is all about. To be able to fight. To overcome adversity. Dream on, as Sachin Tendulkar says. For dreams do come true. And, may…

Cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics was a much-debated subject. After much deliberation, the sport is back for Los Angeles 2028. While its currency in the Global South is the key reason for the IOC to back its inclusion, it is also true that cricket is one of the most-watched sports in the world thanks to the growing strength of the Indian and South Asian diaspora. As Jay Shah gets ready to take on the role of International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman, how he deals with cricket’s relationship with the Olympics is expected to be a key feature of his tenure.…

On August 27, it will be formally known that Jay Shah is the only candidate to succeed Greg Barclay of New Zealand as the next International Cricket Council (ICC) boss. At 35, he will be the youngest to take charge. Just over 27 years after Jagmohan Dalmiya moved from being BCCI Secretary to ICC head honcho, Shah is all set to do the same. Others including N Srinivasan, Sharad Pawar and Shashank Manohar, who served as ICC heads, moved to the apex body after serving their tenures as Presidents of the BCCI. For Shah, it will be an interesting challenge…