Author: Boria Majumdar

Team India’s dream of qualifying for the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for the first time was demolished as Qatar defeated them 2-1. However, it was the controversial decision regarding the home team’s first goal in the 73rd minute that made headlines. Indian fans were left shocked as the ball appeared to have gone out of play after Gurpreet had saved a header from Aymen. Despite this, the whistle did not come, and Al Hassan pulled the ball back into play and passed it to Aymen, who put it into the net. Despite several replays, the referee…

Shivam Dube is in the firing line. Despite India’s win, Dube has got enough and more flak in the last couple of days. First things first – the catch he dropped off Mohammad Rizwan was a sitter. He did not have to move, and it just went in and out. Had Rizwan won the match for Pakistan, the dropped catch could well have been the talking point for the next few days. With the bat too, he hasn’t been able to deliver yet. And many have asked why he is in the team ahead of Rinku Singh if he isn’t…

The 21 medals at the Asian Games last year, including seven golds, were a sign that Indian shooting was on a steep upward climb after a lull of a few years. And it wasn’t a one-off. As many as 21 Olympic quotas, the highest that India has managed, has raised hopes. With the shooters doing consistently well in international competitions, the optimism isn’t unfounded. Yes, many will say shooting was built up in a big way ahead of Rio and Tokyo, and it all came crashing down as the pressure mounted on the young shooters. They are right to be…

Pathetic. That was the word Wasim Akram had used for Pakistan after they lost to the USA. I wonder what word he or anyone would use after Sunday night. Every adjective would actually fall short in describing how limp Pakistan were. I had predicted a Pakistan win soon after Babar Azam won the toss. On a wicket where batting was hugely difficult, the toss was always expected to play a major role. And it did. India, despite a very good start, folded for 119, a total most good teams would be expected to overhaul. Pakistan could assess the situation and…

It was two hours after the India-Pakistan World Cup match had ended on June 16, 2019, and the Curry Mile in Manchester was a sight to behold. One side of the road was dark, and all the Pakistani restaurants looked deserted. On the other side, every Indian restaurant was full and every possible dance form conceivable could be glimpsed. People were dancing to the dhol, and the bhangra was impromptu and full of energy. The tricolour was everywhere and the party had just begun. India had once more beaten Pakistan in a World Cup encounter, and yet again, it was…

India are all set to take on Pakistan in their second game of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup on 9th June 2024. The match is going to happen at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York and the Men in Blue started their campaign with a one-sided win over Ireland. Though Pakistan suffered a shocking defeat against USA in their tournament opener, they will look to make a comeback against their arch-rivals and fans are also gearing up to witness this epic battle. To build up that contest, here is the India-Pakistan conclave where former legendary cricketers like…

India-Pakistan was to be a game for bragging rights. The format felt like the ICC had tried to make sure that both teams made the Super Eights. That’s the only way to make money and the ICC, with the experience of the 2007 World Cup behind them, did not want to take a chance. But then, they don’t really know Pakistan. No one does. They are their own biggest opponents, and know the art of self-destruction. They know how to blow up opportunities, and now have a captain who fancies blaming bowlers instead of taking responsibility. Babar Azam, with a…

Exactly 50 days from today, all eyes will be on Paris as it hosts the games of the 33rd Summer Olympiad. And for the first time in years, India, it gives me pleasure to write, looks to be well prepared. While things can change either way, preparation so far has been reasonably good, and if things go right, Paris promises to be the best Olympics in Indian sporting history with the country touching the coveted double-digit medal mark. To predict the number of medals India can win is somewhat irrational. But suffice to say the number of possible medal winners…

Soon after the 2019 World Cup was over – and it ended in heartbreak for India and MS Dhoni – he went to an army camp to escape the trauma. Not many know about it, but he went twice within a matter of months. “We slept out in the open and did all the drills,” he told me. “I wasn’t MS Dhoni there and that was the biggest satisfaction. In the army I am just another soldier and I could relax myself.” Was the army an escape from what he had been through at the 2019 ICC World Cup? Could…

It was a hard training day for the team, and perhaps not the best time to request Sunil Chhetri for a chat. And yet, he was warm as always. “We will be out training till 8.30pm or so,” was his message to me from Bhubaneshwar, where the team was camping ahead of the Kuwait game. “Come and message and we will catch up for sure.” I managed to reach the hotel by 8pm that evening, and dropped Sunil a line informing him that I was there. In 30 mins came the response. “We are still in training,” it said, before…