Author: Boria Majumdar

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…

We hardly speak about him. In fact, when we do, we question his spot in the team and ask if someone else like Yuzvendra Chahal is a better bet. We speak of Jasprit Bumrah and we speak of Kuldeep Yadav. In fact, we even speak of Arshdeep Singh, but very rarely is Axar Patel spoken of as a match-winner. And yet, consistently through this T20 World Cup, Axar has stepped up for India. There was the match against Pakistan where he played a very useful hand at No. 4 and then, when the chips were down and Pakistan looked to…

Pressure. Perhaps the most used word when it comes to sport. Everyone who has played sports will tell you there is always pressure. From fans, parent bodies, sponsors, family and most importantly from yourself. At the end of the day, a sportsperson is alone grappling with her or his own mind. A mind that is full of clutter and is constantly fighting to be freed. Of all the thoughts that keep flooding in, of the possibilities that keep disturbing the equilibrium and finally all the hope and expectation of what can be. It is this pressure that impacted Afghanistan today.…

The campaign is over. And how. India just did not compete and that’s what was the most disappointing. We leave Australia with many more questions than answers. Before we started out for Australia to embark on this much anticipated campaign, the talk was all about approach. That there will be a new template. There will be intent at the top and we will see a different India in the powerplays. Sadly none of this talk was seen on the field down under. This was how I had started my match report after India lost to England in Australia in November…

It was 1am in the morning when David Warner responded to the message in November 2021. Australia had just won the T20 World Cup, and he hadn’t seen his phone with all the celebrations going on. Soon after he came online and saw the interview request, he called back. “I am so happy, mate,” he said, struggling to keep emotions in check. “Can’t tell you how happy and relieved I am at the same time.” With the Australians flying back early morning on a charter flight, he wanted to do the interview then itself, and with raw emotions pouring out,…

Sport is drama, not reel but real. It is all about raw emotion. From agony to ecstasy. When Litton Das and Taskin Ahmed were going you could see the tense faces getting more and more anxious. You could see the dressing room pushing Rashid Khan and his boys. The DL (Duckworth Lewis) par score was 104 and Bangladesh was on 105. How could the cricket gods be so cruel? How could they deny Afghanistan? How could it be that a story which is no less than a fairytale would be cut short by rain or more? Bangladesh did not deserve…