Author: Boria Majumdar

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…

In sport, the first thing that you’re taught is not to take any match for granted. It is also said that there is always an element of unpredictability associated with sport. That’s what brings it close to the election scenario in India. Almost every exit poll had predicted a one-sided match. And each has been proved wrong. It is a simple life lesson. You need to respect your opponent, and do as sport teaches you – play fair, and then leave the result to itself. It has been a fascinating election. And no mainstream pollster was able to predict the…

I am not a political commentator, and politics isn’t my domain. And this isn’t a political piece, by any stretch of imagination. At the same time, it is important to state that from the standpoint of Indian sport, a stable government at the centre would make a huge difference. Indian sport is on the cusp, and Paris 2024 could well be a watershed Olympics for us all in India. The world is interested in the India story, and a good Olympics and Paralympics could help Indian sport turn the corner. A stable government would mean the political class will back…

A clip has gone viral of a fan running on to the ground to meet Rohit Sharma. Just as he does so, the security intervenes and pins him to the ground. A visibly concerned Rohit tries to reason with the officers, and even calls someone from the organisers to suggest they go a little easy on the fan. It worked to an extent, as the fan was escorted off the ground with Rohit looking on. For a second, spare a thought for the security personnel. It is their job to make sure such lapses don’t happen, for if the fan…

India sprang a surprise by opening with Sanju Samson, alongside Rohit Sharma, in the warm-up against Bangladesh. Instantly, it threw up much scope for interpretation. Virat Kohli was not playing the match, still recovering from jetlag. But Yashasvi Jaiswal’s omission raised a few eyebrows. Just one warm-up game ahead of an ICC event is not ideal. But the schedule is tight. In fact, India would be playing their first match – against Ireland on June 5 – at the T20 World Cup less than 10 days after the IPL ended. As Sanjay Bangar, former India batting coach, opined on air,…

Soumya Sarkar had bowled the ball on middle stump. In fact, we could even say off and middle. Rishabh Pant, to our complete surprise, had his head down, and with just a flick of his wrists, dispatched the ball over fine leg for a boundary. This was one of many such shots he played that reminded me of Sourav Ganguly’s words just a day earlier. “He is a very special player because he gets the unique angles in a ground like no one else does,” Ganguly had said. “That’s the beauty of his batting.” Anyone who watched him score a…