Author: Debasis Sen

The Indian squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup is set to be announced in the first week of May. The BCCI selection panel headed by Ajit Agarkar has a job on hand, particularly in choosing wicketkeeper-batters and openers. Since the last T20 World Cup, India has experimented with 16 players as openers due to player unavailability and injuries. With Rohit Sharma assured of his place as opener, three players are in contention, based on their form in the ongoing IPL and recent T20Is. It includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad. In the recent T20I series against…

Basanti Goswami, widow of the late Chuni Goswami, has a special place in her 62, Jodhpur Park residence for the 1962 Asian Games gold medal her husband won. The legendary footballer, who died four years ago, would have been the happiest person to watch Maidaan, the film made based on the famous win by India’s football team at the Jakarta Asian Games. Mrs Goswami was with his son and daughter-in-law to watch the special screening of the Ajay Devgn starrer. “I enjoyed watching the film because we did not get an opportunity to watch the matches live,” Basanti Goswami said…

Andrey Chernyshov, the Russian coach of Mohammed Sporting, was instrumental in the club winning the I-League and securing a place in the ISL next season. The 56-year-old coach, who plied his trade as a footballer with three of the top Moscow clubs – Dynamo, Spartak and Torpedo – was unceremoniously sacked midway through the last season. Ever since his reappointment by the club’s officials, Chernyshov, who idolises legendary coach Ivica Osim, ensured there would be few hiccups on the road to the top tier. The Black Panthers won the Kolkata League for a third consecutive time, finished runners-up in the…

It was quite an emotional moment for the family of Arun Ghosh, one of the handful still alive from the 1962 Asian Games-winning Indian football team. The 82-year-old Ghosh, who still resides in the narrow lanes of a dusty Shalimar Char Mandir was present for the screening of the Ajay Devgan starrer, Maidaan, at the Avani Mall on Sunday, April 7. The film portrays the legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, who was affectionately known as Rahim Saheb. As you enter the living room of the two-storied building, your eyes are drawn towards a particular picture on the wall. It…

The Shillong Sports Association Stadium in Meghalaya witnessed wild scenes of celebration on Saturday as Mohammedan SC triumphed 2-1 over Shillong Lajong to seize their first-ever I-League championship. The 133-year-old club from Kolkata, the second-oldest in the country, will be joining city-based giants, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, in the top-tier league of the country, the ISL. With an unassailable 52 points from 23 matches, Mohammedan secured the I-League 2023-24 title ahead of their final match against Delhi FC at the Salt Lake Stadium on April 13. Their closest rivals, Sreenidi Deccan, are on 44 points with two games remaining.…

Former BCCI selection committee chairman MSK Prasad, now a strategic consultant for Lucknow Super Giants, was in Kolkata recently. The ex-selector advocated for young pace talent Mayank Yadav in the ICC T20 World Cup squad. In an interview with Revsportz, Prasad also shared his views on Virat Kohli’s strike-rate, Pant and the wicketkeeper dilemma, Hardik Pandya’s return, Riyan Parag’s form, and more. For the record, on Sunday night, Mayank bowled just one over. He suffered a side strain. Excerpts from the interview. Mayank Yadav has already been the talk of town. Your thoughts? MSK Prasad: In I have to describe…

Venkatesh Iyer has made a significant impact for Madhya Pradesh with his performances in the Ranji Trophy this season. The Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder amassed 547 runs in eight games at an average of 45.58 and claimed eight wickets with his seam-up bowling. The last time KKR made it to the IPL final in 2021, Venkatesh played a key role. That performance in the IPL earned him a place in India’s white-ball side. But a string of poor performances which followed saw him getting dropped. RevSportz: You played a key role in helping KKR reach the final in Dubai in…

The Indian postal department on Thursday honoured Kalyan Chauvey, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) President, by releasing a commemorative postal stamp. It was a recognition by the state unit of the department of Chaubey’s contributions to Indian football, both as player and administrator. The Rs. 5 stamp, released at a city event by India Post, features Chaubey’s image alongside the iconic Red Fort. Chaubey started his footballing journey with the Tata Football Academy and went on to represent top Indian clubs like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Salgaocar FC, Mahindra United and JCT. He also represented the country and was…

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly in an exclusive interview with RevSportz shared his views on India’s recent series win, Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dominating performance in the test series so far, Dhruv Jurel’s temperament and Ravi Ashwin reaching the milestone of 500 Test wickets. Interview by Debasis Sen What is your take on the recent test series win by India against England? Sourav: That was always on the cards. To beat India in India is very difficult. It is not easy to win in India and England are a young side especially their spin bowling attack. Both Hartley and…

Interview by Debasis Sen Sourav Ganguly, former India captain and ex-BCCI President, supports the board’s decision to exclude Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan from centrally contracted players for skipping the Ranji Trophy. In an exclusive interview with RevSportz, Ganguly shares his views on the issue and also on Rishabh Pant’s comeback in the upcoming IPL 2024 and more. Here are the excerpts: Do you think the board has taken the right move to exclude both Shreyas and Ishan from the central contracts? Sourav: I think the BCCI wants them to play first class cricket. I am surprised why Shreyas Iyer…