Author: Debasis Sen

Debasis Sen in Leeds As you enter the Headingley ground, you will invariably meet a woman groundstaff working under chief curator Richard Robinson. She is the 20-year-old Jasmine Nicholls, who is the first woman involved in the preparation of pitches at the iconic Headingley ground, setting a powerful example for others to follow. Jasmine is not the only female groundstaff in cricket venues across the United Kingdom. She was also a part of an all-female groundstaff team which prepared the pitch for a women’s Ashes match at Edgbaston, marking a significant milestone for the profession and showcasing the growing presence…

Debasis Sen in London South Africa created history on Saturday by winning the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s. Temba Bavuma and his boys brushed aside the ‘chokers’ tag as they defeated favourites Australia by five wickets on day four of the final. It was a first major ICC title for the Proteas in 27 years after they lifted the ICC Knockout, precursor to the Champions Trophy, in 1998. The majority of the crowd that turned out at Lord’s on Saturday were cheering for every run South Africa scored. Former India spinner Dilip Doshi, who was among the crowd,…

Debasis Sen at Lord’s South Africa are 69 runs away from scripting a historic feat by winning their first global cricket trophy this century. When Wiaan Mulder was dismissed by Mitchell Starc, caught in the covers by Marnus Labuschagne, the mostly South African crowd was clearly disappointed. With the Proteas 70-2 in pursuit of a daunting 282, the Aussies were already celebrating in the stands. But Temba Bavuma, the Proteas’ captain, who was batting with an injured hamstring, and Aiden Markram had other ideas. When stumps were drawn on Day 3, the South African fans were already having a beer…

Debasis Sen in Kolkata In a surprising turn of events, Srinjoy Bose and Debasish Dutta have set aside their long-standing differences and joined forces ahead of the much-anticipated Mohun Bagan club elections. After months of public mudslinging and personal attacks during their respective election campaigns, both Debasish and Srinjoy have come together for a unified cause — to steer the historic club towards a stronger future. According to insiders, the reconciliation was facilitated by Kunal Ghosh, the club’s vice-president and a prominent member of the ruling Trinamool Congress party. Many believe both Debasish and Srinjoy decided to reconcile after instruction…

The upcoming Mohun Bagan elections have sparked significant excitement among the members and fans of the century-old club. Internal rivalries within the ruling Trinamool Congress party (TMC) have surfaced through active involvement in the election campaigns for current club secretary Debasish Dutta and former general secretary Srinjoy Bose—both backed by separate factions within the state’s ruling party. Mayor of Kolkata, Firhad Hakim (Bobby) has thrown his weight behind Bose, while Debasish Dutta has the support of Deputy Mayor, Atin Ghosh. Shreya Pandey, daughter of the late minister Sadhan Pandey, was seen in one of the election campaigns of Srinjoy and…

Debasis Sen, Kolkata The dusk had just set in as an empty Eden Gardens presented a sombre look with the iconic venue losing its rights to host the IPL 2025 final. Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President Snehasish Ganguly was visibly dejected as he left the association after a meeting of the coaching committees on Tuesday. Despite the best efforts of the state association, the Indian cricket board decided against staging any playoff matches in Kolkata due to early monsoon setting in the eastern parts of the country. The BCCI on Tuesday officially announced Mullanpur and Ahmedabad as the two…

By Debasis Sen It has been more than a week since the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the IPL 2025 playoffs schedule. Eden Gardens, which was previously slated to host one of the Qualifiers and the Final has not been given any matches in the rescheduled fixture post the resumption of IPL 2025 on June 17. Despite repeated requests and mails being sent along with a report on the weather pattern expected in Kolkata on June 3, CAB officials are yet to hear anything from BCCI. In the past one week, the sport-loving people of the…

With the 2025 IPL all set to resume on May 17, Kolkata Knight Riders’ cricketers and support staff have assembled in Bengaluru. Ajinkya Rahane and his boys will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in a must-win game for them, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Most of the Indian players arrived in batches in the Garden City. Meanwhile, the Caribbean trio of Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Rovman Powell will reach Bengaluru by Wednesday night. The Windies cricketers, along with the assistant coach Otis Gibson and team mentor Dwayne Bravo, were in Dubai after the 2025 IPL was suspended for a…

Virat Kohli shocked the entire cricketing world, on Monday, by announcing his retirement from Tests, thereby concluding a remarkable 14-year career in the longest format. The 36-year-old made the announcement via Instagram, expressing gratitude for the journey that saw him play 123 Tests. He also scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, which included 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. Kohli stepped away from the longest format of the game as India’s most successful Test captain. He led India to 40 Test wins out of 68. This correspondent is fortunate to have covered Kohli over multiple overseas tours, including his…

Debasis Sen in Kolkata Following a disappointing campaign, East Bengal are leaving no stone unturned in their bid to build a competitive squad for the upcoming season. The Red-and-Golds have been very active in the transfer market, with their focus now firmly on bolstering the midfield. The club are currently in advanced negotiations with Bashundhara Kings’ Brazilian midfielder Miguel Figueira Damasceno. If talks progress smoothly, the 25-year-old could become East Bengal’s first overseas signing of the season. Sources indicate that the deal, which is expected to be for one year, is subject to the successful completion of medical tests. Discussions…