Author: S Kannan

There was drama, there was acting, there was history in the end made. For sheer audacity and authority, Afghanistan rocking and shocking Bangladesh to storm into the semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup on a Tuesday morning (India time) was not from the script which had been prepared as a preview for the World Cup. After the high adrenaline match on Monday night, when India defeated the cocky Aussies, the situation was simple: Afghanistan had to win against Bangladesh. In this World Cup, predictions have become as chaotic as a stock market caught in a bear run. This was…

The Class Of 1983 will assemble tonight in New Delhi at Kapil Dev’s residence for a quiet dinner. Kaps, as old-timers address the charismatic captain of the World Cup triumph on June 25, 1983, has ensured he leads, even now, when it comes to keeping his flock together. Forty-one years after India created history at Lord’s in the Prudential World Cup final, most of the players still keep in touch. “We are in touch, not just on a Whatsapp group,” said Madan Lal in an exclusive chat with RevSpprtz. “We try and meet at least once a year. It’s very…

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have kept the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) guessing as the two consummate artists are yet to take a final call on their participation at The Championships in Wimbledon, beginning July 1. Djokovic has caught the imagination of one and all after undergoing surgery on his right knee for a meniscus tear, after he had to withdraw from the French Open. The winner of 24 Grand Slam titles had slammed the organisers for bad scheduling and making him play on slipper clay courts. Yet, what has been sensational to see on his…

You got to salute the spirit of Afghanistan. To whack the cocky Aussies by 21 runs at the Arnos Vale Ground Kingstown, St Vincent, on Sunday was the mother and father of all upsets in the ICC T20 World Cup. For sheer emotions, for sheer drama and intrigue, what Afghanistan did, under the leadership of Rashid Khan, has set the World Cup on fire. Not even those in stupor would have imagined Afghanistan would push the Aussies hard. Hats off to the way they have bounced back after their defeat to India, so recently. The scheduling in this World Cup…

Sunday is Olympic Day, a day to be celebrated by one and all who have romanced the Olympic rings. If there is one singular athlete whose return to Paris 2024 Olympics is awaited with bated breath, it has to be American legend Simone Biles. Sample this, for an elite athlete who will be again twisting, turning and showing off her jaw-gaping athleticism mixed with swagger at the artistics gymnastics arena in Paris, a four-part Netflix documentary series featuring her will premiere in mid- July. “She’s the greatest in the world. She’s also human,” read the caption on June 19 Instagram…

It’s official – Sumit Nagal has made it to the main draw of the men’s tennis singles at the Paris 2024 Olympics. To say that the wait was agonising for Nagal and all tennis fans would be stating the obvious. The cut-off for the Games was the day after the French Open ended, June 9. On that day, Nagal was ranked 77 in singles by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), which meant he would have to wait for withdrawals to get to know if he would get in, as the main draw for the Olympics is restricted to the top…

For any elite athlete, making an Olympic debut is special. And when the debut turns into competing in two events and representing India at the Paris 2024 Olympics, it is a big thing. Maheshwari Chauhan, who has barged into the skeet team by sheer weight of performance, attributes her ‘sudden’ rise to hard work, spread over 12 years and a strong work ethic. Sample this, when the trials were held last year to pick the Indian team for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, she was not “good enough.” Yet, when it came to more trials held by the National…

In what can be termed as one of the more difficult exercises undertaken in Indian shooting over the decades, the National Rifle Association of India on Tuesday needed to pour over data before naming the shotgun squad for the Paris Olympics. With a tight selection policy formulated after being left red-faced with zero medals in the last two Olympics, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020, the need to select shooters based on performance, trials, a complex matrix of points plus current form was used to finalise the names. In men’s trap, even though Bhowneeesh Mendiratta had won the first…

Neeraj Chopra once again showed to millions of athletic buffs back home in India that he is fit and ready for Paris 2024. At least, that is the impression one got while watching him on television. At the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on Tuesday night, Neeraj hurled a throw of 85.97 metres to win gold in a rich field which where two Finns and a German were supposed to challenge him. This win for Neeraj is as important as all other wins, more because there was concern over a recent “precautionary break” necessitated by an ‘adductor’ issue. Someone…

If you thought the tennis competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics is only for the youngsters, forget it. Going through the acceptance list for the event to played on brick red clay at Roland Garros, there are any number of names which generate an emotional connect. The first, of course, will be Rafael Nadal, who is more or less likely to retire from tennis after this. For someone who has won 22 Grand Slam titles, signing out on a high with current French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz is the ‘high’ he wants. At the same time, there is an emotional…