Author: S Kannan

Wrestling fans in India can celebrate the spirit of Vinesh Phogat to have competed in two weight categories in the selection trials held at the NIS Patiala on Monday. She triumphed in the 50kg category and broke down when releasing pent-up emotions. But the moot point is, were those in-charge of the trials right in allowing the superstar to compete in 50kg and 53kg categories? There was no apparent glitch in the men’s trials held in SAI Sonipat a day earlier. However, in Patiala, there was confusion galore. Article 7 of United World Wrestling International Wrestling Rules makes it clear…

Nobody likes to see champions fall by the wayside. As long as they put their heart and soul into training, results will come. Sunday was, indeed, a sad day for fans of Indian wrestling as Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia came a cropper in the selection trials for the Asian Championship and Paris Olympics qualifiers, both to be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in April. Wrestling news in the last 15 months has largely been shrouded in controversy. With little time left for the Paris Olympics and athletes gearing up in all disciplines, the focus had to return to the sport.…

‘Agony aunt’ is a typical British term. In the good old days, it was used for articles of advice in print. Nowadays, with the medium going digital – wherein written stories, audio, videos and social media come into play – the English continue to feel the pain. Dharamsala was supposed to be a calm venue. The climate was more like that “at home” for England – cool, and with nip in the air. Plus, they had visited monasteries and prayed for succour. Regardless, a defeat inside three days in the fifth and final Test highlighted how brittle this English side…

At the foothills of the Himalayas in Dharamsala, there is tranquillity plus a nip in the air. Shubman Gill, the young rock star of Indian cricket, had gone to a famous monastery on Monday. The picture did the rounds on social media, and to see Gill sitting in front of monks was a sight. A day later, on Tuesday, the English cricket team went to meet His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, though it was not publicised for reasons for privacy. As India and England head into the fifth and decisive Test in a long series, the visitors may be seeking…

To borrow a tennis phrase, this was one three-setter which was most energy sapping for Simona Halep, as her doping ban was reduced from four years to nine months on an appeal filed with the Court for Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Winner of two Grand Slam titles, the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019, the Romanian has been running from pillar to post to clear her name. She had tested positive for blood-boosting (increasing haemoglobin) Roxadustat in 2022. It takes little time these days for the media and social media to shred an athlete if her or she…

The images from Dharamsala look picturesque, that is, if you are viewing it through the prism of tourism. At a time when climate change and global warming have become a concern in every nook and corner of the world, this cricket venue which will host the fifth Test match between India and England from Thursday is freezing. Usually, in March, Dharamsala is sunny, after the wretched winter. The Barmy Army is already there, enjoying sunshine, off and on. However, Day 1 of the Test is most likely going to be wet, according to all the weather reports. The idea that…

Karun Chandhok interview on 2024 F1 season. Rev exclusive. If the 2024 Formula One season needed a high-octane surge before the championship begins tonight in the deserts of the Bahrain International Circuit, two men have provided it. First was seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton signing a mega-bucks deal with Ferrari from the 2025 season and ditching Mercedes. For such a thing to happen a year in advance did shock many fans, but that’s the market value of the Briton. In the last few days, one man who is considered the brains behind Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner, has grabbed…

Indian wrestling’s focus is set to return to the mat after more than 14 months. For one, a Delhi High Court ruling next week may lift the clouds of doubt. For another, according to those close to powers that be, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will also revoke its suspension of the newly elected body of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), imposed in December 2023. After the WFI, empowered by the recognition from United World Wrestling (UWW), called for trials to select the squad for the Olympic Games qualifiers, Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, as…

A RevSportz Exclusive Devendra Jhajharia, one of India’s greatest athletes in Para sports who won three Olympic medals in three different editions, has thrown his hat into the ring for the President’s post in the upcoming Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) elections. Jhajharia, a respected athlete who was also given the Khel Ratna award in 2016 after his golden effort in Rio de Janeiro, was a well-known javelin thrower in the F46 category. His efforts in promoting Para sports are well known, as a competitor and helping others. In recognition of his efforts, he also won the Padma Shri and…

The romance of Test cricket has been in full bloom this spring at home. In what has inarguably been four Test matches of riveting cricket, the accent has been on the arrival of youngsters for Team India. Skipper Rohit Sharma succinctly summed up his sentiments after the win in Ranchi, when he said that one needed to be passionate about playing Test cricket for the country. Indeed, the arrival of youngsters in this series has been the highlight, with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan and Akash Deep having shown what it means to have that hunger for red-ball cricket.…