Author: Rohan Chowdhury

India’s rifle ace Swapnil Kusale, the Paris Olympics Bronze Medallist in 50m 3P, has had a thoughtful start to the season, one marked by self-assessment, equipment tuning, and selective competition. Notably absent from the Argentina and Peru legs of the ISSF World Cup in South America, Kusale opted out not due to injury or poor form—but by choice, rooted in clarity and long-term preparation. “I was in the fourth position [after trials], and it wasn’t that I shot badly,” Kusale says. “My scores were slightly low because I hadn’t played many competitions post-Olympics due to the selection race. I realised…

The current Indian Premier League (IPL) season has not been ideal for defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Last year, under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir, the Knights clinched their third IPL title. However, following that success, Gambhir transitioned to a bigger role, taking charge as the head coach of India’s men’s national team. In his place, KKR roped in former West Indies all-rounder and Chennai Super Kings’ death-overs specialist, Dwayne Bravo, as the new mentor. Chandrakant Pandit, meanwhile, continues as the head coach. Every successful team needs a strong character at the helm — someone who steps up during…

A RevSportz Exclusive Ace Indian shooter, Arjun Babuta recently in the ISSF World Cup in Lima won a silver medal in the 10m Air Rifle breaking his medal jinx since the Paris Olympics 2024, through the National Games 2024. In this interview, he reflected on his campaign in South America, how tense was the final in Lima, the role of the Federation, his plans ahead and more. Rohan Chowdhury: Hi Arjun, welcome to RevSportz, and many congratulations on winning silver at the ISSF World Cup in Lima. First off, I want to ask you — after the near miss at…

It was supposed to be a thrilling Saturday night at Eden Gardens. Kolkata Knight Riders, chasing a stiff target of 201 set by Punjab Kings, had just begun their innings with Sunil Narine and Rahmanullah Gurbaz taking guard. But barely an over into the second innings, nature had its own plans — and a dramatic one at that. Just 10 minutes into KKR’s chase, the Kolkata sky turned a haunting shade of greyish-yellow. Dust from a sudden storm swept across the stadium. A chilly breeze, oddly welcome on an otherwise hot and humid night, came gusting in from the corner…

It was just 10 minutes or so into the second innings at Eden Gardens during the Kolkata Knight Riders versus Punjab Kings match that the sky turned all greyish yellow of the dust from the storm. Sunil Narine and Rahamanullah Gurbaz had just stepped onto the pitch to chase a total of 201 set by the Kings. A chilly cold breeze from the corner of the Jhulan Goswami stand felt nice on this hot and humid night in Kolkata. Within 30 seconds, the sky turned dusty, people had to cover their noses and eyes and the umpires signalled to stop…

RevSportz Exclusive A gold medallist in the Hangzhou Asian Games, India’s 50m 3P star, people had high expectations from Sift Kaur Samra for a podium finish in the Paris Olympics. However, an underwhelming qualification round didn’t get her through to the finals in Paris. Now in the recently concluded ISSF Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun World Cup in Argentina and Peru, Sift won a gold medal in the Argentina leg – her first medal in a senior World Cup. Later, in Peru, a close margined competition didn’t make her the finals cut. In this exclusive interview, she speaks on the campaign, ‘Standing’ – as…

RevSportz Exclusive Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil is a name that has been in the limelight for some good two years now. The 20-year-old Indian sport shooter from Maharashtra, Thane, a World Champion in Cairo, won a quota for India for the Paris Olympics but missed out on the final team by a whisker in the trials. He started the 2025 season with three medals, including a gold, in the ISSF Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun World Cup in Argentina and Peru, in the four events he participated in. His campaign started with a gold in the 10m Air Pistol Men’s event followed by a silver…

In a gripping finale at the ISSF Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun World Cup in Lima, India’s Simranpreet Kaur Brar emerged as a standout performer in the women’s 25m pistol event, clinching a silver medal after a dramatic contest that saw three Indian shooters vie for the podium. While the more-fancied names, Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh, missed out on medals, Brar showcased remarkable consistency and composure to win her maiden senior international medal. The final was packed with tension and drama, especially as three Indians —Simranpreet, double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, and Asian Games champion Esha — had made it to the top…

Indian shooters Rudrankksh Patil and Arya Borse secured the silver medal in the 10m air rifle mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup in Lima, Peru, on Sunday. The duo lost 11-17 in the final to Norway’s Jon-Hermann Hegg and Jeanette Hegg Duestad at the Las Palmas Shooting Range. This silver adds to India’s growing medal tally, taking it to two gold, three silver and one bronze. The country is currently placed third in the standings, behind China and the USA. In the qualification round, Rudrankksh and Arya posted a combined score of 632.5, narrowly missing the top spot…

In a nail-biting finish at the ISSF World Cup in Lima, Peru, Indian shooter Arjun Babuta delivered a memorable performance to secure silver in the men’s 10m air rifle event, narrowly missing out on gold to China’s shooting legend and Olympic champion Sheng Lihao by just 0.1 point. Babuta showed great composure and class, especially after his heartbreak at the Paris Olympics, where he had finished just outside the podium. This time, he held his nerve all the way through, battling a field stacked with Olympic and world medalists to end India’s brief medal drought at the event. The competition…