Author: WebDesk

By Bharath Ramaraj Overview The engrossing contest between Reece Topley and Virat Kohli at Royal Challengers Bangalore’s first practice session finished with the duo having a brief discussion. It was perhaps about Topley’s ability to extract bounce and the left-arm angle. Glenn Maxwell too was seen practicing in the other net at the same time. As the two stalwarts trained, cameras were zoomed on them. Every single time Kohli cracked a lofted shot, the noise was deafening with chants of ‘Virat, Virat’ reverberating around the stadium. Even when one of RCB’s superstars from the years gone by, AB de…

Overview: After back-to-back title wins in 2019 and 2020, Mumbai have finished fifth and 10th. And for the first time since he caught the eye in 2013, Mumbai will have to navigate a campaign without Jasprit Bumrah’s lethal yorkers and short balls. They have the captaincy nous of Rohit Sharma to fall back on, but is there enough talent in the Indian contingent to sustain a title tilt? Strengths and weaknesses: The plan was to unleash him on batsmen in tandem with Bumrah, but a fit-again Jofra Archer could well hold the key to Mumbai’s tournament. He and Cameron…

By Atreyo Mukhopadhyay Overview: This is a team facing problems. Even at full strength, they did not appear to be the best of the lot on paper. After that, injuries have set them back. Already out for at least half the campaign is Shreyas Iyer, captain and middle-order mainstay. Lockie Ferguson, the New Zealand fast bowler who was consistently among the quickest last season, is unlikely for the first few games due to a hamstring problem. These are blows because both are indispensable in the team’s scheme of things. This means new captain Nitish Rana will have lots on…

By Debasis Sen Overview Delhi Capitals continue to hunt for a maiden IPL title. The franchise has suffered a huge setback as Rishabh Pant will miss the IPL 2023 season because of the horrific road accident he suffered last December. David Warner has been entrusted with the responsibility of leading the side this season. Batting seems to be Delhi Capitals’ strength, with the likes of Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell and Sarfaraz Khan in the ranks. But when it comes to all-rounders and Indian fast bowlers, there is definitely a lack of experience. Ishant Sharma, who…

 Abhinav Bindra is one of the best India has ever seen. India’s first individual Olympic gold medal winning shooter features in the latest episode of Backstage with Boria Season 4. The champion shooter in this candid interaction with Boria Majumdar opens up on athlete’s mindset dealing with failures, mental health, dream projects and how it can make a difference to sport in India. #AbhinavBindra #BackstagewithBoria #BWBSeason4

— Boria Majumdar, Rohan Chowdhury Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil. India’s best bet for an Olympics medal in shooting in Paris 2024. Having won a quota already, Rudra Patil is arguably one of the most consistent shooters in the world at the moment. He won gold in the Cairo world cup and two bronze medals in Bhopal. In fact, it was after a while that he did not win gold in a major competition. How does Rudra see his efforts in Bhopal and his competition with the Chinese shooters? Will the bronze push him to work harder and get better? How confident…

–Bharath Ramaraj It is 10.45 PM at the Brabourne Stadium as Nat Sciver nonchalantly ramps a full toss from Alice Capsey over the ‘keeper’s head and into the boundary hoardings. Mumbai Indians have created history by winning the inaugural WPL and the star England all-rounder has aptly played a pivotal role. It is true that the delivery was there to be hit but Nat Sciver’s 55-ball unbeaten 60 in tricky conditions and under pressure in the summit clash against Delhi Capitals summed up her ability to stay in the present. Staying in the present. Just press the rewind button a…

–Boria Majumdar It was the Covid-induced lockdown and the entire country was indoors. Jameel Ahmed, Nikhat Zareen’s father, however, had a completely different worry. Zareen, who was home, was eating home-cooked food and, with little to do, was surfing the Internet all day. “She would put on weight and it wasn’t the right thing to do,” said Jameel. “We had to ensure that even during lockdown, her focus stayed on the world competitions.” The father-daughter duo soon devised their own plans. She would skip in the morning and train in the afternoons on the terrace. And the routine was as…

G Rajaraman It does not matter to Neeraj Goyat that mainstream media does not pay as much attention to his boxing as it did to his role in rescuing stranded Indians in Ukraine last year or his forays as an actor, trainer and choreographer in the world of films, including in the much talked about RRR. He has his focus on putting in his best effort to extend his win-loss record later this week. With a 17-3 record in his professional boxing career, he is on his way to the Mexican city of Guadalajara where he will take on American…

— Boria Majumdar Work-Life Balance possible? In an age of 24/7 work, we often hear the statement it isn’t possible. How do you have a good corporate job and balance it with being an elite high performance athlete? Don’t try it for then you will be wasting your sports career. “Why take a chance?” is often the advice. The question is how do we know it’s not possible? How do we know that the job won’t give us more joy than just being an elite athlete? That it will help in work-life balance? Why is it that sport has to…