Author: WebDesk

Some will take great delight in the one-time boy wonder’s fall from grace, but his story is more an indictment of the societies we have created. In our lifetime alone, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Novak Djokovic and Bjorn Borg have won more Wimbledon titles. Federer is perhaps the most accomplished all-surface tennis player of all. Djokovic isn’t far behind. Sampras was the most dominant of grass-court champions, while Borg in his prime had few equals – on grass or clay. But with all apologies to that most illustrious quartet and the 27 singles titles they have between them at…

Morocco Eye Another Upset Against France   Having seen off three of Europe’s strongest sides, and drawn with Croatia, Morocco will go into the semifinal against France with no fear. Their Rocky story could have another surprise twist or two. It was George Santayana, the Spanish-American philosopher, who said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In the case of Moroccan football, there was never any danger of the past being forgotten, yet, even they would have been stunned by the manner in which it repeated itself. Having made their World Cup debut in…

Muchacho Messi Makes Time Stand Still   Croatia may complain about the penalty decision that turned the tide, but they ultimately had no answer to the magic of Messi. A year before Lionel Messi was born, Diego Armando Maradona illuminated a World Cup semifinal against European opposition with two wonder goals, one with the outside of that matchless left foot, and the other with the instep. Both acute-angled finishes on the run, with the perfect balance as awe-inspiring as the deftness of touch. Genius, in other words. On December 13 at the Lusail Stadium, against a Croatian…

-Atreyo Mukhopadhyay The younger generation of Indian cricket is coming to the fore. In some style. They are fearless and willing to take the best on. They are fierce, undaunted against the formidable. The Women in Blue chasing that high a target, holding on when the chips were down and finally pulling it off in the super over against Australia was a tale of inspiration. It was out of the blue. Smriti Mandhana is a player you will get once in a generation. The game was getting away from India, by the minute. The pressure was mounting. The chase was…

 After a defeat in the first T20I, Team India aims for a comeback today at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai!! Listen to Amit Shah and Joydeep Mukherjee previewing the game from the stadium!

-Atreyo Mukhopadhyay There is something about football that tends to defy logic. Things happen against the predicted projections. They sometimes go absolutely haywire. This can be crazy. Beyond the realm of imaginations. And that is why you love watching sports. It keeps astonishing you. Wakes you out of the slumber. Stuns you. Gets you out of your comfort zone. The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar has turned out to be one such event. No favourites, no underdogs. It’s about who turns up better on a given day. How many upsets already? Spain, Germany, France, Argentina, Brazil, Portugal and a…

This was England’s Chance, and They Blew It   Harry Kane, England’s 29-year-old captain, has never won a trophy. After his penalty miss against France, he and his teammates must front up to the fact that they may never again come so close to glory. After the final whistle, Jude Bellingham, one of England’s outstanding performers throughout the tournament, lay on the turf, jersey pulled over his face and inconsolable. Those on the sidelines and in commentary boxes spoke of how, at 19, his chance would come again. But life is seldom that simple, and Bellingham, a mature young…

-Swapnil Mukherjee I had to take a few deep breaths before writing this, coming from a Messi fan – Love him or not, he is a human being. Everyone has their limits. Everyone has their breaking point. He too had his. Finally his dream is over. Ronaldo..I would like to see anyone go through what he has personally and come through it unscathed. It is impossible. Inhuman and unimaginable. 20 years of outstanding football, breaking and making records, leaving behind the CR7 legacy and May we say that will never change. The game will miss him. He is a devotee…

Atreyo Mukhopadhyay It was Ishan Kishan today. It can be someone else tomorrow. How do you keep the door shut on this enormous pool of talents? In India, there are lots of them. It’s just a question of grooming them, giving them the break at the right time. If you do that, you reap the rewards. Was it not the case in Chattogram? It was downright outrageous. That knock by Kishan. What audacity, power and ability to execute plans. It was almost as if, the bowler did not exist. I can do whatever I want, hit the ball wherever I…

Messi Joy After Brazilian Heartbreak   The best team in South America are going home, undone by Croatia’s veterans. Lionel Messi and Argentina, though, march on, thanks in no small measure to his genius illuminating an often ugly game. South America’s best team are heading home. The world’s most adored player, however, is staying on, to maintain South American interest in a competition that the continent hasn’t won since 2002. Those were the key takeaways from a dramatic and bizarre night in Qatar, with the first two quarterfinals both going to the lottery that is a penalty shootout. …