Author: Shamik Chakrabarty

Many years ago, as the Indian team was playing fun football ahead of a nets session, Shikhar Dhawan tried to do something spectacular with his feet. It didn’t come off and he fell on the floor. It had his teammates in stitches. As he dusted himself off, Dhawan wore a sheepish smile. That was the man, ‘Gabbar’ or ‘Jatt Ji’ to his colleagues, who didn’t mind his pals making a joke at his expense. Dhawan could make everyone around him positive. He was a very popular member of the dressing room. From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin,…

Ricky Ponting set the ball rolling, saying he would expect Australia to beat India 3-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year. Nathan Lyon’s assertion that the Aussies have “10 years of unfinished business” came on the heels of Ponting’s comment. Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins, meanwhile, has decided to take an eight-week break to make himself fully fit for the Test series against India. Mitchell Starc has called it “right on par” with the Ashes. The first Test in Perth is three months away, but mind games have begun in earnest. India will play two home Test series before…

Exhibit 1: Before the start of their Premier League game on Sunday, Chelsea and Manchester City players took the knee in a show of solidarity for the ‘No Room for Racism’ campaign. Among the players was Enzo Fernandez, wearing the armband, with manager Enzo Maresca making him the Blues captain. As tone-deaf as it gets. Before the start of the season, Fernandez had to apologise to his teammates for his involvement in a racist song about France. And he is now the Chelsea captain when he should have faced disciplinary action. It sent the wrong message. It also highlighted a…

Zaheer Khan is likely to become Lucknow Super Giants’ team mentor, RevSportz understands. The former India fast bowler was until recently the global head of cricket development at Mumbai Indians. Once roped in, Zaheer is understood to be looking after LSG’s bowling department, fast bowlers to be precise, while their head coach, Justin Langer, will concentrate more on the batting unit. The team mentor post at LSG fell vacant, as Gautam Gambhir made a switch to Kolkata Knight Riders after the 2023 IPL season. Gambhir guided KKR to title triumph this term and subsequently became the Indian team’s head coach.…

On an August summer evening, they demanded justice for the RG Kar Hospital victim. In the twilight, emotions welled up. Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting fans are rivals on the terraces. For Tilottama (name changed), they were united on the streets. The heavens opened. Fans didn’t care. Police reportedly used force. The supporters showed resilience. They were determined to protest peacefully, legally and apolitically. They raised slogans and to quote Bob Dylan: “(I) heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world.” Among the crowd was Subhasish Bose, the Mohun Bagan Super Giant captain. He…

Chennai Super Kings are relaxed over the MS Dhoni situation, as they wait to hear from their former captain. Dhoni’s IPL playing future remains a matter of speculation. Whatever he decides, his franchise will accept that. “We haven’t heard anything from him (Dhoni) yet,” a top CSK official told RevSportz. “But we are in no hurry. We never ask him. He will inform us at the right time.” The IPL teams would go into a mega auction next term. The team owners had a meeting with the IPL Governing Council to discuss retention policy, Impact Player rule and other issues.…

Avram Glazer, Manchester United’s co-owner, made a rare appearance at Old Trafford. “Glazers out,” chorused the Stretford End. As the new season got underway, there was optimism in the stands and a positive vibe on the pitch. United played against Fulham in the 2024-25 Premier League opener and they had a score to settle. Back in February, during last season’s campaign, United had suffered a defeat to the Cottagers, thanks to a 97th-minute goal from Alex Iwobi. On Friday, Joshua Zirkzee came off the bench and scored on 87 minutes to give the Red Devils three points. The win changed…

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has hinted at a retirement U-turn, via a statement on her X (the erstwhile Twitter) handle. This came two days after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed her appeal for a joint silver medal at the Paris Olympics. In a heartfelt post, Vinesh looked back at her career and spoke about her father’s dreams and mother’s struggles that made her resilient. She also thanked her husband, Somvir, for the unwavering support. She also expressed her gratitude towards the IOA-appointed chief medical officer at the Olympics, Dinshaw Padiwalla. “Maybe under different circumstances, I could see…

After the ODI series against Sri Lanka, as India struggled against spin on the Premadasa Stadium turner, Rohit Sharma was asked about the importance of playing domestic cricket. The Indian team of the current vintage doesn’t play spin well on turning pitches and not featuring in domestic cricket, the Ranji Trophy to be precise, has negatively affected the players’ skill-set. Rohit agreed with the assessment. “Domestic cricket is the backbone of our game,” the India captain told reporters. “We pick our players for Tests and ODIs mainly from domestic cricket. It is of huge importance.” There’s a renewed emphasis on…

Death, taxes and Luke Shaw getting injured – the three unavoidable things in this world. The Manchester United left-back has sustained a calf issue in training and will miss the start of the English Premier League season. United play the season opener against Fulham on Friday. The 29-year-old hasn’t played for the club since February and his only start in the last six months came in the Euro 2024 final. Over the past 10 years, Shaw has missed 264 games for his club and the country. When fit, he is one of the best left-backs in Europe, but somehow it…