Author: Sharmistha Gooptu

Sharmistha Gooptu in Manchester As a civilisation we have always worshipped the rain deities. And even for as long as the movies have existed there have been rain songs from Dev saab (Dev Anand) to Sridevi, to the famous rain song the the 2001 film Lagaan – the villagers are forced to play against their British tormentors because lack of rain leaves them with a drought situation and unable to pay lagaan (tax) . Today, every Indian who is at Old Trafford is begging the rain gods – we’ve all gone back to worshiping every god and goddess in a…

Sharmistha Gooptu in Manchester This morning as I watch the team warm up at Old Trafford from my place at the media centre, I’m pondering if a section of the public on social media in India gives any credence to this profession of sports journalism – to people who travel in their professional capacity and follow the cricket team on a long tour like the ongoing Indian tour of England or when India travel to Australia. There are armchair critics and naysayers by the million now who call out journalists pretty much everyday. For example, our colleague Rohan Chowdhury,…

Sharmistha Gooptu in Manchester When Rishabh Pant sustained a bad foot injury on Wednesday, which now has been confirmed as a fracture, putting him out of the game, the Indian media erupted here in Manchester – not only in their bid to get updates on the exact nature of his injury but also letting loose a canon of speculation. And that’s all the more because the man in question is Pant. I can recall a senior journalist repeatedly saying, “We never know, he has an incredibly high pain threshold.” That is also something that has been stated by his doctor…

Sharmistha Gooptu in Manchester The warm-up was ongoing inside the ground when I entered the media centre this morning. Old Trafford is a place where India have a history of heartbreak, and coming after Lord’s which was a big disappointment, it seems spirit will count for a lot here, anyway given the weather conditions. It’s been cold since yesterday, though today isn’t very windy. Except Shubman Gill and a couple of others, nobody is in a jumper. They seem in fine spirits from where the birdie is seeing them. Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna laughing around a football…

Sharmistha Gooptu in Manchester The first thing that struck me was how closed the stadium looked from the inside – my first visit to the Emirates Old Trafford to cover match day-minus-two practice for the Indian team. Compared to Lord’s, it almost seems a cluttered view if you’re sitting in one of the lower seats. Sitting in the stands under the media centre, and watching the men in blue warm up at an arm’s length, what you noticed in the first few moments was the camaraderie. Practice started at 9.30 am sharp but Shubman Gill arrived closer to 10, had…

Sharmistha Gooptu in Manchester If you’re in Manchester, you’re inside the football! RevSportz team members who are either supporters of Man City or Manchester United – have already made their respective trips to bow their heads at these pilgrimages of the game since their arrival here. For myself, checking into my accommodation here yesterday was more than enough. Hotel Football, my home for the next eight days, is literally the house next door to the Manchester United Football stadium. The Sir Alex Ferguson stand is overlooking the road in front of the hotel. Co- founded by Manchester United legends Gary…

Sharmistha Gooptu in London The day before yesterday, I had been practically the sole Indian reporter to be present for the women’s team’s practice session — a disappointing scenario — as I have already written. Yesterday, as I walked towards the Grace Gates at Lord’s for the second ODI, I had wondered if at all I would see even an iota of the fanfare that we see at the men’s games. Gladly, my apprehensions were misplaced. In front of the Grace Gates, I encountered three gentlemen, two of them in India jerseys, one with Virat written on the back. These…

Sharmistha Gooptu at Lord’s I woke up to a deluging and wet morning here in London, and when I reached Lord’s it was still a strong drizzle. By the time I was at the press box after completing the Live show around eleven past local time, my shoes and socks were soaking wet. There was gossip and chatter in the media box and English journalists talked over hot chocolate and cookies. The ground of course is soaking wet with the ground staff coming in to sweep the water off the pitch covers. The rain never completely stopped, though the drizzle…

Yesterday, covering the India women’s match day minus one practice and press conference was a revelation; a stark reminder of where we as a society like to put women. Match day minus one is always big – for the men’s game. Journalists will attend with a broken arm or leg and editors back would have the scalp of your head if you did not attend or send footage from the match day minus one PC and practice, because it shows a team’s state preparation, or gives a sense of who’s going to be in the final eleven. But hey, wait,…

Sharmistha Gooptu Some days from now, on July 25th, World IVF Day will be celebrated. A day when we will celebrate the advances in reproductive medicine and fertility treatment that has changed lives the world over. At RevSportz, we have been concerned with this aspect of health and health awareness as far as athletes’ lives and life choices are concerned. When it comes to the matter of motherhood, or rather parenthood, athletes have been facing tough decisions on the choice between career and children, often at their peak or prime. MC Mary Kom has spoken to us about the challenges…