Boria Majumdar in London
India had just returned from Australia in January 2025, and the talk was of how the team was a divided one. No one gave India a chance to regroup and match England in England. At the time, when I suggested that we cover this series with a nine-member team, many felt I had lost my mind. There would be no interest and India would go down 5-0 was the refrain. For some reason, I did not abandon the plan. The truth is that multiple times, I was ridden with self-doubt. Is this a foolish plan, and how would it pan out, I kept asking myself.
Leeds did not go to plan. Despite scoring close to 500 in the first innings, India failed to close out the game. In the absence of a proper third seamer, the team was unable to defend 371 and take a 1-0 lead. Shubman Gill, the skipper, was stellar but there was hardly any support from the bowlers. Coverage-wise, it was a downer after four tremendous days. The loss meant all the negativity was back, and yet again, I was questioned about whether putting in as much into the series was the right call.
Edgbaston changed everything. Fortress breached, India were brilliant. And yet again, it was a dramatic game to cover. Rain on the last day spiced things up and when India finally closed things out, I stood vindicated. This was well and truly a series worth covering.
Come Lord’s, the interest was at its peak. And when Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul led a spirited Indian fightback, it seemed things were too good to be true. But as has been the pattern, a manic run-out changed it all, and eventually, Lord’s was a painful heartbreak. I was on my way back home for four days and the question was simple: was it at all worth it to make it back for Manchester? The costs are serious and for a start-up, it is always an issue. But then RevSportz is premised on risk-taking, and after speaking to Sharmistha, I decided to make it back.
Truth be told, thank God for that. Manchester was a miracle, and one of the best rearguard batting displays that I have seen in my three decades of watching and covering cricket. India were alive and so was the series. Right through, our coverage had stayed strong and the feedback had started to peak. People would write to us all the time sabout the coverage, and it was vindication of the effort put in. But then, there was The Oval.
If things went south, all this effort would come to nothing. At lunch on Day 2 with England 109-1, things did seem dire. But then, that’s the beauty of Test cricket. A dramatic post-lunch session meant the match was back in the balance. May I say, it has been an absolute pleasure to cover this series.
We still don’t know which way things will swing, and I can’t wait for Day 3 to start. Whatever happens, the series will be remembered as one of the best of all time, and for RevSportz, one where we won coverage in the digital space by a mile.
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