Express Sports

In this episode, Andrew Amsan joins host Gaurav Bhatt to talk about a small nondescript village in Haryana that is training national medal winning Javelin throwers out of an abandoned chicken farm turned cow shed.

The allegations of racism made by the former cricketer Azeem Rafiq have shaken the Yorkshire club (one of UK's biggest county cricket clubs), and has led to the resignation of several top officials. The person who got Rafiq to actually open up about his past is the noted cricket journalist, George Dobell. This week on Game Time, Indian Express' Chief cricket writer Sriram Veera talks to Dobell abo...

This week on Game Time, hosts Gaurav Bhatt and Mihir Vasavda first talk about the former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq levelling allegations that he was subjected to racism by players and coaches during his two stints at the county club. And then, they discuss the disappearance of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai after she accused a former top government official in China of sexual assault.

Earlier this week, as India beat Namibia at the T20 World Cup, Ravi Shastri’s tenure as India’s head coach came to an end. In this episode, hosts Gaurav Bhatt and Mihir Vasavda are joined by Indian Express’ Chief cricket writer Sriram Veera to talk about his career, his synergy with Virat Kohli, and what he has meant for India’s cricket team. Link to Sriram Veera's article - https://bit.ly/30jK98S

After outclassing Scotland and securing the best run rate, India now hope for Afghanistan to upset New Zealand on Sunday. Shamik Chakrabarty joins Gaurav Bhatt to discuss the scenarios, Scotland's feel-good story at this tournament and Afghanistan's chances against New Zealand.

India opened their account at the ongoing T20 World Cup and, at least mathematically, kept themselves in contention with a 66-run win against Afghanistan. Shamik Chakrabarty joins hosts Gaurav Bhatt and Mihir Vasavda to discuss the changed approach, the scenarios, and whether it was too little too late.

With two losses in two matches, India's T20 World Cup campaign looks, in effect, over. Shamik Chakrabarty joins hosts Gaurav Bhatt and Mihir Vasavda to discuss the body language of Virat Kohli and Co, the selection and combination issues as well as the road ahead.

This week on Game Time, hosts Gaurav Bhatt and Mihir Vasavda discuss everything cricket. First, they go over Lucknow becoming the most valued team in IPL, and Ahmedabad getting pocketed by one of the world’s leading sports investors. Next, they discuss Quinton de Kock refusing to take the knee before a match, and why that has caused a backlash. And finally, they talk about the trolling and the vit...

In the first episode of our T20 World Cup special series, Shamik Chakrabarty joins host Gaurav Bhatt to discuss Pakistan 10-wicket win over India, Virat Kohli's innings and the team combinations. Shamik also shares the scenes from the stadium and how the hyperbolic discourse around the India-Pakistan cricket matches hasn't yet extended to the players on the field.

Tomorrow, on the 24th of October, arch rivals India and Pakistan face each other at the T20 World Cup in Dubai. As always, there have now been several calls made by politicians on both sides that the teams should not be playing together. But the match of course remains highly anticipated by cricket fans. In this episode, hosts Gaurav Bhatt and Mihir Vasavda talk about the lineup of the two teams,...

Gender testing in sports has been widely controversial, and in several cases has led athletes to experience trauma, and face stigma from those around them. The test in question is such a burning issue in the sporting world that it finds itself at the center of a recently released Bollywood film. Rashmi Rocket, starring Taapsee Pannu, is possibly the first Indian film to deal with the subject. In t...

Indian cricket Ravichandran Ashwin has often been called ‘disgraceful’ for not following the 'Spirit of the Game'. But what exactly is the spirit of the game? Is it really necessary? And does it create more problems than it solves? In this episode, hosts Gaurav Bhatt and Mihir Vasavda talk about the mythical construct of the ‘spirit’, discuss various examples of when it has been known to be violat...

Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes had been India's greatest tennis duo, winning 24 consecutive doubles matches in Davis Cup. But their partnership and friendship famously soured more than two decades ago. But what caused that to happen? In this episode, hosts Gaurav Bhatt and Mihir Vasavda talk about a recently released docu-series, Break Point (on Zee5) that explores this very question, and looks...

What are NFTs? What does it mean to own one? And are there any downsides to it? In this episode, hosts Gaurav Bhatt and Mihir Vasada, and producer Shashank Bhargava talk about the bizarre world of NFTs, and what it means for sports fans and artists.

In this episode, hosts Gaurav Bhatt and Mihir Vasavda are joined by Indian Express’ Sandip G to talk about the recently concluded England vs India test series that finished in India's favour. They discuss what worked for India, the team’s opening combination, Rohit Sharma’s first overseas test century, and Virat Kohli’s captaincy.

Last week, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and wrestler Bajrang Punia were guests at the Indian Express Adda to talk about their historic performances at the Tokyo Olympics. They were in conversation with Indian Express’ sports editor Sandeep Dwivedi and our host Mihir Vasavda. This week we bring you the best of that conversation. You can listen to it in full here - https://bit.ly/38XAkxR . Also not...

This year at the Tokyo Paralympics, India has achieved its biggest medal haul so far. In this episode, hosts Gaurav Bhatt and Mihir Vasavda talk about the stories of three Indian paralympians and how they won their medals – Sumit Antil, Devendra Jhajharia, and Mariyappan Thangavelu. And later, they also discuss what has changed and what needs to change at the systematic for disabled athletes.

With the Taliban returning to power after 20 years, just like everything else in Afghanistan, the future of sports in the country remains highly uncertain. In the past the Taliban has promoted men's cricket, but will it do so this time as well? And what about the participation of women in sports? In this episode, hosts Gaurav Bhatt and Mihir Vasavda discuss the progress that sports like cricket an...

In this episode, host Gaurav Bhatt is joined by Indian Express' chief cricket writer Sriram Veera to talk about India's spectacular win against England at Lord's on Monday, and why despite India's past such victories should no longer surprise us. They also discuss England's mistakes, India's bowling, the Ravichandran Ashwin debate, and what has made KL Rahul a competent test opener.

With the hectic Olympics schedule behind him, Mihir Vasavda joins Gaurav Bhatt on Game Time this week to talk about what it was like covering the biggest sporting event in the middle of a pandemic. He shares tales of daily rigour, peeking Godzillas, “human” noodles, and kind volunteers, and also answers listener questions.

The Tokyo Olympics have come to an end and so has the Pod of the Rings series. In our final episode, Mihir Vasavda and Gaurav Bhatt go over the differences between the nervy opening ceremony and the peppy, dignified closing ceremony. They also discuss how high-tech microphones captured every sound and relayed it to millions watching on television as well as what you can expect when our regular sho...

Gaurav Bhatt recaps how Neeraj Chopra provided a golden end to India's campaign. Mihir Vasavda captures scenes from the venue and the magnitude of the gold medal and Nihal Koshie breaks down the javelin thrower's technique and confidence which proved key.

Mihir Vasavda and Gaurav Bhatt discuss how shots of pickle juice kept the Indian team running without cramping. They also talk about Bajrang Punia's defeat and the javelin throw final featuring Neeraj Chopra and German great Johannes Vetter among others.

Mihir Vasavda and Gaurav Bhatt talk about the celebrations on the pitch after Indian men's hockey team beat Germany to take the bronze medal, in a match that was no less than an action-thriller. They also discuss Ravi Dahiya's silver and Vinesh Phogat's disappointing outing. Read Sandip G's profile on goalkeeper PR Sreejesh here: https://indianexpress.com/article/olympics/india-vs-germany-p-sreeje...

On their Olympic debuts, wrestler Ravi Dahiya and javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra stepped up and impressed. Mihir Vasavda and Gaurav Bhatt break down Dahiya's sensational march into the final and Chopra's qualification-topping throw.