Leslie Xavier : Articles

Leslie Xavier
ICC World Cup: England Win. New Zealand Win. Cricket Loses Via Rulebook Farce
15 Jul 2019
Modern cricket’s greatest criticism has been the unequal contest between bat and ball. England cricket team’s fortuitous ICC World Cup 2019 win only magnified the fact. To have the greatest World Cup…
Leslie Xavier
Bajrang Punia’s Millennial Dilemma: India’s Olympic Favourite Shows Chinks in Defensive Armour
08 May 2019
Over the past year, despite his meteoric rise, Bajrang Punia’s two losses are a cause for concern. Both came against young, attack-minded wrestlers who disregarded the Indian’s reputation and put his…
Leslie Xavier
Caster Semenya vs IAAF: CAS Ruling a Case of Protecting Majority By Targeting the Minority
02 May 2019
The International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF’s) victory at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against Caster Semenya over the DSD rule casts a long shadow on athletics. Aside…
Leslie Xavier
Caster Semenya vs IAAF: CAS Verdict Will Forever Change Women’s Sport
30 Apr 2019
By straitjacketing women in sport and forcing them to adhere to patriarchal principles of the past, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is setting a dangerous course for the…
Leslie Xavier
Elections 2019: Vijender Singh, Gautam Gambhir in the Fray in Delhi; Here’s Why Both Deserve To Lose
23 Apr 2019
Vijender Singh, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, and Gautam Gambhir are contesting this year’s Lok Sabha polls in Delhi. The duo seem to be doing it for personal gain and career longevity while the…
Leslie Xavier
Reid Between the Lines: Hockey India Appoints New Coach
09 Apr 2019
Hockey India has appointed Australian Graham Reid as the coach of the Indian men’s team. But will Reid, who is the 26th coach India have had in the last 25 years, be given enough time to implement…
Leslie Xavier
Indian Cricket Team ‘Caps’ Irony With Nike-Made Valour
09 Mar 2019
Nike’s army camouflage caps, designed to highlight and underline Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) and the Indian cricket team’s sentiment and contribution to the National Defence Fund, is a…
Leslie Xavier
Stephen Constantine’s Exit Can Be a Blessing for India’s Footballing Future
15 Jan 2019
Stephen Constantine was a man out of time, his tactics and methods slowly a thing of the past in modern football. Despite his successes with the Indian football team, in the big matches, more often…
Leslie Xavier
Rolling Back to Square One: Hockey India Continues Coaching Musical Chairs, Boots Out Harendra Singh
10 Jan 2019
Disappointed with underwhelming results in 2018, Hockey India’s High Performance & Development Committee has asked Harendra Singh to step down as coach of the senior team and instead take up the…
Leslie Xavier
The Alchemy of Desire: Belgium’s Decade Long Journey to the Pinnacle of Hockey
17 Dec 2018
Ten years after the Beijing Olympics, when their project took hold, Belgium are FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup Champions. And now, at the pinnacle of the sport, their story has only just begun.