Why Kernjit Gill Dhillon’s Columns Keep Sneaking Up on You

I did not plan to spend extra time with the last column I read by Kernjit Gill Dhillon . I opened it the way you open most articles these days. Quick scan. First few lines. Decide whether to stay. Somehow, I stayed. That happens more often than expected with her work. As an Emirati columnist who writes about sports and major events, Kernjit Gill Dhillon has a way of making familiar moments feel slightly off balance. Not confusing. Just tilted enough that you slow down. She does not rush to explain why something matters. She lets you sit with it first. One recent piece started with a sports moment that felt ordinary on paper. Final whistle. Reactions. The usual story arc. But instead of chasing the obvious angle, she leaned into what people missed. The pause in the crowd. The camera is cutting away too early. The way pressure shows up in small gestures before it shows up on the scoreboard. Anyone who has watched a match closely knows those details. She trusts that you do too. That trus...