Episodes
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Speed + angle + accuracy: a lookback at some modern fast bowling spells
Can a bowler find a way to exploit a batter's anatomy and his movements? England did it to Bradman and Co. in the Bodyline series in 1932-33 but modern bowlers have tried a variation of this strategy too and turned in unforgettable spells. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: The essence of...
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Australia's triumph, India's muddle: Australia v India, 5th Test review
We review the fifth Test between Australia and India in Sydney where Australia regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a thrilling three-day win. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: Australia's superior bowling depth wins the day The remarkable Mr Boland India's muddled approach to this...
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Australia too good in Melbourne special: Australia v India, 4th Test review
We review the fourth Test between Australia and India at Melbourne. Australia went 2-1 ahead after a special win. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: A series where the first 40 overs is vastly different to the second 40 Why are India hesitant to play a fourth fast bowler? India's issue…
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Rain saves India, Ashwin bids goodbye: Australia v India, 3rd Test review
We review the the third Test between Australia and India at Brisbane. Australia piled on 445 but rain helped India keep the series at 1-1. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: India's decision to persist with four bowlers an an allrounder The need for insurance in the lower order against...
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Starc and Co. deliver pink ball masterclass: Australia v India, 2nd Test review
We review the the second Test between Australia and India at Adelaide. Australia drew level with a handsome 10-wicket win. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: Mitchell Starc: the pink ball master Australia's bowling depth to the fore in day-night Test India's selection hedges come back to...
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It's Bumrah's world: Australia v India, 1st Test review
We review the the first Test between Australia and India at Perth - a remarkable game where the ball dominated the bat... until it did not. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: The significance (and surprise) of India's 295-run victory at Perth The toss advantage, and how India made the most...
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Five Tests, so many possibilities: Australia v India series preview
We preview the upcoming five-Test series between Australia and India. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: The marketing of the India v Australia rivalry: and its evolution over the years The profusion of India-Australia cricket in the last 25 years - and the relative dearth in the 15 years...
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A win to top all series wins: India v New Zealand, 3rd Test review
We review the third Test between India and New Zealand in Mumbai where Ajaz Patel bowled New Zealand to an incredible win. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: Is this the finest Test series win of all time? New Zealand overcome great odds in dream sequence The categories of outrage...
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New Zealand pull off the unthinkable: India v New Zealand, 2nd Test review
We review the second Test between India and New Zealand in Pune where Mitchell Santner bowled New Zealand to their greatest series victory. Support 81allout on Ko-fi Talking Points: New Zealand's finest hour: breaking India's 13 year home streak When India were dominated in typical Indian...
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New Zealand script glorious win: India v New Zealand, 1st Test review
We review the first Test between India and New Zealand in Bangalore - a magnificent match that will be remembered for a long, long time. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: Pitch-perfect conditions for New Zealand's bowlers The sub-air effect: how Bangalore's drainage system played its part...
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New Zealand v an unstoppable force: India v NZ series preview
We preview the upcoming three Test series between India and New Zealand - and also discuss England's win over Pakistan in the Test in Multan. Talking Points: The India-New Zealand rivalry down the years New Zealand in transition - after the retirements of Boult and Wagner Rachin Ravindra's…
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A transcendent win: India v Bangladesh, 2nd Test review
We review India's magnificent win over Bangladesh in the second Test in Kanpur. [podcast_subscribe id="1595"] Talking Points: India doing both the expected and unexpected at the same time India's great bowling attack and the art of picking 20 wickets Jasprit Bumrah - in a rarefied space of fast...
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Ashwin and Jadeja add to their legend: India v Bangladesh 1st Test review
We review India's 280-run win over Bangladesh in the first Test in Chennai. Talking Points: Bangladesh complete... then lose by 280 runs Bangladesh's impressive trio of pacers The sessions that Bangladesh won - before the ball got older and runs flowed The sweep v drive ratio: and why Bangladesh...
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Can Bangladesh extend dream run? - India v Bangladesh preview
We chat with ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent Mohammad Isam about Bangladesh's historic series win in Pakistan and their chances in the upcoming two-Test series in India. Talking Points: Bangladesh's dream-like comeback wins in the two Tests in Rawalpindi A bowling attack with tremendous...
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'Bumrah so freaky he can walk in and bowl fast' - Paras Mhambrey
In the latest episode we chat with Paras Mhambrey on his recent stint as the bowling coach of the Indian team. We discuss India's varied bowling attack and how he managed the transition from one set of fast bowlers to the next. Participants: Paras Mhambrey Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) *...
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How the Indian team embraced data
In the latest episode we chat with Himanish Ganjoo on how data can assist cricket teams and what he learnt from his own stint as a data analyst with the Indian side. Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Himanish Ganjoo (@hganjoo_153) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) *...
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The remarkable Nari Contractor
We chat with veteran journalist Clayton Murzello about the oldest living Indian captain: Nari Contractor. Clayton speaks about his interactions with Contractor and why we must remember the man for much more than that one day in Barbados: when he suffered a near fatal injury in a warm-up game....
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India victorious in a tense Barbados final
We review the final of the T20 World Cup and end of India's wait for an ICC trophy. Talking Points: How trophy wins don't define India's legacy. The unfairness of labelling South Africa chokers. The peerless Bumrah. Virat Kohli's change of approach and his great swansong T20 innings in the final....
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Afghanistan soar into final four
We review the Super 8 phase of the T20 World Cup and touch upon Afghanistan's glorious triumph, India's sweet win against Australia, and the hopes for the semis and final. Talking Points: Afghanistan's historic wins over Australia and Bangladesh Gurbaz and Zadran - the rocks around Afghanistan's...
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Putting the World in the World Cup
We review the first two weeks of the T20 World Cup and chat about the heartwarming performances of USA and other Associate teams. Plus Pakistan's insistence on opening with Babar and Rizwan; Kohli's attempts to change; Pant's hitting training; and the umpiring decision that Bangladesh are furious...
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When the superstars played with the amateurs: interview with author Scott Oliver
Is there any other sport that allows recreational players to rub shoulders with superstars? Scott Oliver has traced down these delightful stories in a new book called Sticky Dogs and Stardust and we speak to Scott to understand his passion for this type of story and how these experiences can…
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The hitting overlords: a glimpse into the future of T20s
The 2024 edition of the IPL has seen hitters step up to a new level - with 200-plus totals becoming routine and 200-plus chases being achieved too. Is this an inflection point for the format? And how should we be talking about the sport if this is the new normal? Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking...
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What's the deal with T20 bowling?
How much does bowling matter in T20s and how does one measure the potency of a bowler in this format? What are the measures of excellence for a T20 bowler? Support 81allout on Ko-fi Talking Points: How does one describe a good T20 bowler? Is it possible to separate actions and outcomes for T20...
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Picking a T20 XI from the 1980s and '90s
T20 started in the early 2000s but what if the format was invented 15 years earlier. Who were the players who would have excelled in the shorter format? We decided to pick a T20 side from the era before the IPL and debated how Aravinda de Silva and Brian Lara might have changed their game for…
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India dismantle England in lop-sided finale: India v England, 5th Test review
We review the fifth Test between India and England in Dharamshala – where India stamped their authority with a win by an innings and 64 runs. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: A one-sided – and thoroughly expected – end to a Test series in India The Bazball delusion England's inadequate...
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A win for the ages: India v England, 4th Test review
We review the fourth Test between India and England in Ranchi – where India sealed a series with a magnificent five-wicket win. Support 81allout at Ko-Fi Talking Points: The third-innings bowling that capped another brilliant third-day fightback India's forced accelerated transition - with a team...
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India hand England a right royal thumping: India v England, 3rd Test review
We review the third Test between India and England in Rajkot – where a terrific all-round performance helped India go 2-1 up. Support 81allout at Ko-Fi Talking Points: India's magnificent bowling on Day 3 How the flat pitches in this series are neutralizing Bazball India's spinners - turning the...
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Awesome Bumrah helps India draw level: India v England, 2nd Test review
We review the second Test between India and England in Visakhapatnam – where Jasprit Bumrah powered India to a 106-run win. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: A celebration of Test cricket A series with echoes of the 2016-17 home series v Australia Are England really playing Bazball?…
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Pope, Hartley, and a remarkable win: India v England, 1st Test review
We review the first Test between India and England in Hyderabad – where India lost a Test match at home after gaining a first-innings lead of 190. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: One of England's greatest wins Ollie Pope's freakish 196 India's approach to facing left-arm spin Why…
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When India faced Nas ball: rewind to England's tour of India in 2001
We rewind to England's tour to India in 2001-02 - when India won the three-Test series 1-0 and England leveled the six-match ODI series 3-3. England arrived in India on the back of terrific series wins in Sri Lanka and Pakistan - and despite a green bowling attack managed to gave India a scare in...
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India level series after shootout in Cape Town
We review the two-Test series between South Africa and India - which ended 1-1 after a bowler-dominated shootout in Cape Town. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: India's missed opportunity to finally win a series in SA Why the Cape Town pitch backfired on South Africa India's lack of fast...
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What we talk about when we talk about luck
We chat with Karthik Krishnaswamy and Kartikeya Date about the role of luck in cricket and how we can better describe the game by separating actions from outcomes. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: Luck v skill - and why the two are not opposed to each other The traditional method of...
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A World Cup that had so much (and could have had so much more) - Rahul Bhattacharya interview
We are thrilled to have novelist and cricket writer Rahul Bhattacharya to talk about his experiences from the World Cup. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking points: Cricket writing v cricket analysis - and how each is a specialised job Does the BCCI care for what is written about them in the press?...
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Extraordinary Australia silence India: World Cup final review
We review the World Cup final where Travis Head and Pat Cummins inspired a triumph for the ages. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi. Talking points: Australia's remarkable achievement - and this triumph in comparison to their previous World Cup wins Rohit Sharma's approach at the start of the innings…
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Maxwell madness, India's juggernaut, and a World Cup for Test bowlers
We review two weeks of the World Cup - and chat about Maxwell, Shami, Siraj, Omarzai, Williamson, Shreyas, and much more. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking points: Maxwell's freakish 201* How well did Afghanistan bowl to Maxwell? The curious case of Australia's batting in this World Cup Are...
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If Bumrah doesn't get you, then Shami must
We review the India v England match in Lucknow - and chat about the other themes emerging in the World Cup. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking points: The brutal simplicity of Mohammad Shami Jasprit Bumrah: the bowler with the joystick Rohit Sharma: the ultimate problem-solver England's awful...
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Who will go after India's bowlers? New Zealand try but fall short
We review the India v New Zealand match in Dharamshala - and chat about the other themes as the World Cup nears its halfway stage. We also pay our heartfelt tribute to one of India's greatest cricketers: Bishan Bedi. Support 81allout on Ko-fi Talking points: The poetry of Bishan Bedi - and what…
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A bowling attack for all seasons: India v Pakistan review
We review the India v Pakistan match in Ahmedabad - and chat about the other themes developing in this World Cup. Support 81allout on Ko-fi Talking points: India's enviable bowling attack for the conditions Jasprit Bumrah - the magician Kuldeep and Jadeja keeping Pakistan quiet Siraj and the...
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India spin to victory in Chennai challenge
We review the India v Australia match in Chennai - a tense contest that India won by six wickets. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking points: India's threat with their seamers as well as spinners How this World Cup is rewarding Test-quality spinners Australia's lack of depth in the spin department...
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It's time for the big one: 2023 World Cup preview
We preview the 2023 World Cup - the muted build-up, BCCI apathy, and how the conditions could play such a big role in how some teams progress. Could South Africa or New Zealand finally win the big prize? Can Pakistan overcome their spin-bowling drawbacks. Can Bangladesh make the semi-final? Or…
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A generational triumph: revisiting the 2011 World Cup
We rewind to the 2011 World Cup that was jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh - and talk about ODI cricket back then, the bowler-friendly nature of many games, the big upsets, the nail-biting finishes, and a cathartic moment for India - and a generation that had never knew what it...
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Impact of Powerplay rules on the cricketing contest in ODIs
One of the themes in our episode on team selection was how the change in playing conditions of ODIs had made selection hard. We dialed in on how the change in Powerplay rules, along with the two new balls at both ends, has reshaped in the cricketing contest in ODIs and thereby reshaped the way...
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What we talk about when we talk about selection
The crew chats about the idea of selecting a cricket team, and debates how one can have a meaningful conversation about an inherently unfair process. Should selectors be more transparent about the reasoning behind their choices? Is there a process by which we can judge a good selection? And how…
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Australia resist England's bowling and Bazball: Ashes 2023 review
We review the recently concluded five-Test series between England and Australia that ended 2-2 - with Australia retaining the Ashes. It was a series defined by England's 'Bazball' approach to batting - though that undersells how well Australia's batters resisted English bowling and how well...
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'Lifeless' pitch, lively Test: West Indies v India, 2nd Test review
We review the second Test between West Indies and India at Port-of-Spain, which was rained off when India needed 8 wickets to wrap up the win. It meant India won their sixth series in West Indies and continued their dominance when touring the Caribbean. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points…
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Ashwin and Co blow West Indies away: West Indies v India, 1st Test review
We review the first Test between West Indies and India at Dominica - which saw a dominant Indian side complete a big win. The conditions were perfectly suited to India's spinners – and gave Ashwin the chance to show his range. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: A 'perfect storm' for West...
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To watch cricket at the ground or on TV? It's complicated
Where is cricket best enjoyed? Live at the stadium or on a screen many miles away? What do these experiences teach us and what really are we watching when we take in a game? The 81allout crew discuss. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: The challenges (and privilege required) to access a...
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The quest for identity and belonging: through the theatre of cricket
We speak to British playwright Maatin about his play Duck, which looks at the cricketing events of 2005 through the prism of a 15-year-old boy in a public school in London. You can buy tickets to the play here. What the play is about: It’s the summer of 2005, and Ismail – ‘Smiley’ to his friends…
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All-round depth puts Australia on top of the Test world
We review the World Test Championship final between Australia and India at The Oval - which ended with a 209-run win and the Test mace for Australia. It was India's second consecutive loss in the WTC final - and offered hints that a terrific side is likely past its peak. Talking Points…
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So much cricket, so little time: how do journalists make sense of the game
We chat with ESPNcricinfo assistant editor Karthik Krishnaswamy and freelance writer Saurabh Somani on making sense of cricket in these times of excess. With leagues mushrooming around the world, and multiple formats to track, can journalists be expected to have a holistic view of the game?…
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