Cricket with an Accent Podcast

Champions Trophy scheduling saga is the talking point as we drop our first episode in almost six months. Resident guest Vijay Arumugam joins host Saqib Ali to talk about sports, Politics and its many double standards. True to form Vijay brings a lot of cross sport and political reference points to address a larger point surrounding the India Pakistan Scheduling issue in discussion.  BCCI's decision to not send the team to Pakistan was an expected one and consistent to their stand in recent years. Then why the outrage and disappointment from Pakistan side? Was there a quid pro quo in place? Listeners guess is good as ours! But never-the less Vijay explores some possible scenarios.  Brew a cup of your choice of caffeine and tune in! 

Commentary is an integral part of watching live sport on tv or following it on radio. We all owe some part of our acquired sporting knowledge through the commentary booth. However in this age of information some commentators fail to connect with a larger audience. Could thier views be outdated? Has commentarty changed over the years? Is there a clear interference from cricket governing bodies on free speech in the booth? In the latest episode of the podcast we exchange notes on our favorite commentators and try to tackle the above questions. Joining host Saqib Ali are podcast regulars Kevin Framp and Vijay Arumugam. The conversation centres on cricket but stretches to football, hockey and tennis reference points. Tune in and share your list of favorite commentators along with any agreement/disagreement on what was recorded on this show.

This week's episode is a departure from what we cover on the podcast. We have two father's joining the show to talk about the sporting journey of their respective kids - who are honing their skills in other sports. Deepak Rao from UK and Ahmed Hussain from US join host Saqib Ali to talk about a parents role in this journey with Squash and Baseball as the disciplines of practice. Deepak's daughter Aditi is a ranked junior in the UK Squash system and competes in junior events across Europe. Ahmed's son Farzad has been pitching and playing little league games for more than 5 years now. This is probably a similar exercise of a cricket family anywhere in the world. It is an enjoyable conversation given how much we all treasure the behind the scenes process in sports. Deepak and Ahmed are candid enough to let us in their private bubbles, where both families have prioritized and centred their routines around the chosen sports their kids fell in love with.  Deepak Rao on twitter - https://twitter.com/RaoDpk Saqib Ali on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba Cricket with an accent on twitter - https://twitter.com/Cric_pod  

Vishal Misra is the podcast guest this week. Misra and the late Travis Basevi are considered the founding fathers of stats and cricket data. In this episode we revisit Misra's famous contributions while working at Cricinfo - which eventually changed and shaped the cricketing discourse forever. Misra and Basevi were the architects of live scoring, archived scorecards and Statsguru. In spite of being a stats Guru, Misra is a man of multitudes especially when it comes to viewing the game as a whole. He believes the stats do not tell the complete picture and context matters. He also gives his views on Cricinfo, democratization of data and continuous evolution of stats. Tune in for the complete conversation. Vishal Misra on twitter - https://twitter.com/vishalmisra https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/vishal-misra-the-birth-of-proper-ball-by-ball-commentary-on-cricinfo-637331    

In the opening act of the new year we discuss many layers of sports stardom. To narrow it down as a group we were fascinated by the notion when does an athlete becomes a Demigod. What does that even mean in the sporting universe? Does this happen in some societies more than others? Does this happen more in team sports compared to individual sports? Is glamour part of the demigod status equation? What happens to a fallen Demigod? Host Saqib Ali is joined by Kandarp Mehta and Andrew Burton to discuss this topic at length. Kandarp is a return guest who is an avid cricket fan. Andrew is a regular voice on the Tennis with an accent podcast. It was an interesting discussion without any concrete conclusion given the vast nature of the topic. Both Kandarp and Andrew came prepared with examples spanning across different sports and cultures. Please tune in! Andrew on twitter -https://twitter.com/burtonad Kandarp on twitter - https://twitter.com/kmacts  Kandarp's work can be found here -https://kandarpmehta.wordpress.com/ Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba

Indian cricket team is visiting South Africa for the ninth time since the readmission of South Africa to international competition. I am joined by a special guest in Neil Manthorp along with podcast's regular voice Vijay Arumugam to look back at some of the memorable chapters and incidents that have shaped the rivalry. Manthorp has covered all things South African cricket since he started his career as a cricket writer and broadcaster in 1988. His work can be found here - https://manners-on-cricket.com/ The podcast touched upon rich but uncomfortable topics like The Mike Denness affair to Sachin Tendulkar's farewell test which came at the expense of a boxing Day test match in South Africa. Of course we also discuss some on field brilliance of Tendulkar and other Indian batters who have scored impressive knocks in South Africa. Neil Manthorp on twitter - https://twitter.com/neilmanthorp Vijay on twitter - https://twitter.com/VAAChandran Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba

South African legend Mike Procter returns to the podcast for a candid conversation on all things Monkeygate, Kerry Packer and the South African readmission to cricket. He joins host Saqib Ali and resident podcast guest Vijay Arumugam. The conversation is a rich account on many phases of Procter's cricketing life where he was a player, coach, commentator and a match referee. Enough reading ....start listening please! https://www.amazon.com/Caught-Middle-Monkeygate-Politics-Autobiography/dp/1785312162 https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/mike-procter-46793      

We look back at the WC batting legends in this episode. The names that dominated the discussion were Aravinda de Silva, Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting. Vijay Arumugam and Kandarp Mehta joined host Saqib Ali to look back at these distinguished world cup champions and their respective careers at the big event. This type of conversation had a lot of potential for digressions and digress we did! Other names that were mentioned in this exercise were Michael Jordan, Lionel Messi and Viv Richards. Vijay on twitter - https://twitter.com/VAAChandran Kandarp on twitter - https://twitter.com/kmacts  Kandarp's work can be found here -https://kandarpmehta.wordpress.com/ Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba

In the latest episode of the podcast we take a deep dive into world cup nostalgia using miscellaneous topics. Podcast regular Vijay Arumugam returns to the podcast to talk about unsung heroes, underperforming legends, memorable WC match and organizational issues of the BCCI. In a rich conversation Vijay recalls upon lot of memories from the late 80's to the mid 90's of world cup competition. Names like Desmond Haynes, David Houghton, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Simon O'Donnell make this conversation a lot more nostalgic than it was intended. Tune in for a detailed listen. 

In the latest episode of the podcast we talk about Rivalries. Rivalry is quite an integral facet of how fans engage with a sport. Not only it can be an entry point for new fans but it is also an everlasting feature for many fans - be it a team sport or an individual sport. Host Saqib is joined by podcast regular Aftab Khanna and first time guest Kandarp Mehta. The conversation explores the meaning of the word rivalry for each panelist and then further attempts to address issues such as partisanship and evolution of fandom. India Pakistan rivalry is a benchmark of this discussion as its part of trio's formative cricket experience as fans. Cross sports examples from Football, NBA and Tennis are used to further elaborate the connection. Tendulkar, Lara, Akram are among many names discussed as examples. Please tune in and let us know what are your favorite and most impactful rivalries as fans. Aftab on twitter - https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna Kandarp on twitter - https://twitter.com/kmacts  Kandarp's work can be found here -https://kandarpmehta.wordpress.com/ Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba    

Professor Ratnakar Shetty is the podcast guest for this episode of Cricket with an Accent. He had served in the BCCI for more than thirty years in which he had donned many a hat - be it back room administrator, touring team manager or WC host team tournament director among other positions. In this deep dive of a conversation Professor Shetty shares his insights from his book - ON BOARD TEST, TRIAL AND TRIUMPH: MY YEARS IN BCCI. The book is a detailed account of a long serving career who had the best seat in the house to witness the rise of the BCCI. The name BCCI can polarize many a discourse even in the partisan Indian fan base and this episode brings out quite a few fascinating accounts of the corporations date with destiny.  Ratnakar Shetty on twitter - https://twitter.com/RatnakarShetty Saqib Ali on twitter - https://twitter.com/Saqiba https://www.amazon.com/BOARD-TEST-TRIAL-TRIUMPH-Years/dp/9355202873

As Cricket with an Accent reaches a 100 episodes, @aftabkhanna takes over the moderator's chair and along with Saqib, Vijay and Saahil, we look ahead to the future of cricket podcasting. We try and understand how fans engage with digital media in cricket, the factors driving niche content creation, the challenges with standard mass braodcasting and how cricket can learn from bigger sports like the NBA. Thank you helping us get to the 100th episode and we hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed doing this! Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba Aftab on twitter - https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna Vijay on twitter - https://twitter.com/VAAChandran Saahil on twitter - https://twitter.com/faahil  

On this episode of the pod we look back at one of the true modern day greats - AB De Villiers. Helping host Saqib Ali do the honors are freelance cricket reporter from South Africa Dan Gallan and ABD superfan Prithvi. We needed an incredibly analytical fan and a cricket reporter for this episode to breakdown the highs and lows of the genius cricketer.  De Villiers is a bit of an interesting study as well because his career shares the same timeline with other modern greats and he was also a mediocre captain unlike some of the greats. Prithvi and Dan also highlight the racial allegations on the man towards the end of this career. Tune in and see how we remember this great talent. https://ewn.co.za/2019/06/08/ab-de-villiers-the-one-that-got-away Dan on twitter - https://twitter.com/danielgallan Prithvi on twitter - https://twitter.com/puneite_/with_replies  

The West Indies of the Clive Lloyd-Viv Richards era is arguably one of the greatest teams in all of sports. They did not lose a test series for a span of 15 years and won two cricket world cups among other laurels. In the 80's their most worthy adversary was Imran Khan led Pakistan side. The two sides clashed three times in a span of 6 years and produced three drawn series. In the latest episode of the podcast  I am joined by Pakistani cricket broadcaster Sohaib Alvi and podcast resident guest Vijay Arumugam. Both guests fill this two hour long episode with great recall of historical sequence of the Pakistan West Indies rivalry. It is a great listen for all cricket fans to get the context of this clash of the titans. Key names covered are Clive Lloyd, Imran Khan, Viv Richards, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir and Desmond Haynes among others.   Sohaib on twitter -https://twitter.com/sohaibalvi Vijay on twitter -https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam Saqib on twitter -https://twitter.com/saqiba  

Mohammad Azharuddin remains one of the most mystical figures in all of cricket. His rise and fall from grace have both been meteoric. How does one do justice in unpacking a simple career gone so complex in a podcast. Here's a very personalized attempt from all quarters with the panel consisting of senior cricket writer Sharda Ugra and super fan Vijay Arumugam. In a long free flowing chat we look back at Azhar the cricketer and the man and try to reflect our own recollections of how it all played out in public domain. It's a must listen episode to revisit one of the games biggest fallen heroes.  https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/the-inscrutable-craftsman-346898 https://muckrack.com/sharda-ugra/articles Vijay on twitter - https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba Cricket with an accent website - https://cricketwithanaccent.podbean.com/      

On this episode of the podcast host Saqib Ali is joined by podcast regular Aftab Khanna as the duo reminisce on favorite cricket books. The conversation paves a very candid path and terms like The Sportstar, Doordarshan and newspapers eventually lead the listener to the main topic of books. Both men share their evolutionary stories as young readers and how certain books help them evolve as cricket fans.  The list is a combination of history of the game, its flawed superstars and some misunderstood figures. It is a fun and fast paced episode with lot of notes exchanging on the books and its heroes - Baloo, Imran, Larwood and Manjrekar! Aftab Khanna on twitter -https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna Saqib Ali on twitter -https://twitter.com/saqiba https://www.amazon.com/Corner-Foreign-Field-History-British/dp/0330491172/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?crid=EAL4PHHUD0SE&keywords=ram+guha+corner+of+a+foreign&qid=1677304528&sprefix=ram+guha+corner+of+a+foreign%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-1-fkmr1 https://www.amazon.com/Imran-Khan-Cricketer-Celebrity-Politician/dp/000731888X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=10V6MPI907YPS&keywords=Imran+khan+christopher+sandford&qid=1677304587&sprefix=imran+khan+christopher+sandford%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Harold-Larwood/dp/B004GK1K1S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=SOPC0AIXZO1F&keywords=Harold+Larwood+duncan+hamilton&qid=1677304615&sprefix=harold+larwood+duncan+hamilton%2Caps%2C64&sr=8- 1https://www.amazon.com/Imperfect-Sanjay-Manjrekar/dp/9352774515/ref=sr_1_1?crid=7Y9R72RTHB8D&keywords=imperfect+sanjay+manjrekar&qid=1677304656&sprefix=imperfect+sanjay+manjrekar%2Caps%2C63&sr=8-1    

In the latest edition of the podcast host Saqib Ali is joined by podcast regulars Vijay Arumugam and Saahil Sharma to talk about the Border Gavaskar Trophy and its relevant talking points. Of course everything cannot be covered in one episode about this rivalry, hence the panel focused on their respective entry points and early memories. The discussion also touched upon some of the favorite highlights and talking points like the rise of VVS Laxman, Final Frontier, the Tendulkar McGrath matchup and the infamous saga surrounding the Nagpur test of the 2004 series. https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/cricket/2023/feb/06/given-a-chance-ill-again-prepare-the-same-wicket-2004-nagpur-test-curator-kishore-pradhan-2544945.html https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/cricket/greentrackitis-when-hayden-gilchrist-accused-ganguly-harbhajan-of-missing-2004-nagpur-test-due-to-pitch-article-97695302 https://www.amazon.com/True-Colours-Life-Adam-Gilchrist/dp/1405038969 vijay on twitter -@vijayarumugam Saahil on twitter -@faahil Saqib on twitter -@saqiba              

Rahul Dravid's tenure as Indian cricket coach has had mixed results so far. With the ODI world cup coming up in 2023 we decided to break silence on this podcast and take a comparative look at Dravid the coach vs his predecessor Ravi Shastri.  Help me do the honors are podcast regulars Vijay Arumugam and Gurkirat Singh Gill. It's a rich conversation with lot of analysis and opinions.  Vijay Arumugam on twitter - https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam Gurkirat Singh Gill on twitter - https://twitter.com/gurkiratsgill Saqib Ali on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba      

In this episode of the podcast we pay homage to the careers of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Pujara and Rahane may or may not play again for India but they both have been mainstays of the Indian team. It's only fitting we reflect on their respective tenures in the middle given how both men polarized the Indian fandom. Doing the honors are Aftab Khanna and Saahil Sharma as we look back these careers and more. The second phase of this conversation is an extension to some of the main architects of Indian middle order. In a free flowing conversation three fans take stock of Dravid, Laxman, Azhar and Ganguly among other names. Get your choice of caffeine and get ready to tune in this exercise where some of your favorite middle order names get mentioned.   Aftab Khanna on twitter -https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna Saahil Sharma on twitter -https://twitter.com/faahil Saqib Ali on twitter -https://twitter.com/saqiba

Duncan Hamilton is the podcast guest for this episode where he revisits his award winning book on English cricketer Harold Larwood. Hamilton who is a three time winner of the prestigious https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hill_Sports_Book_of_the_Year award has brought Larwood back to life through his maginicent account. Larwood remains one of the most tragic characters the game has ever seen given his relationship with MCC, English fans and the English cricket community suffered a great deal post the infamous Bodyline series. Hamilton talks about why he chose to write about the man from Trent Bridge and how one of the most misunderstood stories in cricket history had to be retold with a fresh perspective. No conversation on Larwood would be complete without the following men - Douglas Jardine, Bill Voce, Arthur Carr and of course Don Bradman. In this episode we revisit some of the key events from the Larwood story which is stranger than most fiction works on sporting figures and helps the reader to fully understand the journey of the fast bowler. We also talk about the paperback release of Hamilton's upcoming novel - Injury Time. https://www.amazon.com/Harold-Larwood-Duncan-Hamilton-ebook/dp/B077Y6DCLD/ref=sr_1_1?crid=10O8OL7EN7TDR&keywords=duncan+hamilton+larwood&qid=1648963867&sprefix=duncan+hamilton+larwood%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Injury-Time-Novel-Duncan-Hamilton/dp/1529408431/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1C8IG3FZ7L5AY&keywords=duncan+hamilton+injury+time&qid=1648963925&sprefix=duncan+hamilton+injury+time%2Caps%2C59&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/One-Long-Beautiful-Summer-Red-Ball-ebook/dp/B09L7XR9N9/ref=sr_1_3?crid=21PO3FC60F8HH&keywords=duncan+hamilton+cricket+books&qid=1648964279&sprefix=duncan+hamilton+cricket+books%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-3  

In the latest episode of the podcast Aftab Khanna and Vijay Arumugam join Saqib Ali to look back at the impact and larger than life legacy of the late Shane Warne.  

On the eve of Australia's upcoming tour to Pakistan Abhishek Chopra(https://twitter.com/El_Chopernos) joins the show this week to look back at the evolution of this test rivalry. Chopra is an avid reader - who shares his recollections of the early days of this contest dating back to the Aussies first visit to Pakistan in 1956. Context is king and Chopra provides a lot of it - be it the political importance of these tours to the matting wickets. This tour did set up the beginning of a new rivalry between two nations that have played their cricket with lot of similarities.  Chopra unpacks some of the central figures of these contests from Fazal Mahmood to DK Lillee. The podcast is super rich in detail as it should be since we covered cricket spanning seventeen years.  The conversation comes full circle when Pakistan tours Australia for a full three test series in 1972-73 where aggression and sledging of the Aussie attack leave an everlasting taste in the visitors psyche. Dive into the pod to learn more. Recommended reads by Chopra - White on Green - Richard Heller, Peter Oborne The Unquiet Ones - Osman Samiuddin Wounded Tiger - Peter Oborne Fifteen Paces - Alan Davidson From Dusk to Dawn - Fazal Mahmood  

Bollywood and Cricket are arguably two of the biggest forms of entertainment in India - yet the purist cricket fan is seldom satisfied as a movie fan when filmmakers try to tackle cricket. Uday Bhatia joins Saqib Ali in this episode to explore how sports especially cricket gets depicted in Hindi films. The conversation also takes a deeper dive into film criticism and its evolution as a discipline. https://lifestyle.livemint.com/how-to-lounge/movies-tv/review-83-has-all-the-giddiness-and-unsubtlety-of-a-sugar-rush-111640065470629.html https://www.amazon.com/Bullets-Over-Bombay-Uday-Bhatia-ebook/dp/B09BCBXG4N https://lifestyle.livemint.com/how-to-lounge/movies-tv/chandigarh-kare-aashiqui-review-the-evolution-of-manu-111639123600454.html  

Jarrod Kimber joins me this week on the podcast as we discuss the conundrum of cricket commentary on Tv. The fan conversation has only gotten louder on the style of the commentary with notable names across the world struggling to add value to the hardcoure viewer. Kimber helps unpack this through layers of what the production houses can or cannot do improve this product. We use examples of Gavaskar, McEnroe and Shaq across from various sports to discuss this point at length. What type of commentary is needed to please all fan bases.  The other focal point of this chat was to view the fast bowing culture build by Virat Kohli's captainship. Can this be measured at all? Is Kohli the modern day Imran khan? Kimber is very articulate in how we can separate the narratives from the reality which is usually full of cricket reasons. The episode concludes with the topic of batting struggles of this generation in test matches. Why only a few batters average above 40 now? Is it the pitches or the reasons lie elsewhere. Tune in to listen to the brilliant analysis by Jarrod Kimber.   You can find his work at - https://linktr.ee/jarrodkimber  

Vijay Arumugam(@vijayarumugam) is back on the pod to wrap up the year. This time he flies as a solo guest and shares his experience of living in Australia as an "Indian expat". Vijay is candid as always in his explanation of where cricket and culture coincides in the Australian society. He also recalls upon his journey of being a SCG patron since 2009 when South Africa played the New years test match. The conversation then focuses on the public perception on how cheating and sledging were clubbed together as part of a bigger problem in Australian cricket on the heels of the Sandpaper gate. Vijay also helps understand the Aussie mindset of acceptance and how that works in Cricket fandom of Indians and other nationalities who call Australia home. Another topic which is covered is the importance of Ashes in the Australian landscape and how does it measure with other rivalries in cricket and other sports in a larger space. Vijay also serves tips on how to pick an Australian test venue if you are planning a trip to go watch cricket. Last but not the least we talk about the Indian stardom of Tendulkar and Kohli through the lens of Aussie spectators and media - how are the two men received given their different personalities? Tune in to learn more about Vijay and his growth as an international fan of the game.

Mohammad Isam of ESPN cricinfo fame is the podcast guest for this episode. Isam is the digital voice of Bangladesh cricket as he has been covering the national team for almost a decade now. The episode takes a deeper dive to understand the political landscape of Bangladesh cricket - the academies, the domestic rivalries and political importance of cricket. Isam has helped unpack lots of background analysis on the power structure of his nation's cricket as its run by politicians and bureaucrats.  Isam acknowledges that conflict of interest is a great obstacle in the way BCB operates and he values the rise of powerful players as they voice their concern on the domestic and national cricket. It is a deeply informative episode where Isam has left no stone unturned to help us(the international audiences) to understand the cricket culture and its challenges in Bangladesh. https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1246243/how-bangladesh-became-a-country-of-left-arm-spin https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/805345/a-mountain-of-hope--a-pile-of-ash

Fandom and journalism are two of the three integral components of any sports industry. In this episode we examine how the two disciplines have evolved over time and more interestingly how they interact with each other in the modern Twitter marketplace. Unpacking the arguments in this episode are noted sports journalist Ayaz Memon(https://twitter.com/cricketwallah), ardent cricket fans Vijay Arumugam(https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam) and Sharan Mamidipudi(https://twitter.com/sharanidli).  The episode tackles the evolution of BBCI, Indian fandom, data journalism and cricket commentary. Brew your coffee cup and get ready as it's a long show.   https://www.amazon.com/Indian-Innings-Journey-Cricket-1947/dp/9390679184/ref=asc_df_9390679184/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=532476075552&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15488737321125863253&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007383&hvtargid=pla-1433747999230&psc=1   https://www.amazon.in/Last-Among-Equals-Politics-Villages-ebook/dp/B09JBPJY5D https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam/status/1421750217011990532    

Since the dawn of the millenium cricket journalism has changed. The way we consume and cover the sport has new requirements in this digital world and Jaime Alter is the true digital content creator of today. Alter joins the podcast this week to talk about his love for the game and how the paths aligned for him to be part of the Sambit Bal lead cricinfo crew in 2005.  We explore the ever changing digital landscape of the game today. Alter touches upon different aspects of how the Internet generation has also changed the approach to cricket coverage. Does the independent content creators add more value to the sporting ecosystem along with the established mediums? The episodes concludes with Alter weighing in on the possible appointment of Rahul Dravid as the new head coach. You can find Jaime Alter's work and his links here - https://jamiealter.in/ https://www.youtube.com/c/JamesAlter/featured  

Sanket Singbal and Gurkirat Singh Gill join the show to preview the squads of India, England and Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup. The duo breaks down the three teams based on the strengths and weaknesses of the respective squads given the conditions in the UAE.

Noted cricket journalist Sharda Ugra joins the podcast for a detailed conversation on many things including the changing landscape of cricket journalism, layers of fandom, brand value of a player and much more. Ugra has covered professional cricket since the late 80's. In this episode she recalls how the media relationship with the practitioners of sport has changed especially when it comes to highlighting any conflicts and shortcomings. What happens when your favorite cricket player is now the most powerful brand by itself? How do we rise above the "us" vs "them" mentality concerning the off field issues? Lot of important topics uncovered. This conversation had lot of layers to it and Ugra also addressed her recent articles on BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and team India head coach Ravi Shastri. There is a lot of food for thought on how we have evolved as fans and how the sport should be held accountable.   Some of her relative recent work to the topics we covered - https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/the-many-conflicts-of-president-ganguly/story-PUOrqjm0YzeEwQWsaYMCGI.html https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/come-to-think-of-it-whatever-happened-to-ravi-shastri-1-0-1223184 https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/beware-the-indian-stadium-experience-101614134114809.html  

A conversation that has gotten serious momentum on cricket twitter is whether the current era is the most difficult for test match batting. To better understand the question from the statistical bent of mind one has to acknowledge the two prevalent schools of thought from today's fanbases - The Stat merchant and his older cousin The Nostalgic merchant. Please join us in a fun deep diving discussion. Your panel is @aftabkhanna (https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna), @vijayarumugam (https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam) and @nakulMpande (https://twitter.com/NakulMPande).

How well do we understand the discipline of Cricket captaincy? It's fair to stay the definition of captaincy has gone through a big change in recent years from the fan's vantage point. Is there an overestimation attached to the role of a cricket captain in terms of how it influences the outcome of a match? Can a good captain change the fortunes of a weak team? Do we need to unlearn some of the hero worship that has been attached to this role? To discuss this at length @cric_pod hosted its largest ensemble guest panel consisting of Gurkirat Singh Gill(https://twitter.com/gurkiratsgill), Kevin Framp(https://twitter.com/BigKev67), Sudatta Mukherjee(https://twitter.com/iSudatta), Aftab Khanna(https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna) and Vijay Arumugam(https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam).  In a detailed round table podcast the panel addresses various functions of cricket captainship from tactical nuance, leadership, vision, rebuilding to creating a team culture.  In the second half of the podcast we cover the hot topic of Virat Kohli's leadership style. Is it too aggressive and more importantly does it rub off on teammates? Or does it even matter if we get the results? All these and many more relevant questions get tackled in this long episode!

Geoff Francis Lawson is a former Australian fast bowler who also coached the Pakistan national team. In a candid conversation Lawson opens up about his playing days. He takes a trip down memory lane to remember all the men he played under - Greg Chappell, Kim Hughes and Allan Border. In an era of packed cricket calendars Lawson reminds us of Ashes tours that lasted four and a half months long and the challenges of playing in cold English weather. He also mentions the two tosses days where the preliminary toss was to choose the ball! The conversation has lot of fun and nuanced observations on why fast bowlers don't get the captaincy job in Australian cricket to the idea getting more foreign coaches down under. Last but not the least he recalls upon his time in Lahore with the Pakistan national team.

Aftab Khanna joins the show to preview the India England test series. The kickoff point is the absence of Ben Stokes and how does that impact the balance of this English side. Aftab addresses the notion whether India are the favorites for this series or not given the missing status of Archer, Stokes and Woakes. Should India be playing two spinners at Trent Bridge and in this series in general given it starts in August not July? The conversation on the indian front focuses on the lack of form of two of India's most seasoned campaigners - Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Is it the beginning of the end for both men? Aftab also makes a case for Rohit Sharma to have a successful outing as India's mainstay batsman. Lastly we discuss the slight change in approach for Virat Kohli's batting in test matches since the last time he toured England. In addition to the preview we touch upon some of the highlights from the previous five tours of India starting from 2002.

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan(https://twitter.com/sidvee) of the http://www.81allout.com/ podcast returns to Cricket with an accent to recall the events surrounding the Rahul Dravid captaincy period. It is one of the semi forgotten eras of Indian cricket which still polarizes fans and media whenever the topic resurfaces. Vaidyanathan, who was a cricinfo journalist during that time helps unpack the mixed bag of emotions and myths attached to that period with some facts from the public domain.  We touch upon various points like what is good captaincy or even a better topic - is there too much value attached to captaincy in terms of cricketing outcomes. Using these notions we address the transition of captaincy from the Ganguly years to the Dravid years. Of course there is the towering figure of Greg Chappell - who also gets mentioned in detail as he was the integral part of this cricketing triangle like none other. What is Dravid's legacy? Vaidyanathan revisits one of his pieces which he wrote towards the end of the Dravid years and reevaluates the footprints left behind by the tandem of Dravid and Chappell, and the team they tried to build. It was incredibly fun conversation. Sources referred for this conversation - https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espncricinfo.com/story/the-importance-of-being-dravid-303540%3fplatform=amp https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espncricinfo.com/story/dravid-s-moment-of-reckoning-289120%3fplatform=amp https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espncricinfo.com/story/a-legacy-that-lost-its-way-310994%3fplatform=amp https://www.amazon.com/Rahul-Dravid-Timeless-ESPN-Cricinfo/dp/9381810788  

Aftab Khanna(@aftabkhanna in twitter) returns to the podcast to join host Saqib Ali to discuss New Zealand's win in Southampton. The conversation looks at the tournament structure of this first edition and attempts at exploring how future FTP's may include a more level playing field. Is there room for a best of three WTC final given the already crowded cricket calendar. The focus shifts on to the winners who have transformed into this world class unit with a potent fast bowling attack which oozes with variety. Khanna takes a deep dive into explaining the significance of Neil Wagner who has become a serious contributor to this Kiwi team's fortunes. Other notable mentions are of Ross Taylor the unsung hero and BJ Watling - the best gloveman in the business. Last but not the least Khanna talks about the ever divisive conversation surrounding Che Pujara. This conversation on Pujara will continue as we post more episodes on India's tour to England. We referred to this piece by Sid Monga on BJ watling during our conversation. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/sidharth-monga-bj-watling-the-quintessential-new-zealander-and-the-best-at-what-he-does-1263018

Former India cricketer Surinder Khanna is the podcast guest. In this episode Khanna looks back at the roadmap of his cricket timeline from the grounds of the Hindu college to the ultimate honor in Indian cricket - playing for India. Khanna was a cricketer who was ahead of his times in how he approached his batting as a wicket keeper. We drew comparisons with the likes of Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni. He was part of the exciting Delhi cricket batting lineup and played a mentor to the likes of Raman Lamba and Ajay Sharma. It's a typical Khanna conversation - straight from the heart.  He pays homage to his captains Bishan Bedi, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. A must listen episode for all fans.

Matt Roller of Espn cricinfo joins the show this week. Roller as a writer is versatile in his coverage of the sport where he covers all forms of the international game along with the domestic English county matches. Keeping the county coverage as a backdrop I asked Roller about the chances of one Matt Parkinson to make his test debut this summer. In this episode Roller talks about the space of cricket journalism in England and how the sport still remains a niche sport.  The conversation covers lot of ground where the stats vs old school coverage of the sport gets mentioned along with the independent analysis of the game vs the established voices. Last but not the least Roller looks ahead at the clash vs India this summer.  Matt Roller on twitter - @mroller98 https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/eng-vs-nz-2021-ben-stokes-to-make-comeback-from-injury-for-durham-in-vitality-blast-1263411 https://www.msn.com/en-in/sports/cricket/matt-parkinson-i-don-t-just-want-to-be-in-england-squads-on-potential/ar-BB1gDKcy?li=AAggjDC&srcref=rss  

Senior cricket writer Vijay Lokapally joins the podcast for an episode where he recalls some of the fascinating battles between Delhi and Mumbai. In the era of domestic cricket that rivalry was seen as a test match itself. The conversation also focuses on Lokapally's early cricket memories of the Kotla - home of the Delhi cricket team. Lokapally also takes us down the memory lane where we relive Bedi, Amarnath and Raman Lamba. Last but not the least we talk about K.P. Bhaskar - perhaps one of the best cricketers to not play for India. 

Nakul Pande (@nakulMpande) of Guerilla cricket returns to the show to talk about IPL 2021. In this episode Pande helps preview the roasters of RCB, RR, PBKS and MI. 

Its IPL time of the year. In this episode Gurkirat Singh Gill(@gurkiratsgill) and Rahul Vishwanathan(Rv__97) join the show to help me preview the Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. 

Former Australian captain and all time great Greg Chappell is the podcast guest. Chappell engages in a candid chat that covers his cricket journey as a player, captain, coach, selector and now columnist. The conversation explores the historic 1975 series vs the West Indies which was Chappell's first rodeo as captain. Other major talking point is the phase of his career where he swapped the captaincy with his successor Kim Hughes on more than few occasions.  Using his book Fierce Focus as a measure Chappell helps us understand how successful batting captains can compartmentalize batting and leadership duties. Also included are his views on coaching, Virat Kohli's all format focus, Australian cricket's test future and the work Rahul Dravid has done for India A. https://wisden.com/stories/archive/news/overwhelm-people-greg-chappell-coaching  

Senior cricket writer Ayaz Memon returns to the show to talk about the 4th test between India and England.  While breaking down India's series win Memon highlights the contributions of Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Rishabh Pant. In depth talking points include Sundar's potential as top order batsman and whether Pant should play the situation.  Memon also weighs in on the upcoming WTC finals between India and New Zealand. Last segment of the conversation is a look back at Sunil Gavaskar and his large imprint on Indian cricket, especially on the eve of the 50th anniversary of his test debut.

Aftab Khanna and Vijay Arumugam join the show this week to look back at the playing surface from the Ahmedabad test. Khanna and Arumugam are true students of the game who offered lot of statistical nuance and historical references to support their points on the rank turners vs green tops debate. The observations further touched upon the history of Indian test pitches over the last two decades. There was a deeper dive in comparing this generation of Indian batsmen to their predecessors in terms of the spin playing ability. Devil is in the detail and this duo released a lot of detail in abundance on rich topics that covered Ishant Sharma's 100th test appearance to Ravi Ashwin's 400 test scalp. 

Cricket analyst Gurkirat Singh Gill (@gurkiratsgill on twitter) joins the show to talk about the midpoint of  India England series. Gill breaks down some of the narrative based notions on what a good test match pitch is and how to succeed on those pitches. He further elaborates on the importance of toss and team compositions.  This episode's in depth feature is the return to batting form of Ravi Ashwin. The conversation covers Virat Kohli the test captain and how his decision making skills are slowly coming in harmony with his selection skills. Gill also emphasized the importance of Rohit Sharma's hundred in terms of the latter's career arc. Last but not the least we spoke about the IPL auction. A lot of astute observations packed in this episode.

Espn cricinfo senior writer George Dobell joins the show as the guest analyst this week. In this episode Dobell looks back at the impressive win by Root and team in Chennai. We rank this win in terms of relevant context of English overseas performances of the last decade.  The conversation is inclusive of the new demand of covid cricket - player rotation. Dobell emphasizes how demanding the covid bubbles can be on the psyches of the players and this can be seen as a needed development given the busy cricket cycle ahead. Team compositions are also discussed ahead of the second test with focus on a certain Ben Foakes and Stuart Broad. From the Indian lens of things we try to address the position of Rohit sharma as the incumbent opener over a longer term. Last but not the least Dobell talks about the IPL and English cricket's white ball roadmap. Could this be at the cost of the red ball fortunes? Tune in to find out. Related articles by George Dobell - https://www.msn.com/en-in/sports/cricket/england-s-attitude-towards-the-ipl-won-t-please-everyone-but-what-is-the-alternative/ar-BB1d8CT5?li=AAggjDC&srcref=rss https://www.msn.com/en-in/sports/cricket/chris-silverwood-not-worried-about-dom-bess/ar-BB1dzHg2?li=AAggjDC&srcref=rss  

Bharat Sundaresan of Cricbuzz and Nakul Pande of Guerilla cricket join Saqib Ali to preview the India England series. This is Bharat's second appearance on the pod while Nakul makes his debut on cricket with an accent. The duo breaks down some of the burning topics from both sides of the rivalry. The conversation covers the playing surfaces, the matchups, rotation policy, covid calendar and the team compositions. The episode serves as a good transition point from the epic India Australia series to the next contest.

Noted cricket writer Prem Panicker returns to the show to help break down some of the emerging topics and narratives from the recently concluded Border Gavaskar trophy. Panicker expresses his in-depth views on the Ajinkya Rahane captaincy through the prism of different leadership variables and how differently players may respond to a certain style. He also looks at the importance of Ravi Ashwin's social collaboration with fans by providing rare behind the scenes details which Indian cricket fans crave for. The conversation also looks at the tags of white ball player vs a red ball player and why this Aussie attack should not be devalued because of their fourth innings in Sydney and Brisbane.

On the latest episode of the podcast Himanish Ganjoo makes his debut as the guest analyst. Ganjoo has written for Espn cricinfo and some of his recent written pieces are listed below in the show notes. Like many writers of this generation Ganjoo relies on the stats to tell the actual story of the cricket rather than holding on to the cliched usage of adjectives that have been used to describe the game.  Through the prism of stats he talks about the readiness of Indian bench which displayed its depth on a weekly basis on this Australian tour. We also take a deeper dive into the batting methods of Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara. Last but not the least we compare this Indian batting lineup to its predecessors from the previous generation.  Some of Himanish's published work is listed here - https://deeppoint.substack.com/p/pujara-the-occupier https://imgur.com/a/ES3jpyA https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/how-good-are-kohli-smith-williamson-and-root-at-occupying-the-crease-1201134  

In this episode we look back at the recently concluded Sydney test match. Cricket writer, historian and author Abhishek Mukherjee is the guest analyst, who helps break down the contest. Mukherjee addresses the many facets of the drawn test match from Rishabh Pant's batting to the defensive masterclass of Ravi Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari, and why this will go down as one of the match for the ages. The conversation tries to address the unprecedented injury list of this Indian squad. Has it ever happened before to any travelling test team? What playing eleven options India have left to tinker with for the last test. Second half of the show shifts focus on the Gabba venue - as how it has been one of Australia's winningest venues. Mukherjee like a true historian recalls some of the interesting contests between the two team on this venue. Steven Smith, Cheteshwar Pujara and the Indian top order get a deserved mention in this episode as well.

In this episode we review the Boxing day test between Australia and India. Sanket Singbal and Abhu Tyagi join host Saqib Ali to breakdown the happenings from MCG. The conversation focuses on Ajinkya Rahane's batting and captaincy. Was it his best knock as a test batsman? Md Siraj and Shubman Gill's remarkable readiness for international test cricket also gets discussed in the pod. Other topics covered include the possible return of Rohit Sharma for the SCG test, Pat Cummins vs Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravi Ashwin vs Steve Smith. We wrap the show by comparing the current Aussie bowling unit to one of the all time best bowling unit of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee. The episode is full of nuanced observations and detailed analysis on the MCG test.