In episode 150 of the 81allout podcast we preview India's upcoming Test series against Australia - the latest chapter in a storied rivalry. Australia sure have the team to pull off a series win but the panel agrees that they will still need to be at their best to hand India their first home-series defeat in nearly a decade.
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Talking Points:

 Australia's attitude towards cricket in India over the years: from apathy to obeisance
 The role played by Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Mike Coward and a few others in embracing India and her passion for cricket
 The 2017 India v Australia series, and the gripping Bangalore Test
 Can Pat Cummins replicate Glenn McGrath's success in India?
  The current Australian bowling attack v the 2004 attack that won in India
  India's fast bowling potency in home conditions (even without Jasprit Bumrah)
  Ashwin v Smith: a rivarly with a layer of deep technical insight
  Are we about the see the new new Virat Kohli?
  Can Australia's batters (especially the left-handers) tackle Ashwin?
  The flexibility Jadeja offers this Indian line-up
  Pant's absence and an opening for Axar to bolster the batting
  Our wishes for the pitches in this series: green tops and raging turners

Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)
Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)
Ashoka (ABVan)
*
Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee |
Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward
*
Related:

  When Australia conquered the Final Frontier - 81allout podcast rewinds to 2004
  ‘It struck me that you can score 574, declare twice, and still lose a Test’ – Allan Border - 81allout podcast
  How Smith's grip is linked to tennis - Daniel Brettig - Sydney Morning Herald
  R Ashwin: 'I've always been good at assessing batsmen, but now I think I've taken it to another level' - Sidharth Monga interview - The Cricket Monthly
  Umesh Yadav's spell v Kerala in Krishnagiri - Hotstar (access on in India)
  How will Smith and Labuschagne bat against Ashwin and Co.? - Sridharan Sriram column - Indian Express 

An India v Australia Test series. Here we go again...

In the latest episode of the podcast we look back on Australia's tour to India in 2004-05 - when Adam Gilchrist led the visitors to their first series win in India in 35 years. Australia have won just one Test in India since - and will hoping to improve that record in the upcoming four-Test series.
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Talking Points:

 How 2004 was in many ways the sequel to 2001
 If McGrath won't get you, Gillespie must
  Shane Warne's finest hour in India
  The emergence of Michael Clarke - and a special Bangalore hundred
  Adam Gilchrist's measured brutality
  Damien Martyn's expertise against spin
  When Kumble rocked Australia on day 1 in Chennai
  Virender Sehwag's unforgettable 155 - and the match that promised so much
  A curious case of 'greenwicketitis' in Nagpur
  Was Nagpur really an outlier pitch? Or was it just magnificent bowling?
  The most exciting Test of that series - on a raging turning in Mumbai
  Murali Kartik's moment, and the liberating Tendulkar-Laxman partnership
  Do the current Australian team have a bowling attack to win in India?

Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Prashant DP (@prashantdptweet)
Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)
*
Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee |
Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward
Related:

  True colours - Adam Gilchrist - Amazon
  The balls of the century - Shane Warne to VVS Laxman - Sharda Ugra - The Cricket Monthly
  Anatomy of a classic - Virender Sehwag on his 155 in Chennai - ESPNcricinfo
  Once upon a twinkle-toed debut - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - ESPNcricinfo
  Wisden Reports - Australia in India 2004-05 - ESPNcricinfo
  John Wright's Indian Summers - Amazon
  India lose 35-year-old home record - Sharda Ugra - India Today
  Justin Langer chats with Gideon Haigh and Peter Lalor - Part 1, Part 2

When Australia conquered the Final Frontier

In the latest episode of the podcast we chat with journalist Annesha Ghosh about the Indian Women cricket team - their journey in 2022 and how much there is to look forward to in 2023.
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Talking Points:

 2022: a momentous year for Indian women's cricket both on and off the field
 Mithali Raj: colossus nonpareil
  Jhulan Goswami: a torchbearer who inspired a generation
  The physiological challenges for a woman to bowl fast
  How Kolkata toasted Jhulan during her last match
  The lack of transparency with the Indian selectors
  Shikha Pandey's comeback - and her ingenious practice videos
  India's march to Commonwealth Games final - and the eventual heartbreak
  The sizzling Harmanpreet-Jemima partnership at the final
  How does any team beat Australia? What is the secret sauce
  The allround options in the Indian lower order
  Deepti Sharma's running out Charlie Dean at the non-striker's end
  The incredible potential of the women's IPL
  The BCCI's historical apathy towards women's cricket

Participants:
Annesha Ghosh (@ghosh_annesha)
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Ashoka (@ABVan)
*
Buy War Minus the Shooting | Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar
Related:

  2023 could be India Women’s all-at-once year, after everything, everywhere in 2022 - Annesha Ghosh - Moneycontrol
  Jhulan Goswami: A swansong of Indian cricketer who inspired millions of women - Annesha Ghosh - BBC
  The girl who took women's cricket to the next level - Annesha Ghosh - The Cricket Monthly
  The Fire Burns Blue - Karunya Keshav and Sidhanta Patnaik - Amazon
  Cameroon bowler Maeva Douma effects four mankads in two overs - Wisden
  Why is there stigma involved in running out a non-striker? Because it's all about power - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo
  Viacom 18 bags women's IPL media rights for $117 mln - Reuters

Waiting to take off: the potential for women's cricket in India

In the latest episode of the podcast we chat about the challenge of being a modern umpire - and how excess scrutiny and knee-jerk reactions from pundits have combined to create a toxic environment.
Talking Points:

 The challenge for modern umpires - with ball-by-ball social media scrutiny
 How TV replays can fool us into thinking that umpiring is an easy task
 Has DRS accelerated the erosion of the umpire's authority?
 The frequent grumbling around the soft-signal  - is it even needed?
  The issue with Sachin Tendulkar's reservation about umpire's call
  The value of umpiring judgement, and why the on-field umpire's decision is vital
  Ben Stokes' misunderstanding of the soft-signal
  Do umpires' performance change based on the match situation?
  Will cricket go the way of American football with video replays?

Support 81allout via Ko-FI
Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Cricketingview Substack
Ashoka (@ABVan)
Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)
*
Buy War Minus the Shooting | Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar
Related:

  Why Does The Umpire Get To Decide? - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview
  Television killed the umpiring star - Kartikeya Date - The Cricket Monthly
  On Umpire's Call - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview
  The new lbw rule in DRS - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview
  A Conversation with Warren Brennan About Hotspot, RTS and other Technology in Cricket - Cricketingview podcast
  The DRS and Technology in Cricket - Channel 7 video
  Accepting the umpire's decision has become a date concept - Gideon Haigh - Twitter
  Simon Taufel podcast - Subash Jayaraman - Couchtalk

What we rant about when we rant about umpiring

In the latest episode of the podcast we discuss India's 2-0 win in the Test series in Bangladesh.
Talking Points:

 India's close escape in the second Test in Mirpur
 Are Kohli and Rahul going through a bad patch or are they on the wane?
 Batting against spin with the new ball v old ball
 The challenges of playing fastish finger spin in the DRS era
  Axar Patel's deadly round-arm action - and why it is invaluable on these pitches
  Where R Ashwin stands v Kapil Dev in the allrounder stakes
  The non-selection of Kuldeep Yadav for the second Test - was it really shocking?

Support 81allout on ko-fi
Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)
Ashoka (@ABVan)
*
Buy War Minus the Shooting | Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar
Related:

  Is the DRS a good thing? Yes if you're a fingerspinner, no if you're a left-hand batsman - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo
  Training the Hawk-Eye on Axar Patel: Angular, Anomalous - Himanish Ganjoo - Substack
  'Phenomenal' Shreyas Iyer calms the panic down with assured batting - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo
  All-rounder Ashwin, second only to Richard Hadlee, rescues India again - VS Aravind - Sportstar
  Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Litton Das stride towards becoming Bangladesh's next batch of match-winners - Mohammad Isam - ESPNcricinfo

India overcome Bangladesh's stern spin challenge: Test series review

In the latest episode we talk to author and journalist Gideon Haigh about his recent collaboration with Wasim Akram on his memoir Sultan.
We talk about the process of writing the book and the challenges that Gideon had to overcome to ensure he told the story in Wasim's voice.
Talking Points:

 The process Gideon followed and the contrast with On Warne
 The conversations Gideon had with Imran, Dravid, Shastri, and plenty of others
 Settling on a voice for the book - how people imagine Wasim will speak like
 Wasim's ability to praise and slam his team-mates - often in the same paragraph
  Wasim's evolving relationship with Waqar - their partnership and falling out
  The physical and emotional hurdles Wasim had to overcome through his career
  The challenge of writing the chapter on match-fixing
  Was Wasim the greatest bowler of all time?
  Revisiting the great spells via YouTube

Participants:
Gideon Haigh
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
*
Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar and War Minus the Shooting (both books republished by 81allout)
Related:
The wonder that was Waz - Gideon Haigh - ESPNcricinfo
'The match-fixing rumours were like a trauma... no one trusted each other' - Wasim Akram interview - Guardian
At 56, Wasim is turning his thoughts to his legacy - Osman Samiuddin - ESPNcricinfo
'He made you believe the impossible' - Gideon Haigh on Shane Warne - 81allout podcast
On Warne - Gideon Haigh - Amazon
The Unquiet Ones - Osman Samiuddin - Amazon
Pakistan in 1999: the allure, the magic, the heartbreak - 81allout podcast with Ahmer Naqvi and Hassan Cheema

‘He bowled balls that could not have been bowled by anyone else in history’ - Gideon Haigh on Wasim Akram

In the latest episode of the podcast, we discuss the idea of greatness in cricket. What do we mean when we say a player is 'great', how does one compare across eras, and what are the pitfalls we fall into when discussing greatness.
Talking Points:

 Greatness as a measurement of a player's performance against their peers
 The habit of putting down one player as one elevates another
 The need for a transcendent moment for a player to be anointed 'great'
 The fallacy of the match-winning innings
 Lillee v Cummins: the complexity of comparing two great bowlers
 The power of nostalgia in talking about greatness - the Andy Roberts problem
  Great batsmen in weak teams and great bowlers in strong teams
  The problem with recency bias when judging greatness
  Is this South African team better than the teams from the 1990s and 2000s?
  The high benchmark for subcontinental players in foreign conditions

Support 81allout on Ko-fi
Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)
Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)
*
Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout)
India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy); Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy); USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy); Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
Related:

  The line of greatness - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - The Cricket Monthly
  Wisden 100 - Wikipedia
  Who are the greatest T20 players of all - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo
  Who are the best batsmen of each decade - Anantha Narayanan - ESPNcricinfo
  The Richards standard for ODI batsmen - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo
  A new measure for cricketing greatness - Andy Bull - Guardian
  An all-time world Test XI, according to ICC rankings - Rupin Kale - Wisden

Greatness across eras: measures, challenges, and fallacies

In the latest episode of the podcast we speak to two pioneers from the early days of the internet: Simon King, the founder of Cricinfo, and Vishal Misra, an early volunteer who was instrumental in the building of the database and streamlining live scoring.
Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout)
India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy); Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy); USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy); Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
Talking Points:

 The difficulty of getting cricket updates in the early 1990s
 Chatrooms, IRC, and begging for score updates
  The aggregation of cricket fans across North American universities
  The idea for building a database that would store all cricket information
  The early pioneers such as KS Rao and Murari Venkatraman
  The evolution of the Cricinfo scorecard
  Sending live updates from Malaysia, Kenya, and Bangladesh
  Travis Basevi - the man who built a wonder-tool called statsguru
  Vishal's memories from the 1996 World Cup - when live scoring took off
  The day cricinfo's server crashed in Oregon

Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Simon King
Vishal Misra (@vishalmisra)
*
Related:

  ESPNcricinfo at 20 years - ESPNcricinfo
  One night in 1996 - Vishal Misra - ESPNcricinfo
  The wizard Elz - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - ESPNcricinfo
  Travis Basevi, my friend who changed the way cricket was consumed - Vishal Misra - ESPNcricinfo
  Travis Basevi: the Statsguru visionary who transformed cricket - Tanya Aldred - Guardian
  Cricinfo - How it all began - Rohan Chandran
  A bot called Cricinfo - Badri Sheshadri - ESPNcricinfo
  The Cricinfo story -  Hosted by Gautam Govitrikar - YouTube

‘The first program I ever wrote was Cricinfo’ - Simon King

In the latest episode of the podcast we discuss the recently concluded T20 World Cup in Australia - where England were crowned champions. We focus on some of the themes of the tournament - upsets, teams assessing a variety of conditions, exploiting ground dimensions, and the overall calibre of strokeplay - and wonder how some of the great bowlers are largely nullified by the format.
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Buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting on Flipkart and Amazon.
Talking Points:

 A World Cup full of memorable upsets
 Navigating the conditions across Australia - and the effect it had on teams
 Batting against length v batting against the field
 Why some great batters are misfits in the format
 India's problem at the top - and KL Rahul's T20 v Test fortunes
 The Nasim Shah over to Jos Buttler in the final
  The big difference between batting in an ODI and in a T20

Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview); Ashoka (@ABVan)
*
Related:

  England's approach may lead other teams into the T20 era - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo
  The England white-ball machine - Jarrod Kimber - YouTube
  The 'rationally irresistible' rise of Jos Buttler, T20 opener - Matt Roller - ESPNcricinfo
  Who was to blame for India's defeat - Cricviz
  Why T20 hitting is not just a more risky version of batting - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo

England too good in a tournament of upsets: T20 World Cup review

In the latest episode we talk to author and journalist Nicholas Brookes about his recent book An Island's XI: The Story of Sri Lankan Cricket.
We talk about Nicholas' journey in learning about different aspects of Sri Lankan cricket and touch upon some of the key themes in the book - the early 'whistle-stop tours', yearning for Test status, the massive victory against India in 1979, the aura of Satha, Opatha and the rebel tourists, Arjuna, Aravinda, Sanath, Murali - and the politics that has never been too far from the game in Sri Lanka.
Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout)
India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy); Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy); USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy); Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
Talking Points:

 The class structure in Sri Lankan cricket and how school's cricket is so fundamental to cricket on the island
 Grace, Hobbs, Bradman, Sobers, Worrell - just some of the illustrious early visitors to Ceylon
 M Sathasivam - the charm of the cricketer, the mystique around the man, the tragedy of an accusation
 The 'rebels' who visited South Africa and the cloud that hung over the tourists
  The chaotic years leading up to the 1996 World Cup triumph
  Aravinda de Silva - everyman one minute, spectacular artist the next
  The evolution of Sanath Jayasuriya leading up to 1996
  A conversation in Peshawar: when Saqlain spoke to Murali about his doosra
  The complexity of the Murali story - the politics, the cricket, and the man himself

Participants:
Nicholas Brookes (@brookeswites); Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)
Related:
The story of De Saram and Satha: batting geniuses who went to jail - Nicholas Brookes - The Cricket Monthly; In Colombo, three is not a crowd - Nicholas Brookes and Benjamin Golby - The Cricket Monthly; A Murder in Ceylon: The Sathasivam Case - Prof Ravindra Fernando - Amazon; Growing up with Murali - Andrew Fidel Fernando - The Cricket Monthly; When Murali bared his soul - Vithushan Ehantharajah - The Cricket Monthly; War Minus the Shooting - Mike Marqusee - Amazon; The lost boys of Jaffna - Andrew Fidel Fernando - The Cricket Monthly

Sri Lanka's unique and incredible cricket history - interview with author Nicholas Brookes

In the latest episode we talk to historian and author Duncan Stone about his recent book 'Different Class: The Untold Story of English Cricket'. The conversation delves into the nebulous 'Spirit of the Game' and how it is emblematic of the fetishization of English cricket - which has turned a people's game into a seemingly noble pursuit accessible mostly to a privileged class.
You can order the book here.
Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout)
India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy); Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy); USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy); Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
Talking Points:

 The Spirit of the Game and why English cricket is its own enemy
 The pivotal decision to take cricket off free-to-air television in 2005
 What the Azeem Rafiq revelations teach us
 Outlawing of competitive cricket in the south of England for several years in the early 1900s

Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Duncan Stone (@StoneDunk)
Books discussed:
Anyone But England - Mike Marqusee; Beyond A Boundary - CLR James; Willow Wand - Derek Birley; Rowland Bowen's history of cricket;
Related:
English cricket has always been a people's game, but that's not what the elitists will have you believe - Duncan Stone - ESPNcricinfo; The class and culture war at the heart of English cricket - David Hopps - ESPNcricinfo; ECB's South Asian Action Plan fell short - Duncan Stone - The Cricketer; Law (19.8) and Order - 81allout podcast discussing the 2019 World Cup final; The toxic side to the Australian way - 81allout podcast with Jarrod Kimber; Why is there stigma involved in running out a non-striker? Because it's all about power - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo; Spirit of Cricket & the Mankad - Pakistan Cricket Podcast; 

'Cricket in England is held back by its own mythology' - interview with author Duncan Stone

In the latest episode we discuss ways in which data is upending the way teams approach the sport - and also question why there is so much resistance to the idea that smart use of data helps everyone understand the game better.
Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout):
India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy); Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy); USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy); 
For the rest - please check your country-specific Amazon pages.
Talking Points:

 The importance of data in the T20 era - with teams looking for more efficiencies and for ways to exploit match-ups
 The 'anti-data constituency' and why data is such a polarizing topic
  The false-opposition to data: and why observation and experience are data too
  The age-old cliche: 'Numbers don't tell the full story'
  The terminological baggage around terms like 'luck', 'fluke' and 'randomness'
  The difference between descriptive data and predictive data
  The lack of sufficient data in T20s - with so few games played every season
  The issue of player accountability - and the fear of data revealing hard truths
  Do TV channels have a moral responsibility to educate the public about data?
  What does the future of cricket data look like?
  Can one expect more systematic recording of judgement metrics?

Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Himanish Ganjoo (@hganjoo_153); Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview); Ashoka (@ABVan)
*
Related:

  Pressure, clutch, choke: the language of cricketing discourse - 81allout podcast
  Understanding T20 - 81allout podcast with Hassan Cheema
  Hitting v Batting: the choice that dictates the shape of a T20 contest - 81allout podcast
  Databall - Kartikeya Date - The Cricket Monthly
  On Analysis And Statistics in Cricket - Himanish Ganjoo - DeepPoint Substack
  Do match-ups work in T20? The data says yes - Himanish Ganjoo - ESPNcricinfo
  The rise of the analyst, coded signals and the DRS revolution - Sky Sports podcast with Nathan Leamon
  Cricket is having its Moneyball moment - Mike Jakeman - Wired UK

The world of data (and how it is upending the game)

In the latest episode we discuss ideas of loyalty and fandom - with respect to both teams and individual athletes - and dissect various strands of 'belonging' to an imagined community.
Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout)
India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy); Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy); USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy); Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
Talking Points:

 The schizophrenic nature of fandom in the franchise age
 Do you cheer for Kohli when he plays for India and wish for him to fail for RCB?
  The idea of imagined communities and the spread of nationalism
  Why does bandwagoning have a bad reputation?
  Supporting a team versus an individual - and how the first appears more noble
  The sacred space of fandom - watching as a community v watching alone
  The live experience v the TV experience - and the vast difference between them
  The loss of hope in 2000 - when Azhar and Cronje were embroiled in scandal

Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Rohit Naimpally (https://rohitnaimpally.substack.com/); Deepauk Murugesan (@complicateur); Ashoka (@ABVan)
*
Related:

  That special whistle: the phenomeon called CSK - 81allout podcast
  The ins and outs of Fantasy Cricket - 81allout podcast
  Reviving War Minus the Shooting - 81allout podcast with Osman Samiuddin
  Imagined Communities - Benedict Anderson - Amazon
  Rules for Being a True Fan - Bill Simmons - ESPN Page 2
  We cheer for clothes - Jerry Seinfeld - YouTube
  The remarkable rise of the Oakland Roots
  Is sporting fandom a set of rituals or a relationship - Ahmer Naqvi - ESPNcricinfo
  Confessions of a bandwagon fan - David Sax - The New Yorker
  The legacy of Michael Jordan in China - Andrew Gao - chinosity.com
  Will you watch the World Cup - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - sidveeblogs

Talking fandom: love, loyalty, and a sense of belonging

In the latest episode we discuss popular terms used to describe a cricketing contest - and why these are often lazy alternatives with no standard definition.
Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout)
India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy); Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy);  USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy); Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
Talking Points:

 The category error in sports - when stories are used to describe contests
 The narrative around 'big moments' and how some phases are assumed to 'decide' contests
  The rampant discourse around 'pressure situations'
  The belief that some players are superior at the finish than at the start
  Jordan and Robert Horry - and the spread of the clutch narrative
  Australia v South Africa, Edgbaston, 1999: a narrative gold
  The future of cricket discourse - and ways to describe the entire contest 

Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview); Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd); Ashoka (@ABVan)
Related:

  The episode that really matters - 81allout podcast with Sidharth Monga
  What's the story, Morning Glory - 81allout podcast with Karthik Krishnaswamy
  What we talk about when we talk about cricket - 81allout podcast with Daniel Norcross
  Anatomy of a classic - Virender Sehwag on his 155 in Chennai - Interview by Chandrahas Choudhury and Nishant Arora - ESPNcricinfo
  Bias Case - Steve Tignor - Tennis World
  James Anderson and reverse-swing - Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara discuss - YouTube
  Against narratives - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview
  Why there is no such thing as a finisher in ODI cricket - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo
  Roger Federer opens up - Interview by David Remnick - New Yorker
  Paddy Upton's interview of Allan Donald - Apple podcasts
  'I wanted to be there at the end. That was my drug' - Lance Klusener interview - The Cricket Monthly
  Rudi Webster - Think Like a Champion - Amazon.com

Clutch, pressure, choke: discussing the language of cricketing discourse

In the latest episode of the podcast we discuss a fundamental question that underpins a T20 contest: does batting have a place in T20? Are elite batters like Virat Kohli, Babar Azam and Steve Smith good fits in the T20 format - and what metrics  tell us how good a batter or hitter is.
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Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout)
India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy)
Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
For the rest - please check your country-specific Amazon pages.
Talking Points:

 The intrinsic logic of T20 - a resource-heavy format with limited time
 Who is better? A batter who averages 50 and scores at a strike rate of 150 or one who averages 35 and also scores at a strike rate of 150?
  The evolution of T20 - from a game that resembled cricket to a different sport
  The problem with picking hitters from an ecosystem that encourages batting
  Ways to measure the excellence of a T20 batter/hitter
  Why a single in a T20 is vastly different from a single in an ODI
  Is there any value in picking an anchor in the top order?
  Can a team full of hitters find a way in bowler-friendly conditions?
  Chris Gayle v ABdV v Kohli v Babar v Buttler: who is the better T20 pick?
  The great T20 hitters - and a formula to rank them

Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)
Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)
Ashoka (@ABVan)
*
Related:

  An essential point in T20 - Kartikeya Date - - A Cricketing View
  Kohli's T20 problem - Kartikeya Date - A Cricketing View
  Is a single in T20 the same as a dot ball in ODIs? - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo
  How do batters train for the demands of T20? - Tim Wigmore - The Cricket Monthly
  Who is T20s greatest player? - Cricviz

Hitting v Batting: the choice that dictates the shape of a T20 contest

In the latest episode of the podcast we discuss the recent fourth-innings run-chases in Tests around the world.
Since the start of 2021, there have been 58 instances of teams batting in the fourth innings - of which 27 have ended in victories. England, West Indies, India, and Pakistan have chased tall targets and we explore whether there has been a significant shift in how teams approach the run-chase.
Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout)India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy)Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy)USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
Talking Points:

 The recent increase in teams achieving the target in the fourth-innings
 The high preparedness of bowlers before matches - and the predictable drop in intensity as Tests runs their course
  Rewind to the 2000s - when more teams chased targets
  The difficulty of bowling negative in this era - against batsmen with great range
  The T20 effect on Test chases
  A thumb-rule for guessing if a team has a chance in the chase - check run-rates
  India's historic chase at the Gabba in 2021
  England's recent successes in chasing 250-plus targets
  Will teams start preparing pitches that ease out as the game progresses?
  Sehwag's blitz, Sachin's 136,  Gavaskar's pristine 90 - and other great chases

Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview); Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd); Ashoka (@ABVan)
*
Fourth-innings chases - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview; Shafique's epic 160* leads Pakistan to fourth-innings glory - Fidel Fernando - ESPNcricinfo; The Bairoot show in Edgbaston classic - 81allout podcast; England post a record against India - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview; Dravid: 'We have started Test matches well but haven't been able to finish well' - ESPNcricinfo; Has it become easier to chase down stiff targets in Test cricket - S Rajesh ESPNcricinfo; Fly Lara Fly - Rahul Bhattacharya - The Cricket Monthly; Clive Lloyd and Bedi rewind to Port-of-Spain in 1976 - YouTube; Gordon Greenidge's 214* at Lord's in 1984 - YouTube; Nathan Astle's 222 of 168 balls - YouTube

What's the deal with fourth-innings run-chases?

In the latest episode of the podcast we chat with Hemant Buch, who is a broadcast consultant with over 25 years' experience as an executive producer, director, and producer.
Hemant guides us through the responsibilities of a live TV broadcast director. He also talks about his recent assignment in Sri Lanka - where Australia and Pakistan played cricket series in a time of intense political and economic strife.
Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout)India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy)Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy)USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
Talking Points:

 Hemant's journey into the world of journalism and broadcasting
 A TV director and producer - and how they need to complement each other
  Watching a match from 20 different angles and choosing the best view
  The challenges of directing a Test match versus shorter forms of the game
  The predominance of Indian and South African camerapersons in cricket
  The high calibre of camerawork during the recent two series in Sri Lanka
  The need to be nimble while using the ultra slomo camera
  Covering cricket in Sri Lanka amid economic and political turmoil
  The peaceful protests outside the ground at Galle
  Sri Lanka's cricketers speaking up about the economic plight of the people
  Witnessing packed houses in stadia as Sri Lankans grappled with daily crises
  Dasun Shanaka's stunning knock and Prabath Jayasuriya's stunning entry

Participants:
Hemant Buch (@hemantbuch); Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)
*
Related:
Articles by Hemant Buch; Hemant Buch's photos; Hemant Buch interview on Couch Talk; ‘A TV producer needs to catch the pulse of where the game is going’ – Ajesh Ramachandran - 81allout; When Sri Lanka came to the cricket to fight for the country's future - Fidel Fernando - ESPNcricinfo; Australia's Sri Lanka tour more profound than wins and losses - Daniel Brettig - Sydney Morning Herald; 'A golden age for watching cricket in Sri Lanka' - Fidel Fernando - 81allout; Sport, history, race: the complexity of cricket in South Africa - podcast with Telford Vice and Firdose Moonda - 81allout

'In some ways, a TV director plays God' - Hemant Buch

We talk to legendary Australian captain and batsman Allan Border about his experience of touring the subcontinent in the 1980s -  taking in the tied Test in 1986, the World Cup win in 1987, and the controversial tour of Pakistan in 1988.
Joining Border is veteran journalist Mike Coward, whose classic book - Cricket Beyond the Bazaar - we recently republished via 81allout Publishing.
Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar:
India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy)
Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)
For the rest - please check your country-specific Amazon pages.
Talking Points:

 The cultural shock in the subcontinent for Australians of Border's generation
 Coming to grips with the heat, the noise, and the way of life in India
  The pressure that Border was under in the lead-up to the tied Test
  Dean Jones' epic innings and the role Border had in it
  The final day of the tied Test - when players and umpires felt the heat
  Bob Simpson's contributions as manager of the team during the 1987 World Cup
  Defying the odds in Lahore as Steve Waugh silenced the capacity crowd
  Gatting c Dyer b Border 41 (and the moment when a World Cup final turned)
  How Mike Coward managed to be both empathetic towards the players and ruthlessly objective when reporting the crisis in Pakistan in 1988
  The legacy of Frank Tarrant and the pioneering Australian tour of 1935
  The institution of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy: its cache and its future

Participants:
Allan Border
Mike Coward
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Related:
Cricket Beyond the Bazaar: the revival of a classic book - 81allout
A lifetime in cricket writing - 81allout podcast with Mike Coward
The subcontinent beyond the cliches: revisiting a landmark cricket book - Dan Brettig and Russell Jackson discuss Cricket Beyond the Bazaar - 81allout podcast
Embracing the East: Suresh Menon on Cricket Beyond the Bazaar - ESPNcricinfo
Mike Coward's books 
The Final Frontier: Mike Coward - The Greatest Season That Was podcast
'It long irked me that sports writing, in this country, has been devalued' - Mike Coward's speech at the ASC Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2015

'It struck me that you can score 574, declare twice, and still lose a Test' - Allan Border

We review the England-India Test at Edgbaston, which see-sawed till day four - before England defied the odds.
Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting on Flipkart and Amazon. Readers outside India, can buy the book on Amazon.
Talking Points:

 A fitting end to a high quality series
 Bazball: a marketing gimmick or viable cricketing strategy?
  England making the most of their ODI strengths in Tests
  Bairstow's purplest patch
  Joe Root the invincible - a 360-degree master
  Rishabh Pant's command over the bowling
  Balls that refused to swing after the 30th over
  Did India misread the pitch when choosing Shardul over Ashwin?
  India's third-innings collapses - a trend over the last two years
  The future of England's attacking approach

Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)
Ashoka (@ABVan)
Related:

  England post a record against India - Kartikeya Date - A Cricketing View 
  India's fourth-innings fumble: What has gone wrong? - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
  In the zone - Kevin Pietersen and Mark Butcher on sporting nirvana - Sky Sports podcast
  Attack, attack, attack - Ben Jones - Cricviz‘
  As a captain, you don’t delegate decisions that affect winning or losing’: Ian Chappell - 81allout podcast

The Bairoot show in Edgbaston classic

In the latest episode of the podcast we chat with one of the most prolific radio broadcasters: Joseph 'Reds' Perreira. In a career spanning over 50 years, Reds has commentated on 152 Tests and close to 500 other matches - including ODIs, first-class, and List A games.
Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting on Flipkart and Amazon. Readers outside India, can buy the book on Amazon.
Talking Points:

 Overcoming a stammer by imitating radio commentary
 Traveling the Caribbean to watch live sport in the 1950s
 A memorable commentary debut in 1971 - when India toured the Caribbean
 The thriller at Edgbaston - calling West Indies v Pakistan in the 1975 World Cup
  The honour of being at Lord's in 1975 - watching West Indies lift the trophy
  Life as a freelancer in Australia in 1975-76
  The day Roy Fredericks ruled
  The World Series Cricket game in Sydney - when Kerry Packer made his point
  Breaking the story of the West Indies' "rebel" tour to South Africa
  The 1983 World Cup - and the inexplicable loss in the final
  Lara's debut, West Indies' 1-run win, and South Africa's collapse in Barbados
  The 2007 World Cup - and how it could have been so much better

[kofi]
Participants:
Joseph 'Reds' Perreira
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
*
Related:
Living My Dreams - Joseph 'Reds' Perreira - Amazon
Reds hits rewind - Sriram Veera - ESPNcricinfo
Gavaskar Calypso - Lord Relator - YouTube
How we won the World Cup - Clive Lloyd interview - ESPNcricinfo
Roberts and Murray stand tall - Fazeer Mohammed - ESPNcricinfo
'Quicker you bowled, harder he hit' - Ian Chappell on Roy Fredericks' 169 at Perth - ESPNcricinfo
'Cricket is about scoring runs' - Jeff Dujon interview - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - ESPNcricinfo
Legends of TMS - Tony Cozier - YouTube
Why India's win against West Indies in Berbice remains special - Nimish Dubey - Indian Express
Reds Perreira's notes from the Perth Test of 1975 - when Roy Fredericks scored 169 off 145 balls

81 All Out - A Cricket Podcast

81 All Out - A Cricket Podcast

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