Episodes

1d ago

In this episode, we talk about Bazball. Its merits, demerits ,and how it all came crashing down because of very little planning and even poor execution. We also talk briefly about the Indian T20 squad for the upcoming T20 WC and what happened with the axing of Shubman Gill?

Nov 27

Richa, Aditya & MV are joined by Vatsal to discuss the humiliation in Guwahati and the first Ashes Test in Perth. - We start with a fun Game - Whose Line is it anyway? Baz or Gam? - Discussion on the difficulty of playing spin - Decline in structured cricket tours - Abject Selections and insipid leadership - Analysis of the game + Jansen, Bavuma and Harmer - the stars for SA - How teams prepare for Indian tours and the future - Lots of Vicky Paaji/Rev etc thrown in - Ashes - Disappointments with England, Elation with Starc, the long game in Australia - Wrap up - Why do stadia suck in India

Nov 16

We talk of Gambhir's latest blockbuster, how he can conjure lineups without balance even if given infinite resources. We then move onto discussing the insecurity that results in such pitches. The discussion then moves onto the recent news of Indian cricketers backing a majoritarian movement, diversity and inclusion in Indian cricket. Also, a lot of Sports Tak, Yaari and RevSports review around this test match.

Nov 10

In this episode with Ahmer Naqvi, we sit down to discuss the politics of sport, will cricket ever go truly global?, the future of India Pakistan Cricket, Is indian Cricket a Biryani or a Fine dining restaurant & why Ronnie from Awwal Number was the greatest batter in Cricket ever. Ahmer can be found on Twitter His Youtube Channel with Osman Samiuddin is Batta Fast Ahmer recommended the following books, movies & documentaries through the course of our conversation - Khayal Darpan - Documentary Uncut Gems - Movie War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Book Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew by Shehan Karunatilaka - BookSoccer & Sun in the Shadow - Eduardo Galeano Ifran Junejo's Youtube Channel to truly understand KarachiAnd of course, Awwal Number

Nov 4

This is an episode we had the most joy in creating. We can’t thank Sharda Ugra enough for her time, and you’ll hear that come through in the podcast. She also promises to join us for Part Two! India are World Champions and we discuss the game, the immediate aftermath, the emotions and the performances. This was a truly wide ranging chat and there was a lot of joy for the women who have just become World Champions! We are very thankful to a host of publications who sent their reporters all across the country and Sri Lanka. We reached out to many of them, and they sent in voice notes that reflect their thoughts on this tournament. In no particular order Lavanya from Sportstar Samreen from HT Gomesh from TNIE Mrina Asija from Cricket.com.au Neha Shetty from Never on the Backfoot Podcast + Cricket.com (Get well soon!) Akshay from Cricket.com Zenia D’Cunha from ESPN Bunch of reporters who we must thank as well for their fantastic coverage during the WC. Annesha Ghosh Vinayak from IE Purnima from Cricbuzz

Oct 30

Well, that's the pod. The game, the players, Jemi, Harman, Charani, Litchfield, Australia's fielding but also the dropped catches and of course we lament that ICC's Twitter Team has not posted a single clip of the winning moment.

Oct 19

This episode is an ode to the organisational skills of the ICC and the dedication of the BCCI to make the Women's World Cup the biggest ever by throwing money at it. Rain started as a means of jeopardy in a WC has simply ruined it. Might add the lack of marquee venues and faraway venues has ensured the interest doesn't pique but decrease. So, this entire episode is a collection of Rain Sounds from PIXABAY. Enjoy.

Oct 15

This is not a review. We got together to discuss our thoughts on the current status of the tournament, lack of support for the game and the wonderful coverage in print and online media, we discussed Marufa Akter, Nigar Sultana Joty's inspiring captaincy, SA's chances at lifting the trophy, Aus-India game which was attended by Sarthak, and the joy of an underdog victory and the time for Bangladesh has come, the level playing field in the women's game compared to the men's game and Gavaskar's not so shocking comments on air during the India West Indies test series.

Oct 2

There’s some strong language in this episode. If that’s not your vibe, you’ve been warned. In this podcast, we discuss peace. Only fitting it's out on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday!

Sep 17

We discuss the noises about a boycott, the profiteering around the boycott, the lack of nuance and professional decency in Ind-Pak cricket coverage.

Sep 1

In this episode Richa, Aditya and MV are joined by Sarthak Dev to discuss the career of Cheteshwar Pujara. We dive into our earliest memories of Cheteshwar Pujara, tracing his evolution as a batter and how he cemented his place at No. 3. Along the way, we relive some of his finest and most underrated innings, admire his mastery against spin, and explore the unique challenges faced by modern Test batters in the era of the WTC, tricky pitches, and the pace bowling pandemic. Pujara's career, like many in the middle order, feels incomplete. We end by asking: Will we ever see another one like him in Tests? And, of course, we close with our personal favourite Pujara innings. Sarthak wrote a fantastic piece on Pujara, which can be read here. If you’d like to write to us, send us an email on podforcricket@gmail.com or just reply to us on Twitter.

Aug 4

We just quickly got together to record some initial reactions after the stunning game at the Oval. We will come back with a more detailed analysis of what has been a fantastic test series.

Jul 28

This episode is a chat with the folks on The Last Wicket Podcast . Do listen to their previous podcasts which have tremendous nostalgia value and a lot of depth in variety of the topics discussed. The current landscape of cricket journalism and television coverage is characterized by a significant decline in quality and depth, as discussed in our latest podcast episode. We explore how the monopolistic tendencies of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have led to a homogenization of narratives, focusing excessively on celebrity players while neglecting broader analytical discourse. Our dialogue also delves into the implications of rising jingoism in sports media, which appears to cater more to sensationalism than substantive cricketing insights. Furthermore, we address the emergence of fan culture that prioritizes tribalism over appreciation for the sport itself, reflecting a troubling shift in societal attitudes. Join us as we dissect these pressing issues and consider the future of cricket coverage in an increasingly polarized media environment.

Jul 15

We sat down to discuss England's win at Lord's. We discussed why Jadeja should have attacked more, why is this team so defensive?, what is the secret of Ben Stokes' energy? (No we didn't) but definitely marvelled at Archer's return and the dangers of Siraj being overbowled before looking ahead to the Manchester Test where we think Kuldeep is a must (heck, we thought he was a must in all tests). There is sadly no media review but an observation that the Indian fan and YT creators ended up defending this selection as the game went on.

Jul 9

2nd Test Review of the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy Media Roundups (multiple times, as one must) Mulder Brainfade? The wives of cricketers are to blame for everything Predictions for the Lord's Test

Jul 1

Pradeep Magazine is a cricket writer, columnist, and former sports editor of The Pioneer, the India Today e-paper, and the Hindustan Times. He began his journalistic career in 1979 with the Chandigarh edition of The Indian Express and served as its cricket editor in 1999–2000. He writes on cricket regularly in The Tribune. He has written 2 wonderful cricket books - Not Just Cricket & Not Quite Cricket In this episode we chat about - SA’s remarkable WTC win with a black captain in Temba Bavuma at the helm The lack of representation & invisibilisation of Dalits and OBCs in Cricket The dim view of administration of Women’s Cricket The star power creates disparities in the Indian team Is Match fixing still possible due to the economic disparities and mushrooming of smaller leagues? Pradeep refers to Ex-Commissioner of Police & Head of BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit - Neeraj Kumar’s book - A Cop in Cricket where his work and findings are ignored by the BCCI Classist humour in India against cricketers His evolving relationship with the game after being in such close proximity Books by Pradeep Magazine Not Just Cricket Not Quite Cricket Article that prompted the episode - When Quota is fair game - The Tribune

Jun 25

In this episode, we discuss the changing nature of Bazball, Gill in his first test as captain, Yashasvi's drops affecting the game, the joy of Rishabh Pant, the finesse of KL Rahul, the vitriol against Siraj and Prasidh, the uselessness of Ravindra Jadeja and of course a media review of our favourite Youtube channels.

Jun 16

Tim Wigmore is a sports writer for The Daily Telegraph and has also written for The Economist, The New York Times, ESPN Cricinfo, and The New Statesman, among others. We sat down to discuss his latest book - Test Cricket - A History, which is his most fascinating book yet. There is a unique mix of history, context, aesthetics, race & class which another writer could have easily papered over. Tim excels in his ability to weave stories across centuries with this one and making the history of the game we love not as overwhelming. We discuss the following - 1. Legitimacy of Test Matches early on 2. Fast Bowling Quartet 3. Decline in Spin bowling 4. Overperformance of Captains while they are Captains 5. Resilience of Test Playing Nations to play after long gaps 6. Role of Amateurs and Professionals in Cricket's long history 7. Moral Victories 8. Lovely references on Aesthetics of batting in the book 9. Non-development of the women's game 10. 4 Day tests and restructuring of the WTC You can buy Test Cricket - A History from pretty much every good bookstore across Cricket playing nations along with Amazon as well. Buy the Book - Test Cricket - A History Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon India Crickonomics: The Anatomy of Modern Cricket: Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon India Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon India The Best: How Elite Athletes are Made Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon India White Hot: The Inside Story of England Cricket’s Double World Champions Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon India Second XI: Cricket In Its Outposts Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon India In our previous chat with Tim, we had asked him for Book Recommendations. Those are below. Pundits from Pakistan by Rahul Bhattacharya Beyond a Boundary by CLR James The Unquiet Ones by Osman Samiuddin Different Class Duncan Stone

Jun 11

The only way to honour the memories of those who lost their lives in the stampede at Chinnaswamy on 4th of June is to continue talking about it. We speak to Sarthak Dev, who wrote an excellent piece for News Laundry. You can read The story of a disaster: An IPL win, a city’s joy, and a tragedy that was waiting to happen here. Tarutr runs BestofCricket Substack where he publishes a Daily Newsletter with the best cricket stories (text, audio & video). You can read & subscribe here .

Jun 5

Trigger Warning Mentions of the Tragedy at Chinnaswamy are discussed at multiple points in the episode. There is an outline and trigger warning at the start of the episode. We are joined by Dave, Shay, Richa, Aditya, Tarutr & MV in this episode and there are 5 RCB fans who sent in voice notes on how they felt about winning the first league title. What is covered in this episode? 1. RCB Fans from across the world share what it felt to win the first IPL title. (1:48 to 9:42) 2. We speak to Tarutr Malhotra from BestofCricket about the tragedy at Chinnaswamy, the commotion, lack of communication and why he decided to exit the celebrations. (9:42 to 36:13) He has also written a piece. Read it here . 3. We start the IPL review with introduction of the guests (36:38 to 38:07), speak about the tragedy at Chinnaswamy (38:07 to 45:07) & Move to the IPL review which continues right till the end!

May 19

In this episode, we have long time listeners Saurabh, Shay & Fahad to discuss their memories of the IPL. It’s a great mix of folks from varying age groups and their association with the league. While Saurabh is largely neutral despite having a soft corner for SRH & RR, Fahad loves CSK & Shay is an RCB fan from North India. It gives us an insight into how the IPL has evolved and how the evolution affects the people watching it. Are they still as chuffed at watching the IPL from their first viewing of the league? Listen in.

May 11

We sat down to record the Origin Story of our love with the game. We discussed - - Our first playgrounds (societies, mohalla etc) - How our teams were decided? - What were the various toss instruments? - Specific rules for batting (1D, 2D) and bowling (fast, knee height no balls etc) All of the above across the country since the panel was diverse and we wrapped up with our favourite story of playing Cricket.

Apr 28

In our series of episodes dealing with the lack of cricket in Indian cricket coverage and the rise of jingoism and demi-god worship in cricket media, we have with us accomplished cricket analyst and writer, Gurkirat S Gill.

Apr 2

Sarthak is a writer and music composer. He writes a Substack called Lines on The Grass, and you can find some of his other written work at IndianExpress and EuroSport. He uploads his music on Instagram and YouTube, but only when his morning coffee hits the right spot. Read Lines on the Grass Listen to Sarthak's music here & you can follow him on Twitter as well. In this episode, we have both the Adityas, Raj & MV. We discuss - - The Hero Worshipping of Dhoni, Kohli & Rohit - Twitter Fanwars as an extension of how Cricket is packaged - Inceldom and the violent nature of Cricket discourse - The Loss of Tenderness in sport - No room for the stories of 7/10 cricketers (The Hanuma Viharis & Mayank Agarwals) - Sexualisation of Women in & associated with Sport with Cameramen & how society reacts to 5 second clips of Women in stadia - Lack of Narrative & History in Cricket Commentary - BCCI's lack of interest in Women's Cricket

Mar 26

Today, we have with us Sharda Ugra, a sports journalist for over 30 years who now writes what she wants, when she wants and where she wants. You can read her work in the Hindustan Times and her coverage of the BCCI in The Wire and The Caravan, amongst other publications. Along with Sharda, we have Swaroop who has been with The New Indian Express for over a decade and a Red Ink Award winner. He has covered multiple Hockey World cups, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups and, very recently covered the World Chess Championships. Richa, Aditya & MV join them to discuss - - BCCI Central Contracts for Women , CA's plan for women's cricket and grassroots investment - Why are Ranji Cricketers are paid so little, and why does the BCCI want Int'l cricketers to prioritise domestic over IPL - Saudi Money & Golf - How will they move forward with Cricket - IPL salaries vs the World's best leagues (Swaroop's piece is linked here ) - Indian Cricketers Association - The Late Anshuman Gaekwad and current President V Chamundeswarnath, a sexual harassment accused and also an IPL Governing Council Member. Recommendations Sharda Temples, Tombs, & Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz Acquired Podcast on IPL (It's only 4.5 hours long) Sky Sports Podcast with Nasser & Athers Zeteo Podcast founded by Mehdi Hasan Swaroop The Business of Sport Podcast - Listen here . Indian Summers by Sharda Ugra & John Wright, which he used as reference material for his Master’s thesis Aditya - The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha Richa - Mystery novels by Tana French

Mar 17

In this episode, we have Richa and MV joined by Tarutr Malhotra from Best of Cricket. --- Best of Cricket scours the internet for the best cricket stories and brings them to you straight to your Whatsapp. If that's not enough, they also publish original stories themselves and deepdives into the cricket media landscape and how the game is covered since they're looking at everything from a Bird's eye view and up close, daily. You should subscribe if you haven't already. During the WPL, they covered all the games with reporters from all over the world talking about stories beyond the scorecard. You can find their WPL coverage here . -- On to the episode - - MI are WPL 2025 Champions! - We start with the final. What went right for MI & what went wrong for DC? - Gujarat's last minute run to the playoff spot - We’ll talk about scheduling and what should change next year- moving away from this to the home and away concept? - ⁠Revisit the teams at the bottom of the table what went badly for them - We discuss Retentions for each team We finally end with Awards for the Season - Moment of the Season Best Young Gun ⁠Best Redemption Arc Who won the Ashes? Did Australian players do better or English players? 1 Retention and 1 Discard for each team

Mar 10

Trigger Warning & Disclaimer: Gambling, Betting, and Fantasy sports involve risk. A lot of information shared here might be triggering for those who gamble or in recovery. We recorded this to bring forth the issues involved with Gambling, Betting, and Fantasy Sports. Same goes for all the links in the shownotes. In this episode, we have MV and Aditya who are joined by Swaroop Swaminathan from The New Indian Express. Swaroop has been with the daily for a decade and has covered two Asian Games, two Hockey WCs, the recently concluded Chess World Championship, the 2016 T20 World Cup, 2023 ODI World Cup & was there for the WTC Finals in 2023. He won the Red Ink Award on Mariappan Thagavelu who won a Gold Medal for India at the Rio Paralympics. We go down memory lane to the origins of Fantasy Cricket with Super Selector to season long IPL fantasy to Dream 11 and now the plethora of Betting Websites openly out and about the Indian internet and all around us. Some Notes about Fantasy Sports in India - In FY23, 18 Crore (180 million) users were playing fantasy sports. By FY27 - it will be 50 Crore (half a billion) 40% users are between ages 25-34 - the so-called demographic dividend of India (Statista) India fantasy sports market is projected to witness a CAGR of 20.88% during the forecast period FY2024-FY2031, growing from USD 751 million in FY2023 to USD 3423.54 million in FY2031. ( Markets and Data ) Links to Swaroop's pieces - Swaroop's piece on Fantasy Cricket from 2023 - State of Play - Swaroop's piece on Surrogate Advertising in Cricket - On Ban Cloud over BCCI's partners - here . - On Illegality of betting but rampant tips on Instagram reels - here . Other Links on Gambling/Betting John Oliver on Daily Fantasy Sports (Youtube Link) Guardian's flagship Football podcast - Football Weekly spoke to a Gambling Addict and reporters covering Gambling. First person account of a Gambling Addict by James Grimes in The Guardian Useful Links for help for Gambling Addiction There are numerous resources on the internet to go through and understand responsible gambling. We strongly suggest you take a look. https://www.responsiblegambling.org/ https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/ INDIA We found that HOPE TRUST helps with Gambling addiction in India.

Mar 2

In this episode, we have Dave from USA who has been following the WPL along with Richa and MV. We speak about The Gardener Show at GG, they are at the bottom of the table but are things looking up? UPW are the first and only team to successfully defend a total and win a Super Over game, are they too dependent on individual performances? Can they just have one great day and win the whole thing? RCB collapse at home, 4 consecutive losses including 1 from a winning position against UP-W, is their bowling to blame? Mumbai Indians seem to be cruising for the most part, almost inevitably so, but can they win without NSB? DC have a formula, keep the batting team to under par scores and then get there with some Shafali Verma bashing. Do they have what it takes to wrestle out a win when Plan A doesn’t work? Young Indian players like Kashvee Gautam, Kranti Goud, Tanuja Kanwar and Minnu Mani’s bowling performances and all rounders Amanjot Kaur and Kanika Ahuja. From the batters it’s been Shweta Sehrawat Check in on the redemption arcs: Shafali Verma, Arundhati Reddy, Sneh Rana, Shikha Pandey & of course Jess Jonassen We found time to discuss the Best Smile, Captain of the Halloween XI, Socks Recommendations & somehow not on the record, but this is a great place to put it - Richa uses Cricinfo in Incognito mode.

Mar 1

We cover the unhealthy Ind-Pak obsession among Indian TV coverage and fans, the jingoism and absurdity, unfairness around the CT. Also, why exactly did Vikrant Gupta travel to Lahore? And more discussion about DP World Dressing Room.

Feb 22

In this episode, Richa and MV sit down to discuss the goings on in the first week of the WPL where all games were won by the side chasing and how the teams have fared. We look at the exceptional performances by Nat Sciver-Brunt, Elysse Perry, swoon over the action of VJ Joshitha and wonder if RCB have enough in the tank to stay top of the table

Feb 15

We first talk about the new Netflix documentary on Ind-Pak cricket. Then the discussion moves onto previewing the CT (what exactly is the CT meant to be?) and then the (d)evolution of cricket anthems and advertising.

Feb 11

Richa & MV sit down to discuss the 5 teams in the WPL, the absurdity of Indian selectors which is the reason that we discuss so many redemption arcs, Jon Lewis’ luck (finally?), why are MI so good, can DC finally win the WPL, why spinners might not rule the roost, 4 venues means new fans and why RCB women are the toast of Bengaluru town & last year’s win matters so much more. We reviewed the teams in the following order - Gujarat Giants Mumbai Indians UP Warriorz Delhi Capitals Royal Challengers Bengaluru This is one of those painfully researched episodes because we really want to make the WPL interesting for us to watch.

Jan 18

In this episode we discuss the new guidelines for pupils of the BCCI Residential Hostel under the aegis of Principal Shri Gautam Gambhir.

Jan 14

We did a snake-style draft between the 3 of us (MV, Nishant & friend of the pod – Saurabh) to find out the Top 15 Most Memorable (largely painful) ODI knocks played against India. Order of Picks – Nishant (N) Saurabh (S) MV (M) Here are the 15 – 1. Douglas Marillier’s 56* at Faridabad (N) 2. Chris Cairns’ 102* in the ICC Knockout final 2000 at Nairobi (S) 3. Aravinda De Silva’s 66 off 47 in 1996 WC Semi final in Calcutta (M) 4. Travis Head’s 137(120) in the Khada Hoon Aaj Bhi Wahin 2023 Finals at Modium (M) 5. Fakhar Zaman’s 117 in the Champions Trophy final in 2017 (S) 6. Shakib Al-Hasan’s 49 off 31 in Sachin’s 100th 100 game (N) 7. Shahid Afridi’s 102 (46) at Green Park. Casual. (N) 8. 17 Y.O Tamim Iqbal’s 51 off 53 at Port of Spain to change ODI WC’s forever (S) 9. Sanath Jayasuriya’s 79 off 76 at Delhi in the 1996 WC to signify ‘dehshat’ & ‘khauff’ for a generation (M) 10. Ricardo Powell’s 124(93) in the Coca Cola Singapore Challenge Finals (M) 11. Marlon Samuels 108* (75) in the series decider in 2002 of a 7 match ODI series (S) 12. Saeed Anwar’s 194. ‘Nuff Said.(N) 13. Mark Waugh’s 126(135) at Wankhede in the 1996 WC (N) 14. Gibbs’ 116 (retd hurt) in the Champions Trophy Semi Finals (S) 15. Ijaz Ahmed’s 139* (84) at Lahore in 1997 (M) Honourable Mentions - Ponting’s 140 in 2003 WC final - Strauss’ 158 in 2011 WC - Sanath’s 189 - Smith’s hundred in the 2015 WC semi - Dilshan’s 160 in the 415 chase at Rajkot - Mahela’s 103 in the 2011 WC final - Inzi’s 122(102) at Karachi in the Pundits of Pakistan series Stuff you can go back to – OG Pace is Pace Yaar gang (Ahmer, Osman, Hasan Cheema, Shoaib Naveed, Imran, Assad etc) celebrating the 2017 CT finals win - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WJ2zKwuvgA

Jan 5

Our rant, as usual.

Jan 2

We review the MCG test, confused tactics and preview the SCG test.

Dec 23, 2024

We review the Gabba test and the sudden Ash Anna retirement.

Dec 9, 2024

We review the Adelaide test, the noise around it and also some Mahatma Cote analysis.

Nov 29, 2024

We review the teams after the mega-auction and the food that they are analogous to.

Nov 25, 2024

We review the first test of the India-Australia series. Also, who is Anil Sir?

Nov 16, 2024

We talk of the buzz around the BGT and the chest-thumping and bullying around the CT.

Nov 4, 2024

Oct 23, 2024

We review 46 a.o, the women's WC and Pak-Eng.

Oct 17, 2024

We discuss the reactions to the early exit from the T20 WC by the Indian Women's T20 side. Also some discussion on the chaos that is Pakistan cricket.

Oct 5, 2024

In this random conversation we (MV, Raj, Nishant and Vatsal) attempted to create a playing XI from the roster of "morally grey cricketers". Our picks: Vatsal - Salman Butt Nishant - Azhar Raj - Gibbs MV - Muhammad Asif MV - Shane Warne Raj - Cronje Nishant - Amir Vatsal - MSD Vatsal - Sreesanth Nishant - Shakib Raj - Chris Cairns MV - Marlon Samuels

Oct 1, 2024

We do our best attempt at previewing the Women's World Cup. Srivastav Ranganathan 22:43 (0 minutes ago)to meIn this episode we go ahead and preview the Women’s T20 World Cup.It’s evident we are doing this for the first time and mostly for ourselves to make this World Cup a lot more easy to follow. We found a lot of useful links that helped in our research. They are as follows -Erika Morris’ wonderful twitter thread - https://x.com/ErikaMorris79/status/1840344771832787311 WC Previews on CI and CB go without saying along with some on the ICC website.Special Mention to absolutely in-depth coverage by Cricket.com/tvCheck out their videos here - https://www.youtube.com/live/TehVdB7VotY?si=Q1HIpuGE5593H1tW https://www.youtube.com/live/B7sNiRcc9a4?si=YMdmH3v88Z9rojn0 https://www.youtube.com/live/9v-pnDlwYec?si=1yX3XbROmYDyee3N

Sep 27, 2024

In this pod, we discuss the most memorable Men’s ODI WC games. We have Raj, Nishant and MV on the pod for this one. Lots of things were discussed and some recommendations - 1. War Minus The Shooting - https://bit.ly/3MZHeGW 2. Master of Mombasa (On Asif Karim by Jarrod Kimber) - https://bit.ly/4dvYIFW Our Picks 1. R - Aus v India 1992 Brisbane 2. N - NZ v Aus 2015 (Group Game) Auckland 3. M - Aus v Afg 2023 Wankhede 4. M - Ken v WI 1996 Pune 5. N - Ire v Eng 2011 Bangalore 6. R - Aus v WI 1996 Mohali 7. R - Ind v Ban 2007 Port of Spain 8. N - NZ v SA 2015 Auckland 9. M - NZ v WI 2019 Manchester 10.M - Kenya v SL 2003 Nairobi Gymkhana 11.N - Ind v Aus 2023 Ahmedabad

Sep 18, 2024

Trigger Warning: Strong Language has been used in this conversation. Listener discretion is advised. In this episode, Raj, Aditya and MV are joined by Behram Qazi to discuss the life of a Pakistani journalist covering world cricket.Behram has been the subject of constant online hate from across the border for his national identity and this does take an effect on his mental health.It will be clear to those who listen that Behram is well travelled, well read and is constantly asserting inclusiveness in his conversations even if online hate is now part of his daily life and work.

Sep 12, 2024

Today, we have the best cricket writer of our times - Gideon Haigh to discuss the life and times of the greatest cricketer that ever lived - Shane Keith Warne. 13th September 2024 would have been his 55th birthday. Gideon has of course, written extensively on Warne, chiefly his 2012 book - On Warne, and keenly followed his career and after. We discuss tough art of leg spin, the legacy of Warne as a spinner, and beyond, Gideon’s fondness of Warne and the ensuing sympathy while being critical of Warne’s misgivings like match-fixing & the use of banned substances, how Warne was as a captain, Jarrod Kimber, writing on cricketers you’re close to & ‘the sheer indomitable will of Shane Warne’ amongst other things. Gideon Haigh’s work can now be followed on https://www.cricketetal.com/ He has written 50 books which you can find here - https:// www.gideonhaigh.com/bibliography/ You can buy his book On Warne - https://bit.ly/4gb45Nk Book Recommendations No Spin by Shane Warne - https://bit.ly/4dJS5k9 Warne in Wisden - https://bit.ly/47abQ1K

Sep 5, 2024

We talk about the recent Pak-Ban series, what it means for the two sides and the reactions to the result in India. Also, talk of the importance of stories in sport.

Aug 28, 2024

Nostalgia Pod: The Best Test Innings vs India In another trip down nostalgia’s lane, we do a snake-style draft to discuss the Best Test Innings vs India. Joining today on the pod are the 2 Adityas, Raj, Nishant & MV. 15 innings/ performances which captured our imagination. Jayasuriya 340 - AdityaP KP 186 - RSS Akmal 113 - Nishant Baz McCullum 302 - Aditya1 Steve Smith 109 - MV Ollie Pope 196 - MV Dinesh Chandimal 162 & 59 - Aditya1 Afridi 141 - Nishant Younis Khan 267 - RSS Clarke 329 - AdityaP Andy Flower -232 AdityaP Jimmy Adams 174* & 78* - RSS Hayden 203 Nishant Travis Head 162 - Aditya1 Saeed Anwar 188 - MV

Aug 21, 2024

We rant about the Indian Olympic coverage, and a lot of sports tak.

Aug 14, 2024

We do a draft India-Pak squad purely on nostalgia and vibes. Discuss fond memories of the players along the way.

Aug 13, 2024

Michael Sanders is a professor of Public Policy at King’s College, London and the director of the experimental Government team & on this pod we discuss his latest paper - Built it and they will search - The impact of using double-header fixtures to boost the profile of women’s cricket Paper Link - https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/double-header-matches-boost- interest-in-womens-cricket-study-finds King’s College Profile - https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/michael-sanders Twitter Profile - https://x.com/mike_t_sanders Best of Cricket Substack by Tarutr Malhotra - https:// bestofcricket.substack.com/

Aug 2, 2024

In this episode, we discuss cricket analytics, growing the game, quantifying pressure/clutch in sport with one of the pre-eminent analysts in our game, Tim Wigmore. Tim Wigmore is a sports writer for The Daily Telegraph, and has also written for The Economist, The New York Times, ESPNCricinfo and The New Statesman amongst others. He has written many books and we will be discussing his books and cricket writing in this episode. He has a unique lens on Cricket having covered the Associates extensively and thereon written about them and the global game. His books provide us a worldview into the past and the future with topics as diverse as the history of Afghanistan Cricket to deep dives into the process England followed to become double WC champions. We discussed T20 cricket, data v narrative, Afghanistan and the future of world cricket with respect to the short sightedness of those who run the game before rounding up with book recommendations from Tim Crickonomics: The Anatomy of Modern Cricket: Amazon US - https://bit.ly/3WuDTW0 Amazon UK – https://bit.ly/4fbFW8I Amazon India - https://bit.ly/4de3yrB Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution Amazon US - https://bit.ly/46moTgg Amazon UK - https://bit.ly/4feeLKw Amazon India – https://bit.ly/4faNRTI The Best: How Elite Athletes are Made Amazon US - https://bit.ly/3Y8hKhq Amazon UK – https://bit.ly/4fbFJ5q Amazon India - https://bit.ly/3zSdFE0 White Hot: The Inside Story of England Cricket’s Double World Champions Amazon US - https://bit.ly/3Wz7pKl Amazon UK - https://bit.ly/3WcF8rw Amazon India – https://bit.ly/4cVIDda Second XI: Cricket In Its Outposts Amazon US - https://bit.ly/3SgN5eb Amazon UK – https://bit.ly/4fcqVmW Amazon India - https://bit.ly/4bT8ErS Pre-Order his next book on Amazon UK – Test Cricket: A History - https://bit.ly/3yic7Tb Recommendations from Tim Wigmore Pundits from Pakistan by Rahul Bhattacharya - https://bit.ly/3LJwETG Beyond a Boundary by CLR James - https://bit.ly/3A0e9Ik The Unquiet Ones by Osman Samiuddin - https://bit.ly/4bTKM7G Different Class Duncan Stone - https://bit.ly/4fcYq8V

Jul 25, 2024

A fantasy draft episode of men's cricketers who deserved an ODI WC but didn't win one. Also, lot of nostalgia detour along the way.

Jul 10, 2024

In this episode, we talk about the reactions, celebrations and the ramifications of this T20 WC win. Also, in the second half we discuss the state of the woman's game and the structural challenges to it. Also, more VikNik, Noman Niaz discussion.

Jul 6, 2024

Mohammad Isam is Bangladesh cricket’s leading voice and has been writing on cricket for over 15 years, first with The Daily Star and what will be 12 years very soon for ESPN Cricinfo. Isam bhai has a bird’s eye view of Bangladesh Cricket and looks at the game not just as a journalist but also as someone who played the game with many of the players who have or are currently playing in the national setup. In this freewheeling chat, we discuss at length what happened in the Afghanistan Bangladesh game in the 2024 T20 WC, the larger context around Bangladesh cricket, influence of social media on the team and it’s management, eerie similarities to the Indian Cricket team in the 1990’s, the burden of being Bangladesh with the shadow of India and Pakistan, anecdotes on many cricketers known and unknown, remembered and forgotten, fast bowling arsenal for the future, business ideas for Asian nations barring India, chances of Bangladesh being overdogs by playing more with Associate nations, the vagaries of the first class structure which ends up governing the Bangladesh Cricket Board and book recommendations. Articles Mentioned on the Podcast: Javed Omar, no, yes, sorry in The Cricket Monthly - https://t.ly/7zAHp Left-arm revolutionaries in The Cricket Monthly - https://shorturl.at/aXvLA Books Mentioned on the Podcast: Pundits from Pakistan by Rahul Bhattacharya: https://shorturl.at/IL1O0 Sly Company of People Who Care by Rahul Bhattacharya - https://shorturl.at/b2N7n Mashrafe by Debabrata Mukhopadhyay (Book is in Bangla) https://shorturl.at/13564 Basil D'oliveira: Cricket and Controversy by Peter Oborne - https://shorturl.at/Hibgo Book by Mohammad Isam: On the Tigers’ Trail - https://t.ly/QuNnP

Jul 3, 2024

Jun 27, 2024

In this episode, we review the Super 8 stage and share our thoughts on the 8 teams and a special focus on Afghanistan Cricket & the importance of the asian nation’s qualification to the Semi finals of an ICC tournament. Books & Documentary mentioned on the podcast - Out of The Ashes Documentary by Timothy Albone - https://youtu.be/4H23kHiE_KQ?si=J7DGhzptalkEmQas Second XI: Cricket in its Outposts by Tim Wigmore https://amzn.in/d/0ewwq4ED (We mention the Afghanistan chapter but the book is a great read on Associate outposts of Cricket) Out of the Ashes: The Remarkable Rise and Rise of the Afghanistan cricket team by Timothy Albone https://amzn.in/d/03Tv1dtb — Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepccipod/message

Jun 25, 2024

Join us for a different perspective on the sport we all love. Featuring Andrew from the Great White North

Jun 19, 2024

At the end of the group stage of the 20-team WC, we discuss the signs and trends from the Associate sides and the joy around watching unknown names and contests on the biggest stage.

Jun 13, 2024

In a very special episode, we spoke to two of cricket's most accomplished storytellers, Sharda Ugra and Gideon Haigh. We talk about the state of the global game, the expanded T20 WC, nationalism in sports, and, cricket writing, among many things. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day License code: 2TYHRU4ICFTOEUXT

Jun 7, 2024

A special episode where we chat with an American cricket (and Marcus Stoinis) superfan on the day of the remarkable result in the 2024 T20 WC where the USA beat Pakistan at Dallas. We talk to Dave about how he discovered the sport, and his association with it.

Jun 3, 2024

Jun 3, 2024

May 7, 2024

We discuss the Indian squad for the 2024 T20 WC and the general lack of conviction around Indian cricket in this episode.

Apr 20, 2024

The team returns with a full roster and a lot of ranting in what is the podcast equivalent of a net session -- all over the place.

Jan 24, 2024

We discuss a wide range of topics, including the politics of cricket, with Behram.

Nov 25, 2023

We discuss the P word, high stakes contests, what the loss means to Indian cricket. Also, the most bizarre post-match presentation for a global event ever. Humne socha milte chalein...

Oct 27, 2023

We discuss the jingoistic narratives around the WC, our relationship with the sport and how the current jingoism influences our association with the sport and the Indian team.

Oct 14, 2023

We discuss the mahaul around the India-Pak game.

Oct 6, 2023

More WC rant, our predictions, wishlists, and potential trends to watch out for. Also, what we hate about some batting stances.

Sep 26, 2023

In the first of our WC buildup episodes, we discuss the organizational chaos that is the 2023 WC, WC promos past and present, and everything around the WC. Actual team previews and tournament previews to follow soon. 2003 WC Promo - https://youtu.be/rgg3FqfvwBE?si=-Y2WOtH1U0eSpkz1 2019 Promo -https://youtu.be/UFONbWly3Ds?si=sDFr47HSZ_FQeQTu

Jul 11, 2023

We spoke about ashes, controversies of ashes, bazball, women's ashes, worldcup qualifiers and the uninspiring Indian team for west indies tour.

Jun 16, 2023

We review the WTC Final of 2023, and the trends from this cycle and look ahead to India's test team for the next cycle.

Jun 10, 2023

We review the 2023 IPL. P.S - The episode includes a segment on the WTC final which is not outdated because of the delayed episode release. Aplogies for the same and we promise to do a timely review of the final soon after the last day on Sunday.

May 20, 2023

In the second of two episodes this week, we talk of the WTC final, chaos around the Asia Cup and look ahead to the WC squad.

May 20, 2023

We ramble on in a free wheeling conversation around this year's IPL and rant a lot about the broadcast.

Mar 19, 2023

We talk about psychobabble and the idea of pressure. Also, the spectacle that was the Modi Cricket Rath Yatra followed by some BGT 2023 discussion. Featuring @Vatsal_Sachan, friend of the pod.

Nov 15, 2022

We review what has been a very predictable end to India's T20 WC campaign, and discuss the issues with our T20 setup. Some previous episodes over the last 2 years where we discussed these problems are listed below. https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/VnfzzqPdZub https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/ger53OVdZub

Nov 1, 2022

In this episode, we review the Ind-SA, the holes in India's T20 lineup and look ahead to a more T20-centric team. Also, we discuss the prospects of sides for the SFs going ahead.

Oct 23, 2022

We preview the Ind-Pak World Cup game and also the latest from the T20 WC 2022.

Sep 2, 2022

We discuss the trends from the first round of the Asia Cup, and what it means for the T20 WC in Australia.

Jun 29, 2022

This week, we discuss the trends from the recently concluded Ind-SA T20 series and the different batting approaches in T20s with @hganjoo153. Also, some more Indian broadcasting rant. We also discuss the upcoming T20 WC and what could be the format of future T20 WCs. Also, what would test cricket in America feel like?

Jun 13, 2022

This week, we rant more about India's T20 conservatism and also go on a tangent about the rule changes that`d serve T20 cricket well.

May 12, 2022

We discuss some of our earliest memories of watching the sport and the feelings that cricket in different countries and different scenarios evoked.

Apr 23, 2022

We discuss various talking points around the IPL.

Mar 27, 2022

In this week's pod, we discuss stories from the last few weeks of world cricket -- Pak-Aus, ICC World Cup (W) 22, Bangladesh-SA, Mohsin and Rizwan Haider, The Unquiet Ones and the IPL

Feb 26, 2022

This week we discuss the age-old "Data v Narratives" debate with cricket analytics superstar, Himanish Ganjoo (@hganjoo153 on twitter). Also, we move on to discuss the recent IPL auctions and the squads. We end the pod with some rant about Indian cricket broadcasts.

Jan 31, 2022

In this episode, we review Mike Marquesee's cricket classic, War Minus The Shooting, recently republished by @81allout. We discuss Mike's phenomenal and at times prophetic reading of subcontinental cricket and its society. Also, how the author identifies strands of majoritarian nationalism and its presence in everything around the 1996 Cricket World Cup. All this while enjoying the sport itself. We'd like to thank the @81allout podcast for introducing us to the book.

Jan 26, 2022

In this episode, we examine claims of Kohli's India being comparable to 2000s Australia. Are they really? Is ICC silverware really overrated? What do the overseas W/L ratios for the two sides look like?

Jan 17, 2022

In this episode, we discuss Kohli resigning from test cricket, the Ind-SA series, the legacy of this side, and the data versus emotion debate with cricket analysis.

Dec 27, 2021

We talk of our favorite Ind-SA innings, bowling spells, Jammy Sir's influence and the current test series.

Dec 17, 2021

In this episode we discuss the captaincy announcement and the unnecessary fiasco around it.

Nov 6, 2021

In this episode, we discuss how Pakistan's T20 WC has taken so many by surprise, and the fallout of the India-Pak result. This episode was recorded a day before the Ind-NZ game.

Oct 30, 2021

We discuss the post-match coverage around the India-Pak game and why it was more toxic than usual. Also, we discuss the failings of this current Indian T20 side.

Oct 23, 2021

In this episode, we discuss the theatre of the absurd that is Pak cricket Youtube. We then go on to discuss the whole Mauka Mauka cringefest and the general toxicity and jingoism around Ind-Pak cricket in ICC events from the Indian perspective. In the end, we hope cricket is the real winner. References: 1.) Fanmade Mauka Mauka Jingoism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f20i_F2wnXQ 2.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqIG-q9P9cg

Oct 10, 2021

We discuss the recent happenings in the world of cricket starting with the pace of Umran Malik, the continuing annoyance with anchors in T20 and end with some Major League cricket news.

Sep 28, 2021

We talk about anchors in t20 cricket, the amazing quality of commentary in the IPL and the recently concluded Ind-Aus ODIs involving the women's sides.

Sep 11, 2021

We review the end of the series, the pullout, and Afghanistan cricket.

Sep 8, 2021

We talk about Bumrah's spell, Rahane vs VVS and look ahead to the Old Trafford test.

Sep 4, 2021

This is just us rambling about the fourth test and possible directions it could take. Also, some more Paaji stories.

Aug 31, 2021

We discuss the batting collapse at Headingley, various theories defending the Indian batting, possible tweaks to the lineup for the Oval. We discuss whether all the failings of the current batting lineup can just be attributed to good pace bowling and bowler-friendly conditions. Also, a lot of ranting! P.S: Apologies for a lot of talking over each other this episode. We had an audio lag between the three tracks and hence the overlap.

Aug 21, 2021

In this episode, we discuss the joy that the Indian fast bowling attack gives us, Ashwin's absence, and possible twists to come in this series. Also, we move on to some Tendulkar folklore and why some of them sound fishy. We end with some discussion about the WI-Pakistan series.

Jun 26, 2021

This episode is a lighthearted review of the WTC final, possible fallout of the defeat and the road ahead for the WTC as a tournament.

Jun 12, 2021

In this episode, we explain why we went on this break, the politics around the IPL and Indian cricket in general. Note: We will do episodes on the actual cricket in the coming weeks, now that we have the rant out of the way. Recommendation: Sharda Ugra's podcast interview with Cricket Et Cetera https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/language-is-a-virus/id1537742030?i=1000520174180

Apr 5, 2021

We are back with a random, free-wheeling conversation about IPL squads for this year and struggle to build playing XIs along the way.

Mar 11, 2021

In this episode, we ramble about a lot of old memories about Associate cricket in the World Cups we have watched in our lives. Also random memories of Independence Cups and tri-series/quadrangular over the years,

Mar 3, 2021

This episode, we talk of the Ahmedabad pitch, the propaganda commentary by BCCI, and the British cricket podcasts. Also, BCCI vs Aus vs Sky commentary teams, and a lot more.

Feb 24, 2021

In this episode, we talk of the Motera test, the Chennai pitch, Arjun Tendulkar and the IPL Auctions. If you are just interested in the cricket, the discussion about the Ind-Eng series starts at 15 minutes.

Feb 5, 2021

We talk of our favorite Eng-India test match memories, the 2008 Chennai Test, the 2006 Eng-India series, and also the 2012 Mumbai test.

Jan 29, 2021

In this episode, we continue rambling about the Aus-India test series, all the commentary around it and bask in the glory. Later, we look ahead at the Ind-Eng tests coming up and make some bold predictions (a detailed Eng series preview to follow later).

Jan 20, 2021

We discuss the raw emotions we felt immediately after the series win, in a free-wheeling, rambling conversation that talks of various plotlines in this epic series. Note: We hope to do several other episodes on this series later. This one is an encapsulation of our immediate emotions.

Jan 5, 2021

We talk about the Secret Kitchen controversy, cricketers who fared well in India-Pak games, the NZ-Pak series and a lot more.

Dec 29, 2020

This week, we look back on one of the best test victories of our time, the miracle in Melbourne. We talk of how debutants Gill and Siraj showed they belong. Also, we discuss the team balance going ahead, and whether Rohit should be force-fitted into this XI for SCG. Also, everything that makes this game so memorable.

Dec 19, 2020

In this episode, we rant about the Adelaide Massacre and its implications. Also, the road ahead for the rest of this test tour.

Dec 18, 2020

In this episode, we review the state of the match at the end of Day 2 of the pink ball test between Australia and India. Also, we talk of Shaw, possible changes in the next test and the annoying Fox Sports commentary team. Listen in and share! Recommendation: All India Radio Live Commentary - https://youtu.be/gaqXNf6qYXc

Dec 16, 2020

In this episode of the PCCI pod, we preview the test series, team combinations and predict where things could go wrong (or right) for India. Also, a short segment at the start where we talk of the type of players we loved watching growing up.

Dec 2, 2020

In this episode, the gang has a heated discussion about the shortcomings of the Indian ODI setup, lack of a clear plan when it comes to approaching the ODI game and the potential team balance going ahead.

Nov 24, 2020

In this episode, the gang dicuss the latest BBL rule changes and the potential tactical implications. In the second half of the episode, we look ahead to the India-Australia white ball games and also why Ind-Aus is the new Ind-SL in ODIs.

Nov 13, 2020

In this episode we look at the final leg of the IPL, come up with our India T20 XI based on the IPL and look ahead to the Australia tour coming up. Also, a lot of discussion about IPL and India jerseys.

Oct 22, 2020

In this week's PCCI pod, we take a look at where the teams stand, the trends and the major talking points of IPL 2020 at its half-way mark.

Oct 6, 2020

We review the teams, their strategies, what worked and what didn`t in Week 2 of IPL 2020.

Sep 28, 2020

In this episode, we review the matches from the first week of IPL 2020, and how the teams and their strategies look so far. Also, the ususal rant about some archaic T20 strategies. All this and more in the first of our weekly IPL 2020 review episodes.

Sep 18, 2020

In this second part of the IPL team previews, we preview the CSK, MI, RCB and KKR sides.

Sep 14, 2020

In this episode, we look ahead to the upcoming IPL and preview the SRH, RR, DD and KXIP sides. We come up with our probable XIs on the go. Listen in and share this with fellow cricket fans.

Aug 23, 2020

We begin this episode talking about M.S.Dhoni's retirement and his legacy. We move on to ways in which his captaincy impacted Indian cricket (good and bad) before talking about the good that came out of Chappel's tenure. In the second half of the pod, we discuss some hypothetical, alternate versions of some pivotal moments and how they could've shaped the world game. Among those discussed in this episode are 1.) What if Kaif was given more opportunities as a test batsman than Yuvraj? 2.) What if India had survived the group stages in the 07 WC and been knocked out later? 3.) What if Gibbs had`nt dropped that famous catch (non-catch!)? 4.) What if England were knocked out of the 2015 WC in more conventional fashion rather than a defeat to Bangladesh? 5.) What if Azharuddin's India had won the 96 WC? All this and more on this episode of PCCI!

Aug 15, 2020

In this episode, we talk about our favorite test cricket memories -- Tendulkar's twin wickets at Adelaide, Waugh's handling the ball dismissal at Kolkata and Kumble's Antigua effort. Bonus: Also, we work on a screenplay for an Anil Kumble biopic.

Aug 9, 2020

We start off this episode talking about painful cricketing memories and then quickly move on to discussing the recently concluded first test between England and Pakistan. With @SyedShirazi1 , we debate the current Pakistani setup, temperamental holes and potential changes. In the final segment of the episode, we discuss Wasim Akram's commentary and a hypothetical Nehraji Biopic.

Jul 27, 2020

In this episode, we discuss some of our favorite cricketing moments, the ODI/T20 edition. The moments discussed here are: 1.) Dinesh Karthik's diving catch to dismiss Smith in the WT20 game, 2,) Yuvraj against Lee, T20 2007, 3.) Dhoni's last ball runout against Bangladesh 4.) Grant Elliot at Auckland vs SA, 2015, 5.) Dwayne Leverock's catch and 6.) Sachin's upper-cut six against Pakistan in the 2003 WC. Intro Music Credits : Play Play Play by Shtriker Big Band (https://artlist.io/song/14715/play-play-play)

Jul 16, 2020

In this episode, we celebrate the return of the international game to our TV screens and go on a freewheeling conversation with @SyedShirazi1 about the English Summer, WI and Pakistan's chances, the Pakistani batting, cricket in Australia and a lot more. We then go on a tangent to discuss John Wright and Greg Chappel's legacy in Indian cricket.

Jun 28, 2020

In this episode of PCCI, we discuss the recent allegations of racism on his IPL teammates by WI cricketer Darren Sammy, the lack of understanding of racial abuse in India and how casual racism is an accepted part of everyday life in India. We then move on to discussing why Indian cricketers are so opinion less, even when it comes to defending their own teammates.

Jun 22, 2020

In this episode of the PCCI Podcast, we move away from the actual game to its bad representation in some lesser known Bollywood movies. Along the way, we discuss bad bowling actions, casual racism, poor square cuts and a lot more. Listen in for all this and more on this episode featuring Harman Baweja, Nana Patekar, Dev Anand, Paresh Rawal and also Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal! This is the first of a two-part movie review series.

May 28, 2020

In this episode of the pod, we have the accomplished cricket writer, film-maker, Jarrod Kimber, joining us to talk about: foray into cricket writing (from blogging to writing long-form pieces), cricket analytics the process of writing long-form cricket articles his piece on Sreesanth and insights into the man and popular perception in Kerala The inevitability of BCCI's rise 'Death of a Gentleman' The cricket market and target audiences and a lot more!

May 27, 2020

This is the second of a two part Indo-Pak special episode. In this episode, we talk of Pakistani cricketers who tormented us and vice versa. Also, we discuss the CT final, what ails Pakistan and Indian cricket currently and a lot more. Also, some Ijaz Ahmed, Robin Singh and Kanitkar references.

May 18, 2020

In this edition of the PCCI, we have guests from across the border to discuss all things Indo-Pak cricket, favorite cricketers, gully cricket stories and a lot more! Join in to the first of a two part look at India-Pakistan cricket.

May 14, 2020

In this episode of the pod, we discuss the notion of a matchwinning batsman with the friend of the pod, Pankaj. Was Ponting a bigger matchwinner than Sachin? Is Kohli a better big match player than Rohit? Do matchwinning batsmen really exist? Along the way, we have stories about Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma, and how we were more jittery when Sachin batted. All this and more on this episode of the pod.

May 3, 2020

In this special episode of the PCCI, we discuss all things cricket with Rob, including -- 1.) foray into recording live action 2.) evolution of cricket commentary 3.) pet peeves with the modern game 4.) the death of the multi-lateral tournaments 5.) favorite cricketing summer and a lot more.

May 1, 2020

In this, the second of a 2 part series about forgotten Indian cricketers, we discuss a swashbuckler from Jabalpur, the all-rounder from Patiala and the pacer from Kerala. Along the route, we visit several other cricketers (WV Raman, L Siva) and their careers. We end the episode by slotting these cricketers into hypothetical IPL sides.

Apr 17, 2020

In this episode of the PCCI, we discuss cricketers that we grew up watching but subsequently got forgotten. In this episode of the 2-part series, we discuss the Spin King from Dombivli, the Bhubaneswar Sultan of Swing and Zimbabwe ka Sobers. Along the way, in true PCCI style, we ramble a lot and end up discussing why Bevan became the Orissa coach. All this and more in this mad episode of the PCCI pod.

Mar 23, 2020

In this episode of the PCCI podcast, we deal with a listener question about India's woes with dismissing the tail. We then move on to reviewing two of the recent cricket documentaries -- the Test and also the Mumbai Indians docu-drama. All this and more on this pod!

Feb 23, 2020

On this pod, we talk about -- 1.) Jayasuriya's bat 2.) India-Pak 96 QF 3.) Kumble as a coach 4.) New school vs Old School Indian cricket 5.) Looking ahead to the next 5 years

Feb 17, 2020

In this episode of the PCCI pod, we have on the menu-- 1.) The implications of the U19 WC win for Bangladesh 2.) India's-NZ test preview ...... Shardul Thakur rant ....... 3.) India in NZ nostalgia ....... Robin Singh discussion for no reason ........ 4.) PCCI channels Nostradamus and makes bold Ind-Nz predictions All this and more on this mad episode of the PCCI pod! Please rate us on Apple Podcasts or any podcast app you use. Also, subscribe to us, it's free. Follow us on twitter at @pccipod

Jan 27, 2020

In this episode of the PCCI-pod, we play the role of selectors to pick our fantasy Asian and World XI. During the episode, we debate team compositions make arbitrary rules on the go. Disclaimer: The teams were picked on emotion and childhood memories and we make no attempt to call this the best statistical side. It's just the side filled with players we love watching.

Jan 13, 2020

We start this episode talking about Tendulkar's vada pav choices and Kartikeya Date's opinions about Ganguly. Further, we move on to discussing the merits and potential motives behind the 4-day test proposal. From there we move on the potential roadmap for limited-overs cricket, from the 100 to the various leagues. In the final segment, we discuss our excitement about the upcoming India-Australia series and the prospects of seeing two full-strength ODI sides take on each other.

Jan 8, 2020

In this episode of the PCCI podcast, we have a special guest - Raunak Kapoor, of CricInfo MatchDay fame. Raunak discusses his rather fortuitous break as a radio show host at AIR-Mumbai during his law school days. He then moves on to discuss his Cricinfo association. Further, the conversation moves on to how the jingoism in cricket broadcasting is a market need in these polarized times. Along the way, we also discuss how modern commentary, and cricket broadcasts in general, often fails to keep pace with the changing face of the sport. All in all, a rich, revealing and free-wheeling conversation about everything cricket and broadcasting!

Jan 1, 2020

In this episode of the PCCI podcast, we discuss our idea of an ideal year-end tournament, and how we want to see cricket going ahead. We move on to discussing why cricket in Australia always felt different, and our memories of the Aussie season growing up. In the final segment, we talk of Indian cricketers who we think deserved better. All this, and a bit of Mahatma Cote -- racism on steroids.

Dec 28, 2019

First Segment (0 - 37 mins) In this episode of the PCCI-pod, the board members are joined by a special guest, @KarachiKhatmal Ahmer Naqvi, a cricket writer, pop culture commentator and a lot more. In a freewheeling chat, we discuss Ahmer's writing process and how his social identity shapes his writing style. We discuss the manner in which the relationship between the fan and the game evolves over time. We also discuss how being the experience of watching the sport differs upon professional association with the sport, as opposed to that of a far-away partisan fan. Second Segment (37 mins to 1.5 hrs) In the second segment, we discuss the sport being used as a platform to exhibit jingoism, and how it alters our relationship with the game. In the final bit of the discussion, we move on to discussing the evolving nature of sports broadcasting, and the democratization of cricket analysis through YouTube channels. In particular, we delve into the phenomenon of YT channels being run by former-Pakistani cricketers and TV anchors, of all kinds. The conversation then moves to the extremely partisan and uninformed garbage that gets sold to us as cricket commentary. All in all, an episode where we look at South Asian society through the prism of cricket.

Dec 25, 2019

In this episode of the PCCI pod, the board members discuss the second set of their favorite ODIs, from the cliched Natwest Final of 2002 to the Lankan renaissance of 1996. All this, with a hint of Mohsin vs Mohsin, on this episode of the pod.

Dec 25, 2019

In this episode of the PCCI podcast, we discuss our favorite ODI games growing up. From the early hazy memories of the India-Pak Dhaka final of 1998 to the miraculous run chase in the glorious summer of Jo'burg, this pod has it all. Listen in for all this, and a lot more, with a 90s twist.

Dec 10, 2019

In this episode of the PCCI pod, we discuss something that isn't very mainstream. Talking about the current Indian setup's conservative approach to the T20 format (and LOI cricket in general), and how this averseness to risk-taking works against us in ICC events. Do Kohli and Sharma fit into the top 3? Does Shami deserve a look in? Have we ever found a replacement to Raina and Yuvraj? All this and more on this episode of the pod.

Dec 6, 2019

Join our hosts Raj and Aditya along with guest host Nishant to talk about all things cricket but more so of the most memorable test innings (1996-2011) that they have witnessed and what they remember of them as well as how they look at them now. Along the way, they discuss cricket graphics, TV coverage, commentary, Aakash Chopra, Deep Dasgupta, Doda Ganesh, Jimmy Adams, the unfulfilled potential of Mark Waugh and the over fulfilled potential of SK Bansal and a lot more of cricket things. The innings discussed in this segment (Part 2 of 3) are: Adam Gilchrist's maiden hundred against Pakistan at Hobart, 1999 Rahul Dravid's 233 at Adelaide in 2003 Kevin Pietersen's 158 at the Oval in 2005

Dec 6, 2019

Pod of Control for Cricket in India - [PCCI] Join our hosts Raj and Aditya along with guest host Nishant to talk about all things cricket but more so of the most memorable test innings (1996-2011) that they have witnessed and what they remember of them as well as how they look at them now. Along the way, they discuss cricket graphics, TV coverage, commentary, Aakash Chopra, Deep Dasgupta, Doda Ganesh, Jimmy Adams, the unfullfilled potential of Mark Waugh and the over fulfilled potential of SK Bansal and a lot more of cricket things. The innings discussed in this segment (Part 1 of 3) are: Rahul Dravid 146 vs ENG at Oval Azhar 116 vs SA at Cape Town Brian Lara 153 vs Australia at Barbados

Dec 6, 2019

In this episode of the pod, the PCCI board members discuss some of their biggest bugbears to do with cricket. If you are a fan of Sunny G's commentary (or even better, Rohan G's commentary), this pod is for you. In the second of two parts, we discuss potential changes to the way ODI cricket is played and our reasons for why ODIs must go back to the older format of multi-lateral ODI events. Also, our take on how No-balls calls must fully be automated, and the relevance of human empires in the modern game. In the final recommendation, we discuss whether T20s merit fewer resources to the batting side (9 a side?) for the balance of the game. All this and more on this episode of the PCCI pod.

Dec 6, 2019

In this episode of the pod, the PCCI board members discuss some of their biggest bugbears to do with cricket. If you are a fan of Sunny G's commentary (or even better, Rohan G's commentary), this pod is for you. The three board members pitch the modifications they want to see in the game, going ahead. In this episode, the first of two parts, we discuss changes to tournament formats (domestic and international), T20 commentary and a minor yet radical change to bring balance to ODI cricket. Also, a generous sprinkling of some Kedar Jadhav rant. Tune in, and time will surely pass by like a tracer bullet.