We review the first Test between West Indies and India at Dominica - which saw a dominant Indian side complete a big win. The conditions were perfectly suited to India's spinners – and gave Ashwin the chance to show his range.  Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: A 'perfect storm' for West Indies on a pitch favouring spinners The media obsession with the 'death of Test cricket'  Ashwin's 12-wicket haul on his return to the side Ashwin and Jadeja's deadliness: control +...

Where is cricket best enjoyed? Live at the stadium or on a screen many miles away? What do these experiences teach us and what really are we watching when we take in a game? The 81allout crew discuss.  Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: The challenges (and privilege required) to access a cricket ground The ordeal of watching a game in an Indian stadium The improved quality of television coverage that takes you close to the action The complications of a televised game that...

We speak to British playwright Maatin about his play Duck, which looks at the cricketing events of 2005 through the prism of a 15-year-old boy in a public school in London. You can buy tickets to the play here. What the play is about: It’s the summer of 2005, and Ismail – ‘Smiley’ to his friends – is about to become the youngest-ever player in his elite public school’s First XI cricket team. He sets his sights on immortality – breaking the school batting record and getting his name into...

We review the World Test Championship final between Australia and India at The Oval - which ended with a 209-run win and the Test mace for Australia. It was India's second consecutive loss in the WTC final - and offered hints that a terrific side is likely past its peak.  Talking Points: Australia's greater depth in bowling Yet another missed opportunity for this Indian side to win a world title The height advantage - how the 'release points' could have made a difference The...

We chat with ESPNcricinfo assistant editor Karthik Krishnaswamy and freelance writer Saurabh Somani on making sense of cricket in these times of excess. With leagues mushrooming around the world, and multiple formats to track, can journalists be expected to have a holistic view of the game? Talking Points: The evolution of cricket - and pressures on journalists - over the last decade The near-impossible task of watching cricket across formats and geographies The difficulty of...

Some cricketers we love at first sight; some, we take time to appreciate; others, we do not understand the fuss; and still others are quick to get under our skins. Often, we review our views over time - and often surprise ourselves by changing our opinions about cricketers.  Kapil Dev, Ishant Sharma, Ravi Shastri, Ian Chappell, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, and Steve Waugh - all formidable cricketers. All of whom we have changed our minds over at various stages. And...

We talk to the veteran journalist and author - Pradeep Magazine. We discuss the major themes of his books - Not Quite Cricket and Not Just Cricket – and talk about the lessons from the match-fixing epidemic in the late 1990s and how the player-journalist relationship has altered over time. Journalists of the 1990s had enough access to the inner circle to get an inkling of the shadiness, says Magazine, but journalists of today are sadly in the dark. ⁠Support 81allout on KoFi⁠ Talking...

We talk to the former Zimbabwe fast bowler - and the first black cricketer to represent his country - Henry Olonga. We focus on the book that Olonga published in 2010 - Blood, Sweat, and Treason - and revisit the highs and lows of his career. We also look back on Olonga's and Andy Flower's iconic black armband protest at the 2003 World Cup, and how it would change his life forever. Talking Points: Growing up in Zimbabwe in the 1980s - and recognizing his cricketing potential A...

We talk to ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent Mohammad Isam on his decade-long career covering cricket and his recent anthology On the Tigers Trail. Isam touches on the culture of cricket media in Bangladesh and offers a number of personal nuggets  - bowling to Kevin Pietersen in the nets, talking to Javed Omar about a 'Hate to Love' piece, prompting a Mohammad Ashraful breakdown, following Mashrafe Mortaza on his election trail... and much...

We talk to journalist and historian Gideon Haigh about The Summer Game - his classic book recently republished by 81allout Publishing. Gideon talks about the largely forgotten 1950s and '60s, and fascinating stories he heard from many who nourished the game – at a time when the financial rewards were minimal and when the game itself saw some fallow times. India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy) Australia (paperback, e-copy) USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy) UK (hardback,...

In episode 156 of the 81allout podcast we are joined by former India Test cricketer and Ranji Trophy colossus Abhinav Mukund - who has now turned into an astute analyst on TV. Abhinav is piqued by Kartikeya Date's latest article in ESPNcricinfo (Do India choke in high-profile ODIs) and shares his perspective on how a player approaches (and talks about pressure), and weighs in on the question: is pressure a good parameter to explain the result of a match?  Talking Points: The times when...

In episode 155 of the 81allout podcast we review the fourth and final Test between India and Australia in Ahmedabad. The two teams played out a high-scoring draw, which ensured India won their fourth consecutive series against Australia and set up a Test between the same two teams in the World Test Championship final in June. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: The value of Axar Patel as a bowler and batter in this series Has any Indian team had as much batting and bowling depth...

In episode 154 of the 81allout podcast we review the third Test between India and Australia in Indore. On a challenging wicket in Indore - which was subsequently classed as 'poor' by the ICC match referee - Australia pulled off a terrific nine-wicket win. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: Did Australia do anything differently in this Test than in the previous two? Jadeja's rare off-Test in recent times India's collapse on the first morning - and all the pitch talk Did the...

In episode 153 of the 81allout podcast we interview the award-winning author and historian - and one of modern India's most renowned biographers - Ramachandra Guha. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: In search of the memories of India's first great cricketer - Palwankar Baloo Does the Bombay school of batting begin with the remarkable P Vithal? How the city of Bombay is a main character in Corner of a Foreign Field The Parsee influence in the history of Indian cricket CK...

In episode 152 of the podcast we review the second Test between India and Australia in Delhi. The match see-sawed for two days until Australia collapsed on the third morning - and India sealed a six-wicket win. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: Australia's tactic to sweep against spinners on a pitch keeping low Batting in India in the third innings - a most perilous task The Smith sweep to Ashwin, and Labuschagne playing the ball off the pitch Ashwin and Jadeja - and the...

In episode 151 of the 81allout podcast we review the first Test between India and Australia in Nagpur. India outclassed Australia in all departments and their superior depth in both batting and bowling propelled them to an innings victory. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: Rohit Sharma's exceptional ability to suss up the conditions and bat accordingly Ravindra Jadeja's mesmeric control on the first morning The outrage over the selective watering of the pitch Which team...

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. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: Australia's attitude towards cricket in India over the years: from apathy to obeisance The role played by Allan Border,...

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. Support us via Ko-Fi 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...

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. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi 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...

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? ...

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 ...

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...

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...

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,...

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. [podcast_subscribe id="1595"] Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout) India...