When a tie was a victory for Border’s battlers

When a tie was a victory for Border’s battlersWhen a tie was a victory for Border’s battlers

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  In this special episode of the 81allout podcast, we chat with Michael Sexton on his latest book Border’s Battlers, which provides a fascinating account of the iconic tied Test between India and Australia at Chepauk in September 1986. Michael has been a journalist, producer, and sportswriter for over three


Street cricket chronicles: Deuce ball, Cambis ball, Wall out, Half out, and the great Olympian spirit of West Bengal

Street cricket chronicles: Deuce ball, Half out, and the great Olympian spirit of West BengalStreet cricket chronicles: Deuce ball, Half out, and the great Olympian spirit of West Bengal

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We started with Delhi, moved to Karnataka, and now head to West Bengal for our next edition of the street cricket chronicles. Through this series we hope to bring out the cricket culture in different cities at the most amateur levels: whether it is on the streets, in the gullies


‘I have found my love for the game in the last couple of years’ – Abhinav Mukund

‘I have found my love for the game in the last couple of years’ – Abhinav Mukund‘I have found my love for the game in the last couple of years’ – Abhinav Mukund

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In our latest episode of the podcast we talk to Abhinav Mukund, who has played seven Tests for India and recently became only the second batsman from Tamil Nadu to cross 10,000 first-class runs. Abhinav has not shied away from expressing his views on matters as important as mental health


‘I wanted my own language to have some of the game’s glory’

‘I wanted my own language to have some of the game’s glory’‘I wanted my own language to have some of the game’s glory’

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Our special guest this week is Prof Surya Prakash Chaturvedi, a veteran cricket writer from Indore. Prof Chaturvedi, a retired professor of English, chose to write about his passion in Hindi and went on to author 15 books on the game. The 83-year-old Chaturvedi has had a chance to witness


Ghostwriting for Imran, beach-cricket with Viv, working for Pataudi

Ghostwriting for Imran, beach-cricket with Viv, working for PataudiGhostwriting for Imran, beach-cricket with Viv, working for Pataudi

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Our special guest this week is Mudar Patherya, a cricket writer for Sportsworld magazine through the 1980s – before he moved on to other interests. Across five trips to Pakistan, visits to Sharjah, a tour to West Indies, and several assignments within India – Mudar made a name for himself


The stories behind the stories – interview with journalist Clayton Murzello

The stories behind the stories – interview with journalist Clayton MurzelloThe stories behind the stories – interview with journalist Clayton Murzello

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Our special guest this week is Clayton Murzello, group sports editor of Mid-Day in Mumbai. A few months ago, we had chatted with Clayton about his journey in cricket journalism and of the stories surrounding club cricket in Mumbai. This time we chose to ask him about the stories behind


‘It takes time to understand what makes you tick’ – Aakash Chopra

‘It takes time to understand what makes you tick’ – Aakash Chopra‘It takes time to understand what makes you tick’ – Aakash Chopra

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In this episode, we chat with former India Test cricketer, columnist, author and commentator Aakash Chopra. Aakash tells us about his initiation into the game – in the mid-1980s – and of learning the fundamentals from his legendary coach Tarak Sinha. He goes on to review his international stint and


Cricket as a novelty, an obsession, and as literature: interview with Samanth Subramanian

Cricket as a novelty, an obsession, and as literature: interview with Samanth SubramanianCricket as a novelty, an obsession, and as literature: interview with Samanth Subramanian

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In this episode, we chat with journalist and author (and once full-time cricket journalist) Samanth Subramanian. A long-time cricket fan who began his career as a sub-editor at Cricinfo, Samanth rewinds to the time he fell in love with the game – in the mid-1990s – and gives us a


From Bangalore’s parks to the Indian team: Vijay Bharadwaj unplugged

From Bangalore’s parks to the Indian team: Vijay Bharadwaj unpluggedFrom Bangalore’s parks to the Indian team: Vijay Bharadwaj unplugged

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A big moment for us at 81allout as we have an international cricketer on our podcast for the first time. Vijay Bharadwaj played 3 Tests and 10 ODIs for India in the turn of the millennium. His high-point was during the LG Cup in Nairobi in 1999-2000, where he was