Cricket conversations
We review the India v England match in Lucknow – and chat about the other themes emerging in the World Cup. Talking points: The brutal simplicity of Mohammad Shami Jasprit Bumrah: the bowler with the joystick Rohit Sharma: the ultimate problem-solver England’s awful batting slump Joe Root lbw Bumrah 0
We review the India v New Zealand match in Dharamshala – and chat about the other themes as the World Cup nears its halfway stage. We also pay our heartfelt tribute to one of India’s greatest cricketers: Bishan Bedi. Talking points: The poetry of Bishan Bedi – and what he
We review the India v Pakistan match in Ahmedabad – and chat about the other themes developing in this World Cup. Talking points: India’s enviable bowling attack for the conditions Jasprit Bumrah – the magician Kuldeep and Jadeja keeping Pakistan quiet Siraj and the cross-seam attack Rohit Sharma’s evolution as
We review the India v Australia match in Chennai – a tense contest that India won by six wickets. Talking points: India’s threat with their seamers as well as spinners How this World Cup is rewarding Test-quality spinners Australia’s lack of depth in the spin department Pat Cummins’ problem at
We preview the 2023 World Cup – the muted build-up, BCCI apathy, and how the conditions could play such a big role in how some teams progress. Could South Africa or New Zealand finally win the big prize? Can Pakistan overcome their spin-bowling drawbacks. Can Bangladesh make the semi-final? Or
We rewind to the 2011 World Cup that was jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh – and talk about ODI cricket back then, the bowler-friendly nature of many games, the big upsets, the nail-biting finishes, and a cathartic moment for India – and a generation that had never
One of the themes in our episode on team selection was how the change in playing conditions of ODIs had made selection hard. We dialed in on how the change in Powerplay rules, along with the two new balls at both ends, has reshaped in the cricketing contest in ODIs
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/UUZ3R3TQ6KHUKBZVJ3MC76UE2U.jpg "What we talk about when we talk about selection")
The crew chats about the idea of selecting a cricket team, and debates how one can have a meaningful conversation about an inherently unfair process. Should selectors be more transparent about the reasoning behind their choices? Is there a process by which we can judge a good selection? And how
 "Australia resist England bowling, Bazball: Ashes 2023 review")
We review the recently concluded five-Test series between England and Australia that ended 2-2 – with Australia retaining the Ashes. It was a series defined by England’s ‘Bazball’ approach to batting – though that undersells how well Australia’s batters resisted English bowling and how well Australia bowled in largely batting-friendly
We review the second Test between West Indies and India at Port-of-Spain, which was rained off when India needed 8 wickets to wrap up the win. It meant India won their sixth series in West Indies and continued their dominance when touring the Caribbean. Talking Points: The problem with gauging
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