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We speak to the legendary Australian captain Ian Chappell on a book he published in 1992 - Chappelli: The Cutting Edge. Chappell offers his thoughts on captaincy, coaching, cricket administration and the muddled approach of those running the game today. Having followed the game for over seven decades - and read avidly about its evolution – he offers both critique and perspective while burnishing his arguments with insightful (and often hilarious) anecdotes. Note: War Minus The Shooting by Mike Marqusee, recently republished by 81allout, is now available on Amazon.com, Amazon.in, Flipkart Click here to support 81allout on Kofi Talking Points: Test cricket's parlous future both in the 1990s as well as the present Evaluating a captain and the difficulty of explaining good captaincy Captaincy as amateur psychology - and the time-consuming nature of it Getting the best out of his fast bowlers, especially Dennis Lillee The challenge, and satisfaction, in captaining match-winners like Doug Walters Why the best coaches should be working with players at a formative stage How senior players are often better coaches than the appointed coach Chappell's relationship with Richie Benaud - as mentor and friend The thrill of the hook, and how modern techniques are not favorable to the shot The age-old problem of over-rates Sir Garry Sobers: genius nonpareil Participants: Ian Chappell Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Related: Books by Ian Chappell - Amazon Ian Chappell column on ESPNcricinfo 'Captaincy is not a 9 to 6 job' - Ian Chappell interview - Sportstar archive Why Bruce Laird's World Series knocks were as good as Test hundreds - Ian Chappell - The Cricket Monthly The science of deception - Ian Chappell and Erapalli Prasanna on the thrill and skill of spin bowling - The Cricket Monthly 'Early in life I worked out that being yourself is the easiest thing' - Ian Chappell on the transition to commentary - The Cricket Monthly 'I get really annoyed with one-sided cricket' - Ian Chappell on 30 years of broadcasting - ESPNcricinfo

We speak to the veteran journalist and author Mike Coward, who has watched and covered cricket over six decades. Coward rewinds the clock to various points in his illustrious career and talks about the importance of journalists and players trusting each other. He also opens up on his experience of being an openly gay journalist - and how the male cricketers can take a lead from the women  on making it a more inclusive game. Note: War Minus The Shooting now available on Amazon.com, Amazon.in, Flipkart Talking Points: An Adelaide childhood - and Les Favell as a 'summer god' Working in the newspaper industry in the 1960s - the smells, sights, and sounds A dream stint in England - meeting Rod Laver, the 1972 Olympics, and Ashes The magnanimity of Richie Benaud and Ian Chappell World Series Cricket and how it polarized the game and media The importance of Allan Border for India-Australia relations Covering the 1986 tied Test from an open press box, bathed in sweat Bradman, Tendulkar, Warne and Gilchrist - genius in contrast The experience of being an openly gay sports writer Participants: Mike Coward; Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Related: Mike Coward's books; Collection of Mike Coward's articles for ESPNcricinfo; A boy's own idol - Mike Coward on Les Favell - Wisden Asia Cricket; The subcontinent beyond the cliches - 81allout podcast on Cricket Beyond the Bazaar; Calypso Summer - YouTube documentary on the 1960-61 series; Madras Magic - YouTube documentary on the tied Test in Madras; Calypso Summer - Mike Coward - Amazon.com; Little Master becomes mere mortal - Mike Coward - Fox Sports; The warmth of a sweltering city - Mike Coward on Chennai - ESPNcricinfo; Embracing the East: Suresh Menon on Cricket Beyond the Bazaar - ESPNcricinfo; When a tie was a victory for Border's battlers - 81allout podcast; The Final Frontier: Mike Coward - The Greatest Season That Was podcast; Mike Coward's speech at the ASC Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2015

In this episode, we chat with two journalists from South Africa - Firdose Moonda and Telford Vice. Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting at the Atta Galatta bookstore in Bangalore. They are happy to courier copies to those outside Bangalore if you write in at: Thebookstore@attagalatta.com (You can also tweet at their handle: https://twitter.com/AttaGalatta).  Outside India, War Minus the shooting is available as a paperback and e-copy on Amazon. Click here to support 81allout on Kofi Talking Points: South Africa's remarkable Test series win against India A victory coming after a period of turmoil for South African cricket The value of the private school system as a talent pool for South African cricket The Kolpak myth - and why South Africa didn't lose as much as it seemed The complexities of kneeling - and why it is not as binary as one would think The SJN hearings - a moment of awakening for cricket in the country The platform that the SJN offered for many non-white cricketers to be heard An opportunity lost with several leading cricketers not offering testimonies Makhaya Ntini's remarkable confession Boucher, Smith, and the possible paths forward Participants: Firdose Moonda (@firdoseM) Telford Vice (@telfordvice) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related: Fidose Moonda's articles on ESPNcricinfo Telford Vice's articles on Cricbuzz Thirty years after readmission: how far has South Africa cricket come since 1991 - Firdose Moonda - The Cricket Monthly Flawed but necessary: SJN hearings reveal no heroes, no villains - Firdose Moonda - ESPNcricinfo Paul Adams: I was nicknamed 'brown s*** when I was playing' - ESPNcricinfo Many shades of grey in the Boucher battle - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz The end of SA's rainbow that never was - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz South African cricket deserves better than the SJN report - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz Bavuma stands up to the fire - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz

We review the third and final Test between South Africa and India - which South Africa won by seven wickets and rounded off a monumental series win. Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting at the Atta Galatta bookstore in Bangalore. They are happy to courier copies to those outside Bangalore if you write in at: Thebookstore@attagalatta.com (You can also tweet at their handle: https://twitter.com/AttaGalatta). It is also available on Flipkart now and will soon be available on Amazon as well. Outside India, War Minus the shooting is available as a paperback and e-copy on Amazon. Talking Points: A fast bowling shootout - with South Africa's attack tailor-made for the Newlands pitch Rabada's stupendous spell, and the absorbing battle with Kohli Keegan Petersen coming of age in Test cricket Rahane and Pujara - the end of the road? Rishabh Pant's exceptional innings on a tricky pitch The Elgar DRS moment - and the outrage around the lbw decision Kohli's chat via the stump mic - and angst against the broadcaster Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview); Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd); Ashoka (@ABVan) Related: A second-innings triumph for South Africa - Kartikeya Date - A Cricketing View; The rise of Petersen, the wisdom of Elgar and a great SA victory - Firdose Moonda and Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo; South Africa needed Rabada at his best to stop Kohli - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz; Petersen the hero of South Africa's iconic home victory - Firdose Moonda - ESPNcricinfo; Temba Bavuma, a cricketer with principles - Niren Tolsi - Newframe; Why Virat Kohli is unlikely to get banned for his Cape Town outburst - Ben Gardner - Wisden; What do broadcasters have to do with ball tampering? - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo; Crime and Punishment - Alok Prasanna Kumar on penalties and breaches under the ICC's code of conduct- The Cricket Monthly 

We review the second Test between South Africa and India - which South Africa won by seven wickets. This was India's first loss at The Wanderers ground, and South Africa's first Test win against India in six Tests. Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting at the Atta Galatta bookstore in Bangalore. They are happy to courier copies to those outside Bangalore if you write in at: Thebookstore@attagalatta.com (You can also tweet at their handle: https://twitter.com/AttaGalatta) Outside India, War Minus the shooting is available as a paperback and e-copy on Amazon. Talking Points: South Africa's fast bowlers more suited for the conditions than India's India's lack of height in the fast bowling department Olivier's lack of pace and what he brings to the attack India's fast bowlers offering lessons in the nuances of fast bowling Shardul's terrific spell and his ability to hit the cracks Elgar v Pujara - similar batsmen who chose different methods in this match Did Kohli's absence hurt India? Making sense of Pant's approach and shot selection Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) Related: Looks fast, feels faster - why the speed gun is only part of the story - Cameron Ponsonby - ESPNcricinfo How South Africa won the pace-bowling battle at the Wanderers - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo Here comes Elgar's moment of truth - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz Resolute van der Dussen plays forgotten hero - Firdose Moonda - ESPNcricinfo 'The hardest part is to leave out a senior player' - Trevor Hohns interview - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - ESPNcricinfo Javagal Srinath on Jasprit Bumrah - Sandip G - Indian Express 

We review the first Test between South Africa and India - which India won by 113 runs. This was only South Africa's third defeat in Centurion across 27 Tests. Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting at the Atta Galatta bookstore in Bangalore. They are happy to courier copies to those outside Bangalore if you write in at: Thebookstore@attagalatta.com (You can also tweet at their handle: https://twitter.com/AttaGalatta) Outside India, War Minus the shooting is available as a paperback and e-copy on Amazon. Talking Points: KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal - and adjusting bat-speeds across formats India's bowlers adjusting to the conditions - and finding the right length to bowl Bumrah's trick-shots, Shami's consistency, Siraj's relentlessness Temba Bavuma's strokeplay - and how his Test record is similar to KL Rahul's Rahane's 48 - an innings in keeping with his style of attack Pujara and Kohli - and the expectations from each Playing Ashwin v playing an extra fast bowler Quinton de Kock's sudden retirement from Tests Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) Related: The Wrong Model - Kartikeya Date on the contest between bat and ball - A Cricketing View substack Javagal Srinath on Jasprit Bumrah - Sandip G - Indian Express  Leave it to KL - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo Could de Kock retirement breathe new life into CSA-players' relations - Firdose Moonda - ESPNcricinfo The Ashwin interview - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo The open-chested predator - Sriram Veera - Indian Express The fast bowler's snarl ft. Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo

We preview the three-Test series between South Africa and India - a golden chance for the Indian team to win their first Test series there. Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting at the Atta Galatta bookstore in Bangalore. They are happy to courier copies to those outside Bangalore if you write in at: Thebookstore@attagalatta.com (You can also tweet at their handle: https://twitter.com/AttaGalatta). Outside India, War Minus the shooting is available as a paperback and e-copy on Amazon.  Talking Points: Kohli v Ganguly - and the controversy vacuum in Indian cricket Can a tree stump captain India (and other philosophical questions) Is this saga the new Chappell-Ganguly? Will it have lasting implications? Memories of India's past tours to South Africa - Kapil, Amre, Prasad, Sreesanth... The panelists pick their favourite Indian innings in South Africa A battle of the bowling - and which batting line-up can resist best? Shreyas or Vihari or Rahane? Ashwin or no Ashwin? Can we expect pitches like we saw in 2018? Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) Correction: Apologies for confusing two Test matches that came under discussion. Sreesanth dismissed Kallis in both the 2006 Johannesburg Test as well as the 2010 Durban Test. Kohli's century on the 2018 tour was in Centurion and not Cape Town. We will be more careful in the future. Related: Virat Kohli calling out Sourav Ganguly and the clashing storylines - Sharda Ugra - Hindustan Times Virat Kohli's biggest gamble yet - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo Was India's hardness forged at the Wanderers? - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz.com Tendulkar and the totemic number - Mahesh Sethuraman - Medium India v New Zealand series review - 81allout podcast Couthtalk with WV Raman - Subash Jayaraman's interview - Couchtalks VVS Laxman's 32 at Bloemfontein in 2001 - YouTube Sreesanth 8-99 in Wanderers in 2006 - YouTube

We review the recent two-Test series between India and New Zealand - which India won 1-0. Click here to support 81allout on Kofi Talking Points: Is India v New Zealand a major rivalry? Or a filler between marquee series? New Zealand's decision to pick Will Sommerville for both Tests India's immense depth - winning comfortably despite so many of their first-choice players out Ajaz Patel's freakish ten-for Tim Southee's exceptional spells in the subcontinent Mohammad Siraj's ability to stay in the fifth gear Is Rahane out of form or in decline? Kohli's lean trot and his atypical nature of playing spin Which Indian batsmen played spin the best? Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) Related: The boy from Mumbai - Ajaz Patel on his long journey - After The Whistle Tim Southee and a five-for of rare mastery - Sidharth Monga on Southee in Kanpur - ESPNcricinfo 10 and then gone? What could be Ajaz Patel's Black Caps fate on return home - stuff.co.nz The Perfect 10 and cameraman Taqi Raza - Devendra Pandey - Indian Express Ajaz joins Laker and Kumble in all-ten club - S Rajesh - ESPNcricinfo Kandy Test 2002, Murali 9/51 - via @cric_archivist - Twitter

In the latest episode of the podcast we talk about how and why we set up 81allout Publishing - and the first book we released: Mike Marqusee's War Minus the Shooting. ESPNcricinfo's senior editor Osman Samiuddin joins us to discuss the classic work. Buy War Minus the Shooting in: India (e-copy only); USA (paperback and e-copy); UK (paperback and e-copy); Australia (paperback and e-copy); Other (paperback and e-copy) Participants: Osman Samiuddin (@osmansamiuddin); Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Related: 81allout podcast on War Minus the Shooting - Part 1; 81allout podcast on the 1996 World Cup; War Minus the Cliches; Mike Marqusee's website Other books discussed: The Unquiet Ones: A History of Pakistan Cricket; Anyone But England; Pundits From Pakistan; Not Quite Cricket;  

In this episode, we revisit Mike Coward's book about Australian tours to the subcontinent through the 1980s: Cricket Beyond the Bazaar. Joining us to dissect the book – and its importance for Australian cricket literature – are two contemporary journalists - Russell Jackson and Daniel Brettig. They tell us about the effect the book had on them and how it continues to be a guiding beacon for Australians reporting on the subcontinent. Click here to support 81allout on Kofi Talking Points: The history of India-Australia relations and the blossoming of cricketing ties in the 1980s Mike Coward's love for India – and how he intuitively grasped how big the game would become in the subcontinent A delightful mess of a book - journalism, travelogue, observations, rumination, history, culture.. it has it all The cult status that Allan Border, Dean Jones, David Boon and so many others of that generation enjoy among Indians of a certain generation The 1986 tied Test and the start of the Australian renaissance How writers like Mike Coward helped several Australians grasp the complexities of the subcontinent Australia's triumphant World Cup in 1987 - and the historic win in Lahore Australia's controversial tour to Pakistan in 1988 - and the effect it had for the next decade How Mike Coward stayed true to his profession despite having such unbridled access to the players and team management The relevance of the book today and how young Australian readers can benefit from it Participants: Daniel Brettig (@danbrettig) Russell Jackson (@rustyjacko) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related: Embracing the East: Suresh Menon on Cricket Beyond the Bazaar - ESPNcricinfo When a tie was a victory for Border's battlers - Michael Sexton on his book about the tied Test in Madras - 81allout podcast The Final Frontier: Mike Coward - The Greatest Season That Was podcast Collection of Mike Coward's articles for ESPNcricinfo '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 Clueless Australia need a cultural shift - Daniel Brettig - ESPNcricinfo Daniel Brettig: Books on Amazon.com Russell Jackson - articles on ABC Sport

Our special guests this week – Hassan Cheema, the strategy manager at Islamabad United, and Ahmer Naqvi, a freelance writer on pop culture – analyze Pakistan's performances in their first three games of the T20 World Cup. Click here to support 81allout on Kofi Talking Points: Why the T20 World Cup is virtually a home tournament for Pakistan The emotional reaction to watching Pakistan win three in a row The importance of the Pakistan Super League A new generation forging a new identity and narrative for Pakistan cricket What Babar Azam has meant for Pakistan cricket as a whole Shaheen's stupendous opening burst versus India Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez - the stalwarts guiding the middle order The versatility of Imad Wasim Comparing this tournament and the 2017 Champions Trophy Pakistan winding back the clock by playing two anchors as openers The joy of watching a team do as you expect Participants: Hassan Cheema (@mediagag) Ahmer Naqvi (@karachikhatmal) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related: Why the PSL matters - Ahmer Naqvi - Dawn Reflections from the Faysal Bank T20 - Ahmer Naqvi and Hassan Cheema - ESPNcricinfo Rohit ball or Rahul ball: which Shaheen Afridi dismissal was better? - Osman Samiuddin - ESPNcricinfo How Mohammad Hafeez has been a T20 giant in 2020 - Osman Samiuddin - ESPNcricinfo The Shoaib Malik problem - Osman Samiuddin - ESPNcricinfo Understanding T20 - a conversation with Hassan Cheema - 81allout podcast Pakistan in 1999: the allure, the magic, and the heartbreak - 81allout podcast  The Old Trafford blowout - 81allout podcast Conversation with Ahmer Naqvi and Hassan Cheema - Couchtalks with Subash Jayaraman

Our special guest this week is Gaurav Sundararaman, a senior stats analyst at ESPNcricinfo, and he helps us unpack the complexities of Fantasy Cricket - where fans pick teams and compete in increasingly popular Fantasy Leagues. Click here to support 81allout on Kofi Talking Points: The allure of fantasy cricket and how it changes one's perspective ESPN Super Selector and the early days of fantasy cricket The popularity of fantasy leagues in the T20 era Picking a team and the dangers of biased selections Tournament mode v daily mode Rajat Bhatia, Sreenath Aravind and the value of unheralded stars Chris Gayle, David Warner, ABd - the must-haves Rajat Bhatia, Sreenath Aravind, Amit Mishra - the bankable players The moment when Fantasy Cricket creators asked - 'Who is Jasprit Bumrah' Automated substitutions, dynamic pricing and the next steps in fantasy cricket Participants: Gaurav Sundararaman (@gaurav_sundar) (All ESPNcricinfo articles by Gaurav) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Ashoka (@ABVan) Related: Dueling with Kings - Daniel Barbarasi on Fantasy Sports - Amazon.com How to boss fantasy cricket - ESPNcricinfo - Part 1, Part 2 Five important tips for Fantasy players - Joy Bhattacharjya - Cricbuzz.com A $150bn market: How fantasy sports transformed cricket fans from being spectators to stakeholders - Rohan Abraham - Economic Times Has Fantasy Sports got the right direction in India? - Somesh Chandran - Livemint.com The allure of fantasy cricket and why it should bother us - Tony Kuriehon - Newsminute Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution - Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wilde - Amazon.com

In this episode, we chat with author, essayist, and perceptive cricket columnist Mukul Kesavan Click here to support 81allout on Kofi Talking Points: Viswanath - 'this extraordinarily skilled and beautiful Teddy Bear playing cricket' | Watching Imran Khan bowl live for the first time | The "neat perfection" of Sunil Gavaskar | Neville Cardus - and "everything undesirable about cricket writing | The thunderous silence around Wasim Jaffer | The IPL in Delhi during the the pandemic | The significance of Mohammad Siraj Participants: Mukul Kesavan; Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Related: Beyond borders; Watching, hoping, praying; The Viswanath problem; No room for bigotry; Jaffer alone; The nation state and modern sport - The India Forum; A fairy tale on the field; India; Cricketing memory and a quest for rare videos; Men in White; Brightly Fades the Don; Cricket Crisis; Pundits from Pakistan; Chinaman; The Match; A Corner of a Foreign Field; Anyone But England; Beyond a Boundary; Triumph and Tragedy in Mudville

We review the Indian team over the last four years - the period since July 2017 when Ravi Shastri took over as head coach. Click here to support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: The significance of being a very good team in a competitive era The bowling depth in this era world-wide - which is superior to previous teams Irfan Pathan in the mid-2000s - and the first glimpse of picking five bowlers India's dominance over West Indies and Sri Lanka in the last decade The confidence to play four fast bowlers even if it meant weakening the batting India's phenomenal home record over the last decade The perception experiment with Atherton, Hussain and Stewart India's home conditions being more varied than conditions away The value of Bharat Arun - India's bowling coach The post-facto Vijay Shankar outrage The diffuse excellence of this Indian team - and the clamour for an ICC Trophy The Dhoni problem in the 2019 World Cup Participants: Karthik Krishnaswamy (@the_kk) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related: 'I have absolutely no regrets about the book launch': Ravi Shastri - Guardian 'How do I take 20 wickets overseas?' - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview John Wright's Indian summers - Amazon.com India's home record in the 2010s rivals the great Australian era - Deepu Narayanan - Cricbuzz.com Not enough home advantage? No problem for India - Karthik Krishaswamy - ESPNcricinfo 'I cannot tell a bowler what to do or not do. I need to help them understand their own rhythm': Bharat Arun - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo 'If I don't take wickets even in one innings, I think my career for India is over': Ishant Sharma - Nagraj Gollapudi - ESPNcricinfo 'I was waiting for it' - Vijay Shankar on bowling the final over against Australia - ESPNcricinfo

Click here to support 81allout on Ko-Fi Our guest this week is Nishant Arora who, over two decades, has worked in multiple capacities within cricket – as a TV journalist, player agent, and BCCI media manager, and ICC digital producer. Nishant had joined us in March to talk about his time as a junior cricketer and his friendship with Yuvraj Singh and other Indian cricketers. You can listen to that conversation here. Talking Points: The saas-bahu model that the Indian TV media adopted in the mid-2000s The life of a television journalist in an age eager for controversy How coverage of cricket became incidental to a journalist's job The move from journalism to a player agent to a media manager The frosty relationship between the Indian players and the media in the mid-2010s What the BCCI does right - and the scale at which it operates The unsung heroes of Indian cricket - those who nurture the grassroots The increasing number of pathways for channeling talent into potential The spotting of Bumrah and Gill - and the lessons they teach us The future of the cricket media landscape and the opportunities it provides creators Participants: Nishant Arora (@NJA21) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related: From the field to the press box the managing the media: a chat with Nishant Arora - 81allout podcast The Test of my Life: From Cricket to Cancer and Back - Yuvraj Singh, Amazon.com I won't force my kids into cricket - Sachin Tendulkar interview by Nishant Arora - CNN-IBN Virat Kohli masterclass with Nasser Hussain - icc-cricket.com Wasim Akram bowls to Warner, Gayle, Buttler, Kohli, Russell and Dhoni - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - ESPNcricinfo.com How did India build their world-beating bench-strength? They have a system - Sidharth Monga- The Cricket Monthly Cricket's decade of madness - Rahul Bhattacharya - ESPNcricinfo.com

Click here to support 81allout on Ko-Fi We review the fourth Test of the England v India series - which India won by 157 runs. Talking Points Two Oval triumphs - 50 years apart India once again leaving out Ashwin The decision to go with four fast bowlers on this surface Shardul the enigma How the quality of bowling magnifies the intensity of the viewing experience Does Bumrah really set batsmen up? The Ajinkya Rahane question Rohit Sharma's first hundred outside Asia - and what it meant to one fan Participants: Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) Related: 78 all out: England v India, Headingley Test review - 81allout podcast; India ride on awesome foursome: England v India, Lord's Test review - 81allout podcast; Masterful Jasprit Bumrah is the true architect of India's triumph - Jonathan Liew, Guardian; Tireless Jadeja's control on a lifeless pitch justifies Kohli's faith in team combination - Osman Samiuddin, ESPNcricinfo; India in the field - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview substack

We review the third Test of the England v India series - which England won by an innings and 76 runs. Click here to support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points India's choice of five bowlers - choosing competitiveness over respectability The first morning - when India were bowled out for 78 James Anderson and the mastery with which he varies his length How badly did India really bat on the first morning? Joe Root's 'classical' style of getting beside the line of the ball What does one mean when one says a batsman has extra time to play his shots Dawid Malan cementing his spot The Ashwin question Is Rishabh Pant better off at No. 6 or 7? Cheteshwar Pujara and the need to factor in expectations What connects Virat Kohli and Ricky Ponting? Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) Ashoka (@ABVan) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Related: At Headingley, India were undone by a master of his craft - Ian Chappell - ESPNcricinfo Are Kohli and Pujara in slumps? Let's look at what the control data says - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo Welcome addiction - Mukul Kesavan - The Telegraph The master and his apprentice - Rob Johnston - Cricbuzz.com Uninventing Virat Kohli - Ben Jones - cricviz.com India ride on awesome foursome: England v India, Lord's Test review - 81allout podcast

We review the second Test of the England v India series, with the focus on the dramatic final day.  Click here to support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points The remarkable turnaround on the final day of the Lord's Test How narratives around player behavior are often a TV creation Enhanced TV coverage offering us a perfect window into fast bowling India's bowlers extracting wickets on a pitch with few demons Jasprit Bumrah to Ollie Robinson - the ball from heaven England's lack of batting depth - and their over-reliance on Joe Root The opening partnership between Rahul and Rohit - a study in assessing the conditions Pujara and Rahane - facts v spin How Pujara has been turned into Test cricket's Batman The Ashwin decision - shouldn't India's greatest spinner be one of the first names on the team-sheet? Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Ashoka (@ABVan) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Related: Sledges, brawls and epic contests: inside the Karnataka - Tamil Nadu rivalry - 81allout podcast with Hemang Badani and Vijay Bharadwaj What's the story, Morning Glory - 81allout podcast about narratives that shape the game Jasprit Bumrah talks fast bowling with Ian Bishop and Shaun Pollock - Youtube.com Bharat Arun interview - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo How Mohammad Shami flipped the switch on his bowling - Aakash Chopra - ESPNcricinfo

We preview the upcoming England v India Test series - that has had one of the most lukewarm build-ups in a time of Covid, The Olympics, and The Hundred. It's a time of bio-bubbles, quarantines, injuries, mental health and player rotation. And hopefully some memorable cricket too. Click here to support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points The new Covid normal in cricket's landscape Separate teams for Tests and short-form cricket - the pros, the cons, and the economics The constant existential threat facing Test cricket How does one put a value to Test cricket? Monetizing stories, memory, and legacies Ben Stokes' absence and implications for mental health in cricket India's recent history in England - with their last win coming in 2007 How 4-1 didn't tell the story of the close series in 2018 India's fast bowling attack maturing over the last three years Bowling in England and New Zealand versus bowling elsewhere India's selection quandary - in the light of the feeble lower order Mayank Agarwal v Prithvi Shaw The temptation to pick Shardul Thakur England's thin top-order - and the wealth of seam bowling options Predictions Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Ashoka (@ABVan) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Related: Ken Barrington's demons -  Gideon Haigh - The Cricket Monthly 'I've found my love for the game in the last couple of years' - Abhinav Mukund interview - 81allout podcast 'It's ok to take a break, it's ok to speak up' - Abhinav Mukund column - cricbuzz.com 'It takes time to understand what makes you tick' - Aakash Chopra interview - 81allout podcast Test of time - Wright Thompson - ESPN India have a tailender problem - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo The art of Bedi - Suresh Menon about his biography of Bishan Bedi - 81allout podcast

In this episode, we chat with the veteran cricket writer Suresh Menon on one of India's greatest cricketers - Bishan Bedi Suresh talks about his early impressions of Bedi and the spin quartet, and explores his relationship with Bedi as a fan, a cricket writer, a biographer and a friend. Click here to support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: The late 1960s and the inception of the spin quartet Bedi the prodigy - born to bowl spin Bedi under Pataudi and Wadekar - the blossoming of an artist Suresh's 2011 biography - Bishan: portrait of an artist The craft of left-arm spin - Bedi's digital manipulations Why Bedi v Pras might have been more logical than Venkat v Pras 'No Bedi, no Test' The Vaseline affair in 1976 Bedi's knack for speaking his mind (and getting into trouble) Bedi - the father of cricket in North Zone and Delhi His various post-playing avatars - but always calling a spade a spade Participants: Suresh Menon (@surmenon) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Related: Bishan: Portrait of an Artist - Suresh Menon's 2011 biography of Bedi - Amazon.com Graceful and gracious - Suresh Menon on his favourite cricketer, Bishan Bedi - ESPNcricinfo.com 'I was obsessed with bowling' -Bishan Bedi interview - The Cricket Monthly Never a cricketer of the year - Mike Brearley on Bishan Bedi -Wisden Almanack Bedi v Kim Hughes - 1977, Sydney - YouTube.com Sydney Test 1977, Day 4 - Jai Galagali's channel - YouTube.com Bedi interview with Karan Thapar, 2000 - YouTube.com Feeling is the Thing that Happens in 1000th of a Second - Christian Ryan - Amazon.com From Bedi to Kohli: a cricket writer's journey - 81allout podcast with Vijay Lokapally