To watch cricket at the ground or on TV? It’s complicated

To watch cricket at the ground or on TV? It’s complicatedTo watch cricket at the ground or on TV? It’s complicated

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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. Talking Points: The challenges (and privilege required) to access a cricket ground


Shades of fandom: how our opinions about cricketers change over time

Shades of fandom: how our opinions about cricketers change over timeShades of fandom: how our opinions about cricketers change over time

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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,


Hard for journalists today to probe serious issues in cricket – Pradeep Magazine interview

Hard for journalists today to probe serious issues in cricket – Pradeep Magazine interviewHard for journalists today to probe serious issues in cricket – Pradeep Magazine interview

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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.


Talking fandom: love, loyalty, and a sense of belonging

Talking fandom: love, loyalty, and a sense of belongingTalking fandom: love, loyalty, and a sense of belonging

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In the latest episode we discuss ideas of loyalty and fandom – with respect to both teams and individual athletes – and dissect various strands of ‘belonging’ to an imagined community. Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout) India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy) Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy)


‘A match that you watch from the stadium is a sacred thing’: an interview with the historian Mukul Kesavan

‘A match that you watch from the stadium is a sacred thing’: an interview with the historian Mukul Kesavan‘A match that you watch from the stadium is a sacred thing’: an interview with the historian Mukul Kesavan

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In this episode, we chat with author, essayist, and perceptive cricket columnist Mukul Kesavan. Besotted with cricket for over five decades – and viewing it through the lens of politics, sociology, and history – Mukul talks about his magnetic attraction to the game and its many pleasures. Talking Points: An Anglophone


Tepid endings and glorious beginnings: Vijay Lokapally remembers India tour of England in 1996

Tepid endings and glorious beginnings: Vijay Lokapally remembers India tour of England in 1996Tepid endings and glorious beginnings: Vijay Lokapally remembers India tour of England in 1996

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In this episode, we chat with the veteran cricket writer Vijay Lokapally on India’s 1996 tour to England. Vijay relives the incandescent innings and spells he witnessed through the tour – both in the Tests as well as the tour games. He also gives us a detailed recap of Navjot


‘Every generation needs its writers to tell its stories’‘Every generation needs its writers to tell its stories’

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In this special episode, we chat with veteran sports writer Sharda Ugra. From interviewing star cricketers as a college student… to blazing a trail as a sports journalist in the early ’90s… to writing on a variety of sports for The Hindu… to being the chief sports writer at India


Powerhouse v Superculture: India v Australia in World Cups

Powerhouse v Superculture: India v Australia in World CupsPowerhouse v Superculture: India v Australia in World Cups

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In the latest 81allout podcast we look back at the India-Australia rivalry in World Cups, from 1983 to 2015. We chart the rise of this rivalry from its modest beginnings and talk about how the commercial rise of Indian cricket coincided with Australia’s purple patch. Highlights: The Indian team’s depth