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
 "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 England-India Test at Edgbaston, which see-sawed till day four – before England defied the odds. Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee’s classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting on Flipkart and Amazon. Readers outside India, can buy the book on Amazon. Talking Points: A
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
We review the third Test of the England v India series – which England won by an innings and 76 runs. 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
We review the second Test of the England v India series – with the focus on the dramatic final day. 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
We discuss the third Test between India and England in Ahmedabad. Talking Points: Where did this pitch stand in the Premadasa-Sabina scale? The importance of consistent bounce in the ICC evaluation system England’s misreading of the pitch and the selection of one specialist spinner Don’t India have enough of an
By Siddhartha Vaidyanathan I grew up at a time when India won (nearly) every Test at home and lost (nearly) every Test abroad. The phrases that punctuated newspaper reports back then: ‘designer pitches’, ‘underprepared pitches’ and ‘doctored pitches’. The players were ‘tigers at home, lambs abroad’, prospering on tracks they
By Siddhartha Vaidyanathan Late in January, Australia lost a Test in Brisbane. The three words ‘Australia’, ‘lost’ and ‘Brisbane’ had last been uttered in combination in 1988. Of the 31 subsequent Tests at the venue, 24 had ended in Australia wins, the other seven in draws. Then along came a
We preview the upcoming India v England Test series which comes on the back of an epic series win for India in Australia, and a very impressive win for England in Sri Lanka. While the teams prepare for fresh challenges in Chennai and Ahmedabad, they still have to contend with
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