Cricket with an Accent Podcast

Saqib Ali

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The Cricket with an accent podcast is a weekly podcast on cricket.

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108 episodes

Parenting Tomorrow's Champions: Sports and Fatherhood

This week's episode is a departure from what we cover on the podcast. We have two father's joining the show to talk about the sporting journey of their respective kids - who are honing their skills in other sports. Deepak Rao from UK and Ahmed Hussain from US join host Saqib Ali to talk about a parents role in this journey with Squash and Baseball as the disciplines of practice. Deepak's daughter Aditi is a ranked junior in the UK Squash system and competes in junior events across Europe. Ahmed's son Farzad has been pitching and playing little league games for more than 5 years now. This is probably a similar exercise of a cricket family anywhere in the world. It is an enjoyable conversation given how much we all treasure the behind the scenes process in sports. Deepak and Ahmed are candid enough to let us in their private bubbles, where both families have prioritized and centred their routines around the chosen sports their kids fell in love with.  Deepak Rao on twitter - https://twitter.com/RaoDpk Saqib Ali on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba Cricket with an accent on twitter - https://twitter.com/Cric_pod  

1h 25m
Mar 29
The Vishal Misra Files

Vishal Misra is the podcast guest this week. Misra and the late Travis Basevi are considered the founding fathers of stats and cricket data. In this episode we revisit Misra's famous contributions while working at Cricinfo - which eventually changed and shaped the cricketing discourse forever. Misra and Basevi were the architects of live scoring, archived scorecards and Statsguru. In spite of being a stats Guru, Misra is a man of multitudes especially when it comes to viewing the game as a whole. He believes the stats do not tell the complete picture and context matters. He also gives his views on Cricinfo, democratization of data and continuous evolution of stats. Tune in for the complete conversation. Vishal Misra on twitter - https://twitter.com/vishalmisra https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/vishal-misra-the-birth-of-proper-ball-by-ball-commentary-on-cricinfo-637331    

58m
Mar 12
Athletes, Superstars and Demigods

In the opening act of the new year we discuss many layers of sports stardom. To narrow it down as a group we were fascinated by the notion when does an athlete becomes a Demigod. What does that even mean in the sporting universe? Does this happen in some societies more than others? Does this happen more in team sports compared to individual sports? Is glamour part of the demigod status equation? What happens to a fallen Demigod? Host Saqib Ali is joined by Kandarp Mehta and Andrew Burton to discuss this topic at length. Kandarp is a return guest who is an avid cricket fan. Andrew is a regular voice on the Tennis with an accent podcast. It was an interesting discussion without any concrete conclusion given the vast nature of the topic. Both Kandarp and Andrew came prepared with examples spanning across different sports and cultures. Please tune in! Andrew on twitter -https://twitter.com/burtonad https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna Kandarp on twitter - https://twitter.com/kmacts  https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna Kandarp's work can be found here -https://kandarpmehta.wordpress.com/ Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna

1h 46m
Jan 20
A look back at Indian tours to South Africa with Neil Manthorp

Indian cricket team is visiting South Africa for the ninth time since the readmission of South Africa to international competition. I am joined by a special guest in Neil Manthorp along with podcast's regular voice Vijay Arumugam to look back at some of the memorable chapters and incidents that have shaped the rivalry. Manthorp has covered all things South African cricket since he started his career as a cricket writer and broadcaster in 1988. His work can be found here - https://manners-on-cricket.com/ The podcast touched upon rich but uncomfortable topics like The Mike Denness affair to Sachin Tendulkar's farewell test which came at the expense of a boxing Day test match in South Africa. Of course we also discuss some on field brilliance of Tendulkar and other Indian batters who have scored impressive knocks in South Africa. Neil Manthorp on twitter - https://twitter.com/neilmanthorp Vijay on twitter - https://twitter.com/VAAChandran Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna

1h 12m
Dec 18, 2023
Mike Procter on Monkeygate, Packer and SA Readmission

South African legend Mike Procter returns to the podcast for a candid conversation on all things Monkeygate, Kerry Packer and the South African readmission to cricket. He joins host Saqib Ali and resident podcast guest Vijay Arumugam. The conversation is a rich account on many phases of Procter's cricketing life where he was a player, coach, commentator and a match referee. Enough reading ....start listening please! https://www.amazon.com/Caught-Middle-Monkeygate-Politics-Autobiography/dp/1785312162 https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/mike-procter-46793      

1h 47m
Nov 27, 2023
World Cup Greats - Mad Max, Tendya and Punter!

We look back at the WC batting legends in this episode. The names that dominated the discussion were Aravinda de Silva, Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting. Vijay Arumugam and Kandarp Mehta joined host Saqib Ali to look back at these distinguished world cup champions and their respective careers at the big event. This type of conversation had a lot of potential for digressions and digress we did! Other names that were mentioned in this exercise were Michael Jordan, Lionel Messi and Viv Richards. Vijay on twitter - https://twitter.com/VAAChandran Kandarp on twitter - https://twitter.com/kmacts  https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna Kandarp's work can be found here -https://kandarpmehta.wordpress.com/ Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna

1h 32m
Sep 27, 2023
World Cup Miscellaneous Episode

In the latest episode of the podcast we take a deep dive into world cup nostalgia using miscellaneous topics. Podcast regular Vijay Arumugam returns to the podcast to talk about unsung heroes, underperforming legends, memorable WC match and organizational issues of the BCCI. In a rich conversation Vijay recalls upon lot of memories from the late 80's to the mid 90's of world cup competition. Names like Desmond Haynes, David Houghton, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Simon O'Donnell make this conversation a lot more nostalgic than it was intended. Tune in for a detailed listen. 

1h 13m
Sep 20, 2023
Rivalries through the Prism of Partisanship and Fandom

In the latest episode of the podcast we talk about Rivalries. Rivalry is quite an integral facet of how fans engage with a sport. Not only it can be an entry point for new fans but it is also an everlasting feature for many fans - be it a team sport or an individual sport. Host Saqib is joined by podcast regular Aftab Khanna and first time guest Kandarp Mehta. The conversation explores the meaning of the word rivalry for each panelist and then further attempts to address issues such as partisanship and evolution of fandom. India Pakistan rivalry is a benchmark of this discussion as its part of trio's formative cricket experience as fans. Cross sports examples from Football, NBA and Tennis are used to further elaborate the connection. Tendulkar, Lara, Akram are among many names discussed as examples. Please tune in and let us know what are your favorite and most impactful rivalries as fans. Aftab on twitter - https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna Kandarp on twitter - https://twitter.com/kmacts  https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna Kandarp's work can be found here -https://kandarpmehta.wordpress.com/ Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna    

1h 22m
Aug 26, 2023
Ratnakar Shetty on the Rise of the BCCI

Professor Ratnakar Shetty is the podcast guest for this episode of Cricket with an Accent. He had served in the BCCI for more than thirty years in which he had donned many a hat - be it back room administrator, touring team manager or WC host team tournament director among other positions. In this deep dive of a conversation Professor Shetty shares his insights from his book - ON BOARD TEST, TRIAL AND TRIUMPH: MY YEARS IN BCCI. The book is a detailed account of a long serving career who had the best seat in the house to witness the rise of the BCCI. The name BCCI can polarize many a discourse even in the partisan Indian fan base and this episode brings out quite a few fascinating accounts of the corporations date with destiny.  Ratnakar Shetty on twitter - https://twitter.com/RatnakarShetty Saqib Ali on twitter - https://twitter.com/Saqiba https://www.amazon.com/BOARD-TEST-TRIAL-TRIUMPH-Years/dp/9355202873

1h 51m
Jun 05, 2023
100th episode - How we got here and what lies ahead!

As Cricket with an Accent reaches a 100 episodes, @aftabkhanna takes over the moderator’s chair and along with Saqib, Vijay and Saahil, we look ahead to the future of cricket podcasting. We try and understand how fans engage with digital media in cricket, the factors driving niche content creation, the challenges with standard mass braodcasting and how cricket can learn from bigger sports like the NBA. Thank you helping us get to the 100th episode and we hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed doing this! Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba Aftab on twitter - https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna Vijay on twitter - https://twitter.com/VAAChandran Saahil on twitter - https://twitter.com/faahil  

1h 38m
May 28, 2023
Reminiscing the Career of AB De Villiers

On this episode of the pod we look back at one of the true modern day greats - AB De Villiers. Helping host Saqib Ali do the honors are freelance cricket reporter from South Africa Dan Gallan and ABD superfan Prithvi. We needed an incredibly analytical fan and a cricket reporter for this episode to breakdown the highs and lows of the genius cricketer.  De Villiers is a bit of an interesting study as well because his career shares the same timeline with other modern greats and he was also a mediocre captain unlike some of the greats. Prithvi and Dan also highlight the racial allegations on the man towards the end of this career. Tune in and see how we remember this great talent. https://ewn.co.za/2019/06/08/ab-de-villiers-the-one-that-got-away Dan on twitter - https://twitter.com/danielgallan Prithvi on twitter - https://twitter.com/puneite_/with_replies  

1h 9m
May 20, 2023
West Indies vs Pakistan -Showdown of the 80’s

The West Indies of the Clive Lloyd-Viv Richards era is arguably one of the greatest teams in all of sports. They did not lose a test series for a span of 15 years and won two cricket world cups among other laurels. In the 80's their most worthy adversary was Imran Khan led Pakistan side. The two sides clashed three times in a span of 6 years and produced three drawn series. In the latest episode of the podcast  I am joined by Pakistani cricket broadcaster Sohaib Alvi and podcast resident guest Vijay Arumugam. Both guests fill this two hour long episode with great recall of historical sequence of the Pakistan West Indies rivalry. It is a great listen for all cricket fans to get the context of this clash of the titans. Key names covered are Clive Lloyd, Imran Khan, Viv Richards, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir and Desmond Haynes among others.   Sohaib on twitter -https://twitter.com/sohaibalvi Vijay on twitter -https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam Saqib on twitter -https://twitter.com/saqiba  

2h 10m
Apr 30, 2023
Indian Test Cap #169 - Mohammad Azharuddin

Mohammad Azharuddin remains one of the most mystical figures in all of cricket. His rise and fall from grace have both been meteoric. How does one do justice in unpacking a simple career gone so complex in a podcast. Here's a very personalized attempt from all quarters with the panel consisting of senior cricket writer Sharda Ugra and super fan Vijay Arumugam. In a long free flowing chat we look back at Azhar the cricketer and the man and try to reflect our own recollections of how it all played out in public domain. It's a must listen episode to revisit one of the games biggest fallen heroes.  https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/the-inscrutable-craftsman-346898 https://muckrack.com/sharda-ugra/articles Vijay on twitter - https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba Cricket with an accent website - https://cricketwithanaccent.podbean.com/      

2h 0m
Mar 25, 2023
The Literature of Cricket - Our Favorite Books and their Complex Heroes

On this episode of the podcast host Saqib Ali is joined by podcast regular Aftab Khanna as the duo reminisce on favorite cricket books. The conversation paves a very candid path and terms like The Sportstar, Doordarshan and newspapers eventually lead the listener to the main topic of books. Both men share their evolutionary stories as young readers and how certain books help them evolve as cricket fans.  The list is a combination of history of the game, its flawed superstars and some misunderstood figures. It is a fun and fast paced episode with lot of notes exchanging on the books and its heroes - Baloo, Imran, Larwood and Manjrekar! Aftab Khanna on twitter -https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna Saqib Ali on twitter -https://twitter.com/saqiba https://www.amazon.com/Corner-Foreign-Field-History-British/dp/0330491172/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?crid=EAL4PHHUD0SE&keywords=ram+guha+corner+of+a+foreign&qid=1677304528&sprefix=ram+guha+corner+of+a+foreign%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-1-fkmr1 https://www.amazon.com/Imran-Khan-Cricketer-Celebrity-Politician/dp/000731888X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=10V6MPI907YPS&keywords=Imran+khan+christopher+sandford&qid=1677304587&sprefix=imran+khan+christopher+sandford%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Harold-Larwood/dp/B004GK1K1S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=SOPC0AIXZO1F&keywords=Harold+Larwood+duncan+hamilton&qid=1677304615&sprefix=harold+larwood+duncan+hamilton%2Caps%2C64&sr=8- https://www.amazon.com/Harold-Larwood/dp/B004GK1K1S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=SOPC0AIXZO1F&keywords=Harold+Larwood+duncan+hamilton&qid=1677304615&sprefix=harold+larwood+duncan+hamilton%2Caps%2C64&sr=8-1 1https://www.amazon.com/Imperfect-Sanjay-Manjrekar/dp/9352774515/ref=sr_1_1?crid=7Y9R72RTHB8D&keywords=imperfect+sanjay+manjrekar&qid=1677304656&sprefix=imperfect+sanjay+manjrekar%2Caps%2C63&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Harold-Larwood/dp/B004GK1K1S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=SOPC0AIXZO1F&keywords=Harold+Larwood+duncan+hamilton&qid=1677304615&sprefix=harold+larwood+duncan+hamilton%2Caps%2C64&sr=8-1    

1h 25m
Feb 25, 2023
BGT Rivalry - Our Entry Points, Highlights and Unpopular Takes

In the latest edition of the podcast host Saqib Ali is joined by podcast regulars Vijay Arumugam and Saahil Sharma to talk about the Border Gavaskar Trophy and its relevant talking points. Of course everything cannot be covered in one episode about this rivalry, hence the panel focused on their respective entry points and early memories. The discussion also touched upon some of the favorite highlights and talking points like the rise of VVS Laxman, Final Frontier, the Tendulkar McGrath matchup and the infamous saga surrounding the Nagpur test of the 2004 series. https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/cricket/2023/feb/06/given-a-chance-ill-again-prepare-the-same-wicket-2004-nagpur-test-curator-kishore-pradhan-2544945.html https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/cricket/greentrackitis-when-hayden-gilchrist-accused-ganguly-harbhajan-of-missing-2004-nagpur-test-due-to-pitch-article-97695302 https://www.amazon.com/True-Colours-Life-Adam-Gilchrist/dp/1405038969 vijay on twitter -@vijayarumugam Saahil on twitter -@faahil Saqib on twitter -@saqiba              

1h 41m
Feb 07, 2023
Dravid vs Shastri - The Analysis, Opinions and Blindspots

Rahul Dravid's tenure as Indian cricket coach has had mixed results so far. With the ODI world cup coming up in 2023 we decided to break silence on this podcast and take a comparative look at Dravid the coach vs his predecessor Ravi Shastri.  Help me do the honors are podcast regulars Vijay Arumugam and Gurkirat Singh Gill. It's a rich conversation with lot of analysis and opinions.  Vijay Arumugam on twitter - https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam Gurkirat Singh Gill on twitter - https://twitter.com/gurkiratsgill Saqib Ali on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba      

1h 31m
Dec 11, 2022
Homage to Pujara and Rahane and a lookback at the Indian middle order through the last two decades

In this episode of the podcast we pay homage to the careers of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Pujara and Rahane may or may not play again for India but they both have been mainstays of the Indian team. It's only fitting we reflect on their respective tenures in the middle given how both men polarized the Indian fandom. Doing the honors are Aftab Khanna and Saahil Sharma as we look back these careers and more. The second phase of this conversation is an extension to some of the main architects of Indian middle order. In a free flowing conversation three fans take stock of Dravid, Laxman, Azhar and Ganguly among other names. Get your choice of caffeine and get ready to tune in this exercise where some of your favorite middle order names get mentioned.   Aftab Khanna on twitter -https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna Saahil Sharma on twitter -https://twitter.com/faahil Saqib Ali on twitter -https://twitter.com/saqiba

1h 27m
Apr 12, 2022
Duncan Hamilton on his book about Harold Larwood

Duncan Hamilton is the podcast guest for this episode where he revisits his award winning book on English cricketer Harold Larwood. Hamilton who is a three time winner of the prestigious https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hill_Sports_Book_of_the_Year award has brought Larwood back to life through his maginicent account. Larwood remains one of the most tragic characters the game has ever seen given his relationship with MCC, English fans and the English cricket community suffered a great deal post the infamous Bodyline series. Hamilton talks about why he chose to write about the man from Trent Bridge and how one of the most misunderstood stories in cricket history had to be retold with a fresh perspective. No conversation on Larwood would be complete without the following men - Douglas Jardine, Bill Voce, Arthur Carr and of course Don Bradman. In this episode we revisit some of the key events from the Larwood story which is stranger than most fiction works on sporting figures and helps the reader to fully understand the journey of the fast bowler. We also talk about the paperback release of Hamilton's upcoming novel - Injury Time. https://www.amazon.com/Harold-Larwood-Duncan-Hamilton-ebook/dp/B077Y6DCLD/ref=sr_1_1?crid=10O8OL7EN7TDR&keywords=duncan+hamilton+larwood&qid=1648963867&sprefix=duncan+hamilton+larwood%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Injury-Time-Novel-Duncan-Hamilton/dp/1529408431/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1C8IG3FZ7L5AY&keywords=duncan+hamilton+injury+time&qid=1648963925&sprefix=duncan+hamilton+injury+time%2Caps%2C59&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/One-Long-Beautiful-Summer-Red-Ball-ebook/dp/B09L7XR9N9/ref=sr_1_3?crid=21PO3FC60F8HH&keywords=duncan+hamilton+cricket+books&qid=1648964279&sprefix=duncan+hamilton+cricket+books%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-3 https://www.amazon.com/Injury-Time-Novel-Duncan-Hamilton/dp/1529408431/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1C8IG3FZ7L5AY&keywords=duncan+hamilton+injury+time&qid=1648963925&sprefix=duncan+hamilton+injury+time%2Caps%2C59&sr=8-1  

1h 3m
Apr 03, 2022
Shane Keith Warne (1969-2022)

In the latest episode of the podcast Aftab Khanna and Vijay Arumugam join Saqib Ali to look back at the impact and larger than life legacy of the late Shane Warne.  

54m
Mar 11, 2022
Abhishek Chopra contextualizes the history of Pakistan vs Australia rivalry

On the eve of Australia's upcoming tour to Pakistan Abhishek Chopra(https://twitter.com/El_Chopernos) joins the show this week to look back at the evolution of this test rivalry. Chopra is an avid reader - who shares his recollections of the early days of this contest dating back to the Aussies first visit to Pakistan in 1956. Context is king and Chopra provides a lot of it - be it the political importance of these tours to the matting wickets. This tour did set up the beginning of a new rivalry between two nations that have played their cricket with lot of similarities.  Chopra unpacks some of the central figures of these contests from Fazal Mahmood to DK Lillee. The podcast is super rich in detail as it should be since we covered cricket spanning seventeen years.  The conversation comes full circle when Pakistan tours Australia for a full three test series in 1972-73 where aggression and sledging of the Aussie attack leave an everlasting taste in the visitors psyche. Dive into the pod to learn more. Recommended reads by Chopra - White on Green - Richard Heller, Peter Oborne The Unquiet Ones - Osman Samiuddin Wounded Tiger - Peter Oborne Fifteen Paces - Alan Davidson From Dusk to Dawn - Fazal Mahmood  

2h 8m
Feb 25, 2022
Uday Bhatia on films, cricket and the connection that just keeps missing

Bollywood and Cricket are arguably two of the biggest forms of entertainment in India - yet the purist cricket fan is seldom satisfied as a movie fan when filmmakers try to tackle cricket. Uday Bhatia joins Saqib Ali in this episode to explore how sports especially cricket gets depicted in Hindi films. The conversation also takes a deeper dive into film criticism and its evolution as a discipline. https://lifestyle.livemint.com/how-to-lounge/movies-tv/review-83-has-all-the-giddiness-and-unsubtlety-of-a-sugar-rush-111640065470629.html https://www.amazon.com/Bullets-Over-Bombay-Uday-Bhatia-ebook/dp/B09BCBXG4N https://lifestyle.livemint.com/how-to-lounge/movies-tv/review-83-has-all-the-giddiness-and-unsubtlety-of-a-sugar-rush-111640065470629.html https://lifestyle.livemint.com/how-to-lounge/movies-tv/chandigarh-kare-aashiqui-review-the-evolution-of-manu-111639123600454.html  

1h 20m
Feb 07, 2022
Jarrod Kimber on cricket commentary, Kohli’s captaincy and batting woes of this decade

Jarrod Kimber joins me this week on the podcast as we discuss the conundrum of cricket commentary on Tv. The fan conversation has only gotten louder on the style of the commentary with notable names across the world struggling to add value to the hardcoure viewer. Kimber helps unpack this through layers of what the production houses can or cannot do improve this product. We use examples of Gavaskar, McEnroe and Shaq across from various sports to discuss this point at length. What type of commentary is needed to please all fan bases.  The other focal point of this chat was to view the fast bowing culture build by Virat Kohli's captainship. Can this be measured at all? Is Kohli the modern day Imran khan? Kimber is very articulate in how we can separate the narratives from the reality which is usually full of cricket reasons. The episode concludes with the topic of batting struggles of this generation in test matches. Why only a few batters average above 40 now? Is it the pitches or the reasons lie elsewhere. Tune in to listen to the brilliant analysis by Jarrod Kimber.   You can find his work at - https://linktr.ee/jarrodkimber  

1h 20m
Jan 21, 2022
The Vijay Arumugam Files

Vijay Arumugam(@vijayarumugam) is back on the pod to wrap up the year. This time he flies as a solo guest and shares his experience of living in Australia as an "Indian expat". Vijay is candid as always in his explanation of where cricket and culture coincides in the Australian society. He also recalls upon his journey of being a SCG patron since 2009 when South Africa played the New years test match. The conversation then focuses on the public perception on how cheating and sledging were clubbed together as part of a bigger problem in Australian cricket on the heels of the Sandpaper gate. Vijay also helps understand the Aussie mindset of acceptance and how that works in Cricket fandom of Indians and other nationalities who call Australia home. Another topic which is covered is the importance of Ashes in the Australian landscape and how does it measure with other rivalries in cricket and other sports in a larger space. Vijay also serves tips on how to pick an Australian test venue if you are planning a trip to go watch cricket. Last but not the least we talk about the Indian stardom of Tendulkar and Kohli through the lens of Aussie spectators and media - how are the two men received given their different personalities? Tune in to learn more about Vijay and his growth as an international fan of the game.

1h 47m
Dec 31, 2021
Mohammad Isam talks about the Bangladesh Cricket Landscape

Mohammad Isam of ESPN cricinfo fame is the podcast guest for this episode. Isam is the digital voice of Bangladesh cricket as he has been covering the national team for almost a decade now. The episode takes a deeper dive to understand the political landscape of Bangladesh cricket - the academies, the domestic rivalries and political importance of cricket. Isam has helped unpack lots of background analysis on the power structure of his nation's cricket as its run by politicians and bureaucrats.  Isam acknowledges that conflict of interest is a great obstacle in the way BCB operates and he values the rise of powerful players as they voice their concern on the domestic and national cricket. It is a deeply informative episode where Isam has left no stone unturned to help us(the international audiences) to understand the cricket culture and its challenges in Bangladesh. https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1246243/how-bangladesh-became-a-country-of-left-arm-spin https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/805345/a-mountain-of-hope--a-pile-of-ash

1h 6m
Dec 24, 2021
Evolution of Fandom, Media and their interaction at the Twitter marketplace

Fandom and journalism are two of the three integral components of any sports industry. In this episode we examine how the two disciplines have evolved over time and more interestingly how they interact with each other in the modern Twitter marketplace. Unpacking the arguments in this episode are noted sports journalist Ayaz Memon(https://twitter.com/cricketwallah), ardent cricket fans Vijay Arumugam(https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam) and Sharan Mamidipudi(https://twitter.com/sharanidli).  The episode tackles the evolution of BBCI, Indian fandom, data journalism and cricket commentary. Brew your coffee cup and get ready as it's a long show.   https://www.amazon.com/Indian-Innings-Journey-Cricket-1947/dp/9390679184/ref=asc_df_9390679184/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=532476075552&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15488737321125863253&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007383&hvtargid=pla-1433747999230&psc=1   https://www.amazon.in/Last-Among-Equals-Politics-Villages-ebook/dp/B09JBPJY5D https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam/status/1421750217011990532    

2h 13m
Dec 11, 2021
Jaime Alter - The True Harfun Maula

Since the dawn of the millenium cricket journalism has changed. The way we consume and cover the sport has new requirements in this digital world and Jaime Alter is the true digital content creator of today. Alter joins the podcast this week to talk about his love for the game and how the paths aligned for him to be part of the Sambit Bal lead cricinfo crew in 2005.  We explore the ever changing digital landscape of the game today. Alter touches upon different aspects of how the Internet generation has also changed the approach to cricket coverage. Does the independent content creators add more value to the sporting ecosystem along with the established mediums? The episodes concludes with Alter weighing in on the possible appointment of Rahul Dravid as the new head coach. You can find Jaime Alter's work and his links here - https://jamiealter.in/ https://www.youtube.com/c/JamesAlter/featured  

1h 14m
Oct 28, 2021
T20 WC Preview - India, England and Australia

Sanket Singbal and Gurkirat Singh Gill join the show to preview the squads of India, England and Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup. The duo breaks down the three teams based on the strengths and weaknesses of the respective squads given the conditions in the UAE.

1h 6m
Oct 21, 2021
Sharda Ugra Interview

Noted cricket journalist Sharda Ugra joins the podcast for a detailed conversation on many things including the changing landscape of cricket journalism, layers of fandom, brand value of a player and much more. Ugra has covered professional cricket since the late 80's. In this episode she recalls how the media relationship with the practitioners of sport has changed especially when it comes to highlighting any conflicts and shortcomings. What happens when your favorite cricket player is now the most powerful brand by itself? How do we rise above the "us" vs "them" mentality concerning the off field issues? Lot of important topics uncovered. This conversation had lot of layers to it and Ugra also addressed her recent articles on BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and team India head coach Ravi Shastri. There is a lot of food for thought on how we have evolved as fans and how the sport should be held accountable.   Some of her relative recent work to the topics we covered - https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/the-many-conflicts-of-president-ganguly/story-PUOrqjm0YzeEwQWsaYMCGI.html https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/come-to-think-of-it-whatever-happened-to-ravi-shastri-1-0-1223184 https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/beware-the-indian-stadium-experience-101614134114809.html  

1h 19m
Oct 05, 2021
Stat Merchants vs Nostalgia Merchants and their take on the batting era of 2010‘s

A conversation that has gotten serious momentum on cricket twitter is whether the current era is the most difficult for test match batting. To better understand the question from the statistical bent of mind one has to acknowledge the two prevalent schools of thought from today's fanbases - The Stat merchant and his older cousin The Nostalgic merchant. Please join us in a fun deep diving discussion. Your panel is  https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam?s=20https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna?s=20, //twitter.com/NakulMPande?s=20 and https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam?s=20 https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam?s=20

2h 24m
Sep 20, 2021
The Captaincy Debate and Kohlism

How well do we understand the discipline of Cricket captaincy? It's fair to stay the definition of captaincy has gone through a big change in recent years from the fan's vantage point. Is there an overestimation attached to the role of a cricket captain in terms of how it influences the outcome of a match? Can a good captain change the fortunes of a weak team? Do we need to unlearn some of the hero worship that has been attached to this role? To discuss this at length @cric_pod hosted its largest ensemble guest panel consisting of Gurkirat Singh Gill(https://twitter.com/gurkiratsgill), Kevin Framp(https://twitter.com/BigKev67), Sudatta Mukherjee(https://twitter.com/iSudatta), Aftab Khanna(https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna) and Vijay Arumugam(https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam).  In a detailed round table podcast the panel addresses various functions of cricket captainship from tactical nuance, leadership, vision, rebuilding to creating a team culture.  In the second half of the podcast we cover the hot topic of Virat Kohli's leadership style. Is it too aggressive and more importantly does it rub off on teammates? Or does it even matter if we get the results? All these and many more relevant questions get tackled in this long episode!

2h 40m
Aug 23, 2021