We review India's magnificent win over Bangladesh in the second Test in Kanpur.

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Talking Points:

• India doing both the expected and unexpected at the same time
• India's great bowling attack and the art of picking 20 wickets
• Jasprit Bumrah - in a rarefied space of fast bowling
• Jadeja's speeds v Bangladesh's spinner's speeds
• India's batting assault
• Kanpur 2021 v Kanpur 2024
• Kohli, Shastri and the decision to play five fast bowlers
• Jaiswal's remarkable start to his Test career

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack| ESPNcricinfo

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Buy books republished by 81allout:

War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee

Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh

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Related:

• The simple genius of Ravindra Jadeja - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview substack
• Rohit Sharma and the sixes that woke up a dead game - Alagappan Muthu - ESPNcricinfo
• A freakish ten-for and good old Indian dominance - 81allout review of the India v New Zealand series in 2021

We review India's 280-run win over Bangladesh in the first Test in Chennai.

Talking Points:

• Bangladesh complete... then lose by 280 runs
• Bangladesh's impressive trio of pacers
• The sessions that Bangladesh won - before the ball got older and runs flowed
• The sweep v drive ratio: and why Bangladesh chose to sweep much more
• India's spinners finding the right pace for the conditions
• Mohammad Siraj's relentless second-innings spell
• Mehidy and Shakib: too slow with the ball?
• Rishabh Pant's grand return to Test cricket
• Shubman Gill's purple patch in Tests

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack| ESPNcricinfo

*

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Buy books republished by 81allout:

War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee

Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

• Ashwin, Jadeja, Bumrah, Siraj, Akash Deep Lead India Into The Black - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview substack
• Ashwin's double act of hundred and six-for secures 1-0 lead for India - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo
• Reminiscing special memories from my home test - R Ashwin - YouTube
• Why does India need a players' association? Ask a former cricketer - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo

We chat with ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent Mohammad Isam about Bangladesh's historic series win in Pakistan and their chances in the upcoming two-Test series in India.

Talking Points:

• Bangladesh's dream-like comeback wins in the two Tests in Rawalpindi
• A bowling attack with tremendous variety - world-class spin and promising pace
• The arrival of Nahid Rana - and his ferocious spells in Pakistan
• The symbolism of Bangladesh's series win amidst the political climate in the country
• Mehidy Hasan Miraz - workhorse, counter-puncher, MVP
• Can Bangladesh's attack adapt to India's varied conditions?
• The challenge of a two-Test series without any warm-up games
• India's unsettled top six
• How spin-friendly conditions could help Bangladesh narrow the gap

Participants:

Mohammad Isam (@Isam) | ESPNcricinfo

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack| ESPNcricinfo

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Buy books republished by 81allout:

War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee

Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

• Bangladesh's small wonders conjure a Rawalpindi miracle - Mohammad Isam - ESPNcricinfo
• Nahid Rana: a new express finds fame in Rawapindi - Mohammad Isam - ESPNcricinfo
• The quirks and challenges of covering Bangladesh cricket - 81allout podcast with Mohammad Isam on his book 'On the Tiger's Trail'

In the latest episode we chat with Paras Mhambrey on his recent stint as the bowling coach of the Indian team. We discuss India's varied bowling attack and how he managed the transition from one set of fast bowlers to the next.

Participants:

Paras Mhambrey

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

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Buy books republished by 81allout:

War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee

Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

‘We have a cluster of fast bowlers who have got exposure in white-ball cricket and are not far away (from Test call-up)’, says Paras Mhambrey - Indian Express

Data driven: How Mhambrey's work is helping Shami & Co - Sanjjeev K Samyal - Hindustan Times

‘What a bowler thinks and what he actually does are different things’ – Bharat Arun interview with 81allout

The value of data analysis and how the Indian team embraced it - 81allout podcast with Himanish Ganjoo

'I cannot tell a bowler what to do or not do. I need to help them understand their own rhythm' - Bharat Arun interview - Karthik Krishnaswamy - The Cricket Monthly

In the latest episode we chat with Himanish Ganjoo on how data can assist cricket teams and what he learnt from his own stint as a data analyst with the Indian side.

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Himanish Ganjoo (@hganjoo_153)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)

*

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy books republished by 81allout:

War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee

Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

Himanish Ganjoo's articles - ESPNricinfo | Substack

Training the Hawkeye on Axar Patel: Angular, Anomalous - Substack

Understanding T20 - 81allout podcast with Hassan Cheema

Hitting v Batting: the choice that dictates the shape of a T20 contest - 81allout podcast

Databall - Kartikeya Date - The Cricket Monthly

We chat with veteran journalist Clayton Murzello about the oldest living Indian captain: Nari Contractor. Clayton speaks about his interactions with Contractor and why we must remember the man for much more than that one day in Barbados: when he suffered a near fatal injury in a warm-up game.

Talking Points:

• A story full of destiny: from his birth till that fateful day in Barbados
• The stylish left-handed batter who couldn't make it to the Mumbai Ranji side
• How Contractor ended up playing first-class cricket for Gujarat
• The captain who first introduced team meetings and broke down barriers
• The day when the universe conspired against Contractor
• Frank Worrell's advice to Contractor before the Indians faced Charlie Griffith
• A remarkable story of recovery - and how cricket saved Contractor
• The visionary that roped in Frank Tyson to coach youngsters in Mumbai

Participants:

Clayton Murzello (@claytonmurzello)

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

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Buy books republished by 81allout:

War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee

Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

• Contractor steps into the 90s - Clayton Murzello - Mid-Day
• Griffith's delivery hit my face at 90 degrees: Nari Contractor - Clayton Murzello - Mid-Day
• The amazing life of Mumbai-based former India captain Nari Contractor - Clayton Murzello - Mid-Day
• The bouncer that ended a career - Martin Williamson - ESPNcricinfo

We review the final of the T20 World Cup and end of India's wait for an ICC trophy.

Talking Points:

• How trophy wins don't define India's legacy.
• The unfairness of labelling South Africa chokers.
• The peerless Bumrah.
• Virat Kohli's change of approach and his great swansong T20 innings in the final.
• Rohit, Pant and the fallacy of "shot selections".
• How India finally managed to construct a well balanced squad for the conditions.

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@⁠sidvee⁠)

Ashoka (⁠@ABVan⁠)

Mahesh (@cornerd)

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Buy books republished by 81allout:

⁠War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee⁠

⁠Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward⁠

⁠The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh ⁠

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Related:

• 'The Worm Turns for India's Greatest Generation"- Cricketingview.

We review the Super 8 phase of the T20 World Cup and touch upon Afghanistan's glorious triumph, India's sweet win against Australia, and the hopes for the semis and final.

Talking Points:

• Afghanistan's historic wins over Australia and Bangladesh
• Gurbaz and Zadran - the rocks around Afghanistan's journey
• Playing their first official cricket match to 2004 to a semi-final in 2024
• The political question around Afghanistan - and absence of public pressure
• Rohit Sharma's assault against Australia in St Lucia
• India and South Africa thriving with their Test-quality attacks
• The mystery of Kuldeep - and his indecipherable fastish spin
• Looking ahead to the semis and final

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo

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Buy books republished by 81allout:

War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee

Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

• ‘Cricket is the only source of happiness back home’ - Ben Morse and Masoud Popalzai - CNN
• The World catches up with Australia - Gideon Haigh - Cricket et al. substack
• Perfect Imperfection for Imperfect Tournament? - Neil Manthorp - Manners-on-cricket substack
• Human rights question hangs over success story of Afghanistan's men - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo