Sledges, brawls, and epic contests: the Tamil Nadu - Karnataka rivalry in the Ranji Trophy

We are thrilled to be joined by two former India cricketers - Hemang Badani and Vijay Bharadwaj.

Hemang and Vijay enjoyed stupendous domestic careers and took part in some of the most memorable Tamil Nadu - Karnataka contests in the Ranji Trophy. There was no shortage of banter and competition when we paired them up for this podcast.

Talking points:

• Their first memories of playing against their arch-rivals
• The day when Karthik Jeshwant told Vijay Bharadwaj about the importance of scoring against Tamil Nadu
• The Ranji final in 1996 - when Karnataka piled on a mammoth score (as Hemang watched from the stands)
• A match in RSI grounds in 2001 when matters got heated and the players nearly came to blows
• The never-ending batathon at Tirunelveli in 1998
• The constant threat of D Vasu in these contests
• Dodda Ganesh and David Johnson: never short of fire in the belly
• The Cauvery politics and how it affected the players
• How Karnataka players benefited from playing league cricket in Chennai
• and much more...

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Partipants:

Hemang Badani (ESPNcricinfo player page, Twitter handle: @hemangkbadani)

Vijay Bharadwaj (ESPNcricinfo player page)

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

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Related:

From Bangalore's parks to the Indian team - Vijay Bharadwaj on the 81allout podcast

Travails of TN tragics - 81allout podcast about following the TN Ranji side

The Tamil Nadu - Karnataka rivalry through the ages - V Ramnarayan - ESPNcricinfo

When brothers were pitted against each other in the final - Deccan Herald

Karnataka retain title with innings win - match report of the 2015 Ranji final - ESPNcricinfo

Hemang Badani interview with Reena D'Souza

Vijay Bharadwaj interview with Karthik Jeshwant for Star Sports Kannada