81 All Out - A Cricket Podcast

We review the two-Test series between South Africa and India - which ended 1-1 after a bowler-dominated shootout in Cape Town.  Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: India's missed opportunity to finally win a series in SA Why the Cape Town pitch backfired on South Africa India's lack of fast bowling depth - a sign of more struggles in future away series Mohammad Siraj's dream spell on the first morning in Cape Town  Dean Elgar's century: a tale of plays-and-misses and cashing in on poor bowling Aiden Markram's astonishing attack Where Rabada and Bumrah showed their class: figuring out the conditions Rohit Sharma's comments about the pitch - and potential double-standards Are these short Tests harming the format? Or are they ideal for entertainment?  Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (republished by 81allout) India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy) Australia (paperback, e-copy) USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy) UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy) Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related: India prove their golden age has plenty of kick left - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo  Mean Reversion - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview - Substack Newlands pitch the tip of WP’s iceberg of problems - Telford Vice - Wordpress On the ICC pitch evaluation system - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview - Substack Crime and punishment: warnings, fines, bans and let-offs - Alok Prasanna Kumar - The Cricket Monthly 

We chat with Karthik Krishnaswamy and Kartikeya Date about the role of luck in cricket and how we can better describe the game by separating actions from outcomes.  Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: Luck v skill - and why the two are not opposed to each other The traditional method of describing cricket - by ascribing reasons for outcomes Why it is hard for fans to accept 'luck' as a major part of a sporting contest The luck component in different sports - and the 'optimal' luck cricket needs The brief phase in each ball when neither batter or bowler is in total control  India's loss to New Zealand in 2020 against an attack best suited for the conditions  England's strategy v spin in the 2019 World Cup compared to their strategy in the 2023 World Cup The model of the game that views contest without the layer of chauvinism  The post-facto analysis that accompanies most discussions around captaincy Participants: Karthik Krishnaswamy (@the_kk) | ESPNcricinfo page Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout) India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy) Australia (paperback, e-copy) USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy) UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy) Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related: What's luck got to do with it: a control review of the World Cup - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo  Virat Kohli's battle with himself - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo The Virat Kohli century that was a trip back in time - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo What we talk about when we talk about pressure - Podcast with Abhinav Mukund - 81allout What we talk about when we talk about cricket - Podcast with Daniel Norcross - 81allout Are some points in Tennis more important than others? - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview substack Luck and skill untangled: the science of success – Michael Mauboussin interview – Wired Why it’s so much harder to predict winners in ice hockey than basketball – Vox – YouTube

In this podcast, novelist and cricket writer Rahul Bhattacharya discusses various topics related to the World Cup. He talks about the differences between cricket writing and analysis, the influence of the BCCI on media narratives, the high ticket prices for the final, and the intense India-Pakistan rivalry. Other interesting topics include the unconventional playing style of a player, the press box experience, mixed sentiments towards the Indian cricket team, and the challenges faced by a cricket symbol from Bangladesh. The speakers also touch on harassment on social media and the desire of Indian fans to attend a cricket match in Africa.

We review the World Cup final where Travis Head and Pat Cummins inspired a triumph for the ages. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi. Talking points:  Australia's remarkable achievement - and this triumph in comparison to their previous World Cup wins Rohit Sharma's approach at the start of the innings Virat Kohli and the ability to strike at six an over on any pitch The slowdown in the middle overs against fine Australian bowling Cummins, Hazlewood and their brilliant variations Shami opening the bowling instead of Siraj Bumrah's beauty to dismiss Steve Smith Travis Head's unforgettable assault Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related: Great final caps Australia's greatest year - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview Watch out for Shami when he's running in like a horse - Bharat Arun - ESPNcricinfo Advance Australia, inevitably - Osman Samiuddin - ESPNcricinfo Krishnamachari Srikkanth's analysis of the final - YouTube Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Amazon War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward - Amazon

We review two weeks of the World Cup - and chat about Maxwell, Shami, Siraj, Omarzai, Williamson, Shreyas, and much more.  Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking points:  Maxwell's freakish 201* How well did Afghanistan bowl to Maxwell? The curious case of Australia's batting in this World Cup Are Afghanistan in the same phase that India were in the 1990s? India's bowling attack - the finest quintet for these conditions? Rohit and Kohli - taking chances v taking no chances Are India due a bad day? Or will they finish the World Cup unbeaten? New Zealand's NRR and the connection with how efficiently they are built South Africa's conundrum - Rabada or Shamsi?  Angelo Mathews and the moment the Nagin rivalry peaked Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related: Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Amazon War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward - Amazon

We review the India v England match in Lucknow - and chat about the other themes emerging in the World Cup.  Support 81allout on Ko-Fi 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 Ben Stokes - reckless or calculated? Pakistan's problem with no big hitting and no quality spin New Zealand losing with respectability  The furore over umpire's call Bangladesh's forgettable World Cup campaign Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)  Ashoka (@ABVan) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related: World Cup weekly review - Kartikeya Date - Cricktingview Substack This is Mohammad Shami's World Cup - Andrew Fidel Fernando - ESPNcricinfo Sky Sports Cricket podcast - Nasser Hussain and Eoin Morgan dissect England's loss - Spotify Wasay & Iffi - YouTube Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Amazon War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward - Amazon

We review the India v New Zealand match in Dharamshala - and chat about the other themes as the World Cup nears its halfway stage. We also pay our heartfelt tribute to one of India's greatest cricketers: Bishan Bedi.  ⁠Support 81allout on Ko-fi Talking points:  The poetry of Bishan Bedi - and what he meant to a generation of fans New Zealand running India close in Dharamshala  Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra trying to hit Kuleep out of the attack Jadeja's discomforting pace - and his ability to calibrate it so finely Rohit and Gill taking their chances against a quality opening spell Kohli's quest for a century - and the needless uproar around it Afghanistan and Netherlands showing their class Why aren't teams looking to limit the damage with NRR? Will Australia sneak into the semi-finals? Will England's batters finally fire? Who will go after India's bowlers? New Zealand try but fall short?  Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Ashoka (@ABVan) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related: The Art of Bedi: Our conversation with Suresh Menon - ⁠81allout podcast Previous 81allout episodes on World Cups - 2011, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003 Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Amazon War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward - Amazon

We review the India v Pakistan match in Ahmedabad - and chat about the other themes developing in this World Cup. Support 81allout on Ko-fi Talking points:  India's enviable bowling attack for the conditions Jasprit Bumrah - the magician Kuldeep and Jadeja keeping Pakistan quiet Siraj and the cross-seam attack Rohit Sharma's evolution as an ODI batter Shreyas Iyer's approach to playing spin The joy of the Australian collapse New Zealand's deceptive dominance in the early stages of the World Cup Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Ashoka (@ABVan) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout) India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy) Australia (paperback, e-copy) USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy) UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy) Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy) Related: India demonstrate their all round strength, hammer Pakistan - Cricketingview substack India's bowling unit: Gods of small things - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo 81allout preview of the 2023 World Cup Previous 81allout episodes on World Cups - 2011, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003 Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Amazon War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward - Amazon  

We review the India v Australia match in Chennai - a tense contest that India won by six wickets. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking points:  India's threat with their seamers as well as spinners How this World Cup is rewarding Test-quality spinners Australia's lack of depth in the spin department Pat Cummins' problem at first-change The Kohli-Rahul partnership Bangladesh, South Africa, New Zealand, and India - the early favorites How is 2 for 3 different from 80 for 3 when chasing 200? Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Ashoka (@ABVan) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout) India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy) Australia (paperback, e-copy) USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy) UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy) Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy) Related: KL Rahul's cut de grace - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo 81allout preview of the 2023 World Cup Previous 81allout episodes on World Cups - 2011, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003 Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Amazon War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward - Amazon

We preview the 2023 World Cup - the muted build-up, BCCI apathy, and how the conditions could play such a big role in how some teams progress. Could South Africa or New Zealand finally win the big prize? Can Pakistan overcome their spin-bowling drawbacks. Can Bangladesh make the semi-final? Or will India be too strong when playing at home?   [podcast_subscribe id="1595"] [kofi] Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Ashoka (@ABVan) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout) India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy) Australia (paperback, e-copy) USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy) UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy) Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy) Related: Previous 81allout episodes on World Cups - 2011, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003 War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast