We preview the upcoming five-Test series between Australia and India.

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Talking Points:

• The marketing of the India v Australia rivalry: and its evolution over the years
• The profusion of India-Australia cricket in the last 25 years - and the relative dearth in the 15 years prior
• The influence of Kerry Packer on modern cricket commentary
• The legends around the Australian teams from the past: rugged, macho, sleek, hyper-efficient
• The IPL effect: and how it is much harder to hype this current Australian team
• The importance of Jasprit Bumrah through the five Tests
• The potential XI for both sides for Perth: will India go with Reddy or Prasidh?
• Australia's own ageing problem - and how it could soon catch up with them
• A great chance for many young Indians to leave a mark on the series

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 day Kerry Packer tore apart Nine anchor Mark Nicholas - Fox Sports

• Why Australia vs India is Test cricket's premier rivalry - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo

• 81allout podcast archives from the 2020-21 series: Preview | Adelaide | Melbourne | Sydney | Brisbane | Interview with journalist Bharat Sundaresan

We review the third Test between India and New Zealand in Mumbai where Ajaz Patel bowled New Zealand to an incredible win.

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Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack| ESPNcricinfo

Mahesh Sethuraman (@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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We review the second Test between India and New Zealand in Pune where Mitchell Santner bowled New Zealand to their greatest series victory.

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Talking Points:

• New Zealand's finest hour: breaking India's 13 year home streak
• When India were dominated in typical Indian conditions
• Mitchell Santner's golden Test
• India's batters caught between defense and attack
• India's spinners undone by a barrage of sweeps and reverse-sweeps
• Washington Sundar's terrific spells
• Were India's spinners too quick for this pitch?
• The question of length: and the problem in front of Ashwin and Jadeja
• Rohit Sharma's urge to attack - and how it could be getting him in trouble
• Jaiswal's blistering knock
• India's problem of a core group aging together

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack| ESPNcricinfo

Mahesh Sethuraman (@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

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

Related:

• Santner Collects Thirteen, New Zealand Make History - Kartikeya Date - Cricketing View Substack
• Black Caps' greatest achievement fuelled by unlikely spin-bowling hero Mitchell Santner - Andrew Voerman - Stuff.co.nz

• Bittersweet moment for India, as one of cricket's great winning streaks ends - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo

We review the first Test between India and New Zealand in Bangalore - a magnificent match that will be remembered for a long, long time.

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Talking Points:

• Pitch-perfect conditions for New Zealand's bowlers
• The sub-air effect: how Bangalore's drainage system played its part
• India misreading the pitch and choosing three spinners
• The decision to bat first under cloudy skies
• Henry, O'Rourke and Southee: unplayable in the gloom
• Rachin Ravindra: a superstar in the making
• The astonishing Sarfaraz-Pant partnership
• Sarfaraz' unique handiwork
• Bumrah's spell on the final morning
• India's potential reaction to this defeat - and thoughts on the surface in Pune

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack| ESPNcricinfo

Mahesh Sethuraman (@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

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

Related:

• Marvelous New Zealand win in Bangalore - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview Substack
• Batting magic in Bengaluru as India threaten something special - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo
• How Rachin Ravindra defanged the Indian spinners - Sandip G - Indian Express

We preview the upcoming three Test series between India and New Zealand - and also discuss England's win over Pakistan in the Test in Multan.

Talking Points:

• The India-New Zealand rivalry down the years
• New Zealand in transition - after the retirements of Boult and Wagner
• Rachin Ravindra's terrific 92 at Galle in the recent series v Sri Lanka
• New Zealand's reliance on part-timers to fill in some spin overs
• Should New Zealand play to their pace strength in Bangalore and Mumbai?
• The Pakistan-England Test and what it taught us about bowling in Test cricket
• The batting-centric nature of cricketing discourse and why that is problematic
• Would a team with a world-class bowling attack and 6 'average' batters win as much as a team with the same bowling attack and 6 great batters?

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack| ESPNcricinfo

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

*

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

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:

• Will O'Rourke's Canterbury Tales - Deivarayan Muthu - ESPNcricinfo
• A freakish ten-for and good old Indian dominance - 81allout review of the India v New Zealand series in 2021
• Two seamers or three? The big Black Caps question ahead of India tests -Andrew Voerman - Stuff.co.nz
• Why Pakistan Aren't Winning, And Why Batting Is Irrelevant In Test Cricket - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview Substack

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

*

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

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:

• 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

*

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

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