In the Nineties, match fees were fatter and the stakes higher, yet the temptations were darker. The match-fixing scandal exposed an underbelly of bookies, betting and sleaze. At the turn of the century, as heads rolled and reputations were sullied, the game weathered its darkest phase.

In the decade of redemption that followed, captains and coaches employed analytics to decide match strategies. In Ganguly, India found an aggressive skipper who walked his talk. No one embodied leadership and team spirit like Dhoni, inspiring international respect for Team India that was buoyed by the dramatic 2011 World Cup victory.

From the colourful radio commentaries that brought the game alive in the early days of Test Cricket to the elaborate theatrics of T20 in modern television broadcasting, cricket has travelled the distance. As it takes to the global stage at the 2028 Summer Olympics for the first time since 1900, we can say that the sport has truly come of age.

Reliving these defining moments, Raghu and Giri hang up their gloves in this series finale of Well Caught.

Thank you for listening.

Credits:Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar

Acknowledgements and Resources:

YouTube:

Zee TV Closedown (1997)www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky5I81rYeVo

Javed Miandad last ball sixer in sharjah cup final 1986www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhYJqV-cbMI

India Pakistan Cricket Classic SHARJAH PEPSI CUP 1996www.youtube.com/watch?v=22QqFrlmkww

Fmr cricket captain threatens to reveal match fixing nameswww.youtube.com/watch?v=mNy7IaJpwRo

INDIA: CRICKET MATCH FIXING ALLEGATIONS: REPORT (V)www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqMa1EIJwo4

Not Cricket ! - Match Fixing (Orig 2001) Pt1www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVOmJVTeIEc

Manoj Prabhakar presents a videotape on match-fixing in 2000www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNYa2yuhNn8

deepanshu madan on match ka mujrim konwww.youtube.com/watch?v=xu7YGK1a0bo

Dadagiri ( Title treck )www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjLJhCiDdvM

Harbhajan Singh Rips Apart Australia | 15 Wickets in 1 Match | INDvAUS 2001www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_cfSOcOB8A

Sourav Ganguly: The Courageous Captain | Ian Chappell, Sachin Tendulkar | Discovery Pluswww.youtube.com/watch?v=c4DY8iBQd5o

Cricket Connected: Nasser Hussain on Sourav Gangulywww.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq3J-JEk9

Athletic and courageous, all-rounder Kapil Dev smelled like team spirit (with a splash of Palmolive) and brought to India’s arsenal the firepower of wily pace, gutsy batting, and a never-say-die attitude. Promoted to captain in 1983, he led an underdog side (nicknamed Kapil’s Devils post facto) to a historic World Cup triumph. To date, he is lionised for his unforgettable 175 not out against Zimbabwe and his spectacular sprinting catch to halt the ferocious onslaught of Vivian Richards in the final.

The Eighties saw India on the ascent, aided by a lineup of fluent stroke-makers in Dilip Vengsarkar and Mohammad Azharuddin, and tenacious all-rounders in Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri. Gavaskar, by now the elder statesman, cantered to a record 34 centuries and 10,000 Test runs.

In 1987, when the World Cup was first played outside England, the home crowd in the subcontinent expected a repeat of 1983. That was not to be, but the end of the decade brought new hope. In November 1989, a 16-year-old boy marched out into the middle to face the brunt of a pugnacious Pakistani pace attack. His name was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Cricket would never be the same again.

Credits:Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar

Acknowledgements:

YouTube

Kapil Dev Was India's Greatest Match-Winner: Sunil Gavaskarwww.youtube.com/watch?v=mwE9hMdlQ_4

1983 WORLD CUP SEMI FINAL INDIA vs ENGLANDm.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gavrm8m-U…IzgwaW5uaW5nMDE%3D

HIGHLIGHTS: Prudential World Cup Final 1983 Watch India Win World Cup 83 Final | #83TheFilm Trailorwww.youtube.com/watch?v=WmKQ7W-Miso&t=71s

Kapil Dev and the story of the 1983 World Cupwww.youtube.com/watch?v=L6TYFyDm5Io

1983 World cup winners: Indira Gandhi celebrates with Kapil Dev and co.www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAIiVk3yhwI

Kapil Dev - Palmolive Ad | (RARE)www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fA7QhWcJM8

Old Indian TV Ads featuring Kapil Devwww.youtube.com/watch?v=6WIRuaN_Bbc

Old Doordarshan ad Vimal ft Ravi Shastriwww.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJS4un2fvk

M13 - Final India vs Pakistan 1985www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDudsBwP5…H8fwOxWz&index=12

*RARE* INDIA v ENGLAND - SEMI FINAL 1987 WORLD CUPwww.youtube.com/watch?v=8P4Rq9mtxhc&t=12s

Cricket bat sound | Hitting Soundwww.youtube.com/watch?v=_g0ceWN2_Mg

Indi