Jarrod Kimber joins me this week on the podcast as we discuss the conundrum of cricket commentary on Tv. The fan conversation has only gotten louder on the style of the commentary with notable names across the world struggling to add value to the hardcoure viewer. Kimber helps unpack this through layers of what the production houses can or cannot do improve this product. We use examples of Gavaskar, McEnroe and Shaq across from various sports to discuss this point at length. What type of commentary is needed to please all fan bases. 

The other focal point of this chat was to view the fast bowing culture build by Virat Kohli's captainship. Can this be measured at all? Is Kohli the modern day Imran khan? Kimber is very articulate in how we can separate the narratives from the reality which is usually full of cricket reasons.

The episode concludes with the topic of batting struggles of this generation in test matches. Why only a few batters average above 40 now? Is it the pitches or the reasons lie elsewhere. Tune in to listen to the brilliant analysis by Jarrod Kimber.

You can find his work at - https://linktr.ee/jarrodkimber

Vijay Arumugam(@vijayarumugam) is back on the pod to wrap up the year. This time he flies as a solo guest and shares his experience of living in Australia as an "Indian expat". Vijay is candid as always in his explanation of where cricket and culture coincides in the Australian society. He also recalls upon his journey of being a SCG patron since 2009 when South Africa played the New years test match. The conversation then focuses on the public perception on how cheating and sledging were clubbed together as part of a bigger problem in Australian cricket on the heels of the Sandpaper gate.

Vijay also helps understand the Aussie mindset of acceptance and how that works in Cricket fandom of Indians and other nationalities who call Australia home. Another topic which is covered is the importance of Ashes in the Australian landscape and how does it measure with other rivalries in cricket and other sports in a larger space.

Vijay also serves tips on how to pick an Australian test venue if you are planning a trip to go watch cricket. Last but not the least we talk about the Indian stardom of Tendulkar and Kohli through the lens of Aussie spectators and media - how are the two men received given their different personalities? Tune in to learn more about Vijay and his growth as an international fan of the game.

Mohammad Isam of ESPN cricinfo fame is the podcast guest for this episode. Isam is the digital voice of Bangladesh cricket as he has been covering the national team for almost a decade now. The episode takes a deeper dive to understand the political landscape of Bangladesh cricket - the academies, the domestic rivalries and political importance of cricket. Isam has helped unpack lots of background analysis on the power structure of his nation's cricket as its run by politicians and bureaucrats. 

Isam acknowledges that conflict of interest is a great obstacle in the way BCB operates and he values the rise of powerful players as they voice their concern on the domestic and national cricket. It is a deeply informative episode where Isam has left no stone unturned to help us(the international audiences) to understand the cricket culture and its challenges in Bangladesh.

https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1246243/how-bangladesh-became-a-country-of-left-arm-spin

https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/805345/a-mountain-of-hope--a-pile-of-ash

Fandom and journalism are two of the three integral components of any sports industry. In this episode we examine how the two disciplines have evolved over time and more interestingly how they interact with each other in the modern Twitter marketplace. Unpacking the arguments in this episode are noted sports journalist Ayaz Memon(https://twitter.com/cricketwallah), ardent cricket fans Vijay Arumugam(https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam) and Sharan Mamidipudi(https://twitter.com/sharanidli). 

The episode tackles the evolution of BBCI, Indian fandom, data journalism and cricket commentary. Brew your coffee cup and get ready as it's a long show.

https://www.amazon.com/Indian-Innings-Journey-Cricket-1947/dp/9390679184/ref=asc_df_9390679184/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=532476075552&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15488737321125863253&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007383&hvtargid=pla-1433747999230&psc=1

https://www.amazon.in/Last-Among-Equals-Politics-Villages-ebook/dp/B09JBPJY5D

https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam/status/1421750217011990532

Since the dawn of the millenium cricket journalism has changed. The way we consume and cover the sport has new requirements in this digital world and Jaime Alter is the true digital content creator of today. Alter joins the podcast this week to talk about his love for the game and how the paths aligned for him to be part of the Sambit Bal lead cricinfo crew in 2005. 

We explore the ever changing digital landscape of the game today. Alter touches upon different aspects of how the Internet generation has also changed the approach to cricket coverage. Does the independent content creators add more value to the sporting ecosystem along with the established mediums? The episodes concludes with Alter weighing in on the possible appointment of Rahul Dravid as the new head coach.

You can find Jaime Alter's work and his links here -

https://jamiealter.in/

https://www.youtube.com/c/JamesAlter/featured

Sanket Singbal and Gurkirat Singh Gill join the show to preview the squads of India, England and Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup. The duo breaks down the three teams based on the strengths and weaknesses of the respective squads given the conditions in the UAE.

Noted cricket journalist Sharda Ugra joins the podcast for a detailed conversation on many things including the changing landscape of cricket journalism, layers of fandom, brand value of a player and much more. Ugra has covered professional cricket since the late 80's. In this episode she recalls how the media relationship with the practitioners of sport has changed especially when it comes to highlighting any conflicts and shortcomings. What happens when your favorite cricket player is now the most powerful brand by itself? How do we rise above the "us" vs "them" mentality concerning the off field issues? Lot of important topics uncovered.

This conversation had lot of layers to it and Ugra also addressed her recent articles on BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and team India head coach Ravi Shastri. There is a lot of food for thought on how we have evolved as fans and how the sport should be held accountable.

Some of her relative recent work to the topics we covered -

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/the-many-conflicts-of-president-ganguly/story-PUOrqjm0YzeEwQWsaYMCGI.html

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/come-to-think-of-it-whatever-happened-to-ravi-shastri-1-0-1223184

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/beware-the-indian-stadium-experience-101614134114809.html

A conversation that has gotten serious momentum on cricket twitter is whether the current era is the most difficult for test match batting. To better understand the question from the statistical bent of mind one has to acknowledge the two prevalent schools of thought from today's fanbases - The Stat merchant and his older cousin The Nostalgic merchant. Please join us in a fun deep diving discussion. Your panel is @aftabkhanna (https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna), @vijayarumugam (https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam) and @nakulMpande (https://twitter.com/NakulMPande).

How well do we understand the discipline of Cricket captaincy? It's fair to stay the definition of captaincy has gone through a big change in recent years from the fan's vantage point. Is there an overestimation attached to the role of a cricket captain in terms of how it influences the outcome of a match? Can a good captain change the fortunes of a weak team? Do we need to unlearn some of the hero worship that has been attached to this role? To discuss this at length @cric_pod hosted its largest ensemble guest panel consisting of Gurkirat Singh Gill(https://twitter.com/gurkiratsgill), Kevin Framp(https://twitter.com/BigKev67), Sudatta Mukherjee(https://twitter.com/iSudatta), Aftab Khanna(https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna) and Vijay Arumugam(https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam). 

In a detailed round table podcast the panel addresses various functions of cricket captainship from tactical nuance, leadership, vision, rebuilding to creating a team culture. 

In the second half of the podcast we cover the hot topic of Virat Kohli's leadership style. Is it too aggressive and more importantly does it rub off on teammates? Or does it even matter if we get the results? All these and many more relevant questions get tackled in this long episode!

Geoff Francis Lawson is a former Australian fast bowler who also coached the Pakistan national team. In a candid conversation Lawson opens up about his playing days. He takes a trip down memory lane to remember all the men he played under - Greg Chappell, Kim Hughes and Allan Border. In an era of packed cricket calendars Lawson reminds us of Ashes tours that lasted four and a half months long and the challenges of playing in cold English weather. He also mentions the two tosses days where the preliminary toss was to choose the ball!

The conversation has lot of fun and nuanced observations on why fast bowlers don't get the captaincy job in Australian cricket to the idea getting more foreign coaches down under. Last but not the least he recalls upon his time in Lahore with the Pakistan national team.