Never on the Backfoot: A Podcast

On Dec 19: India 36 all out

On Jan 19: India win series. 2-1. The Gabba Fortress breached.

This episode is all about the last and final test played at the Gabba in Brisbane.

A fearless India pulled off an improbable and exhilarating three-wicket win over Australia in the fourth Test to claim the series 2-1 and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Brisbane. This episode features Neha discussing the anticipation surrounding the squad, Will Puckovski’s injury, Labuchagne’s brilliant 100, Natarajan’s performance, Australia’s batting firing, the Indian bowling, Indian batting in their 1st innings and the Aussie attack’s consistency.

Additionally, I deliberated on Australia’s 2nd innings, India’s 2nd innings- review chasing 328, how we were down, beaten and with all our reserves getting used and how this is an inspiring fightback, shoutout to the support staff and our net bowlers, how this series served as a wonderful endorsement for Test cricket, renewing hope that the format has a lot to offer to the younger generation, credits to Kohli, the captain who built this core and how we owe this win to him and finally a look ahead into the World Test Championship (WTC) and the England series.

Tune in to this episode now streaming on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Anchor, Overcast and other platforms.

Do check out @neveronthebackfoot for some awesome stuff and stay tuned to the podcast for more episodes.

Never on the Backfoot is proud to collaborate with Sahen Gupta, a Sport & Performance Psychologist and Founder of Discovery Sport & Performance Labs. He is currently on an assignment with the Scotland U19 National Cricket Team in the upcoming for the ICC 2021-22 U19 World Cup and has worked with various Premier League Clubs in the UK and Team Great Britain Tennis to name a few.

Part 2 is all about the 'cricket mind' and developing an elite performance. This part witnesses us largely discussing about ‘character’, how to handle young talent, some very important sports psychology concepts, the attitude and personality of players, a focus on mental well being of players, some exceptional matches and his takeaways and Psychology of Batting and bowling among a host of topics. The episode is now streaming on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Overcast and a lot of other platforms. Tune in to Part 1 if you haven't already:')

Never on the Backfoot is proud to collaborate with Sahen Gupta, a Sport & Performance Psychologist and Founder of Discovery Sport & Performance Labs. He is currently on an assignment with the Scotland U19 National Cricket Team in the upcoming for the ICC 2021-22 U19 World Cup and has worked with various Premier League Clubs in the UK and Team GB Tennis to name a few.

Part 1 is all about the mental aspect of players during the pandemic. It witnesses us largely talking about his early roots, his inclination to Sports Psychology, his newest venture Discovery Sports Lab, his understanding of the Psychology of Cricket, mental resistance, famous quotes by Aussies on the ‘strength of the mind’, the mindset of players in high-pressure matches, the role of superstitions and jersey numbers, the role of a sports psychologist on tours and the burnout factor in bio bubbles.

These are some very interesting topics considering how we always focus on the external part of sport but never really pay attention to what is happening behind the scenes and even between the ears (the mind basically) and the mental aspect of sportspersons. The mental side of cricket is what distinguishes the best players from the others. The episode is now streaming on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Overcast and a lot of other platforms. See you in Part 2.

This episode is all about India’s legendary draw vs Australia in this very exciting Border Gavaskar Trophy. This match will forever be etched in our memory for the sheer grit and determination displayed by the Indians and so much more to reflect on. This episode features Neha discussing the pre-test fiasco, Australia's 1st innings, Steve Smith’s delightful knock, India’s bowling, India's fielding, the might debutants-Puckovski and Saini, India’s batting in their 1st innings, Australia’s confident declaration, India’s openers showing some class, the curious case of Steve Smith, the unfair criticism of Pujara. Additionally, we will be focussing on Rishabh Pant, Jadeja’s injury, Vihari and Ashwin’s resolve and India’s long injury list and what it means for Test 4 and replacements in a loaded episode where we savour this draw.

Tune in to this episode now streaming on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Anchor, Overcast and other platforms.

Do check out @neveronthebackfoot for some awesome stuff and stay tuned to the podcast for more episodes.

This episode is all about India's exceptional win vs Australia in the 2nd Boxing Day test match. This was certainly a special win considering how we were handed a humiliating loss in the 1st test getting bundled out for 36. This win was a reassurance that there is still so much more to this side and for those writing off India were just being hasty and underestimating this class side. This episode features Neha discussing India’s record on Boxing Day test matches, a snippet on the history of Boxing Day, Prithvi Shaw getting axed, Mayank Agarwal’s disastrous form, Rahane’s captaincy and the unfair jibes at Kohli’s captaincy, Rishabh Pant’s inclusion, the session wise importance and India capitalizing on it.

Additionally we will be focussing on the brilliant century by Rahane, India’s batting, Umesh Yadav’s injury, Steve Smith’s inability to get the big runs and Labuchagne’s impressive run with the bat, Jadeja’s form & Bumrah and Ashwin’s dominance, The mighty debutants- Siraj and Gill and possible changes and new entrants going ahead for Team India and Australia, different permutations and combinations possible.

Tune in to this episode now streaming on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Anchor, Overcast and other platforms.

Do check out @neveronthebackfoot for some awesome stuff and stay tuned to the podcast for more episodes.

Never on the Backfoot Podcast is proud to collaborate with Achal Gunjal to deliberate and analyse the 1st Test match between Australia and India in this Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020/21.

This 2nd part will largely deal with if Saha is the best wicketkeeper option, Shami’s debilitating injury, Ashwin’s performance with the ball, Jadeja’s role, Kohli’s absence, the constant cutting and chopping, Gill, an answer to our middle order, KL’s Rahul, the best fir at what position.

Additionally, we also focus on the pressure on Rahane, the need to form a solid test playing core, Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma’s absence, the batting collapses in the SENA countries and the squad announced on the eve of the 2nd test match forming the crux of our subject matter for this Part 2.

The episode is also streaming on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Anchor, Overcast and a lot of other platforms. So, do tune in to the 2 part series and Merry Christmas!

Never on the Backfoot Podcast is proud to collaborate with Achal Gunjal to deliberate and analyse the 1st Test match between Australia and India in this Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020/21. We cover a wide range of topics and start off with a heartfelt chat about his passion for the game and then dive deep into Prithvi Shaw’s disappointing outings, Mayank Agarwal’s lacklustre performances, Australia’s batting collapse in the 1st innings, decoding India’s disastrous 2nd innings, analysis of the surface under the lights, Kohli’s run out, Australia’s pace battery, lowest totals in test history, India’s sloppy fielding and last but not the least Vihari’s role in the very compelling Part 1.

The episode is also streaming on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Anchor, Overcast and a lot of other platforms. So, do tune in to this episode and stay tuned for Part 2.

Part 3 will witness Rumaan and I extensively discuss about the excruciating nature of bio bubbles and the subsequent psychological toll, and biggest takeaways in the ODI series, a look through and future perspective for the ODI Super League. We also shift our attention to the T20I series where we deliberate on the concussion substitute rule, how Chahal spun the match in India’s favour and Jadeja stepping it up as a batsman, Natarajan, the ‘yorker king’, the inability of India to accelerate in the middle overs and the worrisome form of Sanju Samson. We also discuss widely Matthew Wade’s purple patch, Kohli’s dominance in the shortest format and how he still has a lot in him, why wasn’t Kuldeep in the mix of things, Washington Sundar and his underrated economical spells, biggest takeaways from the series and the concluding note.

The episode is also streaming on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Anchor, Overcast and a lot of other platforms. So, do tune in to this episode and if you've missed out on Part 1 and 2, please do tune in to that and keep yourself updated. Cheers and do share your thoughts on this episode and the entire series.

Do follow and check out @neveronthebackfoot on Instagram for all the fun trivia, quizzes and a lot more curated just for you as well.

Part 2 will witness Rumaan and I will carry forward our discussion on the recently concluded ODI and T20 series in this 2nd part. The topics to be covered on our agenda are as interesting ranging from Bumrah’s performance and expectations this series, India’s bowling woes, was Bhuvi missed, India's sloppy fielding, was Mayank Agarwal dropped too early? A focus and a funny segment on Glenn Maxwell’s glorious form and the lack of the same in the IPL. Additionally, we reflect on if India missed the 6th bowling option, India's middle order, the curious case of Manish Pandey not getting enough opportunities at 4 or do we still give ago-ahead to Iyer, Shubman Gill’s primary role in the team and when will his time come? Last but not the least, delving into the impressive Natarajan and if Team India is completely using the bench strength? The episode is also streaming on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Anchor, Overcast and a lot of other platforms. So, do tune in to this episode and stay tuned Part 3 and if you've missed out Part 1, please do tune in to that. Follow @neveronthebackfoot on Instagram for all the fun trivia, quizzes and a lot more curated just for you as well. Cheers and do share your thoughts.

Australia taking on India is always an exciting series and a fan favourite for sure. Never on the Backfoot Podcast is proud to collaborate with Rumaan Khan to deliberate and analyse on the recently concluded ODI and T20 series in a 3 part series.

Part 1 will witness Rumaan and Neha have a heartfelt chat about his love for the game, and then delve deep into topics from the recently concluded ODI Series for starters like India’s retro jersey, Australia’s batting throughout and dominance in the series, the opening pair of Australia piling on India’s agony, India’s opening pair dilemma and Rohit Sharma’s absence this series, the big totals witnessed throughout the series, Steve Smith’s dominance with the bat early on in the series, Kohli’s captaincy under fire with respect to the constant cutting and chopping and over-reliance on Kohli, the batsman and others not stepping up as our prime focus.

The episode is also streaming on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Anchor, Overcast and a lot of other platforms. So, do tune in to this episode and stay tuned for Part 2 and Part 3 that will certainly keep you hooked on to this extensive and comprehensive conversation.