We review the the third Test between Australia and India at Brisbane. Australia piled on 445 but rain helped India keep the series at 1-1.

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Talking Points:

• India's decision to persist with four bowlers an an allrounder
• The need for insurance in the lower order against Australia's attack
• Akash Deep's incisive spells with little reward
• India's multipronged. issues with their transition
• Rohit and Kohli: poor form or slowing reflexes. Or mostly bad luck?
• Pat Cummins: the master of seam and length
• Jasprit Bumrah's ability to create jeopardy at will
• R Ashwin's decision to retire midway through the series
• Ashwin's astonishing strike rate and the legacy he leaves behind

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

• Ashwin :the great problem-solver who played cricket for cricket's sake - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo
• Ashwin retires - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview Substack
• The Encyclopedist - Gideon Haigh - Cricket et al. (subscription)
• How Ashwin remained a committed cricketer and a team man till his sudden and surprising exit - Sriram Veera - Indian Express

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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Talking Points:

• Is this the finest Test series win of all time?
• New Zealand overcome great odds in dream sequence
• The categories of outrage accompanying an Indian defeat
• The potency of left-arm spin in India
• Ajaz Patel's dream Test
• New Zealand's bowlers strike gold on tricky pitch
• To attack or to defend: India's batting dilemma
• Rohit Sharma's aggressive approach
• India's choice to not play four spinners in the final two Tests
• Ashwin v the sweeps: and what his length seems to suggest
• The intriguing possibilities ahead of the WTC final

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:

• Black Caps' unseen challenges on the way to whitewash of India - Andrew Voerman - Stuff.co.nz
• Why rank turners actually reduce India's home advantage - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo
• India swept away by Ajaz Patel - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview Substack
• A bad equilibrium - Harigovind S - Kohli and Kipling Substack

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)

*

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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:

• 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