81 All Out - A Cricket Podcast

The 2024 edition of the IPL has seen hitters step up to a new level - with 200-plus totals becoming routine and 200-plus chases being achieved too. Is this an inflection point for the format? And how should we be talking about the sport if this is the new normal? Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: Why has this IPL seen a sudden jump in totals? Has the impact-player rule pl

How much does bowling matter in T20s and how does one measure the potency of a bowler in this format? What are the measures of excellence for a T20 bowler? Support 81allout on Ko-fi Talking Points: How does one describe a good T20 bowler? Is it possible to separate actions and outcomes for T20 bowling? A format that offers the bowlers almost no leverage What is the role of bowle

T20 started in the early 2000s but what if the format was invented 15 years earlier. Who were the players who would have excelled in the shorter format? We decided to pick a T20 side from the era before the IPL and debated how Aravinda de Silva and Brian Lara might have changed their game for T20s. And if players like Ricardo Powell and Adrian Kuiper would have had more illustrious

We review the fifth Test between India and England in Dharamshala – where India stamped their authority with a win by an innings and 64 runs. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: A one-sided – and thoroughly expected – end to a Test series in India The Bazball delusion England's inadequate bowling resources thoroughly exposed Kuldeep the genius - a wristspinner wit

We review the fourth Test between India and England in Ranchi – where India sealed a series with a magnificent five-wicket win. Support 81allout at Ko-Fi Talking Points: The third-innings bowling that capped another brilliant third-day fightback India's forced accelerated transition - with a team full of youngsters Dhruv Jurel's expert batting with the tail Ashwin, Jade

We review the third Test between India and England in Rajkot – where a terrific all-round performance helped India go 2-1 up. Support 81allout at Ko-Fi Talking Points: India's magnificent bowling on Day 3 How the flat pitches in this series are neutralizing Bazball India's spinners - turning the ball more with greater control Why England's batting tactics are actua

We review the second Test between India and England in Visakhapatnam – where Jasprit Bumrah powered India to a 106-run win. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: A celebration of Test cricket A series with echoes of the 2016-17 home series v Australia Are England really playing Bazball? India's decision to play five bowlers even with an inexperienced batting line-up Do

We review the first Test between India and England in Hyderabad – where India lost a Test match at home after gaining a first-innings lead of 190. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: One of England's greatest wins Ollie Pope's freakish 196 India's approach to facing left-arm spin Why England choose to sweep and reverse-sweep India's spinners Bazball and th

We rewind to England's tour to India in 2001-02 - when India won the three-Test series 1-0 and England leveled the six-match ODI series 3-3. England arrived in India on the back of terrific series wins in Sri Lanka and Pakistan - and despite a green bowling attack managed to gave India a scare in two Tests. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: The uncertainty around the

We review the two-Test series between South Africa and India - which ended 1-1 after a bowler-dominated shootout in Cape Town. Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Talking Points: India's missed opportunity to finally win a series in SA Why the Cape Town pitch backfired on South Africa India's lack of fast bowling depth - a sign of more struggles in future away series Mohammad Siraj