Sledging Room India Today Podcasts

How can you not chase 120 when you know the tournament is on the line? The biggest match of the T20 World Cup saw Pakistan do a Pakistan. It was worse. Never has Pakistan been this listless with the bat in a major tournament in the recent past. After a shock defeat to the USA, who are playing a men's T20 World Cup for the first time, Pakistan were humbled by their arch-rivals India in New York on Monday.

Pakistan bowlers gave it their all after the run of green went Babar Azam's way at the toss. Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir and Haris Rauf bowled their hearts out to restrict the mighty Indian batting unit for just 119 in New York. However, there was no intent throughout the chase, with Babar Azam failing early and Mohammad Rizwan lacking common sense; Pakistan choked in the chase, losing by 6 runs.

The defeat has pushed Pakistan to the brink of elimination. The 2022 finalists are set to exit without even making it to the Super 8s this year. Who should take the blame for Pakistan's horror show? Is it the cricket board? Keep in mind that captains were changed, and new coaches were brought in just months before the T20 World Cup.

There is pressure on Babar Azam. Is it time for him to go as captain? Is it time for him to quit T20I cricket? Are Pakistan playing outdated cricket? Plenty of questions as the Green Shirts implode on the biggest stage.

India, on the other hand, has won two in two. But they are not yet looking like title contenders.
In the latest episode of the Sledging Room Podcast, Akshay Ramesh, Kingshuk Kusari, and Alan John discuss Pakistan's T20I team's downfall.

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Produced and Mixed By: Kapil Dev Singh
 

India head coach Rahul Dravid took a slight dig at the tournament organisers ahead of their T20 World Cup 2024 opener against Ireland. Speaking in a press conference, Dravid said it was odd to hold training sessions at a park in an ICC tournament.

The stadium was built in a very short time. Even three months ago, there was a public park on the premises. The ICC had avidly advertised how quickly the stadium had been built. However, as it turns out, things had horribly gone wrong. Inconsistent bounce on a fresh pitch and puffs of dust coming out from the outfield meant that the whole thing had been rushed.

In India's warm-up game against Bangladesh, batters found it difficult to adjust to the pace and bounce of the pitch. Ahead of India's first T20 World Cup game at the venue, Sri Lanka and South Africa played out a low-scoring thriller. The pitch was in focus again as Sri Lanka was bowled out for 77, and South Africa dragged it till the 17th over to reach the target.

This match raised a very important question—is this the kind of cricket that will attract viewers from the USA, where the ICC is trying to spread the game?

Given that India plays three games at the same venue, it raises a couple of very important questions. What is going to be the team's combination? Who are the undroppable players from the unit? The team is filled with superstars, but as head coach Rahul Dravid says, conditions will play a major role in the team's campaign in this World Cup.

In the latest episode of the Sledging Room podcast, Saurabh Kumar, Kingshuk Kusari, and Alan Jose John unpack various issues that teams have faced in the first week of this T20 World Cup.

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Produced and Mixed by Sachin Dwivedi

The IPL is over, and the biggest T20 carnival is here. The USA and the West Indies will co-host the men’s T20 World Cup from June 1 to June 29. The USA will host a cricket tournament of such magnitude for the first time. 3 venues are hosting the T20 World Cup in the USA, and the big India vs Pakistan clash will be played in New York.

The ICC’s move to award the USA the hosting rights is a major step toward globalising the game. One of the most popular sports in the world is heading to the biggest sports market. Will the ICC’s gamble work? Yes, the Asian community in the USA will lap it up. But will the T20 World Cup make some noise in the USA? Well, at least it’s starting.

More importantly, the ninth edition of the men’s T20 World Cup will have 20 teams -- as many sides for the first time in history. Is it going to affect the competitiveness of the tournament? Well, more teams will add to the flavour of the tournament and is a big step toward making the game global. Don’t count out the associates. Each one of them deserves to be here. It’s going to be an exciting World Cup, for sure.

Can India progress to the semi-final and go all the way? Is Pakistan riding on chaos? Will England be able to defend their crown?  Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar and Alan John discuss the buzz around the T20 World Cup.

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Produced and Mixed by Sachin Dwivedi

Have you seen a more dominant campaign than this? KKR looked like champions and played like champions, winning the IPL 2024 trophy in style. They won 9 out of 14 matches in the league stage and hammered the SunRisers in Qualifier 1 to progress to the final. Let's not talk about the title match! It was one of the most one-sided tournament finals, definitely the most one-sided IPL final.

Shreyas Iyer became only the fifth Indian captain after MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya to win the IPL trophy. For Gambhir, it was a sensational return to Kolkata as the team's mentor. And for Pat Cummins, it was the first major tournament defeat as captain. Many Indian fans joked about SRH choking on Sunday, wondering why another team led by Cummins did not choke on November 19, 2023.

KKR's dominant run brings us to this question: Who should take credit for their triumph? Should it be Gautam Gambhir? Yes, he deserves a lot of credit for the glorious run. Having taken over as the mentor, Gambhir brought role clarity and kept the team focused on the ultimate prize. Then there is coach Chandrakant Pandit, who has added the IPL crown to his decorated trophy cabinet.

How much credit should Shreyas Iyer, the captain, deserve? A lot. The India batter had a difficult period before the IPL, losing his central contract and battling an injury. However, he never let that affect his leadership on the field. He stepped up with the bat in crunch situations and looked calm and composed. Should Shreyas be a future candidate for India captaincy?

In the latest episode of the Sledging Room Podcast, Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar, and Kingshuk Kusari reflect on KKR's run. We have also picked our IPL 2024 Team of the Tournament.

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Produced and Mixed by Sachin Dwivedi

Pat Cummins has guided SRH to the final of the Indian Premier League 2024. The Hyderabad-based side are going to face KKR in the summit clash of the tournament. Two mentality monsters in the world of cricket - Pat Cummins and Gautam Gambhir are set to go head to head at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, 26 April

Cummins has made waves around the world since taking over as captain. Cummins has won the Ashes at home, and drawn it away. He has won the WTC Final against India in 2023 and has beaten India in India in the ODI World Cup 2023. In the only format that he had not been captaining - T20 - Cummins' purple patch has taken SRH to the final of the IPL - one of the biggest, if not the biggest franchise league in the world

2 ICC trophies in a single year, and is now in touching distance of the IPL glory. Where does this put Pat Cummins as a captain? Can he be compared to a certain - all-conquering MS Dhoni?

On the other hand, do we not talk enough about KKR captain Shreyas Iyer who came back from an injury and guided his team to the final, and made it look very comfortable while doing it?

In the latest episode of the Sledging Room Podcast, Akshay Ramesh, Kingshuk Kusari and Sabyasachi Chowdhury discuss the mellow build-up of IPL 2024 Final and the legacy of Pat Cummins as a captain.

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Produced and Mixed by Sachin Dwivedi

The top four of IPL 2024 have been finalised. KKR and SRH are all set to face in the Qualifier 1, while RR and RCB will meet in the Eliminator in Ahmedabad on May 21 and 22. Yes, if you hadn’t followed up on the last two weeks of the IPL, you would have been rubbing your eyes after seeing RCB in the fourth spot.

Faf du Plessis-led RCB made a miraculous late run to reach the playoffs. They won six on the trot, including the knockout punch to CSK and MS Dhoni. RCB vs CSK in Bengaluru was a cracker of a contest. Virat Kohli fired. MS Dhoni fired. But, it ended in heartbreak for the 42-year-old after Yash Dayal’s moment of redemption.

Have we seen the last of MS Dhoni as an IPL player? The former CSK captain was angry at himself and heartbroken after CSK missed the playoff berth by the barest of margins.

However, unruly fan behaviour overshadowed the thrilling contest. CSK fans alleged RCB fans abused the travelling supporters in Bengaluru and behaved badly with women outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. On the other hand, a few RCB fans alleged they had experienced something similar in Chennai.

Are the fan wars becoming toxic? Is it ruining the sport? What was the need to criticise Kohli and RCB for celebrating their win? Why get personal?

In the latest episode of the Sledging Room Podcast, Akshay Ramesh, Kingshuk Kusari, and Sabyasachi Chowdhury discuss the thrilling finish to the league stage of IPL 2024 and predict the playoffs. 

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Produced and Mixed by Sachin Dwivedi