In this episode, regular listeners Shay, Fahad and Smarts record about their first time at the stadium watching a Cricket match.

We compare iconic Indian venues like MA Chidambaram Stadium, Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, and Wankhede Stadium, and contrast them with international experiences at Lord's Cricket Ground.

The conversation revolves around stadium access, ticketing challenges, hygiene and security issues, crowd behaviour, and how these factors impact families and first-time fans.

We also relive unforgettable moments like watching legends live, standing ovations, and dream destinations such as a Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

A look at why cricket isn’t just about what happens on the field, but everything that happens getting to the stadium for the average fan.

In this episode, we talk about Bazball.

Its merits, demerits ,and how it all came crashing down because of very little planning and even poor execution.

We also talk briefly about the Indian T20 squad for the upcoming T20 WC and what happened with the axing of Shubman Gill?

Richa, Aditya & MV are joined by Vatsal to discuss the humiliation in Guwahati and the first Ashes Test in Perth.

- We start with a fun Game - Whose Line is it anyway? Baz or Gam?

- Discussion on the difficulty of playing spin

- Decline in structured cricket tours

- Abject Selections and insipid leadership

- Analysis of the game + Jansen, Bavuma and Harmer - the stars for SA

- How teams prepare for Indian tours and the future

- Lots of Vicky Paaji/Rev etc thrown in

- Ashes - Disappointments with England, Elation with Starc, the long game in Australia

- Wrap up - Why do stadia suck in India

We talk of Gambhir's latest blockbuster, how he can conjure lineups without balance even if given infinite resources. We then move onto discussing the insecurity that results in such pitches. The discussion then moves onto the recent news of Indian cricketers backing a majoritarian movement, diversity and inclusion in Indian cricket.

Also, a lot of Sports Tak, Yaari and RevSports review around this test match.

In this episode with Ahmer Naqvi, we sit down to discuss the politics of sport, will cricket ever go truly global?, the future of India Pakistan Cricket, Is indian Cricket a Biryani or a Fine dining restaurant & why Ronnie from Awwal Number was the greatest batter in Cricket ever.

Ahmer can be found on Twitter

His Youtube Channel with Osman Samiuddin is Batta Fast

Ahmer recommended the following books, movies & documentaries through the course of our conversation -

Khayal Darpan - Documentary

Uncut Gems - Movie

War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Book

Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew by Shehan Karunatilaka - BookSoccer & Sun in the Shadow - Eduardo Galeano

Ifran Junejo's Youtube Channel to truly understand KarachiAnd of course, Awwal Number

This is an episode we had the most joy in creating.

We can’t thank Sharda Ugra enough for her time, and you’ll hear that come through in the podcast. She also promises to join us for Part Two!

India are World Champions and we discuss the game, the immediate aftermath, the emotions and the performances.

This was a truly wide ranging chat and there was a lot of joy for the women who have just become World Champions!

We are very thankful to a host of publications who sent their reporters all across the country and Sri Lanka.

We reached out to many of them, and they sent in voice notes that reflect their thoughts on this tournament.

In no particular order

• Lavanya from Sportstar
• Samreen from HT
• Gomesh from TNIE
• Mrina Asija from Cricket.com.au
• Neha Shetty from Never on the Backfoot Podcast + Cricket.com (Get well soon!)
• Akshay from Cricket.com
• Zenia D’Cunha from ESPN

Bunch of reporters who we must thank as well for their fantastic coverage during the WC.

• Annesha Ghosh
• Vinayak from IE
• Purnima from Cricbuzz

Well, that's the pod.

The game, the players, Jemi, Harman, Charani, Litchfield, Australia's fielding but also the dropped catches and of course we lament that ICC's Twitter Team has not posted a single clip of the winning moment.

This episode is an ode to the organisational skills of the ICC and the dedication of the BCCI to make the Women's World Cup the biggest ever by throwing money at it.

Rain started as a means of jeopardy in a WC has simply ruined it.

Might add the lack of marquee venues and faraway venues has ensured the interest doesn't pique but decrease.

So, this entire episode is a collection of Rain Sounds from PIXABAY. Enjoy.