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A weekly India Today podcast, Sledging Room is a sports show which will hold discussions related to sports, especially cricket. This is a podcast with a difference, a podcast where...
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A weekly India Today podcast, Sledging Room is a sports show which will hold discussions related to sports, especially cricket. This is a podcast with a difference, a podcast where tempers will flare and participants, to put it mildly, are not always polite. For your weekly dose of sporting hostilities, this is your final destination. Sledging Room will dissect views and bring in new perspectives with a dash of irreverence.
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Transcribed
5 NOV 2024 · Few anticipated India would lose a home Test series -- especially not to New Zealand, a team that has struggled on foreign soil since the World Test Championship began in 2019. A 0-3 scoreline added to the disbelief. New Zealand, brilliantly led by Tom Latham, exceeded expectations, outshining India in all facets of the game.
The statistics are stark. Rohit Sharma, the captain, has managed just 133 runs in 10 innings, while former captain Virat Kohli has scored 192 runs in the same number of innings. Between them, they recorded only two fifties over five Tests at home during the 2024 season.
Although India secured a victory against Bangladesh in a two-Test series, their subsequent series against New Zealand saw them falter dramatically, losing 0-3 in a manner that exposed their vulnerabilities for the first time in many years.
Is it time to look beyond Rohit and Virat in Tests?
What does a series loss of this magnitude tell about Rohit Sharma’s captaincy and Gautam Gambhir’s coaching credentials?
Will India be able to bounce back in Australia?
Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar, and Kingshuk Kusari reflect on the shocking loss that has hurt their egos and reputations.
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Produced & Sound Mix By: Sachin Dwivedi
Transcribed
28 OCT 2024 · The BCCI is set to release the Indian Premier League retention list on October 31. There is a lot of noise in the Indian media about who will stay and who will leave the 10 franchises. It seems fans might be in for some shock news as the likes of KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant might leave their respective franchise.
In the latest episode of the Sledging Room, Kingshuk Kusari, Saurabh Kumar and Alan John bring out some exclusive news about the Indian Premier League and discuss the latest gossip from all the franchises. Apart from that the focus stays on India's Test series against New Zealand, where the hosts have lost their first-ever bilateral against the Black Caps in the history of their cricket.
As concerns lay around the form of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the trio talk about the imminent transition of the Indian Test team and how the senior members of the side have fared in the recent past. The conversation focuses especially on Rohit Sharma, who has looked unclear in his approach on several instances.
Is India's form a point of concern before the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
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Produced & Sound Mix By: Sachin Dwivedi
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Transcribed
22 OCT 2024 · Yes, we at the Sledging Room praised Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir when India swept Bangladesh 2-0 at home earlier in October. Their approach to the Kanpur Test was fascinating.
However, it’s time for some tough questions again after India was stunned by New Zealand in the first match of a three-Test series in Bengaluru.
India struggled in pace-friendly conditions in Bengaluru. They made a significant error at the toss, and Rohit Sharma was brave enough to acknowledge it and take the blame.
Despite their past successes, India has shown vulnerabilities even at home recently. Some of Rohit Sharma’s tactics are questionable.
Are India, under Rohit Sharma, capable of defending the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia?
Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar, and Kingshuk Kusari discuss the Bengaluru Test shocker and its implications in the latest episode of Sledging Room.
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Produced & Sound Mix By: Kapil Dev Singh
Transcribed
15 OCT 2024 · On Sunday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) dropped a bombshell by leaving out former captain Babar Azam, along with fast bowling stars Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, for the last two Tests against England.
The decision to exclude Babar, Shaheen, Naseem, and Sarfaraz Ahmed was made by a selection committee constituted last week. This committee includes former international umpire Aleem Dar, former pacer Aqib Javed, ex-captain Azhar Ali, and analyst Hassan Cheema, who took the bold step of dropping four senior players from the squad.
Being dropped from the national team, particularly for a player who has been a cornerstone of the batting lineup, can be demoralising. This could lead to self-doubt and questions about his place in the team, potentially undermining his confidence further.
Many, including Pakistan’s leading white-ball batter Fakhar Zaman, questioned the board’s decision to drop Babar, highlighting how Virat Kohli was given an extended run to regain his form by the BCCI.
To put it bluntly, Babar enjoyed the hype and comparisons to modern-day greats, including Virat Kohli. However, he hasn’t managed to shut out the outside noise during this period of intense scrutiny.
Meanwhile, the Indian women's team failed to impress in the Women's T20 World Cup. After losing to Australia and New Zealand in the group stage, they are on the brink of an early exit. Is it time to ask tough questions of the team and the management group?
Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar and Kingshuk Kusari discuss the big Pakistan bombshell and India's T20 World Cup show in the latest episode of the Sledging Room.
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Produced & Sound Mix By: Kapil Dev Singh
Transcribed
9 OCT 2024 · Sunil Gavaskar dropped a bombshell when he wrote a column for Sportstar, hitting out at those who credited Gautam Gambhir for India’s Kanpur Test win against Bangladesh. Gavaskar said the sole credit for India’s aggressive approach should have gone to Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Test team. He said he felt people indulging in ‘foot-licking’ by crediting the newly-appointed coach.
It seems the legendary Gavaskar missed the mark on this occasion. While he stated the obvious by praising Rohit Sharma for India’s fearless approach, his swipe at the head coach's supporters left a bad taste.
Meanwhile, India women’s cricket has been facing criticism for its slow start to the women’s T20 World Cup. Some critics have accused the women’s cricket team of not asking the right questions. Can India wriggle out of trouble and make it to the semi-final? It looks less likely after a timid batting performance against Pakistan.
In the latest episode of the Sledging Room Podcast, Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar, and Kingshuk Kusari join the bandwagon and try to make issues out of non-issues.
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Produced and Sound Mix By Kapil Dev Singh
Transcribed
2 OCT 2024 · The Indian Premier League announced its most detailed mega-auction rules for the 2025 season. In a surprise move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, not only made the tournament robust but also provided several safeguards for franchises from players who randomly opt out of seasons citing various personal concerns.
The BCCI also made an 'India-first' move by making sure that no overseas players earn more money from the auction than the highest-paid Indian player. The board further provided incentives to all the players in the Indian Premier League, by introducing the first ever match-fee. Now, players participating in an IPL game will be additionally paid a sum of Rs 7.5 lakh - something that would really help the local cricketers coming from poor backgrounds.
In the latest episode of the Sledging Room Podcast, Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar and Kingshuk Kusari discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of the new retention and auction rules.
Before the IPL retention rules, the trio discuss India's incredible victory in the Kanpur Test match against Bangladesh and also Babar Azam's surprise exit from the Pakistan ODI and T20I captaincy.
Produced & Sound Mixed By: Kapil Dev Singh
Transcribed
23 SEP 2024 · Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant made a riveting comeback in Test cricket during India's first match against Bangladesh in Chennai. Pant scored a tremendous century, helping India win a comprehensive 280-run victory. Pant also matched MS Dhoni's tally of Test centuries in the process, hurling himself into the debate about the greatest keeper-batters from India in Test cricket.
In the Sledging Room Podcast, Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar, and Kingshuk Kusari discuss whether the argument has merit and whether Pant is really on his way to becoming one of the greatest keeper-batters in the history of red-ball cricket in India.
The trio also discuss the impact Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin have had on Test cricket for the country and how the in-form duo have dominated in the last four years whenever they have worn whites for India.
But before all of that, the latest episode begins with the question of whether fans take India's domination in home Tests for granted and the possible reasons behind it.
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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini
Sound mix by Kapil Dev Singh
Transcribed
18 SEP 2024 · India will be heading into a busy period of Test cricket, starting with the two-Test series against Bangladesh. 10 Tests will be played in a span of 16 weeks, as red-ball cricket will be the flavour of the next few months. India will be looking to get into the third successive World Test Championship final, and a lot will depend on how they perform at home—against Bangladesh and New Zealand—and the all-important five-Test series in Australia from November to January 2025.
It will be a crucial phase of Indian cricket which will define Rohit Sharma’s legacy as Test captain. While Virat Kohli remains one of the greatest red-ball captains for India, Rohit has done well in the limited opportunities he has gotten. Having taken over Test captaincy after Virat Kohli’s unforeseen announcement in 2021, Rohit has succeeded. He was not the frontrunner to take over from Kohli, but the former Mumbai Indians captain has created a well-knit unit that has his style -- relaxed and fun-filled.
Rohit Sharma, as an opener, has been phenomenal in Test cricket. Promoted to open the innings in 2019, Rohit has been one of the leading run-getters in the World Test Championship. He has proved to be India’s crisis man at home and overseas.
Will he continue after the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle? Should India look to groom a successor in the next few Tests? Will we see Rohit playing and competing in the 2027 ODI World Cup?
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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini
Sound mix by Kapil Dev Singh
Transcribed
11 SEP 2024 · The anticipation was finally over as the BCCI released the Indian squad for the first Test against Bangladesh on a lazy and uneventful Sunday night on September 8. As expected, the regulars were all picked in the 16-member squad, which welcomed Rishabh Pant back into all-whites.
While Pant had a great return in the Duleep Trophy, could the BCCI have given him more game time before making the call to have him back in the squad? Dhruv Jurel did a fine job behind the stumps during the England series and has shown he is a serious contender for the Australia squad.
The big name missing from the squad list was Shreyas Iyer, who is back into the good books of BCCI after all the misunderstanding during the England series. However, the Indian batter seems out of the Test picture as KL Rahul has been brought back into the mix. Rahul is tipped to replace Sarfaraz Khan in the lineup for the 1st Test as the competition for the middle-order spot is heating up. Shreyas may need to take his game to the next level in the domestics, especially given the emergence of talents like Musheer Khan.
Yash Dayal was one of the heartwarming stories from the squad announcement. He has completed a redemption arc for the ages. Dayal's inclusion comes as India looks to find their next consistent left-arm pacer to create a big talent pool.
Regarding the lineup, the big toss-up will be between Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. Will India go for more strength in their batting lineup, or will Kuldeep's proficiency give him the edge?
Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar, and Alan Jose John dissect the big questions ahead of the first Test between India and Bangladesh.
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Produced by Anna Priyadarshini
Sound mix by Nitin Rawat
Transcribed
4 SEP 2024 · Hold onto your hats, Indian cricket fans! After a six-month hiatus, Team India is dusting off their white gear and gearing up for action under the guidance of the new head coach, Gautam Gambhir. The stage is set for an electrifying two-match Test series against Bangladesh, kicking off September 19 in Chennai. This series is India’s chance to rev up its engine and fortify its spot at the summit of the 2025 World Test Championship table.
The series will mark India’s first red-ball outing since their impressive 4-1 series win against England in March 2024. Meanwhile, Bangladesh are riding high, having just swept Pakistan off their feet in a historic series win. Mohammed Siraj is poised to lead the pace brigade, and Jasprit Bumrah will likely be rested for this series. Kuldeep Yadav will likely spin his magic alongside the all-rounders. The final pace spot is a hot ticket, with Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh battling it out, the latter on the verge of a Test debut. Mohammed Shami’s much-anticipated return might have to wait until the New Zealand series.
And here’s the big news: Rishabh Pant is expected to make a grand comeback to Test cricket after a whopping 634 days away, following an arduous recovery from a severe accident. Alongside him, watch for young wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, who’s expected to join the squad. Srikar Bharat, India’s first-choice keeper against England before Jurel stole the spotlight, might be watching from the sidelines this time. Get ready for a cricketing fiesta that promises thrills, spills, and some severe spin and pace action!
In the latest episode of the Sledging Room Podcast, Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar, and Kingshuk Kusari discuss who is likely to make it to India's Test squad for the upcoming series against Bangladesh.
Tune in!
Produced and sound mixed by Sachin Dwivedi
A weekly India Today podcast, Sledging Room is a sports show which will hold discussions related to sports, especially cricket. This is a podcast with a difference, a podcast where...
show more
A weekly India Today podcast, Sledging Room is a sports show which will hold discussions related to sports, especially cricket. This is a podcast with a difference, a podcast where tempers will flare and participants, to put it mildly, are not always polite. For your weekly dose of sporting hostilities, this is your final destination. Sledging Room will dissect views and bring in new perspectives with a dash of irreverence.
show less
Information
| Author | India Today Podcast |
| Organization | Aaj Tak (India) |
| Categories | Cricket |
| Website | podcasts.indiatoday.in |
| sanjay.nagpal@aajtak.com |
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