Sledging Room

India won the ODI series against the West Indies but their chaotic build-up to the 2023 World Cup has raised several more questions. Why were Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rested when they were part of the squad? Why were India not playing close to their full strength with the World Cup just a few weeks away? And why was Yuzvendra Chahal not given a single game? How many of the bowlers who played i...

Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the Indian women's cricket team, has recently been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. During an ODI, match against Bangladesh in Dhaka, the celebrated displayed an outburst of poor behaviour that has drawn criticism from various quarters. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has subsequently handed her a two-match suspension. The incident occurred durin...

In the realm of Test cricket, few bowlers have left an indelible mark like Ravichandran Ashwin. Since his debut in 2011, Ashwin has evolved into one of the most successful off-spinners of his time. With a remarkable ability to take wickets across various conditions and a batting prowess that complements his bowling skills, Ashwin's records speak volumes about his impact on the game. Ashwin's Test...

The 2023 ODI World Cup to be played in India is less than three months away. But is the Indian team ready? There isn't much time and now is as good a time as any to delve deep into India's preparedness for cricket's showpiece event which returns to Asia after 12 years. India had of course won the World Cup in 2011 which was co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Back then, India had a solid...

The dismissal perhaps made a difference to the eventual result. Ben Stokes's stunning 155 went in vain as Australia secured a memorable victory. Stuart Broad was scathing in his criticism of the Australians while the Australian media called Stokes a crybaby for his own take on the controversial dismissal. R Ashwin, who had famously Mankaded Jos Buttler in the IPL, weighed in on the issue and laude...

The selection committee has been criticised for some of their decisions after the India Test squad for the West Indies tour was named a few days back. Agreed, it's not easy being a cricket selector in India. Questions will always be asked. Players will always be disappointed. But how do the selectors justify the repeated snubs to Sarfaraz Khan, one of the most prolific run-scorers in domestic cric...

Do India have players who are ready to take up Test captaincy? Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant were groomed, but both the stars have been on the sidelines due to injuries. KL Rahul has not made good use of opportunities that came his way.  Is it time for someone like Shreyas Iyer to step up? How about appointing Ajinkya Rahane as interim captain and groom a youngster for the role?  The Sledging Ro...

Australia, newly minted Test champions, will face off against England in the 2023 Ashes starting from June 16. This is the oldest rivalry in cricket and garners huge interest the world over. Australia were ruthless in their 209-run victory over India in the World Test Championship Final at The Oval. Days later, they will take on England, who have crushed opponents with their now fabled Bazball. Au...

India failed to break their 10-year jinx in ICC tournaments after a listless batting display against Australia at The Oval, a Test which ended with a dramatic collapse for India in the morning session of the final day. Who's to blame for the defeat? Was India's defeat inevitable? Listen in!

When India take on Australia in the WTC final, they will need to rekindle some of that aggression and who better to lead them that way than Virat Kohli. Listen in!

There's plenty at stake and like India, Australia too have played some tough cricket to get to the WTC Final. But are the Aussies now a little to soft to battle an India which will look to play Test matches as true as possible to the Kohli School of Cricket. Also on the latest episode of the Sledging Room, will India play two spinners and will Ishan Kishan debut at the Oval? Who should be India's...

Could the Titans have defended 215? Was the rain rule just unfair to the bowling team? Listen in!

Royal Challengers Bangalore could not qualify for the IPL playoffs for the first time in four years. They have never won the IPL but they had raised their fans' hopes during the last three seasons after making it to the last four. Despite lack of any IPL silverware, RCB's fans have been super loyal and their support is the envy of most other teams. The team really needs to stand up and repay the f...

This 2023 IPL is heating up in its last week of group matches with several teams eyeing the remaining three playoff spots.  Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad are out of the reckoning and nothing seemed to go to plan for these two teams. Rishabh Pant's absence definitely hurt DC while the huge investment on Harry Brook did little good for SRH. The 49th episode of the Sledging Room is worth a l...

There have been several conversations around Virat Kohli's strike-rate in the T20 format. RCB captain Faf du Plessis, the current Orange Cap holder, has scored at a strike-rate over 150. What has Kohli been missing? Does he need to score more quickly in a format which has changed rapidly over the years? Also in focus is Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma. While the team is still in contention for...

Virat Kohli is no stranger to controversies. He has been involved in some arguments and sledge-fests with opposition players in the past but his stature has grown in world cricket. Naveen-ul-Haq might have been at fault in needling Kohli but the senior pro could have perhaps handled it with a little more dignity. Was Gautam Gambhir trying to stand up for his young player? Who is to blame? The late...

Mumbai Indians, the most successful side in IPL history, looked good for a while before two straight defeats. Their bowlers have leaked runs in the death overs and batters have failed to chase down big totals. They still have some brilliant players in the team but they need some miracles to make it work this season. MI had finished last in the points table in 2022- what is in store for them this s...

In the latest episode of the Sledging Room, we discuss whether India's top batters need to take the strike-rate conversation a little more seriously? Why is it that batters from Australia, England and West Indies always come out and bat so rapidly while some of India's stars are happy to play the "anchor role" in T20 cricket? Akshay Ramesh and Saurabh Kumar join Rajarshi Gupta in another heated de...

Delhi Capitals went for David Warner as their stand-in captain but the Australia opener, who was battling for place in the Australian side, has struggled to get going. He has hit 3 fifties in 4 matches but those runs have come at a cost. Delhi Capitals lost to Mumbai Indians in a game where Warner hit 51 off 47 balls. Also, strike rate concerns have become more mainstream in this year's IPL. It's...

Both Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings had a poor time last season. Can they make a comeback this season? For Royal Challengers Bangalore, Virat Kohli has started the season brilliantly. These are good early signs for a team which has shocked observers for its lack of a single IPL trophy despite the riches of talent in the side. Listen in!

The new season of IPL will get underway from March 31 with defending champions Gujarat Titans taking on Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad. A lot is expected of IPL 2023 as the tournament returns to home and away format for the first time since 2019. Will it be the Super Kings’ year? Will RCB finally manage to repay their faith? The IPL 2023 edition also provides the ones who are in the waitlist to...

India had won 8 ODIs before the Vizag game but the worrying signs were there in Mumbai as well as Kolkata against Sri Lanka. KL Rahul had pulled his team out of trouble on each of those occasions. This is a World Cup year and India are still trying to figure out the best possible XI. You could argue there is time left but then you start to see what has gone wrong repeatedly for the Indian team ove...

Should India and Australia have shown more intent in the final Test? Have India answered every question despite another series win against Australia? How much did India miss Rishabh Pant? Burning questions were once again asked on one of the podcasts. Akshay Ramesh and Saurabh Kumar joined Rajarshi Gupta in another fierce debate on the Sledging Room. Tune in! Produced by Anna Priyadarshini Sound m...

Virat Kohli is of course not the lone batter to struggle in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Indore pitch was in focus after India's dramatic collapse in the first innings and another below-par performance in the second. After a 9-wicket defeat, India captain Rohit Sharma said his team just wanted to play to its strengths? But are these pitches really a good idea, especially against Australia? More...

India have done remarkably well at home - they have been invincible in their own backyard but in the last few years, that success has been largely due to the spin twin of R Ashwin and R Jadeja and the emergence of Axar Patel. Not only have they taken wickets in clusters, they have also made significant contributions with the bat. Do India need a new approach? Should KL Rahul make way for Shubman G...