The Shin Pad Podcast

It is always fun to look back at things in retrospect and analyse them. On basis of that fact, a new series is seeing its inception in The Shin Pad Podcast. In "Rewind", warm and cold memories from various walks of life, predominantly sports, will be discussed and reminisced. For the first episode of this series, Vignesh and Bala talk about the CB Triangular Series ft. Australia, India and Sri Lan...

Many movies have come out this year - some have been brilliant, some have been poor, and some have been beyond atrocious. In this last episode of 2022, Bala and Vignesh sat down to discuss the movies they have seen this year (both in theatre and OTT) and classify them into Top Berth (Good), Middle Berth (Average), and Lower Berth (Poor) in their view.

The clock ticked, tocked, and ticked again, as time travelled faster than light and moved slower than a turtle in the span of 120 magical minutes to give us a new champion in the world of football. A 36 year dream of a passionate footballing nation finally realised, the ember lit up by the eternal flame that is Diego Armando Maradona. The passing of baton is complete. Lionel Andres Messi has now b...

Cristiano Ronaldo, without a doubt, is the talking point of the whole footballing world. The man who has always made sure that the limelight is always on him has once again hit the nail with his interview hosted by Piers Morgan. It has created ripples and the ramifications that might linger for a very long time. In this episode, Vignesh and Bala discuss the interview, his comments on various topic...

David de Gea has been an enigma. He is a bona fide United legend who was revered unanimously since 2018, but has since provoked polarising reactions from the ever vocal United fanbase. He has split opinion and his ability/inability to evolve has been questioned again and again over the last 4 and bit years. In this episode, Vignesh and Bala, with a raft of special guests, discuss David de Gea, his...

Yet another men's cricket world cup. Yet another knockout game heartbreak. What happens to India in these crucial games that they never seem to rise above the occasion? In this episode, Vignesh and Bala unpack the Men's T20 World Cup semi final between England and India, the reasons behind India's loss and what the future holds in this format for India. Also, look out for a tiny little preview of...

In this episode, Vignesh and Bala discuss the recently concluded Super 12 round of the Men's T20 World Cup, which was quite enthralling to say the least. From the unexpected wins, unfortunate rains, unpredictable qualifications, roller coaster virtual knockouts to the villainous net-run-rate, it had everything to become a thriller movie. Tune in to get an overview of the past 2 weeks and a preview...

In this episode of The Shin Pad Podcast, Vignesh and Bala are joined by a few special guests from the Manchester United family to discuss the enigma that is Mr. Cristiano Ronaldo. They delve deep into his early days, his decline, his refusal to come to terms with reality and how much he has, positively and negatively, effected the team and it's environment.

The reincarnation of the King. The re-coronation of the King. The revival of the King. We can give more and more captions, but you understand the gist, right? 364 days after a painstaking defeat at the hands of the same Pakistan team that marked the beginning of end of an era in Indian cricket, the Indian team put up a dramatic fightback with Virat Kohli at the forefront to snatch a win from the j...

Commentary has become a vital part of most sports that most of the audience find it practically impossible to watch live action without any commentary backing it up. This inevitable phenomenon stands at an interesting crossroads with lots of new factors coming into the picture. In this lightweight episode, Vignesh and Bala discuss how the modern sport commentary has evolved for good and bad.

In this episode of the Shinpad Podcast, Bala and Vignesh discuss the journey of Amol Muzumdar - one of the greatest stalwarts of Indian domestic cricket, his contribution to the Mumbai team, the longing dream, his grit, and determination. "Forgotten Heros" is a new series where we talk about the journeys of sportsmen who gave their best but sadly went unnoticed among the fans. Listen and support '...

The first part of Tamil cinema's biggest project yet (not you, 2.0) and Mani Ratnam's passion project for close to 4 decades, Ponniyin Selvan: 1, has released in theatres. In this episode, Vignesh and Bala discuss everything about the movie, various technical and non-technical aspects of it, how Mani Ratnam has made the movie from the perspective of a novel reader and a non novel reader. They also...

Define "Spirit of Cricket" and explain the phenomenon with examples (Compulsory, 20 marks) If cricket was a question paper, this would be the answer that would determine the fate of the person who takes the exam. Post India's win against England which has made this topic hotter again, Vignesh and Bala discuss the game and try to understand what it actually means. In addition, there is also this sm...

As the curtains draw on Roger Federer's illustrious tennis career, Vignesh and Bala sit down post the emotional goodbyes at Laver Cup and look back fondly at the great man, his career, special partnership with Rafael Nadal and the birth of #Fedal, Federer's evolution on and off the court, his backhand and a lot more in this episode.

4 wins in a row, with Liverpool and Arsenal among that 4. Is this really Manchester United? Have the tides really turned? How did United fare against Arsenal? What did Erik ten Hag's men do right to beat Mikel Arteta's table-setters? Tune in to find out the answers for these questions, as Vignesh and Bala discuss United's game against Arsenal.

After a short break, Vignesh and Bala are back with yet another episode talking Manchester United. Will Annanlander Mr. Ronaldo leave the club? How have the new signings fared? What are the expectations from Casemiro and Antony? To find out the answers to all these questions and more, dive in and listen to this episode

As the new football season is steadily dawning upon Manchester United's fans, Bala tries to reason the loss against Brentford, the wibbly wobbly David de Gea and his misgivings across the last 4+ seasons, United's repeated failings across multiple transfer markets and their continued hocus pocus... And a lot more in this rant monologue.

In what can be called Manchester United's version of Sportscenter, Vignesh and Bala discuss a variety things that have happened at Manchester United in the past week, in addition to the various transfer rumours that have surfaced out of nowhere since the loss against Brighton. Does the club have a plan? Or not? What is the board doing? Why is it chaotic every single summer? Please tune in to find...

Sebastian Vettel - The Man, myth, legend, genius, joker... One can go on and on. The racer who redefined Formula 1 post Michael Schumacher and evolved from a boy into a terrific man in front of our eyes is bidding goodbye to the sport he has held dear for more than 2 decades. Vignesh, Bala and special guest Debasish discuss his illustrious career and reminisce certain special moments from the last...

In recent years, the 50-over format in cricket, called the One Day Internationals, have become somewhat redundant. Its importance has steadily quietened after the rise of T20s and it is increasingly getting sandwiched between tests and T20s. Will it survive the test of time? Will the format need drastic changes? Vignesh and Bala ramble on about the latest enigma in cricket in this episode.

The Legend Saravana Stores Produces, The Legend Saravanan Presents, The Legend Saravanan in and as, The Legend. Bala has watched this wonderful movie, had an unbelievable theatrical experience which he has so badly wanted to share with this world. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this rambling session about one of the most entertaining movies of this year. Most crucially, LOTS OF SPOILERS AHEAD. So plea...

Ronaldo and Manchester United. What is happening? Why has the comeback turned all toxic in the space of 12 months? Has Ronaldo any values left in him? In this episode, Vignesh and Bala discuss, or rather kottify a lot of vanmam on, Ronaldo and other things related to his most recent drama in what is a career full of dramas

Doom and gloom were the names of the game as Manchester United huffed and puffed to a 6th place finish in Premier League last season. A sacking, an interim appointment, a broken dressing room, dissatisfied players dropping their shoulders, multiple injuries, poor attitude, multiple off-field departures, senior players and cancerous players leaving, and an eventual new managerial appointment - so m...

Doom and gloom were the names of the game as Manchester United huffed and puffed to a 6th place finish in Premier League last season. A sacking, an interim appointment, a broken dressing room, dissatisfied players dropping their shoulders, multiple injuries, poor attitude, multiple off-field departures, senior players and cancerous players leaving, and an eventual new managerial appointment - so m...

In this new episode of The Shin Pad Podcast, Vignesh and Bala discuss on the second half of the IPL season and rate how each team has performed this season. This is a continuation to Episode # 10 where we reviewed the IPL based on the midseason.  Note: Apologies to the poor audio recording of Vignesh. We will try to improve the quality moving forwards.