✍️ Purnima Malhotra on how Smriti Mandhana re-built her already successful career to reach peaks that few athletes have ever summited.
“Out of her own pocket, she invested in a nearly seven-acre land in Sangli, building her own state-of-the-art training facility-cum-farmhouse at the start of this year. There are six batting wickets, with a mix of red and black-soil pitches of different nature, prepared by the DY Patil stadium’s curator. There’s provision for floodlights to train at night, indoor nets, a well-equipped gym, a swimming pool, an ice-bath tub, and a sauna among other facilities.”
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“The team that changed Indian sports forever”
✍️ Suprita Das has the first breakout profile for the Indian Women’s team as Vogue takes a magazine-like look at their impact, and their lives beyond cricket.
✍️ Lavanya Lakshminarayanan has a historical deep dive into the finances of the Women’s game in India, and how the team has succeeded despite it all.
“Men’s cricket is sliced and diced in so many ways. The women’s game is just entering that arena, thanks to three key developments: a big win in front of high-energy crowds, consumers’ ability to identify favourites by name, and the backing of funds by the system itself, like prize money, which we saw in this World Cup”
✍️ Karthik Krishnaswamy on IND’s growing Test crisis.
“Eighteen Tests into his tenure, Gambhir has a record that does no justice to the players at his disposal. There is no indication that his position is under any threat, particularly given his fine white-ball record. Questions, however, might get asked if India lose this series and leave themselves with a treacherous route to the World Test Championship final. It might be in his best interests, then, to start showing a little more trust in the quality of his players, and worry a little less about unseen dangers.”
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“Mushfiqur’s Lord’s origins”
✍️ Andrew Miller remembers Mushfiqur Rahim’s debut at Lord’s in 2005. -
“The Aussie farmers who beat the English pros”
✍️ Geoff Lemon/Adam Collins on the 1862 Test where AUS farmers beat ENG. -
“Samson was drained of emotional capital”
✍️ Nagraj Gollapudi talks to Rajasthan Royals boss Manoj Badale about their decision to move on from Sanju Samson & Rahul Dravid, and the future of the franchise with this new look team. -
“Extinction Alert: The ODI Specialist”
✍️ Beyond Cow Corner identifies and profiles the thirty players he considers ODI specialists; okay at other formats, but legends in the 50-over game.
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“How KL Rahul Thinks”
📽️ Jatin Sapru gets into the weeds with KL Rahul about the mental difficulty of being in the spotlight, his unique training skill set, & how he defaults to his primary priority in life when things gets tough; being a father. [YouTube] -
“Steve Smith Opens Up”
📽️ Kevin Pietersen has a walk-and-talk with Steve Smith to discuss Tests, Shane Warne, & being part of the Fab 4. [YouTube] -
“Bazball, Sidemouth, and Generational Shifts”
📽️ Ian Perry & Sam Higgins talk to Adam Gilchrist about Poms past and present. [YouTube] -
“England’s Twelfth Man”
🎤 Stephen Wallis talks to Barmy Army founder Paul Burnham about his journey, and the upcoming Ashes. [Apple/Spotify]