In a week where he generated runs, wickets and sound-bytes like only he can, Bits and Pieces turns its focus fully on its favourite muse. It's an Ashwin bonanza on the pod, following his allround awesomeness against Bangladesh in Chennai. Max tries to keep it civil, but there's only so much he can manage in PGK's absence, as Chops, PDP and Nitin do what this podcast is best known for. Like, Follow and subscribe to Kutti Stories. And if you haven't already done so, please compartmentalise a 5-sta...
Sep 23, 2024•59 min
PGK, Adi, Murali and Nitin bring you Episode 139, which is a post-mortem of Pakistan's worst series, Rahul Dravid's ascension to Rajasthan coaching, Duleep Trophy updates, some rare bits of Bangladesh appreciation, not-so-rare bits of Ashwin apprehension, and funnies from the week in the lives of Pant and Rohit. Tune in to find out who makes up the best quizzing team in the IPL.
Sep 08, 2024•55 min
Max, Tony and Nitin bring to you Episode 138 of Bits and Pieces, covering uncoverable cricket from Pakistan (which was not televised), at uncoverable grounds in Canada (that had soaked, zigzag outfields), and other things that did not happen - such as Sanju Samson's transfer to Chennai Super Kings. Stay tuned to learn about the vagaries of Duke's balls, Shreyas Iyer's satirical sartorial sense, and filmic philanthropic nonsense, Jay Shah's ascension to cricket's (second) biggest job and much mor...
Aug 26, 2024•1 hr 7 min
West Indies shudder to a series defeat against South Africa, collapsing spectacularly from winning positions. Bits and Pieces asks the tough questions - why are we so nostalgic and sympathetic to a team that has broadly disappointed for over two decades? Discussions on the 100, strange officiating in the India Sri Lanka tie where the Super Over was 'forgotten', a colourful discussion on balls that will tickle you pink, lots of chuntering on the Duleep Trophy Squads, and the status of internet in...
Aug 19, 2024•56 min
Join Max, PDP, VaMu, Bisi and special guest (who does not appear) Krt as they bring you all the latest from Gambhir era, Ash na veri, and Puducherry. Follow us Bits and Pieces : https://x.com/bnp_cricket Max: https://x.com/maxdavinci PDP: https://x.com/prashantdptweet VaMu: https://x.com/varunmurali43 Bisi: https://x.com/bisibelebhaat Krt: https://x.com/krtgrphr...
Aug 15, 2024•57 min
Join Iman, Bisi, and host Varun Murali as they bring you the distinction between thala and thalappakatti, the tension from the retention in the IPL, and the reason why wicket keepers are creating cricket weepers. All this and more in ep 135 of the friendliest cricket podcast. Follow us: Bits and Pieces: https://twitter.com/bnp_cricket Iman: https://x.com/imanpande VaMu: https://x.com/varunmurali43 Bisi: https://x.com/bisibelebhaat...
Aug 06, 2024•46 min
Bits and Pieces somehow continues into its 134th week on the trot, and Sanju Samson must be quite miserable about this. The pod was recorded just as Samson made a rare appearance in the India XI, and in our extreme excitement for the man, may have ended up jinxing him into a first-ball duck a few hours later. From Joylord Gumbie, Joyless Gambhir, Sumaar Joseph, and Chamari Athapattu, we have all the major cricketing heroes of the week covered. We marvel at SKY's versatility, and Max talks about ...
Jul 28, 2024•49 min
BroT, Hank and poDebutant, Vishal Shah, discuss the Ambani wedding, which was the most important event in Indian cricket this week. They then discuss, in passing, the Indian Team support staff setup, the india team selections for the Sri Lanka series and the coaching styles that have worked well for India. They also discuss, as always the crucial #8 position, a long-held Bits and Pieces tradition, before wrapping up with mentions of the England v West Indies series and the ongoing Women’s Asia C...
Jul 21, 2024•57 min•Ep. 133
Choppy, Max and VaMu say hello and welcome to Gautam Gambhir as coach of the India cricket team. They farewell Jimmy Anderson. And also talk about India's games in Zimbabwe. Along the way, R. Ashwin is a casualty! 1. Bits and Pieces: https://twitter.com/bnp_cricket 2. Chops: https://twitter.com/el_chopernos 3. Max: https://twitter.com/maxdavinci 4. VaMu: https://twitter.com/varunmurali43 SHOW NOTES: 1. Grumpy Gambhir is new Team India head coach: https://www.livemint.com/sports/cricket-news/why...
Jul 14, 2024•52 min
In Mumbai, India gave its cricketing heroes a massive and spontaneous reception to mark their memorable World Cup triumph. Vipul from the Bits and Pieces gang - a North Stand Gang regular, and a major patron of live sport - was one of the 1000s of people who thronged the streets of Mumbai and found their way to the Wankhede, braving rain, crowds, unsympathetic police, dehydration, lost footwear and other pitfalls to celebrate with the team. In this episode, Vipul joins Nitin and Tony to recount ...
Jul 08, 2024•1 hr
After 4024 days, India end their ICC tournament drought in incredibly dramatic fashion in Barbados. An ending that you could not have scripted, for Rohit, Kohli and Dravid. A redemption arc for Hardik that no one saw coming. A reaffirmation of Bumrah's legend status. A SKY moment whose magnitude will be felt for years. We are still pinching ourselves to confirm that we didn't dream this whole thing up. What a World Cup! What a finish! Fittingly, it is a Royal Rumble of a Bits and Pieces episode ...
Jun 30, 2024•52 min
We originally wanted to record this episode on the weekend, since we expected Semifinal slots to be decided well before India played Australia. But as it transpired, we ended up recording in multiple installments on Monday, after India defeated Australia, and again on Tuesday following Afghanistan's magical sprint past Australia on the points table, dumping them and Bangladesh out of what is, arguably, the greatest World Cup ever! Join us as we review the action as coherently as possible. Do lis...
Jun 25, 2024•1 hr 7 min
After a sizzling second week of the World Cup filled with close games, upsets, near-upsets and a teary farewell to New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (and nearly England), Hank, Max, Nitin and Adi join the pod to wonder if this is going to be Afghanistan's year. What is Shubhman Gill's side business? Is South Africa practicing the anti-choke, and are New Zealand at the end of an era? How on earth did ICC manage to make it rain endlessly in America? Tune in for answers. This is the only podcast ...
Jun 17, 2024•57 min
Despite the ICC's best efforts with messed up pitches at strange venues, ticketing faux-pas, scheduling gaffes and comical broadcast deals, the first week of the T20 World Cup has been a low-scoring blockbuster featuring upsets, reversals and box-office Pakistan. As England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan lick their early - potentially tournament-ending - wounds, Hank, Chops, Tony and Nitin join the pod to review a memorable week. Find us on Twitter: Bits and Pieces: https://x.com/bnp_crick...
Jun 10, 2024•51 min
It's time for that flagship, marquee cricketing event ... that happens every year. No, we aren't talking about the IPL anymore (and so thank you god) - It's time for a World Cup, in the oddest corner of the world, at the oddest times of the day. As you reset your body clocks, here's a rare episode of Bits and Pieces that doesn't mention Ashwin or Rahul or Shardul or Dhoni... Join Hank, Adi, Max and Vikas as they blunder their way through the team rosters and make random predictions about the sem...
Jun 03, 2024•1 hr 18 min
As IPL 2024 winds down to anti-climactic conclusion, Tony, Chops, Bisi and Nitin come together to ponder the most important question of all - who has won the Fairplay Award (PS: We had to check). The gang chats about peculiarities such as the impact of luck in T20, the significance of an orange-clad leader who many thought was unbeatable in India falling short in a big contest in 2024, and just marvel the rare sight of Pat Cummins losing a final. We also review Season 3 of The Test, talk about E...
May 27, 2024•1 hr 7 min
On the day after RCB poured sambar all over the sweet strawberries of CSK, the gang get together to cry/celebrate about the outcome of the best match of the season and the qualifiers to the IPL playoffs. Let's dive in with Max, PGK, Prashant DP, Tareque Laskar, Tony, and Varun Murali. Follow us on Twitter: B&P Cricket: https://twitter.com/bnp_cricket Max: https://twitter.com/maxdavinci PGK: https://twitter.com/peegeekay Prashant: https://twitter.com/prashantdptweet Tareque: https://twitter.c...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 124
When was the last time the media, the selectors, the commentators, or even the coach could speak their mind freely or take a hard call in relation to an Indian superstar? India's anchor-heavy T20 World Cup squad selection was followed closely by the Virat Kohli - Sunil Gavaskar spat, bringing back attention to the uneasy power that the holy cows of Indian cricket hold. Is this unique to India? To cricket? Are the fans to be blamed? Is there a way out? Sharda Ugra joins the gang this week to diss...
May 13, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Tony, Chops and Nitin chat about the latest happenings in the unending IPL, and cast their deep focus on the strange edge-case that was witnessed at the end of SRH v RR, where Bhuvneshwar Kumar pinned Rovman Powell lbw, with two runs needed to win off the last ball. And now that the Indian team for the World Cup has been selected, our friendly panelists wonder wistfully about the glorious past weeks, when we could all still play selection predictions. Alas. Come for the banter, stay for Prashant...
May 06, 2024•1 hr 8 min
From book cricket to stick cricket to cheat mode, the scoring rates in IPL 2024 continue to soar out of the realms of anything we could have imagined. Max, VaMu and PDP come together in Episode 121 to explain how we are reacting to this nose-bleed inducing run-flation, and also 'why' we are reacting this way. This is a rare, reflective episode of Bits and Pieces, and aptly, we kick it off with Srinath Sripath mimicking Harsha Bhogle in a rare moment of frank self-reflection. Find us on Twitter: ...
Apr 29, 2024•1 hr 9 min
Kookaburras in England, Kiwis in Pakistan ... and Ducks in India. As the IPL moves into mid-season madness, our knowledgeable friends assemble to kill many birds with one stone. We ruminate on Travis Head's special liking for opponents in shades of blue, the strange week in the life of Rishabh Pant, Jos Buttler's remarkable 100 v KKR, and a deep-dive into the unforgettable game between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings which, strangely, we all have forgotten. Will Ajit Agarkar follow the policy of...
Apr 22, 2024•1 hr 2 min
The answer is no, of course, but why let that come in the way of a buzzword filled headline for your podcast episode! But no, seriously, in Episode 119, we come together and wonder if Bumrah is tough to play because of his PM-like tendencies. We also wonder whether India's T20 World Cup selections will be impacted by the national general election vote-bank politics. Iman is busy simping for Gill, while Tony as expected continues pimping for Sanju. In the company of Bro Tareque who repeats severa...
Apr 14, 2024•1 hr 17 min
It's IPL season, so naturally Max, PGK, Varun, and Tony want to start the episode with the team selection for the T20 World Cup. Which Mahabharats characters will make the plane to North America? Also feat: the comedy in Bangladesh and Shreyas Iyer's investment. And finally, some IPL action. Show notes: Tony's piece on Sanju which led to them meeting: https://whereisbillwatterson.substack.com/p/the-confounding-clarity-of-sanju RCB's Contributions to cricket : https://twitter.com/CSKian716/status...
Apr 08, 2024•1 hr 26 min
Kaustubh Kumar returns to the pod after nearly a year and says "nothing has changed". The same folk are doubing down on the same views on most things. The episode, which is hosted by doubler-PDP features other regular "downers" VaMu, Sadagopan Murali and MohanK. They talk about the IPL, Kohli's "mediocrity", the Nagin Derby and captaincy problems that have spilled over from the IPL to Pakistan cricket! Tune in... Catch us on social media: 1. PDP: https://twitter.com/prashantdptweet 2. VaMu: http...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 9 min
Two bouncers per over, TV umpires sitting with directors, bright AF stumps, and some ridiculous cricket. As the IPL clown car drives past the first round of matches, you see the bits and pieces gang waving out of it. Join Nitin, Srinath, Chops, Varun Venkatesh, and newest panelist - ex Cricinfo guy, and current writer of shows such as Family Guy, Farzi, Guns and Gulabs and more - Suman K, as they potter around pointlessly while laughing way too much.
Mar 26, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 116
After 16 years, Royal Challengers Bangalore are champions. We lived to witness this fine day. Whodathunk! Nitin, Max, VaMu and Brother T assemble soon after RCB's victory, to review a memorable second installment of the Women's Premier League. And with one week to go for the IPL, we wonder if the RCB boys will follow suit. Also in this episode - Rachana Ramchand, who recently completed a two-week stint coaching rural school children in Nepal as part of the Cricket Without Boundaries initiative, ...
Mar 18, 2024•59 min
On the wonderful occasion of R Ashwin's 100th test, the gang get together to finally deliver the long promised Cage Match. Join Tony, PGK, Srinath, Hank, and Chops as we talk about what we talk about when we talk about Ashwin talking about us talking about him. And also, a round up of the India England series, and the WTC standings. This episode also features two Ash na tribute songs by the incredible Prashant DP, and the always heavylifting Hank. Follow us: Bits and Pieces on Twitter: https://t...
Mar 11, 2024•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 114
This week, Bits and Pieces goes deep into contract law and HR practices, and quite fittingly, we do this without the lawyer or the HR professional in our gang joining the pod. Our group randomly sympathises with Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, randomly ridicules the Dharamsala 100th Test darlings Ashwin and Bairstow. And somehow foretells Shardul Bedex Thakur's incredible Ranji semifinal performance. Murali's Bedex rap and PDP's David Attenborough impression of the Bairstow Migration are worth th...
Mar 04, 2024•1 hr 19 min
Following India's stirring 3-1 series win over England in Ranchi, the gang assembles for take 112 of trying to explain Bazball. And we have two equally reliable takes on this pod - one delivered by Swami Nithyananda (voice acted by Mimicry Marauder Prashant DP), and one from our own Night-hawk Iman Pande, who joins the panel from under a blanket in a hotel bedroom in Bellandur to decode Bazball through Product Management analogies. Stay tuned for our usual Ash-Bash segment, a detailed breakdown ...
Feb 27, 2024•1 hr 14 min
Moments after India's remarkable win at Rajkot, the crew assembles with boundless joy and schadenfreude, in fond remembrance of Bazball, whose Ashes will be carried in an urn in the back pocket of Jonny Bairstow for the rest of his playing days. Bits and Pieces celebrates the arrival of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan, the latest recruits from the (Navi) Mumbai school of batting. But what's a BnP episode that doesn't make random detours? We end the episode by talking about Sourav Ganguly's ro...
Feb 18, 2024•1 hr 2 min
