Bits and Pieces : The friendliest cricket podcast · LLLC

Ep 171: Prince crowned when rubber meets the road

·55 min·3 clips

Akash Deep played through Bihar cricket, family tragedy, and a 10-wicket match.

1. Bits and Pieces episode 171 focuses on India’s Test win at Edgbaston and the panel’s reaction to England’s 336-run defeat. 2. Tony, BGK, Sharan Sringarpure, and Vamuvaran Murali host the show, and their cricket arguments matter because they frame the team changes, captaincy debate, and selection questions. 3. The episode asks what India’s second-Test win means after a first-Test loss and why England’s approach looked so self-defeating. 4. The panel says India’s selection looked weaker on paper, yet the side won after a pre-match debate about batting depth and bowling balance. 5. England’s late chase is dissected through Jamie Smith, Ben Foakes, and a decision to keep slogging when the target and required rate had already become unrealistic. 6. The hosts compare the Edgbaston surface with Headingley and say England seemed to want flat wickets when batting and seam movement when bowling. 7. Joe Root’s lean series so far becomes a talking point, along with the prediction that he will still score centuries later in the series. 8. Shubman Gill’s 437 runs are contrasted with criticism of his captaincy and even the way his voice sounds. 9. The conversation turns to cricket writing itself, with the panel rejecting the idea that current commentary is making sense of either England’s loss or India’s win. 10. Akash Deep’s 10-wicket match becomes the main human story, with details from Sasaram in Bihar, his government-teacher father, and the loss of close family members. 11. The panel says Akash Deep was drafted by RCB as a replacement for Washington Sundar before returning to Ranji cricket and earning his Test place. 12. Ben Stokes’ dismissal of the pitch as a “subcontinent pitch” is treated as self-delusion because only two wickets fell to spin in the match. 13. The hosts also note that Akash Deep bowls a new-ball style that jags back into right-handers, which they describe as unusual among current fast bowlers. 14. The discussion says Bumrah, Shami, and Siraj do not have 10-wicket Test hauls, while Akash Deep does, which the panel uses to underline how odd the numbers are. 15. Selection talk continues with Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Karun Nair, and NKR, and the panel treats the next XI as hard to predict. 16. The episode also argues that Gill, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant are already sharing field-setting responsibility on the field, which makes the captaincy feel less rigid. 17. The tone mixes comic exaggeration with technical cricket talk, and the hosts move quickly between selection jokes and match analysis. 18. The format is a four-person panel with recurring banter, repeated callbacks, and long exchanges on tactics, batting order, and player roles. 19. India Test followers who like selection debate and bowling analysis. 20. Listeners wanting sober cricket reportage without humour.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Bits and Pieces : The friendliest cricket podcast