A big moment for us at 81allout as we have an international cricketer on our podcast for the first time.
Vijay Bharadwaj played 3 Tests and 10 ODIs for India in the turn of the millennium. His high-point was during the LG Cup in Nairobi in 1999-2000 where he was named the Man of the Series for his all-round performances. He was a giant for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy and played a vital role in their three Ranji Trophy triumphs in the 1990s.
In this episode, Vijay chats about his formative experiences of playing cricket on the street and in the parks, and remembers a number of characters who lit up the Bangalore cricket scene in the 1980s and 1990s.
Talking points:
The competitive nature of street cricket in the Bangalore of the 1980s
Graduating to the park
The deadly variations that spinners employed
A bowler who was a combination of Shoaib Akhtar and Muralitharan
The intensity of each net session
Pitch-catch out, beaten out, full-toss out
Copying Mohinder Amarnath
Dodda Ganesh, David Johnson and other street-fighters
The pressure of playing for Karnataka
Spinning to Ranji glory
Participants:
Vijay Bharadwaj
Karthik Shashidhar (@karthiks)
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
*
Related:
A Vijay Bharadwaj interview from 1999 - Rediff.com
A feature-interview with Vijay Bharadwaj - Outlook India
Arch-rivalry between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy - via Star Sports Kannada
The TN-Karnataka rivalry through the ages - ESPNcricinfo.com
Vijay Bharadwaj's spell of 6-24 in the Ranji final in 1999 - YouTube
Vijay Bharadwaj 3-34 in the LG Cup final v Zimbabwe - YouTube
Street Cricket Chronicles from Delhi - 81allout archive