Podcast; Yorked episode 3: After West Indies of 1980s, Australia of 2000s, are India on the brink of world cricket domination?

In the third episode of Yorked, a Firstpost cricket podcast, we sit down with renowned journalists Ayaz Memon and Gaurav Kalra, both of whom have seen the domination of two cricketing eras – the West Indies of 1980s and the Australian side from 1999 to 2007. They try and address the big question: Are we on the brink of another era? Is the current Indian men’s cricket team on the foothills of carving their own legacy? Memon’s formative years in journalism coincided with the golden years of the great team from the Caribbean, while Gaurav saw the West Indies at their peak on the television as a young boy. By the time Australia’s era began, Kalra had taken the plunge into the world of journalism. The current Indian team’s unrivalled home hegemony – a world record of 11 consecutive Test series wins – has given rise to the fantasy of assembling cricketers from around the globe, compiling them into a World XI or a dream team that could possibly challenge India in their home conditions. Earlier this year, Virat Kohli’s men for the first time in 71 years recorded a Test series win in Australia, becoming the first team from Asia to complete the feat. At the epicentre of India’s ascendancy in Tests lies their robust fast bowling attack, which is also widely considered the best in the world. Traditionally, India’s fast bowling was an area in which they lacked firepower, struggling to notch wins overseas. However, with Test wins in their tour of South Africa and England in 2018, followed by a series triumph in Australia and a clean sweep in West Indies this year are considered first signs of winds of change.