The Bishop and The Bear Ep97

Welcome back to the Bishop and Bear. Let us get you a drink and then feel free to make yourself comfortable, settle back and enjoy what is a very lively discussion indeed.  It’s England vs India – The Decider. A kind of Podcast 6th Test.  Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman are the all guns blazing BazChatters, against powerhouse Indian opposition in the form of our guests, BB regular and Indian cricket sage Anindya Dutta and Raj (the man David Brook chased round Lord’s) Patel.  A bit like the recent England vs India Test itself the conversation is fast, feisty and fun but despite our best efforts, I’m not sure anyone wins. Except our listeners of course.  As the drinks are sunk, we plough headlong into some of the BIG questions. Was a draw a fair result? Did the result even matter when the entertainment was so good? (spoiler alert, it did to the Bear and our guests). What were the moments of the series? How did the captains face off against each other? (Ollie Pope had a letter from his mum and wasn’t included). And crucially, where did this series rate amongst the greatest of all time? There plenty of diversions along the way too.  That all got us thinking, that if we have just seen five great Tests, all five enthralling days, how on earth could anyone even think that four-day Tests are a good idea?  And, how can the ICC improve the World Test Championship to ensure everybody gets to play longer, more, exciting Tests. Raj has an article coming out soon with a number of great ideas and you can rest assured; we will share that first with our Patreons and then publish it onto our website  For good measure we have a quick look forward to England’s white ball series with South Africa and we ask our Indian guests just how much does India really care about the Asia Cup?  We’ll be with you for every ball of the last two England vs South Africa series and England’s trip to Ireland. If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. All the best Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices