Shades of fandom: how our opinions about cricketers change over time

Some cricketers we love at first sight; some, we take time to appreciate; others, we do not understand the fuss; and still others are quick to get under our skins. Often, we review our views over time - and often surprise ourselves by changing our opinions about cricketers.  Kapil Dev, Ishant Sharma, Ravi Shastri, Ian Chappell, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, and Steve Waugh - all formidable cricketers. All of whom we have changed our minds over at various stages. And all of whom we focus on in this episode - to understand the evolution of our fandom. Talking Points: What Kapil Dev chasing Hadlee's record meant for many young fans The staggering image of Kapil being a combination of Bumrah and Pant Ishant Sharma's arrival in Test cricket - and the 'trolling' years that followed Post-2016 Ishant - the most improved Indian cricketer this decade? The Ravi Shastri stereotypes - and how it is easy to be trapped by all of them The legendary forthrightness of Ian Chappell Rahul Dravid's purple patch - and why that record needs to be revisited Mohammad Azharuddin: a glorious rise, an inglorious fall Steve Waugh and the danger of hyping 'mental disintegration'  Sachin Tendulkar - the slow journey from hero to mortal Support 81allout on Ko-Fi Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Prashant DP (@prashantdptweet) | Prashant's cricket posts on Medium Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout) India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy) Australia (paperback, e-copy) USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy) UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy) Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related: Talking fandom: love, loyalty, and a sense of belonging - 81allout podcast That special whistle: the phenomenon called CSK - 81allout podcast Conversation with veteran journalist Pradeep Magazine - 81allout podcast Whatever happened to Ravi Shastri 1.0 - Sharda Ugra - ESPNcricinfo History’s witness: The IPL final, as Ravi Shastri saw it - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - Yahoo Cricket Ishant Sharma interview with Gaurav Kapoor - Breakfast with Champions - YouTube Ian Chappell on captaincy and much more - 81allout podcast The inscrutable craftsman - Rohit Brijnath - ESPNcricinfo Like father, like son - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - ESPNcricinfo Out of my Comfort Zone - Steve Waugh autobiography - Amazon Captain courageous, like Tendulkar, vs Rihanna - Mukul Kesavan - NDTV