In the Nineties, match fees were fatter and the stakes higher, yet the temptations were darker. The match-fixing scandal exposed an underbelly of bookies, betting and sleaze. At the turn of the century, as heads rolled and reputations were sullied, the game weathered its darkest phase.

In the decade of redemption that followed, captains and coaches employed analytics to decide match strategies. In Ganguly, India found an aggressive skipper who walked his talk. No one embodied leadership and team spirit like Dhoni, inspiring international respect for Team India that was buoyed by the dramatic 2011 World Cup victory.

From the colourful radio commentaries that brought the game alive in the early days of Test Cricket to the elaborate theatrics of T20 in modern television broadcasting, cricket has travelled the distance. As it takes to the global stage at the 2028 Summer Olympics for the first time since 1900, we can say that the sport has truly come of age.

Reliving these defining moments, Raghu and Giri hang up their gloves in this series finale of Well Caught.

Thank you for listening.

Credits:Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar

Acknowledgements and Resources:

YouTube:

Zee TV Closedown (1997)www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky5I81rYeVo

Javed Miandad last ball sixer in sharjah cup final 1986www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhYJqV-cbMI

India Pakistan Cricket Classic SHARJAH PEPSI CUP 1996www.youtube.com/watch?v=22QqFrlmkww

Fmr cricket captain threatens to reveal match fixing nameswww.youtube.com/watch?v=mNy7IaJpwRo

INDIA: CRICKET MATCH FIXING ALLEGATIONS: REPORT (V)www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqMa1EIJwo4

Not Cricket ! - Match Fixing (Orig 2001) Pt1www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVOmJVTeIEc

Manoj Prabhakar presents a videotape on match-fixing in 2000www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNYa2yuhNn8

deepanshu madan on match ka mujrim konwww.youtube.com/watch?v=xu7YGK1a0bo

Dadagiri ( Title treck )www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjLJhCiDdvM

Harbhajan Singh Rips Apart Australia | 15 Wickets in 1 Match | INDvAUS 2001www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_cfSOcOB8A

Sourav Ganguly: The Courageous Captain | Ian Chappell, Sachin Tendulkar | Discovery Pluswww.youtube.com/watch?v=c4DY8iBQd5o

Cricket Connected: Nasser Hussain on Sourav Gangulywww.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq3J-JEk9