ITV

Tag: Michael Vaughan

  • India’s ‘60 overs of hell’ roar back on screen as Sony Sports cues up docuseries on epic England tour

    India’s ‘60 overs of hell’ roar back on screen as Sony Sports cues up docuseries on epic England tour

    MUMBAI: Sony Sports Network is serving cricket fans a piping hot platter of drama, nostalgia and chin music with Bharat Tum Chale Chalo – Kahani 2021-22 Ki, a gritty three-part docuseries that rewinds to one of India’s most unforgettable Test cricket campaigns — the 2021-22 tour of England. Premiering on Sunday, 15 June at 1pm across Sony Sports Ten 1, 3, 4, and 5 — and streaming on Sony LIV — the series pulls back the curtain on India’s high-octane cricketing crusade on British soil.

    Fresh from their famous Gabba heist Down Under, the Men in Blue marched into England with a searing pace battery and a score to settle. From Lord’s “60 overs of hell” to Rohit’s bat-does-the-talking moment and the leadership shake-up that had fans glued, this is cricketing cinema with sweat, swagger and plenty of sledging.

    The series ropes in a solid bench of voices who lived and breathed the campaign — from former India head coach Ravi Shastri and England’s Michael Vaughan, to bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding wizard R. Sridhar, and Kohli and Rohit’s childhood coaches. With spicy anecdotes and rare behind-the-scenes footage, this is not just a docuseries — it’s a dressing-room pass.

    Episode guide:

    Episode 1: Pace is pace

    Virat Kohli’s long game — building a ruthless pace attack since 2014 — gets its due. Bumrah, Shami, Siraj and Shardul bowl fire and fury into Lord’s, scripting one of India’s grittiest away glories.

    Episode 2: Let the bat talk

    A redemption arc for the ages: Kohli v Anderson, Rahul’s zen mode, and Rohit’s evolution into a dependable Test opener — capped by that sweet, sweet overseas ton.

    Episode 3: Oh captain, my captain

    When the final Test got postponed, so did destiny. With Kohli stepping down and Bumrah stepping in, England entered the Bazball era. The finale dives into legacy, leadership, and all the ‘what-ifs’ still echoing at Old Trafford.

    Timed to perfection ahead of the upcoming India-England clash, this is Sony Sports Network reminding fans why red-ball cricket still packs the biggest punch.

  • Sony Sports Network gears up for epic India-England showdown

    Sony Sports Network gears up for epic India-England showdown

    MUMBAI: Sony Sports Network is swinging for the fences this summer with its all-out broadcast of the India tour of England, starting 20 June 2025. With a refreshed Indian side stepping into the cauldron of English conditions and legends in the commentary box, the five-Test series promises fireworks on and off the pitch.

    From Headingley to The Oval, all five matches will be broadcast live across Sony Sports Ten channels, in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Whether you’re a cricket purist or a casual fan, there’s something in store—served up with regional flavour and expert insight.

    Bringing the heat off the field is Sony’s formidable Extraaa Innings panel, featuring a who’s who of cricket royalty. In English, viewers can expect sharp analysis from Sunil Gavaskar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Michael Vaughan, Nasser Hussain, Mike Atherton, Harsha Bhogle, and Sanjana Ganesan. Hindi viewers will be bowled over by Ajay Jadeja, Irfan Pathan, Ashish Nehra, Saba Karim, RP Singh, and more.

    Regional commentary comes courtesy of  Tamil and Telugu stalwarts like Hemang Badani,Bharat Arun, WV Raman,Venkatapathy Raju, and Rakesh Deva, ensuring cricket lovers from Chennai to Hyderabad get front-row seats in their mother tongue.

    With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli recently retired, a new generation led by Shubman Gill will carry India’s hopes. The historical odds aren’t in their favour—India has only won three Test series in England, in 1971, 1986 and 2007, each under a new skipper. But the signs are there for another fairytale run.

    It’s youth vs experience, tradition vs transition—and Sony Sports Network is pulling out all the stops to bring every ball, byte, and boundary to fans across the country. Game on.

  • Star India to promote Tendulkar-Warne promoted T-20 series?

    Star India to promote Tendulkar-Warne promoted T-20 series?

    MUMBAI: The game of cricket is all set to get bigger and better. Cricketing demigods Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne have reportedly teamed up with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp to establish a new Twenty20 cricket league for former international players renowned for their contribution to the sport.

     

    As per media reports, the Tendulkar – Warne joint innovation called Cricket All Stars League is set to roll as early as September 2015 in the US and in all likelihood  will air on Star India’s sports venture Star Sports. India’s leading broadcast network also holds the broadcasting rights of Indian cricket and other ICC tournaments. 

     

    Cricket All Stars League will have veterans from across the globe and the tournament will be organised by keeping cricket regulatory boards like International Cricket Council (ICC), Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia (CA) and Wales Cricket Board (WCB) in the loop.

     

    The league envisages 15 matches being played over a period of four years. Tendulkar and Warne have reportedly made an offer of between $25,000 per match to retired players like Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Michael Vaughan, Andrew Flintoff and Jacques Kallis.

     

    Unlike the Indian Premier League (IPL), where there are eight teams participating, Cricket All Stars League will have 28 players equally divided into two teams.

     

    A senior media planning and buying executive, who closely deals with sports tells Indiantelevision.com, “If Sachin and Warne come together and start a league involving legends like Ponting, Flintoff, Dravid, it is obvious that it will get viewership. Now if it is happening in New York as reports are suggesting then the timings can emerge as an issue. Overall, it is very early to predict a future but if Sachin himself plays and gets his close buddies like Sourav, Dravid, Laxman and Kumble in, Indian cricket lovers’ admiration for him will grow further as no one ever expected to see the legends playing again. If Indian legends get involved in it and Star airs it, I see a flurry of advertisers, who will be ready to pay anything.”

     

    A cricket expert was of the opinion that the innovation can popularize cricket in the United States and unless it forces a player to leave national commitments in order to participate in the league, it is a good move. 

     

    “The coming together of legends is always big. Two names Sachin and Warne successfully grabbed attention of so many people. Now add Ponting, Flintoff, Kumble, Lee and see the prodigy and magnitude. Shane Warne’s post earlier this year hinted that a joint venture from them was coming but the success will be determined by the participation. If a noble cause is associated with it, I see legends participating but I doubt that a two-time world champion captain Ricky Ponting will be a part of something only for money. So we should wait before drawing conclusions. Retired players’ participation for financial purposes can put a question mark on their legacy and hence it remains to be seen how many agree to participate. However, if Sachin himself decides to play, I don’t see any of these arguments coming in.”

     

    As reported by Cricket.com.au, Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council denied any knowledge of the proposal for the Cricket All Stars League. However, a CA spokesman suggested it could be a positive way to promote and grow the game in new or emerging markets – as long as it didn’t poach contracted international players.

     

    Brett Lee’s manager Neil Maxwell confirmed that Tendulkar and Warne had approached his client and that Lee would be seeking clearance from Cricket Australia to play in the league. “I can’t see anything wrong with it, it’s a group of retired blokes playing a game of cricket,” Maxwell told Fox Sports.

     

    With sports broadcasting on the rise in India, a property such as this, if done right, has the potential to garner enormous attention and emerge as a prime broadcasting asset for broadcasters, advertisers and cricket fanatics alike.