Last week, former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor shocked the cricket world when he claimed that an Indian businessman allegedly coerced him to spot-fix matches in 2019, paying him $15,000 as a “deposit”. In his open letter that detailed his trip to India, the former batter said he was allegedly tricked into taking cocaine at a party and the video was used to “blackmail” him.

While he reported the episode to the International Cricket Council four months later and clarified that he has never been involved in match-fixing, Taylor added that the incident affected his mental health. As soon as he published his statement, Twitter users in India went into overdrive, noting that Inside Edge 3 depicted events that were eerily similar to the controversy.

Leading man Vivek Oberoi says the recent incident shows how the series has captured the underbelly of cricket. “Our writers have dived deep to create an authentic show. Inside Edge 3 is fictional, but is inspired by real events. It’s one of the reasons why I did the show.”

The drama focuses on match-fixing, among other aspects of cricket. He adds, “From the first season, we got into the dynamics of match fixing and how games can be manipulated. When I saw the statement, I was shocked. But having lived through three seasons, I read the note from a lived-in space.”