India defeated Bangladesh in the first and only test of the series, as expected. The Indian spinners picked wickets but what was more pleasing was the pacers picking a handful.
The Aussies are next and India is on course for a great home season!
Showing posts with label Bangladesh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bangladesh. Show all posts
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Bangla Home Tests - India beat Bangladesh as expected
India defeated Bangladesh in the first and only test of the series, as expected. The Indian spinners picked wickets but what was more pleasing was the pacers picking a handful.
The Aussies are next and India is on course for a great home season!
Thursday, March 24, 2016
T20 World Cup - India pip Bangla thanks to MSD and Joginder Pandya
India had to win the match against Bangladesh to stay in the tournament but thhe team was distracted, it looked. A sub-par score on a small ground, dropped catches (three at that) were enough hints to suggest this but its captain was very much turned on in his strategic move.. In a repeat of his move to let Joginder bowl the last over in the inaugural T20I World Cup, he asked Hardik Pandya to bowl the last over here when less than a dozen was required with three batsmen remaining. Pandya held his cool and head after the hundred conferences to help India win the match. The finishing touch was provided by the captain himself (one-gloved 15v-metre runout to wrap the match and heave a huge sigh of relief for the time being).
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| Image Courtesy: www. espncricinfo.com |
Sunday, March 27, 2011
World Cup 2011 - On to the Semi finals
Two ten-wicket wins and two incredibly close matches - that sums up the four quarter-finals that were played in the 2011 World Cup.
West Indies were always in contention with Ireland and Bangladesh for the final slot in the quarterfinals. That itself showed their current form and capabilities. Over-dependence on Gayle in the batting front and Roach in the bowling department meant that they were always at the mercy of their opponents. Their coach, Gibson blamed the senior players for not putting their hands up during the match against Pakistan. Gayle was furious and tweeted his response back. There are going to be changes in the team following the disaster which is not surprising. The team morale was not high and one can see the same players play the IPL with great camaraderie. The unity that was on display during the times of Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards are missing altogether. It will be a long time before the team makes a decent comeback into international cricket. They will struggle to beat top nations for a while, as has been in the last 20 months.
England also had a severe bashing at the hands of the Sri Lankans last night - no one was surprised though. The English had managed to stumble their way to the quarterfinals and clearly had to depend on other teams' generosity to make the cut. Injuries to several players hampered them and the media were quick to point out the grueling schedule that the team had to endure over the last six months. It has been the same with the other teams as well, one can say. The English team's strategy in ODI cricket is far from adequate - notice the experience of the players in this format for further insight.
Australia came into the tournament being ranked No.1 in ODI, as per ICC rankings. Though the rank did not justify them, the team was able to string together victories that enabled them stay at the peak for a long period. Injuries to players (mostly bowlers) meant that there were frequent changes to the playing eleven. It was not noticed as long as they were winning. Ponting's loss of form coincided with the lack of batting might in the Oz team. Watson and Haddin were probably the most consistent players for the last one year. After the retirements of a number of greats (like Mcgrath, Warne, Gilchrist), the Aussies were never able to recover. The loss of Warne left a gaping hole in the spin department - this was one of the biggest concerns going into the tournament which was expected to support the spinners.
South Africa prepared their campaign very well, adding a number of spinners to their squad who were capable of standing up to the demands of the subcontinental pitches. Imran Tahir was the surprise weapon, who showed initial promise of picking up a bushel of wickets. Opening the bowling with a spinner and Steyn, Greame Smith had a good strategy in place. They beat the Indians due to the help of their lower order, assuring everyone that they had left their choking back in Africa. Kallis and Smith were not firing in the first few games but it did not matter. The other batsmen were showing good form in bringing the team to the knockout stage. One great catch followed by a runout in the Quarterfinals meant that the cat was among the pigeons. No matter what the lower order tried, the writing was on the wall. The Proteas had choked once again - they cannot deny this any longer. This stigma will stick to them for another four years or till the time they win a knockout match in the World Cup.
On to the semi-finals then with three subcontinental pitches along with New Zealand contesting for the final match in Mumbai. May the best team win.
Monday, February 21, 2011
World Cup 2011 - India thump Bangladesh
.The Indians extracted revenge on the Bangladesh team in Mirpur in a convincing fashion, ensuring that their loss against the same team four years ago remained a distant dream. One player who had faltered then, took upon himself to play a very large percentage of the overs. In doing so, Sehwag's score alone was the joint-fourth highest of the World Cup history. It was probably the first time he has played the Batting PowerPlay since it was introduced. Even though he was hampered during the latter phase of the innings, he understood the vagaries of the pitch very well and adjusted his shots accordingly. Viru had, in his pre-match conference, suggested it as a revenge match and that looked to be on his mind throughout the innings. He changed gears on will and willed the non-strikers to play their game confidently. The only blemish from his side was the running out of Sachin Tendulkar - the evidence of not having played together for a long time showed in their calling not just in the dismissal but even during the time spent on the field as well. No wonder his Castrol* Batting Momentum was an amazing 289. The Indians motored along without any care in the world and also without much of its batting ammunition (Yuvraj, Dhoni and Yusuf) not used - such was the domination. Kohli, as expected, made the playing eleven ahead of Raina and has retained the position after scoring a century. Kohli has played many an innings while batting second but this was an opportunity that came to him on a platter - a mediocre bowling attack and a destroyer at the other end of the crease. With such a cushion, Kohli had to bide his time, take the singles and start playing out the big shots at the end. This was exactly how he executed his stroke-making by the side of Viru, matching the opener with a century that was conjured with less than hundred balls. Yusuf came in with just a few balls to score and could not make much of an impact - in such situations, Yuvi or MSD are better players who can tonk the ball around right from the word go.
The Indian bowling was nowhere near its bowling. Sreesanth came from outside the squad, right into the bowling eleven. This was a chance he should have grabbed with both hands - instead, he was trying to keep Bangladesh in the chase of the large target on hand. He did trouble the batsmen with few balls but that was more like a mirage rather than the norm. I would be surprised if Dhoni goes with Sreesanth or with a three-pacer strategy in remaining matches. In the conditions where the matches are played, it looks a safe bet for India to go with two specialist spinners (Harbhajan and Chawla). The part-timers (Yusuf and Yuvraj) also did a fair job with their bowling. Munaf Patel, as has been his wont recently, made a good impact with the ball (his Castrol* Bowling Efficiency was 110).
A good start for the Indians which has more or less put them through to the quarter-finals (provided they win at least the matches against the other two minnows in the group). At no stage of the match, did Bangladesh (with a Castrol Index of 120) try to catch up with the Indians (Castrol Index of 235). With the ICC further making the home teams stronger by allowing them to play their knockout matches on home-soil, the Indians will play their Quarter-final match at Ahmedabad. Who will be their opponent be? Let us hope it is the No.4 team from the other Group.
* Castrol has come up with various indices to track the performances of the players during the World Cup and that makes it interesting reading. Check this site for more details on how they are calculated.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
World Cup 2011 - Will India better 2007 performance?
India had a disastrous World Cup in 2007 - they were dumped out of the tournament after the first stage where they lost to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, defeating only Bermuda in the competition. Will they repeat the performance in 2011 or will they go all the way? Let us see their possible journey for the first stage:
A similar chart for Group A shows a similar trend.
- First match of the competition stars India and Bangladesh in Mirpur - the one match that India will play outside their country. This was the team that defeated India in their last World Cup match and a grudge-match is on offer. The Indians will be eager to put their best foot forward in this match and it will be a good match to ease in the four players (Sehwag, Gambhir, Tendulkar, Praveen Kumar) who had been rested in the previous series in South Africa. India have lost just one game in the 12 matches played in Bangladesh against the hosts - they should ensure that this number doesnt double after the first match in Mirpur!!
- After the relatively easy opposition, India face up the new No.1 contenders in test cricket after their resounding Ashes win - England. The English team is high on spirits after their record win against the Oz but they have come down few notches after the reverses in the ODIs. Their bowlers who are typically their strength in other venues, tend to lose their sting in India. India have won 11 of their last 12 matches against England at home - 21 wins out of a total of 34 matches played between the two in India shows who the favorite is.
- After England, it is the turn of the minnows. Ireland are next on the menu for the Indians in Bengaluru. The Indians have played just one match against the Irish team and won the only one. No points for guessing who will win.
- Netherlands come up next at the Kotla for India. Again, one match played and won for the Indians. A relatively easy match for the hosts.
- India face their strongest opponent at this stage of the tournament - South Africa. 13 wins out of 22 matches in India means that the Indians will fancy themselves to win against the Proteas. The recent ODI series has given the Indians an idea of the strategy that they can adopt successfully in the World Cup. In the only match played in Nagpur between the two teams (where the WC match will be held), India were defeated by 10 runs despite scoring 310. Sachin and Kirsten played for opposite sides then but now will team up to play against Gary's home team.
- West Indies is the last team to play against India in the first stage of the tournament. The Caribbeans have a favorable record against the Indians at home, thanks to the previous great teams of the Windies. Even in the 2000s, the record looks even between the teams (6 wins and same number of losses)
Four matches against test-playing nations in the first stage - two tough ones (South Africa and England) and two relatively easier ones (Bangladesh and West Indies) - mean that the Indians have a good chance to top the Board in their Group after all matches are played. The chart below shows the performance of the teams in India's group (in all World Cups so far and in the 2010 year) - this can be a bit misleading since some teams have played weaker teams last year and hence their record looks flattering.
A similar chart for Group A shows a similar trend.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Season of the underdogs in test cricket
Image by geoffandsherry via FlickrTest cricket is always interesting - this is the statement on everyone's lips these days. The underdogs seem to have a good time going for them recently across the world.
It all started when NewZealand visited India after being beaten 0-4 by Bangladesh in an ODI series. No one gave them a chance (myself included) but after two test matches, the scoreline shows 0-0. What must India be thinking now?
Staying in the sub-continent, one is witnessing Srilanka's painful experience in the post-Muralitharan era. As if Gayle's triple century was not enough, the Lankans have capitalised in their first innings against West Indies and looks like they might follow-on.
England (yes, we will call them underdogs in a series against the once-mighty Aussies Down Under) has been making all the right noises in their warm-up matches - dominating their opposition and scaring the selectors to choose a 17-member team for the test series.
In the Gulf, Pakistan managed to draw their first test match against No.2 South Africa. Pakistan, the team that can lose to Zimbabwe one day and then beat Australia the next, has shown signs of comeback. One wonders how long it will be this time.
Will there be a return to the normal order next week? One wonders if the rule of the underdogs will be for a long time. What do you think?
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Will the BlackCaps be a walk-over?
Image by Getty ImagesMark Greatbatch has ridiculed his team publicly about their performance in the recently-concluded Bangladesh series. He has set the expectations so low that whatever the team does in the forthcoming series will be a bonus. It is now expected that the Indians will whitewash the Kiwis in the 3-test series. In fact, the coach is not looking at a win at all - they would consider a draw (2 of them, as Greatbatch mentioned) to be a 'moral win'. But, the question on one's mind is whether Greatbatch is qualified enough to coach the team? Why not change to Stephen Fleming, who has proved himself on the IPL scene?
With this public lashing, what will be the morale of the team? How will it affect the team spirit before they reach the Indian soil? In fact, if one looks at the history of NZ test cricket, there is hardly a series where they have played with their full-strength team. They have been the under-dogs in every series, which has suited them just fine. After the recent series debacle, the Kiwis will be raring to go. They will be looking to catch the Indians by surprise. There is news that McCullum might bat higher in the lineup to shore the batting which seems to be the weakest in the eleven - whether this will help them remains to be seen.
The Indians must ensure that they are not complacent in the test series for that is when the NZ team can be most dangerous. If they play as well as they did against the Oz, the whitewash result is a foregone conclusion. My take will be a 2-0 win for India - maybe rain will prevent the whitewash in one of the test matches. Let us wait and watch. What is your prediction?
Sunday, May 16, 2010
T20 World Cup Finalists England, Australia at IPL
Image via Wikipedia| Australia squad - | |
| MJ Clarke*, DT Christian, BJ Haddin†, RJ Harris, NM Hauritz, DJ Hussey, MEK Hussey, MG Johnson, DP Nannes, TD Paine†, SPD Smith, SW Tait, DA Warner, SR Watson, CL White | |
England squad - PD Collingwood*, JM Anderson, RS Bopara, TT Bresnan, SCJ Broad, C Kieswetter†, MJ Lumb, EJG Morgan, KP Pietersen, A Shahzad, RJ Sidebottom, GP Swann, JC Tredwell, LJ Wright, MH Yardy
Which of these players participated in the IPL?
From the Australian team, it was Harris, Hussey brothers, Nannes, Tait, Warner, Watson and White whereas Collingwood, Bopara, Lumb, Morgan, KP participated in the IPL3.
All these players did not participate in all the matches - the Oz team was playing in NewZealand before they embarked for the 2nd half of the tournament.
The Aussies did fairly well in the tournament, especially Nannes. In fact, Bollinger played better than the bowlers who are participating in the World Cup. Michael Hussey played in few games for CSK but did not play in latter matches of the tournament. David Warner played well in short stints for Delhi while Watson excelled in his few matches for Rajasthan Royals.
The English were busy playing in Bangladesh before their players came over to India. Lumb, in fact, came into prominence after playing for RR. Collingwood did well for Delhi Daredevils while Morgan couldn't get going for RCB before KP made his appearance. Bopara could do little to justify his presence for Kings XI Punjab.
Did they feel the tiredness from IPL? No, as Mr. Gavaskar says so. But, not all the 14-15 players of the squad did play and neither did the ones who played, did in all the matches. It is not fair to compare the two. Of course, the local Indian players would have been a greater draw at the after-match parties rather than the foreigners, don't you agree? The Board and Gavaskar/Shastri will not say anything against the IPL for obvious reasons but no one can deny the fact that IPL was a factor for the failure of the Indian team.
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Thursday, May 06, 2010
T20 World Cup - Australia and South Africa win easy
South Africa raced past Afghanistan thanks to their superior bowlers, covering up their batting lapses.
Australia, similarly, defeated Bangladesh very convincingly.
Australia, similarly, defeated Bangladesh very convincingly.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
T20 World Cup - Pakistan get past Bangla
Bangladesh batsmen tried their best to keep up with the required rate but fall of wickets (especially that of their captain) increased the R-B, making the Pakistan team eventual winners.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Countdown starts for IPL3
Image via WikipediaShane Warne, Damien Martyn are already in town - finalizing their teams while Greame Smith is on his way (with his other team-mates).
The Caribbeans are finishing the ODI series against Zimbabwe before they board the flights to India - in fact, some of the players like Bravo, DR Smith are playing T20 in Oz right now.
The Indians must have been happy with the free time they have received, recuperating from injuries (Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan) while some played the Salil Ankola Benefit match. The domestic series (Deodhar Trophy) is being played out - finishing off in the next few days.
The Kiwis will wrap up their ODI series against Aussies at home before landing in India - the IPL is definitely one of the reasons the players feel safe (financially).
The English side is getting into test-mode against Bangladesh very soon - the ODI/T20 specialists thus are available to come over - Owais Shah, Bopara, Flintoff being few of them.
Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh will miss out - probably one or two of the players from the latter 2 countries will play a match.
The selectors from the teams will be eyeing the IPL for new talent that might emerge out of nowhere. The captains must be hoping that their players get good practice at the same time praying for the absence of injuries.
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Bangladesh Zakked by India
Enter Zak or Zaheer Khan, as he is known in the team. He continued his intensity, as he showed last evening. Balls were moving around at a pace that the hosts could not cope up with. All varieties - round-the-wicket balls to the batsmen that moved away after pitching, balls from wide of the crease that hit the stumps, everything. Reverse-swing at his best - one that could be seen by any learner.
So, India start their journey back - a week's rest before they take the No.2, South Africa. What have they gained? Not much except their bowlers return to form (Ishant in particular) and their batsmen's continuous performance. The injuries will make them worry - couple of more days will reveal the actual status.
Bangladesh - as I mentioned repeatedly here - have a long way to go. They have the potential but do not seem to have the patience to play a long innings. The team has players who scored centuries and fifties in the series but none more than one batsmen in one innings - collectively, they never clicked. Lesser said about the bowlers, the better. As Sehwag mentioned, they really cannot take 20 wickets - let us face it. It is true and one has to respect it. They came close in the first innings of the Chittagong test but that was it.
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tamim delays the defeat at Mirpur
Thanks to a well-played century by Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladesh team survived the 3rd day against my expectation and took the match into the next day. If not for the last few overs, their score would have looked much better.
Zaheer Khan's reverse swing helped India break the highest partnership ever for Bangladesh. The 2 quick wickets has put the pressure back on the hosts and I am not sure if they can fight back yet again in the match. If they manage to put a lead of 150-200 runs, Gautam Gambhir for one, will feel that he has a chance to score yet another century - maybe not, since his partner is a certain Virender Sehwag!!!
The first part of the day was dominated by MS Dhoni's batting - especially with Ishant Sharma, he showed a display very similar to Mahmudullah on the first day. He was dismissed very close to his century but the lead was quite good for the Indians.
Yuvraj Singh and Rahul Dravid did not come out to bat and that must be one worry for the Indians ahead of their South Africa series.
What will happen tomorrow? Well, I do not feel there is any chance of Bangladesh escape defeat in this test match by any way. They will be confronted by the Indian attack that will want to finish the match and hence, the long tour early. Will it end by the lunch? Maybe not. By the first hour after lunch, the hosts will be dismissed and the openers will knock off the lead. Let us see how close is my prediction!!!
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Zaheer Khan's reverse swing helped India break the highest partnership ever for Bangladesh. The 2 quick wickets has put the pressure back on the hosts and I am not sure if they can fight back yet again in the match. If they manage to put a lead of 150-200 runs, Gautam Gambhir for one, will feel that he has a chance to score yet another century - maybe not, since his partner is a certain Virender Sehwag!!!
The first part of the day was dominated by MS Dhoni's batting - especially with Ishant Sharma, he showed a display very similar to Mahmudullah on the first day. He was dismissed very close to his century but the lead was quite good for the Indians.
Yuvraj Singh and Rahul Dravid did not come out to bat and that must be one worry for the Indians ahead of their South Africa series.
What will happen tomorrow? Well, I do not feel there is any chance of Bangladesh escape defeat in this test match by any way. They will be confronted by the Indian attack that will want to finish the match and hence, the long tour early. Will it end by the lunch? Maybe not. By the first hour after lunch, the hosts will be dismissed and the openers will knock off the lead. Let us see how close is my prediction!!!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sachin and Dravid take the match further at Mirpur
Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar took India to the brink of an innings victory in the 2nd test at Mirpur.
Rahul Dravid was admitted to the hospital after he was hit by a short ball - the last time I remember such an incident was in Adelaide. Other than this incident, the batting and the luck associated with the Indian team was all with the visitors.
The Indians scored at a fair clip with the 2 veterans scoring centuries that must have not rated very high on their career but nevertheless they are test runs & that is how they approached the game - scoring runs to ensure that the Indians do not get into the over-confidence thinking mode again.
The openers put on another century stand and it was sad to see Gautam Gambhir get out after his half-century - it is doubtful that he will get a chance to bat in the 2nd innings and hence would not be able to match Sir Donald Bradman. He however, got his opportunity to score a 50+ score for 11 consecutive matches like another Great, Sir Viv Richards. I will not get into the argument or discussion of who is better or whose runs are better. This is scope for another day.
The one surprise today was the absence of Yuvraj Singh - is he hiding any injury is the question on everyone's mind. Murali Vijay scored 30 but could not carry on further - a lost opportunity on a possible hundred.
What next? The Indians will score another 50-75 runs to get to a lead of 300 runs. Then, in the 2nd hour of the day, the Bangladesh team will start their 2nd innings in a state of pressure. They will not be able to survive the remaining overs of the day. So, overall, a 3-day test match in offing.
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Rahul Dravid was admitted to the hospital after he was hit by a short ball - the last time I remember such an incident was in Adelaide. Other than this incident, the batting and the luck associated with the Indian team was all with the visitors.
The Indians scored at a fair clip with the 2 veterans scoring centuries that must have not rated very high on their career but nevertheless they are test runs & that is how they approached the game - scoring runs to ensure that the Indians do not get into the over-confidence thinking mode again.
The openers put on another century stand and it was sad to see Gautam Gambhir get out after his half-century - it is doubtful that he will get a chance to bat in the 2nd innings and hence would not be able to match Sir Donald Bradman. He however, got his opportunity to score a 50+ score for 11 consecutive matches like another Great, Sir Viv Richards. I will not get into the argument or discussion of who is better or whose runs are better. This is scope for another day.
The one surprise today was the absence of Yuvraj Singh - is he hiding any injury is the question on everyone's mind. Murali Vijay scored 30 but could not carry on further - a lost opportunity on a possible hundred.
What next? The Indians will score another 50-75 runs to get to a lead of 300 runs. Then, in the 2nd hour of the day, the Bangladesh team will start their 2nd innings in a state of pressure. They will not be able to survive the remaining overs of the day. So, overall, a 3-day test match in offing.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
India cruise ahead at Mirpur
With a clinical performance by the bowlers, India took a start to regain the series 2-0 against Bangladesh. As has been the recent trend, the tailenders ensured that the Bangladesh total resembled something decent - Mahmudullah came very close to scoring his maiden century but India bowled out the opposition to leave him stranded.
Ishant Sharma has done well in the last 2 innings and that is real good news for the Indian think-tank before the SA series. Pragyan Ojha also contributed to the wickets tally - he seems to be a good prospect for the Indians and augurs well for the spin options. Amit Mishra and he will play turns in playing for the national team. Zaheer was his usual stuff in taking wickets at the right time.
5 dismissals for MS Dhoni made it a good outing for him. If only the Indians had dismissed the team for less than 150, it would have been a perfect day.
The start for the Indians was as usual - Sehwag and Gambhir hitting their now-customary half-century stand. The freshness in the pitch has gone and the pitch seems to be good for picking. I expect both the openers to bat once and big to leave the Bangla team behind.
The next 1 and half days will be a tough proposition for the Bangla team, who do not seem to understand the nuances of test cricket. They are barely able to face the 2nd new ball on pitches that are good for batting - how do you expect them to win matches then? The bowling, as everyone knows, revolves around Sakib - no 20 wickets there, as Sehwag had mentioned few days back. The batsmen do not have the patience to play out good balls and target the bad ones - they still seem to be in the ODI mode and start playing shots as soon as they get to the crease. Ashraful's dismissal was representative of this fact. Unless they have a domestic structure which encourages players to play longer, their results will continue to mirror this.
Also in the news was an article saying that Sri Lanka will host India again this year !!! What is wrong with the BCCI and the Sri Lanka board? Are they so hand-in-glove that they want to keep playing against each other and reap the benefits of the TV revenues? God only knows.
The defending Under-19 Champions India have crashed out of the World Cup thanks to their defeat by the arch-rivals Pakistan. The final four teams are - Pakistan, West Indies, Australia and Sri Lanka. Something is being done right in the under-age teams of Pakistan and West Indies - hopefully they will revive the cricket of the seniors and make cricket interesting once again.
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Ishant Sharma has done well in the last 2 innings and that is real good news for the Indian think-tank before the SA series. Pragyan Ojha also contributed to the wickets tally - he seems to be a good prospect for the Indians and augurs well for the spin options. Amit Mishra and he will play turns in playing for the national team. Zaheer was his usual stuff in taking wickets at the right time.
5 dismissals for MS Dhoni made it a good outing for him. If only the Indians had dismissed the team for less than 150, it would have been a perfect day.
The start for the Indians was as usual - Sehwag and Gambhir hitting their now-customary half-century stand. The freshness in the pitch has gone and the pitch seems to be good for picking. I expect both the openers to bat once and big to leave the Bangla team behind.
The next 1 and half days will be a tough proposition for the Bangla team, who do not seem to understand the nuances of test cricket. They are barely able to face the 2nd new ball on pitches that are good for batting - how do you expect them to win matches then? The bowling, as everyone knows, revolves around Sakib - no 20 wickets there, as Sehwag had mentioned few days back. The batsmen do not have the patience to play out good balls and target the bad ones - they still seem to be in the ODI mode and start playing shots as soon as they get to the crease. Ashraful's dismissal was representative of this fact. Unless they have a domestic structure which encourages players to play longer, their results will continue to mirror this.
Also in the news was an article saying that Sri Lanka will host India again this year !!! What is wrong with the BCCI and the Sri Lanka board? Are they so hand-in-glove that they want to keep playing against each other and reap the benefits of the TV revenues? God only knows.
The defending Under-19 Champions India have crashed out of the World Cup thanks to their defeat by the arch-rivals Pakistan. The final four teams are - Pakistan, West Indies, Australia and Sri Lanka. Something is being done right in the under-age teams of Pakistan and West Indies - hopefully they will revive the cricket of the seniors and make cricket interesting once again.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Will it be another 2-0 for India?
India start the second test against Bangladesh in the right form to go for a 2-0 win in the series. There will be however 2 replacements in the team - Sreesanth and VVS Laxman ruled out of the match today.
The Indians will be looking to improve their performance in the first innings, as compared to the same in the first test. Gautam Gambhir will be looking to join Bradman at the top with 6 consecutive hundreds in as many test matches. Sehwag will be keen to improve his average against Bangladesh from his current 32 to somewhere close to his career average of 52 (to do this, he needs to score 140 in the next innings). New Zealand and England are the 2 other countries against whom he has got an average less than 50.
Whoever comes in place of VVS will have a chance to impress the selectors and retain his place in the squad for the next series. Yuvraj also gets another chance to prove his worth at the test level. The bowlers did a decent job in the first test for most of the time (except for the phase where tailenders enjoyed themselves). There will be 2 changes to the team with Sreesanth going out and Harbhajan coming back to the squad. I would suggest that Amit Mishra given another chance alongside Bhajji,
Bangladesh will expect someone to support their captain Sakib in the batting while they will try to prove Sehwag wrong in showing their ability to take 20 wickets in a test match.
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The Indians will be looking to improve their performance in the first innings, as compared to the same in the first test. Gautam Gambhir will be looking to join Bradman at the top with 6 consecutive hundreds in as many test matches. Sehwag will be keen to improve his average against Bangladesh from his current 32 to somewhere close to his career average of 52 (to do this, he needs to score 140 in the next innings). New Zealand and England are the 2 other countries against whom he has got an average less than 50.
Whoever comes in place of VVS will have a chance to impress the selectors and retain his place in the squad for the next series. Yuvraj also gets another chance to prove his worth at the test level. The bowlers did a decent job in the first test for most of the time (except for the phase where tailenders enjoyed themselves). There will be 2 changes to the team with Sreesanth going out and Harbhajan coming back to the squad. I would suggest that Amit Mishra given another chance alongside Bhajji,
Bangladesh will expect someone to support their captain Sakib in the batting while they will try to prove Sehwag wrong in showing their ability to take 20 wickets in a test match.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
India complete the win at Chittagong
Thanks to a good spell of bowling by Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan, the Indians trounced the Bangladesh team by 113 runs. The bowlers picked up wickets regularly to make the score 170-7 but the bowlers somehow took the pedal off the gas.
The lead bowlers were tired by their bowling spells and the backups (Sreesanth and Amit Mishra) could not finish the tail. Amit bowled well but without luck - the edges went to boundaries spoiling his figures.
The Indians did well at the end and as Sehwag mentioned, the Bangladesh team did not take 20 wickets!!!
The match was completed well before light had any impact on the match on the final day.
The Indians must feel happy that Ishant Sharma came back to form - the sight of the 3 pacers bowling well in tandem should be good news for India before the South Africa series.
The batsmen are doing well but the team would miss the services of VVS Laxman in the next test because of injury. Whether Rohit Sharma will be played or will the selectors continue with Dinesh Karthik is to be seen.
As far as Bangladesh is concerned, the team is still learning in test matches. They have a long way to go before they can get competitive. As far as bowling is concerned, only their captain is consistently effective. While their batting is still fragile, it is their lower order that helped out in both innings. The series is going to be a 2-0 finish for India - very little doubt about the result.
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The lead bowlers were tired by their bowling spells and the backups (Sreesanth and Amit Mishra) could not finish the tail. Amit bowled well but without luck - the edges went to boundaries spoiling his figures.
The Indians did well at the end and as Sehwag mentioned, the Bangladesh team did not take 20 wickets!!!
The match was completed well before light had any impact on the match on the final day.
The Indians must feel happy that Ishant Sharma came back to form - the sight of the 3 pacers bowling well in tandem should be good news for India before the South Africa series.
The batsmen are doing well but the team would miss the services of VVS Laxman in the next test because of injury. Whether Rohit Sharma will be played or will the selectors continue with Dinesh Karthik is to be seen.
As far as Bangladesh is concerned, the team is still learning in test matches. They have a long way to go before they can get competitive. As far as bowling is concerned, only their captain is consistently effective. While their batting is still fragile, it is their lower order that helped out in both innings. The series is going to be a 2-0 finish for India - very little doubt about the result.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Gambhir puts India on course for another win
5 centuries in 5 consecutive test matches - Who are the players who have achieved it in test cricket? Kallis, Mohammed Yousuf and now Gautam Gambhir. Has anyone done better? who else, Don Bradman.
Centuries against NewZealand (away), SriLanka and now Bangladesh has made Gautam Gambhir reach the elite list of players. He has been in prime form since the T20 World Cup two years ago.
His confidence is at sky-high and the Indian team is reaping the benefits of this form. Today was no different. First with Amit Mishra and then with Rahul Dravid, Gambhir went on piling runs at a rapid rate that put pressure on the Bangla team.
Sehwag had mentioned about Bangladesh being an ordinary team. This infuriated the hosts which resulted in a low score in the first innings. But, this team will not make the same mistake twice, in the same match. Everyone made contributions around Gambhir to keep the run-rate ticking along.
The Indian team scored enough runs in time that ensured that they had time to bowl out the Bangladesh (which will be justified only tomorrow). 2 wickets fell today, thanks to good bowling from the Indians. Ishant seems to be coming back to his old form - only time will tell if it is for good. Zaheer is doing his bit by guiding the bowlers on the right line and length to bowl on this pitch.
I do not feel that the Bangladesh team will be able to withstand the pressure of the large target ahead of them. If the weather does not interrupt tomorrow, the match will be over in the next 50-60 overs.
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Centuries against NewZealand (away), SriLanka and now Bangladesh has made Gautam Gambhir reach the elite list of players. He has been in prime form since the T20 World Cup two years ago.
His confidence is at sky-high and the Indian team is reaping the benefits of this form. Today was no different. First with Amit Mishra and then with Rahul Dravid, Gambhir went on piling runs at a rapid rate that put pressure on the Bangla team.
Sehwag had mentioned about Bangladesh being an ordinary team. This infuriated the hosts which resulted in a low score in the first innings. But, this team will not make the same mistake twice, in the same match. Everyone made contributions around Gambhir to keep the run-rate ticking along.
The Indian team scored enough runs in time that ensured that they had time to bowl out the Bangladesh (which will be justified only tomorrow). 2 wickets fell today, thanks to good bowling from the Indians. Ishant seems to be coming back to his old form - only time will tell if it is for good. Zaheer is doing his bit by guiding the bowlers on the right line and length to bowl on this pitch.
I do not feel that the Bangladesh team will be able to withstand the pressure of the large target ahead of them. If the weather does not interrupt tomorrow, the match will be over in the next 50-60 overs.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
India flexes their muscles at Chittagong
India dismissed Bangladesh for a solitary run short by flexing their bowling muscles at Chittagong. The bowlers, thus ensured that the Indians were not embarrassed by a first-innings lead for the Bangla team.
It was a team effort with all bowlers coming to the party and picking up wickets. The pace bowlers pitched the ball up and made batting difficult for the batsmen. Zaheer and Ishant, in particular, made the ball talk with their lengths. Sreesanth alternated with good balls, no-balls and 4-balls to complete an inconsistent performance. Amit Mishra came to the party also with tail-end wickets.
The batsmen came out with the intent of scoring a good total in the 2nd innings and the scoring rate reflected the approach. Sehwag was his usual self and Gambhir gave him adequate support. The lead became 123 runs in no time. With 2 days to go, the match seems to be in a good state of play - the Indians of course, are in a position to define a target of 350-400 runs in the next 2 sessions and have 4 sessions to dismiss the Bangladesh team. The Bangla team had made a strong statement about their capabilities in the first innings (thanks to Sehwag's pre-match statement) but the energies seem to have dried up in the second stint. Hopefully, they will be able to regroup tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the IPL-3 auction happened and the franchisees were able to spend their purses in picking up players in the auction.The Pakistan players were very hopeful of being selected for any team but it was not to be. The West Indies players like Pollard and Roach were the ones who were given high fees to be selected.
India have showed glimpses of their capability as a No.1 team in the world. They now have to expand on today's situation and do the necessary formalities to win the match. Weather might be the only factor that might delay or deprive the Indians.
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It was a team effort with all bowlers coming to the party and picking up wickets. The pace bowlers pitched the ball up and made batting difficult for the batsmen. Zaheer and Ishant, in particular, made the ball talk with their lengths. Sreesanth alternated with good balls, no-balls and 4-balls to complete an inconsistent performance. Amit Mishra came to the party also with tail-end wickets.
The batsmen came out with the intent of scoring a good total in the 2nd innings and the scoring rate reflected the approach. Sehwag was his usual self and Gambhir gave him adequate support. The lead became 123 runs in no time. With 2 days to go, the match seems to be in a good state of play - the Indians of course, are in a position to define a target of 350-400 runs in the next 2 sessions and have 4 sessions to dismiss the Bangladesh team. The Bangla team had made a strong statement about their capabilities in the first innings (thanks to Sehwag's pre-match statement) but the energies seem to have dried up in the second stint. Hopefully, they will be able to regroup tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the IPL-3 auction happened and the franchisees were able to spend their purses in picking up players in the auction.The Pakistan players were very hopeful of being selected for any team but it was not to be. The West Indies players like Pollard and Roach were the ones who were given high fees to be selected.
India have showed glimpses of their capability as a No.1 team in the world. They now have to expand on today's situation and do the necessary formalities to win the match. Weather might be the only factor that might delay or deprive the Indians.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
India suffers from over-confidence
Bangladesh are an ordinary side, said the vice-captain (till yesterday) and captain of this match, Virender Sehwag. This was very much reflective of the mood of the Indian team - bordering on the arrogance and a pinch of over-confidence. The Bangla players were hurt by these statements - they thought of taking silent revenge on the Indians.
When the Bangla captain won the toss, he elected to field. Wrong decision, said Sunil Gavaskar. Sehwag started off in his familiar fashion - the run-rate was more than 6 and India reached fifty very soon. The ball was talking but the openers were lucky to survive the odd danger and reach yet another fifty partnership.
After lunch, the Bangla bowlers started their tricks - especially Shakib Al Hasan and Shahadat Hossain. It was more themselves than the bowlers to be blamed.
Sehwag was taken aback by the pitch, Gambhir by the extra bounce, Dravid by the reverse-swing, Laxman by his one-second laxity, Yuvraj by his hestitation.
Sachin Tendulkar carried on, completing 13000 runs in the process and scoring yet another fifty in his career. Dinesh Karthik fell to the swing while Amit Mishra was dismissed by a well-directed yorker. The bowlers were chipping away ever so slowly. With Harbhajan Singh not playing in this match, the Indian spinners are under pressure to perform here - the ball is turning with bounce. Amit Mishra needs to come to the party and strike. The faster bowlers also have support on this pitch and it would be interesting to see how Ishant and Sreesanth support Zaheer.
At the end of the day, the bad light halted the charge but Sehwag must have got the message repeatedly throughout the day - the Bangladesh team is no more a pushover, not in their backyard.
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When the Bangla captain won the toss, he elected to field. Wrong decision, said Sunil Gavaskar. Sehwag started off in his familiar fashion - the run-rate was more than 6 and India reached fifty very soon. The ball was talking but the openers were lucky to survive the odd danger and reach yet another fifty partnership.
After lunch, the Bangla bowlers started their tricks - especially Shakib Al Hasan and Shahadat Hossain. It was more themselves than the bowlers to be blamed.
Sehwag was taken aback by the pitch, Gambhir by the extra bounce, Dravid by the reverse-swing, Laxman by his one-second laxity, Yuvraj by his hestitation.
Sachin Tendulkar carried on, completing 13000 runs in the process and scoring yet another fifty in his career. Dinesh Karthik fell to the swing while Amit Mishra was dismissed by a well-directed yorker. The bowlers were chipping away ever so slowly. With Harbhajan Singh not playing in this match, the Indian spinners are under pressure to perform here - the ball is turning with bounce. Amit Mishra needs to come to the party and strike. The faster bowlers also have support on this pitch and it would be interesting to see how Ishant and Sreesanth support Zaheer.
At the end of the day, the bad light halted the charge but Sehwag must have got the message repeatedly throughout the day - the Bangladesh team is no more a pushover, not in their backyard.
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