Equal series wins in limited overs in UK

The Indians were expected to easily win the two matches in Ireland, which they did easily. In England, they were facing a team that whitewashed Australia 5-0 in ODI series! The T20I series was first and the Indians pulled off a series win versus the hosts. Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur were tried out as new ball bowlers but the wrist spinners not only undid all their inexperience but also restricted the scoring and took important wickets at the right time.This did not stop India to lose their first ODI series under Kohli.

Image Courtesy: Cricinfo website

India pulled back things with a win in the T20I series to make it level. All over to the test series. Again, the weather has been good, ball is not doing anything in the air, wickets are perfect for batting. If it continues, India will outbat the hosts for a 2-1 series win. Any change in the brittle weather will alter the result. Virat Kohli & Ajinkya Rahane are the two batsmen who have to lead from the front, scoring a couple of centuries if India has to do well!The Indian team, for the last two series has lost the one who has got his name on the Lords Board - Praveen Kumar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The loss of Bhuvi will be more than that of Bumrah. Umesh Yadav and Isant Sharma should take the burden of the seam bowlers while Ashwin and Jadeja will be back. How will Kuldeep fit in is a question mark.Pandya is the all-rounder and the Indians must be feeling very confident to start the test series after the limited overs series!

After Afghan history, India are off to UKI

India finished the historic Afghanistan inaugural match in two days ( with their captain & main keeper injured). Post that, they have embarked on another tour to UK & Ireland ( where they lost badly 1-3, despite winning the first test). Legendary Tendulkar calls this as the most comprehensive bowling attack in years!Virat Kohli averaged less than 15 last time, making Jimmy Anderson take a jibe much before the tour was even planned ( though Anderson himself has not performed that well outside England)!

All in all, the series starts in Ireland with a T20I, followed by limited overs series ( giving time for the players to settle down!) There are reinforcements available from the A team, who are also in the same country playing well so far (Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Shubnam Gill, Shardul Thakur will fancy their chances in case of an emergency).

With good experience for all players in the team & bright, sunny weather this year, I expect the visitors to win 2-1. The ODI series will be well-fought as the hosts are No.1 in the world and have just white-washed the Aussies! Let us see what happens! Kohli & his men will be keen to show their mettle, after South Africa.

South Africa away tests - India strike back with a great win

If you wanted to know why they are called test matches, do save this one for quick reference. A test of patience, perseverance, technique, guts, temperament!! It was good to see the Indians not only come out on top but show the heart required to fight out on a pitch that the home team opener ( undefeated in the last innings) thought was dangerous to play! A great overseas win that is better than the one at Perth!

It was the match where India had nothing more to lose. The batting, bowling and fielding came to the party together. The selections were spot-on, with the errors ( Ajinkya  Rahane and Bhuvneshwar Kumar) rectified.  Bumrah and Shami stepped up with the ball (while Bhuvi was his usual consistent self) while Vijay & Rahane showed their class on such a nasty pitch ( Virat Kohli's runs were worth more than what the scorecard showed. It was a collective effort as everyone contributed in all the three areas. A great effort by the Indian team to go down valiantly in the test series - the next tour should see them reap greater rewards.

Image courtesy: ESPN Cricinfo website

Definitely a win that will shape this young team further! Watch out for the Indians!!

South Africa away tests - India lose to Ngidi

Lungi Ngidi was a debutant against the team ranked No.1 in the world, replacing a legend (Dale Steyn) in the second test of the series.But, he showed no nervousness versus the No.1 test side in the world. The Indians made some shocking team selections in the second test by dropping Bhuvneshwar Kumar to bring in Ishant Sharma. It is not sure what the impact will be on the players morale. Rahane has been sidelined so far in a similar manner, in favor of Rohit Sharma.

This move back-fired and the Indians lost the series with one test to go. Ishant was not a complete failure though - he did trouble the competition and picked wickets when it mattered, on a helpful pitch. Rohit just couldnt get going and clamors for Rahane got bigger from the fans.
While the Proteas were making the right changes and all the positive vibes were with them, the Indian ship seemed to be sinking! Virat Kohli made a majestic 150+ but when required, failed with the bat. Though the pitch was more like a sub-continent type, the Indians were skittled out by Ngidi fairly easily!

Image Courtesy: ESPN Cricinfo website

The match was made famous by the number of run-outs from both teams (Pujara dismissed twice run out was an ultimate disaster!). Ashwin picked up useful wickets that helped his bowling but more was expected in the second innings!While Pandya was great in effecting the runout of his bowling, his own runout was school-boy cricket, as Sunil Gavaskar said on air.

South Africa away tests - Indian batsmen lose way to bring their team down

In the first test match against South Africa, India played after NO practice games, only for their bowlers to lift the nation's hopes with a great display of seam bowling. Reduced to 12-3, the Proteans managed to post a respectable 286. Till then, the two surprise picks in the playing eleven had done well. Firstly, Jasprit Bumrah, had given a good performance with the ball (picking the wicket of the great AB De Viliers) while Hardik Pandya chipped with that of Faf du Plessis. Even Ashwin picked up two to finish off a great display by Indian bowlers.

Image Courtesy - espncricinfo.com website

The batsmen started in the evening of the first day and conditions looked they were easier, in comparison. The weather conditions was bright on Day 2 but the Indian dressing room was gloomy - the wickets were falling regularly to the quartet. Rahane was dropped to accommodate Rohit Sharma, based on current form - this pick didn't go as per form (as did Dhawan's inclusion over KL Rahul). The Indians gave a lead of 77 runs.  Thanks to a near-hundred by Hardik Pandya, the lead was manageable! Pandya rode his luck to take India to a respectable situation.If only, the others had shown similar guts and determination!!

The second innings saw the Indian team score five more runs than their rivals but the lead conceded was more than enough to lose the test match!

The bowlers showed they could do well overseas but the batsmen couldnt match them - Only if the two shine, India has a chance in this series!!

Sri Lanka home tests - India win but not as expected

After the brownwash in Sri Lanka, when the tourists came to India, all expected a repeat of the scoreline, but it was not to be! India won the series 1-0 as they couldn't take three wickets more in the first and five in the final test. But, they were consistently superior in all departments!! The lasting memory from the test series was the Delhi smog, not the batting or bowling!

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!

2016 West Indies Tour - India go up 2-0

India went up 2-0 in the mismatched series againt West Indies, even after baffling team selections (Dhawan and Rohit included at the expense of Pujara). Bhuvi was one exception to the rule who took five wickets to ensure the quick demise of Windies in the first innings. Ashwin scored yet another century while Saha decided to make one of his own. All in all, the Indians won another match and look set to wrap up 3-0 by next test.

Image Courtesy: espncricinfo.com

SAF 1st T20I - India lose depite putting up 200

The stats before the match started was surprising to me - India were leading the Proteans 6-2 in T20I matches. Wow! Really!! The long series started in Dharamsala and the pitch was more in favor of the South Africans rather than Indians - fair enough. The dew factor would have an effect but since the match started at 7PM local time, both teams would have an impact.

The Indian team batted first against a second-string South African bowling attack (Steyn and Morkel were rested due to the schedule mostly). While Rohit and Kohli smashed the bowling apart, the rest of the batting could not leverage further. The target was 200 which I thought was a tad lesser than what could have been, when Rohit was going great. India persisted with Rayudu (instead of Rahane) and though he didnt get many balls to face, I think he is not a T20I player. Time to look at options like Gurkeerat Singh Mann (who scored a double century in Ranji match) or Manish Pandey or even Sanju Samson. India needs a dasher if MSD is playing at No.4 - every team has one. Maxwell, Duminy, Morgan being examples of this genre.

India had a new left-arm new ball bowler after a long time - Sreenath Aravind. He, along with his new ball partner Bhuvneshwar Kumar, went for runs against the partnership of Amla and ABD. Ashwin, with his new-found confidence and ball-skills, pulled the team back with a run-out and dismissal of ABD. But JP Duminy bailed the team and brought them home.

The Indian team will come back on pitches that are more subcontinental than this one but it is important to learn the lessons from this match. The T20 bowling needs overhaul - Bhuvi is good with his yorkers while it was the first match for Aravind. Who is the other partner for Ashwin? Axar gave away the match with three consecutive sixes - is Harbhajan a better bowler in this format? If India wants to play Mishra in tests, better not to play him in the limited overs format. Who else then, after Ravindra Jadeja (who by the way is on his way to a ten-wicket haul in the first Ranji match)?

Sri Lanka series - ready to start

The Indo-Lankan series is ready to start after a long time. In fact, I did read that the Indian team has not won a series in Lanka for 22 years! It was probably Azhar who won the series with help of Sachin and Kumble in the team (the lone win was well-planned out by Indians). Even Ganguly and MSD could not achieve a win - wonder what the new permanent captain will do.

The Lankans are vulnerable this time after series defeat against Pakistan in multiple formats. The aging Sangakkara will play his last test match in this series and in my view, will hold the biggest challenge for Indians. If they can get him out quickly, the Indians will have a good chance to win the series.

The bowlers have done well in the warm-up match, especially Ishant Sharma. But who will the management pick as part of the playing eleven - Bhuvi and Umesh? Along with the three, two spinners will be picked and my suspicion is that it will be Harbhajan who will miss out.

The batting will be made of Dhawan, KL Rahul, Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane - Pujara seems to be out of favor at the moment with Rohit edging ahead. If Rohit cannot make runs in the first two tests, it will be back to Pujara.

Saha will have all three test matches to prove himself. Especially with his batting, Saha is one who has not contributed much. There are players like Samson, Uthappa are waiting in the wings.

If the rains do not disturb the series, India should edge Sri Lanka. But, it looks like rain will have the last say. My guess is that the series will be shared.

2015 World Cup - India are tested by West Indies

The Indian team wanted a stiffer test after their previous match against UAE. The West Indies team was well-relaxed before their match against India at Perth. Probably too well-relaxed, one thinks. The Indian team after the match had not tested their Bowling Plan B at all - what happens if one of their key bowlers get hit? How will Suresh Raina fare with the ball against well-set batsmen? No, not this day. They leave Australian shores after a long while for two matches in New Zealand but with their confidence sky-high.

The Indian captain had a good workout in the middle - he had to shepherd a chase that was not steep in terms of asking rate but could have been tricky with wickets lost. The top-order batsmen suffered a collapse but this is welcome in the early league matches rather than the vital knock-out ones. Also, the bouncy pitches are going to say good-bye to the tournament soon. It will be more of the MCG's and SCG's, if not the New Zealand turf for the Indian team next! 

Yes, couple of catches as well as half-chances were dropped. The complacency seems to be rearing its head but what the Indian team now needs is for their batsmen to flex their muscles after batting first - post a total of 350-400 in the next two matches and boost their Net Run Rate, even if it is not necessary. They have played very similar to the other group leader (New Zealand) so far. The bowling outshining the batsmen with one tricky low chase in the campaign - in fact, NZ had two (Australia and Scotland).

It might be worthwhile to give Shami and Ashwin a rest to try out Bhuvi and Axar for the next phases. Dhoni could skip one match to watch the team's performance but dont think this will happen.

2015 World Cup - India thrash UAE to consolidate lead

Mismatch. That is what happened at Perth between India and UAE. The Indians were far better than their opposition and even with their lead bowler sitting out for minor injury, they ran their Asian counterparts ragged. Bhuvi had the right opportunity to come in to the team to test his fitness levels while Ashwin and Jadeja proved that on a pacy pitch, you can expect spinners to take wickets as well.

Image courtesy: Cricinfo site

Ashwin has been bowling well in this tournament and he carried his good form against a set of players who had no clue. It was a headache for you to either feel good for the Indian victory or feel for the minnows who have met the Indian team thrice in thirty years! Rohit Sharma scored a fifty to feel good about his form as well - he was the only one to have missed out so far in this tournament (among the top five batsmen).

The Indians finished a clinical victory to consolidate their top spot with a healthy Net Run Rate. They still have to face West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe. While all will give them a good run for their money (unlike today), West Indies must be hoping that Gayle comes to the picture to upset India's party. India will stay on at the same venue, with a break that will give them good time to erase their niggles, if any. 

2015 World Cup - India's preparations so far

The Indians finished their preparations for the World Cup with a loss in the final ODI at Perth as well as the teaser for their uniform they will display (on top of the MCG).

There are couple of warm-up matches scheduled before the tournament starts officially, against Australia (8th Feb) and Afghanistan (10th Feb) at Adelaide. These two matches will serve the purpose of testing out the four players who are in doubt for the tournament (fitness issues) - Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. There are doubts about Ishant but only MSD will know what is real. Mohit Sharma and Dhawal Kulkarni who went for the tri-series are still with the team as per the latest news.

So, where are we in terms of preparations? Let us go through the team and see the plans that the Indian team might have:

1. Shikhar Dhawan - definitely will play the warm-up matches and first two ODIs (Pakistan at Adelaide and South Africa at MCG). Based on his performance, his future will be decided. Dhawan did well at Perth against a decent England bowling attack - a knock that will give him confidence going into the tournament.
2. Rohit Sharma - he will play as the opener whenever he is fit. It will be good to give him a work-out in the warm-up matches but will be key to the current team's fortunes.
3. Ajinkya Rahane - Back-up opener but could also potentially come one-down in case of an early wicket. He is much more technically sound than Rayudu and hence he will be the backup for No.3 slot
4. Virat Kohli - Dhoni seems to like Kohli lower the order in case Jadeja (or Ashwin or Binny) does not play. But, on initial look, it is certain that Kohli will be at No.3 when there is a good partnership at the top. Will he be always at No.3? Probably not (especially when a wicket falls early)
5. Suresh Raina - Raina has done well in recent times though the Tri-series saw just one good knock from him. Raina can be ideal to play in the latter overs and statistics also point that Dhoni is a better bet ahead of Raina. Will Dhoni come in to stabilize the innings while Raina is held back to blast the attack?  
6. Dhoni - The captain has not shown glimpses of his usual form recently. Will be good for him to have a break before he comes back to his own. His impending baby will also clear his mind for good. 
7. Rayudu - If Dhawan has to be dropped, Rahane goes up the order and Rayudu comes in his place. Hence, he will not be in the starting lineup but will be expected to play as soon as he gets an opportunity. Tough luck for the lad!
8. Binny - Stuart Binny has been the biggest bright spot to emerge out of India's performance in the tri-series. It is a no-brainer for Binny to be in the playing eleven. This gives India the luxury of playing two seamers and two spinners with Binny/Raina to bowl the other ten. He can open the bowling and shore the batting.
9. Jadeja/Ashwin - Jadeja has been rusty and hence he will be the biggest beneficiary of the warm-up matches. If he can recover to his prime form, India will have one less headache. Ashwin has gone down in the pecking order, lower than Axar because of his lack  of wickets in the ODI version. Though he is a better batsman than Axar, his fielding is a cause of worry.
10. Axar Patel - Axar bowled well in the Tri-series, showing that his performance on sub-continental pitches was not a fluke. He is a handy player only if he can lift his batting skills
11. Mohd Shami - Easily the best pace bowler on view in the Tri-series, Shami has been enjoying the stint in the shorter version after a mixed test series. He will lead the attack in the absence of Ishant (due to injury) but his performance will reflect on India's fortunes with the ball.
12. Ishant/Bhuvi/Umesh - Bhuvi should partner Shami in the Adelaide match to make use of the new ball but if Ishant is present, he might get the nod. If the pitches are helpful to the faster bowlers, expect Bhuvi and Ishant to be both present. Umesh Yadav has not shown any semblance of form and he is an insurance for the squad at this time.

With this situation, India will go into each match with an open mind and flexible plans to counter any situation. With the cool Dhoni at the helm, let us wish the Indian team all the best!

Do have a look at the 50 ODI victories that redefined Indian cricket.

Australia Tour Tri-series - England crush India

Binny came in for Ashwin and injured Rohit Sharma was replaced by Ambati Rayudu for the match against England at Brisbane. The Indians suffered a rare defeat against England on neutral venues - one of the worst defeats. But, Dhoni would say that the process is more important than the result. Here, the process seemed to be clear once again.

Dhoni is putting his boys through a tough test - putting his team in when he could have easily bowled after winning the toss on a helpful surface. Playing against the accurate English bowling on this surface is probably the best practice that he could get his team. Seeing the team performance, Dhoni must have got an idea of who is capable and who is not. I expect to see strategy changes for the World Cup based on this match.

Stuart Binny shone with the bat and then picked a wicket while opening the bowling. If one goes back to the last World Cup Down Under, the likes of Phil Simmons (probably same speed of Binny) did a great job opening the bowling. Binny and Bhuvi opening the bowling is going to be a good option if they can restrict the scoring with the new ball. Shami and Ishant then could bowl first change and make use of any reverse. With the spinners, Axar seems to have proved that he is as good as Jadeja and Ashwin but not in the similar mould while batting.

With two more matches in the tri-series and then maybe couple of warm-up matches, one should  foresee Dhoni tinker  with  more options even at the loss of few matches. Getting to know the strengths  and weaknesses is  probably the most important test now.

Australia Tour Tri-series - India lose to Australia in first match

The Indian team started their ODI series with a clear intention to finalize few remaining strategies for the forthcoming World Cup. Firstly, they wanted to figure out the key team member's form on Australian pitches and see how they would fare against the fearful Australian bowlers. Secondly, the team management wanted to check how the strategy of batting first (on winning the toss) would pan out. The think-tank would have also wanted to see how the fielding positions have to be planned out on large grounds with their bowling attack. Finally, they also wanted to see which combination would be the most ideal for the World Cup in different situations (opening, middle overs, death overs).

Hence, Dhoni elected to bat after winning the toss. Dhawan did not make use of the opportunity to open with Rohit by slashing at a wide ball from Starc within the first over. Rahane was sent in at No.3 giving him a similar feel of opening the batting. Rohit was going strong at one end despite not getting the strike as much as he would have liked to. Rahane got going with some good shots on both sides but got a bit too aggressive for his own liking. Kohli is not as effective batting first as he is when chasing a target -  today was no different.

Thanks to  Cricinfo for  this image

Kohli's wicket set the scenario for Rohit and Raina to set a partnership. Both did motor along nicely upping the scoring rate and preventing any further wicket loss. Till the batting PowerPlay when Raina holed out to  mid-on - the Indian team should plan well for this phase when they should bat normally and avoid any loss of wickets. Dhoni had to drop anchor because of Rohit's century first and then ensuring the loss of further wickets. But, he fell against the run of play followed by quick wickets at other end. All this led to a total that was probably 25-30 runs behind what was required. MSD has summed up his issue at the batting dead-end very nicely in his interview.

The Australian innings started off with both openers putting up a fifty stand before Yadav stuck. But, continuous partnerships for the second and third wickets meant that the asking rate was never a problem. India grabbed four quick wickets for 32 runs but it was too little too late. The bowlers were inconsistent but what was promising was the last 15 overs when the Indians defended with new resolve. Dhoni's message to the team during the last drinks break looked to have worked - the bowlers found the yorker-length while the fielders dived and caught everything. If only this was done earlier in the innings, the Indians might have been still able to squeak home.

All in all, a good start that could have been much better. Due to the absence of a tour game (removed because of Phil Hughes), the Indian team had to use this as a warm-up match. The next match should see the Indians stepping up a gear against the English team. The bowlers should be able to find the lengths that work in the  opening spell - Shami's injury concern might hamper the team.

Australian Tour 2014 3rd test - Kohli makes his name

Virat Kohli was just one of the new brigade before the 2014 Australian tour started. He had a bad series in England where he fared very badly. One of the positives of the hurriedly-organized Sri Lanka ODI series was the return of Kohli's form. But, would he succeed Down Under?

Today, the entire Australian team is baying for his blood. Commentators are talking about his game. The media goes gaga about him. His girlfriend as well as his rival fast bowler get kisses equally. Kohli does not get fazed with the attention his opponents give on the field (lip-service) and off-field (planning his downfall). In the first test of this series, he scored twin centuries proving that captaincy did not affect his game. Despite his failures in the second test, Kohli was the sought-after wicket for the Aussies. After the Melbourne test, his series aggregate was one less than half a thousand runs with one test to play. If Steven Smith is in a league of his own, Kohli is in a similar league.

Picture Courtesy - Cricinfo

The test was not all about Kohli for the Indians - Ajinkya Rahane played an equal role in both innings though he might have scored less with runs and attention from media and opponents. His role in dismantling Mitchell Johnson's aura in this match was equally effective. His pulls and hooks in this match were a treat to watch.

Another player who impressed everyone was Murali Vijay. He may not have scored a century here but he was calm and composed. Vijay was instrumental in getting a good start (even though not in terms of runs) that could be capitalized by Kohli and Rahane. He was unfortunate to get a bad decision in the second innings.

Vijay, Kohli and Rahane will form the fulcrum of the Indian batting in future. Pujara, with all his overseas failures, should be able to make the necessary adjustments to join them. This then will become the new vintage, as MSD called them recently. If only Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and KL Rahul provide them adequate support, the Indian team will have a strong force to reckon with.

With the bowling, the Indian attack (should we call them so?) failed in the first innings to give away yet another 500+ score, As well as capitalizing on the top order weaknesses they could not penetrate the lower order. The bowling was much better on fourth day but the team could pick only nine wickets only. Overall, the bowlers were lacking in consistency - delivering a four-ball every over to release the pressure. Only Ishant and to an extent Ashwin were consistent throughout the match. It seemed like Dhoni missed the accuracy of Bhuvi throughout the match. How hard he must be wishing for an allrounder?

The batting this series has been a contrast - solid in the first innings while scoring 400+ in each test (the first time the Indian team has scored after the great 2003 series) but brittle in the second. They did score 300 in the first test while chasing a difficult target but the meltdown in second test cost them the match and the series. Here, the last day was difficult even though they had only 70 overs to survive (un-Australian decision to play the first session on fifth day) - MSD and Ashwin managed to play out 12 overs and thus get a draw for the first time in 13 tests (last drawn match was in Delhi, October 2008).

Next up is Sydney. The Indian team have an option to play two spinners - bring in Axar Patel in place of woeful Rahul and shore up their bowling to take 20 wickets. Anyway, the batting is being done by the top five players. The bowling will get more teeth and Axar's control might be the one weapon missing in Dhoni's armory. If Bhuvi is fit and available, he will be the person to replace Shami.

WI 2014 ODIs - India start with a huge loss

West Indies are the new Sri Lanka. Remember the times when Sri Lanka used to be playing India every other day? It is now West Indies and thus the latest tour has started with a set of ODIs. India A teams managed to easily defeat the tourists, just like how everyone had expected the ODI series to go. But, the result was not what everyone had expected!

Marlon Samuels was back to his favorite hunting ground - a country where he has scored tonnes of runs and an attack that he prefers any day. He made sure that this chance would not be lost. The Windies management had come up with bizarre pairing at the top where the IPL regular Dwaynes (Smith and Bravo) opened the batting. Though there was not much success at the top, Samuels and Ramdin exposed the Indian bowlers to the hilt. Runs were easy against a team that seemed to be still struggling to cope up. The Champions League had ended recently and thus the team was not gelling well.

The Indian bowlers (especially Ravinder Jadeja who has bowled 246 overs over the last year, Shami and Bhuvi) looked jaded and tired. Their bowling workload has been very high (without including the bowling in test matches) and they should be given the same treatment as Ashwin - a good rest. Otherwise, they will surely burn out. These three have the highest workload from Indian bowlers in all international matches, in fact.

The Indian batsmen were expected to chase down the target with ease. But, it was not to be. Why? A combination of factors. Though the openers started well, the subsequent batsmen failed to consolidate. Virat Kohli's poor form (and technique) continued here as well - the Windies pacemen had done their homework very well and his failure outside the off hampered the Indians. There were rare failures for MSD and Suresh Raina - this meant that the brittle lower order was exposed. The tail looked longer than normal in this match and when wickets fell early, the match was destined to end early.

Shikhar Dhawan was the lone bright spot in the Indian innings but he did not look comfortable in his stint at  the crease. Of course, from the rigors of the English tour (with tough pitches and expert bowlers), Dhawan would have relished the Windies bowling. With the bowlers not giving him enough width, Dhawan ensured that he gritted out to help his team chase.

Let us hope in the next set of matches, the Indian team will raise its form further and win the series.

England Tour 2014 ODIs - India win series after 1990

Despite calls to experiment, India took the field today in a mood to dominate the series like never before. There were few points remaining to be ticked from the Indian perspective - the opening combination in both batting and bowling were the key areas. The players responded in telling fashion at Birmingham. The match was finished with 117 balls and 9 wickets to spare. Imagine what had happened just before the ODI series had started. Obviously, colored clothing transforms the Indians into tigers!

The match started with Bhuvneshwar Kumar making use of conditions that are favorable to him. Dhawal Kulkarni, making his debut, was given the new ball but probably nerves got the better of him. He gave away runs at the other end that were releasing the pressure to some extent. MSD immediately made changes to ensure that Shami and Bhuvi not only regained control but took three quick wickets. It was as though Indian bowlers could do no wrong. Just when they were tiring came the lengthy partnership between Root and Morgan.

The Indian spinners then took over and struck regularly. Suresh Raina excelled both with the ball as well as catching to ensure that the pressure continued to remain on the England side. But for some attacking batting by Moeen, the English should have bowled out for a paltry score. The boundaries were dried up by some pointed bowling coupled with smart fielding (the fielding was probably the best in recent ODIs). 173 dot balls out of 297 bowled reflects the stranglehold the Indian bowlers had over their rivals. Similarly, the entire innings saw 16 boundaries (3 sixes in them) - the English could neither rotate the strike nor hit the long boundaries. The result was an easily chasable 207.

Rahane used to open but plays in the middle-order. Rohit Sharma's injury has given him the option to play higher in the order - a good move for India by which they could spot a replacement opener in case Rohit or Dhawan continue to fail. Today, Dhawan came good as well (to be fair, the pitch did not do anything at all) with an almost-century. Rahane's silken touches were great to see but what would have made the Indian fan the most happy would have been the four boundaries off Anderson. Anderson's failure (because of continuous matches in the summer) is one of the reasons why England have not been able to put pressure on the Indians. Once the new balls were seen off, the Indians just changed gears and never looked back. At the end, it was just embarrassing for the English fans to watch. The Indians won a bilateral ODI series in England after 1990 with MSD becoming the best Indian captain (with highest number of wins).

In the next match, these are the changes that India should go with

1. Sanju Samson for MS Dhoni
2. Virat Kohli as captain, Suresh Raina as vice-captain
3. Karn Sharma for Ravindra Jadeja
4. Umesh Yadav for Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Will they do this and tick another box in testing their bench-strength? I think they will try this. What do you say?

England Tour 2014 - India starts its ODI sojourn...now what?

The Indian team for the ODI leg of its English tour was announced during the test series. Quite a few new faces, which in hindsight (after the test series), is a good idea so that fresh energy can be inducted into a squad that is feeling the effects of a long series.

The squad is as follows:
Openers - Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane (in case Dhawan's poor form continues). From the current thinking, I feel that Dhawan will be given the warm-up match (on 22nd against Middlesex) as well as first two ODI's to prove his form. If he continues to fail, Rahane will open the batting with Rohit. I feel that Rohit will get all the five matches, especially as he received only one opportunity in the test series. The openers will have their technique tested against the in-form English bowlers (even though Stuart Broad has been rested from this series). Rahane will get a chance to play in the opening position only, as there are other options in the middle.

Middle-order batsmen - Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Sanju Samson, MS Dhoni. Kohli will be the focus of all during this series, especially since this is a format he has excelled in recent times - an average of 50+ in ODI's and 45+ in England ODI's (though it has been helped by the matches during Champions Trophy) will be tested thoroughly. If he can regain some of his image that he lost during the test series, he will end the tour a relieved man. Raina will bring in the energy and fielding expertise into the squad that was missing in the last few matches (as well as bowling few key overs during the slog). It will be interesting to see Rayudu and Anderson against each other (for they are built of the same cloth!). Samson should get few chances to test him against high-quality bowlers but at the moment, the Indian team's motive is to win the series (which means that he might be on the reserves mostly).

Bits and pieces players (not exactly all-rounders) - Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Karn Sharma, Stuart Binny, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (on the basis of the just concluded test series). Bhuvi should be brought back (if required) only after the first three matches - he should be merely a tourist till then. That is the minimum the Indian team management can reward him with. Jadeja and Ashwin will start while Karn and Binny will be the back-up after the initial set of matches for poor form.

Pace bowlers - Mohammed Shami(29 ODIs), Mohit Sharma (8 ODIs), Umesh Yadav (31 ODIs), Dhawal Kulkarni. Inexperience is written all over this squad, especially the bowlers (even in ODI scenario). Shami seems to be struggling (based on reports) and hence he might not star in the lineup. Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma will be the likely duo who will open the bowling based on their exploits in recent days. Kulkarni can be a handful in these conditions but his pace will be almost the same as Bhuvi (35 ODIs). Umesh will provide the extra pace but will it be enough?

Based on the pitches and weather conditions (Bristol, Cardiff, Nottingham, Birmingham and Leeds will host the matches), the Indian team's performance will vary. Of course, Ravi Shastri's recent appointment will see the Indian team in a different light (hopefully better one). Dhoni will be back in his best form in a format that he relishes - revenge will definitely be on his mind but does he have the arsenal to attack as well as the mind to challenge? That will dictate the results of the ODI series.

England Tour 2014 - Did India deserve this thrashing?

The Indian team had beaten the home team at Lords after 28 years – one wonders whether the team started celebrating it immediately. As Akash Chopra pointed out in his column, John Wright reinstated the fact that the series was not completed when the Indians were in a similar position during his reign. The reason why I am asking the question was because of the laidback attitude that was visible in this test match. The team had taken a 1-0 lead and it seemed fine if they lost this test match. They could come back as they knew what it took to win a match in England now. Or was it another reason? Fatigue. The team was playing its third match in a row and most of the bowlers, especially, had put in long overs thanks to Dhoni’s refusal to use the fifth bowler (with or without help from the conditions). The team could have been exhausted from the first two test matches.

Let us go through the performances of the players then. There are 2-3 players on the bowling and batting who have been consistently failing, poor form or otherwise. They don’t have runs or wickets to show against their name. Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli on the batting front and Shami, Jadeja on the bowling side. I am expecting three changes to happen in the next test – MSD has given all of them three chances to prove themselves and such a crushing victory demands changes. Gambhir to come in for Dhawan and Ashwin for Jadeja. If Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is injured, Shami will retain his position in the team and we will have Varun Aaron in his place. If not, Shami will be replaced by Aaron. It is time for Ashwin to be unleashed and I have a feeling that the English batsmen will not be too comfortable against the offie at Manchester.

Dhawan and Vijay have not added a fifty partnership in a long time and that is a cause of concern. Gambhir may not be in a better frame of mind (nor form) but is a good option to have at this time. On the other hand, Kohli must be realizing why Laxman was given all those chances during the last tour when he was in the wings. He must realize that the team has been rallying behind him – he has to come good sooner than later. The stars of the series so far have clearly been Vijay and Rahane with the bat. Rahane scored 50s but he needs to take more strike in order to avoid getting stuck – he has been guilty of such situations in recent instances. But, what must be irritating MSD must have been the starts the batsmen had, that were not converted to a bigger score. Will Rohit Sharma play in another game? Dhoni will let him play the last three matches – time for Rohit to show his talent once again. Otherwise, there will be claims to oust him for the next series Down Under. The fact that the Indians presented six wickets to Moeen Ali must be haunting all of them – it will continue to do so for a while.

Among the bowlers, Bhuvi was clearly not fit but managed to grab few wickets. Jadeja’s bowling has been laid threadbare and there is no way that he can continue to command a place for the rest of the series (ahead of Ashwin). Pankaj was unlucky workhorse though one can say that he didn’t demonstrate anything spectacular during his stints with the ball. He is as tall as Ishant but pace is not good enough to trouble the batsmen like the latter would. Times have changed so much that Ishant’s absence is lamented by all Indian fans – wow! With him being not available for Old Trafford test (and Anderson getting a let-off at the enquiry), India is again at the mercy of the rejuvenated English team. Will they manage to draw, if not win, the series? It looks unlikely as of now. If they can change their attitude, that will be a good start.