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Session-dashboard - Tracking Test Matches as they progress.
Tracking T20 run-chases in an innovative manner - See here.
News all over the world, especially the sports variety, is about Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement from ManU. Amazing record for 26 years at the club from the veteran. Hold on! I am not going to write about football now...the question that I wanted to ask you was who is cricket's version of SAF?
Quite a few names come to mind - Bob Woolmer, Duncan Fletcher, Intikhab Alam, John Wright and so on.
From the current crop, Gary Kirsten has the credentials to claim credit to the title. Twice he has coached countries to the No.1 position in tests, won the World Cup 2011 with India. Not something that others has achieved - only complaint is that he doesnt stick on to his position for a long time :(
In IPL, Stephen Fleming has done a remarkable job for Chennai SuperKings (winning IPL and Champions League) while Darren Lehmann has won the IPL twice for different teams (though his team has been struggling for the last 2 versions).
There is obviously no one who has gone on for so long but these are the few names that come to mind. What do you say?
It might be early to herald the demise of Indian cricket, with three days to go in the ongoing 3rd test match against England. But, that is inevitable looking at the performance of the two teams in the test match - other than half a session when MS Dhoni and Praveen Kumar were fighting back against the English attack, the Indian team has been listless throughout. The Indian team resembles a boxer who has lost two close rounds and has run completely out of steam in the third. The team seems to be going through the motions, just waiting for wickets to fall by chance.
Noted commentator, Henry Blofeld, explains in his own way India's fall from grace. Sachin & Co. have not done well in the series so far while the juniors also have not put their hands up. Can we blame the younger players like Abhinav Mukund, Suresh Raina? No, for they have never had a chance to work on pitches and conditions like these, let alone a team like England at their prime. The current Indian team is a mirror reflection of the English team that toured India in 1992-93 (which was comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Anil Kumble and gang). England should prove themselves on the sub-continent to prove that they can stay on top for a longer period but that is a story for another day.
Harsha Bhogle, meanwhile, talks about three players (Harbhajan, Yuvraj and Zaheer) who are at crossroads. But the problem is not limited to these 3 alone - where is the next generation players and what are the opportunities provided to them? An odd tour to Australia for the Emerging Tournament is what one sees regularly - where is the once famous 'A' tours? Why is BCCI not arranging them? Is it because there is no money to be made there?
The Indians were lucky in many ways to reach the pinnacle in test cricket as well as the World Cup win in ODIs. None of this was achieved by strategic planning by the BCCI. Gary Kirsten, MSD and other senior players planned the triumphs despite the bureaucratic organization that runs the sport. The fact that the ODI World Cup was played in the sub-continent meant that strengthening the batting department was a sure-shot path for success.
Similarly, the test team saw the nucleus remain the same for a long period without any planning for injuries or illnesses (I am not even talking about the retirement of the 3 stars in the Indian lineup). Sourav Ganguly has retired for quite a while now but his replacement position has been filled by Yuvraj, Raina, Pujara. During the current series, Sehwag and Gambhir (for 2nd test) were not available and what did the Indian team do? Go back to Rahul Dravid and the young batsman with no experience of these conditions.
Are there any others on the horizon we can look at?
In the opening department, other than Murali Vijay and Mukund, Ajinkya Rahane is the only other name that comes to mind. 3 names from a two-tier Ranji format - does it not say loudly that there is something drastically wrong here?
Similarly, in the middle-order, there is (as Harsha says, a coalition group of ministers) Cheteshwara Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma other than Raina. How many of these can stand up and say confidently that they can face the 90mph pace with ease? Look at Manish Pandey - a youngster who showed his talent in one Ranji season but the IPL bandwagon make his head spin around and go on journeys where money mattered more than everything else.
The wicket-keeping duties when MSD is not available is being rotated between W Saha and Parthiv Patel. Dinesh Karthik has fallen away in form and hence not on the nearest horizon.
During the last series against South Africa, J Unadkat and U Yadav were among the trio of bowlers on tour. Today, they are in Australia playing the Emerging Tournament along with Vinay Kumar and Varun Aaron. Where is Ashish Nehra who had mentioned that he would be available for test matches after World Cup was over? RP Singh was not deemed suitable for the Emerging Tournament but gets called when Zak is ruled out of the series.
The spin department shows similarly lack of riches - what happened to the Spin Academy that was launched by the BCCI? Why are we going back to Harbhajan for all overseas tours? If there is no one else suitable, why not go back to the good old Murali Karthik.
After this series, the Windies will tour India (possibly without Gayle again) and get beaten comprehensively in Indian conditions. All the outpour of today will be forgotten till the next overseas tour - this case, the Australian sojourn. No point in blaming the new coach Duncan Fletcher and captain MS Dhoni - it is the BCCI who has to show some sense in planning for the future. Will the BCCI consultants, Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar, stand up and do something for the country or are they happy to pocket the crores given by the organization?
After India won the 2011 World Cup, MS Dhoni seems to be in news all over the place - for good reasons. His match-winning performance in the final when the team required it desperately, has won praise from all quarters. Other than the batting, his captaincy that ensured his dream became true, has made several players his fan. Rewards are pouring in from everywhere and he seems to be covered on road (Hyundai), train (Railways), air (Kingfisher). But, monetary rewards are not what MSD will look forward to - he has enough in his bank and more to come from future engagements. How did the yesteryear greats rate him?
First, it was Sachin Tendulkar who praised MSD as the best captain he had played under, for his sharp mind and calm demeanor. Sourav Ganguly also rated Dhoni as the greatest Indian captain in all three formats - high praise from a person whose record is not bad as the leader. Ian Chappell, known for his captaincy skills, also mentioned that Dhoni was among the greats like Imran Khan, Arjuna Ranatunga and Mark Taylor - with moderate attacks, he was able to steer his team to the title (his performance in the final being the icing on the cake). The person himself, was pleased to hear from Sachin and said that he was also trying to serve the country like Tendulkar - the words he uses in the press conference gives an insight to the person. He so easily could have spoken about breaking records (if that is possible) about longevity or on the batting front but he was more concerned about serving the country - very humble indeed.
TOI has done an exciting analysis about the personalities of the Indian players - MS Dhoni falls in Type 3 (Virat Kohli also of similar type). The description given is so true of Dhoni
Optimistic, adaptable, success-oriented, self-assured, and charming. They can also be status-conscious and highly driven for advancement. They are diplomatic and poised, but can also be overly concerned with their image and what others think of them. Consequently, they can be impatient and image-driven. They seek to be loved for performance and achievement. Masters at appearances-they are able to recover quickly from setbacks and charge ahead to the next challenge, staying informed, knowing what's going on, competent and able to get things to work efficiently and motivate others.
This is as good an analysis of Dhoni as one can be. Doesn't this say a lot of the person and how he reacts on and off the field? If that was not enough - look at how Gary Kirsten rates Dhoni as a captain?
He leads by example. He always gives the team a 100% of his effort and his energy. He never loses his temper. He is a great strategist. He has got fantastic ideas on the field. And he canvasses opinions and then he makes his own assessments. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with him. I think he takes that responsibility full-on on the field. He expects the coach to take the responsibility to prepare the team for him, and he leaves that to me 100%. We really combine well in terms of our dual responsibilities as leaders of the team.
Again, great words from the outgoing coach. Some insights into the man that one does not get to see in public. It is high time, he became the subject of a management topic - so much has been achieved by the team with him at the helm in such a short time. No wonder, he is the darling of the nation.
Imran Khan remarked that there are captains and there are leaders, MS Dhoni is a Leader. Period.
Dean Jones had commented that MS Dhoni must have been dreaming if he thought that he could win the World Cup with this team. MSD not only dreamt the World Cup win but also planned very well to execute his dream at Mumbai. April 2nd will now appear in the same league as June 25th (in 1983).
The country has not stopped celebrating two days after the final was won by the Indians. The news-channels were talking about the victory to the players, celebrities, politicians and whoever else they could lay their hands on. Looks like this is going to be a long party for now.
Dhoni will realize that all the hoopla around the win will die down quickly and life will be back to normal in a week's time (when IPL4 starts). But, this is his and the team's moment of glory - they have deservedly won the World Cup by beating most of the teams that mattered - Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan (all from the opposite group, coincidentally) - in the Knock-out matches. Though they lost to the Proteas in the group matches, one can argue that it was a group match and also that they lost in the last over. A tie against England was the other result that they would probably have liked to better.
Back to the captain then - all the tournament, he was being chided for one reason or the other. Whether it was for supporting Piyush Chawla or bringing on Ashish Nehra for the last over against South Africa or not selecting Ashwin until the last group match or promoting Yusuf Pathan higher the order. All these moves probably did not work but it was a matter of time when Dhoni's tactics started working. As mentioned earlier, it takes courage to admit that he made a mistake and that was exactly what MSD mentioned about his selection of Nehra over Ravichandran Ashwin in the semis. Similarly, his selection of Sreesanth and promotion of himself in the final were tricks that worked well in the final result.
His batting was not upto his high standards and that was good enough for all to criticize him - to be frank, most of the matches he batted in the earlier stages, there was no time to settle down. Yes, he failed in the critical stage against Australia and Pakistan but Dhoni knew that the big knock was around the corner. For a man who was the No.1 in ODI rankings, it was a matter of having the time at crease that would bring back the runs.
Dhoni was quick to thank the golden quartet of Indian cricket - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble - for the transformation that has happened. The sense of the occasion was not lost to the young captain. MSD knows that his team is now responsible to pass the baton to the next generation and continue the Indian domination of cricket for time to come. Dhoni has more examinations that will come his way - hurdles that will test the true character of the team and himself. As Geoff Boycott mentioned in one of the shows, for the next four years wherever the team goes, they will be called as the ICC World Champions.
How the team will deliver under the continuous pressure of the crown will determine the amount of time they will stay on top. One thing is for sure, they have a captain who knows exactly what steps to take further now. Dhoni may not be with his coach, Gary Kirsten, any longer but the lessons learnt during the association will come of use. He will have to see the retirements of the legends (Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman) do not impact the Indian team - this will be the next biggest challenge on hand. Knowing Dhoni, he will relish the challenge and come up with his own path to tackle it.
India vs Sri Lanka in competitions that have more than 5 teams - Sri Lanka heads the count 8-7. A very close statistic that does not convey much.
India vs Sri Lanka in World Cup - India have won their contests against Sri Lanka in 1999 (England) and 2003 (Sri Lanka) but lost their battles in 1979, 1996 (twice), 2007. One match was washed out (1992). 4-2 for Sri Lanka once again.
Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar, the best umpires in world cricket, will officiate in the World Cup final. How has India fared when Taufel officiated? 21-24 - not so favorable, though the Indians won the last match he stood in. How has India fared when Aleem Dar officiated? 11-9. The only match both officiated was in Johannesburg when India played West Indies. Verdict - India won.
Record of Lasith Malinga against India is not so great - 18 wickets in 18 matches with an average of 45+, Economy of 5.6+ and a strike rate of 47 balls per wicket.
Record of Muralitharan against India is the worst compared to his numbers against all other nations - average of 31+ and a strike rate of 44 balls per wicket. His best in ODI though came against India in Sharjah.
In the current edition, what has been the performance of the two teams in batting and bowling?
In the bowling department, Sri Lanka have six in the Top-50 bowlers in the tournament - Muralitharan, Malinga, Dilshan, Ajantha Mendis, Perera, Angelo Mathews. India have four in the Top-50 - Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh. 1 five-wicket haul for both teams while Sri Lanka have one more four-wicket haul than India's one.
If you can dream it, you can achieve it - so goes the saying. Yuvraj Singh had dreamt about beating Australia in a crucial game - today, he had a chance to make history and how he went about it. From the beginning of the World Cup, he has been going from strength to more strength every match. This knock once again highlighted the mental toughness for which he is usually not given much credit actually. As he mentioned in the press conference, the decision to play straight and on the ground helped him put up partnerships with the others.
Not just Yuvraj Singh, almost all the top seven batsmen made crucial contributions to the score - creating partnerships that helped move the score along while the batsmen were getting comfortable on a pitch that obviously was to the strength of the Indians. Sachin and Sehwag started briskly to make sure that the early threats of Lee and Tait were seen through. Even though Viru did not make a big score, he had helped the scoring rate a very healthy one and pushed the Oz skipper to start making quick bowling changes.
Yes, Sachin Tendulkar did walk again today. But, not many will talk about it since the nick was heard by most. After creating history by scoring 18000 runs (Motera's affinity towards history came to the fore again), Sachin was in such good form that one could see he was determined to stay till the end. The feet were moving so quickly even before the ball was delivered and the boundaries were coming along easily. One of the good balls bowled by Tait consumed him that might have given him a lump in his throat - the latter batsmen were good enough to keep his dream continue for another match. One could see his enthusiasm come to the fore in the morning itself when he decided to bowl after a long time - in fact, he spun one delivery that would have made Shane Warne proud.
Gambhir made another half-century in the busy way he goes about, scoring in singles and the odd boundary. Jumping out to spinners and pacers, he was able to keep the required run rate below six throughout. He must have gained inspiration from his fellow partner (Sehwag) of giving 3 opportunities in the space of 5 balls - bizarre running ended his innings that once again looked good to go the distance. Kohli, as well, started well and was motoring well when he tried to tonk a full toss from Hussey to mid-wicket.
Suresh Raina was one potentially controversial selection in the morning but by the end of the day, turned out to be a master-stroke. One was a bit confused why he did not get a bowl in the morning but that would not matter in the end result. It was going to be tough for him with the trio of Johnson, Lee and Tait operating for the Australians. Short balls were going to be the order of day and he was suspect. But, it looks like he has worked out a strategy with Gary Kirsten that would work, even though right now only on the subcontinental pitches. The pull shot was used frequently and the singles were taken to keep the pressure down. The Oz players tried their usual tactics of needling him but Yuvraj kept talking to him to keep his cool.
Overall, the Indian team played with a passion that was not seen before. The fielding display was the best that they had put up so far in the tournament, as Dhoni acknowledged. One sample was the dives that Ashwin put in on the boundary line to save boundaries. The players were apparently given Sachin's best knocks before the match - no wonder all of them were charged up for the match. If they continue with the same form, the Cup is not too far away.
In the morning, Dhoni started with Ashwin and it was clear that there was ample turn for the spinners. Though the Indian team did not run through the Oz lineup, they grabbed wickets regularly to thwart a launch against putting up a big score. MSD rotated his bowlers and brought in non-regulars like Sachin and Kohli to make up for Munaf's quota. If not for Ponting or the late assault of David Hussey, the target would have been probably less than 200. Zaheer, as has been his wont, came back in the second spell to take crucial wickets. Harbhajan bowled well without taking wickets - after Ashwin's presence in the team, Bhajji's bowling seems to have improved slightly. Yuvraj has been spectacular with the ball as he has been in the tournament - flighting the ball and getting decent purchase.
For the Aussies, Watson and Haddin gave a good start but could not sustain against some good bowling by the spinners. Ponting was the lone batsmen who gritted out in the searing heat, scoring a century after donkeys years. How this loss will affect him remains to be seen - will he be part of the team as a captain? Hussey was outfoxed by Zak and it was left to his younger brother to get a decent score on the board - eventually not enough for them.
India next takes on Pakistan in the semi-finals - a great match that will keep the subcontinent on their toes. I had predicted them to meet up in the quarters but some twists in the tale meant that they are meeting one stage later. Hope the next prediction I made (India vs Sri Lanka in the semi-finals) also goes the same way - India meeting the co-hosts in Mumbai in the finals! The Indians have the talent and today they showed their character to win the Cup - no wonder they are back as favorites once again.
As one read the article about Gary Kirsten in IE, it gives a lot of insight into the coach and his skills on the ground. This text stands out for me.
“You can ‘go with the flow’ if that is your preferred option, and I’m happy with that. But if the ‘flow’ is going against you, then it does no harm to rethink your approach. I’m happy for players to rethink their careers by themselves, if they prefer to, but I’m here to assist if they require me. And also Paddy (Upton, mental conditioning coach) is there all the time, too.”
It is such a neat way to deal with players, especially so with the stars that man the Indian team.
But, I think, it is time that Paddy and Kirsten now take a session to find out what is going wrong with the Indian team - a team cannot slump in their batting so miserably twice (England and South Africa). The players did not seem to be having any plan in their mind, where to hit the ball or whether to give the strike to the non-striker. The lower order (last four bowlers) with the bat, if one looks at the statistics here, average 1 run per wicket - a grand total of nine runs in eight innings!!! This is ridiculous numbers, even if you are playing for the associates.
The other article in IE about Dhoni's twelve is so true. Surely, MSD must be thinking how to have Raina and Kohli both in his team during fielding. But, here is where I find it interesting. In both matches that India have not won, Kohli has not been able to get going. This role is better when played by Raina than Kohli. In the form that you see the top three in, there are going to be lesser opportunities where Virat has to shore up the batting. Why not play Raina in his place? He is the best player to play the PowerPlay overs. Dhoni prefers his CSK team-mate to Yusuf (with the ball) during slog overs.
What do you think about this? Should Dhoni's team-mates from SuperKings (Raina and Ashwin) come in to the next playing eleven? Let me know.
India will go in to this World Cup as one of the overwhelming favorites to win - not something that has happened regularly in the history of the Cup. The fact that it is happening at their backyard is another boost to the team that will, I feel, relish playing with the crowd support.
More reasons why I feel India has a good chance -
All the team members are determined to do well for the sake of their favorite Paaji in the dressing room. Sachin Tendulkar is playing his sixth and last World Cup (there is no guarantee that this is the last but looks like the realistic option) - he has mentioned earlier that the Cup win is one that is not on his illustrious CV.
With respect to the team, whatever questions MS Dhoni might have had, were answered during the South Africa tour. The team looks very settled even though it has been sometime since they played with a full-strength team.
The groupings for India seems to be comfortable with the match against Bangladesh key to move forward to the next stage (even if they lose all the other matches against the other test-playing conditions) - they will definitely move past their last Cup performance.
3 of the 11 hard-hitting batsmen in this tournament to watch, are from the Indian team - the brute along with the brains of SRT and MSD is definitely a potential to reckon with.
A good strategy for the PowerPlay as well as the usage of Yusuf Pathan would be key to India's success.
The current Indian team has the best overall experience in ODIs compared to the other teams playing in this tournament. This will prove crucial at junctures when composure and temperament comes into play.
The crowd will play as the twelfth man in all Indian matches - this will be more than enough to demoralize the opposition.
MS Dhoni needs to work on his toss however - barring that, I feel the Indians are prepared to do their best after 28 years. What do you think?
After India finished the year 2010 successfully by winning the Durban test, my wishes for 2011 have increased. There are quite a few accomplishments I would like India to achieve in the New Year:
First would be the Ongoing test series - India should win the final test match against the Proteans and win their first series there.
India travel to West Indies, England and Australia. The last time they visited the same countries, they have won in WI and England while they lost in a controversial series in Oz. If they can repeat the performances in the first two tours while winning the one Down Under, that would be really great news
India host West Indies also in the New Year. Considering the opponents position and (in)experience, it will be a surprise if there is a result less than 2-0 (for India)
Sachin Tendulkar will score 15,000 runs very soon, considering the form he has been in the last one year. He will retire from ODIs after guiding the Indian team to victory in WC2011 to focus on test matches for the next few years
Harbhajan Singh will reach the milestone of 400 wickets very soon - quite a landmark considering the fact that there are not many Indians who have taken so many
Rahul Dravid makes a graceful exit by playing his last series in England and topping the runs scored
VVS Laxman starts making contributions in First Innings of test matches so that he is not required to bat in the Second Innings
Sehwag stops falling to spinners and left-arm pace bowlers after dominating the bowling completely
India agrees to play test cricket with UDRS in place for all their test matches
Sreesanth stops fighting with rival batsmen - he focuses his attention on his pace and bowls regularly at speeds of more than 145kmph
While Corrie van Zyl remarked that "Record books don't lie" pointing the unimpressive performance of the Indians in SA, Gary Kirsten spoke about the strides made by the Indian team in the near future - "If you look at our performances and results over the past two years you can understand why we are the number one team"
Corrie is assuring the team that IPL or CLT20 experiences will not help the Indian team - he tries to play his mind-games by saying that the pitches will help his bowlers. This does not come as a surprise, considering the fact that the Proteas will have three pace bowlers (+ Kallis) to target the Indians. He must be relieved that his major batsmen, Amla and Smith, have been cleared to play in the series.
Sreesanth is in the team once again and raring to go or in his words, ready to fly. Will he walk the talk is to be seen? If he does, it will be a big boost to the Indian team on this tour.
Rahul Dravidwarned the Proteas that if they prepared green-top pitches, it would back-fire on the hosts as the Indian team had a good bowling attack, probably better than their rivals. Zaheer, Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma will mostly be the line-up for the first test for India. Zaheer has done well on earlier tours while Sreesanth was instrumental in the lone win that India had on the last series. Adding Ishant Sharma to this pair makes the Indian bowling quite strong.
This is also the reason that made ex-captain Clive Rice of South Africa comment that India's attack is better. He is also wary of the knowledge that is brought to the table by Paddy Upton, Eric Simons and of course, the coach Gary Kirsten. In fact, he goes on to make India the favorites for this series. Are the Proteas down-playing their chances so that they can catch the visitors by surprise?
Harsha on the other hand, pits South Africa as the favorites based on history as well as the ability of Indians to struggle against bounce. It is again wishful hope that the trio of pace bowlers that is put forward by the Indians manage to take wickets and bring the Indians strongly into the series. He suggests that the Indian team should emulate the English team that is currently leading the Ashes 1-0 - Sehwag and Gambhir then will be the key for the Indians to post strong totals on the board.
Meanwhile, the Indians are toiling in South Africa using the different types of net pitches out there - surprisingly, Umesh Yadav of the Indian team pinging the legendary Sachin Tendulkar on the side of his helmet being the highlight of the nets so far.
The majority of the Indian team has boarded the flight today but sound-bites have started already.
Gary Kirsten has planned for a good work-out for the team once they land in South Africa - he reckons that each batsman needs to play 3000 balls in nets before they start the first test. He thinks that the conditions need to be put out of the equation during the test match - the team that can handle the pressure is the one that will take the lead.
To win a Test you need to capture 20 wickets and I don't believe the conditions will determine whether we can take 20 wickets or not. Pressure will be the determining factor. We need to execute properly otherwise we'll be the ones under pressure. We'll be up for it from ball one.
Gary Kirsten thinks that winning the critical sessions in the series will help a team win it. He is hoping that the players get into form quickly - how the preparation at the nets will help the Indians remains to be seen.
Both sides have strong batting line-ups. If they both bat well, it will come down to one or two sessions to decide the series. The key for us is to get some players into good form early on in the series
The spearhead of SA bowling team - Dale Steyn - looks for sporting pitches to be prepared in the test matches
It will be really sad if we have similar wickets to the ones we had when we played Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates
But he also agrees that it will be difficult to get a pitch that will support them out and out
Every bowler wants a green top but we don't get them that often. Pitches around the world favour batters these days, I don't know if it's because they get used so much and they are worn out. The truth is that you rarely find a wicket that offers bowlers enough to get 20 wickets quickly. We have to work for our wickets
He has followed the tradition of the previous Oz bowlers of targeting batsmen before the start of a series
A guy like Sachin, with the reputation that he is has, is always going to be an important wicket. But for me, their opening pair is terrifying, with Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag
The curator at the ground, denied that the pitch will have a tinge of green
Look, everybody wants the ball to fly past the Indian batsman's ears because they are apparently vulnerable against short deliveries. If we win the toss on that pitch and bowl them out cheaply, then I'm the hero, but think what could happen if the roles are reversed and they bowl us out cheaply. Then they demand your head and everyone wants to know what went wrong
His inputs looks like there will be initial help for bowlers on the first day of the test - MS Dhoni anyway has had bad luck with the toss in recent times. Maybe this is the time he needs to get it right.
I want to prepare a pitch where it won't just be an automatic choice to bat if you win the toss.
The weather will also make an impact on the pitch while it is quite strange to know that another match will be played just six days before the Test begins.
The Indian team is making all the right moves to increase their chances in the forthcoming tour to South Africa. The team management had asked for senior players to go to the country earlier than their schedule - this was agreed by BCCI and a second-string team announced for the ODIs against New Zealand. Some consolation - the ideal situation would have been to have one (if not a couple of) warm-up match before the test series started.
Bowlers and Fielders are also provided in the camp - again, a good example of proactive planning by Kirsten and others - thereby preventing the situations that test teams have faced earlier on overseas tours where there were no backup players for the team. One has seen photographs were the coach, manager and even video analysts would roll up their sleeves and bowl - just imagine the plight of the teams then.
The first batch of the Indian team (Virender Sehwag, Cheteshwar Pujara, Umesh Yadav and Jaidev Unadkat) left for South Africa today along with the coach, Gary Kirsten. The team will face "hard, bouncy pitches with no lateral movement" - conditions that they will most likely be presented with, in the test series. This series will really prove Gary Kirsten's contribution to the Indian squad - a series against the No.2 team (which is his home country) outside India in conditions that are sure to test our legendary batsmen to the hilt.
Meanwhile, the war of words has been started already by the South African team - the reluctance of India to use the UDRS (Decision Review System) being argued by the host captain. The selectors have chosen to go with their strengths (which they feel will benefit their game-plan against the Indians) and selected a pace attack (Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Ryan McLaren, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Jacques Kallis) that will prove handful on their soil. There are a couple of injury concerns on the Proteas team (Hashim Amla and Greame Smith) that will decide what the final composition of the batsmen.
Given the constraints (of not having any warm-up matches before the test series), the Indians have made a good plan to the series. Hope they continue the execution in the same manner and return victorious :)
The Oz tour is done and dusted - the teams have gone back to their bases but still talk about Sachin Tendulkar has not gone down.
Whether it is the Oz press talking about the width of his bat or Hussey being inspired by him playing so well at this age, Sachin cannot stop getting news bytes. He cannot stop getting awards either - Lebara People's choice award recently was another feather in his cap.
Similarly, Gary Kirsten is another person in high demand. It looks like his country now wants him back, after noticing his exploits with the Indian team. Will the Indian team let go? It would depend on Kirsten himself. I would add Stephen Fleming as the replacement probable for the Indian team coach role after his exploits with Dhoni's CSK team in IPL and CLT20.
The India-Australia ODI series are scheduled to start tomorrow at Kochi. The series has been given a second-hand treatment by both teams by resting several of their main players. Australia started the trend by resting their captain and key players like Johnson, Watson. India reciprocated by resting most of their senior players (Sehwag, Harbhajan, Zaheer).
One can look at in contrasting styles - this will give India a good chance to look at alternates for their open slots (all-rounder, second spinner, reserve pace bowler, reserve batsmen). The one whom everyone will be looking out for will be Ashwin, who had a wonderful T20 season with CSK. Ravinder Jadeja will have a last chance to seal his slot with a good performance.
But, there is another school of thought which says that the full-strength Indian team has not played for a long time now. Sachin Tendulkar last played in ODIs when he scored his world-record 200. Probably, the selectors are expecting the team to be played in South Africa later this year. Whatever the strategy is, there is no doubting the calibre of MSD and Gary Kirsten - the proof of their work is visible for everyone in test matches.
The matches are held at 3 coastal cities - Kochi, Vizag and Goa. With inclement weather likely, one wonders whether there will be any match tomorrow. The latter matches should give us some interesting cricket to witness. Let us hope the ODI series is at least half as exciting as the test series.
The Indian team finally won a match in Bengaluru!!! Easily than what was expected at the end of the fourth day of the test match. Thanks to a debutant and another young opener, the platform was laid for the veterans (Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid) to take the team across the target.
Before that, Sreesanth and Zaheer picked up the remaining wickets in the morning fairly quickly to wrap up the Oz innings. Overall, it was a team effort with the ball which ensured that even after scoring 400 runs in the first innings, the Indian team gained advantage over the Aussies.
The number of sessions won by both the teams was equal (6-6) after the fourth day. India, through the ball and then with the help of the first 3 batsmen, grabbed the first session in a dominating fashion. The next session was consolidation of the innings by the seasoned batsmen followed by a quick-fire 3rd session - commanding performance on the last day to seal the match and the series. 3 fifty partnerships coming one after the other eased the team past the target set by the Australians.
Cheteshwara Pujara did very well and received praise from everyone. His aggressive shots against the spinners and assured technique against the faster bowlers gave a lot of comfort to Indian fans who would have been worried about the future after SRT, Dravid, Laxman retire. Of course it is early days and there will be more harder tests in foreign soils but the promise is good to see. Murali Vijay gave him good support - another talent that requires harder tests to confirm his potential - while scoring runs at a brisk pace.
Sachin Tendulkar had another fifty (this time a second innings one) to add to his double-century. He is maturing even better than old wine - the records speak for itself but the ease with which he is scoring the huge runs is a pleasing sight to watch. The selectors are doing a good job by resting him for the ODIs - one would like him to be back in ODIs by the year-end.
Rahul Dravid had the right occasion to say goodbye to test cricket by guiding the team to victory at his home ground en route to a series win against the dominant Aussies. He has not announced any decision but looking at his struggle, one only wishes (like Sourav Ganguly) he goes earlier than the selectors decision.
MS Dhoni and Gary Kirsten should be credited with the strategy of sending Pujara ahead of Dravid or Tendulkar. All would have thought that Dravid was demoted but the strategy was more to have Pujara face the harder ball and give the much-needed cushion to the inexperienced middle-order. How it clicked was for all to see - these are the tricks that makes MSD the good captain he is. His test record is evidence for all to see - it now does not matter if he wins tosses or not.
So, it had to happen. The Indian team, after its clean slate in the Group stage (just like the previous edition), went blank in the Super Eights. Not a game won, even against the so-called minnows (West Indies) in international cricket. How did the Indians win the inaugural version of T20 World Cup then? Million-dollar question. Probably the low expectations helped the Indians then, as the regulars at that time (SRT, Dravid, Ganguly) were rested. Maybe, it is time to do a similar exercise now.
A player like Joginder Sharma (who is nowhere on the horizon) who is nowhere on the horizon bowled the last over of the tournament without nerves and had the presence of mind to capture the wicket of Misbah-ul-Haq. Compare this with the last over bowled by an experienced bowler like Ashish Nehra to the Lankans. The burden of expectations are surely playing on the minds of the cricketers. Add to it, the loss of form of players like Yuvraj and Gambhir; the absence of stars like Sehwag and Sachin; the inabilities of Jadeja and Pathan - you have the complete picture.
Of course, the immediate pointers from everyone involved will be the IPL and its related schedule, late nights, travel, etc. Even though, it is partially true, that alone was probably not the critical reason of failure. Everyone will conveniently forget the technique challenge that all the batsmen (with the exception of MS Dhoni) faced throughout the Super 8s. The fact that the next T20 World Cup is in Sri Lanka and ODI World Cup is also in the sub-continent means that this issue will not haunt the Indian think-tank for the next 1-2 years.
MSD and Gary Kirsten have faced this setback after the highs of the Test team performances. They are experienced enough to plan on the next steps required. The Board is planning on a two-test series (yet again) against the Aussies in India - that might be the next international cricket that the full-strength team will play. If the Indians can get some serious practice against the short-balls, it will do a whole world of good. The players can still try for short stints at the English county circuit - whether the Board will approve it is another concern.
Very interesting to read today that the BCCI will do a review on the performance of the T20 squad. There was similar one done after the previous version - what were the action-items at the end of the review is anyone's guess. Similarly, the fact that the 'Seniors' have been rested for the forthcoming tri-series clearly shows the priorities of the BCCI. None of these players (barring Ravindra Jadeja who tried to play with Don Modi) were rested in any of the IPL matches but come international engagements, there is a break imposed on the players. Maybe the BCCI did not get their usual 'cut' from the organisers of this tournament.
Where does India go from here? The team has not played to its potential in the last 3 ICC tournaments (2 T20 World Cups and ICC Champions Trophy) and the next tournament sees a second-string team under a stand-by captain against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. The major worry will be the next set of batsmen who will replace the Fab Four in test matches. Their technique needs to be tested in various conditions and the best way to do it is to test them on the 'A' tours. While it is a good sign to see the re-initiation of the 'A' tour concept, the squad selected is mostly a third-string team. It would have been good if the team selected for the tri-series had gone on the England tour but BCCI does not care for the long-term growth for the Indian team anyway, does it.
The focus now is on how to catch hold of the golden egg-laying IPL, out of the hold of Lalit Modi. Everything else can wait.
Whoever won the match today, the curator had to be blamed for the run-riot that occured in Rajkot. The pitch did not help the bowlers at any point of the match. This pitch, coupled with the average fielding/catching performances by the teams made sure that there would be a high-scoring, close match. Two players, very similar in approach, on both sides took this opportunity to score a big century each. The presence of bowlers probably did not matter - it could be a bowling machine being operated, such was the dominance. Long ago, India had scored 299 in 40 overs in an ODI against Sri Lanka only for Roshan Mahanama to play a great innings to get them close to the winning post. Dilshan played a similar blinder to bring back the confidence of the Lankans after the first innings massacre but had to suffer the same fate as Roshan!!!
Sehwag has been criticised often that he did not play ODI's as per his potential or that he did not have the same success in ODIs as much he had in test matches. His big ton in the test match against Sri Lanka was the starting point - Gary Kirsten had asked him to spend time at the crease early, against hitting from ball one. Once he became comfortable, the runs would flow automatically. He almost scored his third triple ton. Today, he scored his highest in ODI matches. Sachin Tendulkar was there at the crease to calm him down and offer advice where required - this worked like a charm. Tendulkar himself was no less aggressive - he was matching Sehwag with the runs till he fell in a very familiar manner against Dilahara Fernando.
Sehwag continued and one felt that he would reach his double century (that Sachin had remarked earlier this year). The power-play is one introduction that has confused the players on the field - especially the batsmen. They feel that it is the right to score more runs than normal and take risks unncessary. Here, the team was going at a rate of 8.5 and more, but still the power-play introduction resulted in fall of wickets (in fact, contributing to a middle-order slump). Till then, MS Dhoni had matched Sehwag's run-rate.
Since becoming a captain, MSD had reduced his strike-rate to cut out the risks and play percentage cricket (ones and twos) before exploding at the end. Here, he had a long batting line-up to follow and could unleash his well-known shots. The only complaint (if one had any) was that Gambhir was not suited at the role he came out to play - this led to his early fall. But, no grouses anyway - the total was more than what India would have planned at the beginning of the match. Sri Lanka's bowlers had no role to play in the Indian innings - there was no specialist spinner and Sangakkara had to depend on his quicker bowlers and part-timers to help out.
Sri Lanka started on a similar note. If Sehwag waited initially and started his heroics, Dilshan followed a similar pattern. He left the big shots to Tharanga while he settled down. Once ready, he unleashed his range of strokes to take the breath (and noise) away from the Indians. The bowlers did not know where to bowl, such was his dominance. Dhoni tried out various options but none of them could make any impact. MSD was getting enough dose of his own medicine.
The situation had changed to such an extent that it resembled a T20 match after 30 overs - 164 required in 20 overs, nine wickets in hand, five Powerplay overs. Advantage Sri Lanka unless India grabbed two or three wickets quickly. Dilshan settled down after the initial flurry and got easy boundaries almost every over. This meant that his partners could ease in as well. Sangakkara came out and continued his good form from the T20 matches. It was no surprise that the man can bat but to destroy the opposition by hitting orthodox shots was something out of the ordinary. His dismissal (and couple of other wickets) made the match close. But, the long batting line-up of Sri Lanka was not to be disappointed.
Credit needs to be given to Harbhajan Singh for having the best run-rate (in terms of least runs given) among the bowlers on both sides. Zaheer and Nehra came back after a poor start to bring back India's chances in the last few overs. They attacked the batsmen by bowling yorkers (late swinging) and reduced the runs scored to a minimum. The fielders came into their actual form as well, bagging two run-outs at a crucial time. This was perhaps the turning point of the match. The others could not do much in the match - maybe MSD should start bowling now!!!
Hopefully, the next few matches will have pitches that support the bowlers also. It is also time for the real Mike Young to stand up please.
Background - India, with new faces and a brave fresh captain, won the T20 World Cup in South Africa. The win, started the boom of T20 matches marketed innovatively by Lalit Modi as the IPL circus. The players made truckloads of money because of the business model of the IPL. In T20 internationals however, the team has been losing almost every other match against significant opposition.
The present - India thrashed Sri Lanka by an innings and more to get to the No.1 slot. This was one of the achievements that was really treasured by the current pack as well as the ones who were part of the team in the near past. Of course, the entire nation enjoyed the achievement with media going overboard as usual.
The ODI pinnacle is the one that is missing in the Indian team's cabinet. Of course, they were No.1 in the ICC rankings also, but the World Cup has been absent from 1983 onwards.
Hence, the question for the team is whether the focus going forward will be only on the ODI matches. The scheduling of test matches also does not help the Indians. MS Dhoni and Gary Kirsten might have the answers.
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