England Home tests - Interesting high-scoring draw to end first test

The first test saw scores of 500+ being scored and predictably ended in a draw. But, it was interesting too. No one expected the English spinners to collect so many wickets, though the Indians also bowled decently. All in all, it is a four test series remaining now. My prediction is 2-2.Can India go one better and win the series? Wait and watch this space!

Image Courtesy:Cricinfo.com website

NZ Home Series - expected whitewash

Image Courtesy:Cricinfo website

NZ Home Series - India win 500th test match easily...

India won their 500th test match easily against Black Caps, by 197 runs, thanks to a well-rounded team performance. Though the first innings score was below-par, the batsmen led by Murali Vijay and Chet Pujara put up a target for NZ that was way beyond their reach. The bowlers with the pitch helping Ashwin and Jadeja, produced unplayable deliveries to skittle out the NZ batsmen.

What  more did Kohli and Kumble want? Not a hamstring niggle to rule out KL Rahul or injury scare to Ashwin from next test at Kolkata !

CLT20 2014 - KKR win again

Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa started off with a bang that ensured KKR crossed the line with ease (despite the hiccups in the middle).

Is this the beginning of Dhoni's Team India?

All articles after the first test at Chennai have been proclaiming the genius of MS Dhoni and how he changed the course of the first test match against Australia. What seems to have gone missing is the slow but steady appearance of a nucleus of what one can call Dhoni's new Team India - one that he seems to be hand-picking very carefully.

What are the changes that are typical of this new team?

• Opening combination - Gautam Gambhir was dropped because of his lean period with the bat for quite a few tests. His partner, Virender Sehwag, escaped a similar treatment because of his extraordinary record in test matches more than anything. Murali Vijay was the beneficiary - Dhoni's CSK team-mate and one who had made a century against Australia during the previous tour. Vijay's technique was not in doubt but his comeback run was in the wilderness until Dhoni insisted on his presence. People might call it a favour but then what happened in the second test at Hyderabad? A wonderful century for Vijay who put on a record triple century partnership with Pujara. If this is not foresight, what is? Well, one might say that it is too early to call him a success but his run in the home tests will give him enough confidence for the tougher conquests overseas. Sehwag's tryst with low scores continues and there is backup in the form of Shikhar Dhawan in the squad. If Sehwag continues to fail, one should not be surprised to see him making his debut in the last test. What is also important to note is that these players are good movers on the ground and fit enough to run fast - abilities that Dhoni likes to see in his team.
• Middle Order - the middle-order has Sachin Tendulkar at the core with Pujara and Kohli once again showing their class in opportunities that have come their way. Look out for Ravindra Jadeja to continue on home soil while the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma ('special player' is what Dhoni calls him), Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwary will compete for the sole position. Once again, the common factor for all these players is the fitness and multiple skills they possess. Clear qualities that show what Dhoni has on his mind. Yuvraj Singh was given his chances but he seems to be lacking clearly on the test arena.
• Bowling - While Ashwin and Jadeja are the preferred spinners, Ojha is not-so because of his relative slowness and lack of batting skills. He will be present in the squad but might play in the eleven only if and when Ashwin lacks form or fitness. On the opening bowlers, Ishant seems to be getting a long rope but not for long (remember he cannot bat and is very slow on the field). Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is the current favorite for all the right reasons. Shami Ahmed might be the next to make his debut while the likes of Dinda and Vinay Kumar might fade away.

If one remembers right, the English tour of 1996, the Indians lost to England but were lucky to get the debuts of Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly. Similarly, the disastrous 1996 tour of Australia saw the emergence of VVS Laxman. Virat Kohli was found during the miserable tour of Australia 2011-12. The South African tour will also be terrible for the Indians but surely one or two batsmen will emerge (and few bowlers hopefully). This will then be the making of the new-generation Team India. One that will be of MS Dhoni's making.

The Aussies are here...

There has been no talks about a revenge series or a whitewash like the one India faced Down Under. Why? The English test series has ensured that expectations from the Indian team is reduced to the extent that they probably don't start the series as favourites! While I would have agreed with that status earlier, the retirement of Michael Hussey before this series makes the competition more equal.

One cannot compare the English team with the Australian side simply because of the experience that the former had at their disposal. Alistair Cook and Kevin Pietersen were superb in the test matches against India which were instrumental in their win. Michael Clarke has to find one more batsman who can do a similar job in the test matches - will it be Shane Watson or David Warner? What happens in such situations is that there is a virtually unknown player who rises to the fore and makes a name for himself. I am betting on Usman Khwaja to do it this time - let us see.

The preparation that the Australian team has been putting has been noteworthy - arriving 10 days early and staying in Chennai to ensure that they adjust to the heat and humidity is a marvellous piece of planning. Compare this to the schedule that the BCCI comes up with. Though the Aussies slumped against little-known off-spinner from the Board Presidents XI team, the practice they received must have been invaluable.

On the Indian front, Dhoni will need to play a bigger role in this series to stop further decline. MSD will not have Gambhir in his squad after a long while - Murali Vijay will be my favourite to play the first test, especially on his home soil. Shikhar Dhawan's technique is suspect against fast bowling and this must be on the minds of selectors also.

The middle-order will have Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara in their roles that they have been occupying for the last few series. Will this test series be Sachin's last one? Will Virat Kohli regain his form? One of Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja will play the first test and knowing Dhoni's quest for players with multi-skills, he will once again opt for Jadeja to play at No. 6. Dhoni might also opt to come up at No.6 and then have the troika of Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha play together.

Harbhajan's exploits against Australia (especially at home) is well-known and thus Dhoni will try to play that card once again. The combined batting of Ashwin and Harbhajan will be better than what Jadeja can provide and thus it does not look like a bad decision at all. Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashok Dinda are the pacers in the side and unless Ishant's ankle gives him a big issue, it will be Dinda who will sit out of the playing eleven.

Overall, the series seems to be interesting between two teams who are equal on paper but the Indians might be slightly ahead because of home conditions. Will their team members grab the opportunity to show that they can emulate their predecessors of 2010s?

India - back to the learning curve

Indian cricket, whether it is the test or the ODI version, is back to the drawing board where most of the players are learning their way around. Yes, there are seniors involved but they are now learning how to play with new players as well as realizing that they now don the mantle that they depended on others like Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag (to name a few).

Sehwag might be still in the scheme of things in test cricket but looking at his reflexes, it will not be for long. Gautam Gambhir would have been the ideal choice for the person whom MS Dhoni could depend on, for the rebuilding process. But, Gambhir himself is undergoing a process of bad form (which brings in gaps in technique and skill). Virat Kohli is now showing everyone why the option of having him as the captain of the Indian team is such a bad idea - he is in the midst of a lean patch that every player goes through after a successful first stint. We all know what the veteran legend is going through but let us assume for the time being that he is not available for selection (Blasphemy!)

Yuvraj has shone in the shorter version but very clearly he is not made out for the longer version. This then means that there are multiple slots that remain in the batting order, assuming Pujara, Gambhir and Kohli are there in the top six:

• Opening batsman - Murali Vijay did well in the opportunities he received but those were few years ago and then failed to deceive in overseas tests. Abhinav Mukund did decently in some of those overseas tests but has lost his form in domestic matches. Ajinkya Rahane is another option to look at, but I think he is more cut out for the middle order than the opening slot. The Indian think-tank should do well to keep Vijay and Mukund in the running unless there is an extraordinary talent on the scene.
• Middle-order - Here, there are two slots up for grabs and the selectors favourite choice at this time seem to be Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja is no No.6 batsman while Rohit Sharma has failed more than delivered in the many opportunities he has received. Who else? As mentioned earlier, Rahane should occupy one of the slots and then leave No. 6 to MS Dhoni. In the ODI's however, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina will walk in without a doubt - there is no room for anyone else. Jadeja has been bowling well recently and he will continue probably at No.7 then.

Who will play at No.7 then? Ravichandran Ashwin. Not because of his bowling but due to his great performances with the bat and he has showed that he can do a good job even in overseas conditions. His form is not so great with the ball but then we can wait, as he has the talent.

Let us go to the bowling side then - who are the best four bowlers for India then? Whenever Irfan Pathan is fit, he will provide balance to the side and he can be direct competition to Ashwin. If not, both of them can play parts of both and provide the best options for positions 7 and 8. With the next test series in India, obviously India will have to go with two spinners and on current form and performance, Pragyan Ojha is the ideal candidate to go with Ashwin. The two new-ball overs will then have to be Ishant Sharma and Asok Dinda, though I am not so convinced about Dinda's ability in test matches. If Sreesanth and Praveen Kumar can return to top form after recovering from injury, they will be a good addition to the squad. Shami Ahmed and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar have done well and it will be good if they are given a long lease in the Indian dressing room.

What will help is that the selectors should ensure all these bowlers talk regularly and keep improving - this is where the bowling coach should play a big role. Whether the current coach has played in India is a different issue but his impact should be seen (there is no point in blaming Duncan Fletcher alone). With a younger team, MS Dhoni should be able to solve most of the problems on the field but then he has to become more vocal on the field. It is good to be cool on the field but maybe he has to show more emotions now! He will play the crucial role of moulding the unit that he has to a world-class side again. The BCCI should organize matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe away so that these matches will be used to test the new combination thoroughly. Only then, they will be ready for the bigger tests.

Kolkata Test - Do we have confidence in the Indian batters?

I am writing this after six wickets have gone down in the second innings of the third test at Kolkata. What was expected to be a 4-0 win for India will very soon be 1-2 with England favourites to cross the 'Final Frontier'

Looking at the batting line-up, there is hardly any confidence that one gets

1. Sehwag - True, he played differently this series. He respected the bowlers and gave them time but he is always going to be a lottery against world-class bowlers and an agile captain. Captains tend to see that they can prey on the patience of Sehwag and very soon he will give way. Spinners can always lick their lips in anticipation of his wicket any time (never mind they might go for few boundaries). 
2. Gambhir - Once supposed to be the best batsman against spin, Gambhir does not seem to be at ease against the likes of Monty and Swann. Neither is he confident against the pace bowlers. When it was expected that Sehwag and Gambhir would guide the team in the absence of Dravid and Laxman, the loss of form of the openers has resulted in a downward spiral. 
3. Pujara - Pujara started well and his average for the series was HUGE! Now, he seems to have come back to ground. Not because of any lack of form - he has been edgy and unlucky in his appearances at the crease. There is no doubt that he is the future lynchpin of the Indian cricket but it is time he regains his form this series for India to do well in the next test.
4. Tendulkar - I am expecting Sachin to announce his retirement after this series. I think enough is enough - he seems to be getting out to bowlers whom he would have spanked in his heydays. Why then is he trying to prolong his stay at the crease? It doesnt matter that there is no replacement for him but it is important for Sachin to let his legacy not get impacted by his last few innings. He should not go out because of lack of form but take a step back to think whether it is time (Ponting did it last week and bowed out immediately)
5. Kohli - No great performance from the hottest cricketer in Indian cricket this series. Kohli has not made any impact in this series and it looks like he might not be taking his chances coming his way. Has he assumed his position in the eleven and become complacent? Hopefully no. He will be the Tendulkar to Pujara's Dravid in the future. He can still become one if he uses this as a learning lesson in the future. 
6. Yuvraj Singh - his survival story was great but it is back to normal now. Runs are expected to flow from his bat just like any other batsman but frankly, he cannot face pace bowlers (with the shorter balls) and spinners! Then, why is he there in the playing eleven? Why are there no cries about his axing just like Laxman used to face after almost every failure?

It is not that there are ready-made replacements for these batsmen in the domestic version. But, it is also important that those who play should grab the opportunities and make them count! Definitely, three batsmen in this squad seem to have overstayed - should they be given a pink slip soon? Will Sandeep Patil take the tough decision in the next series, if not for Nagpur?

2012 Mumbai Test - India caught in their own web

MS Dhoni would have been happy with the wicket, his team composition as well as his luck with the toss. For other than this, there was nothing that worked in the match (other than Pujara and Ashwin with the bat in the first innings). Dhoni did not factor his own batsmen's incompetencies against quality spin bowling (how he wished he had the recently retired Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in his batting eleven!)

For most of the match, the commentators showed the pitch map as well as the pace of English bowlers in comparison with the Indians. Though this was true, the Indian bowlers were not consistent and disciplined in their attack. Every over there was one ball that would give runs to the batsman and rotate the strike. Dhoni's captaincy has deteriorated so much that he is now ball-following mostly. He is not trying to make things happen but instead moving the fielders to where the ball went the previous delivery.

In the second innings, none of the batsmen (other than Gambhir of course) played more than 20 deliveries! What else can you expect with such a performance. Gambhir also wanted to prove that he still deserved his place in the team rather than rotate strike and score some runs for his team. Though one can praise Kevin Pietersen and Alistair Cook for their batting, it was the failure of the Indian batsmen to come to terms with the pitch that did the main damage.

Sachin Tendulkar played more like a debutant rather than one with 192 matches to his credit. Virat Kohli's stroke selection was suspect while Yuvraj showed his weakness against quality spin. Sehwag did well until he met Monty. Harbhajan's selection was a surprise and seemed to be on course on Day 1 but it has to be remembered that he did not get wickets even in Ranji matches - how can he be expected to make miracles in test matches? He was the one who bowled faster usually but on this track if the English bowlers could make such a big impact, why couldnt he? Not every question can be answered with Pietersen and Cook's brilliance!

What will happen in the next two tests? Will Dhoni still ask for a turning track, considering that the opposition has Monty and Swanny in their eleven? Kolkata will have the answers for us!

India start as favourites against England

India will start the return series against England as the favourite, waiting to take 'revenge' (despite their statements on the contrary) on the team that inflicted a 4-0 defeat overseas.

The English team have played three warm-up matches on their tour but have showed enough glimpses of weakness against whatever little spin they have encountered. The Indian think-tank have made sure that not much of top-draw spin was visible to the visiting batsmen. How this strategy will help the Indian tweakers remains to be seen?

The Indians have many problems on their side too. The opening batsmen (Sehwag and Gambhir) are not in their best form - Sehwag scored a century in his last first-class innings though. Pujara also did well against the English bowlers in his outing as a special invitee for Mumbai 'A'. Tendulkar scored a hundred for Mumbai while Yuvraj showed his form against the visitors both with the bat and ball. Dhoni is the only person who did not play any cricket in the last few days.

Ashwin also did not benefit much because of the weather that affected Tamil Nadu's first match in Ranji. Zaheer's fitness is another concern that the team management will have while Umesh Yadav's top form in his match would have made the Team Management hopeful. Ishant Sharma will warm the bench mostly while Ojha has done a lot of bowling in his match (not with great success).

Kevin Pietersen is the one player that the Indians will have to look out for. The rest are not ones that will take away the sleep of Dhoni and Fletcher (no ill-will to the others please)!

Overall, the hosts have shrugged off their rustiness in the outings they have got and hence the build-up to the test match seems to be quite even. If the pitches play to form and the Indians capitalize it well, the series will be over from the English perspective quite fast.

Did we learn anything from the NZ series?

Yes, the Indians won the series 2-0 - what else did you expect at home against a team that is ranked below West Indies? Never matter that the Indian team looked different and had batsmen like Sehwag, Gambhir and Sachin out of form. It also did not matter that the season was early and the team was coming after a surprisingly long break. There were more questions that popped up in one's mind rather than answers.

The reports all around say that the young team is good enough to take the team to the next few years. Do we have a choice? No. After the way we treated our seniors like Dravid and Laxman, these are desperate times. Someone has to play a part in the Indian saga. MS Dhoni is particular about his choices and he is clear that the roles should go to Suresh Raina (in tests) and Rohit Sharma (in ODIs). Looking at his record, maybe his demands are justified! But Raina does not share the same optimism - if he had, he would not have run out of his crease the way he did in the second innings. Kohli, on the other hand, can do no wrong, so far! Where does Badrinath go now? Is he still in the scheme of things?

Sachin will now rethink his options and see why he is following Rahul Dravid by getting bowled repeatedly - is it the same disease that made Dravid retire? If so, should Sachin follow his dear friend to the confines of the dressing room? There were many questions asked about Sehwag's position in the batting order - first question to be asked is whether he demands a position in the team at all!! Similarly, Gambhir's penchant to poke at the ball outside the off will make him easy target for the faster and better skilled bowlers. Is it the time to drop Gambhir from the T20 series so that he can make the necessary adjustments?

The bowling was good but Zaheer had no role to play at all! Umesh Yadav's progress is good but inconsistency is not - this series will make him relearn all the good moves he had made against Australia Down Under. Ojha and Ashwin will rule in India against England and Australia but they will be exposed on overseas pitches unless they make their game all-round. Ojha's armer is still missing and once included, will make him more lethal.

The team needs more weapons to compete against better sides like Australia and England, even Pakistan. How will the newcomers get a chance now? Will it be the ones on the 'A' tour who will be selected next? 

India - SriLanka series - India win 4-1

India won the series, very comfortably at the end, against Sri Lanka by 4-1 thanks to some consistent efforts by its players like Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan.

Against the Lankans, if Gambhir doesnt get a big score, Kohli does. If Virat doesnt get going, Dhoni will surely come to the party. It was good to see the captain score in his earlier avatar of scoring runs very quickly with the help of some aggressive shots. Irfan Pathan has thrown his name into the selector's hat for possible options as an all-rounder. He holds the edge over the others like his brother Yusuf and Ravindra Jadeja because he bowls medium-pace (very effective outside the sub-continent). Thanks to Vinay Kumar's injury, Pathan walked into the squad but now he is the front-runner for the T20 World Cup. 

Dinda is no replacement for Praveen Kumar but he tried gamely. I would be surprised if he is persisted still. Rohit Sharma cannot blame the selectors or the management for not giving him enough options - he was chosen for all the five games and the skipper managed to rejig his lineup to give chances to both Rohit and Tiwary. After the series, it looks like Tiwary had the advantage going forward thanks to his exploits with the ball as well. Again, he has an advantage over the others since he bowls leg-spin (most of the part-timers like Sehwag, Raina, Rohit bowl off-spin).

Zaheer Khan played all the five matches which was quite surprising - will he maintain this run later in the season as well? Rahul Sharma and Ojha got couple of chances but could not cement their place ahead of Ashwin. The latter has gone down a rung, especially the levels he had reached after the World Cup. 

Overall, a good outing for the Indians to start the new season. Things will hopefully get better in the T20 World Cup as well as the test series against New Zealand.

Third ODI - Gambir and Raina scale record win

India started well and ended the match making all the right moves to win a record-breaking chase on Lankan soil. Thanks to Zaheer with the ball, Gambhir and Raina with the bat, Pathan with a bit of both, the Indian team reached the challenging total with five wickets to spare and two balls in hand.

The beginning was good for the Indians. Three wickets for the Indians for a score of 20 meant that the Lankans were on the backfoot early. It was upto the famliar pair of Jayawardane and Sangakkara to repair the ship. These two batsmen like playing with each other and moreso against India. The only blip was when Dinda made his biggest impact of the match - fracturing the finger of Sanga!

Joined later by Angelo Matthews, the Lankans started taking toll of the Indian bowling especially after Zaheer had exhausted his quota in the Powerplays. Probably, it is better for MS Dhoni to look at others like Raina, Ashwin, Rahul for Powerplays and keep Zak for the last 10.

When the chase started, Sehwag left early but Kohli and Gambhir settled in. Just when it looked like they would consolidate further, Kohli departed. Dhoni promoted himself but found the going tough for once. His promotion meant that Rohit went down one slot and what that worked on his mind was evident when Sharma came out to bat. Slow to start off, Rohit faced Malinga's full-length delivery tough to handle.

Gambhir also left quickly after scoring his 100, which brought Pathan to the crease. With lucky shots, both Raina and Irfan reduced the target slowly but surely. Surprisingly, this was their third 50+ partnership together which shows that they enjoy playing with each other. Confident strokes followed, especially the six of Malinga by Raina. The Indians take a lead thanks to the team effort but they know that they escaped defeat today. Unless they raise their game, such escapes dont happen regularly.

Second ODI - Sri Lanka equalize series in style

The Lankan bowling was not threatening in terms of pace but incisive enough. The Indian batting resembled a cat on hot tin roof. The catching from Sangakkara was phenomenal. The result was a one-sided win for the Lankans.


The Indian batsmen other than Gambhir, could not handle the swing and accuracy of Perera and Matthews when they batted. When it was the turn of the Lankans, there was no trace of the wind or help from the pitch to trouble the batsmen. The Lankans cantered home for the loss of Dilshan.


Gambhir showed that he was one batsmen who was good enough to handle the conditions and hold up one end  till the last ball of the innings. Kohli and Dhoni had a rare off-day at the office while Rohit's slump continued. It is very surprising to see why Rohit usually fails in a full-fledged Indian outfit but sparkles with a second-string side! Is it the weight of expectations that is pulling him down? Whatever it is, Rohit cannot blame the management for lack of opportunities. Time to give Rahane an opportunity in the middle-order.


The Indian bowling then looked uninterested to continue. They had already lost the match in their mind - on the field was just a formality. Representative of this was the efforts of Zaheer Khan with the number of wides and loose balls he offered. The Indian team was ready to throw in the towel if the umpire had asked them to - such was the intensity on show.


The Indian team would do well to put this out of their mind and when they start the next match in a new location, the mindset should be new. It is now a three-match series and one should strike very soon to take early lead.

IPL5 - KKR gets past CSK

KKR finally had their moments of glory in their fifth attempt. After several controversies, they had the trophy to cherish under a captain who led from the front. If reports are true, there will be a bus ride in Kolkata and the team will be honored by the Chief Minister of West Bengal! Manvinder Bisla deserves his moment in the sun, thanks to his blistering knock.

Let us look at all the teams and see how they fared overall:

1. Kolkata Knight Riders - Gautam Gambhir proved that his demotion from the post of vice-captain from the national team was so wrong. He put runs on the board consistently and ensured that there were winners from the rest of the team as well. Kallis was wonderful with his all-round abilities while Sunil Narine gave the mystery factor to the team. Best Indian player - Gautam Gambhir. Best Foreign player - Sunil Narine.
2. Chennai Super Kings -  Lucky was the word attached to the CSK team. In the knock-out stages, they showed that they had the skills to match as well. Without a singularly outstanding player in their team, CSK was able to reach the final and take the team to the last over. Simply hats off to the overall franchise for being able to be consistently successful. Best Indian player -  Suresh Raina. Best Foreign player - Faf Du Plessis.
3. Delhi Daredevils - A team that was so consistent in the league phases, Delhi failed in two attempts to reach the final! Call it choking or bad strategies but Sehwag's team had done all the right things in the initial phase.With all their international players (Kevin Pietersen, David Warner, Mahela Jayawardene) firing, Sehwag provided the Indian touch to ensure Delhi reached the final stages. Sehwag also nurtured the Indian fast bowlers Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron very well - a good sign for the national team. Best Indian player - Umesh Yadav. Best Foreign player - Morne Morkel.
4. Mumbai Indians - While Rohit Sharma shone in bits and pieces, Mumbai was also helped by timely knocks from Rayudu, Tendulkar and Pollard. The bowling was in the safe hands of Munaf and Malinga. Harbhajan led well though his individual form was not encouraging. Best Indian player -  Ambati Rayudu. Best Foreign player - Lasith Malinga.
5. Royal Challengers -  RCB was unfortunate to lose out on the knock-out stage because of their run-rate. Their dependence on Chris Gayle was worrying for the management while Murali's efforts on the field was exemplary as usual. Though Vinay Kumar and Zaheer Khan were among the wickets, they were not consistent enough to threaten the other teams. Best Indian player - Mayank Agarwal. Best Foreign player - Chris Gayle.
6. Kings XI Punjab - David Hussey captained the team mostly in the absence of Adam Gilchrist but the role Punjab played mainly was that of party-poopers. Spoiling RCB's chances to move to the next stage, Kings performed well in patches thanks to the efforts of Mandeep, Awana and Piyush Chawla. Best Indian player - Mandeep Singh. Best Foreign player - Azhar Mahmood.
7. Rajasthan Royals - Led ably by Rahul Dravid, Rajasthan lost steam after their good start. Ajinkya Rahane, Owais Shah and Shane Watson shone for the team but the bowling was their weak-spot. Siddharth Trivedi was their best bowler and he was ranked 18th on the wicket-taking list - proof enough that the team was lacking the firepower. If the team can introduce more star power to their bowling lineup, they can do much better than where they finally ended up. Best Indian player - Ajinkya Rahane. Best Foreign player - Owais Shah
8. Deccan Chargers - The only surprise from the Chargers was how they managed to avoid the wooden spoon this year. Thanks to Dale Steyn, the Chargers gave their opponents a lot to worry about but the batting was not consistent despite the efforts from Shikhar Dhawan and Cameron White (both appearing in the Top 10 list of top scorers). Best Indian player - Shikhar Dhawan. Best Foreign player - Dale Steyn.
9. Pune Warriors - Sourav Ganguly's team was erratic to start with and then went downhill in the latter part of the tournament, not knowing whether the captain was part of the team or not. Robin Uthappa and Steve Smith tried their best with the bat but their efforts were not enough. The bowling department lacked penetration which is reflected in the overall position of the top wicket-taker Ashish Nehra (25th)! Best Indian player - Robin Uthappa. Best Foreign player - Steve Smith.

If there was a team selected from the other eight teams to play against the winners Kolkata, this would be my list of sixteen players

1. Shikhar Dhawan
2. Chris Gayle
3. Ajinkya Rahane 
4. Suresh Raina (captain)
5. Mandeep Singh
6. Robin Uthappa
7. Azhar Mahmood
8. Steve Smith
9. Mayank Agarwal
10. Ambati Rayudu (wk)
11. Lasith Malinga
12. Dale Steyn 
13. Piyush Chawla
14. Parvinder Awana 
15. Umesh Yadav
16. Morne Morkel

What would be your list?

Oz series - India finish a disappointing tour

The Indian team finished their long tour to Australia in a manner that reflected their performance throughout - disappointing. Despite the valiant chase that was put up by the batsmen against Sri Lanka at Hobart, the Sri Lankan win yesterday meant that the Indians had to take the next flight back.

Virat Kohli and Umesh Yadav were the best performers on either sides though Zaheer Khan did his best whenever he played. Other than these, the rest of the players faltered to deceive. Gautam Gambhir came into his own in spurts but did not achieve the consistency that would have earmarked him for further greatness.

Whether it is the senior batsmen in tests or the younger ones in ODIs, the performance was consistently depressing. The bowlers were marginally better and put the team in likely scenarios of winning only for the batsmen to fail (except the last match).

A lot more work needs to happen on the technique and temperament of the young batsmen but the focus will shift to the IPL very soon. This only highlights the focus of the Indian cricket and its administrators. The selection committee could have taken hard decisions by talking to the senior players and resting them for Asia Cup.

Other than Sehwag, the only drastic measure taken was the promotion of Kohli as the vice-captain (a sign to Gambhir that he was not right in his comments against the captain). Will the team management give the younger players (like Rahul Sharma) a chance against the minnows in Asia Cup is to be seen. If even this opportunity is not used for the betterment of the team, God only can help Indian cricket.

T20I vs Oz - Victory at last

The Indian team managed to win a match on the Australian tour - something that they could not manage during the entire English tour. A remarkable performance on the field (including four run-outs) ensured that the young Indians dismissed the younger Australian team before the quota of twenty overs.

Guided by Gambhir and cameos by Sehwag, Kohli and Dhoni, the Indian team reached the target in the final over. By the tenth over, they had managed to reduce the R-B to nil. Once done, the writing was all on the cards.

Australian tour - All is not well with Indian team

0-8 in consecutive overseas test matches. This is acceptable if the team in question is Bangladesh or Zimbabwe or even the current West Indian team. Not the No.3 team (which was recently No.1) in the world. The performance has led to a lot of disappointment in the hearts of Indian fans, ex-players, commentators, journalists. There have been a huge outcry to sack all the seniors of the Indian team. Why this Kolaveri? Is it justified?

Now, let us take a step back and analyse what went wrong and what (if any) did go as per plan?

1. The batsmen started the tour Down Under with a lot of expectations from their fans. There were suggestions that the team would win their first ever series in Australia. Hope, even after being white-washed in the four-test series in England, was probably not right especially without any remedial actions after the disaster.
2. There was no series of injuries as witnessed during the English series. Zaheer Khan went through an entire series without breaking down. But, this did not make a difference in the final analysis. The result was the same in both series.
3.  By the end of second day in Melbourne, India were slightly ahead of the Aussies. They could not tighten the screws on the Aussies even after half-centuries by Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid. This is where, from the 3rd day of the test, things started to turn to the Aussies. Not able to seize the opportunities that came their way was a big mistake (Hussey's dropped chance by Dravid might have tilted the scales).
4. Planning by the Australian team cannot be ignored. The plans laid out by the support staff was on the dot, be it Gautam Gambhir or the other Indian batsmen. This should not be forgotten in the hue and cry raised about the Indian seniors.
5. The previous point also raises an important point on the effectiveness of the Indian support staff. Are they not able to impose their plans on the Indian team? Or are they not able to plan at all? Are Duncan Fletcher sealed? Why has he not attended any press conferences on the tour? Is there something that the public is not aware of? The head of Eric Simons is surely going to fall but that will not solve the entire crisis the Indian team is under.
6. Virat Kohli and Umesh Yadav emerged as the positives of the tour but they must now endure the feeling of a whitewash through their initial years and emerge stronger. Only then, they can travel the paths of their current colleagues.

The BCCI had, through its powers, created tests from a non-existent schedule to ensure that the test team remains No.1. Can it do the same magic and conjure test series from nowhere (even against minnows like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe) so that the younger players can start playing tests? Or have they filled up the time with their money-making ODIs and T20s already? Can 'A' tours be restarted? 

My review comments after the previous whitewash still remain - will they ever be implemented? God only knows.

Australian tour - Planning was key for Oz win - Part I

The 2011-12 series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been finished. 4-0 is the verdict in favor of the Aussies. Convincingly won with two innings victories. There have been many talks going on about the veterans in the Indian team and how they were ineffective in the entire series. But, let us take this opportunity to congratulate the Oz team for their planning.

Let us look at the dismissals of certain players in the series and the planning becomes evident. Gautam Gambhir is the focus of this first part. His weakness outside the off stump was well exploited by the bowlers. Look at the way he has been dismissed (text courtesy Cricinfo):

1st Test at Melbourne - first innings - Gambhir once again perishes to an indiscretion outside the off stump. Top bowling from Hilfenhaus, but aided by an average shot too. Short of a length, at least a foot and a half outside off stump to start with. The ball then seamed away, and Gambhir had a good enough sight at it, to leave if he wanted to. He chose not to, and fiddled to produce a faint edge through to the keeper. Aus have a wicket. 22/1

1st Test at Melbourne - second innings - outside edge and gone, Gautam's problems outside off continue, Siddle letting it rip from just short of a good length, finding bounce, the angle and away movement taking it away from the left-hander, but importantly, making him play, would have taken a very good leave to let it go, but he ended up jerking his hands slightly to the left to poke at it, the edge loops to second slip 39/2

2nd Test at Sydney - first innings - That really squared up Gambhir, landed on middle and slightly shaped away off a good length, Gambhir was squared up with the extra bounce and movement, thick outside edge to Clarke at first slip 0/1

3rd Test at Perth - first innings - Australia in command here, they remove the set batsman, Gambhir plays a nothing shot, no footwork hangs his bat in response to a ball outside off that moves away a hint, a tickle down to the keeper, and the familiar failings of the Indian batting come to the fore once more 63/4

4th Test at Sydney - first innings - there's the outside edge, and Haddin takes a neat catch tumbling to his left, excellent line, made him play the pitched up delivery just around the off stump, and Haddin did the rest, it moved just enough away after pitching to take the edge 14/1

If the bowlers couldn't get Gambhir nicking to the slip cordon, they got him with a perfume ball. Witness these 2 dismissals

• 3rd test at Perth - second innings - What a scorcher! Banged in short and that darted away, Gambhir was taken by surprise, got on the back foot and tried to play it into the leg side, almost trying to fend it away, the ball pops up towards gully and Hussey takes a comfortable catch, an excellent short ball by Starc, India under greater pressure now. Came off the handle 24/1
• 4th test at Adelaide - first innings - Siddle all over India, Gautam falls to the bouncer, incredible delivery on this flat wicket, must have taken so much effort, Siddle bangs it in short, it gets way too big on Gautam, close to head high, he hops in the air as he has been doing all morning, wanting to bring it down, but ends up fending it away well in front of gully, Michael Hussey races forward and dives full length forward to hold on to it, what a delivery, what a catch, top stuff 87/4

The support staff of the Australian team has done their homework alright. Persistence as well as execution of the well-thought out strategy is the hallmark of great teams and this one seems to be on their way if handled well. The question that comes to mind is why the Indian support staff could not do the same? 

Next post will be about Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar's dismissals in this series.

Eng-Ind - England go up 1-0

The 100th test match between India and England went the way of the hosts in a match that, though affected by rain, was played in bright sunlight most of the days. Though one can point their fingers towards the bowling, the famed batting of the No.1 test team in the world did not come to the ground. Agreed that the absence of Zaheer Khan helped England's cause but it was the clinical efficiency of the English team was visibly evident in the performances. The winning margin was almost the deficit that India had after both the first innings was completed - this meant that the match was lost then and there.

A look at the Indian eleven reveals the pluses and minuses from the test match:

• Praveen Kumar. There was a question mark on his presence in the playing eleven. This match yet again, proved his worth to the team especially in such conditions. He was also a willing work-horse on whom MSD could go back repeatedly for an extended spell. Hope his fitness continues to be in the prime condition. His batting in the first innings showed how much Sehwag was missed by this team - the minute he started attacking the bowlers, the English were a bit disturbed.
• Rahul Dravid. Hope no one raises the talk about his retirement plans once again. Rahul showed in the first innings why he is such a vital cog in India's batting wheel. His technique has changed a bit but it has helped him overcome the mistakes he was doing in recent times. It was a real surprise that he could not continue further in the second innings. He kept wickets, opened the innings and caught some tough catches - what more can the man do?
• Suresh Raina. A dodgy decision in the first innings cut his knock short but in the second stint, he was the fulcrum of the Indian innings. He has showed in both the tours so far that he has worked hard on his shortcomings against the short ball and how. He was in no problems against the English bowlers during the innings - another attestation of Greg Chappell's prediction that he was a talent to watch out for.
• Ishant Sharma. If he had listened to Zaheer Khan in the first innings, the Indian team would have been in a much better position in the test match. He was listless in the absence of Zaheer but produced a dream spell in the second. If he can repeat such spells in the forthcoming test matches, India has a good chance to equalize the series quickly.
• VVS Laxman. His batting was in sync with his record of poor scores in the first test of a series (reflection of India's fortunes as well). He did well in the second innings but fell in both stints to his knack of pulling the ball in air. 
• Abhinav Mukund. His temperament was good in both innings and impressed all the greats in the commentary box. If he reaches out to Sunil Gavaskar before the second test, he will have better options to tackle the weakness of reaching out to wide balls. A good back-up for the combination of Sehwag and Gambhir.
• Zaheer Khan. Had dismissed both the openers on the first day before he walked out of the match. Has continued a knack of not playing all the test matches in an overseas series. The sooner he can make a reappearance in the eleven, the better the chances of India in the series.
• MS Dhoni. His batting seems to be still in B-mode while his captaincy was decent enough with all the issues going around in the team. The team was down to 8 fit men in the second innings and the captain did everything in his capacity to reduce the final target. It was a good move by him not to tax Ishant after the lunch on the fourth day, despite all criticism he received - remember the likes of Srinath and Prasad being overworked by Sachin Tendulkar leading them to severe injuries.
• Harbhajan Singh. There is no reason why Harbhajan is in the squad - maybe the team management think that it is not right to drop a bowler with 400 wickets. His outcome in this test (though Dhoni did support him) was the same as Suresh Raina - not to belittle either of them. He was clearly outperformed by Swann. The English bowlers knew the exact lengths to bowl to him also - making him ineffective with the bat as well.
• Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir has to get into his groove as early as possible. Obviously, his elbow will be in focus over the next three days. If Gautam can get going, the Indian team can seize the advantage over the bowlers quickly. Without Sehwag, India depends on GG to get going.
• Sachin Tendulkar. The legend was bogged down by a viral infection as well as the hype surrounding his 100th century. He is probably putting additional pressure on him to score the next century (also, getting one in Lords was worrying him also). Hope to see him back in his groove in the next test.

Related articles

• England-India test series preview (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
• India tour starts in England later this week (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)