India win under 19 world cup,but

While the Indian senior team was dominating South Africa in the limited over series in South Africa, their Under-19 comrades outshone their opposition in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, Coached by the legendary Rahul Dravid, the team won the final convincingly to lift the Cup against the powerful Australians! Overall performane by the Indians dominated the headlines, especially the fast bowlers, middle-order batsmen and captain Prithvi Shaw!

Images from Cricinfo website

While this is great, what becomes important is how many of these players make it to the senior team - have a look at the team that won in 2008 - Virat Kohli, Jadeja, Manish Pandey have graduated nicely but not much is known about the other players. Hopefully, we should nurture this team properly and ensure we get maximum representations in the senior team soon!

England Home ODIs - MSD says goodbye to captaincy

Duck on his debut versus Bangladesh.
Did not Bat during his ODI captaincy debut.
A loss versus England during his last match as a captain.

But what a profile! Well worth the biopic that was made about him.

Whoever saw this match  and this one will never ever forget the last captain  that got India its last two World Cups.

We will however still see the quick runouts and stumpings for some more time...

T20 World Cup - most open ICC event in recent days

The forthcoming CWC T20I World Cup seems to be quite open with at least 6 teams having the potential ( and form) to win the tourney.

Imsge Courtesy: espncricinfo.com

India, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies are the favorites to win but no one is clear enough to be sure. One with experience of subcontinental conditions, spin expertise( facing and containing quality spinners)will consider themselves good on the day but just for that dayonly.Bangladesh  and Afghanistan will also fancy their chances to cause an upset with the favorites( though it should not be called as an upset)

2015 World Cup - interactive statistics

For those who liked my post on the semifinals that contained insights about the bowlers and batsmen, here is an interactive chart where you can select your own players and countries to see how they performed

Batting Chart

Bowling Chart

Hope you enjoy!

2015 World Cup - India's campaign ends in semis

Hopefully, this is not the image that you want to remember as MS Dhoni's last walk back in a World Cup match. He himself has not ruled out a possible appearance in 2019 but let us see. Dhoni reminded me today of the Bollywood legend, Amitabh Bachchan in 1990's. Why is that?

When Amitabh made his entry into films, he made it big thanks to the combined efforts of directors (Manmohan Singh, Yash Chopra, Prakash Mehra), writers (Salim-Javed) and music directors (RD Burman, Laxmikant-Pyarelal). Hits after hits rained from Amitabh because of this combination. Slowly script-writers split, directors lost their touch, music directors faded away - Amitabh continued to make his impact because of his skill and presence. In the 1990's, things came to such a stage that Amitabh was expected to carry off any role without any backing of script, music or direction. This led to movies which flopped and the halo of Amitabh started vanishing. The legend then went into a self-imposed exile and reappeared in a new avatar to continue his legacy. I wish MSD will also make a comeback in similar vein to take India to new horizons - a supremely fit India that does not fear any team, any where in the world and capable of emulating the 80's Windies and Australians (of the new millennium).

For Indian fans, the campaign came to a screeching halt thanks to one man who terrorized the Indians throughout their stay Down Under - Steve Smith. Without him, Finch would not have been able to settle down without worrying about the run-rate or the state of the match. Without Smith, the Australians would not have been able to build a platform that made the latter batsmen throw their bats around with gay abandon. Steve Smith also contributed to the DRS review of Ajinkya Rahane during Indian innings as well as a catch. What a thorn he has been for the Indians this season?

The Indian bowlers did a good job by picking wickets regularly in the final phase and restricting their target, without being able to replicate their 70/70 performance in the first seven matches. Some of the bad practices that were visible before the World Cup (one poor ball in the over going for a boundary) appeared back. Shami could not make any breakthrough despite a wonderful first spell. Ashwin must have realized how his new style of bowling will get him a lot of wickets as well as plaudits.

On the batting, the Indians continued their trend of not losing a wicket (even if it means scoring slowly) in the first ten overs. Just when they started to accelerate, Dhawan fell and that induced a collapse that needed MSD and Rahane to stem the rot. That passage of play was when the Australians made maximum leverage and tightened the screws on the Indian team. Despite Dhoni's heroics, the end was visible by the 40th over.

2015 World Cup - thoughts on first semifinal

Though I had backed New Zealand to win the match, I thought that South Africa were wronged in this crucial match. How?

1. Rain-rule. Though the match had a reserve day, overs were reduced when there was a rain delay. The rationale was that all efforts would be made to complete the match during the scheduled time. Why then do you have a reserve day, ICC? What might have happened if NZ had to face only 20 overs? The target would have been a par-score for a regular T20 match (we all know how D/L score for T20 is)
2. Revised target. Have a look at the typical run-rates of South Africa in this World Cup - what he says is that in the last five overs, South Africa typically score at 16 runs per over. That means 80 runs in 5 overs. Add 2 more overs at 10 runs per over. Now, add 100 runs to the score of 281 and you will know what would have been the score that South Africa might have achieved. This was very much possible as South Africa had AB De Viliers and JP Duminy at the crease and NZ had Corey Anderson to bowl 3-4 overs more. The mere numbers would have put high pressure on New Zealand. Definitely, they would have crumbled. But, it was not meant to be.

R/o #CWC15 46-50 ov SA 16.05 WI 14.13 NZ 13.45 Au 11.13 Eg 9.63 SL 9.08 In 8.52 Bn 8.43 ------ Zm 7.09 Pk 7.37 Ir 7.57 Sc 7.80 #BingPredicts
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) March 23, 2015

Even though these two points were to the disadvantage of South Africa, they have themselves to blame for the following turning points:

The botched run-out attempt by AB De Viliers during the partnership of Anderson and Elliot. This could have made a difference. I feel that it was because the fielder was such a hyper-energetic personality like ABD, the runout could not happen. He reached the wicket faster than anyone would have - that pace made him trip over the stumps!

The missed catch of Elliot, thanks to JP Duminy crashing into his colleague. Very poor cricket indeed - definitely, JP must have seen that Behardien was in a good position to catch the ball but still JP bumped into him!

Of course, Steyn was injured in the final over and that also hampered his bowling. If I was a South African fan, I would point to many factors during the match. But, there have been none mentioned by their captain or the players. Definitely a great way to accept a close loss in sport, showing that there is much more than just cricket. Good stuff, South Africa!

All photos courtesy Cricinfo Site

2015 World Cup - Bring on the semifinals

After the league stage, the individual standings looked quite interesting - while few batsmen performed as well as their form in league (Guptill, Gayle), the leading bowlers were those who shone in the Quarterfinals (Shami, Wahab Riaz). There are few new entrants into the Top 50 club in both departments but we will now focus on players of teams that still have a chance to win the Cup.

Let us look at the leading batsmen and bowlers once again after the quarterfinal and predict who will do well in their respective semifinal.

Batting

The semifinal between India and Australia will be interesting purely from the perspective of how Mad Glen Maxwell will be tamed by MSD - if you remember, Maxwell has hurt Dhoni quite a bit in IPL (check this knock here). If one sees the chart below, key highlights and analysis include

• Maxwell appears in isolation with a high rotation-rate (David Miller being his nearest competitor). What this means is that these two are very adept at rotating the strike while scoring 300 runs. Dangerous batsman to watch out for the Indians (no surprises there).
• Indians have scored higher mainly because of the abandoned match against Bangladesh and hence contributing to one less innings for Australia
• Australian rotation rate on average is higher than the Indians. The Indians should avoid the dot-balls while trying to increase the same for the Australian batsmen - easier said than done. 
• The size of the circles (calculated from the product of Rotation Rate, Average and Strike Rate) also shows the key batsmen being Maxwell and India's Suresh Raina. 
• Virat Kohli and Steve Smith are the ones who are in the middle of the chart - they seem to be the dangerous floaters who can make an impact in this match (considering their recent form prior to the World Cup) 
• Watson and Dhoni have not hit as many runs as the others but that could be attributed to their position in the batting order. 
• Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan's rotation rates are quite low, compared to the others. This is reflective of the strategy followed by India where they have tried to retain wickets for the end overs.

The other semifinal shows clear trends unlike the one above where the players seem to be bunched together. The South Africans seem to rotate strike better than the others - are the Black Caps focusing more on boundaries alone? Possibly if you consider McCullum, Anderson and Guptill. In terms of runs scored, Guptill is the one who has scored the highest in the competition but there are four others who have scored higher than the next Black Cap (McCullum). But the Proteans lost two matches in the league stage thanks to inspired bowling by India and Pakistan. New Zealand with their home advantage would have to repeat their league form to restrict their opponents - if not, the target (if SAF play first) will be 350+

Bowling

Highlights from the bowling chart shows

• The bowling chart shows Mitchell Starc being the leader but there are four Indians between him and his fellow opening bowler (Mitchell Johnson). India should weather the Starc-storm at the top of the innings to build a good total whether during the chase or setting a target. Considering the fact that Dhawan and Rohit have contained their wickets in the beginning, it will be a good fight at the top. 
• Australia will struggle with their fourth and fifth bowler as they have not been as effective (in terms of wickets and strike rate) as the Indians. Will Faulkner and Watson step up in the semis?
• In this chart, the circles in the lower half show the effectiveness of the bowlers. Jadeja has not had a good Cup so far and hence appears at the top. His spin will be effective against the Aussies especially at SCG where it is expected to support spin.
• Shami and Umesh Yadav are the key bowlers from the Indian team who can hustle the Australian bowlers with the short stuff that Wahab Riaz troubled them with

The other semi-finalists are more bunched together in this chart - four Proteans versus four Black Caps. Steyn has not had a great World Cup so far and hence he appears more at the top of the chart. In terms of wickets, Boult, Vettori and Southee have claimed more in conditions that suit their bowling. Will Imran Tahir have the same impact in New Zealand - probably not, especially on smaller grounds - remember Ashwin's struggle in India's matches in NZ. The battle will be between how the supporting bowlers of both teams contribute to the attack - this will determine who comes on top.

Another list courtesy ICC's twitter id - all of them are still playing in the Cup except the first! The semifinal between NZ and SAF will be a six-fest hopefully. No Indian appears in this list!

2015 World Cup - India ease past Bangladesh

The cricketing world had deemed India to be lucky as they drew Bangladesh in the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup. They had momentarily forgotten the fact that the Indian team was on a winning streak from last World Cup as well as the fact that they had taken 60 wickets in six matches this edition (with the same bowling lineup except a replacement in one match). The Indian team extended the streak by one more match at MCG by a convincing win over their neighbors.

Photo Courtesy: Cricinfo

The openers started steadily, thanks to the profligacy of the opposition captain (Mortaza) who was off-color but did not take himself off the attack. The space given to the openers was good not only for Rohit to settle down but also have a steady run-rate going. Once Shakib and Rubel got together, the pressure started showing on the Indian batsmen. Three wickets fell in no time, more because of the pressure of non-scoring fast enough than the conditions. Rohit was determined to cash in on this opportunity as is his wont against competition below the top Six. 

Raina joined him to put a match-winning partnership for his side. The Indian team is more confident because of the experience in such situations, better skills as well as conditioning. The Bangla team is improving but a long way to go. Raina decided to give the charge from 36th over when the score was 155 for 3. India almost doubled the score at the end thanks to the exploits of Raina, Rohit and a cameo from Sir Jadeja. Dhoni had a rare failure but that did not stop the charge by much.

Even though Bangladesh had a better batting lineup compared to their bowling, the start was shaky. Umesh Yadav had been dominated by his compatriots in this tournament even though he had done a decent job as well (Did you know that he is on top of the list of catches in this tournament?). His speed as well as control was good enough for the Bangla batsmen. They were hurried and he led the way when Shami was hit in the beginning. The haul was poetic justice to the paceman who has come a long way in this tournament. Ashwin too did a great holding job bowling against Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib but was unlucky not to have any catches. 

Overall, the Indian pace bowlers picked wickets again by the generous use of short ball. Will they continue in same fashion in the semifinal? Probably not. Going by the first quarterfinal, it looks like a pitch of subcontinental type and the Indians will fancy their chances against whoever they play. All parts of the team (fielding, bowling and batting) did their job well - what more did MSD wish for? Dhoni himself caught a couple of great catches to round off the evening. Next is the semifinal at SCG. 

We definitely Wont Give It Back!

2015 World Cup - end of League stage

The eight quarter-finalists have been identified after the lengthy league stages. Though not many surprises in the eight, the league stages did show up some teams in terms of their big-match temperament and endurance in the BIG tournaments. Ireland came close to qualification but fell at the last hurdle. Pakistan took the format as an advantage to become better and finalize their top-selections (non-choice Sarfraz was the MoM in their eventual match). Injuries have hampered all teams but by the time the matches start, everyone should be ready to fire.

How do you then identify the players who did well? Let us look at the bowlers and batsmen - not just the highest run-scorer but also players who performed on all parameters. What are the parameters?

1. In batting, the most important in this format is the strike rate and average. One more parameter that I feel critical is the Rotation-Rate. Check this link for my rationale for the Rotation Rate and how it works.
2. In bowling, the key parameters are Economy Rate, Strike Rate and Average. 

Using these, I have tried to list the players who have scored minimum of 250 runs and taken at least eight wickets. What do the results show?

Batting

1. No surprises to see Glen Maxwell at the top of this list. With a strike-rate close to 200 and rotation-rate more than 85%, he is the clear-cut favorite for the best batsman in this World Cup. He has not scored much because of limited opportunities (other players in the Aussie lineup are to blame). 
2. Sangakkara occupies second place because of the volume of runs at a decent strike rate and rotation rate
3. AB De Villiers and David Miller are the other players to note in terms of these aspects - no surprises there.
4. What should be of concern to the Indian team is Mushfiqur Rahim's presence quite high in this list. His strike rotation seems to be quite good (within the overall Top 10). 
5. On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan seems to be inclined more on boundaries rather than rotation. 

Bowling

1. Mitchell Starc tops this list due to his wicket-haul as well as low economy rate - clearly the front-runner for the Best Bowler award
2. The Black Caps have four bowlers in the Top 15 while four Indians also appear in this list - main reason for their six victories. The other seven include two Proteas, one West Indian, one Scot, two Australians, one Pakistani.
3. No Bangladesh bowler in this list at all. Is it a show of batting for the Banglas where there is representation from Afghanistan, UAE and Zimbabwe too?
4. Sri Lanka has just one bowler in the top 15 - they must be keen for Herath to come back.

What are your thoughts on these numbers?

2015 World Cup - India finish league with clean slate

India not only made it 6-0 by beating Pakistan but also completed a clean slate of six wins in the league stage by winning against Zimbabwe. This time, the chase was harder and the top-order slumped to give a chance for Raina and MS Dhoni to put on a large partnership. They turned back the clock to replay the chases they have done over years in a clinical fashion, hastening the end with big strikes.

The Indian spinners suffered against the Zimbabwe team while the pace bowlers not only picked wickets but also bowled in a miserly fashion. This should have given a good feeling to the Indian think-tank. With the larger grounds in plan for the next knock-out rounds, the spinners will come back to the fore.

The Indian team have tested to the maximum extent in these six matches - they look to be well-primed for the next stages. Next is Bangladesh in quarterfinal at MCG. Form and History suggests that India should go to the semifinals.

World Cup 2015 - Indias home support at Melbourne

One of the factors of India's win over South Africa at Melbourne was the home support it received. Tickets for this match as well as India's clash against Pakistan were the ones to be sold out within hours of release. A sure sign of the Indian fans ability to travel to the greatest cricket holiday destination of 2015 - Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand has been more scenic in the

Image courtesy - Cricket.com.au site

Melbourne, for me, has been a favorite ever since ODI cricket in colored clothing and day-night formats were introduced in the eighties. The awesome feeling of getting up early in the morning to watch the Indian team play against the hosts (even though the result may not be in our favor) is cherished even to this day. It was this image that enticed me to visit the ground for a quick tour during my business visits.

The tour was fascinating to watch and listen to - a far cry from the Indian grounds which do not care much for posterity. The tours are a treat to watch, especially the side-conversations and juicy nuggets that do not get published in any format! Definitely a treat for any cricket fan. Just like MCG, the Lords cricket ground is yet another legendary cricket holiday destination. Another favorite of mine!

Thanks in part to the Information Technology industry and the growing economy of the average Indian fan, cricket holiday destinations are growing and have become more economical to travel. Of all the countries that play cricket at the top-most level, Australia and England top the charts for holiday destinations. India remains the home place for all of us and hence does not qualify as a holiday destination (to keep it simple). Australia, with its great weather and support for cricket, would definitely edge out the more sober-looking England at the top.

Do you agree with me? What are your favorite cricket holiday destinations to visit in your lifetime?

2015 World Cup - India thump South Africa at MCG

It took four matches for India to beat South Africa in World Cup. But, when it happened, it was a thumping win for the defending champions who must have felt that they were playing the match at Mumbai, not MCG.

Shikhar Dhawan could not score a run during the Australian Tri-Series but after two matches he is the top-scorer of the ongoing World Cup. What a difference the break after the tri-series has done? The support provided by his captain and team management, his own slight tinkering with his mind (more than technique) has helped Dhawan in the tournament. He seems to have a clear vision and is determined to do well in the company of the other top-order batsmen. While Kohli did not have the same success as the previous match, Rahane continued the great work once again.

Image Courtesy: Cricinfo site

Rahane is probably the most elegant slogger in the tournament - never for a moment does he seem to lose his composure while scoring runs at a rate greater than 120! Rahane is also the most technical of all batsmen in the top order who can not only withstand the pace and guile of opposition bowlers but also score runs briskly. Dhoni showed glimpses with his bat but could not continue as last match. The same problem as last match occurred again - the last five overs were not as productive as what the first 45 overs showed.

The Indian bowlers were disciplined but the fielders were keen to make a mark. What else can explain run-out's of AB De Viliers and David Miller. The bowlers tightened the screws with their wicket-to-wicket bowling but the fielders were also positioned well by the captain not to give any easy runs. The end result was that the South Africans were gasping for breath. The lineup that can drive fear into any bowling attack was not able to score even 200 while chasing. The world saw the current South Africa team in a different light. Were they real favorites for the tournament? The much-maligned Indian bowling had done extremely well to throttle the batting as well as take all ten wickets. Mohit and Shami along with Ashwin with their repeated strikes are wreaking havoc on opposition plans.

The Indians are the favorites to top the group, thanks to their performance in the first two matches. Will they sustain this level for the next seven (four matches at group stage and three at knock-out level)? Definitely possible.

2015 World Cup - India make it 6-0

India defeated Pakistan today, just like they did in 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2011 - a winning streak that actually totals TEN if you include the T20 World Cup as well. Incredible! From the looks of it, the Pakistan team does not seem to be able to absorb the pressure that comes with such a marquee clash. At the same time, the Indian team seems to ride on the pressure involved to put a spirited performance. The same team that seemed to behave like amateurs in the Tri-series matches were transformed into tigers.

Except the  overs 46-50 while batting (when they collapsed - contributing to a total that was 20-30 less than what looked possible), the Indian team dominated the entire match! The Indian fan must have been visibly impressed by the incredible win on this day. Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan were the ones to star with the bat - getting their act together against a bowling attack that was inexperienced but had the talent to trouble any team. Riding on the luck that supported them (dropped chances), the batting and running between the wickets climbed several notches higher than what was on display Down Under in last three months.

Picture Courtesy: Cricinfo Site

Virat Kohli was missing in action in the ODIs after a great test series - today, he was back in action. First with Dhawan and then with Raina, Kohli found his bearings and slowed down only near his century. Pity that he fell on completing the milestone. Raina was pure class - the shots he made and the placement of his strokes were on the spot. The opposition bowlers could not pitch the ball up to him at any time - he was just ruthless. The other aspect of Raina was his selflessness - milestones do not matter to Raina at all, only the team's objective matters. Witness his celebration when Kohli got to his century - amazing character. The only downside was the lack of form for MS Dhoni - though he hit one large six, he was a shadow of his old self. Time enough for him to get back to form still.

While the batting clicked, everyone was worried about the bowling composition. Will they come to the party as well? Starting with the ball that dismissed Younis Khan, Shami was like a man possessed. He was supported well by the others though Umesh was expensive at the beginning. Mohit provided good backup to ensure that the pressure was on the batsmen. Fielding was another area where the Indians scored higher than their opponents - the experience of fielding on the larger Australian grounds for the last few months had helped so much! The Pakistan team was always on the lookout for the big shots because of the tight fielding. One more noticeable aspect was Dhoni's willingness to attack - the slip catchers were usually missing in the previous matches - Dhoni is showing signs of aggression already. Ashwin was bowling as he should in a test match - looking for wickets and bowling outside the off (did Manager Arshad Ayub have a word with him?). Jadeja was solid but went for few runs (making up for the wickets). Umesh came back in his subsequent spell and looked much better - maybe it is a good idea to have him following Mohit Sharma in the next match.

All augurs well for the Indian team but they have to make this as a practice in most of the group matches to get an easier opponent in the quarterfinals. 

HNY and looking forward

I did not mean the new Shahrukh movie here :)

Today, the Indian team for World Cup 2015 will be announced - I had mentioned my concerns earlier on this blog.

My team for the World Cup will be

1. Rohit Sharma
2. Shikhar Dhawan
3. Ajinkya Rahane
4. Virat Kohli
5. Suresh Raina
6. Ambati Rayudu (backup keeper)
7. MS Dhoni 
8. Ashwin
9. Jadeja (or Axar if he is not fit)
10. Stuart Binny
11. Bhuvi
12. Ishant Sharma
13. Shami
14. Umesh Yadav
15. Mohit Sharma

If you have not observed, do check my new blog in the run-up to the World Cup.

World Cup 2015 - Is India prepared?

The 2015 World Cup is around the corner - the schedule has been announced and preparations are ongoing for the next extravaganza. The big question on everyone's mind is whether the Indian team is prepared for the event in terms of personnel identified, adequate preparation (matches played on similar surfaces) and any injury concerns.

Let us try to get some statistics right.

Since the last World Cup (if you have forgotten, India won it at home), what has been the performance of the Indian team?

There have been 6 series in all that have been held in India (all bilateral ones) and India have won all of them (England, West Indies and Australia) except the one against Pakistan (lost 1-2). They have played in England twice (before the current series) and won the Champions Trophy while losing the other bilateral series. The team has won overseas series in West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. In between they have lost few tournaments (Asia Cup twice, CB series in Australia) as well as the last two bilateral series (in South Africa and New Zealand where they have not won a single match). The last two have been a sticky point in the Indian think-tank for various reasons. The performance has been so poor that it puts the recent test loss to shame!

Let us slice and dice the numbers more carefully to see what has happened so far.

 This shows the matches played in different countries since the last World Cup. India's performance has been poor in places where the pitch and opposition have been tough (Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and England). Performance in England has been decent thanks to the Champions Trophy win. If not, it would have been as bad as SAF and NZ. Proof that the Indian team have been poor travellers.
Is it due to poor scheduling? Is the team not playing the right number of ODIs? What do the stats say?

 No. 2013 saw the team play a high number of ODIs (and a good win % as well). This year, the number has dipped considerably with the focus being test matches and performance overseas. The two series (SAF and NZ) have contributed to the poor win percentage again.

 Very few ODIs against South Africa overall (4) and New Zealand (5) in the last three years. A number of them played against lowly West Indies and favorites Sri Lanka! England feature highly because of the home and return series that have been conducted. This is reflective of the BCCI standoff against different countries which has resulted in this skewed scheduling.
How did the Indians fare in Australia during the last tour?

 This was the tour that highlighted Virat Kohli's emergence to the international ODI scene (with his majestic 183 against Sri Lanka in the final ODI). India won once against Australia while they won twice against Sri Lanka (other than a tie) - not reaching the final of the tri-series. Most of the players who were part of that tour are present but will they make the squad to the World Cup?

What is the schedule for the Indian team during the World Cup?

Matches are scheduled in Adelaide, MCG, Perth, Hamilton and Auckland (initial phase) before the qualified teams play the quarterfinal. Will the Indian team have adequate practice in the Australian pitches before the World Cup starts? They are part of the Tri-series after the tests later this year.

The ODI schedule for the Indians from now till the World Cup looks like this:

Five matches in England and India (against West Indies) before they move Down Under for the tri-series which seems to be skeletal compared to the previous years. Each team plays the other only twice before the finals. The Indians do play in MCG and Perth thereby giving good practice to their players before the World Cup starts.

Let us turn our attention to the players now. Again, dividing the players by different positions and roles, we find startling insights from the data.

Openers
This is a clear problem area especially with the lack of form with Shikhar Dhawan (and to an extent, Rohit Sharma). 14 ODIs remain and the team can possibly turn upon Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane as back-up openers. It is not possible to blood any other player in this short time. What is the Team Management thinking about this? Any ideas? Will Virat Kohli be asked to open in a pressure situation?

Middle-Order batsmen


Four choices seem to be clear here - Kohli, Raina, Rahane and Rayudu (unless he drops in form very badly) have made enough to take the ticket to Australia. Rayudu has recently been on the India-A tour (and performed well) to Australia. Not much of a problem here.

All-rounders
The Pathan brothers have dropped off the radar and there is not much time (and opportunities) for them to make a comeback to the squad. Maybe the Champions League could be a possible stage for them to show their mettle. Otherwise, it will be Ashwin, Jadeja and Bhuvi. There could be a toss between Binny and Karn Sharma in the coming days and weeks. One of them might be picked for selection.

Spinners
With Jadeja and Ashwin already part of the previous group, I expect Amit Mishra to be the only option possible (with close competition from Karn due to his batting).

Pace Bowlers
This is another area of concern for the Indian team with 15 bowlers tried out in three years and few of them falling off the radar for different reasons (poor form, injuries, international ban). Ishant Sharma could make a comeback with the flip-flop performance of the current crop of bowlers. Along with Bhuvi, Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma seem to be the favorites to make the trip. Ishant could definitely give the edge (provided he is injury-free).

Wicket Keeper batsmen
There is no doubt that this group contains a player who will fill in when MSD is injured or banned (for bowling slow). Sanju Samson is the latest choice after the selectors tried out Karthik and Parthiv Patel.

So, overall, the preparation from the Indian team point of view can be summarised as follows:

1. 14 matches remain to tinker with the combination and selecting the 2-3 slots required for World Cup
2. There seems to be no  problem for the Indian team to go to the knockout part of the World Cup. After then, what is the plan?
3. The opening combination is a worry (just like test matches) and the Indian team would do well to prepare Plan B now (no time to create Plan A).
4. The pace bowlers are also inexperienced and do not seem to be improving with matches. What is the fallback option?

Do the team management have answers to these and much more questions? They would do well to start finding some. I will be very happy to see this image again - I am sure as an Indian fan, you will as well.

Would love to listen to your thoughts.

Who is cricket's Alex Ferguson?

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?

MSD is everywhere post CWC2011

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.

World Cup 2011 - A team effort surely

We are the Champions of the World - Courtesy Castrol Cricket Site

The Indian team has been partying hard from the night of April 2nd - once MS Dhoni hit the winning six. All the team members played in a minimum of two matches in the tournament - no one was Valson-ed (for all the young bloggers, Sunil Valson was the lone player in the 1983 tournament who did not play a single match). A look at the statistics page reveals the contribution done but some of them go beyond just statistics. Let us look at their key moments in the tournament.

• MS Dhoni. The captain led from the front, especially in the finals. He had his share of misses and hits with his decisions but as one could see, created the luck that got his team the World Cup.
• Virender Sehwag. He hit such a high in the first match against Bangladesh that everything else paled in comparison. That his 175 came just after he announced his intention to play 50 overs was more than coincidental.
• Sachin Tendulkar. Two centuries that took his tally to 99. A Man-of-Match in the semifinals against Pakistan that he would have not wanted. He would have given all of it away for the medal he received at the end of the tournament - Winner!!
• Gautam Gambhir - the final brought the best of a fighter who had made small contributions in most of the matches. He is one vital cog in Dhoni's future team that will continue his dream. 
• Yuvraj Singh. Even though he did everything right (only a perfect yorker could stop his run-flow), his innings against Australia was the high-point in this tournament. 
• Virat Kohli. Like Sehwag, he scored a century in the first match of the tournament and failed to match it. Virat, though, contributed several runs by his agile fielding skills.
• Suresh Raina. The fittest player in the Indian team, Raina played a critical knock against Pakistan in the final overs that helped in putting a decent score on the board. His contribution to the win against Australia was equally critical, if one can look over his fielding at all.
• Yusuf Pathan. Another player of the future, who could not get a look-in because of Kohli & Raina's better fielding skills. He played a good cameo against Ireland that hastened the victory much earlier than what one anticipated it to be.
• Harbhajan Singh. The wickets of Umar Akmal & Shahid Afridi would have to be the highlight of his bowling throughout the tournament. These two strikes were worth their weight in gold, catapulting the Pakistan team to defeat.
• Piyush Chawla. He was given the confidence by his skipper and partly repaid it. He kept his composure and dismissed Shezad after being stuck by sixes. He was hampered by lack of international match practice, which showed.
• Ravichandran Ashwin. There was a lot of crowd support for this lad that added to the pressure of Dhoni during press conference. He showed that he could be a good addition to the team with his diverse skills. His dismissal of Shane Watson against Australia started the slide.
• Zaheer Khan. What can one say about this bowler? He was on a mission to prove that his performance in 2003 final was an aberration. His spell against England to revive the match was stuff that dreams are made of.
• Munaf Patel. Often criticized for his uni-dimensional skills, Munaf delivered with the ball more often than not. His dismissal of Razzaq in the semis was well thought-out and executed to the point. Everyone is aware how dangerous the allrounder can be on his day - the slower leg-cutter of Munaf put an end to his aspirations. 
• Ashish Nehra. Another uni-dimensional bowler who delivered on a pitch that was helping the slower bowlers more. His spell in the slog overs during the Pakistan match was superb.
• Sreesanth. What can one say about this bowler? A gamble that was picked in the first and last match of the tournament - Sreesanth was the only one who did not contribute much - no wickets in the two matches. Economy rate of 8+. No catches taken in the tournament at all. Anyway, everything is forgotten, Sree. You were probably the lucky charm for MSD - one of the common links between the 2 World Cup victories under Dhoni.

World Cup 2011 - Captain Cool lives his dream

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.          

Related articles

• Tendulkar won't stop - Kirsten (espncricinfo.com)

World Cup 2011 - India wins the 10th edition of World Cup

India with the 2011 World Cup (courtesy Yahoo ICC Cricket Site)

After a disastrous 2007 World Cup performance, the Indians have come back and won the 2011 World Cup with a great performance by the team, soaking in all the pressure. This was one of the qualities that the Indians have displayed throughout the Knock-out matches in this tournament - not letting the targets get into their mind but concentrating on the smaller sub-targets to get the scoreboard ticking. Sachin Tendulkar's sixth sojourn turned out to be lucky for him, even though he did not make a big contribution to the final game.

MS Dhoni's selections may not have worked always but he had the courage to accept his mistakes in public. The Lankans had made wholesale changes in the bowling attack, considering that the opposition was India. Kulasekara was brought in to swing the new ball as well as utilize his high strike-rate against Sehwag. But, the Mumbai pitch did not favor him at any time - his bowling turned out to be the right cannon-fodder for the batsmen, releasing the pressure that was being built by Malinga. Suraj Randiv was again preferred to Ajantha Mendis since the Indians had worked out the leg-spinner very well. Perera was brought in as he was in the similar mould as Angelo Matthews.

After the controversy in the toss, the match started on the right note for the Indians. Zaheer Khan, after his disastrous spell in 2003 final, had made up his mind to put the ball in the right place and ask questions to the opening pair of Sri Lanka. The openers, also, were reluctant to be more aggressive than usual because of the loss of confidence over their middle-order. The loss of Angelo Matthews hit them more and the openers were looking to keep wickets in hand more than run-scoring. The hesitation led to the dismissal of Tharanga by a good delivery by Zaheer. Sreesanth, as Ian Chappell had predicted in the pre-game show, was a gamble taken by Dhoni - not working as much as he had liked. Munaf Patel was brought in his place and very quickly MSD realized that he needed to get rid of Sreesanth's ten overs quickly.

Harbhajan was introduced and started to bowl in a strange round-of-wicket line mostly. Luckily, he got the prize wicket of Dilshan with the help of an inside edge. Dilshan's stay at the crease was largely uneventful, not the kind that he would have been proud of. Jaywardene walked into the crease then and started consolidating the innings in a way that is unique to him. He was scoring at run-a-ball without making a 'shot in anger' (as the commentators would say). Sangakkara has liked the Indian attack so much that he makes big scores very frequently - he seemed to be on his way to another big score before he got out to Yuvraj Singh. Again, the left-armer picking up a wicket to break the partnership, as he has done all tournament.

Samaraweera and Jayawardene conjured a fifty-plus partnership, keeping wickets in hand while rotating the strike. The Indian fielding so far had been really impressive, just like their performances in the earlier two matches. Dhoni had an additional fielder in the circle to cut out singles that would have been on offer. All this came to naught in the last 10 overs - the Lankans through Mahela, Kulasekara, Perera hit more than 90 runs to post a challenging target for the Indians. At the innings break, one felt that the Indians had given 30-40 runs more than what was on par. The pitch was not difficult but the pressure of chasing a target in the final would be high.

The final was another match where Dhoni knew that he had to answer the public for his selection of Sreesanth. His form was patchy but he decided to take the brave move of promoting himself ahead of the hot-favorite Yuvraj Singh. This was not only for the right-left combination but also because of Yuvi's well-documented record against spinners, especially Murali. What a master-stroke the promotion turned out to be - Dhoni combined very well with Gambhir after the early dismissals of Sachin/Sehwag to produce a partnership that kept the required rate under control without taking undue risks. Kohli had done his bit to settle the nerves once the openers had been dismissed till Dilshan took a wonderful one-handed catch to get him out. Gambhir has been orchestrating run-chases successfully many a time in the last 2 overs - this was the occasion when he could use all the learnings of those chases.   

Yuvraj Singh was regarded before the tournament as one of the biggest hitters of the ball and how truly he justified his reputation. He came into the crease when nearly fifty runs were required by India. Dhoni had whittled down the target considerably and all that was required was to stay till the last run was scored - nothing beyond Yuvraj's capability. The batting PowerPlay was a mixed experience for the Indians throughout the tournament and they rightly decided to keep it away until the last five overs of the innings. In the Batting Powerplay, Sangakkara relied more on Kulasekara than Murali (more so because of the dew) only for him to falter. Murali did not have a farewell that he expected, partly due to his injury and partly due to the dew factor.

The Indian team sounded confident even before the tournament and were very keen to get the victory for Sachin Tendulkar. The team was well-prepared before the tournament and that proved vital for them in the final analysis.

WELL DONE TEAM INDIA!!!


CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ENTIRE NATION.

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• Dhoni hails team effort (skysports.com)
• India Takes the World Cup in Grand Style (hindu.com)
• 'I couldn't control my tears of joy' (espncricinfo.com)