Equal series wins in limited overs in UK

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

Image Courtesy: Cricinfo website

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

IPL10 - the awards go to...

After the completion of the IPL10 season, here are the awards we have chosen to award to the respective players. Have a look & feel free to comment!

1. Dad-Of-the-IPL - MS Dhoni. He was the captain of the Dads Army. Not only that,  if the videos were to be seen right after the final got over, Dhoni was seen playing with his daughter, leaving his team to relish the title win!
2. Bowler-Of-the-Tournament - All Leg-spinners. Indian or foreign, there were a large number of leg spinners in the tourney. Even Ashwin started off bowling leg-spin in many matches!
3. Catch-Of-the-Tournament - AB De Viliers Spiderman catch has to be it! Nothing other.
4. ABD-catch-of-the-tournament - Trent Boult came trumps with his catch to dismiss Virat Kohli!
5. Worst-team-of-the-tournament - RCB Back-room team, who picked the team that flops so badly despite containing the best two players in the world!Either the ex-players did well ( e.g. Gayle) or the players from the region did well (e.g. KL Rahul).But, not RCB. God knows if they will reach the last four in the next few years!
6. Jasprit-Bumrah-of-the-IPL - Basil Thampi, for his good showing and precise yorkers! He has to be given more chances to show his true mettle
7. Budding-keepers-of-the-IPL - Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant shone in the IPL, giving themselves a chance to target the national slot. Dinesh Karthik, Parthiv Patel are still around while Naman Ojha was not to be seen!
8. Comeback-team-of-IPL - Punjab under Ashwin did well but could not go all the way!
9. Gentleman-of-IPL - Kane Williamson was a great guy leading SRH to the finals with his genteel nature & proactive captaincy. Too bad his team ran into Daddy's boys!
10. Power-hitter-of-IPL - Ambati Rayudu seemed to have developed new muscles this year to power his way through the opposition. Was it hyderabad Biriyani or Chennai Sambar? He only knows!
11. Confusion-in-IPL - Why Rohit Sharma did not open regularly was a question mark! Even when his team was not performing!
12. Irritating-opener-of-IPL - Sunil Narine for his terrific shows at the top of the order!
13. Youngsters-of-IPL - Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Prasidh Krishna, Shubnam Gill, Deepak Chahar impressed with their games & temperament. Worth looking for!
14. Flop-show-of-IPL - Glenn Maxwell, D'arcy Short - For all their hype, their performances were nothing to write about!
15. Openers-of-IPL - KL Rahul & Chris Gayle. Brought Punjab back from wild & cheer into Preity's eyes. Great chemistry in the combination!

Please note that this is is only for fun and not to be taken seriously. Do take it in the right spirit and share your thoughts please!!

IPL10 - CSK win for third time

The IPL10 finished with its regular share of twists and turns, and the Comeback Star Kings (CSK) won it for the third time.

Picture Courtesy - espnCricinfo website

Called the "Dad's Army", CSK had nine players who were 30+ and turned the disadvantage to a plus! One of the oldies came to the rescue in every match, taking the team past the winning post in every match (Dhoni, Bravo,Rayudu, Tahir and Watson).

In the final, it was a great effort by CSK to win the title easily. Let us use the R-B factor to see how the winners got through. A look at the individual numbers (R-B) gives us good insight. Watson tops the list here too. Du Plessis and Rayudu have negative R-B but their contributions in partnering Watson when he was struggling was invaluable. All the others who batted, have a healthy R-B value, adding to the overall run-rate & ensuring CSK won the match by lots to spare. Just imagine the case that Dhoni, Bravo & Jadeja did not have to bat at all - that much fuel was available for CSK in the tank!!

Now, let us see the charts of SRH.Kane Williamson, Carlos Brathwaite  & Yusuf Pathan were the ones who did well with a R-B rate of 40+. The rest of the batsmen were guilty of consuming too many balls to score their runs! If the others had gotten up their R-B rate higher, CSK might have ended up chasing a score more than 200. But, as I mentioned earlier, three big-hitters did not step on to the field at all - Hence, CSK might have still ended up winners!

What do you think might have changed in the IPL final, in hindsight?Please share your thoughts.

T20I tri-series - Last-ball six gets India the Nidahas Cup

After the South African tour, the Indian selectors picked virtually a second-string Indian team to participate in the tri-series with hosts Sri Lanka and neighbor Bangladesh. No room for players like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya. In came new faces like Washington Sundar, Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur. With such a galaxy of new faces, India stormed to the finals and won the Cup, thanks to a cool Dinesh Karthik!

The Indian team closed out the international season with a memorable win and a dominating performance in the tournament, even with a second-string team. Kudos!!

All images from ESPN Cricinfo website

Clearly convincing wins by the Indians  over Bangladesh by 6 wickets, 17 runs, 4 wickets in the finals and over the hosts by 6 wickets, Only one loss versus Sri Lanka in the first match dented the performance slightly!

Karthik fidgeted around in his case and changed the lengths of the eight balls he faced, to slap a quick 29 to seal the match and tournament for India.

Throughout the tournament, it was consistent performances by Washington Sundar, Y. Chahal, Shardul Thakur that caught the eye of the Indian fans and Management. It augurs well to see that the pool for the Indian team is expanding with new faces. If Vijay Shankar had contributed as well with the bat, as he did with the ball, it would have been brilliant. But, nevertheless, this tournament was a BIG gain for the Indians! Next is IPL, where I am looking for newer faces!

South Africa T20Is - India finish series at the pinnacle

After the ODI series drubbing,the Proteas decided to rest most of their seniors and announced a new-look team. With nothing to lose, the Indians continued their momentum to win the T20I series 2-1 to finish a great series for themselves (especially after the revversal in tests). The Indians won two matches by comfortable margins(28 runs, 7 wickets). Like the one-days, there was just one loss, mainly due to the weather. The confidence was so high that the Indians rested their captain in one match and still won!

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's good performances throughout the series was remarkable for his consistency, irrespective of the format - he started with a five-wicket haul in the first match and ended as the joint highest wicket taker in the series!

Suresh Raina chipped in with fast-paced knocks that were not convincing - his skills and temperament though will be useful to the Indian team in days to come.

The Indians on the field were super, probably better than the home team in some cases! If they can continue this progress for few more years, it is difficult to stop them!
In MS Dhoni, Kohli has a great guide and friend on and off the field - he can only get better from here!

The emergence of Jasprit Bumrah as a dependable force in the limited overs format was another BIG takeaway for India!

Shikhar Dhawan shone in the limited over variety but could not translate the same to whites! But, he was a revelation in the T20I format!

All images from ESPN Cricinfo website

IPL10 - Third title win for Mumbai

IPL 10 started after a series of tests at home. The pace quickened and how - it seemed tests were on fast forward mode.

From the beginning, the slot for the top and bottom three teams remained the same. RCB was the biggest disappointment, especially with the team on paper. Another heavyweight, Mumbai Indians, funded by ultra-rich Ambanis won the title, pipping the Pune team by a single. Overall, the final reflected the closeness of the tournament.
This year saw the emergence of Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan with the bat - let us see if they go on to bigger things.MSD also showed that he was still a force to reckon with,
It has been a great tournament so far. In 10 years, all the initial icon players have become coaches or mentors. New players have emerged, both domestic and foreign. New captains have been identified. Let us see what happens next year for that will dictate the next ten years of cricket, not just IPL!

Image Courtesy: espncricinfo.com website

England Home T20s - India win 2-1

Another series for him - not one with youngsters like Kedar but with veterans like Raina, Yuvraj, Dhoni winding the clock back - vintage performance that one can go miles to see. Bumrah, Nehra and Chahal shared the spoils with the ball to complete a 2-1 of the T20 series, reflecting the closeness of the teams.

England Home ODIs - India win run-fest of a series

• 1st ODI - England scored 350 and lost as India overtook them
• 2nd ODI - England scored 350 and lost again as India scored 15 more!
• 3rd ODI - England scored 340+ and just about won as they scored 5 runs more.

Indian (and English bowlers) must have been glad that the series finished, such a run-fest it was.
India though was happy with Jadhav and Pandya's emergence as lower-order batsmen, resurgence of Dhoni and Yuvraj  in their old style just before the ICC  Champions Trophy starts.

Jadeja and Ashwin will not take part in the T20I series though I dont think the series result will change :)

Image Courtesy - espncricinfo website

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...

NZ Home ODIs - India seal series with crushing win

190 runs. That was the difference between the two teams in Vizag. Without major contributions with the bat by Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni. No Ashwin or Jadeja as well ( enjoying a rest in the midst of a hectic home season). Amit Mishra it was, who became the nemesis with his guile and turn. The Black Caps tried their best but chasing a difficult targat against the Indian spinners was beyond their reach. SIMPLE AS that. But, well tried Kane and team!

Image Courtesy: Cricinfo website

NZ Home ODIs - NZ strike baack to level series

In Dhoni's hometown, Black Caps scored a total that was just beyond India's reach. Kohli, Dhoni left early, putting the onus on lower middle order. They tried their best, learning a lot in the process, but could not win the match. Dhoni asked for more patience, which is fair.

Image Courtesy: Cricinfo website

NZ Home ODIs - MSD, Kohli take India to 2-1 lead

Dhoni promoted himself to give the stability, using which Kohli roared past 150 to take India to 2-1 lead in the series.

Image Courtesy: Cricinfo website

NZ Home ODIs - NZ sneak past Indians to level the series

The Indian bowlers continued their good work to pull back the target but even that turned out to be tall by six runs for the Indian batting.

Kohli failed for once and MSD couldnt get going in a rare occurence. Hardik Pandya tried his best but that could only reduce the losing margin. NZ levelled the series but the Indians will be keen  to come back and win the series.

Image Courtesy: Cricinfo website

NZ Home ODIs - easy chase after bowlers trick

The bowlers restricted NZ to a target that was easily chased down. With Kohli's good form, it was just a formality. But, MSD should be happy with his bowlers trick to restrict the Black Caps in the morning.

NZ Home Series - Indian team selected

Image Courtesy: espncricinfo.com Website

After easily winning the overseas tour in West Indies, India come back home to host the Black Caps later this month. The Indian team was announced by the selection committee.The last day of the Duleep Trophy is still to be played as the squad was announced. Also, the India A team has to come back from Down Under - the selection could have been timed slightly better is the view. From the Duleep Trophy, what did we learn?

1. Cheteshwara Pujara has no rival in domestic cricket. But why is he given the second-hand treatment?Check what the coach thinks of him.
2. There is a big chasm of difference between Ashwin and his near competitor ( Pervez Rasool).
3. Similarly, Amit Mishra is not being pushed hard enough by Karn Sharma or Shreyas Gopal
4. Though there are options like Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson, the selectors wished to retain Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma based on potential and performances.
5. Anil Kumble will continue with Virat Kohli the same plan that MSD had successfully pursued at home soil earlier - look at the squad for an indication of the pitches we can see.But, how will Kohli as captain fare versus the master tactician MSD?Tough question and challenge!
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2016 USA Tour - West Indies win series 1-0

Despite conceding more than 100 runs less thanks to good bowling performances by Amit Mishra, Ashwin, India lost the series as wet outfield resulted in abandonment of play. By virtue of win in the first match, Windies won the series 1-0.

Image Courtesy: espncricinfo site

2016 USA Tour - Windies edge India in high-scoring thriller

India made their debut in USA, by conceding their highest score to any opposition but redeemed themselves to score the highest chase ever in a T20I only to lose by a single. MS Dhoni was on strike off the last ball to Bravo, who turned out to be more skilful of the two.But, MSD didnt disappoint - highlights of his innings were:

• He scored 43  runs off 25 balls - strike rate was in his Top-20 of T20I innings
• He added 107 runs with Rahul in 49 balls. Rahul was the only one who scored faster than him in the innings.
• He agreed that he had executed the stroke wrongly after guessing the ball.

MSD also took the blame himself, despite his batsmen like Rohit, Kohli letting him down!And bowlers like Stuart Binny letting him down, MSD praised them for pulling back the innings from a possible target of 270! Only he can do this!

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2016 West Indies tour - Kumble and Kohli start their stint

Anil Kumble couldnt have asked for an easier start to his stint as Indias head coach - a tour to West Indies that need not be straight-forward but gives the management chances to experiment a bit. Let us see how it pans out.

Image courtesy: espncricinfo.com

The team looks no different to the previous overseas test tour. The keeper slot is iffy after Dhonis retirement but Saha has the confidence still. Both teams are coming after their respective T20 leagues - will it have any impact on the run-making?

India will win the series 2-0 is my prediction but the Windies can turn the series upside down if they put their mind.

Kumble, MSD , KohliAnil

Anil Kumble was the captain who handed over the reins to MSD in test matches. Dhoni retired from test matches Down Under and passed the baton to Virat Kohli. Now, who has Kohli got company as coach?Anil again!Graduation of Kumble happened so quick, too quick to believe.

T20 World Cup - India crash out thanks to no-balls

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India were one of the top favorites to win the T20 crown at home (in a tournament that was quite open. They crashed out in Mumbai despite the heroics of Virat Kohli with bat and ball. While the batsmen did well to post a challenging score, the bowlerslet the team down with two crucial no-balls(and the catch on boundary line). Windies came out swinging literally and despite losing Gayle early, showed enough depth to win easily.