After Afghan history, India are off to UKI

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

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

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

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

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

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

Image courtesy: ESPN Cricinfo website

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

South Africa away tests - India lose to Ngidi

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

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

Image Courtesy: ESPN Cricinfo website

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

Bangla Home Tests - India beat Bangladesh as expected

India defeated Bangladesh in the first and only test of the series, as expected. The Indian spinners picked wickets but what was more pleasing was the pacers picking a handful.

The Aussies are next and India is on course for a great home season!

England Home Tests - Three-nil lead for India

A great advertisement for test match cricket! India lost the toss and conceded 400 runs in the first innings. Yet, went on to win by an innings!

A masterful double century by the captain and 12 wicket haul by No.1 bowler in the world, supported by No.9 batting spinner ( scoring a century) triggered a comeback that saw the Indians win the test series with one test to go.

All eyes on 4-0 win though the English are still cribbing ( second nature?)

Image Courtesy - espncricinfo 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 !

IPL-8 - Match-7 - Punjab go past Mumbai Indians

Punjab had rattled off a large score thanks to George Bailey (and cameos by Vijay and Sehwag) and picked up so many early wickets of Mumbai that Harbhajan's blitzkrieg could not change the result.

Australian Tour 2014 Final Test - When draw was more enjoyable

The Indians lost 0-4 during their previous tour Down Under. This time it was 0-2 - a reflection of the progress that the team made over four years. The team transitioned on many counts during this tour. The old order moved into retirement while the new generation batsmen came after losing (if not disastrous) campaigns from New Zealand, South Africa and England. The team had come close to winning matches in the first two tours but on the last tour to England, they did win at Lords.

On this tour, there would be no wins but the two draws could be considered as morale boosters for a team that has now moved to a new captain as well during the series. The test team will no longer have a certain Mr. Dhoni. Virat Kohli seems to enjoy his captaincy considering that he has scored three centuries and a forty in his two tests as captain. Let us see how this run continues in the next series overseas.

The positives have been limited on the batting front from the Indian side - Vijay, Rahane and Kohli have been standout performers in all tests. Rahul did well in the Sydney test, showing signs of long-term promise. Shikhar Dhawan and Chet Pujara will be still in the scheme of the Indian cricket - part of a good set of batsmen for the next generation.

It is the bowling that will give the Indian management a big headache. Discipline was missing in all matches and it was very clear that the slow wickets would not help any of them. The fact that the opposition bowlers also struggled meant that the Indian bowlers were not far behind - if that was a consolation factor. Ishant Sharma did well to apply his learnings of many years but it shudders when you think that the others are in the same situation he was few years ago. Umesh Yadav looked full of promise during the last tour Down Under but he has not progressed much. Bhuvi could not do much in the last test due to injury but he needs support from the pitch and conditions to be effective. Can Aaron become more consistent is the question on everyone's lips?

Overall, the Indians lost the series but not disappointed their fans. A win would have been good but I think the next overseas series will be the one where India will start their winning streak.

Australian Tour 2014 3rd test - Kohli makes his name

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

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

Picture Courtesy - Cricinfo

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

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

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

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

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

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

Australian Tour 2nd Test - India lose Brisbane test, so?

Statistician Mohandas Menon has an interesting tweet in the morning today

During this series, India have lost wickets by the dozen

• Adelaide Test
• 77/6 in 22.4 overs
• 73/8 in 18.1 overs
• Brisbane Test
• 87/6 in 24.1 overs
• 148/9 in 38.3 overs

This batting slump has overcome the good start provided by the batsmen like Vijay (again) and Rahane, Kohli failed this test match after his twin centuries while Dhawan came well in the second innings. Rohit Sharma, Chet Pujara and MS Dhoni would do well to introspect further on their game and see where they have to improve for the next test. In fact, I am not so sure if Rohit has to play the next test at all! Rohit has his list of chances but so far, nothing to prove his presence in the playing eleven. 

Murali Vijay played a great knock in the first innings - a knock that would rank high in Indian test cricket in terms of endurance and effectiveness. If only the Indian team could manage Mitchell Johnson better in the second innings, they could have inflicted a record defeat on the Aussies in the test match - look at the Aussie performance while chasing a paltry score. Definitely, another 60-70 runs on the board would have shaken them big time. 

Where the Indians faltered was during the first innings of the Australian innings. After getting the first six wickets, the Indian bowlers tried to repeat the dose that was given to Brad Haddin. Obviously, they couldnt deliver well and what happened was that the last four wickets doubled the score. This meant that the Australian team not only overtook the Indian team but also gained a healthy 97 run lead. Ishant Sharma as the pack leader should have guided his colleagues better. Maybe MSD should have put in a word when the match was slipping away. Maybe Ashwin was a better option to bowl at that time. The match moved away from India so fast that they were caught napping. 

The second innings saw the Indian bowlers grab few wickets and put doubts in the Aussie batsmen. They will try to leverage this for the next test match but the think-tank should definitely look to bringing back Bhuvi for Aaron and Raina for Rohit.

The margins of victory have been narrow than ever before - will the next match see the Indians strike a victory? Let us hope so.

Australian Tour 2014 1st Test - Same Result via different approach

The Indian team encountered a familiar result at Adelaide Oval but the approach in which they played was different and refreshing. I mean only the captain and few other players because rest of the team looked to be still thinking what they need to do this series (e.g. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Mohd. Shami).

Kohli came out with his reputation enhanced, scoring more runs than what he did in the entire Englan series. His bowlers did not do him good in either innings, bowling wide and short. David Warner, especially, was given length to punish at will. The selection of Karn Sharma was supposed to be Kohli's personal choice - one fault that could be attributed as this meant Kohli did not have a spinner who could have potentially used the wearing wicket as well as an useful batsman down the order.

Dhoni will be back the next match but Kohli has shown that he leads the team just like he wears his emotions on  the sleeve - always on the lookout for an opening. If only the bowlers and batsmen fire in unison. Vijay supported him but Kohli missed Dhoni, the batsmen, as well. Remember that MSD was the leading batsmen during England series too. It is a good exercise for the batsmen and no doubt the pitches will get tougher now. The rescheduling helped the Indians start with a docile pitch first up - good way to get used to the conditions.

Ishant bowled well but he could not get the wickets that mattered. Aaron was fast but not consistent enough. Shami seems to be still struggling while Karn was not the right person for this test. The bowlers could not put together a partnership that could either restrict runs or take wickets. Can Umesh Yadav make a difference, compared to Shami? Might be a good choice to make alongwith bringing back Ashwin for Karn.

The next three tests will not be easy as this one. Can India pull one back? They can. If they bat, bowl, catch and field well. 

England Tour 2014 - First match drawn - sign to come?

The first test match ended in a draw with England not being able to get 20 Indian wickets while the Indian bowlers got 10 in the one innings that they bowled! Not without both teams giving each other a tenth wicket stand of more than 100 runs. It was a mediocre match with the teams putting up performances that were mediocre, at the best. True, Bhuvi scored two fifties and took a fiver but there was nothing much to separate the two teams. That in itself is a sign to come up in this series. Of course, the pitches will be better in the following tests but neither team has shown the right skill and application to step up and grab the mantle.

With both captains being under pressure for different reasons, the match had a number of interesting sidelights but overall tended to be a bit like the dull and drab soap operas that appear on the telly. India will feel good that they did not lose their first test of the tour - something that they have been used to, every tour. The grounds seem to be in favor of the Indians more than the hosts (for commercial reasons - grounds having spent money on getting drainage systems fixed have to earn back the money quickly and for that, they need matches to go for five days)! The weather is also good with less interruptions from cloud or ground. All this means that the Indian team feels more at home on these pitches.

As I had suggested in my previous post, Stuart Binny was picked in the playing eleven as a batting allrounder but his captain was not sure about his bowling talent. He was given 10 overs of a total of 145, not something that he would have hoped for, when given the cap on the opening day. On the final day, his knock with Jadeja showed his temperament and ensured that he will live on for another test for sure. He seemed comfortable at the crease and definitely deserved more with the ball. MSD too mentioned at the end that he wouldn't change his bowling attack - that means there will not be any changes to the playing eleven for Lords test (not a bad idea though).

Murali Vijay and Pujara (in the second innings) continued the good work they had put in on the tours to SAF and NZ while Virat Kohli will try to forget this match quickly. Rahane and Dhawan got starts but could not capitalise much. Vijay was the batting highlight for India and he will do well to remember his good knock for all his moments in future where he will get into trouble. He is one batsman who seems to be comfortable in test matches and T20s, not ODIs. Strange! Rahane looked pretty while on song but could not convert his knocks to a bigger one.

Dhoni and Binny played one innings of significance which augured well for a team that went in with five regular batsmen. MSD has come up with a new plan to counter the swing on this tour and it seems to be working so far. The English bowlers seem to have found a defect in full areas to him - that might be a critical flaw in his game now. The tailenders contributed to the team total which meant that twice this series already, India went past 350. The last tour, they managed to touch 300 once only! Not a bad start for a team that had the batting legend, Rahul Dravid, as the batting consultant before the first test.

The bowlers did well till they met Root, Broad and Anderson. Bhuvi was always expected to do well because of the swing he obtained but Ishant continued the good work from NZ series. Ishant seems to have taken over the mantle left vacant by Zaheer but he needs more wickets under his belt. Shami was a bit disappointing but he is a good bowler who will learn from his mistakes soon. All in all, a good outing for a bowling unit that was not expected to take 20 wickets. They still havent but the hope has been revived in this test. This bodes well for Dhoni and his team for Lords.

Everything to play for in London and the Indian team will be keen to go forward quickly in the series.

SAF Test 1 - India surges ahead

After 2 even days, the Indian team started to take the lead against the hosts in the ongoing test match. Luck was on their side but the batsmen piled on the runs after the bowlers had given the initial advantage of a lead (no matter it did not dent the scorecard by much). The match has tilted in the favor of Indians on the third day and the South Africans know that they have a big task on their hands now - first to dismiss the rest of the Indian batsmen for less and then chase down the target set. As of now, the number is 320 and it is surely going to grow (unless the Indians collapse in a big way).

The South African tailenders started strongly in the first over of the day but the Indian bowlers did well to pitch the ball in the areas where it mattered. This was something that they had planned well (Duncan Fletcher and the bowling coach needs to be praised here) and execution was perfect. Zaheer showed that he had truly forgotten about the time outside the team and it was just matter of time the innings finished. Steyn got few doses of his own medicine while Morkel hit out in vain.

The openers once again were watchful and played out the first half-hour well. Shikhar Dhawan got out to a good ball from Vernon Philander but Vijay continued his good show from the first innings. He got runs this time around and it was of his own mistake that he got dismissed. Experience gained from this tour will help both the openers for the other tours this year.

Morkel's absence was a blow but the Indian batsmen did well to blunt the attack initially. Till the tea-break, Pujara and Kohli met everything that was thrown to them with a straight bat. The bowlers got tired and Smith ran out of ideas. Pujara showed that he had imbibed the qualities of 'Wall' Dravid while Kohli was trying to live up to the image of former No. 4. In their own ways, both batsmen consolidated in the first phase of their partnership. They made up in the next phase after tea in a manner that would do any team proud. Runs started flowing and the lead crossed 300 in no time (275 was what Rahane predicted yesterday).

Pujara has the talent to accelerate once he has his eye in and he showed it in no small measures. He also put aside the thought of dropped chance (Imran Tahir put him down) and ensured that he would get a 'daddy hundred' - hopefully he will reach couple of more milestones on the fourth day! Kohli, on the other hand, was a revelation - for one who has been always associated with the heroics of slam-bang version, he has shown great patience to play the waiting game and attack the loose balls.

By their performance today, the Indian team has broken the myth that surrounded the team regarding their inexperience. Of course, the match is not over and the series has just begun. The performance needs to be sustained in other tours also, before one can talk about the next generation of Indian batsmen. But, if this match is taken as a basis, it might be just the launching pad this Gen-Y needs.

SAF Test 1 - Satisfying day for Indian team

It has been one of the most satisfying days for an Indian fan like me for years. The pride with which the Indian team responded to the challenges posed by the No.1 test team (definitely the best bowling attack in the world, including the Aussies) was a sight to watch. Planning was evident in the way the team batted and implementation was spot-on.

Right from the start, Vijay and Dhawan (to lesser extent) chose to play the balls that were going to hit the wicket only (or the bad balls of course). Vijay was instrumental in calming the nerves of the dressing room after MSD had won the toss and opted to bat - his knock was similar to the one played by Sanjay Bangar in Headingley when Dravid and Tendulkar had prospered because of his tenure. Dhawan has a new challenge ahead of him now - the short ball darting into his body. How he can counter this challenge in the unique way only he plays is critical for his near future.

Pujara looked solid, more than Kohli in fact. The two repaired the ship and started to attack the easy pickings of Imran Tahir when disaster struck. It was Kohli's mistake and Pujara had to pay the price (it looks like Pujara was ready to bat on for the next 2 days). Kohli would make up for his mistake by scoring a century but got out just when he had the attack at his mercy. Kohli's century had 18 boundaries (which means 72 of 119 runs) which meant that he was not letting the bad balls go a waste.50 of his runs came of 44 balls of Imran Tahir and JP Duminy - again showing that he did not let the chances slip when it came.

Rahane has shown so far that his prolific scores in domestic cricket is true reflection of his potential. Though 23 of his 43 runs have come against the spinners, he looked comfortable against pace as well. How well he combines with Dhoni on the 2nd day will be critical for the Indian team to score a good total. Dhoni has started well, scoring a boundary of all the three quicks. Will he carry the good form again?

Again, to repeat, a good performance by the team with the sessions shared on the first day. The Indian team should capitalise on the good start and make it count. Only then will they get into a good position on a ground where they havent lost in the four matches so far.

Is 4-0 for real?

The Indian team won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 4-0 today at Delhi, thanks to a combination of decent spin bowling (enhanced by the doctored pitches) as well as mediocre batting from the inexperienced bunch of Oz batsmen.

Throughout the series, the Australian players reaffirmed everyone that this experience will help them in latter series that they will play in their career. But, what happened to this one? With the retirement of Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting, it was left to their Captain Clarke to shore things up along with seniors like Shane Watson and David Warner (one thought his IPL experience would come handy in this series!). Clarke started well in the first innings of the series but fell to the puzzle called Ravindra Jadeja subsequently. Shane Watson without his bowling, was only half-effective. The spinners did reasonably well with their limited skills but the pacers came to the forefront with their lion-hearted performances. Surely this experience will help them in the next series (if they are still in the playing squad).

On the other hand, the Indian team managed to find some new stars who shone on the horizon. Hopes are high throughout the country that this will form the core of the next generation Indian team. MS Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher seem to have identified some of the key players who have shown the right mix of technique and temperament that can be honed further. Let us look at some of them:

• Murali Vijay - the Chennai player topped the series averages with his big hundreds at a time when the team was missing Sehwag's belligerence and Gambhir's solidity. After his first test flop-show, Vijay played like a man possessed to launch India's responses to Australian scores.
• Cheteshwar Pujara - more than the double century, Pujara's last innings of the series was probably the reflection of his growth in stature. Dubbed the next Dravid, Pujara did a "Rahul" by playing the role of an opener in the last test (to accommodate Rahane in the middle order). If he can work on his hook-shot, he will be ready for harder overseas tests
• Virat Kohli - though there is no doubt about this lad's talent as well as his leadership skills, he needs to develop the consistency that marks the sign of a great batsman. Kohli had few good knocks but could not convert them into big ones like what Pujara (or even Vijay) did.
• Ravindra Jadeja - Jadeja started this season as the scorer of two triple centuries in Ranji cricket. Though he could not contribute much with the bat (in fact, he looked out of place against raw pace even on Indian pitches), his bowling was a revelation and elevated him to the role of a second-spinner in the squad. This gives the team a good balance on home tests but overseas, not so sure (unless he improves his game drastically). A good fielder as well, Dhoni will be willing to wait for Jadeja to reduce the gap.
• Ravichandran Ashwin - Ashwin went off with his personal coach to work on his bowling before the series started. He was obviously not happy that his batting record was better than his bowling during the series against England. With the necessary changes to his bowling, Ashwin was quite a revelation this series (even on pitches that helped the spinners). Not showing off with his variations (unless required) and planning his dismissals thoroughly (especially bowling the left-armers around their legs), Ashwin was the Man of the Series clearly.
• Shikhar Dhawan - Dhawan got only one innings to show his skills in this series and what a show that was. Waiting for his time at the crease, Dhawan managed to get it when Sehwag was dropped. His shot-selection and daringness was a good package for all to see. Again, he has made the right noise to go to South Africa - how he improves further remains to be seen.
• Bhuvaneshwar Kumar - The young lad made further inroads to his blooming career with the breakthroughs consistently. What was impressive was his batting skills against the visiting bowlers, especially the faster ones. Clearly, he was not out of place and showed that he can be relied upon, to provide the much-needed support to the top half.
• Sandeep Patil and team - Last but not the least, by identifying the right people for the tasks and then taking the difficult decisions of leaving out the non-performing seniors, Sandeep Patil seems to have given the message to all that performance is the key to staying in the national team, not potential. A good start that was justified by the results. 

Yes, the series got a bit too one-sided after the second test match but let us take it one by one. This Indian team is learning and have won the series against a similar inexperienced Australian team. Just like the Indians lost Down Under, it was their turn to repeat the dose to the Oz in India. Which team will build faster to start delivering outside their territory remains to be seen. There are however glimpses of talent on both sides that can be nurtured to make them future greats - the captains therefore have a great task on hand and there is no doubt that Dhoni and Clarke are the right men to lead their teams in the near future.

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.

IPL4 - CSK defend their crown easily

MS Dhoni added another trophy today to his crowded cabinet - second one this year after the 50-over World Cup. Chennai Superkings are somewhat similar to how Australia were in the international cricket till late. The CSK team came prepared for the finals, knowing exactly what to do. Each member of the team were pumped up and having experienced a victory last year, they knew what needed to be done. RCB, on the other hand, had been runners-up once and seemed destined to repeat the performance once again.

When the first innings started, it was very evident how the two teams differed on the nerve-count. CSK were stealing extra runs while RCB were giving away over-throws - a reflection of the dominance of the match from very beginning. Murali Vijay and Michael Hussey have been doing a decent job as openers in this edition of IPL but today they rose to the occasion with a sterling performance. Vijay's confidence must have been boosted by his selection to the Windies tour - his booming sixes came out of the closet enabling CSK to run away from their opponents. Hussey, as his wont, rotated the strike and hit the big shots equally well. Though the batting fell away after the dismissal of the openers, the team ensured that they passed 200.

Nothing went according to plan for the RCB's bowlers. Their fielders also let them down in this crucial match by giving away runs when they were not present - Two tough chances were dropped off Vijay as well. Zaheer Khan bowled reasonably well but none of the other bowlers could make any impact. Aravind and Gayle took wickets in their last over to reduce their scoring but by then the horse had bolted.

After 205 was scored, RCB had their hopes on Chris Gayle to fire. Ashwin produced his magic to get rid of the dangerous Gayle in his first over - two balls that turned followed by one that went on with the line. This meant that the pair of Kohli and AB De Viliers had to do all the running. They hit the big shots and rotated the strike, keeping the match in interest, till Raina and Jakati produced their bits of brilliance. Even though wickets fell around him, Sourabh Tiwary did not make any effort to increase the run-scoring. He does not seem to be cut out for the big stage at this time.

Overall, CSK retained their core players which meant that they had a settled combination. No tinkering of the team was done - evidence was the fact that the same team played for six consecutive matches. Players like Southee and Aniruddha Srikkanth contributed in the earlier matches while not staying in the eleven later. The local Chennai players contributed as well - Badrinath was exceptional whenever the team was in trouble while Ashwin was the spearhead in the spin department. RCB came into the final becase of the heroics of Gayle and when the Caribbean failed, their hopes went up in a smoke. As far as Dhoni is concerned, it was a regular day at office for the cpatain.

What a captain, What a team!

Related articles

• IPL4 - the final lines are drawn (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
• IPL4 - Raina takes CSK to the finals (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
• IPL4 - Top 4 teams identified. (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)

IPL4 Match 31 - CSK win again

CSK coasted to an easy win against Yuvi's Pune Warriors by eight wickets, completing a second win against the same time in 3 days. Badrinath and Suresh Raina completed the act, after the good start given by Murali Vijay. Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa had contributed useful scores to help Pune post a score that eventually was not enough.

SA Series - Second test starts tomorrow with advantage Proteans

Bowlers should put their hands up

India take on the South Africans in Durban tomorrow trailing in the series after an innings defeat in the first test. The first day was good enough to test the Indian line-up and they failed. The Indian batting has faced many stringent tests over the years and this was another that they failed, especially in the first test match of the series.

Zaheer Khan will be back and that will boost the Indian bowling attack. Greame Smith will be dreading the return of the Indian spearhead as he has fallen many a time for the guile's of Zak. As Ananth mentioned in his column, the Indians must be also hoping for the mystery spinner (Harbhajan Singh) to make a contribution in this test match, taking a cue from Swann in the previous test that South Africa played against England.

The batting will undergo a change with mostly Cheteshwara Pujara taking the place of Suresh Raina and another late change of Murali Vijay coming into the playing Eleven thanks to Gambhir's injury. Gambhir had managed to get a big score in the second innings of the first test and his injury means that Vijay has to get adjusted to the pitch in this test match.

The pitch is again the cynosure of everyone after the first test while the talk is the bowling composition of the hosts. Will they drop the spinner? The selectors will not take such a drastic step as there could be a chance that the pitch will take turn - the coach has backed Harris to play and that seems logical as well, since Kallis is available as the fifth bowler.

The Indians can take a chance and bring in Pragyan Ojha for Suresh Raina, putting the onus on the batsmen to take responsibility of the scoring but this does not seem to be the line of thinking of the Indian Team Management now. How the Indian bowlers can fire out the opposition quickly and put up a score that is beyond the reach, will determine the fate of the test match and thus, the series. Tomorrow is Boxing Day and who gifts the presents to the other team is to be seen.  

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• SA Series - South Africa go 1-0 up (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
• SA Series - Sachin's 50th delays the South African march (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
• SA series - can the weather help the batsmen bail India out? (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
• SA Series - wet and disappointing start for Indians (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)

NZ ODIs - India win series with a resounding win

India won the 3rd ODI match, wrapping up the series quickly and quite easily with a convincing all-round performance. Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, yet again, showed up with a masterclass for the Black Caps and took the Indians home in a canter. There was no pressure on the batsmen at any given time. The way Gambhir was playing, the Indians did not miss Sehwag at any time. But the match was just not about these two players.

The chart to the left shows the economy rate of the Indian bowlers (red line being the players' lifetime rate while the blue line shows the performance over this series). This could be due to the weak performance put up by the NZ team or the captaincy skills of Gautam Gambhir or the maturity of Eric Simons as India's bowling coach. Whatever it is, the result is heartening to see. The Indians seem to have found a bowler in Sreesanth to bowl effectively at the death, taking wickets to stem the run-flow. They have found a bowler in Munaf Patel, who bowls the line and length that would have made Glen McGrath proud.

Similarly, the performance of Ashwin as an effective bowler in the Power Plays gives the team a good option when the flow is tough. Yusuf Pathan has not had a chance with the bat but his bowling gets wickets whenever he comes on to bowl - isnt that good news for the team management. Yuvraj Singh has contributed with the ball so much that the thinking of an all-rounder could stop with this series - he can very well do this in the World Cup along with Sehwag. The picture to the left is similarly a comparison of the bowling average in this series versus the lifetime averages.

Back to the batting. Murali Vijay has been having a torrid time, trying to make his starts go on to a bigger contribution while Gambhir or Kohli have no such issues. For the next two matches, the team management will have to make changes to the playing eleven so that the players who havent got a chance (Sourabh Tiwary, Rohit Sharma) play in the remaining matches. Kohli will probably be the player who will get rest as Gambhir has to continue his role as a captain. Similarly, Praveen Kumar will make a comeback in place of Ashish Nehra or Zaheer Khan. All in all, a good series for the Indians who managed to beat the NZ team convincingly even after resting their top six or seven players.

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• India search for unassailable lead (espncricinfo.com)
• NZ ODIs - India strike first in a match of second-strings (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
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• India select squads for NZ ODIs and SA series (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
• Gambhir to lead in ODIs, Dhoni rested (cricketnext.in.com)