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!
Showing posts with label Wriddhiman Saha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wriddhiman Saha. Show all posts
Sunday, February 19, 2017
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!
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
2016 West Indies tour - Rain prevents India's continued run of No.1
India dominated the series so much that they rose to No.1 in ICC Test rankings (coupled with Australia's loss to Sri Lanka). The rain gods however decided to put an end to the good times and the final test was washed out so much that only one session was played! India finished at 2-0 but it could have been 4-0! How many such chances will Kohli's India get again? |
| Image Courtesy: espncricinfo site |
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
2016 West Indies Tour - India go up 2-0
India went up 2-0 in the mismatched series againt West Indies, even after baffling team selections (Dhawan and Rohit included at the expense of Pujara). Bhuvi was one exception to the rule who took five wickets to ensure the quick demise of Windies in the first innings. Ashwin scored yet another century while Saha decided to make one of his own. All in all, the Indians won another match and look set to wrap up 3-0 by next test.
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| Image Courtesy: espncricinfo.com |
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
2016 West Indies tour - India dominate match to go up 1-0
It was a team performance in the lop-sided first test match. Virat Kohli started the dominance with a 200, supported by century from Ashwin and fifties from Dhawan and contributions throughout the order. When it was the turn with the ball, the fast bowlers led the way in first innings with Umesh Yadav and returning Mohd Shami taking 4 wickets each. In the 2nd innings, Ashwin completed a fine match by taking 7 wickets on the last day. Kohli couldnt have been happier - great start to a series that the Indians can outpower the hosts now!  |
| Image Courtesy: http://www.espncricinfo.com |
Friday, July 22, 2016
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.
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.
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| 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.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Sri Lanka series - amazing turnaround for hosts
The Indians started the test well - winning probably five of the first six sessions of the day. But, over the next five, they probably shared one session - overpowered by the performances of Chandimal and Herath with the bat and ball.
The match should have put the Indian management under dilemma regarding its five-bowler theory, especially when they have batsmen out of form (Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli to an extent) and bowlers out of touch (Harbhajan Singh and Varun Aaron). When the rest of the batsmen and bowlers do not put their hands up to backup the others, the performance was not good enough.
Ashwin and Mishra were the architects of the bowling performance in the first innings (Ishant and Aaron had provided the support in the beginning) while Dhawan and Kohli scored centuries to take India to a big lead. The middle and latter order batsmen did not contribute much to take the lead to an unbeatable one (except Saha to an extent).
The umpiring was also to be blamed for India's decline - two decisions went against them (those of Thirumanne and more importantly Chandimal) that could have finished the match on Day 3. The saga of poor umpiring in Lanka against India is not a recent trend - despite independent umpires, the tragedy continues.
What should the Indians do next? Return back to four good bowlers instead of five decent ones - Ishant, Ashwin and Mishra should continue while the fourth bowler should be Bhuvi - despite his lack of pace, the bowler can hod his line and length and restrain the scoring rate. This was something the bowlers failed to do in the second innings.
The fourth innings was the most tragic one - the Indians could not face the Lankan bowling spearheaded by Rangana Herath. The Indians showed that their performance in the first innings was an exception thanks to the heroics of Dhawan and Kohli.
What should standout from this match was the catching of both teams - it was tremendous to see the catches and Rahane was exceptional to catch eight in the match.
The match should have put the Indian management under dilemma regarding its five-bowler theory, especially when they have batsmen out of form (Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli to an extent) and bowlers out of touch (Harbhajan Singh and Varun Aaron). When the rest of the batsmen and bowlers do not put their hands up to backup the others, the performance was not good enough.
Ashwin and Mishra were the architects of the bowling performance in the first innings (Ishant and Aaron had provided the support in the beginning) while Dhawan and Kohli scored centuries to take India to a big lead. The middle and latter order batsmen did not contribute much to take the lead to an unbeatable one (except Saha to an extent).
The umpiring was also to be blamed for India's decline - two decisions went against them (those of Thirumanne and more importantly Chandimal) that could have finished the match on Day 3. The saga of poor umpiring in Lanka against India is not a recent trend - despite independent umpires, the tragedy continues.
What should the Indians do next? Return back to four good bowlers instead of five decent ones - Ishant, Ashwin and Mishra should continue while the fourth bowler should be Bhuvi - despite his lack of pace, the bowler can hod his line and length and restrain the scoring rate. This was something the bowlers failed to do in the second innings.
The fourth innings was the most tragic one - the Indians could not face the Lankan bowling spearheaded by Rangana Herath. The Indians showed that their performance in the first innings was an exception thanks to the heroics of Dhawan and Kohli.
What should standout from this match was the catching of both teams - it was tremendous to see the catches and Rahane was exceptional to catch eight in the match.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
NZ ODIs - Indian replacements announced
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| Back for the NZ ODIs |
- Sreesanth being replaced by Zaheer Khan
- Rohit Sharma replaces Suresh Raina
- Parthiv Patel taking over the wicket-keeping gloves from Wriddhiman Saha
- Praveen Kumar coming in place of Vinay Kumar
In place of Zaheer, the selectors should have given a chance to Umesh Yadav (selected for the tour to SA). The Indian spearhead would have spent some more time on the sidelines rejuvenating himself before the difficult tour. Similarly, Vinay Kumar must feel unlucky to have been left out without getting any chance in the ODI series.
Dinesh Karthick is overlooked once again while Parthiv Patel gets a chance at international level after a very long time. The Indian batting is a bit weak in this ODI series - Ashish Nehra coming at No.7 is an indication of the lower order strength. Parthiv will add weight to the batting hopefully while not diluting the wicket-keeping duties.
The three matches gives the selectors ideal situation to check the bench strength of the Indian team - will the players take up the opportunity and grab their chances? Let us see.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
India select squads for NZ ODIs and SA series
Surprise selection!!!The Indian selectors named two squads yesterday - NewZealand ODIs in India and the South Africa test series overseas. Few surprises there but overall the team has familiar faces as the core.
The squad for first two ODIs versus New Zealand is:
Gautam Gambhir (capt), M Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Saurabh Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, R Vinay Kumar, Munaf Patel, Sreesanth, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja.
The elevation to Gambhir is a recognition of his good work over the years and the confidence the team has on the opener despite his poor run this season. MS Dhoni's request to have a rest has been acknowledged by the selectors while that of Suresh Raina (through his captain) has not been entertained. Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra have been rested for the first 2 ODI matches of the series. Probably at some point of the series, one or two of them might still make a comeback. But, this was on expected lines. These players will also be the ones who might be sent earlier to South Africa.
Yusuf Pathan makes a comeback while Sreesanth is retained due to Nehra's absence. Ashwin gets couple of chances to prove his mettle again. Vinay Kumar seems to have given the impression to the selectors that he is fit for the ODIs more than the test matches. Jadeja continues his presence in the team but a good show by Yusuf will cement the latter's position for the next set of ODIs.
The squad for South Africa Tests has been announced as:
MS Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, Umesh Yadav, Jaidev Unadkat, Pragyan Ojha.
Couple of surprise selections here - Umesh Yadav and Wriddhiman Saha - for the squad embarking on the tour to South Africa. The reserve opener slot goes to Vijay while the middle order reserve slot goes to Pujara. Saha, surprisingly, gets the selection ahead of Dinesh Karthik or Parthiv Patel - probably the regional politics having its say. Jaidev Unadkat has not done so well in the Ranji matches to warrant a selection to the tour ahead of Vinay Kumar and Mithun. Ojha is the reserve spinner on a tour where the expectation would be to play only 1 spinner in the playing eleven. Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma along with Zaheer Khan will form an impressive pace-bowling team in test matches, provided they get their heads straight. This will be one tour the Indians will fancy their chances to win more than one test match (like the last tour).
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