The state of Rajasthan produced many good cricketers at state level. But it is after a very long time some body from this state will be representing India. Parthasarathy Sharma was the last notable one who represented India. Ofourse there were players like the late Hanumanth Singh and Salim Durrani who also played for India in the 60's and 70's . All said and done a great discovery and I hope and pray to god that Pankaj shines down under with this thunderous bowling.
While the selection of the team was predictable the surprise choice of Sewhag was not expected. Keeping in mind Sewhag's earlier performance the board decided to take a safe route although Akash Chopra was in the squad. Sewhag should thank his stars and hope the coming year is good for him and India.
The series is going to be very competitive and tough and India has got a blend of youth and experience in this contingent. The wickets are going to be totally bouncy and custom made for the Aussie bowlers. The Kangaroos are just waiting for the Indians to arrive, to the Aussies this series is bigger than Ashes.
http://www.cricinfo.com/
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Gautam Gambir a strong contender for opening
The form is what matters and that has happened to Gautam Gambir. After a good stint at 2020 and a few one day internationals and a great knock in the Ranji trophy with Mumbai he has further strengthened his position as a strong contender for test also. Our approach to the game has to be professional lets give chance to somebody who is a professional opener and who has been opening for their state. GG has been a long time opener for his state Delhi in both forms cricket. Even in the past selectors have just been experimenting to fill up the opening slot for the tests. It dates back to the 70's when they could never get the perfect partner for Sunny before they finally managed to get Chetan Chauhan. We have so many openers come and gone to name a few S.Ramesh, W. V.Raman., Sewhag, Deep Dasgupta, S.Das to name. a few.
You need a specialist for specialist position. You cannot ask a General Physician to perform a surgery when that's not his speciality. It his high time the selectors draw a plan to get good openers who will play the role of an opener and not a makeshift player like Kartik. In the past we had several make shift openers like Anshuman Gaekwad, Dilp Vengsarkar, Roger Binny, Ashok Mankad, Nayan Mongia, Manoj Prabhakar.
By forcing Dinesh Kartik to open in test and his constant failure can upset his career and bring down the morale . We need to really have a very focused strategy to identify good openers. And somebody who has been playing for his state on a continuous basis.
You need a specialist for specialist position. You cannot ask a General Physician to perform a surgery when that's not his speciality. It his high time the selectors draw a plan to get good openers who will play the role of an opener and not a makeshift player like Kartik. In the past we had several make shift openers like Anshuman Gaekwad, Dilp Vengsarkar, Roger Binny, Ashok Mankad, Nayan Mongia, Manoj Prabhakar.
By forcing Dinesh Kartik to open in test and his constant failure can upset his career and bring down the morale . We need to really have a very focused strategy to identify good openers. And somebody who has been playing for his state on a continuous basis.
India should look at long term opening pair
Dinesh Kartik is a great team player and in the words of Greg Chapell he is a captaincy material. Kartik did well in South Africa and England when our regular openers failed especially Sewhag who has lost his rhythm both in one day and test cricket. Dinesh Kartik after his good test show has not been doing well in the one days. Even in the Delhi test he was caught easily in both the innings. When we have opener who keep on failing puts pressure on the other opener. Fortunately that did not affect Wasim Jaffer who batted well in both the innings.
The selectors need to think long term. Dinesh Kartik is not a long term proposition to open the innings in test. We must have some back up plan, Gautam Gambhir and Parthiv Patel is what one can think of immediately based on their form. We must start scouting for good talent for the opening slot in case Kartik is not able to live up to the expectation.
At the same Kartik needs to be handled carefully as he is a long term asset for the Indian team as a great team man and a sound wicket keeper.
The selectors need to think long term. Dinesh Kartik is not a long term proposition to open the innings in test. We must have some back up plan, Gautam Gambhir and Parthiv Patel is what one can think of immediately based on their form. We must start scouting for good talent for the opening slot in case Kartik is not able to live up to the expectation.
At the same Kartik needs to be handled carefully as he is a long term asset for the Indian team as a great team man and a sound wicket keeper.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Is captaincy a golden handshake to Kumble ?
The last one can recall a bowler leading an Indian side was Srinivas Venkataraghavn the lanky off spinner from Tamil Nadu. Although Kapil was also a bowler who lead India but he was more of an all rounder then only a bowler. Then there was the controversial Bishen Singh Bedi who lead India and who will never forget his disaster performance when he toured Pakistan. Both Venkat and Bedi could never lead from the front. In the case of Venkat he was axed as the captain in the most unceremonious manner. After his tour of England when the team was returning the air hostess in the flight announced the news of Venkat dropped as captain.
Dhoni has so far managed to lead well in the shorter version of the game. Here I agree with Ravi Shastri that it will be a huge blunder to burden him at a time when Indian cricket is trying to come back to stability after the world cup fiasco.
We must also realise that the game of cricket has produced some great bowlers as match winning captains. Richie Benaud and Ray illingworth is what comes to mind with ease. Benaud of course was undoubtedly the most smartest and shrewed est captain that Australia had. Intikab Alam was another great bowler who lead Pakistan for some time but not so successful.
In Anil Kumble we have a warhorse with abundance experience. His last and only test century against England in England has raised his confidence and that must have prompted the selectors to handover the captaincy baton to Jumbo as he is popularly called by this team mates. While the series against Pakistan may be easy in our land but with the Kangaroos playing in their land would be a daunting task .
Dhoni has so far managed to lead well in the shorter version of the game. Here I agree with Ravi Shastri that it will be a huge blunder to burden him at a time when Indian cricket is trying to come back to stability after the world cup fiasco.
We must also realise that the game of cricket has produced some great bowlers as match winning captains. Richie Benaud and Ray illingworth is what comes to mind with ease. Benaud of course was undoubtedly the most smartest and shrewed est captain that Australia had. Intikab Alam was another great bowler who lead Pakistan for some time but not so successful.
In Anil Kumble we have a warhorse with abundance experience. His last and only test century against England in England has raised his confidence and that must have prompted the selectors to handover the captaincy baton to Jumbo as he is popularly called by this team mates. While the series against Pakistan may be easy in our land but with the Kangaroos playing in their land would be a daunting task .
Friday, November 2, 2007
Our selectors will never change
There was nothing wrong when Jimmy Amarnath called the selectors a bunch of jokers some years back. The same legacy continues even today when Dilip Vengsarkar dropped Dravid. The decision was unanimous and it went against Dravid as his form was very poor over the last few matches .If form was the criteria Vengsarkar should come out in the open and say so. Instead he went beating around the bush by saying that he is being rested. Colonel who are we fooling ? The cricket fans in India are very intelligent and they know what is going around.
What is even more surprising and upsetting is that he has been just dropped for 2 matches. One really cannot make out what signals are being sent. To be frank it is very vague and ambiguous.
One can broadly conclude if you rub the wrong side with either the selector, coach or the board official you are made the scape boat and sidelined. We had Ganguly who had tough times with Greg Chappell and was given a horrid time by the board and now the turn is of Dravid. Can board give an answer to the cricketing fraternity and fans as to why they dropped Jammy ? Well they are all spineless who are just interested in the commercial and profitability aspect of the board. Human values is just missing.
Will ICL spring some thing surprising to teach these people ? Lets wait and watch.
What is even more surprising and upsetting is that he has been just dropped for 2 matches. One really cannot make out what signals are being sent. To be frank it is very vague and ambiguous.
One can broadly conclude if you rub the wrong side with either the selector, coach or the board official you are made the scape boat and sidelined. We had Ganguly who had tough times with Greg Chappell and was given a horrid time by the board and now the turn is of Dravid. Can board give an answer to the cricketing fraternity and fans as to why they dropped Jammy ? Well they are all spineless who are just interested in the commercial and profitability aspect of the board. Human values is just missing.
Will ICL spring some thing surprising to teach these people ? Lets wait and watch.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Dhoni,winning is all about being confident.Bullshit
The word confidence can be abused if not used properly. While confidence sets the morale up and builds up a positive attitude amongst the players but you cannot win matches only on confidence. The ingredients that goes into a a great team is great fielding, physical fitness, commitment, playing for the occasion with out any selfish motive. Confidence will play 10 percent in the whole gamut of the ingredient.
You grow in confidence only when you perform well. Right now Dhoni's team is a pack of good youngsters well knit, with a blend of experience. Well the morale is good to maintain it consistently you need do well in every matches. Winning matches will build confidence. For heaven sake please do not harp only on confidence to be victorious.
Confidence comprises of temperament, right attitude and discipline. Currently the tide is good and we should capitalize this and further strengthen the confidence.
Well done Dhoni ... but think beyond confidence. Over confidence can also set in complacency
You grow in confidence only when you perform well. Right now Dhoni's team is a pack of good youngsters well knit, with a blend of experience. Well the morale is good to maintain it consistently you need do well in every matches. Winning matches will build confidence. For heaven sake please do not harp only on confidence to be victorious.
Confidence comprises of temperament, right attitude and discipline. Currently the tide is good and we should capitalize this and further strengthen the confidence.
Well done Dhoni ... but think beyond confidence. Over confidence can also set in complacency
Monday, October 22, 2007
Men in blues totally outplayed
Yuvraj was very candid and outright in his statement the other day when he was talking to the media. All said and done the Aussies beat us fair and square in the one day series. Team India was outplayed in all departments of the game. Although the victory margin only looked 4-2 but in the matches India lost we were beaten convincingly. And our victories were very close where we could have lost. But the biggest blunder we did was to loose the Nagpur match after a good opening stand by both the openers. One thing that comes out clearly after the recently concluded one day series is we need young blood. One day matches are not Dravid or Sachin's cup of tea now anymore.
The battle in one day matches has become far more fierce and competitive with good running between the wickets and outstanding fielding being the weapon to win matches. India has already shown that mettle in the T-20 matches by winning the world cup and the one off match with Australia.
The selectors should now look at building the team for the big world cup. I feel we also need good , young and aggressive selectors with sharp thinking. Loose and slippery tongue selectors like Colonel will bring in friction between the players and the coach. I hope the board takes this into consideration and keep a eye on the selectors. No wonder Jimmy called the Indian selectors a bunch of jokers. Well he paid the price for it but that is the real truth that governs the selection committee of Indian cricket.
The battle in one day matches has become far more fierce and competitive with good running between the wickets and outstanding fielding being the weapon to win matches. India has already shown that mettle in the T-20 matches by winning the world cup and the one off match with Australia.
The selectors should now look at building the team for the big world cup. I feel we also need good , young and aggressive selectors with sharp thinking. Loose and slippery tongue selectors like Colonel will bring in friction between the players and the coach. I hope the board takes this into consideration and keep a eye on the selectors. No wonder Jimmy called the Indian selectors a bunch of jokers. Well he paid the price for it but that is the real truth that governs the selection committee of Indian cricket.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Burly Inzy bids adieu
Inzy should be kind enough to the PCB for permitting him to play the second test at Lahore with the South Africans and announcing his retirmenet from all forms of the games. It has been an illustrious career with lots of ups and downs.Inzy will prefer to forget the mysterious murder of Bob Woolmer and his last world cup encounter where Pakistan were knocked out in the first round. Losing of Pakistan in early rounds lead to lot of contreversy including the betting and shocking murder of their cricket coach.
But it is difficult to forget Inzy he played for Pakistan close to 17 years in both forms of cricket and finally in last few years he lead Pakistan and manged to win some series especially the one matches in India after being down in the series. A great batsman who has ample amount of time to come to the ball before he play his strokes. Known for running out his partners and himself he still managed to rule the batting display of Pakistan. Has established a record in getting out run out the maximum.
The one incident I will never forget would be at Toronto, Sahara cup where one of the spectators called Inzy Alooo and Inzy ran up the stands to catch the spectator. Well a great career has come to an end and Pakistan has to really go all out scouting for good talents to replace Inzy. The middle order batting has been a suspect for quite some time and now with Inzy's departure it will be great void. The replacement has to be found fast as the big Indo- Pak series in in the anvil in the year 2008.
But it is difficult to forget Inzy he played for Pakistan close to 17 years in both forms of cricket and finally in last few years he lead Pakistan and manged to win some series especially the one matches in India after being down in the series. A great batsman who has ample amount of time to come to the ball before he play his strokes. Known for running out his partners and himself he still managed to rule the batting display of Pakistan. Has established a record in getting out run out the maximum.
The one incident I will never forget would be at Toronto, Sahara cup where one of the spectators called Inzy Alooo and Inzy ran up the stands to catch the spectator. Well a great career has come to an end and Pakistan has to really go all out scouting for good talents to replace Inzy. The middle order batting has been a suspect for quite some time and now with Inzy's departure it will be great void. The replacement has to be found fast as the big Indo- Pak series in in the anvil in the year 2008.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Dhoni's innovation backfired
After a poor total Dhoni took some very wild chance at the start of the Australian innings by opening the bowling with the spinners. One fail to understand what prompted him to do so as the pitch was not offering any form of assistance to the spinners. This was clearly evident from who destroyed the Indian batting. It was sheer accurate pace bowling of Johnson that shattered the Indian batting. So ideally Dhoni should have given the ball to RP Singh as he was a left hand er and so was Johnson.
Finally the one wicket which fell was taken by RP.It is good on the part of Dhoni to be different in his attack and aggression but the logic is questionable as the pitch was not a turner. By introducing the spinners Dhoni gave the Australians the easy way to negotiate the new ball and made the run chase more easy.
And finally one last comment on Harbajan. His batting was very irresponsible with so many overs left behind he had no business to swing his bat and throw his wicket. He has been repeating this mistake time and again but still not learning from his past mistakes. What is the team coach doing ?What are the selectors doing. Its time we introspect seriously about Harbajans .
Finally the one wicket which fell was taken by RP.It is good on the part of Dhoni to be different in his attack and aggression but the logic is questionable as the pitch was not a turner. By introducing the spinners Dhoni gave the Australians the easy way to negotiate the new ball and made the run chase more easy.
And finally one last comment on Harbajan. His batting was very irresponsible with so many overs left behind he had no business to swing his bat and throw his wicket. He has been repeating this mistake time and again but still not learning from his past mistakes. What is the team coach doing ?What are the selectors doing. Its time we introspect seriously about Harbajans .
Dhoni the new role model
Cricketer and celebrities have become the role model for tomorrow’s generation. The other day I came across an interesting observation in one of the leading dailies where Ajay Jadeja’s little son was mentioning that daddy you are not a great cricketer look at Dhoni uncle, I want to become like Dhoni. Look what the dynamic and dynamite Dhoni has done to viewers. Watching cricket and advertisements have motivated kids to follow celebrities to accomplish their ambition. Today most of the kids and the generation next youth who are constantly on the move look up for role model to learn and achieve their goals.
You go to a hair cutting salon you see the posters of cricketers like Dhoni to woo customers to get their hair cut like Dhoni. Dhoni as a brand has became so popular with his hairstyle that even the President of Pakistan in his speech at the prize ceremony in the last one day series against Pakistan in Pakistan mentioned in his speech, I adore your hair my friend Dhoni and advised him not to change his hair style.
Infact Dhoni's hair is so famous that even Bylcream has used him as the brand ambassador. I also spotted one more coincidence here, our great wicket keeper Farookh Engineer who was also known for his lusty hitting and reasonably safe keeping was the brand ambassador for Bylcream. Oh what a co incidence.
You go to a hair cutting salon you see the posters of cricketers like Dhoni to woo customers to get their hair cut like Dhoni. Dhoni as a brand has became so popular with his hairstyle that even the President of Pakistan in his speech at the prize ceremony in the last one day series against Pakistan in Pakistan mentioned in his speech, I adore your hair my friend Dhoni and advised him not to change his hair style.
Infact Dhoni's hair is so famous that even Bylcream has used him as the brand ambassador. I also spotted one more coincidence here, our great wicket keeper Farookh Engineer who was also known for his lusty hitting and reasonably safe keeping was the brand ambassador for Bylcream. Oh what a co incidence.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
2020 ... Will it stop geting great batsmen
I agree with Javgal Srinath's comment that 2020 may stop producing batsmen with copybook shots and defence. While 2020 is a great entertainer in the shorter version of the game chances are that we may stop producing great batsmen like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin and Rahul Dravid. We must keep this in mind and it is important that the great 5 day cricket is not neglected.
Some kind of ratio needs to be drawn to ensure that matches in the various version played are carefully planned. The other option is to create a separate team for 2020 and the one day international matches so that we area still able produce quality batsmen of world class reputation. There is also a strong fear that if the focus is only on the shorter version of the game in the long run producing good batsmen will be a major concern.
Yes it is a great moment of glory for India to capture the 2020 world cup but we should not forget to respect the 5 day version of the game which is the original father and mother of cricket.
Lets ensure that the core of cricket is not killed with 2020.
Some kind of ratio needs to be drawn to ensure that matches in the various version played are carefully planned. The other option is to create a separate team for 2020 and the one day international matches so that we area still able produce quality batsmen of world class reputation. There is also a strong fear that if the focus is only on the shorter version of the game in the long run producing good batsmen will be a major concern.
Yes it is a great moment of glory for India to capture the 2020 world cup but we should not forget to respect the 5 day version of the game which is the original father and mother of cricket.
Lets ensure that the core of cricket is not killed with 2020.
Monday, September 24, 2007
2020 a great eye opener. Dhoni leads from the front
Exactly 6 months back the Indian cricket team was written off after a very shocking performance in the world cup. The team was completely down and demoralized. But with in a span of 6 months the stocks are up after a good win in England in the test series and a spirited fight back in the one day internationals. The Indian team had tough stint of tours and the board decided to give a fresh and youthful look to the 2020 world cup team. This has really paid off and it showed yesterday when the Indian team won the first 2020 world cup after beating the traditional rivals Pakistan in a very pulsating and nerve wrecking match.
The 2020 has also helped us in discovering new talents for the shorter version of the game. India was seen as underdogs for the tournament and I recall Grahame Smith the South Africa captian commenting that India minus Dravid, Sachin and Ganguly is a weak team. Smith has to now take back his words after his team got booted out of the tournament and India finally winning this great action oriented 2020 world cup. The shorter version of game is here to stay as it is going to be a great entertainer for the cricket buffs in the years to come.
The 2020 has also given new life and hopes for the advertisers. More and more brands will take part in sponsoring this game at various levels. Dhoni and his boys in blues really surprised everyone by exhibiting some world class cricket. And oh.. what way to start as a captain. Winning the first 2020 world cup will usher in more courage and confidence in Dhoni and his boys. This is also an indication for the board to start scouting talent from smaller towns. As Gavaskar said that if the legend Kapil dev could be a great star for India when nobody knew about him I am sure more talent will be hidden in the non metros.
Lets hope and pray that this spirit is kept alive for the rest of the period to bring in more excitement and vibrancy to not only 2020 but also for one day internationals and the conventional test match cricket
Well done... Dhoni you have shown the world how to lead from the front.
The 2020 has also helped us in discovering new talents for the shorter version of the game. India was seen as underdogs for the tournament and I recall Grahame Smith the South Africa captian commenting that India minus Dravid, Sachin and Ganguly is a weak team. Smith has to now take back his words after his team got booted out of the tournament and India finally winning this great action oriented 2020 world cup. The shorter version of game is here to stay as it is going to be a great entertainer for the cricket buffs in the years to come.
The 2020 has also given new life and hopes for the advertisers. More and more brands will take part in sponsoring this game at various levels. Dhoni and his boys in blues really surprised everyone by exhibiting some world class cricket. And oh.. what way to start as a captain. Winning the first 2020 world cup will usher in more courage and confidence in Dhoni and his boys. This is also an indication for the board to start scouting talent from smaller towns. As Gavaskar said that if the legend Kapil dev could be a great star for India when nobody knew about him I am sure more talent will be hidden in the non metros.
Lets hope and pray that this spirit is kept alive for the rest of the period to bring in more excitement and vibrancy to not only 2020 but also for one day internationals and the conventional test match cricket
Well done... Dhoni you have shown the world how to lead from the front.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Well fought series.
Two diabolical decisions by Aleem Dar against Sachin and skipper Rahul ended India's hopes. After a great comeback after being down by 1-3 in the series the Indians failed to live up to the expectations in the finals . Every Indian hoped that India will come back with the Natwest trophy but these things happen in One day matches when everything goes wrong on that particular day.
Rahul finally decided to go with RP. While it paid of initially but the momentum could not be sustained as England comfortably snatched the match away from India. Peterson and Colinwood countered the weak Indian attack after the initial set back. Colinwood has played a stellar role in this series and lead the team from the front and manged to win the series inspite of his key bowlwers in the injury list.
As Nazir Hussain said the entire series was marked with poor decisions starting from the test series , it is time the ICC does something about umpiring. Technlogy should be inducted to enusre that the spectators get full full entertainment.
A long english summer has come to an end. A good series to remember for having won the test series and giving england a touogh fight in the one day matches.
Rahul finally decided to go with RP. While it paid of initially but the momentum could not be sustained as England comfortably snatched the match away from India. Peterson and Colinwood countered the weak Indian attack after the initial set back. Colinwood has played a stellar role in this series and lead the team from the front and manged to win the series inspite of his key bowlwers in the injury list.
As Nazir Hussain said the entire series was marked with poor decisions starting from the test series , it is time the ICC does something about umpiring. Technlogy should be inducted to enusre that the spectators get full full entertainment.
A long english summer has come to an end. A good series to remember for having won the test series and giving england a touogh fight in the one day matches.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Robin Uttappa saves Yuvaj Singh
Till he is playing cricket Yuvraj will never forget the 50th over which he bowled to Maschreanas. 30 runs in one over almost lost India the match. But thanks to the swashbuckling and hurricane innings from the Karnataka lad helped India salvage the situation and square the one day series to go full hog for the final at the mecca of world cricket Lords. Of course no body can and nobody has the right to steal the credit from the little master and prince of Kolkatta for having given a strong foundation to chased the mammoth total.
I strongly felt India played with lot of energy and positive attitude to make this happen. Each one of the team did their best. Having come so far from the behind we must lift the cup and bring back our glory after the world cup debacle.
The skipper would have come for criticism for having handed over the ball to Yuvarj when he had the option of using a regular bowler including the erratic and ever unreliable Agarkar. Rahul is in fix for the finals as his senior bowler kike Agarkar has time and again let him down in the recent one day series.
What will the skipper do ? Well he has limited choice. Including RP will be a problem as there will be 2 lefthanders. Munaf if included will be a huge liability on the field.
My recommendation is to us RP, so what happens if he is a left hand er. So long as he is restricting the runs which is what matters in final analysis.
So Saturday will be great feast at the mecca of world cricket Lords.
I strongly felt India played with lot of energy and positive attitude to make this happen. Each one of the team did their best. Having come so far from the behind we must lift the cup and bring back our glory after the world cup debacle.
The skipper would have come for criticism for having handed over the ball to Yuvarj when he had the option of using a regular bowler including the erratic and ever unreliable Agarkar. Rahul is in fix for the finals as his senior bowler kike Agarkar has time and again let him down in the recent one day series.
What will the skipper do ? Well he has limited choice. Including RP will be a problem as there will be 2 lefthanders. Munaf if included will be a huge liability on the field.
My recommendation is to us RP, so what happens if he is a left hand er. So long as he is restricting the runs which is what matters in final analysis.
So Saturday will be great feast at the mecca of world cricket Lords.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Not imposing follow on has help England regain confidence
The defensive strategy adopted during the second test by batting again has helped
England regain the lost ground. This is evident from the way they fought bak in the 3rd one day international at Manchester. Only India can do this. 7 wickets down
with the cream of the batting sent back India succumbed to some very clever ,shrewd and energetic batting from Ravi Bopara and Stuart Broad. What went wrong will be everybody’s concern but sad part is that we have no solution and we love
repeating our mistakes.
We make elementary mistakes in choosing the team. Our first focus should be on
the 2F’s ie fielding and fitness. This has been a perennial problem and we have
not managed to find some killer strategy to solve. In the Manchester match
Ramesh Powar and RP Singh were absolutely a disaster. Pawar with his beer
belly was a major liability on the field. The English batsman had marked him and ensured that they take extra run when the ball goes to him. And these runs were taken with all ease and comfort. Thank go we did not have Munaf that would have an added burden for Rahul to check on the runs. Apart from our fielding another huge drawback has been our running between the wickets. There is no desire or urgency to go for the extra run which makes a huge difference in the final analysis
Down by 2 matches India has to pull up all socks to bounce back. Well they
have done it in the past but past is history. Time has come to look at fielding and
fitness if we have to be in any reckoning for one day competitions. I hope the ICL
faction will keep this has the topmost issue in their agenda. Lets get team which
has full energy and power if we to have make match out of any matches.
England regain the lost ground. This is evident from the way they fought bak in the 3rd one day international at Manchester. Only India can do this. 7 wickets down
with the cream of the batting sent back India succumbed to some very clever ,shrewd and energetic batting from Ravi Bopara and Stuart Broad. What went wrong will be everybody’s concern but sad part is that we have no solution and we love
repeating our mistakes.
We make elementary mistakes in choosing the team. Our first focus should be on
the 2F’s ie fielding and fitness. This has been a perennial problem and we have
not managed to find some killer strategy to solve. In the Manchester match
Ramesh Powar and RP Singh were absolutely a disaster. Pawar with his beer
belly was a major liability on the field. The English batsman had marked him and ensured that they take extra run when the ball goes to him. And these runs were taken with all ease and comfort. Thank go we did not have Munaf that would have an added burden for Rahul to check on the runs. Apart from our fielding another huge drawback has been our running between the wickets. There is no desire or urgency to go for the extra run which makes a huge difference in the final analysis
Down by 2 matches India has to pull up all socks to bounce back. Well they
have done it in the past but past is history. Time has come to look at fielding and
fitness if we have to be in any reckoning for one day competitions. I hope the ICL
faction will keep this has the topmost issue in their agenda. Lets get team which
has full energy and power if we to have make match out of any matches.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Great Cricketers hunt in pairs :
If you take cricket from adam some of the finest cricketers have arrived in pairs. Be it India , Australia, Pakistan, Windies or England.
In India we had Amar Singh and Mohamaed Nissar in the 50’s
Gavaskar and Vishwanath in the 1970’s
Bedi and Prasana in the 70’s
In Australia it was Lillee and Thomson , Simpson and Bill Lawry
Lindwall and Miller. Ian Chappell and Doug Walters
In Windies we had Rohan Kanahi and Garry Sobers, Griffith and Hall,
Greenidge and Haynes, Holding and Roberts, Garner and Croft
In Pakistan we had Majid Khan and Zaheer Abaas, Hanif and Mustaq Mohamed.
Imaran and Sarfraz , Waaqar and Akram.
In South Africa it was Grahame Pollock and Barry Richards, Mike Procter and Peter Pollock.
All the above men were great pairs and match winners for their country.
I have not touched all the players but the listed ones are some of them who come to my memory. I am sure there will be more. What is interesting about these pairs were they jelled very well as partners and were the trump card for their team and their captain.
These great pairs were different in their own way. For eg if Jeff Thomson was very aggressive with his devastating pace Dennis Lillee was a menace with this sheer accuracy , swing and cutters. Lillee was great with both the new and old ball.
Even our own Gavaskar and Vishwanath were made of different metal. While Sunny was solid in defence with aggression at times Gundappa was purely know for his stroke play and elegance. It was a delight watching both together. They were a terror against best bowling attack on any given day.
Same holds with Kanahi and Sobers. While Sobers was a lefthander with all round skills Rohan Kanhai was the finest player of spin. Even Gordon Greenidge and Haynes were a fantastic combination with the blend of caution and aggression. Greenidge had both but Haynes was very attacking in his approach. Simpson and Lawry was another great pair. Lawry was slow and with limited strokes his partner Simpson was always there to accelerate the runs. Infact the Lawry and Stackpole combination was also great.
Cricket has not seen a great pair for quite sometime. Today Shoaib Aktkar is the fastest bowler but he does not have somebody to support him as a great pair. Most of the cricketers have too much of selfish motive and as a result that lethal pair is not happening either in batting or the bowling.
Cricket is a great game of team spirit. Unless this is practiced with keenness you will not find the birth of great pairs like in the 60’s, 70’s , 80’s.
In India we had Amar Singh and Mohamaed Nissar in the 50’s
Gavaskar and Vishwanath in the 1970’s
Bedi and Prasana in the 70’s
In Australia it was Lillee and Thomson , Simpson and Bill Lawry
Lindwall and Miller. Ian Chappell and Doug Walters
In Windies we had Rohan Kanahi and Garry Sobers, Griffith and Hall,
Greenidge and Haynes, Holding and Roberts, Garner and Croft
In Pakistan we had Majid Khan and Zaheer Abaas, Hanif and Mustaq Mohamed.
Imaran and Sarfraz , Waaqar and Akram.
In South Africa it was Grahame Pollock and Barry Richards, Mike Procter and Peter Pollock.
All the above men were great pairs and match winners for their country.
I have not touched all the players but the listed ones are some of them who come to my memory. I am sure there will be more. What is interesting about these pairs were they jelled very well as partners and were the trump card for their team and their captain.
These great pairs were different in their own way. For eg if Jeff Thomson was very aggressive with his devastating pace Dennis Lillee was a menace with this sheer accuracy , swing and cutters. Lillee was great with both the new and old ball.
Even our own Gavaskar and Vishwanath were made of different metal. While Sunny was solid in defence with aggression at times Gundappa was purely know for his stroke play and elegance. It was a delight watching both together. They were a terror against best bowling attack on any given day.
Same holds with Kanahi and Sobers. While Sobers was a lefthander with all round skills Rohan Kanhai was the finest player of spin. Even Gordon Greenidge and Haynes were a fantastic combination with the blend of caution and aggression. Greenidge had both but Haynes was very attacking in his approach. Simpson and Lawry was another great pair. Lawry was slow and with limited strokes his partner Simpson was always there to accelerate the runs. Infact the Lawry and Stackpole combination was also great.
Cricket has not seen a great pair for quite sometime. Today Shoaib Aktkar is the fastest bowler but he does not have somebody to support him as a great pair. Most of the cricketers have too much of selfish motive and as a result that lethal pair is not happening either in batting or the bowling.
Cricket is a great game of team spirit. Unless this is practiced with keenness you will not find the birth of great pairs like in the 60’s, 70’s , 80’s.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
World cup sorrows forgotten
In the month of April this year when the Indian cricket team returned to India after the world cup fiasco there were hardly any crowd and fans to receive them. Some of the cricketers took different routes to reach home. The board ensured that tight security was provided to the team to prevent any untoward incidence. There was lot of brick bats that happened after India's dismal performance in Caribbean world cup. The first thing that happened was to sack the coach Greg chappell. We went to Bangladesh with some make shift arrangement and thanks to Ravi Shastri 's gesture we could overcome all pressures and came victorious.
With the English victory our cricketers are all walking tall with their head up. Most fans wished India should have won the series 2-0. It is easy to make such statement sitting in the stand and living room. Remember Rahul and his team has beaten England's most successful captain who has maintained consistent record of not losing any series in England.
Cricket is such a game that the public memory is very short. We are now in cloud 11 having climbed to the 3rd spot in the test playing nations ranking. The morale is very high and we hope this carried forward to the one day series and the T20 matches.
Some of the sponsors and the channels will also be smiling as the demand for brand endorsements will go up both in terms of number of brands and also a likely increase in the endorsement fees. Channels will be able to command premium for their spots as TRP numbers may look now better and more brighter.
I would like to conclude by saying that there is no SUBSTITUTE FOR CRICKET when it comes to entertainment . Just like Bollywood where you land up seeing flops the same is true with cricket.
Just enjoy the game and leave your emotions aside.
With the English victory our cricketers are all walking tall with their head up. Most fans wished India should have won the series 2-0. It is easy to make such statement sitting in the stand and living room. Remember Rahul and his team has beaten England's most successful captain who has maintained consistent record of not losing any series in England.
Cricket is such a game that the public memory is very short. We are now in cloud 11 having climbed to the 3rd spot in the test playing nations ranking. The morale is very high and we hope this carried forward to the one day series and the T20 matches.
Some of the sponsors and the channels will also be smiling as the demand for brand endorsements will go up both in terms of number of brands and also a likely increase in the endorsement fees. Channels will be able to command premium for their spots as TRP numbers may look now better and more brighter.
I would like to conclude by saying that there is no SUBSTITUTE FOR CRICKET when it comes to entertainment . Just like Bollywood where you land up seeing flops the same is true with cricket.
Just enjoy the game and leave your emotions aside.
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