Cricket Views

India should be proud of recently concluded test series in England

2011-08-23T03:01:00.000+05:30

India in England 2011

India lost 4 match test series 0-4 and also lost the No. 1 mantle to England

What is there to be proud of after this abysmal showing? Well, before the series a certain self proclaimed best spinner of the World GP Swann was most vocal; he claimed that India will find difficult to play his bowling and he will come out on top. The results are for everyone to notice. Swann's figures -
4 matches - 142 overs - 529 runs - 13 wkts @ 40.69

At least Indians have dented number 1 claim of Swann. This too when the Indian batting collapsed in all 4 test matches.

It hurts to capitulate in this manner...

'West Indies aiming for top five by 2015' - Sammy

2011-07-14T02:10:00.000+05:30

WI captain Darren Sammy has laid down team's vision. And voila...what do we have?

'West Indies aiming for top five by 2015' - Sammy

A management theory says that one should have achievable goals; so we have WI captain gunning for top 5 in a group of 9 test playing nations. I wish them all the best.

Best/Worst sledges as compiled by Yahoo!

2011-02-11T23:23:00.001+05:30

The strange thing is that 8 of the 9 sledges have an Australian in it.

http://cricket.yahoo.com/photos/Ten-of-the-best-worst-sledges_12973135905794#1

Dhoni's strange ways

2010-12-23T21:04:00.000+05:30

Indian team captain MS Dhoni is on a path to become the most successful captain of India. Under his leadership, the team is winning matches and it has become number 1 ranked team in test matches. Although there will always be naysayers and doubters about the number 1 ranking but there is no denying that he is a good leader of people and that he leads from the front.

The media has, in fact, has already anointed him as Captain Courageous. And he has actually become very courageous or so it seems.

Consider this:

During 2009 ICC T20 World Cup when media questioned the team unity after Sehwag's unfortunate injury, rather than clearing any doubts or misgivings, he took the whole team out to the ground for a photo shoot. He just wanted to show that the team is united.
During 2008 Hero Honda Cup one day series when selectors selected Irfan Pathan ahead of RP Singh for last 2 matches, there was a alleged leak from an unknown selector that Dhoni threatened to resign during the selection committee meeting. It was said that Dhoni preferred RP Singh. In response to these allegations Dhoni challenged the so called selector to come out into open and proclaimed that, because of the selector's blunder, it will now be difficult to manage team unity.
And recently in ongoing SA-India test series he wanted Kirstein to stay as India's coach even after the World Cup 2011.

Family may keep Kirsten from renewing contract - Dhoni

These are the kind of things no-one in Indian cricket team has done or can dare to do. But then we are talking about Captain Courageous. May his courage wins us more matches than create news headlines.

Be Warnied!

2010-12-15T23:56:00.000+05:30

An English model already under wraps; next English cricketers. Light, Camera, Action!

Warnie, your team needs you

Cook's concoction to make 50 test centuries

2010-12-12T20:52:00.000+05:30

More than a year I had written a post on Tendulkar's test tons. I tried to find out who would be able to overhaul his test centuries. My assessment was that Tendulkar's record is unlikely to be broken.

Most Hundreds in tests

Recently I read an article about Cook's hundreds.

Younger than the Don, a little older than Tendulkar

The author is making a case for English Opener AN Cook. He thinks Cook might be able to surpass Tendulkar's centuries.

At the time of writing this post Tendulkar has scored 49 centuries which is 10 more than, next in line, Ponting. Ponting, till about a few months ago, was a contender for surpassing Tendulkar's record. At the time of writing this post Ponting has fallen from grace. Australia is in middle of 2010-11 Ashes and Ponting is at the receiving a lot of flak for Australia's poor performance. There has been a talk to remove him as a captain of the team. Only time will tell whether he retains his place.

Personally I believe Ponting is the best man to do the job right now (even though I suspect his captaining ability). But that is another story. Whether Ponting revives his career or not, Cook is certainly brewing winning a concoction. But will Cook's recepie bear the fruit?

I don't think so. Consider this:
1. Did cricket pundits pronounce Cook as a great the moment he walked into test arena?

2. Do connosieurs of cricket think Cook as a great batsman or even a very good one?
3. Does Cook create a awe in bowlers as Tendulkar does?
4. Can Cook match Tendulkar's aura and passion for cricket?
5. Can Cook match Tendulkar's longevity?

The answers to all these Q is a big NO. And still he is the best bet of our times to do the job...

Can Australia redeem?

2010-12-09T14:19:00.000+05:30

As I write, both Australia and England are fighting it out for Ashes 2010. Only time will tell who will win the series; but at the moment Australia is in dire straits. Australia is 0-1 down after 2 test matches. Even before this series started many pundits, world over, had predicted an unfaourable result for Australia.

Can Australia redeem? Do they even have a chance to come from behind and win the Ashes?

I do not have the answer. However, Australia are unlikely to be a decent force in test cricket for another 2-3 years.

I looked at the official ICC test player ranking. Although these rankings are not a fair measure to gauge team strength albeit they do tell a bit about players' ability and form.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/rankings/content/page/211270.html

I was not a wee-bit surprised to see that none of the Australian player is part of top 10 list. Does it give you any indication of times to come?

Did Sehwag get his century?

2010-08-17T23:16:00.000+05:30

India vs. SL
India-SL-NZ Trieseries, 2010

There is a whole debate raging on how SL/Sangakara/Randiv conspired to deny a well deerverd century to Sehwag. There is another aspect to the whole debate - did umpires decide correctly?

Read on it is an interesting article.

http://in.yfittopostblog.com/2010/08/17/sehwag-did-get-his-century/

I can add another point to the many convincing points already written in the article above. If the no-ball bowled by Randiv is counted towards Sehwag's score so why not the 6 runs.

Keep on munching!

Who is a better captain?

2010-08-08T16:17:00.000+05:30

Who is a better captain - Sangkara or Ponting?

Yes, I wanted to ask a question and it is not an opinion poll; I just want opinions :)

Think in terms of:
1. Eloquence while talking to the media
2. Leadership of team
3. Being defensive on the ground
4. Sledging

Please write comments. It will be interesting reading for all.

A brief history of Paistan cricket

2010-08-05T00:09:00.000+05:30

Pakistan goes to England to play test series against Australia and England - 2010

Shoaib Malik has been pardoned
Kamran Akmal is part of test sqaud for Australia and England series; so is Shoaib Malik.
Afridi renounces captaincy and test cricket after disasterous Ist test against Australia (of course no questions asked)
Salman Butt was made the captain and the team (huffed and puffed but eventually) won
Asif/Aamer pronounced the best fast bowling pair in the world
Pakistan has the best bowling attack in the world
Yousuf recalled even though he has no match practice
Younis waiting to be recalled although he is playing in England
Danish Kanaria replace with an unknown bowler

Is that surprising? Pakistan cricket team (courtsey their administration and infighting within team) are predictable. You can predict them to lose a test match and that too abysmally.

Alas! It is sad for world cricket. World cricket needs a strong Pakistan team . As such there are only 9 test playing nations out of which one should not have been there in first place.

Indian Team Selection

2010-06-26T19:56:00.000+05:30

India in SL, 2010

Test Series

India and SL will be back for yet another series. Even ardent fans of SL and India will be bored by now. Have some heart, this time it is different. It is a test series and not any hastily organized one day tournament.

BCCI selection committee has declared the final 16 who will be playing for the country. Overall, I believe, it is a good selection except for two selections:

Wriddhiman Saha as a reserve wicket keeper - What does BCCI want to achieve. Is he in fray for any future tournament? Did they forget Dinesh Karthik, the perennial prover. He is a decent wicketkeeper and much better batsman than Saha. Moreover, he has immense international experience; whenever a batsman is injured, he is the first one to be called.
Recall of Yuvraj Singh - Yuvraj has the talent to become one of the best batsman in the world. He is as talented as KP or even SRT. But his performance proves otherwise. Today he is not even as good as Dada, whom he replaced. He has to value and respect his place in test side.

I think selection on Suresh Raina and Vijay was spot on. There are skeptics who believe Raina does not have the required skills to survive a test match; especially his weakness against the short ball. He has proven, time and again, in both one day and T20 cricket that he can survive short deliveries. His one day record, especially over last 2 years, is a case to the point. Raina should be give a chance to fail.

Vijay is another talented youngster who has not done too badly in test cricket. His Ranji Trophy record is excellent and is one of the better batsman in Indian cricket today. His T20 performances should not be used as a benchmark for test selection.

Talking about youngsters, the selection committee should start blooding some of the others as well. Selectors have to start thinking about the future. Big 3 may not be there after 2-3 years. They have taken us to the top of ICC ranking but new talent has to retain that top ranking. Rohit Sharma, Manish Pandey, Pujara, Kohli and Badrinath could be future of Indian test scene. Especially Badri and Pujara. Badri may not be a youngster but he has few years of cricket left in him.

All these players have been knocking on selection committee doors for many years. Of course selectors can't (and shouldn't) accommodate all but they should devise a strategy so that these youngsters can play with big 3 when there is still some time. The selectors can take following approach:

Have a rotation policy in place.
Always choose 16 players (even when the matches are being held in India) in the squad
Drop Yuvraj - I would love to see him the team but not an usual irresponsible Yuvraj.

This aint a "I told you so" post

2010-06-09T21:39:00.000+05:30

Team selection for Zimbabwe Tri series 2010

Last month I wrote a post about poor team selection for Zimbabwe tour.

Unfortunately my premonition about a poor series for India came true. Far from being poor, we were dismal in Zimbabwe. The sad thing is that it was bound to happen as there is no system governing Indian cricket - both BCCI and Media are at fault.

What has BCCI achieved? Are there any new finds? Have they identified any new talent which was unknown before? Have they boosted the moral of new players? Have they done justice to the fans?

Far from it. Team India has been relegated to number 3 position in ICC ranking...

On the other side of system, Media is blind even after having the advantage of the hindsight. In last few days there have been many media stories castigating the players and the team. How callous and irrelevant? They could not recognize that young inexperienced team, however talented, was never going to win matches on their own. I am sure if 1 or 2 players were part of the regular squad, they would have excelled. Alas! that never happened.

All is not lost though. We can still learn some lessons:
1. BCCI should only play reasonable number of matches in a year so regular players are rested for important matches.
2. BCCI should adopt a rotation policy to give young talent a chance and build bench strength rather than making wholesale changes.
3. Media should not become over-enamored by young talent and try to provide positive criticism.

Whether it will happen. I have my doubts but we all have to do our bit to "save the tiger"...

Message from England! BCCI - Are you listening?

2010-06-09T12:35:00.001+05:30

I read an interesting side story after recently concluded England-Bangladesh test series.

http://www.cricinfo.com/england/content/current/story/462319.html

An excerpt

"Steven Finn has had an impressive start to the summer and will now undertake a strengthening programme similar to that recently undertaken by Stuart Broad," said Geoff Miller, England's national selector. "This will also rule Steven out of the NatWest Series against Australia and Bangladesh before his preparation for the npower Test series against Pakistan."

Finn is a young lad with oodles of talent. He has been undoubtedly the best bowler of both sides and has been the find of the series. Much like Ishant Sharma or Irfan Pathan in their early days. And what does England do - send him for strength training without even considering him for domestic tournaments.

Is it strange? Far from it.

It is the right way to nurture young talent. He is being told that success is not easy so the young lad should better work on it.

There is a lesson for BCCI, Indian Media and India team fans. We have a unique affinity for young talent. Whenever a young player bursts on the scene, we want him to participate in each and every game, however insignificant. We shower him with excessive praises and slowly burn him out. We always try to find the next Kapil Dev or Sachin Tendulkar.

Look where are our yesteryear bowling talents today? Munaf has dropped pace, so has Irfan, Sreesanth has attitude problem as got too much praise initially, RP Singh in no longer accurate and Ishant is wayward.

It is easy to blame all these players but we have to look within ourselves to find a solution.

We should give some time and mentor a new player properly - play him in full domestic season, slug it out on the ground with no fans, train hard, give him chance to play in few internationals so as to acclimatise him different cultures and grounds, take tips from senior players.

BCCI - Are you listening?

Poor team selection

2010-05-09T21:07:00.000+05:30

Team selection for Zimbabwe Tri series 2010

I wrote a post Let us pray! earlier this year. The title of this post could also have been same as I am writing about a similar situation. India were scheduled to play SA in a dead rubber and selectors rested top players of Indian team just to give chance to youngsters. And guess what, India lost. Even though that was a dead rubber and now we are talking about playing in Zimbabwe, we should be ruthless while it comes to playing international matches. We should select the best team possible. Remember it is a tri-series and we would be playing against SL as well.

I have no doubt about the talent of youngsters picked for the squad. They are all good players and proven themselves in IPL and other domestic matches. They would also be hungry to showcase their talent in International arena. But cricket is a team sport and individuals can win you only few matches. I feel that making wholesale changes tot the team composition is not a good idea.

A few factors that goes against the selected squad:
1. The squad has never played together as a team.
2. The coach and other support staff will have to guide an entirely new team.
3. All players are low in experience.
4. The experience is even lower when it comes to playing matches abroad.

An excerpt from my earlier post

It is true that the replacements are worthy and talented but all of them lack experience. It is a good idea to test the reserves and give bench some chance to secure a team for future. But wholesale replacements are not good even if it is a dead rubber. We must learn from Australia of old. They also had a rotation policy but never at the expense of a game. They never got complacent and were so ruthless that many games were won even before starting. We must make winning a habit.

Let us just pray that the team is able to win a few matches.

Analysis 2010 continued

2010-05-07T23:38:00.000+05:30

ICC T20 World Cup 2010

This is a followup post to my last post Analysis 2010 on potential weakness of each team playing in the Super 8.

Why can SL lose?

They are not looking like the side they were last year
In both their group games they lacked intensity
No other batsman apart from Jayawardene has fired

Why can Australia lose?

They have been inconsistent. They performed well against Pakistan but lost the track against Bangladesh.
So far they have an extremely poor record in T20. Read my earlier post Australian Team is favourite

Why can India lose?

The dreaded C word - Complacency. They are the champions or so the Indian Media and fans think.
The weakness from last world cup might haunt them again - short pitched bouncers.

Why can WI lose?

The dreaded I word - Inconsistency.

Evey team has chinks in its armour. And in T20 form on the match day matters more than anything else. However, I think it will be extremely difficult for NZ, Pakistan and SL to reach the semis.

Analysis 2010

2010-05-06T13:17:00.001+05:30

ICC T20 World Cup 2010

This post is similar to my last year's post on second edition of ICC T20 World cup.

Analyze this

Like in last year's post I have analyzed what chinks hinder a team to not go on and win the tournament. I am writing this post just before the start of Super 8s. We have had a look at teams' form while teams have had a look at weather and ground conditions.

According to Lardbrokes, at the time of writing, Australia are still favourites with odds at 3. In fact they have improved their odds since tournament beginning. India and SA hold the next 2 positions with odds at 4 and 5 respectively. Also look at my last post

Australian Team is favourite

Let us see why a team can lose.

Why can Pakistan lose?

The dreaded I word - Inconsistency. One their day they are world beaters and another day they are worse than a club cricket team.
Nothing remains permanent in Pakistan cricket - They have a new captain who has a history of being on the wrong side of cricket administration and a new team which is low on experience.
Batting looks weak as compared to other teams.

They can take heart from the fact that their batting fought hard against Australian bowling.

Why can NZ lose?

The dreaded D word - They are perennial Dark Horses. They raise the expectations of their fans by giving a good fight but never go on and win a big tournament.
They are a formidable unit but they struggled against lackadaisical SL.

Why can SA lose?

The dreaded C word - They are not called Chokers for nothing. They inspire hope, excitement and confidence till they lose at the final frontier.
They were unable to put up a decent fight against India team who were missing key players. Their batsmen struggled against part-time spinners.
They were unable to put up a decent total against a inexperienced bowling attack of Afghanistan.

Why can England lose?

The dreaded F word - They are a formidable unit but at the same time fickle in nature. They played well against WI only going on to lose due to DL system but against Ireland their batting failed miserably. And this time DL system helped them to post a win.
Their country is the home of cricket but till now they beli all expectations of their fans in major competitions.

Watch out for my next post for rest of the analysis.

Australian Team is favourite

2010-04-30T16:43:00.000+05:30

ICC T20 World Cup 2010

Or this is what betting men think!

As per Lardbrokes Odds in favour of Australia wining the tournament is 7/2 which is better than any other team. This seems to be ridiculous. It is true that they have the pedigree and are the best side in One day internationals but T20 is a different ballgame. Consider this:

Australia has just won 15 of the 29 Internationals played by them.
Their record in World Cups is even poor. They have lost 5 of the 8 T20 matches played in ICC T20 World Cups.
They have a new look team with players having little international experience.
They have a new captain.
They could not even qualify for Super 8s in last World cup.

I would not discount Australia. They can still go on to win the tournament but I think the odds are heavy. In T20, on their day, even a weak team can beat a stronger team. Remember how India in 2007 and Pakistan in 2009 became world champions despite odds.

In my opinion Australia are a beatable side and putting a pre-tournament favourite tag on them is too much. There are better team in fray.

It seems that the betting is rigged. Or are we missing some information here.

Some defeats are harder to digest than others!

2010-04-08T00:28:00.000+05:30

DD vs KKR at Eden Gardens, Kolkatta
IPL Season 3

Today was one of those defeats when DD was well ahead till 15th over then wickets started tumbling.

ICL was good for cricket

2010-04-07T00:23:00.000+05:30

It is a common knowledge that ICL was the first professional T20 league in India. Mr. Subhash Chandra, of Zee fame, announced ICL much before India won the inaugral T20 World Cup. It was announced immediately after India lost in first round of World Cup 2007 held in West Indies. At that time very few people in India knew about T20. And travesty is BCCI resisted entry of T20 cricket in India.

ICL was a moderately popular league but it could not survive the onslaught of cash rich BCCI and financial ressures. It sparkled for few seasons before it died down. Its promoters are trying to salvage some pride by engaging BCCI in a legal battle. In all probablity nothing will come out of the legal battle. By launching T20 in India and giving respect to neglected domestic players in India, ICL spawned a whole new era. It gave the cricket world following:

IPL and the only Mr. Modi we know - ICL was initiated and run by a certain Mr. Himanshu Mody. IPL would never have started unless BCCI felt the heat from ICL. Today IPL is hugely popular and Mr. Modi is a househld name.
New techniques like overhead moving camera - this innovation was first introduced in ICL.
Excellent talent like Ambati Rayadu, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and Rajagopal Sathish.
Respect for domestic players.

A healthy competition is good for everything. Although unlikely, revival of ICL may give rise to betterment of IPL and Indian cricket.

What is worst thing about DD?

2010-03-29T22:13:00.000+05:30

What else? Cheerleaders outfit...

IPL Season 3 - Halfway

2010-03-28T13:01:00.000+05:30

All 8 teams have played 6 matches except MI and DC, who have played 5 matches. The positions of different teams and how they have played till now gives a inkling of how they are likely to perform in future.

MI and RCB are looking settled and they are likely to go through to semis. MI, with Tendulkar at helm, is looking formidable to go all the way through. But one can never safely predict in this fickle format. Remember what happened to DD in the last season.

DC are doing OK. They are not performing as well as last year as bowling attack is missing sharpness.

CSK, as in last 2 seasons, is without good bowling attack but their batting line up is extremely good. They may have lost few matches in a row but they still are contenders for semis spot.

At the start of season 3 DD were looking very powerful as their team was settled but injuries to Nehra and Gambhir have cost them dearly. The balance is missing but somehow they are still perfoming well. Gambhir's return may augur well for them.

RR is looking more weak then it was in last 2 seasons. Watson is playing to Australia, Smith and Dmitri are injured and Jadeja is not playing. But still they have started gelling well as team.

KKR is looking better than they were in the last year. Unnecessary controversies were very costly. They, in all probability will do much better than last spot of IPL season 2.

KXIP are a poor shadow of first two seasons. Neither their batting order nor their bowling is looking settled. It looks as if Sangakara's captaincy is brewing unrest in the team.

The best thing is India can look forward to new breed of talented youngsters.

A logical deduction - DD is the best team of IPL Season 2010

2010-03-28T11:59:00.000+05:30

Indian squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2010:

MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Vinay Kumar, Rohit Sharma

There are 4 players from DD, 2 each from CSK, KXIP, RCB, MI & RR (if Jadeja is still considered part of RR) and 1 from DC. There is no player from KKR.

By sheer numbers, it seems that, DD has best Indian lineup. Unfortunately 2 out of 4 are not playing in IPL 3 due to Injuries and DD is not doing as well as last year.

Does it mean KKR is the worst team in the competition?

Why is Rajasthan team called Rajasthan Royals?

2010-03-24T21:01:00.000+05:30

Read it on Cricinfo

Rajasthan Royals at their globalising best today. An Englishman born in South Africa is opening with a batsman from Madhya Pradesh. The players who follow represent the following teams: Vidarbha, Baroda, Western Australia/Notts, Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Hampshire/Victoria, Mumbai, Gujarat and South Australia. Now someone please tell me why they are called the Rajasthan Royals?

And the winner of wooden spoon is

2010-03-20T00:27:00.000+05:30

IPL Season 3, 2010

It looks as if there is tough contention between KXIP and RR to get the woosen spoon. KXIP has lost 3 out of 3. Apart from few individual brilliances, they are yet to play as a team.

As for RR, check my earlier post Or is it Royals are doing the KKR?

Alas! DD lost but it not so sad

2010-03-18T18:36:00.000+05:30

IPL Season 3, 2010
DD v. MI Ist Match

I am a staunch DD supporter having stayed most of my life in Delhi. I was definitely sad when DD lost yesterday. Winning is never easy when opposition posts 200+ total on the board. Moreover DD lost one of the best T20 batsmen and their captain right at the starting of the match; it made the arduous task much more difficult.

But like every SRT fan, I was more than pleased to his batting. It is true that he plays for MI but he is an icon of our age. He took the game away from DD; bowlers just didn't have answer to his range of shots. His batting was riskfree to the extent of being faultless. May he do even better in forthcoming days but not at the expense of DD.

Signed
Confused SRT and DD fan...

Or is it Royals are doing the KKR?

2010-03-16T00:24:00.005+05:30

IPL Season 3

This is in continuation to my last post KKR is doing the Royals

RR has lost 2 games in a row and they seem to lack energy. Except for Pathan's 100, their bith batting or bowling looks wobbly. To add to this there are some unhappy surprises - Smith and Dmitri are injured and unlikely to play further.

KKR is doing the Royals

2010-03-15T23:38:00.003+05:30

IPL Season 3, 2010

It is still early days this season; both KKR and Royals have played 2 matches each. But it looks, as if KKR is following the footsteps of Royals of 2008.

In 2008 Royals were written off before the tournament started as they didn't have star power. They were ably led by an inspirational captain who won them the tournament. Can KKR repeat the history with Saurav Ganguly?

Delhi Daredevils - Would they be third time lucky?

2010-03-14T15:18:00.006+05:30

IPL Season 3, 2010

I sincerely hope so. And I will passionatley root for them. There are no points for guessing which team do I support. :) Still the question is can they go all the way?

They have the team, tenacity, brilliance and above all pedigree to win the tournament. Let us keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Some of the the things that may go against them this season:
1. There is o Glenn McGrath
2. There is a new bowling coach as TA Sekar over to Mumbai. This one and the point above may not have direct bearing on the team as a coach works at the back end while McGrath didn't even get a game in IPL season 2. But things change when 2 senior bowling experts leave the camp. I hope the change is not too bad as the new coach is extremely good.
3. The other teams, especially DC, MI and RC are more formidable & settled then before.
4. DD's best spinner (in fact the world's best), Daniel Vettori, is on national duty.

It is so unlike last year

2010-03-14T15:04:00.004+05:30

IPL season 3 - 2010

1. Ex-ICL players are part of the tournament.
2. The tournament is happening in India despite security concerns and subtle threats from foreign players and Federation of International Cricketers' Associations(FICA).
3. No Pakistan cricketer is playing. There are many theories doing the rounds for their non-participation but that is part of another story
4. All teams look formidable to go through to semis - It is still early days but last year you could still count out few teams.

Like last year there is still lot of buzz and moolah. Let the best team win...

Yipee! Starting tomorrow we will have overdose of cricket...

2010-03-11T23:41:00.003+05:30

Or would it be under dose? For test connoisseurs, it definitely would definitely be an under dose. In a test match 90 overs are bowled during a day with healthy competition between bat and bowl. Whereas from tomorrow onwards we will watch 7 week long IPL extravaganza with only 40 overs bowled during a day. And bowlers being treated as second class citizens.

I am not trying to marginalize T20 cricket. I am great fan of all 3 formats of cricket as each format needs different type of skills. I just feel sad for bowlers who are slogged mercilessly all around the park. Maybe in next few years bowlers will develop new weapons for T20 cricket or we will see some changes in rules. Till that time let's enjoy our cricket.

One thing is definitely sure the cricketers will enjoy overdose of fans...

Aamir Khan might take an affront

2010-03-09T22:38:00.002+05:30

Everyone knows Austrains are competitive but this is also good
Australian team has a "handful of idiots": John Reid

Let us pray!

2010-02-27T12:15:00.003+05:30

India vs. SA
3rd ODI
Season 2009-10

This post is a continuation from the last post

Headlines and the art of selling news

I also want India to win and make a clean sweep but I have certain apprehensions. The first ODI was close. India, of course, had an upper hand till 44th over or so but they became complacent and let the advantage whittle away. While batting also the batsmen gave away good starts otherwise the total could have been higher. The second ODI was put beyond SA reach by only one man - Tendulkar. Remove him from the equation and you have evenly matched teams. And introduce new and inexperienced blood, it is advantage SA.

We already have depleted team with injuries to Gambhir, Yuvraj and Zaheer - all top 10 players as per ICC ranking. On top of it the selectors have rested Sehwag & Tendulkar and have extended Harbhajan's rest. Again all three are top 10 players. Tendulkar's rest is justified but resting Sehwag and Harbhjan when team is already depleted is not a good idea. If anybody needed rest it was Dhoni. He has been playing non-stop in all form of the games and he has a tough schedule ahead.

It is true that the replacements are worthy and talented but all of them lack experience. It is a good idea to test the reserves and give bench some chance to secure a team for future. But wholesale replacements are not good even if it is a dead rubber. We must learn from Australia of old. They also had a rotation policy but never at the expense of a game. They never got complacent and were so ruthless that many games were won even before starting. We must make winning a habit.

We can still win today's game but chances have diminished. Let us pray for today's win.

Headlines and the art of selling news

2010-02-27T11:43:00.003+05:30

India vs. SA
3rd ODI
Season 2009-10

All major previews for the 3rd ODI suggest that India has a upperhand while SA will try to avoid clean sweap. Consider the following:

India target first sweep against South Africa

India seek series sweep at Motera

SA look to avoid a clean sweep

Depleted India seek series sweep at Motera

I think the headlines are created in line with the expectations of the readers - in this case the fans of Indian cricket team. We always want our team to win and are prejudiced by what are our team's strengths rather than dispassionately reviewing the whole picture. But that is another story...

Let us pray for today's win.

Tendulkar's Double - The moments of agony

2010-02-26T13:51:00.006+05:30

India vs. SA
2009-2010 Season
2nd ODI

Experts have written and filled many a reams to eulogize Tendulkar's double. So much praise, bordering upon adoration, has been showered on him that I do not want to add more to it.

Sachin's double has broken many records and along the way it had its side effects as well. One of the pleasant side effect was Cricinfo's servers breakdown. Here is a truthful admission from Cricinfo

Tendulkar breaks Cricinfo records

I was among the many unfortunate ones who was not able to watch Sachin's innings live on TV. So I did the next best thing by following it online on Cricinfo. And Cricinfo's server glitch left me heartbroken. I had to go through many agonizing moments when I couldn't follow the online commentary.

May I have many more 'Sach' agonizing moments.

My name is also Khan!

2010-02-12T01:33:00.002+05:30

This would have been more appropriate title for Imran Khan's article published in Outlook India. It would have given Mr. Khan more visibility.

The Secret Diary Of Imran Khan

Mr. Khan suggestion that Shahid Afridi was merely smelling the ball and not tempering it, is not only outlandish but also downright hilarious. He quotes

Shahid can also smell with his mouth and his teeth

Even if we believe it is true then why did Afridi admit and apologized. Read more about the ball tampering incident at

Afridi banned for two T20s for ball-tampering

Blessing in Disguise

2010-02-06T09:01:00.002+05:30

South Africa in India
Season: 2009-10

Indian team is carrying long list of injuries – VVS, Sreesanth, Dravid and Yuvraj. Sreesanth, Dravid and Yuvraj have been left out while VVS may not play the first test. It is, of course, not an idle situation; the frontline players are cannot play and the opponent is supposed to be the best team in World cricket today. The competition will be all the more difficult as it could decide the number 1 spot in ICC test ranking.

Sreesanth absence will not hurt Indian team. His services, in all probability, will not be needed given that Zaheer and Ishant are bowling well. Dravid is a great player and his absence cannot be compensated. On the other hand Yuvraj has done little to prove that he values test berth and is a fair replacement for Dada.

I think the situation presents a very good opportunity to India if VVS plays. In the absence of Dravid and Yuvraj, Vijay and Badrinath are likely to play the first test. Vijay, in a short tenure, has already impressed with his solid technique and unflappable temperament. Badrinath has been on fringes of Indian team and has been knocking the doors for long.

Will Badrinath grab the opportunity and do justice to his debut? Only time will tell. If he does well and gets more chances, India can look forward to another good middle order batsman. The situation is a blessing in disguise and let us hope for the best.

I hope Indian selection panel can learn something from this situation. They rotate the players to test the bench strength. Australia could rotate players in first half of the last decade; India can do it now and they should do it well before Big 3 will retire.

Sunil Gavaskar comments

2010-01-25T21:46:00.003+05:30

In a recent article in The Hindustan Times Mr. Gavaskar wrote

Virender Sehwag speaks like he bats and that’s why he is so refreshing, for there are no diplomatic niceties for him. He thinks that Bangladesh are an ordinary side incapable of taking 20 India wickets.

Read the complete article at When batsmen leave their teams and fans demoralised

Read more about the 'Ordinary' analysis at An 'Ordinary' Sehwag and An 'Ordinary' Bangladesh

Oh! Not again.

2010-01-24T21:25:00.002+05:30

Sri Lanka planning visit by India

An excerpt.

In the past five years, in fact, Sri Lanka and India have been involved in over 50 contests - nine Tests, 39 ODIs and three Twenty20s.

Gimme a break!

An ordinary Bangladesh

2010-01-22T21:07:00.010+05:30

India in Bangladesh
1st test, 2009/10 season

It is true that Sehwag called Bangladesh an 'Ordinary' team. Was it a figure of speech? Or Was it an hyperbole? No, it was straight talking. Sehwag does not mince words while talking and he talks straight from the heart. Read my previous post on the same subject.

An 'Ordinary' Sehwag

However, Sehwag shot himself on foot, or so it seemed, when India got out at 243. Media went GaGa over it and Bangla fans went delirious. But did anyone realize that India had one poor session when they lost 6 wickets. In the morning session they were going great guns and last session too was OK. It was only after lunch that they floundered.

To further substantiate my point, I did some research on the past performances of Bangladesh. I checked test match data of last 2 years and compared it with India's. It is considered that in last 2 years Bangladesh has improved tremendously. But the data proves that there was nothing out of ordinary in Sehwag's comments.

Bangladesh scored under 200 in 11 innings out of 21 completed innings - more than 50% times. If we consider under 250 scores the percentage jumps to 80%. If we think scores of 254 and 259 are also under par than the percentage jumps to 90%.

India, on the other hand, just has 4 out 28 under 200 innings - a very low 14%. India also had 11 450+ scores in last 2 years whereas Bangladesh had none. Another interesting inference is Bangladesh lost 20 wickets more often than not - 21 out of possible 24 innings.

It is not a comparison between India and Bangladesh. India is at the top while Bangladesh is at the bottom of ICC test ranking. I collated the stats just to prove the veracity of Sehwag's statement. Bangladesh are truly 'Ordinary'.

An 'Ordinary' Sehwag

2010-01-18T23:57:00.003+05:30

India in Bangladesh Test Series - 1st Test
2009/10 season

Sehwag is a misfit in Gentleman's game. He is an 'Ordinary' person with Extra'Ordinary' batting skill. He does not believe in slow nature of test cricket, makes his own rules about the batting and more often than not talks straight.

He makes (Seh)wacky comments which are sometimes misconstrued. Yesterday was an another exhibition of his Ordinary nature. He said Bangladesh is an Ordinary team which evoked surprise, shock and awe. It is true that it would have bruised, nay, shattered Bangla ego but the comment, in itself, was not out of Ordinary. It came out naturally and was a straight response to a straight question. Sehwag does not know how to polish the words. He calls a spade a spade.

Read my recent post on another Sehwag comment and forget about yesterday's press conference.

Trust Sehwag to entertain you - Always

In essence he is (Seh)wack - See the ball hit the ball.

Tendulkar and Pakistan

2010-01-18T23:37:00.003+05:30

I wanted to share two very good articles. First one is an anlysis of Tendulkar's batting in Ist test with Bangladesh and another is an essay on current state of Pakistan cricket.

When familiarity breeds respect

Pakistan's fielding caught in a time warp

Temprament vs. Talent

2009-12-22T19:57:00.004+05:30

Australia vs. Pakistan 2009-10

The title of this story could also have been Australia vs. Pakistan. Pakistan always had talent in abundance and they are a team of brilliant individuals. Yes they are more like a bunch of talented individuals than a team.

The Australia, as far as memory goes, never had such a weak team. But it is still a team. They might lack talent and experience but they are can more than make it up by grit and determination to succeed. They carry a strong will and temperament to succeed.

Also read my earlier posts

http://fifth-umpire.blogspot.com/2009/06/analyze-this.html

http://fifth-umpire.blogspot.com/2009/12/life-mein-pyas-honi-chahiye.html

Refer to a news item http://www.cricinfo.com/ausvpak09/content/current/story/440513.html where Ponting also conveyed the same message

"As a package, if you look at their team they've got a number of exceptional players," Ponting said. "If they stick together as a group and play well together as a team, they can be very dangerous. Our job is to make sure we don't let them gel too much and combine too well. We've just got to make sure that we've learnt our lessons from this series and we get on with playing some good cricket."

Let's pray for the talent to overcome temperament. You can call be selfish but, for a change, I will support Pakistan since I want India to remain number 1 test team.

Life mein Pyas honi chahiye

2009-12-20T11:06:00.006+05:30

Aus vs. WI - 3rd Test
2009/10, Perth

There is an aspect of Australian cricket which is barely written or talked about - Hunger for success. This aspect again came to fore much through the 3rd test. The team might be a shade of what it was about 2 years ago. But the commitment to the game is paramount.

This aspect of Australian cricket is in addition to other aspects which have made them a very strong team. They might not be number 1 team but they still are very strong. Read my earlier posts.

http://fifth-umpire.blogspot.com/2009/05/why-is-australia-number-1-team.html

http://fifth-umpire.blogspot.com/2009/06/why-australia-is-best-test-team-in.html

A few would remember the first game of 1987 World Cup - India vs. Australia. Australia was on verge of losing but won by 1 run. That world cup could be the turning point in Australia's fortunes. Australia won the recent one day series against India, when their team was depleted and was missing 6-7 front line players. They also won the one day series handsomely against England after being beaten in Ashes this year.

I was reminded of a old Pepsi commercial which aptly describes Australian team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvmFiGVoNEc&feature=related

In my opinion they would not be able to dominate world cricket as they had but they still will be very good team to contend.

Let's pray for England win in England vs. SA test series

2009-12-15T22:30:00.002+05:30

England start their test series campaign against SA tomorrow. Let us support and pray for them to win the series handsomely for India's cause. Lest they do, South Africa can inch up towards numero uno slot in ICC test ranking.

Consider this the other two top teams, namely South Africa and Australia, are playing 7 and 10 tests respectively in next 12 months. And India is playing only 2 tests and that too against low ranked Bangladesh. Only God can help India in retaining the top ranking.

Trust Sehwag to entertain you - Always

2009-12-15T22:22:00.003+05:30

Sri Lanka in India ODI Series - 1st ODI
2009/10 season

Excerpt of converation between Ravi Shatri and Sehwag at the post-match ceremony.

Ravi Shastri to Virender Sehwag: "You are usually a chilled out character. But with the last over going on, and you sitting above [since he was injured and off the field], were you a bit tense?"

Sehwag: "Not at all. I was actually supporting Sri Lanka. My superstition is that whenever I support India, they lose. So I was supporting Sri Lanka."

Indian fielding was good at Rajkot

2009-12-15T22:03:00.003+05:30

Sri Lanka in India ODI Series - 1st ODI
2009/10 season
India dropped only 3 catches while fielding in one day international at Rajkot against Sri Lanka. 3 catches in 50 overs compares favourably to 11 catches dropped in last T20 internationals (40 overs).

I wonder how India win matches even after pathetic fielding and patchy bowling! Indian batsmen must be really very good.

Sri Lanka's Sehwag

2009-12-15T22:00:00.002+05:30

Journalists, media-men, commentators and common folks like us have nick named Dilshan as Sri Lanka's Sehwag. I wonder if it is a compliment to Sehwag or to Dilshan.

Forget Sehwag! This is interesting.

2009-12-04T20:52:00.002+05:30

Well! Forget Sehwag for a bit. I enjoyed reading comments more than the insipid article. But credit goes to author for evoking such comments.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/cricket/article6942221.ece

Quote Unquote - Sachin Tendulkar

2009-11-15T12:14:00.000+05:30

http://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/quote/index.html?object=35320

Dravid's Omission - A few perspectives

2009-10-17T00:37:00.003+05:30

Indian cricket team has been announced for the FIRST 2 one dayers against Australia. The logic of announcing a squad for 2 one dayers beats me. The Indian cricket team selections are far from logical...most of the times.

Even though it should not have surprised me but Dravid's omission is more baffling than other selection matters. I am not sure what selectors found out in 6 one dayers (that Dravid played) to throw him out of the team.

Dravid dropped for Australia ODIs

I had a premonition that something like this will happen. Excerpt from my earlier post:

Dravid returns to play one-day matches
Dravid's inclusion was not a good decision. What is done cannot be undone but selectors should start thinking about the time when Sehwag returns to the fold; who will they drop?

There are many plausible reasons for Dravid's non-inclusion:

He may not be among the playing 11 - If he was not good enough to play in 11, why was he selected 3 months ago. What has changed in 3 months?
To show some respect as he cannot be included in the playing 11 - What kind of respect are selectors showing by giving him the boot?
Nation comes first - When Dravid was included in the squad 3 months ago, it was thought that (with his sound technique) he will serve India better than the youngsters. Today, how can the same youngsters be better than him?
Youngsters have learnt their lesson - What kind of message are selectors giving youngsters by flip-flopping? Youngsters may still think they are demi-gods.

There might have been some plausible reasons that I am not able to fathom. But was it too difficult (3 months ago) to foresee that this situation might come? Dravid should not have been selected in first place. Or is it too difficult now to give a respectable and reasonable exit to Dravid?

I really feel for Dravid. He has done everything that team required and still he had faced difficult moments. How many people in the world cricket has made more than 10000 runs in both forms of cricket in their career? I sincerely hope that Dravid gets over the ignominy of unceremonious dumping soon.

It is not that the team selection has been poor. I am only making a comment on Dravid's omission. The selected team is good and should be able to beat Australia.

Dravid returns to play one-day matches

2009-08-19T01:18:00.002+05:30

Yet again! As expected Dravid is back in India's one day squad.

The Wall returns

In my opinion it is a backward and regressive step as I stated in one of my earlier posts.

Selectors and Rahul Dravid

I hold Dravid in high esteem and I sincerely think India will benefit in this series from Dravid's return. I delved upon some of the reasons for Dravid's inclusion in probables in the above post. There could be one other reason - selectors might want to put positive pressure on a player who is not performing well (read Rohit Sharma). They might be sending a message that no one can take India cap for granted. The thinking is good but their action is not as good . Instead of looking at Dravid (after 2 years of ignorance) they could have looked into some other players with immense potential - Pujara, M Vijay, Rahane, Naman Ojha, Badrinath, Shikhar Dhawan.

I also feel for both Jadeja and Rohit Sharma. Jadeja was never given enough chances at international level to prove his worth while Sharma, when he got a chance, mostly batted at either 6 or 7 where he could not contribute much. Both of them are talented players and I am sure they will do well in future.

I don't want to make a case for Sharma or Jadeja but I think Dravid's inclusion was not a good decision. What is done cannot be undone but selectors should start thinking about the time when Sehwag returns to the fold; who will they drop?

BCCI Ka WADA - II

2009-08-14T21:15:00.005+05:30

The story so far...

All ICC member countries had to submit to WADA compliant code by July 31 this year. The deadline came and went but BCCI did not do much about the code. The Indian players had concerns about the privacy and procedure involved for drug testing. The players presented their case to BCCI and BCCI acceded to their request.

The players are wary about the whereabouts clause of the WADA code under which they had to mandatorily disclose their location 90 days in advance. As per the clause they had to provide an one hour window each day when WADA representatives could visit them and perform a random drug test. If a player was found to be missing at the specified location and time by WADA representatives, a strike would be recorded against him. 3 such strikes would invite a 2 year ban on the player.

This clause was clearly unacceptable to Indian players. Other cricket players too have voiced their concerns in past but their boards have not done anything about it; all other boards have silently accepted the code. Many other leading sport persons includeing Tennis ace Roger Fedrer and Golf's numero uno Tiger Woods too have unhappily accepted this code.

Many sporting bodies and leading sport persons, on the other hand, were shocked when BCCI refused to sign on the WADA code. Sports minister MS Gill, ace shooter & Olympic gold medal winner Abhinav Bindra and Secretary General of Asian Olympic Council Ranbir Singh were among the many notable figures who spoke against the BCCI. They said when all other leading player form cricket and other sports can accept the clause why can't Indian cricketers.

WADA has put in such a clause for a reason. WADA wants to do a random surprise test so as to catch the culprits. With advanced technology, it is possible for a capacity enhancement drug user to wear off the effects of drug in 24 hours and escape testing. WADA is aware of such technology and hence it has put in daily whereabouts clause.

Even though some other sport personalities have tacitly supported BCCI but general opinion is against the BCCI and Indian cricketers. On the face of it it looks as if BCCI is flexing its muscles again and this time it has take IOC and WADA as an adversary. but i think BCCI refusal has more positives than negatives. In next few posts I will explain why.

Statisitcs say it all

2009-08-14T20:24:00.002+05:30

Cricinfo has compiled and published some interesting statistics around English middle order today. It provides empirical evidence to some of the comments I made in my previous article.

English conundrum

The Cricinfo stats reveal that English middle order is worse than all other leading test playing nations other than NZ, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. To read the details follow

How good is England's middle order?

English conundrum

2009-08-12T23:54:00.005+05:30

I was thinking of posting article II on BCCI Ka WADA but I could not resist commenting about English selectors predicament after reading the following article on Cricinfo

All change for The Oval?

The article talks about different middle order batting option for 5th and final Ashes Test. The article discusses as many as 14 options for middle order and, as its title suggests, hints at making wholesale changes in the team. An excerpt

England's humiliating innings defeat at Headingley has thrown the Ashes wide open and turned this weekend's squad announcement into the hottest topic of the summer. With Kevin Pietersen missing from a flat-lining middle-order, changes are sure to be considered, particularly at Nos. 3 and 4. But which players will front up at The Oval? Cricinfo casts its eye over the leading contenders

There have been many similar discussions from leading cricket analysts. In my opinion it is quite humorous that things have come to such a state. It is all media speculation right now that English selectors will change the team for final test but the selectors have made matters worse by going along with the media speculation. If England want to build a strong team in near future they should truthfully answer following Q:

What does selectors want to achieve by considering players for selection who were not even in radar before the 4th test started?
Should the selectors even debate on a player who is touching 40 and was a failure at International circuit (read Mark Ramprakash)?
Or should they consider someone who retired long ago because he could not take too much cricket related stress and repeatedly refused to come back to International cricket (read Marcus Trescothick)?
Does any of the current batsmen, apart from Pietersen and Strauss, inspire confidence?
Is it a happy situation that Flintoff is the second best batsman in the team after Strauss (Pietersen is nursing an injury)?
Is there something seriously wrong with English cricket? England has not produced a single batsmen who has averaged more than 45 in last 30 years or so.

I do not know the answers and I am not sure what ails English cricket. I just shred to think what would be the future of home of cricket. For now I will support England for 5th test even though it will be extremely difficult for them to surmount a rejuvenated Australian team.

BCCI Ka WADA - I

2009-08-11T22:58:00.003+05:30

The title of this post is not a pun on WADA (World Anti Doping Agency). Wada is a Hindi word that means commitment; BCCI is committed to cricket and more so to Indian cricket. And this commitment has brought BCCI at crossroads with WADA.

WADA was setup under the auspices of IOC (International Olympic Committee). WADA's main aim is to fight against doping in sports. It is the only credible, independent and official anti-doping body. ICC is signatory to WADA norms due to which all ICC members and hence cricketers are supposed to comply to WADA norms. If ICC and its associate members accept the norms, cricket as a sport, will gain more credibility. This can also make IOC to include cricket in Olympics and Asian games.

As things stand, BCCI has refused to accept WADA code especially the whereabouts clause of the players. As per the clause players are supposed to inform WADA about their 3 months itinerary in advance so that WADA can use this information for random dope testing.

BCCI and the cricketers say it is not possible to define 3 months plan well in advance especially when players are not playing active cricket. They also say that releasing such information is a potential security threat for the players. On the other hand WADA says the code has been well accepted by players and sporting bodies world over; it has been put forward after much thought and scientific analysis.

Both WADA an BCCI have valid points. In next few articles I will post my opinion on this issue. For now I will just say that BCCI's refusal to accept the code is not only good for cricket (although it has some negative ramifications) but also for other sports.

Keep on reading...

For all those who are following Ashes

2009-08-04T23:45:00.001+05:30

Are you England in disguise?

For all those who are not following Ashes

2009-07-13T15:12:00.002+05:30

The article is extremely harsh but true...Australia needs better bowlers

Sorry, Haury

Random Musings

2009-07-12T23:07:00.004+05:30

England has saved the first test. Whew! And what a test it was; Australia was so close to winning it. Even though there was no result, it was a very good advertisement for test cricket. The stadium was full and every ball was being cheered by crowd.

Hindsight is always 6/6. After Pakistan lost the last test match many analysts questioned team composition. Checkout Former players question team composition Pakistan's cricket is troubled by many factors and team composition could be one of them. In my opinion, rather than criticizing the team after they lost the game (which they could have easily won), former players should try to improve Pakistan cricket as a whole. I think, whatever the team composition was, they should have overcome a paltry target of 167.

John Buchanan has written some abrasive statements in his new book titled 'The Future of Cricket: The Rise of Twenty20'. It seems, after following various media reports, Buchanan has created some new controversies. Read Buchanan takes swipes at Indian stars to checkout what Buchanan has written. Buchanan has got it bang on - these controversies (whether true or untrue) will make the book profitable. Read one of earlier posts Buchanan and the art of remaining profitable to know more about Buchanan style.

There has been some rumor about Saurav Ganguly running for BCCI chief's post. Yes, it is just a rumor and Ganguly himself has not commented anything. But if he does become BCCI chief, it would be best thing that has ever happened to BCCI. It would be a rare occurrence when an esteemed cricketer, like him, holds such a vital administrative position in BCCI.

It feels very sad when you read headlines like Advantage Bangladesh for preview of 1st test match between WI and Bangladesh. I do not have anything against Bangladesh; in fact, I want them to become a serious test playing nation. But the fact is that they are enjoying this advantage because of weakened WI side not because of their own strengths.

Selectors and Rahul Dravid

2009-07-12T08:14:00.008+05:30

Indian selectors have included Rahul Dravid among 30 probables for ICC Champions Trophy.

Dravid among Champions Trophy probables

In my opinion it is a regressive step. It is not the Dravid's ability to perform but the timing of the move that disturbs me. Dravid is a great player with sound technique; he has won many a battles for Indian cricket. I have high regards for him and I am sure he will succeed if given a chance and may even perform better than youngsters.

However, Dravid is not in frame for One Day cricket for almost 2 years. Since then other batsmen have performed well. Indian team has seen golden period in two years - they have lost very few one day games. The new batsmen have played some brilliant cricket and have filled the void left by Dravid.

Some media reports have suggested that Dravid inclusion has to do with inability of current crop of cricketers to face short pitch bouncers especially after poor showing at T20 Word Cup. It is true that Raina, Pathan and Sharma do no have technical proficiency of Dravid (everyone can't be a 'The Wall'). But what do selectors want to achieve by announcing Dravid's name? There could be 2 reasons but none of them makes sense to me:

To tell new crop of players that they lack technical proficiency of a master and there is a competition for them - There can be only one Dravid. Raina, Pathan or Sharma can't match his technical proficiency. They have earned their places in the team as they too have something which wins matches for India. Every player is unique and we must respect his talent as it is. Let us continue to trust these youngsters as long as they are performing well for the country. If they do not produce the goods then so be it. Selectors have built a team that will serve India for a long time to come.
To show some much needed respect to Dravid in twilight of his career - In last t 2 years Dravid would have taken non-inclusion in one day squad in his stride. By announcing his name among probables, selectors are only demeaning him. What was the point of dumping him earlier after a stray poor series?

I shred to think what will happen if, after all this, selectors fail to include Dravid in final 14.

Ponting's real test

2009-07-04T23:08:00.004+05:30

Ponting is thought to be greatest Australian test captain ever by many leading analysts. He has led Australian cricket team successfully over last 5 years. Consider this:

Australia's winning percentage of tests under his captaincy is more than any other Australian captain.
He has always led from front by contributing heavily in middle order. His batting record speaks volumes - a batting average of more than 50, more centuries than any other Australian. (He may even go on to become leading century scorer in the world - Most Hundreds in tests)
His team hold the record of winning most tests on the trot.
He was Man of the Series as Australia became the first team in 86 years to achieve an Ashes clean sweep.

Did Ponting make Australia near invincible or was there some other factor in play. Australia was already number 1 test team before Ponting took over. What made them number 1 team? The answer is Steve Waugh.

Ponting took the baton from Steve Waugh as a test captain at the beginning of 2004 (by that time he was already captaining one day side). He not only inherited the captaincy from an extremely successful captain but also inherited hugely talented players. His playing 11 included Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist, Langer, Hayden, Gillespie, Martyn, Lehmann, Lee and Ponting himself. All of them were match winners in their own right and all of them had impressive records. It was next to impossible that anyone could beat the team comprising of these players.

The credit must go to Waugh for making an unbeatable outfit. The players and the team was nurtured by Steve Waugh. All these match winners (except for Lee and Ponting) have since then retired leaving Australian team in dire straits. Neither CA nor Ponting realized what would happen once these were not available. They didn't take any preventive action to fill their places at right time.

Today team is bereft of greats' services and half of the team consists of bunch of inexperienced players. Australia started losing there domination near the end of 2007. 2008 was the worst year for them in recent history - they lost test series to India and SA.

It is true that Ponting has services of Clarke and Hussey but apart from them there is no one in the team who can match the previous team's greats. It is also true that they won the test series again SA in their own backyard with new players. But the real test for Ponting has already begun.

Can Ponting leave behind a good team to relive the great moments?
Can he create a near invincible team?
Can he relive Waugh's legacy?

Only time will answer these questions. If Ponting is able to successfully lead his team for next two years and pass over a winning combination to next captain (most probably Clarke), history will remember him forever.

BBC - Buchanan Bashing Continues

2009-07-02T15:13:00.003+05:30

As reported by Cricinfo

Martyn lashes out at Buchanan over 2005 Ashes

An excerpt

"All comments by Warne and MacGill are right and you'd find that 99% of the group from that era would agree," Martyn said in an interview with the Wisden Cricketer. "They're just the only guys who've got [the courage] to say it. The management team didn't plan right, we had a not-very-good, quick preparation in Brisbane and then we landed and away we went.

Future of test cricket

2009-07-01T02:12:00.002+05:30

It is interesting to read the comments of die-hard test cricket fans in the following story

ICC chief suggests four-day Tests

There are tests and then there is Ashes

2009-06-30T18:00:00.004+05:30

Ashes is considered as most important tournament among Australian and English fans. Fans, critics, analysts, players alike consider it to be more important than many other prestigious tournaments.

One just has to follow the news coming out of Australian and English camps to notice the premium attached to Ashes.

1. Players and important stakeholders started talking about Ashes even before Australian team landed in England. Even while they preparing for T20 World Cup (considered to be more important than a test series in all other countries), all they talked about was Ashes.
June 4, 2009
Siddle ready for Ashes taunts
June 2, 2009
Pietersen thrilled by Ashes talent pool
May 29, 2009
Ponting warns England against half-fit Flintoff
May 26, 2009
Lee and Clark no certainties for first Test
May 24, 2009
England switched Ashes venues on purpose - Ponting
May 20, 2009
England can win Ashes - Flower

2. Former players, who were moot participants in T20 World Cup were/are talking fervently about Ashes.
Don't rely on Bopara for the Ashes - Warne
Gilchrist not convinced of Flintoff's fitness
Dropping Vaughan a mistake - Warne
Hayden warns Australians on reverse-swing
Use World Twenty20 to build Ashes momentum - Gough

3. Current players are no different - they were/are talking more about Ashes even while playing in T20 World Cup.
Pietersen ready for 'big allrounder' Johnson
Siddle wants new-ball responsibility
Reverse-swing could decide Ashes - Pietersen
Fit Flintoff desperate for the Ashes
Lee and Clark train sights on Strauss

4. England set off for secret bonding session

5. England hire Ashes most successful Australian coach in the hope of winning ashes.
Buchanan agrees ECB deal

Why a bilateral test series is considered so prestigious? I do not have the answer for it. Perhaps it has something to do with maintaining the old cricket order. One thing is for sure test cricket will survive the onslaught of T20, at least in England and Australia.

Buchanan and the art of remaining profitable

2009-06-28T11:21:00.003+05:30

Mr Buchanan, the renowned Australian coach, must have very good communication and self selling abilities which allow him to get new jobs even after sever public criticisms from the people who have worked with him.

Mr. Buchanan was able to retain his job as director of coaching staff for KKR throughout IPL 2 while they lost game after game and finished at the bottom of the league. Many renowned analysts bunked his theories and warned against his way of working but somehow retained his assignment. Some of my earlier posts touch upon his coaching style

Controversies and Team Standings
Realize your mistake and move forward
Foreign players and IPL

After IPL 2 there were rumors that he along with many of his coaching staff members will be fired. And what does he do? He not only gets a new assignment even before he is fired and that too for the most prestigious series in International cricket.

June 17, 2009
Buchanan on his way out of Kolkata Knight Riders

June 10, 2009
Buchanan agrees ECB deal

Even now the criticisms are not dying down but Mr. Buchanan is carrying on. Excerpts from Australia unruffled by Buchanan deal

Shane Watson, who is in the Ashes squad, said Buchanan would have little impact on England's campaign while the retired Stuart MacGill said the move was more likely to hurt England than help them.

MacGill said in the Daily Telegraph. "What won England the Ashes in 2005 was their bowling, and if you look at it now, we got Troy Cooley and they got John Buchanan. Troy Cooley won England the Ashes and John Buchanan lost it for us. I don't begrudge Buck for trying to make a living, but his coaching record in England isn't crash hot. He lost the Ashes and had a stint with Middlesex that also didn't work out."

Shane Warne, one of the strongest critics of Buchanan's coaching methods, couldn't resist another dig at him. Warne reckoned that Buchanan's switch would only motivate Australia to go harder at England.

"I think that's a great move because that means we've got more of a chance," Warne said. "Hopefully, Buck (Buchanan) will be doing his stuff and he'll be working and doing all his things and hopefully overcomplicating things. I reckon it gives our chances a big boost and makes our blokes more hungry. Hopefully, he gets all of them in a boot camp and Freddie (Andrew) Flintoff and (Kevin) Pietersen hurt their knees, that would be great."

Bravo! He must add a coaching course on "How to lure people into giving profitable assignments?" in his portfolio of consulting services. It will be a huge hit in these times of recession.

India in West Indies - Series preview

2009-06-26T22:17:00.003+05:30

Who will the win the series?

Bookies are still favoring India even after pathetic T20 World Cup performance. Media is not particularly favoring any team. I will go with the bookies even though WI has lot of positives to bank upon:

India's premier players are not playing - Tendulkar, Sehwag, Zaheer and Raina are nursing injuries.
WI is going into the series with lot of confidence after dumping Australia and India out of T20 World Cup and reaching semis.
Fatigue of Indian players or as proclaimed by media after poor performance in T20 World Cup.

Let's analyze the perceived positives. It is true that absence of key players will hurt India but it will also reduce fatigue factor. Zaheer and Raina were important members of T20 World Cup but they are replaced by fresh legs. More than the physical fatigue, mental fatigue hurt India in T20 World Cup. That too will be reduced by introduction of new players. Moreover there are many strong contenders for a place in team India. Excerpt from one of my earlier posts

Beyond the bench - Players like Karthink, Nehra, Munaf, Mishra, Balaji are not in the 15 member squad. These players performed exceptionally well in recently concluded IPL and have donned India colours before; they can walk in any other international side based on their performance. Alas! There is no space for them in Indian team. And I am not talking about the other young guns who also performed well in IPL but do not have the international exposure. Surely they will put positive pressure on the players in world cup squad.

More than anything else T20 and one dayers are different games and not for nothing India are placed close 3rd in ICC ranking whereas WI are placed poor 8th. India has lost just 3 dead games in last 18 one dayers. Dhoni's comments sums up everything Indian team reaches Jamaica

West Indies is playing good cricket at the moment. They are having a very good World Twenty20 tournament, but in the 50 overs, you have time to settle down."

IPL is HOT

2009-06-25T12:13:00.003+05:30

What about IPL? It has been a month since it got over. Well! A news about IPL just came in...

Excerpt from Behind NFL, MLB & NBA there is IPL

The IPL has emerged as one of the top five most valuable global sports properties in the world. The IPL, which is just two years old, has been placed fifth globally, valued at $ 1.6 billion, behind the established American giants.

Are you kidding me?

I do not know what method did they use to arrive at the results or how scientific was their analysis. But it certainly proves few things:

Mr. Modi is a great administrator - He has made his mark in the history of cricket. India and BCCI was wary of T20 cricket to the extant of repugning it. Mr. Modi, I must say against all odds, not only conceptualized IPL brought it up in a very short period. And of course made it hugely successful.
India loves shortest form of game - Why do you think IPL is a USD 1.6 b property?
The money in cricket world flows from India - What would a billion crazy fans do without cricket.
Whatever ICC might do to control number of T20 matches, T20 cricket will grow.

I am sure BCCI and IPL governing council would be proud of this news but they must realize that along with adulation comes the responsibilty. BCCI and IPL must use this opportunity to make cricket world much better:

IPL must use the money judiciouly to develop domestic cricket. It must nurture cricket in small towns and reach out to
BCCI must support ICC in developing cricket where it is not a major sport.

Mr. Shahrukh Khan has a winner in his hands even though KKR has not made a strong statement on the field.

Passing thoughts

2009-06-19T02:18:00.004+05:30

1. All three pre-tournament favourites of World cup are out of the competition. SA was on track till they lost semis but other 2, India and Australia, went out without troubling anyone.

Excerpt from my earlier post Why India is serious contender for the ICC T20 World Cup?
---------------------------------
The betting sites have also given best odds to India closely followed by SA and Australia. At the time of posting this articles the Ladbrokes' odds for India were 5/2 while for SA and Australia were 7/2 and 11/2 respectively.
Did anyone say odds in a T20 match change very quickly?
---------------------------------

2. Media was hounding Dhoni for his alleged rift with Sehwag when there wasn't even a shred of evidence supporting the rumour. In fact they are still hounding him because on the same issue.

But media is saying nothing about Dhoni and Kirsten. They are giving different reasons for their poor show in World Cup; Kirsten says fatigue was a big factor for India's pathetic performance while Dhoni thinks it is not the case. I think media has missed a trick or two here. How callous?

3. Two teams who qualified from group of death are still in the fray for World Cup while the team who was placed in the easiest group, read India, are out.

4. Would SA ever be able to shrug of Chokers tag?
Excerpt from my earlier post Analyze this
---------------------------------
They are not called Chokers for nothing. They inspire hope, excitement and confidence till they lose at the final frontier.
---------------------------------

5. Pakistan team is finally getting up from the right side of the bed. Pakistan fans would be hoping for an encore.

6. English and Australian teams can finally concentrate on real thing (read Ashes), now that the distractions (read T20 World Cup) is finally over for them.

It is a Gentlemen's game - There is no place for indscipline

2009-06-14T16:32:00.002+05:30

A nice article from Cricinfo's chronicles. It takes a cue from history and shows us why discipline is important for the game.

When the boot was on the other foot

Analysis continued

2009-06-13T00:31:00.002+05:30

In my last post Analyze this I didn't write anything about SL or Ireland. Frankly speaking there is nothing to write about. I don't feel there is any chink in SL's armour while Ireland has too many. The only small thing I could notice is that SL's middle order is low on international T20 experience. Given their current form, it will be tough to beat them. I will not be surprised if SL lift the T20 World cup.

Analyze this

2009-06-12T00:11:00.004+05:30

Cricket is analysed on many fronts. In fact it is studied, examined, scrutinized and dissected from many angles before nothing notable is left. To a ardent fan the game is more than a religion and your man is no exception. ICC T20 World Cup has also been analyzed from many angles.

Who will win the Cup?
What 4 teams will reach semis?
What happened to Australia?
Is T20 a fun game?
What is the future of test matches?
etc.

Has anyone analyzed why a team would not win if at all they would not win? I think the title of this post should have been 'Analyze that'...

At the time of writing this post we are through with the first day's play of Super 8s. SA beat England while NZ beat Ireland.

Why India can lose?

The dreaded F word - Yes, fatigue more mental than physical as they have been away from home and the country for so long. Zaheer has just recovered, Sehwag is out and captain is no longer cool (losing his temper too frequently).
Bowling at death - Even after being 8 down Ireland could steal few runs.
Not been tested in the tournament so far - Even Pakistan gave them a win on the platter in a warm up

Why SA can lose?

The dreaded C word - They are not called Chokers for nothing. They inspire hope, excitement and confidence till they lose at the final frontier.
Loosing their way while batting - They made 128 while batting against a depleted NZ side and today they huffed and puffed toward a small target of 113 against England.

Why NZ can lose?

The dreaded D word - They are perennial Dark Horses. They raise the expectations of their fans by giving a good fight but ...
Their best players are of the team are battling injuries

Why Pakistan can lose?

The dreaded I word - Inconsistency. One their day they are world beaters and another day they are worse than a club cricket team
'It is a fun game'. Or so their captain thinks
Nothing remains permanent in Pakistan cricket - Captains change, coaches change, administration change, players change and on top of everything their strategies towards the game change.

Why WI can lose?

Have you seen them winning anything in this decade?

Why England can lose?

Well they are the hosts, aren't they. If they can give opening day match to Netherlands on a platter, they should not have reached Super 8s. I am sure English fans could give many more reasons.

What ever may be the root cause of future potential defeats, a team that performs on the day and hold their nerve will win the match. It is T20 cricket - if Australia can go out so can everybody else...

Ponting's poor run continues

2009-06-10T16:28:00.003+05:30

Ponting and Australia, yet again, have been fined for slow over-rates.

Australia rapped for slow over-rate

What excuse can Ponting provide this time around? They are playing in Queen's country (Queen is symbolic state head of Australia). Ponting was very harsh and critical when he was fined for getting behind the over-rate in India.

Excerpt from Ponting blames Indian batsmen for slow over rate

“I have said since I got back that there are a host of things that conspire against you in India. It is a hard place for fast bowlers to keep running in and get through their overs,” Ponting was quoted as saying in The Australian.

“The sightscreen and spectators play more of a part than they do anywhere else in the world. Their batsmen take up a lot more time than most opposition batsmen do. I mean runs cost you time as much as anything else. When a lot of boundaries are being scored that slows things down a lot,” he said.

What excuse did Ponting have when they couldn't complete requisite quota of overs in the test match against New Zealand? Excerpt from CA takes Ponting to task for slow over rates

Australian captain Ricky Ponting got a rap on the knuckles by Cricket Australia (CA) for being unable to maintain over rates in the first Test against New Zealand.Ponting was fined 30 per cent of his match fee while the other players were docked half for falling three overs short.

“The Australian team clearly needs to look into the reasons why it has not, in recent times, been on top of its game in regard to over rates. The rules and regulations are very clear and we are falling behind, which is not good enough,” CA chief executive James Sutherland was quoted as saying by The Australian.

In fact slow over-rate has been Ponting's bane and his perenial problem. Excerpt from Ponting faces flak for his excuses for slow-over rate in India

Ponting-led teams have never averaged more than the minimum of 15 overs per hour in any series since he took over from Steve Waugh for the series in Sri Lanka in 2003-04.

The best over-rate Ponting’s team has averaged in any Test series is 14.74 per hour against Sri Lanka in Australia in 2004.

That is still short of the mark of 15 overs an hour set down by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Australia’s slowest over-rate in any series under Ponting was 12.78 per hour against the West Indies in the Caribbean this year — while the Indian tour last month (13.38) was the third worst.

Far too many people, including former captains Steve Waugh and Ian Chappel, have critisized him for his on-field tactics but does he listen? A choice of articles from the web

Ricky Ponting under fire after over rates farce
Steve Waugh joins list of Ponting critics
Lame over-rate, lame excuse

Super 8s

2009-06-09T02:00:00.003+05:30

After today's Group A and Group C matches, all Super 8 teams except for one have been decided. The last team to go into super 8 will be from Group B and it will either be Pakistan or Netherlands. All other 7 places have been decided

Refer to my earlier post on pre-tournament team seedings have played a significant role in deciding Super 8 group positions India is placed in the toughest group ICC T20 World Cup

First Super 8 group will have India, England, WI and SA. Second Super 8 group will have NZ, SL, Ireland and either Pakistan or Netherlands. Pakistan does not have a good chance to qualify; they will need to beat Netherlands by a huge margin to come into contention as their run-rate is abysmal. They, no doubt, have the talent to do it. But it will solely depend on which team from Pakistan plays against Netherlands? :)

Pakistan always play two different teams in a tournament. One is a world beater team who can win handsomely against the best of the best and another is just a bunch of players going through motions on playing field. If the world beater team comes to play against Netherlands, then only god can save them. Let's just wait and watch.

But one thing is for sure first group is a formidable group and second group (with or without Pakistan) will be a easy group. I think SL and NZ are already surreptitiously celebrating and looking forward to semis...

Australia and test cricket

2009-06-08T23:30:00.002+05:30

There was an interesting thought in an article that appeared in The Hindustan Times today.

Excerpt from Aussies look to stave off early exit
Aussie dominance in cricket has always been built on a mental strength. Australians prey on the physical and mental weaknesses of their opposition. Mental disintegration has been the method of approach for Australia for a while now.But that becomes a bit of a problem in T20s There is hardly the time Aussies need to prey on the opposition’s weakness. By the time, they figure out what they need to do to get under the skin, the game is gone.

It is an interesting thought and there might be some truth in it. The most important reason for their dominance in test cricket is their seriousness about it. They plan extremely well for the test matches and ensure that their plan are executed to the perfection including "mental disintegration".

Refer to my earlier post Why Australia is the best test team in world?

India is placed in the toughest group ICC T20 World Cup

2009-06-06T14:30:00.005+05:30

The title of this post may may look ridiculous but, unfortunately, it is true. India are placed in tougher of the two groups in Super 8s. The groups, both at preliminary stage and Super 8s, are decided by pre-tournament seedings. For more on seedings and preliminary groupings look at my earlier post

Why Australia, WI and SL are in one group in ICC T20 World Cup?

It is this structure that will make India (Seeded 1 in group A - A1) play against B2 (England), C1(Australia) and D2 (SA) provided they all win and go through to Super 8. Based on their current forms and odds the qualification of all these teams is likely barring England who have lost their easier game against Netherlands. England need to win against Pakistan to qualify to Super 8.

The top three favourites to pick the cup are India, SA and Australia (in that order). Excerpt from my one of my previous posts

Why India is serious contender for the ICC T20 World Cup?

"The betting sites have also given best odds to India closely followed by SA and Australia. At the time of posting this articles the Ladbrokes' odds for India were 5/2 while for SA and Australia were 7/2 and 11/2 respectively."

The other Super 8 group will also be formed on the basis of pre-tournament seedings. The second group will likely to have Bangladesh, Pakistan, SL and NZ. This would be a much easier group to qualify for semis. Ladbrokes' odds, at the time of writing, for NZ, Pakistan and SL are 7, 9 and 9 respectively.

Whether England qualify or not, first group in Super 8 will be the toughest. The team who will top the first group would have the best chance to win the trophy. As for India, they will be seriously tested only in super 8 (if they qualify for it). Their groupings could be biggest setback for them for title hunt.

England Woes - First it was Netherlands and now it is media

2009-06-06T13:03:00.002+05:30

A collection of very good articles on England's defeat in the opening match of ICC T20 world cup

England produce the perfect capitulation

Dutch courage spares organisers' blushes

Netherland's glorious final over

Why India is serious contender for the ICC T20 World Cup?

2009-06-04T22:26:00.004+05:30

India team is not only the defending champions but is also considered to be favourites to win ICC T20 World Cup again. Pundits, critics, media-personnel and fans alike have put their bets on India.

The betting sites have also given best odds to India closely followed by SA and Australia. At the time of posting this articles the Ladbrokes' odds for India were 5/2 while for SA and Australia were 7/2 and 11/2 respectively. The odds would change as tournament will progress. One can check the betting meter of various online sites at

Twenty20 World Cup Win Market Betting Odds

I am not a betting man but I like to analyze the cricket happenings. Why is everyone considering India as favourites? Is it because:

India has a very strong team with fine balance.
Indians have much more experience of T20 format than rival team players (courtesy IPL).
All the 15 individuals in the team are proven performers - swash bucking batsmen, excellent fielders and wicket taking bowlers.
Most of the players are is excellent form and are coming after a successful stint in IPL2.
Dhoni is considered to be a fine leader with a cool head and astute thinking.

All these points definitely make India a world beating team. These points have been analyzed threadbare by media and cricket pundits; there is no point in repeating them here. SA and Australia too can run close if we just consider these points. Man for man SA and Australia too have brilliant team.

World Cup squads
India - http://www.cricinfo.com/wt202009/content/squad/402820.html
SA - http://www.cricinfo.com/wt202009/content/squad/402863.html
Australia - http://www.cricinfo.com/wt202009/content/squad/402963.html

So what is it that makes India favourites? Where is the wow factor? Why are odds what they are? I think there are more important points. These are:

The bench - Out of 15 individuals in the squad only 11 will play. The bench strength of India is much better that rest of the teams. Dhoni has happy problem of who to take in playing 11 and who to leave. Indian team has the strongest bench among all teams playing in the world cup. One just has to consider how India thrashed Pakistan in a warm up game when their premier bowler (Zaheer) and the regular opener (Sehwag) were injured and warming the bench.
Beyond the bench - Players like Karthink, Nehra, Munaf, Mishra, Balaji are not in the 15 member squad. These players performed exceptionally well in recently concluded IPL and have donned India colours before; they can walk in any other international side based on their performance. Alas! There is no space for them in Indian team. And I am not talking about the other young guns who also performed well in IPL but do not have the international exposure. Surely they will put positive pressure on the players in world cup squad.
Fear Factor - There are very few players in world cricket who induce fear in the mind of opposition. These players are reverved by fans and opposition alike. India have couple of them - Sehwag, Yuvraj and Dhoni. Australia also used to have few before they lost them to retirement and indiscipline (read Symmonds).
Pressure situations - Most Indian players are accustomed to pressure cooker like situations. Over past two years they have seen extremely adverse conditions (both in one dayers and tests) where they have come out strongly. They have won matches from extreme odds. As an old adage goes - been there, done that. Players like Dhoni, Yuvraj, Rohit, Pathan brothers, Zaheer, Harbhajan and Raina have won matches on their own from seemingly impossible situations. They are all big match players.

Did anyone say odds in a T20 match change very quickly?

Emotions unlimited...

2009-06-04T20:14:00.002+05:30

Yesterday I posted an article about intensity of cricket when India and Pakistan play each other.

Emotions and India vs. Pakistan encounter

Even though India won comfortably, hoards of fans provided their whole hearted support to their respective teams. It seemed as if World cup final was being played - from the fans was feverish and noise was deafening. Here is a small collection of news stories as reported by media today:

Raw emotions rule Oval 'super show'

More than just a warm-up

Excerpt from http://www.cricinfo.com/wt202009/content/current/story/407210.html

Nothing about this encounter suggested it was a warm-up game. The sell-out crowd, and the intensity in the first innings was something even the final of the actual tournament will be proud of.

Excerpt from http://www.cricinfo.com/wt202009/content/current/story/407286.html

Rohit's innings, and Gambhir's supporting half-century, denied the match of an exciting finish that would have done justice to the feverish atmosphere at The Oval. The ICC wanted everyone to 'Catch the Spirit' and it was impossible not to. Celebrations were adrenalin-filled and every ball - be it dot, six or out - was cheered by an emotionally-charged full house, evenly divided in support between the teams. This was more than a warm-up game.

The players felt the same way, with India shelving all thoughts of experimentation. Dhoni said the bowlers had attempted a back-of-a-length approach in the previous game but merely tried to stick to basics today. "We were not experimenting," Dhoni said. "An India-Pakistan game, even though it's a warm-up, is a tough game to play. We were looking to do the basics, bowl yorkers."

Emotions and India vs. Pakistan encounter

2009-06-03T21:44:00.002+05:30

Today there are a few warm-up matches of ICC T20 World Cup. One of them is between arch rivals India and Pakistan while other is between Netherlands and Ireland. I watched bits and pieces of Netherlands vs. Ireland game which preceded India vs. Pakistan encounter. It was scheduled to end an hour before India vs. Pakistan match. The stadium looked to be full when Netherlands and Ireland match was going on. Looking closely, one could notice that most of the fans were wearing either Indian or Pakistani colours and they were already in mood for impending India vs. Pakistan encounter.

Few games raise as much emotions as a India vs. Pakistan encounter. Traditionally there has been immense political animosity between two countries; due to which a game between two countries is not considered less than a tiny battle. There has been no scientific research to determine the level of emotions when these two countries play each other as compared to any other match but the way fans behave or the manner in which media reports says it all. Nothing seems bigger than an India vs. Pakistan encounter.

Media also tries to sell the hype around the match for its own good. But somehow, I think, over past few years the emotions attached with a India vs. Pakistan encounter have diminished - at least among Indian fans. I think it all started with rise of India a financial powerhouse in cricketing world. And around the same time Mr. Vajpayee also came to power in India and started exploring congenial relations with Pakistan which culminated in a few bilateral series between two countries. These bilateral series had salubrious effect on the fans and the craze started dying down.

A long time Indian fan would remember 80s and 90s when there were very few matches between the two countries. And fans used to religiously follow each and every ball of the scarce encounter. Pitched battles in Sharjah and One Day World Cups are part of cricketing folklore. Can you remember anything significant from the matches that were played in last 10 years?

A third interesting thing happened around the same time - rise of Australia as a cricketing powerhouse. Indian team may have a chequered record over last 10 years but they have given nothing away to Australia in their encounters. And many encounters, in last 10 years, between these two countries have been as acrimonious as an India vs. Pakistan encounter. In fact, it is because of India that Australia seems to be relegating the number 1 spot in world cricket. In my opinion, an Indian fan today, relishes thrashing Australia more than beating Pakistan.

Only time will tell what future hold for an India vs. Pakistan encounter but today's encounter may be as bitter as an 80s or a 90s encounter. Why?
1. Pakistan has never beaten India in a World Cup match.
2. ICC T20 2007 World Cup final is still remembered by both nations albeit for different reasons.
2. After 26/11, Lahore attacks and ultimately isolation of Pakistan from world cricket, Pakistan team and fans want to prove a thing or two to rest of the world.

Let's keep our fingers crossed and enjoy the match as a sporting encounter. :)

Why Australia, WI and SL are in one group in ICC T20 World Cup?

2009-06-02T20:34:00.005+05:30

Is it pure (bad) luck that Australia, SL and WI are slotted together in group playoffs for Super 8?

The answer is simple 'no'.

There are 12 teams competing in 2009 T20 World Cup. 9 of the 12 teams, including Bangladesh, are ICC full-members countries while remaining 3 (Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands) qualified through a qualifying tournament.

These 12 teams are divided in 4 groups of 3 each based on their seedings. As it is in other sports (like in Lawn Tennis Grand Slams), the teams are divided into groups based on their seedings. The seedings are based on inaugural T20 World Cup played in 2007. Top 4 seeded teams from 2007 World Cup are placed in separate groups. The next 4 seeded teams are placed in these same groups in the reverse order while the last 4 seeds are slotted based on similar logic. WI didn't win a single game in 2007 World Cup in group playoffs; by virtue of their poor performance they are seeded 11th.

2007 seedings and current groupings

Group A: 1-India, 8-Bangladesh, 9-Ireland

Group B: 2-Pakistan, 7-England, 10-Netherlands

Group C: 3-Australia, 6-SL, 11-WI

Group D: 4-NZ, 5-SA, 12-Scotland

So Australia and SL can blame WI for making it difficult for them at group stage. Or they can treat it as an opportunity in disguise; they will be better prepared for Super 8 if they qualify for it.

As for WI, I don't think they have a strong team to challenge either SL or Australia. Predictions, based on team strength can go wrong. As we have seen in 2007 World Cup and recently in IPL, in this format reputation does not matter; course of a match can change in couple of overs and a weak team can beat a potentially strong team. But the chances of WI losing at group stage look very strong.

And if WI lose again, they can look forward to anther group of death in next World Cup.Well! They can certainly blame themselves for 2007 debacle.

Why Australia is the best test team in world?

2009-06-01T19:31:00.008+05:30

Australians got a stiff competition from SA and India in 2008. Australians barely managed to overcome stiff Indian resistance in their own backyard while Indians trounced them 2-0 in India. India is a vastly improved test side from what it was 2 years ago. On the other hand SA was on the verge of dethroning Australia as number 1 test side in the world. Alas! They stumbled at the last step. Some would say that they are perennial chokers.

I think, even though SA and India have challenged Australian hegemony over last few years, Australia will remain number 1 team in times to come. In my earlier post "Why is Australia the number 1 team?" we looked at one aspect of Australian cricket - their bench strength. But more than their bench strength, it is their seriousness about about the test cricket that sways the ranking in their favour. Test cricket is considered to be the holy grail in Australia. 2008 was just an aberration for Australian cricket.

When the best players of the were playing in IPL 2009, Australian stalwarts were resting at home. They renounced playing lucrative IPL and also didn't participate in one dayers against Pakistan. Why so? Because they wanted to keep themselves fresh for Ashes. While IPL was in full flow, the voices emanating from Australian cricket suggested that the team was getting into groove for Ashes. Even today, when rest of the world is focused on ICC T20 championship (which is just round the corner), all the news coming from Australian team is about Ashes preparation.

ICC T20 championship is the most prestigious international T20 tournament in the world. Barring 1 or 2 T20 matches in a bilateral series, all the teams play international T20 matches only during ICC T20 championship. And what is the news from Australian camp about ICC T20 championship? Nothing...This says it all. Australians attach immense importance to test cricket and that is why they have been so successful in this format.

What hopes does Australia have in ICC T20 championship? Even though they are placed in group of Death, along with WI and SL, Australia has a strong T20 team. They should be able to go through to next round. Anyway, that is another story...

Win some and lose some

2009-05-25T23:38:00.003+05:30

Whew! IPL 2009 is over. What a tournament? We won some and lost some. Let review.
It was a well organized tournament courtesy IPL administration and SA spare a "dog" in the first game.
DD were looking invincible all the way till semifinal when Gilly pounded them to submission.
Most valued & most talked about team lost matches and their most admired & reverved owner lost respect even while its marketing team created maximum brand value. Yes we are talking about KKR.
Most derided and bootom placed teams from IPL 2008 finished 1 & 2.
Broadcaster gained after 10th over due to commercial...oops...strategy break...while teams lost momentum in 11th over.
Indian players, who play all 3 forms of game, look jaded after non-stop playing on foreign shores - NZ and SA. Viru, Gauti, Yuvraj and Dhoni didn't perform half as well as they did last year. Zaheer and Ishant were not even as good as second string Indian bowlers. What will happen in ICC T20 championship?
Last but not the least my prediction about semifinalists was only 50% off mark IPL 2009 Semi-finalists :)

Twenty thoughts on the IPL

2009-05-25T23:37:00.000+05:30

Good article from cricinfo
Twenty thoughts on the IPL

It is BAD that regular openers of DD have not performed so far...

2009-05-17T23:17:00.002+05:30

I am watching second match between DD and RR. We are at halfway stage of first innings. DD is batting and, as has been the case this season, they are down two wickets. They lost their openers very early. In one of my earlier posts, I made a case out of failures of DD openers.
It is good that regular openers of DD have not performed so far...

The title of this post is exact opposite of my earlier post. What is happening?
DD is through to semis without any significant contribution from the regular openers. Courtesy middle order batsmen, DD was the first team to qualify for semis. It has been good so far for DD but the openers have to perform to go all the way as the competition in the semifinal will be tougher.
The failure of openers, though good for other semi contenders, is not a good news for an Indian fan. ICC T20 championship is just round the corner. Viru and Gauti are regular openers for India team as well. Both of them are important cogs of Indian batting line up. In fact, Gauti was highest Indian scorer and second overall in last T20 championship. If they do not gain momentum before ICC T20 championship, Indian batting line-up may face tough time. They should go to England with few runs under their belt. The competition will certainly be tougher in ICC T20 championship than it is in IPL.
Even a DD hater would be hoping that DD openers get their act together.

Realize your mistake and move forward

2009-05-12T12:32:00.005+05:30

Rajasthan Royals
RR was not among favorites before the start of IPL season 2. They lost 2 of their best performers from season 1 due to different reasons - Watson and Tanvir. Analysts were not very confident about Shane Warne's bunch even though they were defending champions. In the initial games RR didn't do anything to belie analysts prediction. They won only 2 of their first 6 games and were languishing at the bottom of points table. One of the games RR won was against hapless KKR; that too was won only by a whisker. In first 6 games their batting was woeful and below par. Smith, one of the stars of IPL season 1 was failing consistently, None of the other batsmen, except for Pathan, was playing up to their potential.
In next 5 games (RR has played 11 matches so far), RR won 3 and also posted tournament's highest total so far - 212. What changed between first 6 games and next 5 games? Warne realized that they have to improve their batting in order to make a dent in IPL season 2. So he recalled Naman Ojha who was sent back to India even before the tournament begun.
Insulting to have been sent back: Naman
Naman Ojha wants to make his journey count
In the 5 games, that Ojha has played so far, he has scored 136 runs at an average of 34. Ojha is now the 4th highest run scorer for RR whereas the top 3 run getters namely Pathan, Jadeja and Smith have each played 10 matches; Jadeja has the highest average among them (27). Ojha has not set the ground on fire with his batting but has made significant contributions for winning cause.
The cardinal point is that Warne realized that team management made a mistake by sending back Ojha and they need to rectify it before it is too late. Now, after 11 games, RR are among the top 4 teams.

Chennai Super Kings
CSK, like RR, were also not doing too well initially even though they started as pre-tournament favorites. CSK's balling was well below par - Flintoff, Gony and Sharma were failing consistently. Batting too was not at its best - even though there was a mini-competition between Hayden and Raina to win Orange cap, rest of the batting was failing badly. In first 5 matches they won only 1 match.
After the initial hiccups, they took some tough decision. They replaced IPL season 1 top bowlers - Gony and Sharma with an unknown name Jakati and a world class player Murli. Flintoff had to leave due to injury. Similarly in batting they replaced Patel with an IPL novice Vijay. All of them performed and today, after 10 games, they are sitting pretty at second place in points table. They won all of their last 5 games. Again the credit goes to Dhoni and team management who realized their mistakes and turned the tide.

Kolkata Knight Riders
I am sure there would have been many more tough decisions that CSK and RR would have taken to improve their standing which are not so apparent. On the other hand KKR are committing mistakes again and again which are apparent to the whole world but not to their world renowned coach. The controversies also are not just dying down.
'Racial rift between KR coaches, players'
Anatomy of Kolkata's disaster
Mr. Khan made a mistake by not listening to Mr. Gavaskar before tournament began. Mr. Gavaskar is respected in cricketing circles not only for his test records but also for his astute cricketing knowledge. I hope Mr. Khan comes out of his silence and acts fast - let their be some more controversies for a better IPL season 3.

It is good that regular openers of DD have not performed so far...

2009-05-11T18:15:00.005+05:30

In IPL 2008 DD had a very good team; in fact it was one of the best. The opening combination was supposed to be the best among the 8 participating teams. Viru and Gauti had a great history of scoring profusely at the top; they opened together in all formats of the game both in International and Domestic cricket. They only increased their reputation during IPL 2008 by performing exceptionally well. DD won the matches mostly due to brilliant performances of the opening combination; Shikhar Dhawan at number 3 bolstered their batting line-up. When DD won, they won by huge margin only because of openers and in some instances Shikhar Dhawan. The middle order never really got any chance to play in winning matches. This proved to be a bane for the team, middle order was never tested. When openers failed, middle order just could not deliver and team failed. Sadly DD could win only 7 out of 14 games at league stage.
IPL 2009 has started on a very different note. Viru & Gauti are not performing and Shikhar Dhawan is playing for MI. In the absence of opening cushion, middle order has blossomed. The performance of team in IPL 2009 is better than that of IPL 2008. The team has won 7 out of 9 matches played so far. There has been no change in middle order except that Shohib Malik is not playing. Rest of the middle order consisting of AB, Dilshan, Karthik and Mithi have given the team necessary impetus to win most of their matches.
Moving forward, it can get only better. The opposition can thank their stars that regular openers have not performed so far because if openers perform, it will become extremely difficult for them. The class players that Viru and Gauti are, it is only a matter of time when they start delivering for the team's success.

Media, Money and Betting

2009-05-09T17:39:00.002+05:30

This is a good article that apperared in "The Hindustan Times".
Gambling on skills game isn’t playing straight

Most Hundreds in tests

2009-05-07T16:06:00.006+05:30

Who holds the the record of scoring most hundreds in his test career?
There are no points for guessing the right answer. The record is held by one and only "Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar". At the time of posting Tendulkar has 42 test hundreds against his name.
More important question is when will "number of centuries" record be broken?
The answer is never.
Unless there are serious changes in the way test cricket is played the record will never be broken. Maybe they start playing with wider bats or white ball; maybe boundaries are shortened or number of fielding players are reduced. All these scenarios are unlikely.
In current form of test cricket, the record will never be broken. It took brilliance of Sunil Manohar Gavaskar (who retired with 34 centuries against his name) to break decades old record of Sir Donald George Bradman of 29 centuries. None of Bradman's or Gavaskar's peers came close to breaking their record. It took Tendulkar's brilliance and his love for the game to break the record.
Can anyone match or exceed Tendulkar's talent in future? Yes.
I am an optimist and an avid cricket fan. I think many more players will come who would be as brilliant as Tendulkar, maybe more so. But it is highly unlikely that anyone be able to play as many test matches as Tendulkar in future. With the advent of T20 cricket and dying interest in tests, I don't think, anyone will be able to surpass Sir Bradman's record let alone come close to Tendulkar's record. In near future a player would play lesser number of tests per year. I am not against test cricket; in fact I like test cricket as much T20 but given the current trend T20 holds more public interest.
Is there a remote possibility for record to be broken?
Only Ricky Ponting (37 centuries) and Jacques Kallis (31 centuries), who are plying active cricket have outside chance of coming close to Tendulkar's record. Ponting has better chances than Kallis but I still think they too will not be able to break the record. On the other side Kevin Pietersen or Mahela Jayawardene may go past Sir Bradman's record but that too seems unlikely.

Foreign players and IPL

2009-05-05T22:47:00.005+05:30

I am writing this post while DD and KKR are enjoying their strategy break. The match is interestingly poised as Delhi needs 79 to win from 10 overs with 9 wickets in hand. What could be the better utilization of strategy break?
A news item caught my attention yesterday - Buchanan wants more foreign players. KKR coach wants more than 4 foreign players to be part of playing 11.
Some other coaches have also opined similar thoughts but Buchanan got more media attention as media is always on a lookout for juicy stories from KKR camp. I think this is a preposterous proposition and Buchanan wants to find excuses to justify the poor run of the team so far - KKR has won only 1 match so far out of 8.
Aren't all teams playing with this limitation; if at all this is a limitation? IPL is a domestic tournament and it definitely requires participation of more Indian players. The league is ment to professionalize and improve Indian cricket. In fact the foreign player participation should be reduced to 3 as it is in European soccer clubs. Every country has their own T20 tournament so why this noise for IPL? Is it because team owners has spent lot of money in buying 10-12 foreign players? Or does Buchanan want to pull some wool over the KKR fans?
Let us wait for 2 more years. After the 3rd year, IPL will introduce more teams and maybe then most good foreign players will be optimally utilized. For now, I hope KKR is soon able to win a match for Buchanan sake.

Can India become number 1?

2009-05-03T19:14:00.003+05:30

BCCI selection committee is in a dilemma whom to select and whom to drop for ICC T20 world cup. Read the following article on cricinfo
RP in contention for World Twenty20
BCCI selection committee has a happy problem at hand. They have problem of plenty; they can choose 15 member squad from a pool of 20 or more quality players A team's strength can be judged by looking at the quality of players who are not part of team squad. India has very good quality players who are not part of international squad. These qulity players can walk into the team any day on the basis of their performance in IPL or other domestic tournaments.
In this decade India have remained serious contenders for number 1 only because of strong playing 11. But lately the bench strength has improved and they have been winning consistently. It has happened because of improvement at domestic level (Ranji, IPL et. el.) and under 19 level.

We can only expect that team will improve further and in near future India will become ICC number 1 team; albeit in T20 and one day. But test matches are a different ballgame. In test there are players staking claim to get into team but to it will be next to impossible to replace Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman. Let us just hope for the best.

Why is Australia the number 1 team?

2009-05-03T18:23:00.007+05:30

Australia has remained number 1 team for more than 15 years and barring a stray competitive series no one has been able to break their hegemony over the number 1 spot. In recent times, after they lost series to India and SA and SA displaced them from number 1 ICC ranking, there has been a talk of Australia going down as a team.

I think it is wrong to say Australia is no longer the number 1 team. 2008 was not a good year for them. They lost to India and SA but 2009 has started on a right note. They have regrouped and defeated SA and Pakistan in one day series. The team's strength can be judged from the quality of players who are not part of playing 11. Consider the current series where Australia have beaten Pakistan hands down. There is no Ponting or Hussey or Johnson, arguably the best players of the team. Clark has lead the side admirably in Ponting's absence. Moreover let us consider some other facts:

1. Some of the other extremely talented players like Warner, Hodge, Katich are playing in IPL and are doing very well.

2. Players like Gilchrist/Hayden retired last year and their places were taken by new players players

3. Lee is not playing due to injury.

Australia will remain number 1 team for a long time considering a second string team, without regulars, has defeated Pakistan comfortably.

Next post - Can India become number 1?

IPL 2009 Semi-finalists

2009-04-29T23:02:00.004+05:30

There are 8 teams fighting for coveted 4 semifinal spots. Statistically, at the beginning of tournament, every team had odds of 1 in 2 for reaching semi finals. If IPL was about statistics, there would have been no craze. Every IPL fan has his own wish list while many cricket experts are predicting their last 4 teams.
In one of my earlier posts Controversies and Team Standings I analysed why it would be difficult for Royal Challengers and Knight Riders to go to semis. KKR are already out of contention - they have a thin chance; albeit theoretical. RC have won 2 out 3 after Pietersen left for national duty. RC has a good chance as they are placed better than MI and KXIP in points table but I still think they don't have momentum to go to semis.
Let us talk about the chances of other teams.
MI, one of the pre-tournament favourites, is languishing at 7th place. They have lost few close matches and have performed only in patches. They still have a chance but I think they will fall short.
DD and CSK, also pre-tournament favourites, have the best chance to go through the semis and I think they will. DD have taken a wrong step throughout the tournament while CSK are getting better with each game.
There will be fight for other 2 semi final spots between KXIP, RR and DC. I think KXIP and RR will take these 2 spots. They have the momentum on their side and they have turned some lost causes in their favour. Even though DC started strong and they still are one of the better placed team, I feel they would have a tough time.
Let's wait for final 4 while we enjoy the tournament.

Controversies and Team Standings

2009-04-28T10:07:00.000+05:30

We are 10 days into IPL season 2. Every team has played at least 3 games. Though all teams look very strong on paper (as was the case in IPL 1) but few teams look better placed than others. Royal Challengers and Knight Riders are languishing at the bottom of team standings. It is still early days to predict the outcome of tournament but, in my opinion, these two teams are unlikely to go to semis.
These two teams have formidable players in their line-up who could walk into any international team, yet they are not able to win matches.
What is ailing these teams? I think team owners and controversies surrounding the teams are to blamed for their lacklustre performance.
BRC have had lesser controversies in this season, but it is apparent that controversies from last season are still haunting them like firing of Charu Sharma and undue pressure on Rahul Dravid when he was their best batsman. In this season they have unceremoniously stripped Rahul Dravid of captaincy. And who became captain - Pietersen. A person who was not thought to be team player, someone who was removed from English captaincy by English Board, someone who had public disagreements with his team coach.
KKR, on the other hand, are in news every other day; albeit for wrong reasons. Multiple captains, blog by an self proclaimed mystery insider, sending back of players are just a few controversies surrounding them. KKR had few controversies in IPL season 1 as well but their media mangement was better.
As long as the controversies surround these teams, they will not be able to perform well. Franchise owners, on their part, have to give team members and support staff some leevay and not put undue pressure on them. They just have to look at the performance of Mumbai Indians and King XI Punjab in IPL 1. Franchise owners never pressurised the team (even though there were rumors which didn't become controversies) when Sachin Tendulkar was sitting out due to injury or when high profile Punjab XI was losing initially. They can also look at Delhi Daredevils - their best bowler from IPL 1, Glenn McGrath, is not playing and still there is no controversy.

Multiple captains - Analysis from Cricinfo

2009-04-26T19:44:00.000+05:30

This is a good article posted on Cricinfo about multiple captaincy issue by legendary Ian Chappel.
The one-captain theory

Early TAM results for IPL 2

2009-04-24T21:29:00.000+05:30

TAM has measured TRP of opening matches of IPL 2 and compared it against the TRP from first edition. The TRP has declined substantially. Is it the vindication of analysis in my earlier post Television Viewership? Hardly! It is still early days. Who knows; Aamir Khan's Tata Sky ads are doing the trick? Seriously, TAM results are from only 2 matches. We need more data to arrive at a conclusion. I still think the TRP will decline in next 2-3 years before stabilizing.

Strategy Breaks

2009-04-21T07:23:00.000+05:30

In last few days strategy breaks of IPL 2 have generated lot of controversy. The organizers introduced strategy breaks of 7.5 minutes in-between each innings of a match. Media has taken the organizers to the cleaners for its deemed commercial intent. Many eminent players have expressed that it beaks the momentum of players, especially the batsmen.
In my opinion, the players and media are right to an extant. Having said that, I still think, the breaks should not be discontinued. The strategy break, for cricket, is an innovation and an experiment. It will not be prudent to discontinue any experiment without running its full length. Only the negatives or opinions with negative connotations have been delivered by media so far but there are bound to be positives. Let's wait and watch. Mr. Modi was bang on target when he said that they will review this concept after the end of season. We all know that he has a sharp brain and great organizing abilities; let's not denounce him.
I think the breaks are good for viewers like myself. I am writing this post while enjoying the break in-between Punjab and Bangalore game. Of course there are other better ways to utilize the time.

Television viewership

2009-04-20T19:49:00.000+05:30

IPL 1 was a huge success as measured by its TV ratings. Would IPL 2 be as successful? can it better the record set in 2008?
There have been some discussions about the TV viewership of IPL 2 will be better than its first season. In 2008 IPL sold worldwide broadcasting rights for a USD 1.1b for a period of 10 years. This year the deal was renegotiated and the rights were resold for remaining 9 years for USD 1.63b. The figures suggest that broadcasters are thinking that TV ratings would improve further. Moreover, it is generally thoght that, IPL 2 is being help outside the country so viewers will clamour to TV to catch the action; they do not have any other choice.
Whether the TV rating will improve, deteriorate or remain same is the moot question. In my opinion, the ratings will deterirorate for next 2-3 years before stabilizing. There was a huge curiosity about T20 in early 2008; especially after India became T20 world champions in 2007. There was a novelty aroung the tournanment and people just couldn't get enough of it. The city loyalty was just begining to take shape and there was no definite allegiance. This year the euphoria will diminish and people would stick to watching matches of their own team.
Only time will tell if prognosis and prediction are correct but one thing is for sure the city loyalty will slowly increase which is good for IPL.

Player Exchange - Ashish Nehra and Shikhar Dhawan

2009-04-19T14:10:00.000+05:30

There was an exchange of few players before IPL season 2 started; a la European football clubs. The player exchange and transfer gives great opportunity to franchises improve their team strengths. At the same time players get a chance to improve their financial standing.
The news about exchange of Ashish Nehra and Shikhar Dhawan between Mumbai Indian and Delhi Daredevils go me interested. In last season, Daredevils' middle order performed poorly. Daredevils won matches when their top 3, including Shikhar Dhawan, performed and lost when 2 of the top 3 collectively had an off day. It looked, at first sight, a bit strange that Delhi Daredevils will forego Shikhar Dhawan who was a consistent performer especially when no-one else in middle order was performing. It is true that bringing Ashish Nehra will bolster bowling attack but in the last season Daredevils lost matches because of middle order and not because of bowling.
Analysing closely, I think, Delhi Daredevils management made the right choice. During last season middle order was rusty but it had quality batsmen. Now also the team has outstanding batsmen, both Indian and foreign imports. Now only if they can give credence to their name and put a few runs behind their back. It is not for nothing that Delhi Daredevils start as tournament favourites.

IPL Team Analysis

2009-04-17T22:40:00.000+05:30

This is my first entry. I will post my views on day to day cricket events and news.

IPL season-2 will start today. Even before the tournament started, there has been lot of frenzy around it. As it was last year, there is more non-cricketing news than cricketing news. Media is calling it a tamasha. Well, is it a tamasha when so much serious money is being spent? In my opinion, barring a few good programs/articles, TV channels and newspapers have not provided good views on the tournament.

Consider this, almost all analysis about the team revolves around how many foreign players are associated with the team. The media has pronounced its predictions based solely on the quality and quantity of the foreign players. Only foreign players do not make up the team. Even if a team has 10-12 leading foreign players, a maximum of 4 can play in a game. 4 out 11 may even win a game or two but they, at max, can only influence a game. They complete the numbers but do not make the complete team. Moreover some foreign players will be available only for part of the tournament because of their national commitments.

In recent times, nationally or internationally, most team members contribute to the cause in the teams which have done well. A few examples are still fresh in our memory from IPL-1:

1. Rajasthan Royals - They won the tournament despite having no big names, on the strength of local Indian players. Even the players who were not known before the tournament, played a major role.

2. Delhi Daredevils - Foreign players, except Glenn, McGrath had very little role in their journey to Semis.

3. Deccan Chargers - Despite having high profile players and considered tournanment favourites, they finished at the bottom.

There are other smaller examples from the first edition. So the experts cannot do a good analysis unless they consider a probable playing 11.