Category: Cricket

The WI selectors had no choice but to return Lara to the helm. The team is completely dependent on him. None of the players in the current WI team come anywhere close to him both in terms of record and stature. Chanderpaul was a complete failure as captain. Understandably Lara is difficult to work with. Can’t think of a better solution than to make him incharge. Captaincy is less of an issue for WI. The dismal performance of the current team and the complete lack of bench strength should be a of greater concern. Lara has not been a hugely successful captain, so its unlikely he can help with either of these issues. At a minimum he’ll be doing WI a huge favor if he recovers his own form in return for being conferred the captaincy!

The selectors decision to retain the same team for the WI tour is a sound one. Notice that despite the questionable form of Viru and Kaif, the cries for change are minimal. It is a growing sign of increasing focus on team performance and less on individual milestones by both the selector and the viewing public. The fact is that not all players are going to be in the best of form all the time. As long as the team succeeds those who have proven their class must be given an extended run to regain their form. The best part is that the likely replacements (Venu, Robin, Raina) for these two players are already part of the action and waiting to step up if called upon. Viru partly silenced his critics and justified the team management’s faith in him with a fine knock in Abu Dhabi. Kaif will have to do the same in the WI to earn his berth to the WC.

Despite the continuing victories, none of the members of the current team can take their place in the WC team for granted. For the first time, it appears that performance counts and those with proven class will be persisted with. Credit should go firstly to Chappell (and the selectors for a change!) and secondly to Dravid for the excellent planning and execution from match to match while still keeping the long term team perspective in mind.

India once again looked the champion side it has proven to be lately. This match saw the welcome return to form of Viru, Dravid continued has run of form, and Dhoni showed once again that he is more than bull power. Very often victories give teams the luxury of overlooking the weaknesses. Here are a couple that were apparent.

Acceleration in the last 10 overs: This is an area India really struggled. India was well set before the last 10 overs but simply failed to step on the gas thereafter. The popular wisdom is that a set batsman must carry his bat through and play to the very end. This is a sensible strategy provided the team has a plan when both batsman are fairly set. In this case, we had both Dravid and Dhoni at the crease going into the final stretch. The right strategy should have been for Dravid to attack so Dhoni can bat to the end. Unfortunatey, both got bogged down and then both got out! For once, the team looked like they had no clear plan despite the captain being at the crease. Credit should go to the Pak bowlers who did a fine job at the death barring Yuvraj’s fine 24 run cameo.

Opening bowling attack: Irfan Pathan is an ideal “happening” cricketer. If you observe carefully, he is the kind who is almost always in the thick of action. He takes wickets or scores runs or he excels on the field (sometimes). But the truth is that he is always a player who is involved in the action. Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Flintoff etc., all belong to this category. Irfan has shown all the right signs as far growing into this mould is concerned. On the other hand, its possible that his being in the thick of the action might result in his limitations not being exposed. Despite taking wickets, it appears that his bowling has rapidly deteriorated. He appears completely exhausted in his very first over! His speed has reduced significantly. He picks up wickets but the number of loose balls he sends down are pretty alarming. In the second ODI his first break was certainly a lucky one. Imran Farhat was unlucky to be given out lbw. If his wickets dry up, his opening the bowling might turn out to be a liability more than an asset.

Batting second seems to have become Team India’s big plus these days. The last three series have shown this ability ample number of times. Once gain, Dravid deserves credit for leading from the front.

Robin Uthappa: Uthappa did a superb job of staking a claim for more opportunities. He played a controlled innings and appeared determined to crack a century until his dismissal. With Viru sorely out of form, Uthappa is bound to have a few more chances in the months ahead. Hats off to the team management for trying Uthappa despite a fairly ordinary domestic season after his fine show at the Challenger tournament.

Sreesanth: Finally, he had a creditable outing. His performance this series has been fairly inconsistent and with Munaf around he will still have to fight for a spot in the playing 11. VRV and RP Singh haven’t performed very well this series and one or both of them might not make the WI tour. India’s fast bowling pool seems to be pretty good, though a tearaway fast bowler is still lacking (barring Munaf’s occasional burst).

BTW, is Balaji ever going be fit again?

Dinesh Karthik: He did a fine job behind the stumps. This went completely unnoticed, unfortunately. Understandable though, given the Dhoni phenomenon and the other performances in this match. Dinesh held on to two superb catches.

Yuvraj Singh: He has been in tremendous form. He does strike the ball with great confidence right from the word go. I fully agree with David Gower who recently compared his batting style to that of Brian Lara. He strikes the ball with a lot of power and has a huge backlift. His consistency is questionable at times.

Suresh Raina: He is clearly the find of the series. He showed his class with three crucial fifties and some superb fielding. He is a perfect replacement for Kaif if it came down to it. Unfortunately, his bowling was never tried this series.

A word of caution: All the recent victories by Team India are great. The Ganguly scandal is behind us. The team is winning matches (ODIs) with amazing consistency. There are many youngsters who are performing exceptionally. The future looks bright. But one must remember that all this recent action has occurred on sub-continent wickets. Playing in other parts of the world will most likely be a different ball game. It remains to be seen if the magic can persist!

The WI series will be a good test.

The chucking controversy is back in the news. Thank you Michael Holding for bringing this back to the forefront. I think this is going to seriously impact the game unless addressed immediately. The ICC should take a tough and immediate stance on chucking.

First and foremost, the 15-degree rule is too complicated. How can this rule be implemented at all levels of the game especially when the required technologies are available only at the highest level? You don’t want a cricketer to work his way up the local leagues and suddenly face undue scrutiny at higher levels and then be told that the action needs fixing (Shhabir Ahmed is a good example). This can destroy careers and can be a complete waste of everyone’s time (the record- keepers included).

Next, if chucking is not addressed on a war footing, the game is going to spawn many more bowlers with suspicious actions!

(I got a taste of this the other day when I had the opportunity to play “gulley cricket” with a handful of 6 to 10 year olds in Dubai (ironically, not far from the ICC headquarters!:-). I was shocked to find almost all of them had a few suspicious deliveries! While the leg breaks were delivered perfectly. The off breaks and shot balls were what I would term as “chuck”most of the time! The off-breaks in particular were so Murali-esque! (which to me btw is very suspicious, though I think the ICC messed up in his case in a big big way!))

The truth is that the next generation of cricketers are going to imitate the present day stars. So if the ICC does not fix this immediately, its going to reach a stage when the frequency of “chuck” balls might skyrocket and at some point this might actually threaten the validity of the very game! Imagine if every ball had to go through some kind of litmus test! Why not? It won’t be long before sophisticated cameras and software can track the trajectory of the bowlers arm and compare it to a specific requirement (range) and pronounce legitamcy almost instantaneously. But can this made available at all levels? Probably not.

I am not sure what the exact fix is for this problem. At a minimum the ICC must come up with something less complicated than the 15 degree rule. Something that can be implemented at all levels of the game. The Shoaib Akhtars of the world must be seriously brought to book for sneaking in “chuck” balls. Else it encourages others to do the same.

Every bowler must be reviewed after each match. Perhaps an automated technology assissted mass review of each bowlers action on each and every ball at the end of each match must be put in place. More than a certain number of suspicious deliveries and you get fined, docked etc.

The fix for this problem is needed immediately before chucking proliferates beyond control and threatens the game as a whole!

Ponting has had a change of heart or so it seems. He now thinks its cool that Bangaladesh has Test status. This is easily the most self-serving statement from the master batsman. I had a lot of respect for Ponting when he openly criticized the Test status of Bangaladesh a while back.

But now its a different spin. Ponting is on a century scoring spree and a few more to his century count is certainly on the cards. If Ponting and Cricket Australia had the true guts and believed in Ponting’s words, they should have sent in a second string team to Bangladesh. This gives a good chance for new Aussie talent, and at the same time it would have been a good Test of the Bangaldesh team’s true Test status worthiness.

Ponting who is in the form of his career knows that its an opportunity of a lifetime for him to knock a few more easy centuries to his tally. So why bother belittling a struggling Test team. Enjoy it and add a few records. That’s what matters at the end of the day. What a shame!

Team India seems to have made winning a habit. India once again opted for the five bowler combination and restricted England to a achievable total and knocked off the target with near clinical precision.

Immediate Post Match Moves: Dravid has been rested and Viru named captain. Both excellent moves. Viru will feel re-assured. Dravid gets a much needed rest and the team continues to explore the Dravid-Chappell mantra of experimentation. It might have been ok to stretch this a little further and rest both Yuvraj and Pathan. VRV’s addition is a great move. Hopefully, Robin and Venu will get to play the remaining three ODIs.

Team India continue to reap the benefits of investing in the future of Indian cricket. This team management has definitely made some very bold decisions when it comes to experimenting with the team composition. Raina clearly has staked his claim to a spot in the crowded middle order. Kaif should be under pressure to deliver. Yuvraj has reminded everyone of his talent like he does every five matches. Sreesanth has been reminded that it doesn’t take too many failures to return to the bench. In short, these experiments have been producing excellent results as witnessed in the last two ODIs.

Opening slot: Rahul Dravid in the opening slot in ODIs is something completely new. To the credit of the team management I have never come across this suggestion from any experts. While this might not be a permanent arrangement it does open up some avenues for changes that are likely to unsettle or keep the opposition guessing. This change let the team accomodate five bowlers.

Five Bowlers: Two off spinners in the team is producing very good results too! The idea of playing two off spinners would surely have always been questioned and criticized. But this team has experimented with it and it seems to have worked! Moreover, Powar is a decent batsman too and might just be the answer to India’s quest for an all rounder.

Uthappa on the Menu: The inclusion of Robin Uthappa continues the trend of experimenting in order to find the right combination. This is a golden opportunity for him to cement his berth for the WC. The timing could not be more perfect. Viru is in bad form. Gambhir just blew it. Sachin is unavailable. The captain and India’s MVP, Rahul Dravid is from his home state and is sure to give him the necessary support and encouragement. He couldn’t have dreamed of a more perfect platform to launch his international career. (Will someone take Javagal off the microphones please when Robin is batting. Javagal goes way to ga-ga over his home state players, Dravid and Kumble. Now he has another! Or is its just me?:-)

Kochi ODI: The next ODI does bring up some interesting selection challenges. Will Sreesanth be brought back to play in his home ground? Will Robin get a shot? If so, who will make way? Munaf did well too. The two spinners have done well so far. Dropping Kaif to make way for Robin might be a little to hasty especially with Venu on the bench. Even Agarkar had a good outing in third ODI for a change.

Interesting challenge, but with this team management anything is possible. So stay tuned for the next surprise. My guess is that Dhoni will open sometime this series.

Bring back Dada? Lastly, for all those who are/were crying for Dada’s return, would any of this have been possible with the Dada still captain. Very unlikely the supposed More-Chappell nexus not withstanding!

Sanath Jayasurya announced his retirement from Tests after the second Test against Pak. Firstly hats off to him for quitting while still in the Test team. He was dropped and then brought back to the Test team and he could not have chosen a better time to call it quits. One could argue that he should have quit earlier, but he is still very much a force though not to the extent that the world has known him to be. His biggest problem in recent times has been recurring injuries — his last Test being a prime example.

He has been a star performer for SL over the years and it would have been sad to see him go without a dignified farewell. The SL selectors deserve credit for facilitating this. Likewise, Jayasurya deserves credit for moving on without having to be axed for good.

I suspect he won’t make it to the World Cup though he has expressed his desire to retire completely from International cricket after the event. But the sad truth is that he is starting to fall apart with injuries and can be a huge liability to the SL team despite his unquestionable talent. If he does make it to the WC team, it will be a sad reflection on SL’s bench strength.