Category: Cricket

Kanpur Test: Dhoni Grabs A Test Victory

WinFinally a pitch that was becoming of a Test match. The Kanpur Test was a perfect example of how to make Test cricket interesting. A result in three days, all of which was packed with exciting possibilities. The pitch was assisting the bowlers right from day one. At the same time there were runs to be picked up for the batsmen provided they were willing to take chances and play their shots.

Sourav Ganguly once again proved that he is still very much a force to reckon with in Test cricket. Laxman showed his class with a fine knock of 50. Rahul Dravid seems like the only “grafter” in the midst of all the stroke players. While it makes perfect sense to have one such batsmen in the line up, it might still make sense to promote Laxman permanently to the number three spot simply because of his ability to ease the pressure with his ability to score at a steady pace. The last wicket pair of Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma deserve special credit for managing to stretch the lead with some invaluable runs.

The Indian batsmen barring Dravid played their shots (much like the Aussies) right from the “get-go” and it paid rich dividends in the form of valuable runs on the board. The downside of this approach is that sometimes you have to bear to see irresponsible shots like the one that ended Dhoni’s innings (or that of Piyush Chawla). Unfortunately, this is just a direct by-product of the approach and aggressive mind-set of most present-day batsman. For example, the square drive over the slips cordon (unheard off in Test cricket in the past) in the very first over of a Test match has become fairly common place. It is all part of the package that makes present day cricket. Gone are the days when batsmen wore out the bowlers by playing long (and often boring when compared to present-day “wham-bam” style of cricket) and obdurate innings.

On the bowling front Virender Sehwag once again staked his claim as being more than a backup bowling option. He is probably the most under-bowled bowler that India has ever had despite, having delivered with precious wickets when most needed . Credit to MS Dhoni for trying Sehwag ahead of Piyush Chawla.

Last but not the least, a great break for MS Dhoni. The man with the magic touch had a great start in Test cricket in his role as captain. His decision to play Yuvraj turned out to be a good one. Also, his handling of the bowling (opening with Harbhajan) turned out to be perfect. But he once again showed that he was level-headed when he said, “Well we did well, but it doesn’t mean we are better off without Sachin or Anil. Who is there to replace Sachin? Who is there to replace Kumble? It is better to have them in the side than not, but the credit goes to the boys who stood up in their absence.””Everything he tried worked”.

It was good to see Graeme Smith not complain about the pitch like most visiting captains do when they lose a Test on a turning track.

Team India: Last Hope at Kanpur

DadaWhatever happened to the idea of a home ground advantage? The Motera curators served South Africa a dream wicket. Team India completed the gift with a disgraceful performance in the first innings . The match was all but over by lunch on day one. The lone highlight of the match for India was Saurav Ganguly’s fighting knock of 87 in the second innings. Ganguly was outstanding. His sweep shots, late cut and straight drives were a terrific addition to his sweetly timed cover drives. But it was too little too late. What India needed was a huge second inning score to make SA bat again. That never materialized and the game was over on day three as expected by many. The curators at Kanpur will do well to prepare an all out spin wicket that gives the home team an advantage. Its about time!

The Openers: Time to Try Pathan Again?

Virender Sehawag is a hit or miss kind of batsman. The last Test was a “hit”, so its not surprising that this Test was a miss. But given the dramatic game-changing nature of his hits he is still worth retaining in the team. His partner Wasim Jaffer has been around for a while but seems to struggle with consistency. His position seems to be in doubt almost every third Test. It won’t be a huge surprise if the Indian captain picked Irfan Pathan again to open in place of Jaffer.

The Number 3 Spot: VVS over Dravid

This a tough call but probably due. Rahul Dravid has been India’s mainstay for many years. But of late he has struggled. Despite the odd good score he is a picture of hard work and determination rather than confidence and control. Unfortunately, the number 3 spot is a pivotal position and needs a free stroking batsman who can take the pressure off even in the event of an early wicket. Unfortunately, Dravid has struggled. In the Chennai Test he walked in with a huge score on board on a dead wicket and struggled instead of keeping up the scoring tempo. In the Ahmedabad Test he walked in early and did pretty much the same. This pattern was on display in Australia as well. The Wall clearly seems to be past its prime. VVS has waited in his shadows for too long. VVS is a very free stroking player and when he is at the crease the score board is always ticking. This is very similar to Ricky Ponting and Sangakkara both of whom do a terrific job for their teams in Test cricket. India could do well to drop Dravid down the order and number four (when Sachin is not around) or number 5 when Sachin gets back on board and move VVS to number three.

India’s Bowling: RP Deserved to Be Sent Packing

RP Singh was a huge disappointment and his dropping for the third Test comes as no surprise. The return of Ishant would be a welcome change. In the spin department, the return of Romesh Powar is a good move. Despite the wickets that Harbhajan has taken in this series and Kumble’s preference to bowl with him in tandem, Powar is a far more aggressive bowler who could serve as a better bet for Test cricket than Harbhajan. Over the years (thanks to ODI) Harbhajan has become a far more defensive bowler with the result that his wicket taking ability in Tests has dropped significantly.

Kumble’s Absence in the Third Test?

If Kumble were to miss the third Test because of fitness trouble it will be very interesting to see MS Dhoni lead the side. In all probability Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan and Romesh Powar will play in the eleven along with Ishant Sharma were Kumble to miss out. Would he include Pathan over Jaffer? The team composition will give us some insight into the future Test captain’s style and preferences. On the other hand there is talk of Dhoni missing out as well due to fitness problems. If that happens Dinesh Karthik’s return might make room for Irfan Pathan in the team ahead of Jaffer.

Chennai Test: SA vs India

After four days and over 1000 runs being scored, and a bunch of records being broken, the Chennai Test seems destined to end in a draw. A century in both innings by Amla, another score in the 90s by McKenzie and a few more wickets for Kumble, and a boring draw is all that remains (I am trying my hand at the prediction game to add some excitement to this Test!:-).

A Disgraceful Pitch

The South African team is composed four excellent fast bowlers and one mediocre spinner. The Indian team on the other hand has three very capable spinners. In this circumstances, playing on a home ground it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the most sensible thing to do at least for the first Test was to prepare a turning track. Instead, the Chennai pitch was a perfect example of a Test cricket-killer. The stadium was far from full and if more pitches of this nature are served up, Test cricket in India is in for some serious setbacks from a spectator interest point of view. Someone has to take responsibility for this disgraceful pitch.

Viru Strikes, Again

Virendar Sehwag is the perfect “hit or miss, all or nothing” player. When he hits, he hits big. When he misses he can be quite a disappointment. But two triple hundreds is no mean task. The man was at the top of his game and completely overshadowed every other batsman in the Test match. Not to take away any credit from the man for his outstanding performance, but clearly Test cricket suits his aggressive style. The speed at which he scores the runs at the top of the order can change the complexion of the game. In fact, after he was out India struggled and lost the initiative and hence the ability to gain the upper hand. India would do well to retain him in the Test team for the foreseeable future. At the same time, his form in Tests must not be misconstrued as a sign of ODI form. He has been given way too many chances in ODIs and his selection in the ODI team based on track record remains highly questionable.

Dravid, Solid and Reliable As Always

Rahul Dravid continues to be the best bet when it comes to consistency, solidity and reliability. On a dead pitch like this on, there was no way Dravid was going to pass up on an opportunity to work his way back to form. He ground his way to a century meanwhile crossing the 10,000 Test run mark. Hats off to him for his continued consistency. Critics would argue that he slowed the run rate. But as a counter point one could easily argue that had he not scored as much as he did, India might not have taken the lead. In fact, if the intent was to up the ante, the Indian captain could have very well sent in Dhoni at number three. The very fact that there was no change in the batting order is an indication that the Indian captain preferred a “safety first” approach.

VVS and Ganguly Should Swap Positions

It is sad to see VVS having to play with the tail. He is such a free stroking batsman that big blows don’t come come naturally to him. He seems to lack the savvy required when it comes to scoring with the tail at the other end, something Saurav Ganguly might be far more adept at doing. VVS must be sent higher up the order, ahead of Ganguly at a minimum.

Is RP Singh Still Injured?

RP Singh’s performance in this Test match has been very disappointing. After a good tour of Australia, it is hard to imagine how poorly he has performed here. It sure seems like a bowler returning before he was fully fit. India would be more than happy to have Ishant Sharma back for the second Test. Hopefully, his recovery is for real and not another sham.

The Sad Case of Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik broke into the national cricket scene (after his heroics at the under-19 level) when he engineered a win for India in a T20 game against South Africa. Suddenly he was an all purpose cricketer. Before even he realized he was India’s opening batsmen in Tests despite the fact that he was never a regular opener even for his home state of Tamil Nadu! However, he had a good tour as opener in both against Bangladesh and England. But a poor series against Pakistan in India. Unfortunately for him, Rahul Dravid (who showed more faith in him than any other captain) suddenly stepped aside from both Test and ODIs.

Test Cricket

A change in leadership in both forms of the game brought new challenges for the young man. In Tests Kumble did not have the same level of confidence in him as his predecessor. Kumble preferred a regular opener like Wasim Jaffer as first choice. Next, he preferred a wild card in Virender Sehwag. And as a third resort he preferred Irfan Pathan! Going by this, it is more than likely that if Sehwag or Jaffer were to fail, in all probability Kumble would prefer a regular opener such as Aakash Chopra or Gautam Gambhir. In short, Dinesh Karthik’s days as an opener are pretty much over. His only hope of playing Test cricket is if Dhoni were injured. Given the amount of cricket that Dhoni plays these days the likelihood of this possibility is pretty high.

The biggest piece of bad news is that India promoted someone to the Test opener level when they didn’t really belong there in the first place. Karthik is a classic utility cricketer (an amazing talent capable of adapting very well to pretty much any situation) suited to the ODI and T20 formats and to a lesser extent in Tests. He makes a good keeper and valuable lower order batsman in Tests at best.

The ODIs and T20s

Dinesh Karthik’s prospects in these forms of the game dimmed significantly with the rise of MS Dhoni. With Dhoni as captain a second wicket keeper getting a break in the playing eleven is next to impossible. Karthik got a chance in the T20 match in Australia in which he failed. With that his hopes of getting a break in the ODIs in Australia further vanished. When Yuvraj was injured Dhoni chose to experiment with a “fresh off the plane” Manoj Tiwari despite the fact that Karthik had been in Australia for over a month and had a lot more exposure to the conditions. Besides an in form Suresh Raina was still cooling his heals looking for a return to the ODI team.

In short, the only way Karthik can make it to the playing eleven in T20s or ODIs is if Dhoni were not playing. With Dhoni as captain, this scenario is highly unlikely unless he were injured. In this scenario, Karthik could soon find himself out of the T20 and/or ODI teams despite the fact that his skills are best suited to these forms of the game.

For the moment, Karthik’s best bet is to continue to perform at every stage both as a keeper and as a batsmen. His performance in the IPL for instance will be key for his future prospects despite the fact that it is of T20 format. The other possibility is that Dhoni himself and the Board might mutually decide to use Dhoni selectively in order to prolong his career and keep him injury free. In which case, Karthik should get the odd chance from time to time until another young keeper stakes his claim to the spot.

Sachin Should Plan His ODI Exit

Both Dravid and Ganguly have been phased out of the ODI team in favor of youth. Sachin is the last of the veterans so to speak remaining in the side. It is unfortunate that both Dravid and Ganguly were not given a more formal send off from the ODI team. The Indian selectors and Sachin himself should ensure that the same fate does not befall Sachin. The timing is perfect for him to announce a formal withdrawal from the ODI side.
There is no question that MS Dhoni is a captain who appears to know exactly what he wants. Of late he has shown that he can have his way as well. The upcoming finals against Australia would a be perfect time for him to score a heavily and then make an announcement of his plans. Instead, if Sachin chooses to wait too long, Dhoni won’t hesitate to act. There is plenty of opening talent waiting in the wings to take on the opening slot in ODIs. This is not a reflection of Sachin’s form. He still has it in him to be successful in ODIs but the reality is that the man at helm believes in having younger players (and rightfully so!) and so far his strategy has paid off.

India Can Beat the Aussies

India lost to Australia in the most recent ODI. The important fact is that India came within striking distance of the Australian total. A creditable recovery after being four down for 51 runs. A clear indication that this team is capable of putting up a fight. Thus far Australia has beat India consistently in this series despite being restricted to small totals until the most recent ODI.

However, this Indian team has what it takes to beat the Aussies in this series. The top order has been a little flaky, but it is possible that it will come together in time for the finals. Barring Sehwag, most players in the top order have at least one 50+ score in this series, which is a positive sign. The running between wickets is by far the best India has ever had. The ground fielding good but the direct hits could use some improvement.

On the bowling front, Harbhajan appears to be the weak link (though I have never seen this mentioned ever in the press). I can’t remember the last time Harbhajan grabbed a bunch of wickets. He almost always picks up one or two wickets at the most. At the top of the order, Ishant Sharma has proven to be a wicket taking bowler. But India badly lacks a wicket taking bowler in the middle overs. In fact, Sehwag (or Piyush Chawla) might be a better bet as the fifth bowler. In the most recent match against SL, coming into bowl with more than half the side back in the hut, Harbhajan failed to get any breakthroughs. Thus, India let SL off the hook to end up with a total of 179 runs.

With a small tweak or two and some luck, Dhoni and his boys have a great opportunity to beat the Aussies in the finals. It remains to be seen how effective they can be.

My Pick: Sehwag, Sachin, Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Uthappa, Pathan, Praveen, Sreesanth, Ishant. (Or play Chawla in place of Sehwag and open with Uthappa).

Aus-India ODI: Poor Tactics, Yet Again

For the second time in a row, team India lost due to poor tactics. After a brilliant bowling performance which helped India restrict Australia to a very achievable target of 204 runs, India made a complete mess of the run chase. Once again it was a case of poor tactics on the batting front.

Irfan Pathan at Number 3

With a seemingly achievable target at hand, sending Irfan Pathan at number 3 was a questionable decision. The bigger issue though was that Irfan didn’t appear to be batting to a plan. Was he supposed to attack? Was he supposed to bat like a regular number three? If he was sent in to pick a few quick runs to ease the pressure on the rest it certainly didn’t look like that was his intent. He was neither here nor there when it came to helping India achieve the target. He ended with 14 from 30 balls. It appears to be a case of a capable batsman not knowing what he was supposed to do!

What is even more alarming Dhoni’s defense of the decision.

“The Kookaburra ball does a bit in the first 12-15 overs, so it’s important to keep wickets in hand. Once the ball gets old, it becomes easier and is to the batsman’s advantage,” he explained. “Sending Irfan up balances the batting order and keep it stable. And Irfan at 8 or 3 doesn’t make too much of a difference.”

Pathan was sent in to conserve wickets! Sounds like Dhoni has more confidence in Pathan’s ability to survive at the crease than Uthappa, Yuvraj, or Rohit Sharma? How can it make no difference whether Irfan bats at 3 or 8?

Rohit Sharma – Rash Shot

With the loss of a couple of wickets and score of close to 50 on board, Rohit Sharma’s goal would have been to stick it out to the very end, rotate the strike, and build an innings while the stroke makers kept the score moving. Instead he played a completely reckless, airy drive and lost his wicket. Sounds like a case of complete lack of instructions from the captain and the think tank, yet again. If he was indeed instructed to stick around, then it signals a complete lack of responsibility on his part.

Yuvraj at number 3?

This match might have been a perfect opportunity to get Yuvraj back into his groove. At number 3 he would have had plenty of time to settle down and get some runs. Besides, he would have had an eye in before facing up to Brad Hogg (his nemesis of late). Instead Dhoni seems be shielding (or hiding him!) in the batting order, which is truly bizarre. One could argue that the early loss of Yuvraj would have put pressure on the batting. Not really. There would have been Rohit Sharma, Uthappa, Dhoni and Pathan to follow. Moreover, it would given India a good feel for what to do with Yuvraj if he failed yet again.

Munaf is a Misfit

Munaf has lost all his pace. He barely manages to cross the 130+ mark. Matt Hayden tonked him for a 6 in his first over like he was playing a spinner! Munaf can’t bat and his fielding is poor. Apart from being young, his inclusion is contrary to Dhoni’s desire to put together a good fielding side. To top it all, his body language is telling. Wearing a watch, sporting a stuble and ambling up to the wicket, he comes across as someone stranded in line at the electricity board office waiting for things to happen. Surely, he can display some minimal enthusiasm and excitement.

Uthappa Needs Some Exposure

Robin Uthappa has been languishing at the bottom of the batting line up leading the tail. He has shown in the past that he is an aggressive batmen in the Sehwag mould. The Australian pitches might actually suit his style provided he is sent early enough to settle down and get his eye in. With Sehwag not in the team, this would a been a perfect opportunity for Uthappa to come up the order and make some runs. Besides, it would have been a good measure of his current form.

Poor Handling of the Batsmen

Dhoni deserves credit for handling his bowlers extremely well (besides doing a terrific job with the bat). The five bowler combination is a winning strategy and the return of Pathan as the all rounder makes this possible. However, Dhoni’s approach to handling his batting arsenal has been very poor to say the least. Yuvraj is out of form, Sachin and Sehwag haven’t really fired in a big way, Uthappa has not really been tested, the backups Dinesh Karthick and Suresh Raina (both terrific talents in their own right) are busy warming the benches (along with Manoj Tiwari), and the series has already crossed the half way mark. On the bowling front, it might make sense to try Piyush Chawla in place of Harbhajan Singh. Chawla is a better batsman and Harbhajan seldom takes more than a couple of wickets though he does bowl 10 fairly tight overs. Piyush Chawla could be a better wicket taking bowler.

Does Dhoni not have an active team management?

The Indian think tank includes Kirsten, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Sachin, Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh? Surely, they could together come up with a better overall strategy and sensible tactics to orchestrate these easy victories. The sad part is that this is a terrific one day side and clearly has what it takes to beat the Aussies and the Lankans. The match against Sri Lanka will be key to getting their act together and gaining some momentum for this series. Another defeat will make it three in a row and might be harder to recover from.

India -SL ODI:Tactical Errors

The rain shortened ODI between India and Sri Lanka was an exciting game. Sri Lanka knocked off the D/L target rather comfortably thanks to Jayasuriya’s rollicking start. Analyzing the match after the result it surely sounds like the Indian think tank missed a trick or two.

Runs are Never Enough When the Weather Can Intervene

With the match shortened to 29 overs, and a clear likelihood of rain, Team India’s goal should have been to get as many runs as possible. Under these circumstances, India got off to a decent start with 49 runs in 8.2 overs (a run rate of over 6 runs an over) when Sachin Tendulkar was out. With just 20 overs to go on a ground with at least a couple of short boundaries, and free stroking batsmen like Yuvraj, Uthappa, Dhoni and Pathan still to come, India goofed badly by sending in Rohit Sharma. No offense to the young man. Rohit Sharma is a terrific talent and has a bright future ahead of him, especially in Test cricket. But the decision to send him in at number four in the match ultimately caused India the game (Sreesanth bowling performance coming in a close second).

Wrong Batting Order

Rohit Sharma is an “anchor player” in the Rahul Dravid mould, who is incapable of the brutal strikes that one could associate with Yuvraj, Uthappa, Dhoni and Pathan. His natural game comes in handy when there is a desperate need to contain the fall of wickets. In this match, this was hardly the need of the hour. With still 20 overs to go, an out of form Yuvraj or a match practice hungry Uthappa might have been a better bet at number 4 especially with Dhoni and Pathan to follow.

Poor Planning

The net result was that India ended up with a score of 195 at a run rate of 6.72, a marginal improvement over the run rate at the end of the first 8 overs. Most importantly, India failed to give Yuvraj, Uthappa and Pathan a chance to have a go. Rohit Sharma’s final score and strike rate hides the fact that he struggled mid-way through his innings and team India lost the momentum required to set a big score. If Yuvraj or Uthappa had managed to settle down, India might have been able to end with a flourish that would have set even an aggressive T20 total. Unfortunately, it looked like India was playing throughout assuming that this was going to be a 29-over match when in reality India should have planned for the eventuality of a further curtailment.

By the time the target was reduced, India was defending a modest T20 total of 154 on a ground with short boundaries against one of the most aggressive batsmen in the game with an erratic Sreesanth. It was pretty much game over then and there. Having keenly observed Dhoni’s leadership, his performance as a captain in this match was easily one of the low points in his captaincy stint thus far.

Moral of the Story

Never save your best hitters on a rainy day.

p.s: If you are wondering how Rumsfeld made it to a cricket story, its because he has become synonyms with tactical errors.

Gambhir, Dhoni Impress

India’s fightback last night after being four down was remarkable. Gautam Gambhir continued his dream run in the T20 World Cup and the good form in the domestic circuit with one of his finest centuries. Last night’s performance was brilliant in every sense. His running between the wickets, his handling of Muralitharan and his big hits down the ground were all very impressive. The ease with which he reached his 100 in the last over speaks volumes of his confidence. Under Dhoni, Gambhir seems to have found his groove. With his position in the team now rock solid, we might just see him scale greater heights. 

Dhoni on the other hand deserves to be commended for a real captain’s knock. The manner in which he curtailed his bang-bang style of aggressive cricket and deployed instead a more sensible and steady approach is a sure sign of his maturity. Walking in at a time when India was struggling, he played a calm innings with some aggressive running between the wickets. This was easily the best running between the wickets that India has displayed in a long time. Most importantly, this was against the Sri Lankan team whose ground fielding was excellent, barring a couple of dropped catches.

Yuvraj’s failure once again proved that he is a very poor player of spin. Brad Hogg and Muralitharan have always troubled him. In addition to overcoming his poor batting form, he will need to figure out a way to tackle these two bowler in order to come good in this series. India’s good score despite the failure of Yuvraj and the limited success of Sachin and Sehwag, should serve as a psychological boost to the young team after the disastrous T20 game against Australia and the batting failure in the first ODI.

Dhoni’s Team Selection Questionable

The selectors and the captain want to focus on youth for the ODIs. Agreed. A good forward thinking move. But how does one explain the inclusion of Manoj Tiwari ahead of Dinesh Karthik and Suresh Raina in the first ODI against Australia? Not that there is a world of difference between these folks as far as skill is concerned. Dinesh Karthik has been in Australia for a few weeks now and has played a game or two. In other words, he is best prepared of the lot in terms of getting a fee for the conditions, which incidentally is a huge factor when playing in Australia. Suresh Raina has more experience and has been in good form in the domestic circuit. To top it all, Manoj Tiwari barely landed in Australia the day before the ODI!

Dhoni said he goes by instinct. In other words, his instincts tell him the Tiwari is a better bet than an acclimatized Karthik and an in form Raina. Hopefully, Tiwari will justify his captain’s faith in him in the match against Sri Lanka. After all, he can’t be dropped after one failure. If he fails again, he will make room for Yuvraj in the third ODI. Where does that leave Raina and Karthik? They can make the team only in place of Sehwag or Uthappa.

The team selection is clearly questionable. It is a little premature to attribute motives behind Dhoni’s moves. The rest of the series should provide good insights into Dhoni’s thinking and captaincy.