In other news ...

Shane Warne retires.

AB DeVilliers may partner Graeme Smith in the second test at Durban.

Shabbir Ahmed gets an all clear from the ICC

Martin Crowe accuses Murali of chucking... again!!!!

Stephan Harmison retires from ODIs

Bob Simpson, on coaching and coaches

Indian Eves Win

Simply marvelous, that!!

Mukul Kesavan

on the Wanderers win.

A tantalizing prospect

It appears Shane Warne is set to retire from International cricket following the Ashes. Glenn McGrath is to follow suit.

Australia is not schedule to play any Test from the end of the Ashes until November 2007 when India tours Australia to play 4 tests.

We all know what happened the last time the Indians were Down Under fronting up against an Australian attack sans Mcgrath and Warne.

What are the odds of an even better performance this time 'round?

Update :-

Peter English' article in Cricinfo on the same subject

Goddamn!!!

Ravi Shastri, in the Asian Age

India should go for the kill now

Ravi Shastri

South Africa will now lose sleep for approaching the Wanderers Test with a condescending approach-as if the Indian team didn’t exist.To be honest they were caught with their pants down. It must explain their lack of application though nothing must detract from India’s folklore of a win. There were far too many heroes which in essence means the team spirit in the hut is just fine. Criticism hasn’t got to Greg and the boys yet. The monkey is truly off their back now.It was good old fashioned Test match cricket where the batsman gutsed it out and the bowling was disciplined backed by superb catching.

This win though still doesn’t crown a triumphant campaign which must now be India’s aim. They can fine tune the team for Kingsmead by bringing in Irfan Pathan and it would mean laying off Wasim Jaffer for the moment. It’s a drastic measure and in no way is a vote of no-confidence against the likeable Mumbai opener. It’s simply what India need best to stay on top against an opposition who would now be an enraged beast. You don’t slay a lion in his den just like that. Bottom line they have to think of a win and go for the kill.

Pathan’s assets are obvious: he has been on this tour for over a month and his batting is just getting in order on these pitches. He is a left-hander to boot which is always a drain on the concentration of a bowler. As a left-handed bowler, he could play a good relieving role for the present strike-forces of the team. It’s horses for courses really. Even Dravid opening can become a possibility.

It’s Sreesanth’s moment and he just can’t be pegged back in the pecking order at this hour. Enough has been said about his quality and feisty approach and much of it is true. He was the best bowler on view at Wanderers and the likes of Shaun Pollock wouldn’t grudge the fact. He did everything that captain Rahul Dravid could have asked. He will now be a household name in India, the star of the moment whose glow could put to shade even the most celebrated names of the team. India can rejoice in his emergence.

Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan now rightfully belong to this team. The period they served out of the squad has seen the old hunger back and skills much more refined. They chose to rediscover themselves and everything they do now is for the good of the selves and the team. Performance and performance alone is the byword for them.

One aspect of India’s win which need be recounted is the third wicket stand between Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid on the first morning. Another success for the South Africans then and the new ball, a moist wicket and a rampaging attack would certainly have exposed the middle order. As it was, India’s middle order had a shining presence in the match. They negated the bad start in both the innings. A victory margin as big as 123 runs in a low-scoring match is an eloquent word on it.

V.V.S. Laxman, top scorer for India in this match, once again underlined how he comes good when the chips are down. He has been Mr Crisis for India in crunch situations and this was one more such instance.Much like the great Gundappa Vishwanath did in his time.

This win must now perk up India and enable them to turn the corner in one-day cricket as well. Ganguly deserves a recall for he stood up to the test of these pitches and hostile opposition. Selectors didn’t cotton-wrap him up for home matches and instead, he was provided same conditions to prove himself as it was the case with Rainas, Kaifs and Mongias. The prodigal has returned in style for sure.

And finally one must not forget the role Chappell and his team are playing.He has had his fair share of criticism but make no mistake, he is good for Indian cricket. (TCM)

And to think I typed something similar two days ago!!!

Here's more

on why we need a bowling coach !

Some thoughts after the first Test

1. South Africa face an uphill battle from this point on especially since the series is limited to 3 tests. To win the series, the Proteas have to win the remaining two matches, and to do that, they will need to make wholesale changes to their squad. The current Protean top order is way too much in the one-day mode to actually throttle back and build an innings.
However, if wholesale changes are made, it would indicate a loss of faith in the current lot of players and also hint at panic amongst the ranks.
I doubt if the South Africans can really do anything to turn this around. All the talk of fast, bouncy wickets is now chucked out of the window. India is sitting pretty at the moment and South Africa will have to do all the running from here on in.

2.We need to make a distinction between ODI and Test discussions only because the Indian Test team is far superior to the Indian ODI Team.
In ODIs, the need to have batting depth handicaps team selection because there are only so many bowlers who can competently wield the willow. That allayed with the need to have superior fielders pares the pool even more.
In Test cricket, it is easier to pick specialists instead of bits and pieces players and this is where India can compete because India has much greater bowling depth.

The failings of the Indian ODI team have been well documented. And given that the World Cup is around the corner, I do not believe we can turn around our ODI fortunes prior to that.

3. It was heartening to see India get its fielders in the right positions in this match. For far too long, non specialists were stationed at specialist positions, resulting in fielding lapses that cost India important tests.
It was wonderful to see Rahul Dravid at midoff and Zaheer Khan at mid-on when VRV Singh was bowling in the Proteas first essay.

4. Durban will be a fast wicket only because it has always been so. India's team composition going into this test will be interesting.
One school of thought will be to retain the winning XI because thats how you show faith in your players.
Another school of thought is to dump Jaffer for Gambhir and VRV Singh for Munaf Patel ( assuming Munaf Patel is fit by then).
My own thinking is that we should retain the winning combination.

If a change has to be made, it should be Irfan Pathan for Wasim Jaffer with Rahul dravid opening the innings. Here's why

• It is well know that Pathan is out of form, bowling wise. A fast, bouncy, seaming wicket with a 1-0 cushion should be the perfect platform for him to make a comeback.
  
• As the 5th bowler, there will not be as much pressure on Irfan as it would have been if he was drafted into the first test as one of the 4 mainline bowlers.
  
• He gives India a 5th bowler and an additional batter down the order. Given the way Zaheer batted, it will give added depth to the batting line as well as variety to the bowling line.
• It also allows for Laxman to come at 3, and given current form, gives him more time and latitude to play.

The need for a bowling coach

Dilleep Premachandran, in his Day 3 verdict, wrote -

While Sreesanth and friends were doing their thing for the second day in succession, it was hard not to think of the reams that have been written about the need for a bowling coach. With the team's one-day fortunes in free fall in recent months, the back-room staff have been slated, mostly by those who haven't watched a single practice session and therefore know little about the effort that Ian Frazer and Greg King put in to assist Greg Chappell.

Coaching staff can't win you a game, they can only prepare you to be successful. And after the one-day debacle, both players and coaching staff have worked like Trojans to put things right. Much was made of Sreesanth's chat with Allan Donald on Saturday morning, and while it undoubtedly helped, it shouldn't obscure the fact that the hard yards had been done over hundreds of practice sessions dating back more than a year. And the manner in which India have outbowled South Africa in this game was ample proof that bowling coaches - South Africa do have one in Vincent Barnes - alone don't guarantee magic bullets.

I fail to understand the reluctance of the Team Management to get a bowling coach on board. Given that India's pace attack is raw, and given the amount of test cricket that India has to play next season ( away series against BD, England, Pakistan and Australia), wouldn't prudence demand that we have someone to work exclusively with the bowlers, making them understand the nature of the different surfaces they are going to encounter and tactics/strategies to be employed on said surfaces?
Given India's inability to bowl at the death in ODIs, given that tours are getting shorter and bowler workload is getting higher, given the paucity of time to adjust to different conditions, given the number of times bowlers are breaking down, wouldn't a bowling coach, with insight on these issues, make a difference to the bowlers performance ?
If a bowling coach is not a value add, then what case can be made for having the rest of the support staff? Each role can be similarly dismissed as no guarantor of success and can be done away with.
In conclusion, to quote Dileep Premachandran " Coaching staff can't win you a game, they can only prepare you to be successful", and here we are, gleefully shutting the door to greater success. This pig headedness by the Team Management is going to cost India big time.

A win to savour

India ended its 14 year drought in South Africa by winning the first test match at the Wanderers by a whopping 123 runs.
Shaun Pollock and Ashwell Prince gave the Indians ( and their legions of supporters) some anxious moments, but in the end the result was beyond doubt.
A comprehensive team performance, a win to savour, but let us not forget there is a series to be won.
Durban, here we come.

India v/s South Africa Test 1 Day 3

India 249 and 236. SA 84 and 163/5 need another 239 runs to win

The Indian Innings :-

Someone needs to sit down Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virender Sehwag and tell them "Guys, there is a reason God has put something between your ears. Try using it ever so often. It helps". Given that India had South Africa on the run and given that losing wickets and thus handing momentum to the Proteas was the last thing India needed,, MS Dhoni's heave-that-was-pouched-by-the-keeper was an absolute no brainer.
That was followed by Kumbles dismissal, and at 148/7, the Indian innings looked to be in the danger of folding too early.
Enter left, Zaheer Khan.
For blunting the South African attack, for staying with VVS Laxman for as long as he did, and for playing a huge role in India's eventual lead of 402, Zaheer Khan deserves sustained applause.
So does his partner-in-crime, VVS Laxman. Like Mumbai 2004, this innings was created under adverse circumstances. This innings was a testament to the infinite reserves of patience this man has. It was a courageous innings, and potentially a match winning one.
The tail wagged and so did Sreesanth. His antics , following the six off Nel, were hilarious. But they also sent a message that this team, despite being bruised and battered, is going to give back as good as it gets, and is not going to be cowered by niceties or ICC match referees.

The South African Innings :-

With only one over to face before the lunch interval, the last thing the Proteas needed was a wicket to fall, and Herschelle Gibbs duly failed to comply. Sunil Gavaskar was livid during the interval, calling for Gibbs' dropping from the squad altogether.
For the rest of the innings, the game followed a predictable script. Plenty of unplayable deliveries, a few fours, some streaky, others authoritative, and wickets falling at regular intervals.
The heartening feature in all this, from an Indian standpoint, is that the Indians retained their focus and intensity throughout. At no point in time was the game allowed to drift, even when Kallis and Prince and then Prince and DeVilliers were stitching together those partnerships.
The ground fielding, barring a couple of misfields, was spot on, and no better example of this than the DeVilliers run out. One of the fastest runners between the wickets in world cricket, drives the ball to mid on, where India's pace spearhead is positioned. Here is a guy who has batted out of his skin, bowled his heart out, and must be feeling the effects going into the final session of the day. The fact that he reached the ball and effected a direct hit is testimony to the Indian's commitment on the field.

Verdict :-

India's day, on points.

Looking forward :-

The Indian fielding and bowling had started showing the effects of a long day on the field towards the end of the days play. This, allied with complacency, will kill India's hopes of winning. India's focus must be to get the remaining 5 wickets in the shortest possible time. They have answered all the questions asked of them so far, but the biggest question of all remains... Does India believe it can win this Test? if the answer is a resounding Yes, India are home and dry.Any doubts at this stage, having come this far, will allow the South Africans the breathing room they desperately crave for.