4th ODI ( India vs SA)

is it just me or is there a lot more purpose and discipline in the Indian effort today? Did the change of captains or the heat back home do the trick?

If the tv reports are to be believed...

Laxman for ODIs.... Ganguly for Tests.
Jaffer for ODIs... Gambhir for Tests
Irfan for ODIs.... VRV for Tests.

Have the selectors completely lost it?

Reverse sweep!!!

First Laxman, and now Ganguly!!!
Looks like the current batch of selectors are hell bent on reversing everything Kiran More's mob did in their 3 years at the helm.
Given the rehab of (former) players,I wont be too surprised to see if India fields the same crowd in this World Cup as they did in the last one..
So where does all of this leave Greg Chappell?

You cannot be serious!!!!

Vaughan in line for dramatic return to action

VVS Laxman called up...

bad call, this one.. And here is why :-

VVS, while a brilliant test batsman, does not quite cut it in the ODI arena. I am aware of him scoring back to back centuries in Australia and a century in the 5th ODI at Lahore, but those innings were played on wickets where the bounce was true and the ball was coming onto the bat.
Given the conditions in the West Indies, where the bounce is low and the ball does not come onto the bat, Laxman's inability to work the ball off the square and force the pace are negatives. Plus, his fielding is not upto scratch.And so,Laxman will not make it to WI.
Given that, why include him for 1 ODI in SA? By the time he gets to SA, the ODI series will be done and dusted.
If Wasim Jaffer and KKD Karthiks selections are contentious, dont the same arguments apply to VVS also? Or are we clutching at straws to turn around a season that has gone pear-shaped pretty quickly?

Blessing in disguise?

Injury scare for Dravid

More Theatre of the Absurd...

Chappell gets the stick from West Bengal MLAs

"Cutting across party lines, members of the West Bengal Assembly on Monday condemned Indian cricket coach Greg Chappell for his comment on MPs and demanded his immediate removal.......
Chakraborty, however, said Parliament should not engage itself with the issue as it had important business of national and international importance to deal with........

Trinamool Congress MLA Sovandeb Chattopadhyay said the Australian had no idea about the Indian constitution. "He has not only shown disrespect to the MPs, but also to the people of the entire country."

"He should be summoned to parliament for the outrageous comments and removed as coach," he said."

Protestors burn Chappell`s effigy

"The mps are people`s representatives. Insulting them is akin to insulting the Indian people," they said, carrying aloft posters condemning Chappell.

"Moreover, Chappell is an outsider, a foreigner. What right does he have to speak about the functioning of our parliamentary democracy," they asked.

Bengal Sports Minister wants Ganguly in Indian team

MPs take on Chappell

Now, a privilege motion against Chappell in Parliament?

Dear Rahul,

It has been a rough second season for you as captain of the Indian cricket team, and things are not looking any better now than they were at the start of the season.

Your batting lineup is short on form and long on insecurity. Your bowling lineup is more Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, with no one knowing who will show up on a particular day.

Your brightest prospect is undergoing a huge crisis of confidence, not knowing if he is in the team for his batting ability or for his bowling.

Your coach has polarized public opinion to such an extent ( aided and abetted in large part by your predecessor) that any reasonable cricketing debate quickly degenerates into a clash of personalities.

Your stalwart players cannot pull their weight, and your junior players do not know what is expected of them.

The Indian public wants blood, and statements like "Criticism does not motivate us" does nothing to soothe the inflamed sentiment back home.

Your ability to lead, for the lack of a better word, stinks!!

You had a superb first season , with your team winning on a whim. There were external distractions galore, but they did not faze you. Your team played like champions, and played with such energy that they made even skeptics believe.

Your captaincy had clarity and decisiveness, and all you touched turned to gold.

Yes, there were basic flaws in the team even then ( inability to play on anything other than a "patta" wicket), but such was the mood within the team and such was the vibe, that these flaws were papered over.

You raised our expectations and we believed.

Given how badly your team is performing right now, maybe you need to step back. Having lost two games on the trot, and with no realistic hope of winning the ODI series in South Africa, maybe you need to take a break.

Take a safari, spend some time on the beach, spend quality time with your family if you like. The remaining two ODIs really don't matter in the larger scheme of things, and you are required for the test series to follow.

Take the time to recharge you batteries, spend the time clearing your mind. Attitude reflects Leadership and Team India does not want to be found wanting on this score.

You need a break. There is just too much on your plate and there are no quick fixes or long term solutions in sight. Instead of trying the retrieve whatever is left of this disastrous ODI season, focus on the task ahead.

India has never won a test match in South Africa. You are blessed with having, for the first time, the bowling attack that could just swing it your way. That must be your prerogative.

In the meantime, let the captain in waiting, Virender Sehwag, lead the charge. If he is the man chosen to lead in your absence or after you leave the game, this is as good an opportunity as any to assess his leadership potential.

There have been numerous complaints from various quarters about the lack of responsibility shouldered by him in the ODI arena. There can be no responsibility greater than captaining India, and let us see if he is up to scratch.

And while you are away, take Greg and Sachin and Anil and Ian with you. Let the youngsters chart their own path outside of your long shadows. Let them play the way they choose to.At worst, they will lose. Big deal!!

But you, the batsmen, and more importantly, you, the captain, are vital for India in the near future.

Take Care and God Bless,

Homer

A woeful inattention to details

"A woeful inattention to details" writes Dileep "Rahul Dravid can do no wrong" Premachandran in his verdict .

He cites the following examples of India's poor ground fielding

" Kemp had his share of good fortune, reprieved on five when there was a big noise as a delivery from Anil Kumble drifted past the bat and into Mahendra Singh Dhoni's gloves down the leg side. That could be termed unfortunate, but what followed was truly wretched. Sachin Tendulkar put down a caught-and-bowled chance when he had made just 9, Dinesh Karthik put down a tough chance to his right at midwicket when he had 34, and Kumble let one slip at cover when he was three short of a maiden century."

but conveniently forgets

"25.3 Harbhajan Singh to Pollock, 1 run, fuller in length, the one that goes straight on. Pollock is sucked forward and the edge is produced, ball goes high towards Dravid at first slip and he fails to hold on to a very difficult chance".

He writes

" It didn't help that the death-overs bowling was as abysmal as the fielding. They bowled far too full to Kemp, a man who likes the ball in the slot,"

but forgets that there is a guy, designated as the captain, who could, if he chose, talk to the bowlers on what is required, set fields accordingly, and control the tempo of the game.

Finally,

"Cricket matches are often won by the little things, the sliding stops and the pushed singles, rather than the big booming sixes."

and little more imagination by the captain perhaps?

And how about a little more attention to details by the writer ?

-----
As an aside, Cricinfo conveniently sidesteps Bengals win over Punjab in the Ranji Trophy game at Mohali that was played on a green top, focusing instead on inane details on the Delhi-TN game played at the Kotla. The "Ranji Trophy Super League round-up, 1st round, 4th day" contains no mention of the game either.
Given that Saurav Chandidas Ganguly is the captain of the Bengal team, just how objective is the Cricinfo editorial staff?

Disappointed... ( further thoughts on the second ODI India-SA)

Senior player comes out and plays a bone headed shot when a little more diligence was the order of the day- Sehwag playing the upper cut to the third ball of the Indian innings and holing out pretty much sums up Team India's approach to the game these days.

A game, that by rights hould have been India's, was lost because of inept and incompetent cricket. And the rot starts at the top, with the captain being the most culpable.

The chronic inability to press home the advantage has become the hallmark of Rahul's captaincy since SA toured India in 2005.

Poor team selections, poor on field marshalling of resources, poor off the field management, lack of planning and a distinct lack of execution has become the calling card of this team.

It does not help that constant shuffling of the batting lineup has made players unsure of thier roles in the team. I am not quite sure how much they are being talked to about why they are being shunted up and down the order.

And then there is the question of priorities:- Given that the Indian pace attack is "raw" and "inexperienced", the standard go-to excuse bandied by the captain every time we lose, why is there no bowling coach travelling with the team? Is having a "shrink" associated with the coach's academy more valuable than a full time bowling coach?

Rahul Dravid needs to stand up and taketotal and complete responsibility for his team's slide, instead of hiding behind homilies.. Or he needs to step down and let some one else take charge of Team India's fortunes in the One Day arena.

Second ODI- India SA

This loss hurts.. and the blame lies squarely in the lap of the captain..letting a team that was 76/6 reach 274/7 is criminal.. To say I am disappointed will be stating the obvious.

First ODI - India SA

India staring down the barrel at the moment. 85/8 and I will be real surprised if they can take the total past 100. But not all is doom and gloom. Two straight changes for the next ODI: Sehwag for Jaffer and Irfan for Raina.
Sure, the Proteas are all over the Indians at the moment,but I wonder how long this will last.Given the conditions in Durban, something like this was expected. However, there is a sameness to the Proteas bowling line up, and given a slightly less inimical wicket, I will back the Indians to push the Proteas real hard.
There will be a lot of breast beating about this performance, but I take heart from the fact that the bowlers, for the most part, kept it tight and Sachin Tendulkar looks in ominous form.
So 1-0 to the South Africans, and onto Cape Town we go..win the toss and bat first Rahul!!!
As an aside, the Poms play the Roos today Down Under.. Ashes or something it is called :)

Greg Chappell..

here, here and here

The BCCI

neither has clothing, nor balls!!!

Theatre of the Absurd

Alex Brown in the Sydney Morning Herald

"Although the matter has been deemed trivial by some observers — Martyn, after all, was hardly forceful in his push — in India, where respect for elders is paramount, the incident has attracted headlines." - more Alex Brown in the Sydney Morning Herald

"It does need to be noted that officials on the subcontinent love a bit of podium time. It is not unusual for the players to be outnumbered by officials, sponsors, dignitaries, guests, family members and ocasionally a groundsman or two, all desperate for their minute in the limelight.

Speeches drag on and on, and when it is photo-time, everyone present tries to squeeze in on the edges.

The Australian cricket team can argue they are on a hiding to nothing sometimes. For every thousand polite handshakes, it is the one snub that will be remembered." - Iain Payten in The Daily Telegraph

"Pawar is founder of India's Congress Party, he's Agriculture Minister and a member of the Indian Cricket Board " -Comment by Ray Chesterton

And in India NCP contemplates legal action against Aussies for nudging

and Ponting apologises over Aussie win antics

"Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting offered to apologise on Wednesday to any Indian officials who felt insulted by his team's victory celebrations after the Champions Trophy final this week."

surely SOMEONE should know the difference between "offered to apologize" and "apologises".