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.

India v/s South Africa Test 1 Day 2

India 249/10 South Africa 84/10 India 146/5 lead by 311 runs. nuff said!!!

Verdict :-

India's day, by the proverbial country mile.

Looking Forward :-

India is in the driver's seat at the moment with the entire lower order having the license to swing away. With Dhoni and Laxman at the crease, India can look forward to stretching their lead to 350+. And with the wicket dusting up and the bounce getting more uneven, India has the bowling to chalk its first victory in South Africa. That said, India must not let things drift in the thought that there are enuf runs on the board and there is enuf time in this test match. Every single psychological point that can be scored must be taken advantage of.

Shaun Pollock - CHAMPION!!!

India v/s South Africa Test 1 Day 1

India 156/5 at the end of the days play.

The Toss:- was won by India who duly elected to bat.

This decision will be debated if India go on to lose the test, with the critics harping on the fact that an undercooked Indian batting lineup was exposed, first up, on a wicket that has bounce and pace and enough lateral movement to keep the bowlers interested. With the wicket expected to play its best on Day 2, this will be more grist to the mill for critics at large.

On the flip side, it is a bold decision in keeping with the decision to sit out Irfan Pathan. Yes, the wicket has juice, no doubt aided by the "sweating" of the Hessian covers put ostensibly for preventing the cracks on the wicket from widening. However, the wicket will become even more two paced as the aforementioned cracks get more prominent and the bowlers footmarks come into play over the course of 4 innings. Anil Kumble then looms as the most important factor going into the 4th innings and I believe this, more than any other consideration, tilted the decision to bat first.

The Indian Innings :-

At the end of the day, the Indians will feel that they lost one wicket too many over the course of the day. If the light had been offered an over prior to when it actually was, India would have been pretty content with the position they were in ( 4 wickets down for around 150).

The wicket itself does not look like an easy one to bat on, and at no time did any of the batsmen look settled. Sachin and Rahul got done by beauties after they had done all the hard work, and VVS has reason to feel aggrieved, having got out in poor light at the end of the day.

The wicket itself is two paced, with the bounce being up and down. Some balls have stayed low, and with the cracks on the wicket widening and the wicket aiding lateral seam movement all through the day, batting wont be easy hereon in.

The South African bowlers bowled as they were expected to, and were always in the game although they may feel a little miffed at not having snapped a couple more wickets.
The fragile Indian batting line up showed a lot of gumption, and while none of the batsmen scored a big one, all in all it was a fairly satisfactory day's outing for the Indian batsmen.

Verdict :-

South Africa's day, on points.

Looking Forward :-

If Saurav and Dhoni can see through the early start tomorrow, they will still have about 10-15 overs tommorrow before the new ball becomes due to pile on the runs. A total of around 250-280 will be competitive, and anything more will be a bonus.Lose early wickets,and the initiative will have been handed over to the Proteas on a platter.

Like I have been saying all along...

South Africa can be beaten

CricInfo shifts to India?

CricInfo to focus on India

wonder how no one else picked on this story.

Untitled

Just how many reams of paper are going to be wasted analyzing India's batting weaknesses?

At the end of the day, what matters is that India take 20 South African wickets and score 1 run more than the Proteas. Thats all!!!

And I believe we have the team that can deliver on both counts only if we get the right people in the right fielding positions and hold on to our catches.

NZ v/s SL Day 2

28 wickets in 2 days at Christchurch, with the match headed towards an early finish on Day 3. If Sri Lanka lose, will Mahela Jaywardene say this and Sri Lanka do this?

Oh dear !!!

Indian media boycotts team briefing... Someone needs to makes this book mandatory reading for the Team Management.

South African Team announced

The squad

two spinners in along with the usual suspects.. Interesting!!!

A round of applause...

for Saurav Ganguly, Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh for helping the Indians reach316/7 after being 69/5 at one stage.

Here is the scorecard

Can we please win the toss for a change?

7 outings, 3 captains, and they still cant get the call right!!!!

This explains Englands dramatic loss :-)

Freddie is a Sagittarian, not a born leader

Stunning!!!!

This and this...