India won a handsome victory against the West Indies at Baroda,thus sealing the series 3-1. But it also left a lot of questions unanswered.
1. Irfan Pathan's form ?
Irfan Pathan had pretty average returns of 7-0-43-1 in his comeback game in India colors. 43 out of a team total of 181 is nearly 25% of the runs scored off his bowling.
His batting form has been steady in his time out of the Indian team.
Irfan Pathan is the most important cog in India's scheme of things in the World Cup. A fit and in form Pathan gives the Indians a lot more flexibility in their batting and bowling schemes. And he has a pretty strong arm, thus bolstering a pretty ordinary fielding side.
2. Where does Virender Sehwag fit in ?
From Vice Captain to Captain to nobody in the space of 3 weeks. That is the story of Virender Sehwag today. Accused of being a disruptive element in the team, his batting form is the pits today. Given that his ODI form has been below average for an extended period of time, does he even merit inclusion in the XV?
If he does, how does he get slotted into the squad? As a 3rd opener and back up for Uthappa or Ganguly or as a # 6 covering for Yuvraj?
He had an pretty good outing in the West Indies, being the leading run scorer in the shorter format of the game. Plus his spin bowling was a revelation. If in form, he gives India added options.
Omitted out of the squad for the West Indies series, an inclusion during the SL series will indicate that he is in the selectors mind. Non inclusion means curtains to his World Cup hopes.
3. Two spinners or 3 ?
Indian skipper Rahul Dravid on Tuesday virtually named Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh as the two spinners certain to make the World Cup squad and said off-spinner Ramesh Powar was competing for a spot with one of the pace bowlers.
With Sachin and Yuvraj turning their arms over, and Sehwag offering more options if selected, the Captain has basically closed the door on Ramesh Powar's chances for the World Cup.
4. Yuvraj Singh's batting form ?
By all reports, his knee is holding up well. so, did India miss a trick by not sending Yuvraj Singh up the order ( #3 or 4) in the last ODI at Baroda? The platform was set, and by giving Yuvraj an extended stay at the crease, a better assessment could have been made of his batting form and match fitness.
As things stand now, Yuvraj Singh's batting form is a matter of conjecture.
5. Sachin at 3 or 4 ?
Tendulkar came in at 3 in the first ODI at Nagpur, and then dropped down to 4 in the remaining 3 ODIs with Dravid taking the #3 spot.
In the ideal world ( ie- my playing XI), Sachin would come at 3 and Dravid at 5, with Yuvraj taking the #4 spot. This is because Dravid is the perfect bridge between one set of strokemakers and another and also because at 3, Sachin can do the pinch hitter/team anchor double act.
6. Munaf or Sreesanth or both or neither?
In form, Munaf is a must have in the team XI ( although his fielding makes Ashish Nehra look like Jonty Rhodes at times). He is a valuable asset at the start of an innings and his ability to get reverse swing is important at the death.
Contrast this with Sreesanth, who, while being a wonderful Test match bowler, comes unhinged in ODIs.
But while Sreesanth has the TINA factor going for him, Munaf is battling self doubt and a dodgy ankle (?). Add to this the strong vote of no confidence voiced by the BCCI and the selectors over the fiasco that was the Newlands test and its aftermath, and you are looking at a very shaky competitor.
7. Raina or Kaif or both or neither?
Md. Kaif topped India's ODI batting averages during the tour to the West Indies and had 3 scores of 50 or more to boot. Being the second highest run getter helped too.
However, a dismal series in South Africa and he finds himself out of favor with the people who matter.
Suresh Raina is the flavor of the season at the moment, and while he has undoubted potential, is he the right guy to take on to the World's biggest stage, especially given his form ( over an extended period) has been more down than up?
If a choice in the final XV boils down to a toss up between these two electric fielders with indifferent form, which way will the axe fall?
8. Saurav Ganguly- bowler ?
Will Saurav Ganguly bowl at all? Twice in two games he has left the field with back problems. That does not bode well for him or the Indian team.
9. Uthappa seals the deal?
Is Robin Uthappa the answer for the opening slot? Or does Gambhir still have a shot? Are 2 innings good enough to make a concrete decision on the merits/demerits of a player? Or does Gambhir offer more in terms of international experience?
10. India's batting and the inability to adapt quickly ?
At Chennai, the Indian middle and lower middle order crumbled, losing 7/35. At Cuttuck, the top order lost its way, losing 7/90. Two different wickets, slightly different batting conditions, and the Indians unraveled. Given that the some of the wickets in the West Indies are being newly laid, and some of the wickets are being used for the Carib domestic season, what will be the nature of the wickets and how quickly will the Indians adapt to the change?
( India failed to adapt quickly enough at Abu Dhabi, West Indies, Malaysia, India and South Africa on different conditions. How they do in the West Indies hinges on how quickly the can revise game plans depending on the conditions).
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India has two more ODIs to closure on these issues ( the WC team has to be announced before Feb 13th), failing which the entire World Cup campaign will be in jeopardy.
Update - Obviously the CricInfo website does not think so :)
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
More questions than answers
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Foot in Mouth!!
Why is it that every time some one from Baroda reaches a position of authority in the BCCI hierarchy, they get afflicted by the Foot in Mouth disease?
First Jaywant Lele and now Kiran More.
On batting beauties!!
The common belief, which has been the leitmotif of all Dravid press conferences in recent times, is that the teams participating in the World Cup, will struggle to score in the middle of the innings, between overs 20 and 40. The reason according to the captain and coach Greg Chappell, from whom we first heard of this, is that the playing surfaces in the West Indies tend to get slower and lower as the games progress and there is a need for someone with a big-hitting prowess to bat in this period of play to keep the runs flowing.
Then pray why are all the pitches, bar Cuttuck, are a fairly typical one-day strip, loaded in the favour of the batsmen?
Is it because the Indian bats desperately need to gain confidence in their own abilities or because the BCCI needs the eyeballs, damn the consequences?
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Super effort that!!!
4/232
5/237
6/255
7/255
8/259
9/265
10/268 in 48 overs.
after being 232/4 in 34.4 overs!!!
Friday, January 26, 2007
It's advantage Karnataka
reads the title of this column in the Hindu.
Karnataka hold the edge in potential classic - says the CricInfo website.
I looked at the score cards, read the match reports, and still cannot understand how exactly did these worthies come to this particular conclusion.
- In the case the game ends in a draw, Bengal move to the finals on account of their first innings lead.
- Karnataka lasted 168.5 overs in their second innings after collapsing for 89 all out in thier first essay.
- Bengal lasted 100.1 overs in thier first essay.
- By the account in the Hindu, the pitch, the most crucial factor in the run chase, was benign, offering not much assistance to the pacers or the spinners.
- Bengal have at least 3 more seasoned batsmen in Deep Dasgupta, Rohan Gavaskar and Laxmi Ratan Shukla, cooling their heels in the pavilion.
- Bengal need another 236 runs in 90 overs ( RR 2.62) with 8 wickets in hand to win the game.
PS: - Did CricInfo officially sign on as cheerleaders for Karnataka? You would think so, given the extraordinary coverage given to Venky Prasad's boys vis a vis 26 other teams playing the Ranji Trophy.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Just what are the Selectors trying to prove?
The Indian Selectors are doing their utmost to justify the confidence reposed in them by Mohinder Amarnath ("the selectors are a bunch of jokers").
How else can one explain this -
Yuvraj returns for last two ODIs
Yuvraj Singh, who has been declared fully fit, and Anil Kumble are back in the Indian one-day squad for the remaining two one-day internationals against West Indies at Chennai and Vadodara respectively. They have replaced RP Singh and Joginder Sharma , while Irfan Pathan will join the squad for the final match at Vadodara.Also joining the squad in Vadodara will be Munaf Patel, though it will be restricted to nets practice. Munaf has been out of action since returning from South Africa with an ankle injury and Vengsarkar said this stint would give the selectors a chance to assess his fitness.
Asked whether Virender Sehwag , who has scored one century since his return to the domestic circuit, was considered, Vengsarkar said, "He will just have to wait for his chance." The dropping of RP Singh, Vengsarkar admitted, was a tough decision and his omission was rather unfortunate.
Yuvraj Singh has no match fitness to speak of, having just recovered from an ACL injury and a prolonged 2 month layoff.
Irfan Pathan gets picked because apparently the Mumbai coach thinks he bowled well and that is good enough for Colonel.
Joginder Sharma gets dumped after only one game. Then why the farce of picking him in the first place? Placating the North Zone?
R.P. Singh gets dumped without playing a single game for reasons best left to the 5 wise men.
Virender Sehwag cannot still find favor with the Selectors. This, when they have rooted for a batter with 0 match fitness and a bowler with indifferent form.
If Irfan can come back into the team with just 2 Ranji games, why not Sehwag? After all he scored a 100 in the only Ranji game he played.
And here is the fun part - Who gets dropped from the batting lineup to accommodate Yuvraj in the 3rd ODI?
I am betting it is Karthick -- what say you?
What a ride!!!
A chronology of Mumbai's march to the Ranji Trophy Finals
January 24, 2006 - Not too khadoos
June 2, 2006 - Ghavri says bye
July 26, 2006 - Mumbai not aware of Sairaj's U-turn to Maha
August 21, 2006 - Mumbai to decide on cricket coach today
November 06, 2006 - Mumbai announce probables
Kambli missing from Ranji probables
November 18, 2006 - Muzumdar to lead Mumbai
November 18, 2006 - Youth power for Mumbai
November 20, 2006 - Searching for the highest honour
December 12, 2006 - Punjab 353 and 113 for 3 drew with Mumbai 348 (Muzumdar 119, Mota 74, Amanpreet 4-72, Malhatra 4-91)
December 15, 2006 - Mumbai will fight back: Selectors
December 17, 2006 - Mumbai down in dumps
December 18, 2006 - Mumbai’s woes continue
December 20, 2006 - Hyderabad 354 and 33 for 1 beat Mumbai 115 and 268 (Sharma 95, Absolem 4-67, Ojha 4-78) by 9 wickets
December 20, 2006 - Mumbai crash to nine-wicket defeat
December 21, 2006 - We’re living in a fool’s paradise: Rege
December 21, 2006 - Bombay Blues
December 22, 2006 - Christmas gift
Mumbai have got into the spirit of the season. First they gifted Bengal a first-innings lead and follow-on; this time Hyderabad were the happy recipients as they recorded their first-ever win over Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.
December 22, 2006 - Mumbai still game for a fight
December 22, 2006 - Kings turn paupers
Nishit Shetty announces retirement
December 25, 2006 -Vegas or bust
December 27, 2006 - Kulkarni and Powar annihilate Gujarat
Mumbai 503 for 7 beat Gujarat 147 (Kulkarni 6-31) and 193 (Bilakhia 88, Powar 5-72, Kulkarni 4-80) by an innings and 163 runs
December 28, 2006 - Nilesh Kulkarni returns to form
December 28, 2006 - One down
December 31, 2006 - On a wing and a prayer
December 31, 2006 - Rising from the dead
January 5, 2007 - Mumbai 483 beat Rajasthan 155 and 297 (Jadeja 70) by an innings and 31 runs
From zero to a perfect 10
Mumbai’s campaign back on track
January 6, 2007 - Mumbai need another big win
January 12, 2007 -
January 12, 2007 - Matter of time
January 13, 2007 - Mumbai storm into the semis
Mumbai 515 for 8 beat Maharashtra 190 and 171 (Kulkarni 6-43) by an innings and 154 runs
January 14, 2007 - Gone in 34 mins
January 22, 2007 - Out of the frying pan into the fire
January 24, 2007 - Baroda leave Mumbai in a heap of naughts in Ranji semi-final
January 24, 2007 - Pathan and Patel lead Baroda fightback
January 24, 2007 - Zero to hero
January 25, 2007 - Mumbai secure finals berth with 63-run win
Mumbai 233 (Muzumdar 97) and 145 (Samant 66, Pathan 4-47, Patel 4-34) beat Baroda 142 (Yusuf Pathan 70) and 173 by 63 runs
January 25, 2007 - Mumbai battle their way into final
January 25, 2007 - Mumbai complete amazing comeback
January 26, 2007 - Mumbai Rocks
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Darn!!!
Just when I am basking in the afterglow of an hard fought Indian victory, in comes Mr Premachandran and poops the party.
Why this win matters
India beat the West Indies in a low scoring thriller at the Barabathi Stadium at Cuttuck by 20 runs.
Batting first India managed to get to 189, thanks largely to the efforts of KKD Karthick ( just how good a player is he!! ) and Ajit Agarkar.
In response, the Indians bowled out the West Indies for 169 runs.
Granted that the West Indies were missing Brian Lara, but even so, this Indian win is laudable. For once, despite being 90/7 at one stage, and having all the "big guns" back in the pavilion, the Indians chose to guts it out and, in the process, reached a decent total.
And with the ball, the Indians did just about everything right. Agarkar bowled a brilliant first spell, Zaheer held his end up, Harbhajan was his usual frugal self ( aided no doubt by the early wicket he got) and Sachin was Sachin with his mix of all sorts.
But the real revelation for me was Ramesh Powar. Tonked for 2 huge sixes, once by Bravo and then by Smith, he did not lose his nerve, and came back splendidly to finish with 3/42.
Powars performance mirrored India's on the field. For once, the fielding was sharp, Rahul's field placing impeccable, and the team collectively did not lose their nerve when Bravo and Chanderpaul and then Smith and Chanderpaul were stitching their little partnerships.
All too often, in the recent past, we have seen this Indian team not have the gumption for a fight. Far too often , a position of 90/7 would easily translate to 110 all out. And far too often, the Indian bowlers would try too hard on the field defending a smallish target, and the Indian shoulders would droop at the slightest signs of pressure.
Not in this game they didn't. And for me, that for me, is the biggest gain from this game.
If India can keep their wits about them when things aren't going swimmingly, then India can be a serious contender in the World Cup.
PS: Spare a thought for Joginder Sharma. A misfield off Sachins bowling gave the Windies 2 instead of 1. For a fringe player with not much to do in the game till that point, it could have been a deal breaker. For the same guy to pick himself up, and make the extra effort to prevent a boundary about a couple of overs later, speaks volumes about the guys gumption and, in a small way, sums up what India was about on this day.
Have the Indian batsmen forgotten how to build an innings?
Read this progression and weep -
1/4 2/35 3/35 4/46 5/66 6/69 7/90
1/0 2/0 3/0 4/0 5/0 6/17
1/9 2/28 3/44 4/45 5/56 6/63 7/67
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Scheduling nightmares..
Or, business as usual with the BCCI.
The World Cup begins on March 13, 2007 and comes to an end on the April 28, 2007
India is committed to play 2 Tests and 3 ODIs versus Bangladesh in May 2007.
India is to play domestic Twenty 20 for the first time towards the end of March, beginning of April 2007.
June 2007 sees India playing the Afro Asia Cup followed by a 3 Test 7 ODI trip to England.
This is to be followed up by the Twenty20 World Cup, a 7 ODI set versus Australia, an away series to Pakistan and then a 4 Test series versus Australia in Australia.
The Indian domestic season begins in the October-November time frame with the Challengers followed by the Irani,Duleep and Ranji Trophies.
In the middle of all this, comes this news story.
The Indian and Australian boards are planning a one-day series to be played in North America. New York or Toronto are the likely venues.
Two possible stumbling blocks in the negotiations could be Australia's tour programme and wrangling over the percentage of revenues to be shared between the rival boards, with Australia reportedly demanding an equal share and the Indians demurring.
Where scheduling is concerned, between the World Cup in the Caribbean and the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa late in the year, Australia plan to visit Zimbabwe. "And there is also the issue of player leave," Brown said. "So there are a few things to consider. India wanted to hold a tournament similar to the one we had in Kuala Lumpur."
A few points here- If Australia's scheduling is a concern, how about India's?
- How exactly are the BCCI going to get the players and the time to fit in this set of 7 absolutely meaningless ODIs in the midst of a hectic year?
- The World Cup in itself is tediously long. Wont the Indian audiences be overdosing on the hit and giggle version of the game?
- Playing the same team 15 times in an year, doesnht that reek of overkill?
- Where exactly are the BCCI priorities- towards Indian cricket or towards themselves?
- Will the Board stop at nothing to make that extra buck?
India vs West Indies First ODI - India bowling
High Point - India winning
Low Point - Catching, ground fielding and
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | ||
| Z Khan | 10 | 2 | 48 | 2 | 4.80 | (1nb) | |
| S Sreesanth | 10 | 0 | 79 | 1 | 7.90 | (4nb, 2w) | |
| AB Agarkar | 10 | 1 | 75 | 1 | 7.50 | ||
| Harbhajan Singh | 10 | 0 | 59 | 2 | 5.90 | (1w) | |
| SR Tendulkar | 10 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 5.40 | (2w) |
India vs West Indies First ODI - India batting
High Point - Partnerships
Low point - Running between the wickets
MS Dhoni should have been out by a country mile before he could get set. Saurav Ganguly got himself runout. There was a lull in the middle overs where the batsmen were not doing enough to work the ball off the square and run the quick runs. India needs to work on this aspect of its game, especially in the West Indies where run making will be difficult in the middle and latter stages of the game.
