Today...

There is a feeling when you are playing what are essentially warm-up games that you don’t really need to win; that if your batsmen have had a decent amount of time in the middle, if your bowlers have bowled a reasonably lengthy spell without bowling to first slip or on their own toes, then it is mission accomplished. Looked at from that limited perspective, India had a good game against Sussex. Most of the top order produced runs at some stage and the bowlers got two opportunities to acclimatise.

I suspect though that India missed the opportunity of making a statement. Had India beaten Sussex with a bit of fuel left in the tank, it would have told the opposition, currently in strife over their one-day form, of their intent. This was at best a decent Sussex side; not a single player there was likely to play a higher form of cricket in the immediate future and by beating them handsomely, India would have discovered a thing or two about themselves.

Harsha Bhogle

England's chances of beating a side who, for all their notorious travel-sickness, still boast one of the most glittering middle orders in the business may depend on how well Panesar holds his nerve. He remains something of a star-struck adolescent, who was so excited to have claimed his hero Sachin Tendulkar as a maiden Test wicket in Nagpur in March 2006 that he keeps the ball - signed by Tendulkar with the words "once in a blue moon, never again" - in his bedroom at home.

Lawrence Booth on Monty Panesar

The most memorable image of perhaps the most brilliant era of Indian cricket is of a half-naked man on a handsome terracotta balcony. He is waving a shirt above his head, a tangle of gold and amulets are heaving across his chest, and all the while rather forcefully wishing somebody what looks a lot like "luck".

Rahul Bhattacharya on Saurav Ganguly

These are boom times for English spinners. With Monty Panesar already standing at No 6 in the world rankings, another talented young Anglo-Asian twirler will be on display at Chelmsford today for the England Lions match against India. And when I say young, Adil Rashid is only 19.

Simon Briggs on Adil Rashid

Sometimes it is the opponent that freezes a player, sometimes it is occasion that disrupts the normal working of the mind.

Imagine if we could peer into the working brain of the sportsperson, see the grey cells conspiring, note where resolve grows and doubt collects, where fear lurks and intelligence glows. Imagine if we could understand why some athletes collect themselves more ably, bringing their best day after day, and why some athletes fail to be the model warrior. After all, for all subtlety of stroke and soundness of technique, victory is designed, and defeat arranged, in the head.

Rohit Brijnath

Dilip Sardesai’s death has taken away from our midst, the second of the two batsmen who literally turned Indian cricket around and gave it the belief that it could cope with pace, and that too on overseas pitches. Dilip’s partner in that epic stand in the West Indies in 1971 was Eknath Solkar, who left us suddenly two years ago. There is no doubt that if cricket is played up there and a team is in a critical situation, then the ‘Sardi-Ekki’ partners hip will take them to safety.

Sunil Gavaskar on Dilip Sardesai

The Future Cup trophy India won by beating South Africa in Belfast on July 1 may have gone missing. India took the three-match series 2-1.

Amol Karhadkar

There is to India’s Test squad to England a peculiar familiarity. It pertains to the middle-order. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and V. V. S. Laxman, when in England five years back, would have fancied their chances of making this trip. They have, but it hasn’t been straightforward.

It was expected then that India, through a golden age of batting, would begin to challenge Australia’s supremacy; no more would the bullies-at-home-wimps-abroad tag be so glibly applied. India then held Australia to a 1-1 draw over four Tests in Australia, dominating passages of play, giving further credence to the theory that it might well be India’s decade. Those were heady days primarily because of the promise they offered. Watching a team being wrought is captivating.

S.Ram Mahesh

“Mr Bindra must surely have spoken to him by now,” Pandove said on Thursday afternoon. Till late in the evening, though, that hadn’t happened.

“I haven’t talked to Bindra,” Kapil told The Telegraph from New Delhi. He added: “Of course, I’m willing to speak to anybody… I don’t have anything to hide… I haven’t robbed anybody and don’t see myself in the wrong…”

LP Sahi

Opener Aakash Chopra hit his 17th first class hundred and first for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against a strong Sri Lanka A attack in a three-day game at the Arundel Castle Cricket ground in Sussex on Thursday.

R E S P E C T

MUMBAI: The Cricket Board on Wednesday announced that the best Indian batsman during the Test series between India and the West Indies henceforth would receive the 'Dilip Sardesai Award' in memory of the former cricketer who died here on July 2.

A decision to this effect was communicated through a condolence message to Sardesai's family by BCCI President Sharad Pawar during the condolence meeting organised jointly by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) and the Cricket Club of India here.

Pawar, who is also the MCA President, also said in the message - read out at the meeting by BCCI Chief Administrative Officer and MCA Treasurer Ratnakar Shetty - that the association would bear the expenses of an under-19 Mumbai cricketer annually to undergo a 3 to 4-week training at the Australian Cricket Academy.

So here is a question for Mr Bhogle - if the President of the MCA, who also happens to be the President of the BCCI, fails to show up at the condolence meeting called for by his own association, why rail against the young Mumbai cricketers?

Doesnt attitude reflect leadership?

PS:-

In the end, it is the respect for what came before that symbolises a culture. Mumbai’s young cricketers let themselves down by not paying respect to one of their best.

Mr Pawar?

Here is my team...

to take on the England Lions starting Friday the 13th.

Wasim Jaffer
Gautam Gambhir
Sachin Tendulkar(c)
Saurav Ganguly
Yuvraj Singh
MS Dhoni(wk)
Zaheer Khan
Ranadeb Bose
Ishant Sharma
RP Singh
Ramesh Powar

Here's why

• Jaffer needs a good workout before the first test and his showing against Sussex was not upto scratch.

• If Karthik is to play the first test as a keeper, then it will not be prudent for him to open. In that case, Gambhir becomes the automatic choice for opener.If Karthik plays as opener,then Dhoni should don the gloves.
• Sachin and Saurav need a hit in the middle and so become automatic selections.
  
• Yuvraj Singh, like Wasim Jaffer, did not have a decent outing against Sussex and so, makes the cut.
  
• Dravid needs rest and recuperation for his strained calf. And Laxman had a pretty decent outing against Sussex, so both he and Dravid can sit this game out.
• MS Dhoni like Yuvraj, needs some time in the middle. If the finger injury has sufficiently healed, it will behoove India to have him as first choice wicketkeeper.
• Zaheer Khan picks himself
• Ranadeb Bose as opposed to Sreesanth will be contentious, especially given the proximity of the three day game to the first test. But as the three day game is more an assessment of the resources and their match fitness, it would make sense to play both Ishant Sharma and Ranadeb Bose. Also, going into the first Test, if India choose to front up a four seam one spin attack, the identity of the fourth seamer is better established now than during the game.
  
• RP Singh hit his straps in the game against Sussex and it is a line call playing him versus Sreesanth. While RP Singh participated in the ODI jamboree in the detour that was Ireland, Sreesanth was recovering from the flu. However, Sreesanth was impressive against Sussex and seems to have gained decent match fitness.
• Ramesh Powar because he needs a game. Anil Kumble was, as is his wont, accurate. And looked in good nick with the ball in hand.Does he need another game before the first test? I don't think so. I would rather have the bench get some match time and assess how they are shaping along rather than over play the guys who are automatic selections for the first test.

Now, the England Lions ( or Pom Lions or Plions) are fielding an impressive set of players, including Andrew Strauss (capt), Owais Shah, Jonathan Trott, Ravi Bopara and Stuart Broad. Guys who we will see more of during the Test and Twenty20 and ODI series. Players who the Indians MUST target to get the early advantage.

An intriguing battle beckons..

Let the heartache begin

so too the murmurs..

Of India's inability to finish the job. Of how Sussex stretched us. Of a lack of spine. Or bottle. Or both.Of the bowlers not being good/effective enough. Of the batting, bowling and the fielding being below par.

All of which is baloney.

Because the intent of the tour games is not to win or lose but to acclimatize and work towards match fitness.

Because India created for itself a matchwinning situation when there was none.

Because the captaincy, for the most part, was good.

Because the game did not peter out to a dull draw but was a thriller and because the bowlers, the supposed weak link, created opportunities.

A little more luck and the storyline would have been different.

All in all, a bright start to India's tour of England, 2007.

Indians 388/7d & 184/8d
Sussex 300/6d & 190/9

Sussex 131/7

as I type this. Which was not altogether surprising. For two reasons -

1. The bowling team , rather the batsmen from the fielding side, would not have expected to be put in to bat at the fag end of the game. Any realistic possibility of a declaration would have come at around tea time or if Sussex had bundled out the Indians. To bat out 40 overs on Day 4 does not generally figure in the game plan.

2. Chasing 273 in 40 overs in a 4 day game is an unrealistic target. Given that, the thinking is to play for time rather than play for runs. And that mindset is akin to handing over the initiative to the bowlers on a platter.Which is what Sussex did. And what the Indians capitalized on.

India has got what it wanted out of this game.. Batsmen had a hit, bowlers stretched their legs, fielders had their time in the sun.

We also gained valuable insight on the team composition for the first test.

The declaration and the resultant score card sends a message to the Poms. Of intent. Of the fact that India is ready to create and seize initiatives ( not quite like the Aussies, but better than anything the Poms fronted upto this summer).

The worst thing the Indians could do with 5 overs remaining in the game will be to over try in getting the remaining three wickets. Because those wickets do not matter. 140/7 is a much better card to read than 152/8.

Because that would indicate that the Sussex tailenders creamed 21 runs in 5 overs off the Indian bowling for the loss of only 1 wicket. And that India could not quite close the deal despite trying hard. And that in turn will be a huge dampener in the dressing room.

Rather , settle for 140/7 and a draw with all the brownie points in the bag. And the confidence that India can push itself if it wants to. And the fact that India had Sussex under the cosh despite losing the better part of two sessions on Day 3.

And a favorable press is not a bad thing either.

PS:- Okay, now I am confused. The scorecard reads 152/7 at the end of the 41st over and there are 14 more overs to play after this. Are they making up for time lost yesterday or did I misread the CricInfo scoresheet?

PPS:- Bowling Ranadeb Bose for one over - bad idea. There are less cruel ways of killing a bowlers confidence than removing him after one over because the last ball of his over was slogged by a tailender.

And at Hove...

India are 166/8, an overall lead of 254 runs with 45 overs left in the game.

My thought - declare now..Sussex had us on the ropes right after lunch when we lost two wickets in two balls and slumped to 120/8.

Right now we have taken away the momentum from Sussex, we are in a position where we cannot lose the game and having the tailenders slog away does not benefit us in any which way.

Instead, let the bowlers have a go.. Let Ranadeb get a few more overs under his belt. Ditto RP Singh.

Lets test our fielding and catching.

And most important of all, let us give ourselves a chance to win.

Meanwhile,in Durham....

If they are to beat Durham today, Surrey first have to contend with a fast bowler who has discovered a pitch with sufficient bounce to account for accomplished batsmen and whose rhythm and, no doubt, reputation, was such that tailenders backed away when facing him. Stephen Harmison took five wickets in all yesterday, his three in the second innings reducing Surrey to 46 for three, with another searching examination in store for this morning.
--
Surrey were scratching around for victory and hoping Steve Harmison would not have the last word when bad light ended play an hour early at the Oval yesterday.
--
Surrey begin today needing 107 runs with seven wickets remaining to see off Durham, who were indebted to a spell from Steve Harmison which saw the quick bowler take three for 15 off seven overs as the home side limped to 46 for three when bad light curtailed play on day two of their First Division match.
--

That was yesterday.

This morning, starting from 46/3, Surrey managed to knock off the remaining runs (107), losing just the one wicket.

And they scored at a rate of 4.21 runs/over.

Steve Harmison - 14-5-51-4

The India A Squad for Zimbabwe and Kenya

Mohammad Kaif, Parthiv Patel, Robin Uthappa, Cheteshwar Pujara, S Badrinath, Rohit Sharma, Rajesh Pawar, Mahesh Rawat (wicketkeeper), Piyush Chawla, Arjun Yadav, Pragyan Ojha, Irfan Pathan, V R V Singh, Yo Mahesh, Pankaj Singh, Niraj Patel

I beg to differ

Here is the comment I posted on the Indian Express website in response to Harsha Bhogle's column - None to witness a sunset in Indian cricket history

To the best of my knowledge, a vast majority of the Mumbai players are in England playing Club/League cricket.
That is, if they are not donning the national colors.
You will be privy to more information in this regard that I.
I personally think its a cheap shot, calling out the Mumbai cricketers and accusing them of a lack of respect.
If respect is what you seek, it will be instructive to peruse through the list of Mumbai cricketers who donned India colors on the Mumbai Cricket website. And list down the names that are not there .
If you are looking for respect, look no further than the MCA. Who have yet to publicly facilitate thier players for engineering what is possibly the greatest turn around in the history of Indian domestic cricket.
And if it is respect you seek, please peruse through all the obits on Dilip Sardesai and list down those that eugolize his contribution in Mumbai winning an unprecedented 15 Ranji titles on the trot.
When, at an institutional level ( and I am not even thinking of the BCCI and their shenanigans with stopping Player pensions) there is no respect for the game or its players, why expect kids who have just broken into the game to show a sense of history?
When learned hacks think nothing of bypassing Dilip Sardesai's contributions to Mumbai's cricketing legacy, instead couching their obits around the West Indies tour of 71, why expect kids to know any different?
Why fob off our responsibilities on a generation whose ignorance we have lauded ( Virender Sehwag not knowing Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad's record) when we have all along encouraged this behavior?

Cheers

The Coaching special

The District Sports Association (DSA) Silchar has kickstarted the first-ever summer coaching camp for various age group probables by any sports association in the state under the tutelage of the Assam Cricket Academy.
---
The new Indian coaching manual, for players and coaches, is almost ready and will be circulated - as a book and in a CD — in the next three months. It is a culmination of eight months of hard work and research, from careful examination of reports and analyses of feedback from four men — Lalchand Rajput, Bharat Arun, Arshad Ayub, Dinesh Nanavati and Rajesh Kamat.
--
This is the only platform where gender bias in cricket—stuffed on power and technique —comes to nought. And appearing for the National Cricket Academy (NCA) Level II coaches workshop-cum-examination, Ragini Malhotra and Priyanka Sisodia agree to that. Both cleared the Level I course a year and-a-half ago — the only two in the entire North Zone — and if they clear this exam too, they will be among the most qualified women cricket coaches.
--
“There are certain subtle, but crucial changes in technique, like stance, grip, positioning, etc, that the batsman in Twenty20 cricket has to go through. To be able to score at run-a-ball, and not allow bowlers to bowl dot balls, technique is foremost. Power is necessary to hit the ball hard to the boundary,” Ghosh said.

Engerland..

“Our Belfast experience will help because you won’t get conditions worse than that. It was absolutely freezing and the conditions were tough. I’ve never encountereed anything like this in my entire career. This is something we are not used to, and experiencing that just before the series against England is wonderful,” remarked Sachin Tendulkar who completed his 15,000 one-day runs in the Future Cup series.

--

Well, India haven’t won a Test at Lord’s since 1986. I hope this time around they break the jinx, for they have the potential to beat this England side. Yes, I will be there in the Lord’s balcony cheering Rahul and boys.

The Colonel speaks
--

“Playing in England is special,” he said. “I firmly believe we can win the series this time around.”

Very Very Special speaks
--

More than anything else, the team seems happier than it has in the recent months — victories such as the ones in Belfast do much for the team. There is little that seems wrong with a team that wins, problems manifest themselves only when it is losing.

What was most pleasing about the wins in Ireland was the fact that the team looked a carefree, cheerful bunch despite the flu — the players walked about unmolested by fans or hacks, took open-bus tours of the city and then proceeded to whip the Proteas.

Rohit Mahajan

--

And before we start looking at them as the aperitif for the summer's main course, it is worth pointing out that last year India limped to a 1-0 victory in a four-Test series in the Caribbean thanks only to the batting of Rahul Dravid in a low-scoring game in Kingston.

Andy Bull

--

Fiesty cricket or not, bring on the Poms!

Today...

The year, 1971, was the year Indian cricket learnt to walk, became adult, made its bones, call it what you like, and Sardesai did more than anyone to make that possible. And he did it without a helmet.

Mukul Kesavan on Dilip Sardesai.

The cause and effect of Mugabe's obduracy has manifested itself in the killing, maiming and torture that is now tragically Zimbabwe's trademark and its President's stock in trade.

Mike Rook on Zimbabwe.

Watching a player struggle to take that last, final step from aspirant to champion, being so desperately close yet not quite there, unsure sometimes what precisely it is that is holding them back from greatness, is compelling.

Rohit Brijnath.

On whether Anil Kumble's retirement from ODIs made his comeback easier

No... Whether he’d retired or not, I could only have come back after good performances in domestic cricket and at other levels... That’s what happened.

Piyush Chawla

However, former India spinner and current national selector Venkatpathy Raju justified calling back Chawla from Scotland. “Unfortunately, we don’t have too many side games nowadays.

There are leagues happening in Southern India and it would help Chawla more if he plays in them rather than just sitting around the dressing room. Also we have India ‘A’ tours coming up,” Raju reasoned.

Avinash Iyer

Today..

For everything else that is wrong with Shoaib Akhtar, the guy has his heart in the right place when it comes to batsmen

You don’t like batsmen...

I don’t... When I come charging in, the one thought is to **** them... I like being aggressive and don’t like batsmen who keep improving their average by batting against mediocre attacks on flat wickets... It’s a pity that there are so few genuinely quick bowlers... Batting has definitely become easy and ridiculous rules such as a free hit (in ODIs) after a foot-fault no ball are absurd... For God’s sake, don’t discourage fast bowlers.

Suresh Raina is on the mend

“I know it will be a tough fight, but it is good for me. I will be motivated to perform, and if I able to do so I know I will make my way back to the Indian team,” he says. As an afterthought he adds, “I know Kaif bhai and Veeru bhai are also are eager to make a comeback, the competition is getting tougher.”

So too is Manoj Tiwary

“Till this point, all that he has been doing is going through regular, light rounds of shadow practice, without kits and bat,” Tiwary’s coach said, adding: “But by next week, I hope he will have recovered properly enough to get back into full swing at the nets. The final call of course depends on Dr Wallace, with whom Manoj is constantly in touch.”

As is Irfan Pathan

It did cross my mind and I did make an extra effort to maintain a level head, to tell myself that this is reality and this is not, to know that this all looks good but will not last. Still, I did make mistakes… you take things for granted. You go along with the flow, think you're doing right but it might not be.

And here is Yuvraj Singh

The first three wickets had fallen quite early and it was important to hold the innings together… The ball had been seaming… Rahul and I had a good partnership and, then, (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni came to the wicket… His presence makes me comfortable as he can strike the ball hard and runs fast…

It is hard not to get enthused by the maturity shown by these kids. And for that reason alone, I feel good about India's cricketing future ( inspite of the BCCI).

RIP Dilip Narayan Sardesai

Dilip Sardesai, who passed away yesterday did not know what it was like to surrender the Ranji Trophy in his playing days. City cricket is left poorer.
--
Former Test cricketer Dilip Sardesai, who was considered India’s best batsman against spin bowling, died of multiple-organ failure here on Monday.
--
It could be a club game, Ranji Trophy or Test; Dilip never ever gave his wicket easily.

--

“On the field, he was a class act—and a man extremely particular about technique,” Bedi continued while recalling the most momentous of their five tours together. “Also, he was part of Mumbai—a very successful domestic side in Ranji Trophy,” he said.

“A very warm human being, his company was highly enjoyable. He was, if I may say, the most hospitable of Mumbai’s cricketers when we visited Bombay. A man with a great business acumen, as sharp as his cricketing brain,” Bedi added. “Despite his weakening health, he was a regular at CCI and his mind ticked constantly when watching newer talent. He fought life the way he fought in cricket,” Bedi said.

--

Sardesai fit in easily, especially after taking his cricket to Bombay where he absorbed the culture of batsmanship that laid great store by correctness and the ability to grind out the long innings. His first century, after India were asked to follow-on, occupied him for 548 minutes and raised visions of Vijay Manjrekar at his best. His second, in the next Test, was for a long time the fastest made by an Indian.

--
and thanks for the memories.

Losing the plot

4.1 Zaheer to de Villiers, no run, good length delivery angling away from
the right hander, de Villiers goes on the backfoot and looks to flick it away,
closes the face of the bat very early, gets a leading edge and Sachin Tendulkar
takes a stunning catch at 1st slip, they are celebrating but Aleem dar says not
out!!! This has to be the poorest decision by an umpire I have ever seen... That
was a regulation nick!!!

4.2 Zaheer to de Villiers, no run, short of length delivery on the stumps,
de Villiers goes on the backfoot and pulls it away, in the air and straight to
the fielder at short mid wicket, he is DROPPED Gambhir has put him down

At this stage, the batsman is unsure of what to expect next. The reprieve may have given him a new lease of life , but I am not sure he is convinced of either his technique or batsmanship. So what does India do next?

4.3 Zaheer to de Villiers, FOUR!!, short of length delivery on the off, de
Villiers goes on the backfoot and pulls it away to deep mid wicket, that is
insult to injury!!!

When you have the batsman where you want him, unsure of himself, why is it that time and time again, we give him a get out of jail card with compliments?