cricket

India Vs SA – First Test – Results & Selections

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Two posts on the India Vs SA series.

First, a point to be made. Even the most fanatical Indian cricket team fan would admit that after losing 3 top draw players in Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Laxman and then having Rohit Sharma injured at the last minute, it was going to take all the effort the team could muster to make a draw of the game, let alone  win it. In the end, SA ended up winning comfortably. Also, Dale Steyn proved that quality fast bowling can only be negated by quality batting, not dead pitches!

A +ve for India was Badrinath proving that he is competent enough to be a part of the Indian test team.

Tendulkar and Sehwag scored hundreds , but could not get the middle order to bat around them. A question arises again: Is Tendulkar playing only for the record books? Does it seem that way because he makes batting look so easy, when he’s out there?

Dhoni & Gambhir were not able to stand up and be counted when it mattered!

That’s all for now!

Let these posts say the rest!

http://shortofalength.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/cricket-prophecy-fulfilled-prediction-cent-percent-accurate/

http://the22yard.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/raina-sreesanth-and-karthik-in-for-eden-test/

Have a great day!

India Vs South Africa

A quick preview of the upcoming India-South Africa test series.

Courtesy not-yours truly!

Have a nice day!

Sehwag does it again!

Why doesn’t he just bat?

More here>>>

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Risk Management & IPL

For all the hullabaloo about how the Pakistani players were snubbed at the IPL players auction, it just seems a case of smart risk management on the part of the IPL team owners.

Risk is about uncertainty and exposure.

There was uncertainty if the Pakistani players would be available to play for the IPL teams, for various reasons.

Was there exposure? Yes, if you had a Pakistani player on your team.

So, it was risk management and the reason why it appeared pre-planned was because it seems that all the IPL team owners looked at the situation through the same lens.

No cricketing logic to it! Just not cricket, as they say! But then who says the IPL is just about cricket? Are any of the IPL team owners cricketers?

Have a good day!

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

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Different Strokes

Cricket commentary of a different kind!

Good Day!

Mumbai and Ranji

Just a thought:

With the Ranji Trophy final  between Mumbai & Karnataka drawing to a close, (what an engrossing finale!), instead of wasting time lauding an Indian cricket team that does not perform in crucial matches, isn’t it time we celebrated the Mumbai cricket team, that has gone on and on , performing as a unit, over the past decade with almost no superstars in their midst?

Surely this team embodies the spirit of Mumbai, more than anything else?

PS: Mumbai completed their 39th Ranji Trophy win. See http://www.cricinfo.com/ranjisuperleague2009/content/current/story/444048.html

The NexGen Of Indan Cricket?

With the Indian Test team now at the summit , (we are now No.1 ) , let’s take a pause from celebrating , and ask a pertinent question, where’s the next generation of players, who will keep India at the top?

The Big 3, namely Tendulkar, Laxman and Dravid will soon be retiring within the next 2 years. Sehwag will then be the elder statesman of the team; I wonder if that will have an impact on his batting style. Will he still be as care-free? I have a feeling he will. He’s more in the Viv Richards/Srikkanth mold in terms of his persona; as long as he can score he’ll play else he might even retire early. The last 2 batsmen to retire early i.e. in their early 30s, were Sanjay Manjrekar and Ravi Shastri. Shastri probably has no regrets ; he made his debut for India at 19. For a man of his limited talents, he was an overachiever. To start as No. 11 and end as the opener must be a record of sorts.

So who do we have to replace Laxman, Dravid and Tendulkar?

Murali Vijay has made the most of the limited opportunities he has been given. With an eye on the future , he can be the No.3 bat for a long time if he plays to potential. The top 3 slots can then rotate amongst Gambhir, Sehwag and Vijay.

Wasim Jaffer , though already in his early 30s, might be another one who deserves a second or third chance. Remember even Australia, when phasing out their No.1 side, opted for players in their 30s before making a clean break over the past 1 year. So Jaffer cannot be ruled out.

So who’ll take Tendulkar’s place? On the weight of sheer talent itself, Rohit Sharma comes to mind. He has impressed one and all when he has put his mind to it. If he can be a bit more consistent , he can cement his place in the Indian side.

As for the contenders for Laxman’s place, there’s Uthappa, maybe a comeback from Kaif, though unlikely, Dinesh karthik perhaps, and in all likelihood, Suresh Raina but no other batsman springs to mind. None of the other T20 and ODI players selected seem like good bets for Test cricket. So there is a possibility that this Indian side can go the Australia way, (i.e. from world beaters to struggling to remain the best) , if we do not unearth gems who can adorn Indian cricket’s showcase over the next decade and a half!

Your thoughts and comments are welcome!