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DAY 1 - Once again, the level of Indian cricket or perhaps, the lack of it, has been exposed.In the absence of Zaheer Khan, who has proved ...
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On the tour of NZ in 2003-04, Sachin remarked that pitches were something he had never experienced before. Even the net wickets were terri...
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DAY - 1 Finally, it was cricket time after all the hype of Muralidaran's retirement surrounding this test match.Sri Lanka will feel cont...
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
THE ASHES
The Ashes - This is what cricket fans had to say on Cricinfo... And i m loving it!! :D :)
Posted by suresh_sksj on (December 26 2010, 13:35 PM GMT)
Posted by Junaid Asif on (December 26 2010, 11:59 AM GMT)
Posted by PYC1959 on (December 26 2010, 09:27 AM GMT)
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Tuesday, November 23, 2010
INDIA AND THE NO.1 TEST STATUS
Sometimes, expecting a sunny day ahead, it feels miserable when one reaches the office drenched in rain! Indians ought to be feeling the same way after NZ, by no means a strong test side, surprised many with their performance in the first half of the ongoing tournament. For NZ, though, the situation is as unexpected as a call from your ungrateful boss breaking you the delightful news of a promotion and a salary hike!
In my view, such a unidimensional team has never occupied the No.1 status as a test side in the history of cricket. To start with, India has not been able to produce a genuine all rounder since Kapil Dev. The No.5 batting spot has been a concern ever since Saurav Ganguly hung his boots. Barring Anil Kumble, the only consistent Indian bowler in the past decade and Zaheer and Harbhajan to some extent, India has always been marred by a dearth in the bowling department, resorting to the part timers (mainly spinners) to provide support to them in the absence of an able fourth and fifth bowling option. Neither has India been fortunate enough to enjoy the luxury of having a tear away fast bowler such as a Brett Lee.
India, relying thoroughly on its consistent batting performances, has made its way to the top helped by some uninspiring bowling. Indian bowling performances over the past decade have just been like lightning in an otherwise dark sky! They have been inconsistent to say the least, looking like tigers ready to pounce on their prey on one day and looking utterly helpless and lost on the other. No wonder that the Indians were denied a win in this series as batting collapses were triggered by the Kiwi medium pacers in the ongoing test series. Though in terms of being a complete team, Indian current test side shall always be an arguable No.1 side, Sachin,Dravid and Laxman are great legends and unparalleled jewels of the game and perhaps, the team for which they play deserves the No.1 status. The magical feeling one experiences when watching Dravid and Sachin bat together for India shall certainly be missed in the future. Hence, let us sit back and enjoy what shall be remembered as the golden era of Indian test cricket.
In my view, such a unidimensional team has never occupied the No.1 status as a test side in the history of cricket. To start with, India has not been able to produce a genuine all rounder since Kapil Dev. The No.5 batting spot has been a concern ever since Saurav Ganguly hung his boots. Barring Anil Kumble, the only consistent Indian bowler in the past decade and Zaheer and Harbhajan to some extent, India has always been marred by a dearth in the bowling department, resorting to the part timers (mainly spinners) to provide support to them in the absence of an able fourth and fifth bowling option. Neither has India been fortunate enough to enjoy the luxury of having a tear away fast bowler such as a Brett Lee.
India, relying thoroughly on its consistent batting performances, has made its way to the top helped by some uninspiring bowling. Indian bowling performances over the past decade have just been like lightning in an otherwise dark sky! They have been inconsistent to say the least, looking like tigers ready to pounce on their prey on one day and looking utterly helpless and lost on the other. No wonder that the Indians were denied a win in this series as batting collapses were triggered by the Kiwi medium pacers in the ongoing test series. Though in terms of being a complete team, Indian current test side shall always be an arguable No.1 side, Sachin,Dravid and Laxman are great legends and unparalleled jewels of the game and perhaps, the team for which they play deserves the No.1 status. The magical feeling one experiences when watching Dravid and Sachin bat together for India shall certainly be missed in the future. Hence, let us sit back and enjoy what shall be remembered as the golden era of Indian test cricket.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
AN UNAPPEALING SERIES
In the times when the image of test cricket is already languishing, a contest between the number one ranked test side with the sliding and disarrayed Kiwis is vastly improbable to generate any interest among the viewers. Its just like pitching Ashish Nehra against Matthew Hayden in a boxing ring! The New Zeland team, which was recently bulldozed and humiliated by the minnows of world cricket (Bangladesh) is hardly anticipated to provide any resistance to the Indian team, which boasts of a virtually invincible batting line up. The likes of Chris Martin, Tim Southee, Jeetan Patel and Andy McKay are highly unlikely to trouble the legends of the game, v.i.z, Dravid,Tendulkar and Laxman.
From an Indian point of view, this series provides a beneficial prospect for someone like Gambhir and Dravid to spend some time in the middle and be back among the runs. It also provides Sreesanth, known more for his over aggressive and uncontrollable behaviour than his bowling these days, with a good opportunity to prove his worth.The disappointing aspect has been the persistence the Indian selectors have shown with Dhoni, who could well have been rested for this series keeping in view the South African tour and the world cup. Also, considering the fact that Dhoni injured his fingers in the last series against Australia, the time was apt to rest him as he is one of those whom India want to see fit and charging with the world cup around.
From the Kiwis point of view, Williamson shall be looking to come good by scoring heavily and justifying the faith of the selectors in him. Its a lovely chance for the Kiwi bowlers to test themselves against the famed Indian line up in trying and slow conditions. For NZ to provide a stiff competition to India, their batsmen have to apply themselves posting huge scores on the board and Jesse Ryder, back from a rehabilitation process, is expected to be the mainstay along with Ross Taylor. Considering the phenomenal plan execution and ample patience that Ryder displayed on his last tour to India, he is one batsman Indians would want to get rid of quickly. In Mc Cullum, they have one of the most devastating batsman when on song and in Daniel Vettori, they have an all rounder who is resilience personified. Indians shall certainly set a big foot wrong if they decide to take the series lightly. Cricket is a funny game and no one knows what the outcome of the series shall be but in this festive season, cricket, for once, has taken a back seat in our cricket crazy nation.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
IND VS AUS - THE INDIAN SQUAD
The board took no half measures in making clear their infelt feeling about the pratice game against the Aussies. Announcing the test squad before the practice match is a direct indication to the players looking to make a mark that all their efforts, atleast for the time being, are futile and hardly necessary. Once you get over this shock, a look at the squad furthur confirms your belief of the declining cricketing standards in India. The fact that an out of form and a lacklustre Ishant continues to share the burden of opening the attack along with Zaheer is a testimony of the obvious. Sreesanth, a circius clown more than a cricket player, is the back up bowler!
Instead of criticism of the selction process (The board has made almost all the right calls),the squad further confirms the absence of a genuine all rounder and the dearth Indian cricket is facing in the bowling department.
For a change, the selection doesnt leave anything unfulfilled this time except the absence of a reserve wicket keeper. To be fair to the selectors, they hardly have any option but to select an extra bowler or a batsman which is why the selections appeal to you even more.A back up opener in Murali Vijay, a reserve batsman in Pujara, three spinners and three medium pacers to go along with the captain and wicket keeper Dhoni give a complete and balanced look to the squad.Guys like Badrinath miss out but in this golden era of Indian test cricket which comprises of,perhaps the best test batting line up ever in cricket, it is next to impossible to find a place for everyone.
Once again, cricket shall be played as it is meant to be when Dravid,Tendulkar and Laxman take the field.Watching them play is like eating a delicious ice-cream; you want more and more...and more!Once again, the majestic batting of "The Master", the commitment to the cause of "The Wall" and the almost illusionary effect of things being normal in crises of "The very very special" Laxman shall be on display.As a viewer, let us sit back and enjoy the game of cricket the way of these unparalleled jewels of the game.Perhaps, it is because of the nature and sportsmanship of such legends that cricket is still known as the gentleman's game.
Instead of criticism of the selction process (The board has made almost all the right calls),the squad further confirms the absence of a genuine all rounder and the dearth Indian cricket is facing in the bowling department.
For a change, the selection doesnt leave anything unfulfilled this time except the absence of a reserve wicket keeper. To be fair to the selectors, they hardly have any option but to select an extra bowler or a batsman which is why the selections appeal to you even more.A back up opener in Murali Vijay, a reserve batsman in Pujara, three spinners and three medium pacers to go along with the captain and wicket keeper Dhoni give a complete and balanced look to the squad.Guys like Badrinath miss out but in this golden era of Indian test cricket which comprises of,perhaps the best test batting line up ever in cricket, it is next to impossible to find a place for everyone.
Once again, cricket shall be played as it is meant to be when Dravid,Tendulkar and Laxman take the field.Watching them play is like eating a delicious ice-cream; you want more and more...and more!Once again, the majestic batting of "The Master", the commitment to the cause of "The Wall" and the almost illusionary effect of things being normal in crises of "The very very special" Laxman shall be on display.As a viewer, let us sit back and enjoy the game of cricket the way of these unparalleled jewels of the game.Perhaps, it is because of the nature and sportsmanship of such legends that cricket is still known as the gentleman's game.
IND VS AUS - THE BOARD PRESIDENT'S ELEVEN SQUAD
Sometimes, i wonder if the selection process in Indian cricket might seem like a game of chess to the players where they are the pieces under the selectors control; you never know when (and why!) are you going to be moved!To the viewer, it certainly seems to be doltish,inconsequential,bizarre, perhaps, foreordained and at the heights of being lackadaisical! There can be no feasible elucidation of the basis on which Jadeja has made it to the squad.The board seems to be juggling between Dinda, Vinay,Yadav,Unadkat,Mithun and Sreesanth with no definative plan in mind.The reality is that Zaheer has been the only "medium" pacer who has found his place consistently in the scheme of things. India have struggled severely when it comes to finding pacemen and more so in harnessing the talents of those found.
Once tipped as the India's best all rounder after Kapil, Irfan seems to be in the limelight for every reason other than cricket these days.Once touted as the next big thing to happen to Indian bowling, Sreesanth has failed to showcase his cricketing talents after his dancing jig in South Africa and has, perhaps, started enjoying the limelight the other way.
It is bemusing, infact, piteous to see selectors happy to go in with just six specialist batsmen!What is more pathetic is their decision to leave Badrinath out who has hardly left any stone unturned to make a statement for selection in the test squad.Jadeja could have easily made way for him.The fact that out of the six batsmen selected, three are regular openers in tests is also incomprehensible.Lack of a genuine all rounder and a reserve wicketkeeper are the two biggest worries for the future if Indian cricket.In no way is Wriddhiman Saha capable of fitting in the big boots of Dhoni if the need be.The biggest positive has been the selection of Cheteshwar Pujara who has been done great injustice in being tried out at the top level so late.Now is his big chance to make a statement with a sterling performance against the Aussies.
Overall, its just saddening to see Indian cricket sink furthur.In the era of IPL and Champions League (Both of which have their advantages as well as disadvantages) where making money is no more a problem,players seem content to be selected for these tournaments rather than push themselves a bit more and come out of their comfort zones in an effort to make a statement for selection in the national team.In such a scenario, one feels that Murali Vijay, once regarded as a technically sound opening test batsman, has done himself and his career no harm by transforming into an aggressive and swashbuckling batsman, being flexible enough to adapt to the changing demands of cricket, still referred to as the gentleman's game.
Once tipped as the India's best all rounder after Kapil, Irfan seems to be in the limelight for every reason other than cricket these days.Once touted as the next big thing to happen to Indian bowling, Sreesanth has failed to showcase his cricketing talents after his dancing jig in South Africa and has, perhaps, started enjoying the limelight the other way.
It is bemusing, infact, piteous to see selectors happy to go in with just six specialist batsmen!What is more pathetic is their decision to leave Badrinath out who has hardly left any stone unturned to make a statement for selection in the test squad.Jadeja could have easily made way for him.The fact that out of the six batsmen selected, three are regular openers in tests is also incomprehensible.Lack of a genuine all rounder and a reserve wicketkeeper are the two biggest worries for the future if Indian cricket.In no way is Wriddhiman Saha capable of fitting in the big boots of Dhoni if the need be.The biggest positive has been the selection of Cheteshwar Pujara who has been done great injustice in being tried out at the top level so late.Now is his big chance to make a statement with a sterling performance against the Aussies.
Overall, its just saddening to see Indian cricket sink furthur.In the era of IPL and Champions League (Both of which have their advantages as well as disadvantages) where making money is no more a problem,players seem content to be selected for these tournaments rather than push themselves a bit more and come out of their comfort zones in an effort to make a statement for selection in the national team.In such a scenario, one feels that Murali Vijay, once regarded as a technically sound opening test batsman, has done himself and his career no harm by transforming into an aggressive and swashbuckling batsman, being flexible enough to adapt to the changing demands of cricket, still referred to as the gentleman's game.
Monday, August 30, 2010
SRI TRI - SERIES FINAL - IND VS SRI
India were always in danger once they made their "best player", Ravindra Jadeja sit out! On a serious note, finally, some sense prevailed. But many inexplicable facts came to the fore as the game progressed.India opened the bowling with Munaf instead of Nehra, a ppor decision as Nehra gets the new ball to swing.
Still, with Patel looking good, he was handed over a change of ends and Nehra was introduced into the attack.After 5 overs in the spell, Patel was removed though he had beautifully managed to keep the Sri Lankan openers in check.
Ishant started well but as has been the norm, he was thrashed in his very second over owing to the lack of variations in his bowling. Nehra's efforts were disappointing to say the least as he bowled short and wide regularly, though he has carried the bowling responsibilities well throughout the series. Meanwhile, Sri Lankans found themselves in a strong position as the openers took them past the 100 mark in the 16th over. A leading edge resulted in the fall of Jayawardene bringing Tharanga to the crease.Tharanga ended his miserable tour on a sombre note as Sri Lanka lost two wickets in quick succession. Dhoni, once again, did not attack the new batsman, Sangakkara, placing too many fielders at the boundaries which allowed Sri Lankans to keep the scoreboard ticking. Sangakkara and Dilshan batted very sensibly indeed,taking no undue risks off the part time bowlers. Finally, Sangakkara broke free in the 35th over with Sri Lanka in total control, smacking Sehwag over the top.Dilshan reached his hundered in the 37th over, much to his relief as his form hassnt been the best in the series.
It is really bemusing to see Nehra not happy with other guys when they misfield off his bowling! Nehra's fielding is not a secret and it is as bad as ever witnessed in the game of cricket.It was good to see Ishant trying some slower deliveries in his second spell, something he should dish out to the batsmen more often.
Once again, the pull shot proved to be Dilshan's downfall.Accurate short stuff seems to get him into trouble more often than not.Anyways, it was a very fine innings from him,giving Sri Lanka a fantastic launchpad to rocket to a big score.
Yorkers seem to be as alien to Indian bowlers as is functioning to ICC!Dunno what the bowlers work out in the nets, at the domestic levels and what keeps the coaching staff busy to overlook such a big gap.Kapugedera failed yet again and its time Sri Lankans gave the likes of Chandimal a look in.Munaf impressed with his bowling (though not with his attitude) as he removed a rampaging Sangakkara to give India a chance of restricting Sri Lanka to under 285, still a huge score.Yet, Sri Lankans managed to reach 299, a total they should find easy to defend once they made early inroads in the Indian batting line up under the conditions prevailing at Dambulla.
Indian innings started in a similar fashion as they lost Karthik early on, though it was due to umpiring error which once again enforces the need of technology to come into play and is a strong testimony of ICC's management and authority.
Sehwag rocketed off right from the word go, creaming both the Sri Lankan bowlers to boundaries.Malinga caused a few problems to Sehwag in the 5th over and the contest was a treat to watch.Much drama followed the very next over when Sri Lankans missed a run out of Sehwag though found him back in the pavillion on the 6th ball when the batsman was plumb in front,not given out but was roaming out of his crease and as a result,got runout!Yuvraj Singh was extremely lucky to survive on his very first ball due to another umpiring error, this time in India's favor.The predicatble captaincy of Sangakkara was on display again as he gave Malinga just 4 overs (yet again!) in his first spell.Next,Yuvraj again survived as he was caught behind of a dubious no ball from Matthews.After a couple of sparkling glimpses of the dashing and flamboyant Yuvraj of the old, another dubious umpiring decision saw India loose their third wicket.It was a relief to see Dhoni walking in at No.5 when the situation demanded someone who could anchor the innings, something he has not done in this series.It was a brave move from Sangakkara to introduce Perera before giving Kulusekera an 8 over spell (as he mostly does!), the decision taken, perhaps because of Perera's exploits in the previous match!
Just as India crossed the 100 run mark, Dhoni survived an LBW chance which the umpire percieved as an inside-edge.Virat had a rush of blood the very next over and paid big time for his ungainly stroke. He needs to develop a more all round batting (covers and square leg are the two regions he gathers most of his runs from) and look to play a long innings putting a heavy price tag on his wicket.
Raina came in next with India in deep trouble and in deperate need of a partnership.Raina is someone who blindly follows and supports his natural game, no matter what the situation demands.He smacked Perera for a six in the 8th ball of his innings.The duo played aggressively unlike the Sangakkara-Dilshan partnership, finding it difficult to score in singles and twos.Dhoni did settle in though every now and then, the ball found its way to the keeper past his edge.He began running out of partners fast as Rohit's dismal tour continued.He is one guy who has done the least justice with the talent he possesses.Dhoni was alert enough to call for the powerplay as it was a now or never situation.This kind of decisions are what we are more used to seeing from Dhoni.A twist in the tail seemed likely as Kumar got some quick runs before being bowled by a peach of a yorker from Malinga, leaving Dhoni stranded to wage a lone, almost ungainly battle, though considering his stature and reputation, Sri Lankans would have hardly breathed easily.Quite unexpectedly, Randiv was shown undue respect and attacked less often by Dhoni and he seemed to have lost all hope after the 44th over.The injured right hand and a pulled hamstring that he sustained might have a significant part in his sedate approach.The game ended in the 47th over, India handed a huge defeat by Sri Lanka.A meaningless series came to an end with Sri Lankan team emerging victorious.
Kumar Sangakkara deserves a special mention here.I have always considered NZ and Sri Lanka as the two teams who have mantained the spirit of cricket even in the changing times where aggression,sledging and positive attitute have become the buzz words.But the fast degrading attitude of the Sri Lankans does leave you utterly bewildered.Talking purely about the sportsmanship and the on-field behavior, Sri Lanka looked to be a notch above all others under the reign of Ranatunga,Attapatu and Jayawardene.The same cannot be said of now.
Sangakkara certainly leads from the front when it comes to some despicable and unworthy attitude.The way he applauds the bowler when the ball has been delivered miles away to distract the umpire and then the expression of disbelief on the ball being calle a wide is repulsive and disgusting.He pretends of being oblivious to the rules guarding the caught and LBW decisions as his dullard, unwieldy and gawky appeals suggest.Under his leadership, Dilshan,Randiv and Welegedera seem to be doing overtly fine in this department!Far from being the side always respected for their sportsmanship,Sri Lanka is waging a deplorable war desperately trying to catch up with the Pakistanis.It is hardly surprising when such behavior is witnessed as it appears quite a trivial matter in comparison to the complete lack of control and authority of ICC over world cricket.
The bee of overweening advertisements that had stung the IPL severely has now found its way into the international arena as well.Royal stag and Mc.Dowells advertisements were seen throughout the series during the match.Just as ICC has failed to enforce the review system and is just acting like a puppet,it has also failed to stop and control the unwarranted and unnecessary intervention of commercial world as a result, facing the petulance of dissatisfied viewer (Substantial crowds were hardly seen during the current competition).One would certainly like to,once again, witness pure,competitive,engrossing,entertaining and fair cricket.
Still, with Patel looking good, he was handed over a change of ends and Nehra was introduced into the attack.After 5 overs in the spell, Patel was removed though he had beautifully managed to keep the Sri Lankan openers in check.
Ishant started well but as has been the norm, he was thrashed in his very second over owing to the lack of variations in his bowling. Nehra's efforts were disappointing to say the least as he bowled short and wide regularly, though he has carried the bowling responsibilities well throughout the series. Meanwhile, Sri Lankans found themselves in a strong position as the openers took them past the 100 mark in the 16th over. A leading edge resulted in the fall of Jayawardene bringing Tharanga to the crease.Tharanga ended his miserable tour on a sombre note as Sri Lanka lost two wickets in quick succession. Dhoni, once again, did not attack the new batsman, Sangakkara, placing too many fielders at the boundaries which allowed Sri Lankans to keep the scoreboard ticking. Sangakkara and Dilshan batted very sensibly indeed,taking no undue risks off the part time bowlers. Finally, Sangakkara broke free in the 35th over with Sri Lanka in total control, smacking Sehwag over the top.Dilshan reached his hundered in the 37th over, much to his relief as his form hassnt been the best in the series.
It is really bemusing to see Nehra not happy with other guys when they misfield off his bowling! Nehra's fielding is not a secret and it is as bad as ever witnessed in the game of cricket.It was good to see Ishant trying some slower deliveries in his second spell, something he should dish out to the batsmen more often.
Once again, the pull shot proved to be Dilshan's downfall.Accurate short stuff seems to get him into trouble more often than not.Anyways, it was a very fine innings from him,giving Sri Lanka a fantastic launchpad to rocket to a big score.
Yorkers seem to be as alien to Indian bowlers as is functioning to ICC!Dunno what the bowlers work out in the nets, at the domestic levels and what keeps the coaching staff busy to overlook such a big gap.Kapugedera failed yet again and its time Sri Lankans gave the likes of Chandimal a look in.Munaf impressed with his bowling (though not with his attitude) as he removed a rampaging Sangakkara to give India a chance of restricting Sri Lanka to under 285, still a huge score.Yet, Sri Lankans managed to reach 299, a total they should find easy to defend once they made early inroads in the Indian batting line up under the conditions prevailing at Dambulla.
Indian innings started in a similar fashion as they lost Karthik early on, though it was due to umpiring error which once again enforces the need of technology to come into play and is a strong testimony of ICC's management and authority.
Sehwag rocketed off right from the word go, creaming both the Sri Lankan bowlers to boundaries.Malinga caused a few problems to Sehwag in the 5th over and the contest was a treat to watch.Much drama followed the very next over when Sri Lankans missed a run out of Sehwag though found him back in the pavillion on the 6th ball when the batsman was plumb in front,not given out but was roaming out of his crease and as a result,got runout!Yuvraj Singh was extremely lucky to survive on his very first ball due to another umpiring error, this time in India's favor.The predicatble captaincy of Sangakkara was on display again as he gave Malinga just 4 overs (yet again!) in his first spell.Next,Yuvraj again survived as he was caught behind of a dubious no ball from Matthews.After a couple of sparkling glimpses of the dashing and flamboyant Yuvraj of the old, another dubious umpiring decision saw India loose their third wicket.It was a relief to see Dhoni walking in at No.5 when the situation demanded someone who could anchor the innings, something he has not done in this series.It was a brave move from Sangakkara to introduce Perera before giving Kulusekera an 8 over spell (as he mostly does!), the decision taken, perhaps because of Perera's exploits in the previous match!
Just as India crossed the 100 run mark, Dhoni survived an LBW chance which the umpire percieved as an inside-edge.Virat had a rush of blood the very next over and paid big time for his ungainly stroke. He needs to develop a more all round batting (covers and square leg are the two regions he gathers most of his runs from) and look to play a long innings putting a heavy price tag on his wicket.
Raina came in next with India in deep trouble and in deperate need of a partnership.Raina is someone who blindly follows and supports his natural game, no matter what the situation demands.He smacked Perera for a six in the 8th ball of his innings.The duo played aggressively unlike the Sangakkara-Dilshan partnership, finding it difficult to score in singles and twos.Dhoni did settle in though every now and then, the ball found its way to the keeper past his edge.He began running out of partners fast as Rohit's dismal tour continued.He is one guy who has done the least justice with the talent he possesses.Dhoni was alert enough to call for the powerplay as it was a now or never situation.This kind of decisions are what we are more used to seeing from Dhoni.A twist in the tail seemed likely as Kumar got some quick runs before being bowled by a peach of a yorker from Malinga, leaving Dhoni stranded to wage a lone, almost ungainly battle, though considering his stature and reputation, Sri Lankans would have hardly breathed easily.Quite unexpectedly, Randiv was shown undue respect and attacked less often by Dhoni and he seemed to have lost all hope after the 44th over.The injured right hand and a pulled hamstring that he sustained might have a significant part in his sedate approach.The game ended in the 47th over, India handed a huge defeat by Sri Lanka.A meaningless series came to an end with Sri Lankan team emerging victorious.
Kumar Sangakkara deserves a special mention here.I have always considered NZ and Sri Lanka as the two teams who have mantained the spirit of cricket even in the changing times where aggression,sledging and positive attitute have become the buzz words.But the fast degrading attitude of the Sri Lankans does leave you utterly bewildered.Talking purely about the sportsmanship and the on-field behavior, Sri Lanka looked to be a notch above all others under the reign of Ranatunga,Attapatu and Jayawardene.The same cannot be said of now.
Sangakkara certainly leads from the front when it comes to some despicable and unworthy attitude.The way he applauds the bowler when the ball has been delivered miles away to distract the umpire and then the expression of disbelief on the ball being calle a wide is repulsive and disgusting.He pretends of being oblivious to the rules guarding the caught and LBW decisions as his dullard, unwieldy and gawky appeals suggest.Under his leadership, Dilshan,Randiv and Welegedera seem to be doing overtly fine in this department!Far from being the side always respected for their sportsmanship,Sri Lanka is waging a deplorable war desperately trying to catch up with the Pakistanis.It is hardly surprising when such behavior is witnessed as it appears quite a trivial matter in comparison to the complete lack of control and authority of ICC over world cricket.
The bee of overweening advertisements that had stung the IPL severely has now found its way into the international arena as well.Royal stag and Mc.Dowells advertisements were seen throughout the series during the match.Just as ICC has failed to enforce the review system and is just acting like a puppet,it has also failed to stop and control the unwarranted and unnecessary intervention of commercial world as a result, facing the petulance of dissatisfied viewer (Substantial crowds were hardly seen during the current competition).One would certainly like to,once again, witness pure,competitive,engrossing,entertaining and fair cricket.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
SRI TRI - SERIES - IND VS NZ
India made it to the final of this meaningless and "could be avoided" tri-series after NZ batting crumbled without much fight, rather surprisingly.The indication from the Indian camp is certainly clear! The players and the team management are hardly looking at this series as a significant one, continuing with their illogical selections even in a crunch game such as this.The fact that four of the senior players are already resting should have meant India tested their bench strength as much as possible.Instead, MS Dhoni decided to stick with his favourite player, Jadeja just as he continued to keep wickets despite of injured fingers.He won the toss which was followed by a formality of asking him what he wanted to do!Virat Kohli was given a chance instead of Rohit while Tiwary the "waterboy" continued to be on the sidelines.How often does one get to see a four "medium" pace pronged attack from India!Munaf, a player who is a shame on the field when you consider that players out there represent their country, got a look in instead of Ojha.
Anyways, Mills provided the perfect start to the Kiwis by claiming the wicket of Karthik whose role seems to be to inspect the field and return back with vital information about the demons in the pitch for other batsmen!Just as Sehwag looked to be settling in after a not so swashbuckling start, Kohli edged a delivery away from his body ,as he normally does, stood his crease as if to say "hey!that was miles away!!" and left slowly for the pavilion.The snickometer showed a nick and hence, his dissent and the umpire's decision might lead him into some problem.Mills bowled short of a length to Sehwag outside off,thus, asking to be hit and Sehwag obliged by smashing him to all parts of the ground, including a one legged whip through mid wicket!
Yuvraj did not look himself at all as he started sedately and soon was trying uncharacteristic shots eventually gifting his wicket to McKay.Once again, India were in trouble and this being the crunch game for both the teams, Dhoni would have done well to come in.
But ,once again, as has been the norm through out the series, Raina was sent in.For the first time in the series, some short stuff was dished out to Raina, though that seemed to be the Kiwi plan for all Indian batsmen.Raina lost his wicket while pulling the ball, leaving India in further doldrums.Finally, the "tired" Dhoni walked in.The Kiwis were exceptional with their ground fielding as suggested by the efforts of Guptill and Southee.Taylor missed a trick by having deep fielders for Dhoni as he should have tried to stop India from gathering the easy singles.Dhoni and Sehwag carried on the repair work as they looked to steady the wobbling Indian ship.After a few plays and misses off Mc cullum, Sehwag launched into him.He paced his innings very well, aiming for one boundary per over.In no time, he reached to a fine 100 with the team score at 162!He decided to take on the NZ bowling now and after a couple of fime strokes, lost his wicket to the relief of the Indian camp and dismay of the NZ camp as the "legendary all - rounder" Jadeja walked in.The "cricketer" produced a never before seen shot in just the second delivery he faced, playing an describable and inexplicable shot towards cover point while having his back towards the bowler and fetching himself a boundary to remember!Dhoni left the all rounder stranded when Mc cullum removed him.Though he was beaten a couple of times in his innings, Dhoni did well to stabilize the innings and one just wondered why he did not come ahead of Raina.And then completely treachery took place. Southee bowled a great bouncer, surely not in his capacity resulting in the downfall of the great legend!! No more jokes and sarcasm guys! Southee did bowl a fine bouncer to remove Jadeja.The tailenders stretched the score to 221 before Mills got the final wicket of Patel in the 47th over.
India started in a similar fashion to Kiwis, picking up the early wicket of Guptill.Nehra provided another breakthrough in the form of Wattling and Taylor followed him back quickly in the next over! Yes, this all happened in the space of 5 overs to give India the belief that they could win this match.NZ tried to protect Williamson as he was pushed way down the order after a "duckling" start to his international career.Except for the discipline in their line and lengths, Indian opening bowlers did well to generate some swing in helpful conditions.Dhoni perhaps was a little hasty in introducing Patel into the attack in place of Nehra.Perhaps, he was too excited at the luxury of having four medium pacers in his side!India gained total control of the patch as Kumar got his third wicket in the form of Styris.India were certainly on top with both, Taylor and Styris back in the pavilion and it was a chance for the young Williamson to showcase his talent.Incredibly,Dhoni reintroduced Nehra into the attack after just one over from Munaf as Kumar continued from the other end.A foolish tactic he is fast learning from Sangakkara, Dhoni removed Kumar from the attack who had every right to continue for a couple of overs and handed Munaf the bowl!Ishant Sharma made further inroads into the NZ batting when he removed Williamson with a fine incoming delivery.NZ innings was in shambles once Hopkins too lost his wicket to provide the less than ordinary Munaf his first.
Sharma and Patel strayed regularly in their line though the NZ players,sans Vettori were hardly in a position to capitalize!
A hilarious jig followed as NZ batsmen took a single and Praveen Kumar forgot that Watling was running for Mc cullum and excitedly ran to the stumps thinking of a possible run out!!
Nz lost their seventh wicket as Elliot was found plumb in front of the wickets.Soon, Mc cullum followed as the match looked headed for a early,infact too early a finish.The lack of fight or perhaps,the lack of adjustment the NZ batsmen displayed was certainly disappointing given the target they were set was not a challenging one.Why Dhoni introduced Jadeja into the attack and that too in the powerplay is completely baffling!With Praveen and Nehra having quite a few overs up their sleeve, Dhoni should have gone for the kill.
It was an extremely poor move, one which might pay in bigger matches against more solid oppositions.Sharma was thrashed by Mills, a just treatment to his inconsistency as his bowling was just like a see-saw!Mills played a thrilling and incaptivating innings as he took on the attack to the Indians, sending Kumar and Sharma to all parts of the ground (Sorry, i dont consider Jadeja a bowler and hence, wont mention him!).Dhoni was hit while keeping to Nehra on his injured right hand and was visibly in pain.His stupidity to continue keeping in such circumstances is fast degrading him from the levels of captaincy many have come to respect.Mills made a joyous and entertaining fifty before the NZ innings folded at 118, handing India a 105 run victory and a place in the finals of the tri-series.On a day where the most expansive Indian bowler had an economy of 4.50 and every bowler delivered atleast one maiden, Jadeja had an economy of 7.00 off his three overs without a maiden.
Though India find themselves in the finals, the batting effort remains to be a big concern.Sehwag and extras contributed to more than 50% of the Indian total!After winning the toss and batting first, Indian batsmen were certainly expected to do a lot more.The likes of Saurabh Tiwary have done enough to atleast deserve a chance and so has Pujara to atleast make it to the squad.The Indian bowlers did well though it still remains to be seen how India perform with a quartet of these medium pacers while bowling first in such conditions.A yet another Ind-Sri final awaits us and Dhoni would do well to miss the game and take a rest providing Tiwary a look in.
Anyways, Mills provided the perfect start to the Kiwis by claiming the wicket of Karthik whose role seems to be to inspect the field and return back with vital information about the demons in the pitch for other batsmen!Just as Sehwag looked to be settling in after a not so swashbuckling start, Kohli edged a delivery away from his body ,as he normally does, stood his crease as if to say "hey!that was miles away!!" and left slowly for the pavilion.The snickometer showed a nick and hence, his dissent and the umpire's decision might lead him into some problem.Mills bowled short of a length to Sehwag outside off,thus, asking to be hit and Sehwag obliged by smashing him to all parts of the ground, including a one legged whip through mid wicket!
Yuvraj did not look himself at all as he started sedately and soon was trying uncharacteristic shots eventually gifting his wicket to McKay.Once again, India were in trouble and this being the crunch game for both the teams, Dhoni would have done well to come in.
But ,once again, as has been the norm through out the series, Raina was sent in.For the first time in the series, some short stuff was dished out to Raina, though that seemed to be the Kiwi plan for all Indian batsmen.Raina lost his wicket while pulling the ball, leaving India in further doldrums.Finally, the "tired" Dhoni walked in.The Kiwis were exceptional with their ground fielding as suggested by the efforts of Guptill and Southee.Taylor missed a trick by having deep fielders for Dhoni as he should have tried to stop India from gathering the easy singles.Dhoni and Sehwag carried on the repair work as they looked to steady the wobbling Indian ship.After a few plays and misses off Mc cullum, Sehwag launched into him.He paced his innings very well, aiming for one boundary per over.In no time, he reached to a fine 100 with the team score at 162!He decided to take on the NZ bowling now and after a couple of fime strokes, lost his wicket to the relief of the Indian camp and dismay of the NZ camp as the "legendary all - rounder" Jadeja walked in.The "cricketer" produced a never before seen shot in just the second delivery he faced, playing an describable and inexplicable shot towards cover point while having his back towards the bowler and fetching himself a boundary to remember!Dhoni left the all rounder stranded when Mc cullum removed him.Though he was beaten a couple of times in his innings, Dhoni did well to stabilize the innings and one just wondered why he did not come ahead of Raina.And then completely treachery took place. Southee bowled a great bouncer, surely not in his capacity resulting in the downfall of the great legend!! No more jokes and sarcasm guys! Southee did bowl a fine bouncer to remove Jadeja.The tailenders stretched the score to 221 before Mills got the final wicket of Patel in the 47th over.
India started in a similar fashion to Kiwis, picking up the early wicket of Guptill.Nehra provided another breakthrough in the form of Wattling and Taylor followed him back quickly in the next over! Yes, this all happened in the space of 5 overs to give India the belief that they could win this match.NZ tried to protect Williamson as he was pushed way down the order after a "duckling" start to his international career.Except for the discipline in their line and lengths, Indian opening bowlers did well to generate some swing in helpful conditions.Dhoni perhaps was a little hasty in introducing Patel into the attack in place of Nehra.Perhaps, he was too excited at the luxury of having four medium pacers in his side!India gained total control of the patch as Kumar got his third wicket in the form of Styris.India were certainly on top with both, Taylor and Styris back in the pavilion and it was a chance for the young Williamson to showcase his talent.Incredibly,Dhoni reintroduced Nehra into the attack after just one over from Munaf as Kumar continued from the other end.A foolish tactic he is fast learning from Sangakkara, Dhoni removed Kumar from the attack who had every right to continue for a couple of overs and handed Munaf the bowl!Ishant Sharma made further inroads into the NZ batting when he removed Williamson with a fine incoming delivery.NZ innings was in shambles once Hopkins too lost his wicket to provide the less than ordinary Munaf his first.
Sharma and Patel strayed regularly in their line though the NZ players,sans Vettori were hardly in a position to capitalize!
A hilarious jig followed as NZ batsmen took a single and Praveen Kumar forgot that Watling was running for Mc cullum and excitedly ran to the stumps thinking of a possible run out!!
Nz lost their seventh wicket as Elliot was found plumb in front of the wickets.Soon, Mc cullum followed as the match looked headed for a early,infact too early a finish.The lack of fight or perhaps,the lack of adjustment the NZ batsmen displayed was certainly disappointing given the target they were set was not a challenging one.Why Dhoni introduced Jadeja into the attack and that too in the powerplay is completely baffling!With Praveen and Nehra having quite a few overs up their sleeve, Dhoni should have gone for the kill.
It was an extremely poor move, one which might pay in bigger matches against more solid oppositions.Sharma was thrashed by Mills, a just treatment to his inconsistency as his bowling was just like a see-saw!Mills played a thrilling and incaptivating innings as he took on the attack to the Indians, sending Kumar and Sharma to all parts of the ground (Sorry, i dont consider Jadeja a bowler and hence, wont mention him!).Dhoni was hit while keeping to Nehra on his injured right hand and was visibly in pain.His stupidity to continue keeping in such circumstances is fast degrading him from the levels of captaincy many have come to respect.Mills made a joyous and entertaining fifty before the NZ innings folded at 118, handing India a 105 run victory and a place in the finals of the tri-series.On a day where the most expansive Indian bowler had an economy of 4.50 and every bowler delivered atleast one maiden, Jadeja had an economy of 7.00 off his three overs without a maiden.
Though India find themselves in the finals, the batting effort remains to be a big concern.Sehwag and extras contributed to more than 50% of the Indian total!After winning the toss and batting first, Indian batsmen were certainly expected to do a lot more.The likes of Saurabh Tiwary have done enough to atleast deserve a chance and so has Pujara to atleast make it to the squad.The Indian bowlers did well though it still remains to be seen how India perform with a quartet of these medium pacers while bowling first in such conditions.A yet another Ind-Sri final awaits us and Dhoni would do well to miss the game and take a rest providing Tiwary a look in.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
SRI LANKA TRI-SERIES - IND VS SRI
For the first time on the tour, Dhoni called it right and won the toss,promptly deciding to bat first.For those expecting to see a glimpse of Saurabh Tiwary,the "cricketer", it was disappointing, infact, perplexing to see Jadeja in the playing eleven.Jadeja has hardly done anything, either with the bat or with the ball, to win a place in the squad, let alone the team.Such foolish team management and selection is hardly expected of Dhoni or Kirsten.Anyways, India finally got to bat first and considering the matches are being played at Dambulla, had an instant advantage over the opposition.
Malinga started things off for Sri Lanka in a fine fashion.Dinesh Karthik has certainly failed to make a name for himself as a one day batsman in the absence of Gambhir.The way he keeps stepping out of his crease to the likes of Malinga and Kulusekera( with the ball swinging) is mind boggling.Surely, there is "some" difference in the class and stature of Karthik and the likes of KP!!He was set up beautifully by Sangakkara, who came upto the stumps, and Kulusekera who mixed the inswingers with the straight ball well.Karthik failed once again as a dubious decision by the umpire showed him the way to the pavillion though he hardly deserved to be there.Sehwag looked good in his short stay before Kulusekera got him LBW by a beautiful inswinger as Indian openers failed to provid a solis start yet again.Rohit Sharma hardly looked convincing as he edged almost half the number of deliveries he played.Its time selectors axed him and provided the likes of Pujara with a much deserved oppotunity.Rohit was done in by an inswinger bowled at an "express pace" by Matthews!
Once again, Dhoni sent Raina to bat when there was a need to stabilize the innings.This attitude of Dhoni his hardly becoming of himself, the maverick Dhoni we are used to.A batsman with an average of over 50 after about 5 years of international cricket, Dhoni should conitnue to take the responsibility he has handled exceptionally well, that of anchoring the innings, before this tour.
Kulusekera was given a long spell by Sangakkara, another good move from him in a crunch game for Sri Lanka.Matthews was deprived of a second wicket by a false umpiring decision when Raina survived a caught behind chance.But, Sri Lanka hardly suffered as Dharamsena, the second umpire, sent Raina packing though the latter did not edge the ball, to give Perera his first wicket.Sangakkara missed a trick by just having one slip for the new batsman Dhoni,though he had a short extra cover, as the ball flew off the edge twice through the slip area for boundaries.Dhoni, though, fell prey to his own shot selection as he played a rubbish,pre-meditated shot to gift Perera his second wicket.Considering the busy schedule ahead (the champions league, series against AUS and SA and the world cups), the time is ripe to provide Dhoni a much needed break.Or can he leave the champions league considering his national team commitments??Anyways, in came the "best" allrounder the cricketing world has ever seen.
Ravindra Jadeja, the man who hardly fails to fail, was given a minor responsibility of rebuilding the Indian innings!! Perhaps, the task was too small considering his exceptionally high stature and class!
He lasted just "nine" (Yaa, he did!) deliveries, much to the dismay of the opposition and relief of the viewer.India found themselves at sea once Praveen also lost his wicket to an indiscreet shot selection.
The biggest positive for India was to see Yuvraj back in some form with his bat, though the same cannot be said of his fielding standards.The elegant off side drives were back as was the glance to the fine leg.Once the wickets started falling at the other end, he showed fine restraint and occupied the crease at the other end.The only fraility was the lack of application in his batting once the tailenders were at the crease as he took singles off the first ball of two overs, exposing the tail to Malinga, who was introduced back into the attack.A couple of overs and Nehra's wicket later, sense prevailed as Yuvraj asked for the batting powerplay and unleashed breathtaking strokes against Perera.Personally, i have always considered Yuvraj as the batsman with the best timing the world cricket has ever seen as was proved by a six over long off.
He also denied a single to Ishant off the 5th ball of the very same over, willing to take on Malinga.The entertainment,though, did not last long as Umpire Rauf sent Yuvraj back LBW though the ball was completely missing the wickets.The indian innings, which hardly looked like making it to the three figure mark at one point, ended at 103.
Sri Lanka made short work of the chase as Dilshan unleashed like a hungry, caged tiger at the Indians.The pull shots, for once, were connected well and along with Jayawardene, who was sent in to open the innings (another positive and a good move from Sangakkara), he ensured that the chase proved a cake walk.Rain interrupted the monentum as both the openers lost their wickets soon after the play resumed.Sri Lankans were in a ruthless mood as was suggested by Sangakkara who opted for a batting powerplay!The match ended with Sri Lanka completely outplaying the Indians and cantering into the finals of the tri series.
Inspite of winning the toss and batting first, the Indian batsmen failed to make any sort of impression.The umpiring decisions did play a part in the poor performance but still, the batsmen hardly did anything creditable as even if 100 runs are added to the total, the prospects of the Indian bowlers defending the target were meagre.Dhoni called Jadeja a specialist spinner at the toss.Yet, one wonders why is Jadeja being sent in ahead of Ishant and even Nehra for that matter!If the light conditions were blamed for the loss against NZ in the first game, Dhoni can certainly be expected to come up with such a statement as this - Our batsmen got used to playing under lights after we consistently lost the toss. Hence, they found it difficult to adjust to the daylight!!The match was a clear indication of the dependency of the Indian batting on the stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar (the bowling already spearheaded by Nehra and Zaheer, both of whom were a part of 2003 world cup!).More than the schedule and timing of various series, its the money and stardom brought in by IPL and other series that needs to be held responsible for these lacklustre performances.Players like Irfan hardly seem motivated to play for their country as IPL brings them more than enough money.The security of place an Indian cricketer seems to feel after a couple of fine performances is also responsible for the drop in performance levels.The domestic structure and the lack of facilities and professional training also does a players physique and play no good.India, next face NZ in a crunch game and some necessary steps need to be taken by the management.Saurabh Tiwary and Virat Kohli should be given a chance instead of Jadeja and Dhoni as the latter needs some rest and Karthik can take the responsibility of wicketkeeping.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
SRI LANKA TRI-SERIES - IND VS SRI
Once again, the two neighbours were ready for a clash for the umpteenth time in the past couple of years..It was baffling to see the team management persisting with Jadeja.Perhaps, they need to be reminded that Saurabh Tiwary is not a waterboy!The fact is that India have struggled to find a genuine all rounder in the last couple of decades.
Ganguly and Wright realized this, bringing the seven batsmen policy to the fore.Unless the team management can find a sutiable player to fill in the No.7 spot, i think its time they revert back to the same policy.Even more baffling was to see Dhoni keeping wickets with injured fingers after Sangakkara won the toss even though Karthik was in the team.Anyways, it was a dream start for India as Praveen removed the tentative Upul Tharanga first ball.Nehra should consider himself a bit fortunate to get Sangakkara's wicket who hit a poor delivery straight to the fielder.Samaraweera just gifted his wicket away, following his captain to the pavilion.Dhoni did well to continue with Praveen in the second powerplay as the latter seemed to be in a good rhythm.
Ishant Sharma was the first change bowler.Ishant's biggest weakness after the no-ball problem is the lack of variations in his bowling.He simply bowls short deliveries most of the times, trying to get his height into play.
The time could not be better for Jadeja to get a ball! With Sri Lankans on the mat, the stage was perfectly set for Jadeja.Yet, he bowled fast and into the legs,hardly giving the ball any flight.Kapugedera fell prey to a very soft dismissal and followed the series of Sri Lankan batsmen wanting to spend some more time in the dressing room.With Sri Lankan backs to the wall, Dhoni should certainly have attacked more.Yet, he had a long off and a long on at various stages for Randiv while leaving the slip area vacant.He was too defensive in his approach, allowing the Sri Lankan tailenders some breathing space.Ishant Sharma bowled poorly in his second spell, bowling short and wide deliveries which had "hit me" written all over them and hence, it was completely illogical on part of Dhoni to hand him the 46th over, preserving Praveen Kumar for the last couple of overs!Finally, the Sri Lankan innings folded at 170 though it should have ended way earlier.
As far as fielding is concerned, Indian efforts were not surprising at all as run out chances were missed by Jadeja and Karthik,over throws conceded by Jadeja and Kohli and fumbles by Nehra indicate.Dinesh Karthik doesnt seems to understand the difference between a T-20 and 50 over game.He walked down to Malinga and other Sri Lankan pacers on numerous occasions instead of staying at the wicket (unlike his figures sugessts) and capitalising on the opportunity he was provided by surpassing the small target.Arguably, Sangakkara could have given Mainga and Kulusekera a couple of more overs in their first spell.He hardly had to repent though as Matthews provided the first breakthrough for Sri Lanka in the form of Karthik.Virat Kohli failed to make an impression as did Rohit for the umpteenth time, though he was a bit unlucky to be adjudged LBW.It was indeed baffling to see Raina walking out again in this crisis situation instead of Dhoni.Malinga hardly proved effective defending the meagre score as the Indians safely negotiated the short balls without taking any undue risks.Randiv was introduced into the attack after the 20th over and Sangakkara had a long on in place for him!!The defensive approach of both the captains in this match is beyond any logical reasoning.Finally,Fernando made further inroads by removing Raina and giving Sri Lanka glimpse of a possible victory.
Sangakkara had a long off for the new batsman Dhoni, allowing Indians easy singles and thats all they needed.
The biggest positive for India on the Sri Lankan tour has been the restraint Virender Sehwag has shown in the absence of bug guns like Sachin,Yuvraj and Gambhir.He played an uncharacteristically patient and a well compiled innings and was the difference between the two sides in this match.With India in sight of victory and just 33 runs required, Sehwag decided to celbrate in style by unleashing an array of shots against Matthews and Randiv.What followed proved to be the moment of this match.Virender Sehwag was denied a century by Randiv, who conceded 5 extras in the last over. The 4 byes off the ball missed out by Sangakkara looked fair enough as keepers sometimes do miss the ball when it stays a touch low thoguh,Sangakkara is expected to pouch such deliveries easily.A shameful act considering the spirit of the game followed a couple of deliveries later when Randiv bowled a huge no-ball on purpose leading to a specualation if he really is a Sri Lankan or perhaps, is a Pakistani!!The law book shall certainly not be ruffled by this incident but cricket shall no longer remain the Gentleman's game with such poor sportsmanship.
ICC, SLC and BCCI added fuel to fire by bringing to forth their views on the matter.SLC has handed Randiv a one match suspension and has also reprimanded Dilshan (team mate of Virender Sehwag for Delhi Daredevils) who egged Randiv to deliver the no-ball.BCCI,ridiculously, asked for strict action on the matter!Surely, there are more significant matters to look into for BCCI rather than make a mountain of a mole hill.ICC, as expected, kept clear of any participation in the matter, leaving it to the SLC.For a team boasting of fair play for two consecutive years, this act was certainly a letdown and came as a surprise.Even more ridiculous was the way Randiv went to Sehwag to apologise.Its just like you fire off a shot at someone and then, apologise later!Professionally speaking,India shall be happy of a win , batting under lights at Dambulla and also winning the bonus point.But humans are not machines and hence, emotional quotient does come into play and such incidences, no matter the teams involved, are a big letdown.Anyways,the series has certainly opened up now, with each team having won once.Its time for Rohit to come good and play a fine knock against quality sides like NZ and Sri Lanka.Kohli should also be looking to make an impression in the absence of Yuvraj Singh and the Indian management shall do well to rest Dhoni and give Tiwary a chance in the next match.
Ganguly and Wright realized this, bringing the seven batsmen policy to the fore.Unless the team management can find a sutiable player to fill in the No.7 spot, i think its time they revert back to the same policy.Even more baffling was to see Dhoni keeping wickets with injured fingers after Sangakkara won the toss even though Karthik was in the team.Anyways, it was a dream start for India as Praveen removed the tentative Upul Tharanga first ball.Nehra should consider himself a bit fortunate to get Sangakkara's wicket who hit a poor delivery straight to the fielder.Samaraweera just gifted his wicket away, following his captain to the pavilion.Dhoni did well to continue with Praveen in the second powerplay as the latter seemed to be in a good rhythm.
Ishant Sharma was the first change bowler.Ishant's biggest weakness after the no-ball problem is the lack of variations in his bowling.He simply bowls short deliveries most of the times, trying to get his height into play.
The time could not be better for Jadeja to get a ball! With Sri Lankans on the mat, the stage was perfectly set for Jadeja.Yet, he bowled fast and into the legs,hardly giving the ball any flight.Kapugedera fell prey to a very soft dismissal and followed the series of Sri Lankan batsmen wanting to spend some more time in the dressing room.With Sri Lankan backs to the wall, Dhoni should certainly have attacked more.Yet, he had a long off and a long on at various stages for Randiv while leaving the slip area vacant.He was too defensive in his approach, allowing the Sri Lankan tailenders some breathing space.Ishant Sharma bowled poorly in his second spell, bowling short and wide deliveries which had "hit me" written all over them and hence, it was completely illogical on part of Dhoni to hand him the 46th over, preserving Praveen Kumar for the last couple of overs!Finally, the Sri Lankan innings folded at 170 though it should have ended way earlier.
As far as fielding is concerned, Indian efforts were not surprising at all as run out chances were missed by Jadeja and Karthik,over throws conceded by Jadeja and Kohli and fumbles by Nehra indicate.Dinesh Karthik doesnt seems to understand the difference between a T-20 and 50 over game.He walked down to Malinga and other Sri Lankan pacers on numerous occasions instead of staying at the wicket (unlike his figures sugessts) and capitalising on the opportunity he was provided by surpassing the small target.Arguably, Sangakkara could have given Mainga and Kulusekera a couple of more overs in their first spell.He hardly had to repent though as Matthews provided the first breakthrough for Sri Lanka in the form of Karthik.Virat Kohli failed to make an impression as did Rohit for the umpteenth time, though he was a bit unlucky to be adjudged LBW.It was indeed baffling to see Raina walking out again in this crisis situation instead of Dhoni.Malinga hardly proved effective defending the meagre score as the Indians safely negotiated the short balls without taking any undue risks.Randiv was introduced into the attack after the 20th over and Sangakkara had a long on in place for him!!The defensive approach of both the captains in this match is beyond any logical reasoning.Finally,Fernando made further inroads by removing Raina and giving Sri Lanka glimpse of a possible victory.
Sangakkara had a long off for the new batsman Dhoni, allowing Indians easy singles and thats all they needed.
The biggest positive for India on the Sri Lankan tour has been the restraint Virender Sehwag has shown in the absence of bug guns like Sachin,Yuvraj and Gambhir.He played an uncharacteristically patient and a well compiled innings and was the difference between the two sides in this match.With India in sight of victory and just 33 runs required, Sehwag decided to celbrate in style by unleashing an array of shots against Matthews and Randiv.What followed proved to be the moment of this match.Virender Sehwag was denied a century by Randiv, who conceded 5 extras in the last over. The 4 byes off the ball missed out by Sangakkara looked fair enough as keepers sometimes do miss the ball when it stays a touch low thoguh,Sangakkara is expected to pouch such deliveries easily.A shameful act considering the spirit of the game followed a couple of deliveries later when Randiv bowled a huge no-ball on purpose leading to a specualation if he really is a Sri Lankan or perhaps, is a Pakistani!!The law book shall certainly not be ruffled by this incident but cricket shall no longer remain the Gentleman's game with such poor sportsmanship.
ICC, SLC and BCCI added fuel to fire by bringing to forth their views on the matter.SLC has handed Randiv a one match suspension and has also reprimanded Dilshan (team mate of Virender Sehwag for Delhi Daredevils) who egged Randiv to deliver the no-ball.BCCI,ridiculously, asked for strict action on the matter!Surely, there are more significant matters to look into for BCCI rather than make a mountain of a mole hill.ICC, as expected, kept clear of any participation in the matter, leaving it to the SLC.For a team boasting of fair play for two consecutive years, this act was certainly a letdown and came as a surprise.Even more ridiculous was the way Randiv went to Sehwag to apologise.Its just like you fire off a shot at someone and then, apologise later!Professionally speaking,India shall be happy of a win , batting under lights at Dambulla and also winning the bonus point.But humans are not machines and hence, emotional quotient does come into play and such incidences, no matter the teams involved, are a big letdown.Anyways,the series has certainly opened up now, with each team having won once.Its time for Rohit to come good and play a fine knock against quality sides like NZ and Sri Lanka.Kohli should also be looking to make an impression in the absence of Yuvraj Singh and the Indian management shall do well to rest Dhoni and give Tiwary a chance in the next match.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
SRI LANKA TRI-SERIES - IND VS NZ
The first thing that came to your mind after the match was :- Mahendra Singh Dhoni needs rest! I am not suggesting he is out of form but if you overuse a machine for a long time, it is bound to give away.Sachin has been opting to rest in various series and Gambhir, Ishant,Harbhajan and Yuvraj have also been rested to a certain extent.Its time Dhoni realized he needs rest if he wants to carry on with his good work.Coming to the match,the toss was won by the NZ captain Ross Taylor and he showed no hesitation in deciding to bat first as has been the norm at Dambulla. Praveen Kumar was brilliant in his first spell,making early inroads into the NZ top order.Nehra looked a bit edgy and out of practice,regularly spraying the bowl on the leg side.Mithun started well but his lack of consistency and variations meant he failed to provide India a breakthrough.Dhoni did well to introduce Ojha into the attack after Kumar appeared to be getting a little tired.It was the perfect situation for Ojha to bowl as NZ were on the mat and looking to rebuild their innings. The best way to disorient Ojha is to attack him and that is what Taylor and Styris tried though they were veritably beaten by the flight and spin Ojha was able to generate.
NZ certainly had done their homework as they looked to attack the
fifth bowler.Once again, the quality and class of Jadeja was on view
as NZ batsmen smashed him in his very first over, forcing Dhoni to
introduce Yuvraj.Its high time the team management and selection
committee realized how futile and illogical it is to select a player
like Jadeja.Irfan Pathan is a far better option as he adds much more
to the batting depth and there is hardly any difference these days in his and Jadeja's bowling.Indian fielding standards were not
disconcerting at all! A missed stumping of Styris by Dhoni and a
dropped catch of Taylor by Raina were the highlights of the Indian
fielding effort.Raina's effort to catch the ball certainly spoke
volumes of him being a touch over-confident as he could easily have
got two hands to the ball and yet decided to go for the catch
one-handed.After quite a few play and misses, finally,NZ batsmen were able to time the ball off Ojha. Dhoni certainly missed a trick here as he removed Ojha from the attack to introduce Sehwag in the 25th over.He set a defensive field which was capitalized on by the NZ duo of Taylor and Styris as they smartly found the gaps for singles and twos.Giving Ojha another over would have done India no harm, especially as the two batsmen were looking to attack and a wicket there would have given India a big advantage.
It was outstanding captaincy by Ross Taylor to take the batting
powerplay in the 31st over.More often than not, Captains tend to save the powerplay for the last ten overs by which time they loose a couple of wickets and hence, the initiative they had.This move was an example for the likes of Ricky Ponting, ridiculously considered to be one of the best captains.Dhoni did well to hand Ojha the ball in the powerplay but it was a poor move to bring on Jadeja.Sehwag and Yuvraj had bowled far better than Jadeja and India paid for this silly move.Ojha aslo went for runs but the batsmen had to take risks on his bowling unlike of Jadeja's who offered them freebies. Finally,Nehra was introduced but his inconsistency meant NZ capitalized big time in the batting powerplay.One wonders what Yuvraj Singh was doing at backward point for major part of the innings!Yuvraj's fielding standards have dipped precipitously in the past few years and it was a mistake to have him there, clearly suggested by the number of times he fumbled.Mithun walked off the field, compounding problems for Dhoni who now had to get 6 extra overs out of his part time bowlers.Luckily for India, NZ lost its way in the last 10 overs and were restricted to under 300.Still, a score of 288 at Dambulla is a captain's delight and NZ camp would certainly have felt elated after their batting effort helped on its way by some poor fielding display by India.
Batting under lights has never been a cakewalk at Dambulla.But the
pathetic and grotesque show the Indian batsmen put up was a big
disappointment.One of the best batting talents in India, Rohit Sharma poked at a ball way outside his off stump to provide Taylor with some catching practice.Sehwag looked to be a bit edgy and was unable to deal with the bounce the NZ medium pacers were able to
generate.Karthik looked good while his brief stay at the wicket and
might consider himself unlucky to be given out LBW as the replays
clearly indicated the ball would have missed the leg stump.One does
not expect a negative move from Dhoni who has always been aggressive
and positive as a captain.To send in Raina at No.5 was a big bumble
considering the swing and extra bounce NZ bowlers were generating.
Dhoni has been the backbone of Indian batting lineup and has taken up the role of anchoring the innings since the time Dravid was not
considered good enough to play in the ODI team. With India having lost early wickets,someone was needed to stabilize the innings and Dhoni was the best option unlike Raina, who likes to play his shots, no matter what the situation demands.Raina went trying to hit a ball for a boundary and Dhoni followed as a misunderstanding ensued between him and Yuvraj.To be fair to Dhoni,it was Yuvraj's call
who sent him back and a marvelous fielding effort by Tuffey meant the game was as good as over.
Yuvraj hung around for sometime before perishing.It was a memorable
day for Jadeja, who was the top scorer for India with 20 runs! In
Jadeja's case, the quality and the time and pace at which the runs
came hardly matter.Kane Williamson, the debutant, was made to look
like a genuine off spinner as he bowled to Jadeja and the tail. Finally, the agony ended as the Indian innings folded disgracefully at 88.Its high time BCCI took some harsh steps and then,stuck to them (Unlike the case of Yuvraj who was axed only to be brought back after one series).Performance should be the main criteria for a players selection and the players should be strictly advised not
to participate at all in reality shows and not in more than a couple
of advertisements per year.Irrespective of this match,the conditions
at Dambulla certainly call for some criticism.Luck plays a far more
significant role instead of the game in deciding the eventual outcome of the match.The light conditions are way below par and ICC should look into this matter.Otherwise, the audience has little reason to watch cricket, littered by Royal Stag and MC Dowell's commercials in between the play, instead of football or tennis where the entertainment is hardly marred due to the surface and conditions under which the game is played.Its time ICC proved it is a cricket governing body and took the appropriate steps to improve the standard of cricket.
NZ certainly had done their homework as they looked to attack the
fifth bowler.Once again, the quality and class of Jadeja was on view
as NZ batsmen smashed him in his very first over, forcing Dhoni to
introduce Yuvraj.Its high time the team management and selection
committee realized how futile and illogical it is to select a player
like Jadeja.Irfan Pathan is a far better option as he adds much more
to the batting depth and there is hardly any difference these days in his and Jadeja's bowling.Indian fielding standards were not
disconcerting at all! A missed stumping of Styris by Dhoni and a
dropped catch of Taylor by Raina were the highlights of the Indian
fielding effort.Raina's effort to catch the ball certainly spoke
volumes of him being a touch over-confident as he could easily have
got two hands to the ball and yet decided to go for the catch
one-handed.After quite a few play and misses, finally,NZ batsmen were able to time the ball off Ojha. Dhoni certainly missed a trick here as he removed Ojha from the attack to introduce Sehwag in the 25th over.He set a defensive field which was capitalized on by the NZ duo of Taylor and Styris as they smartly found the gaps for singles and twos.Giving Ojha another over would have done India no harm, especially as the two batsmen were looking to attack and a wicket there would have given India a big advantage.
It was outstanding captaincy by Ross Taylor to take the batting
powerplay in the 31st over.More often than not, Captains tend to save the powerplay for the last ten overs by which time they loose a couple of wickets and hence, the initiative they had.This move was an example for the likes of Ricky Ponting, ridiculously considered to be one of the best captains.Dhoni did well to hand Ojha the ball in the powerplay but it was a poor move to bring on Jadeja.Sehwag and Yuvraj had bowled far better than Jadeja and India paid for this silly move.Ojha aslo went for runs but the batsmen had to take risks on his bowling unlike of Jadeja's who offered them freebies. Finally,Nehra was introduced but his inconsistency meant NZ capitalized big time in the batting powerplay.One wonders what Yuvraj Singh was doing at backward point for major part of the innings!Yuvraj's fielding standards have dipped precipitously in the past few years and it was a mistake to have him there, clearly suggested by the number of times he fumbled.Mithun walked off the field, compounding problems for Dhoni who now had to get 6 extra overs out of his part time bowlers.Luckily for India, NZ lost its way in the last 10 overs and were restricted to under 300.Still, a score of 288 at Dambulla is a captain's delight and NZ camp would certainly have felt elated after their batting effort helped on its way by some poor fielding display by India.
Batting under lights has never been a cakewalk at Dambulla.But the
pathetic and grotesque show the Indian batsmen put up was a big
disappointment.One of the best batting talents in India, Rohit Sharma poked at a ball way outside his off stump to provide Taylor with some catching practice.Sehwag looked to be a bit edgy and was unable to deal with the bounce the NZ medium pacers were able to
generate.Karthik looked good while his brief stay at the wicket and
might consider himself unlucky to be given out LBW as the replays
clearly indicated the ball would have missed the leg stump.One does
not expect a negative move from Dhoni who has always been aggressive
and positive as a captain.To send in Raina at No.5 was a big bumble
considering the swing and extra bounce NZ bowlers were generating.
Dhoni has been the backbone of Indian batting lineup and has taken up the role of anchoring the innings since the time Dravid was not
considered good enough to play in the ODI team. With India having lost early wickets,someone was needed to stabilize the innings and Dhoni was the best option unlike Raina, who likes to play his shots, no matter what the situation demands.Raina went trying to hit a ball for a boundary and Dhoni followed as a misunderstanding ensued between him and Yuvraj.To be fair to Dhoni,it was Yuvraj's call
who sent him back and a marvelous fielding effort by Tuffey meant the game was as good as over.
Yuvraj hung around for sometime before perishing.It was a memorable
day for Jadeja, who was the top scorer for India with 20 runs! In
Jadeja's case, the quality and the time and pace at which the runs
came hardly matter.Kane Williamson, the debutant, was made to look
like a genuine off spinner as he bowled to Jadeja and the tail. Finally, the agony ended as the Indian innings folded disgracefully at 88.Its high time BCCI took some harsh steps and then,stuck to them (Unlike the case of Yuvraj who was axed only to be brought back after one series).Performance should be the main criteria for a players selection and the players should be strictly advised not
to participate at all in reality shows and not in more than a couple
of advertisements per year.Irrespective of this match,the conditions
at Dambulla certainly call for some criticism.Luck plays a far more
significant role instead of the game in deciding the eventual outcome of the match.The light conditions are way below par and ICC should look into this matter.Otherwise, the audience has little reason to watch cricket, littered by Royal Stag and MC Dowell's commercials in between the play, instead of football or tennis where the entertainment is hardly marred due to the surface and conditions under which the game is played.Its time ICC proved it is a cricket governing body and took the appropriate steps to improve the standard of cricket.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
SRI LANKA TRI-SERIES - THE INDIAN SQUAD
After the not so engaging test series,its time for the shorter version of the game.New Zeland come in as the third participants which should add to the zeal.A pitch offering pace and bounce with spin later on and being consistent through out the 100 overs shall certainly be ideal for the competition.Though one or the other component for an ideal pitch is always missing in Asia, Sri Lanka still offers far more competitive pitches than India,the biggest disadvantage being the toss factor.Winning the toss here means you have won half the battle and captains anonymously choose to bat first.Well, the pitch,weather conditions and toss factor is hardly in the control of players or the selectors.What selectors can do is select the right squad and its the duty of the players to perform to their potential.
India go in with a 15 man squad which looks far more balanced than the squad sent in for the Asia cup.Obviously,the focus is on the selection of Yuvraj Singh.Yuvraj has been one of the most important members of the team as far as his batting is concerned.A victory in world cup or champions trophy or any other competitive series is far more likely with him in the team.Personally,i have always enjoyed his batting,the match winning ability,his positive attitude, the imperial timing with which he hits the ball and the pace at which he takes the game away from the opposition.The selectors took a bold but right step of axing him from the Asia cup squad.It was a positive decision from the selectors,a message to the players that performance is the basis for selection.But right in the next series,Yuvraj has been recalled!One wonders whether the message has been conveyed to Yuvraj.Was a month enough for Yuvraj to work on his fitness and fielding?Was it enough for him to get his problematic knee treated?Wasn't there always a feeling that Yuvraj's return was a certainty?Perhaps giving him a long break would have conveyed the message better and a fitter, eager Yuvraj might have returned for the Australia series in November.He might still easily perform with his bat covering the other issues with a couple of match winning knocks in this series, but these shall be the knocks played to prove a point and not played by an improved player.
Sachin Tendulkar has been rested for this series, a good decision as this series has far less significance as compared to the series against Australia and the World cup.Gambhir and Harbhajan have also been given a break.Perhaps a better word would have been "axed" as they certainly needed it.Selectors have done well to keep them out of the squad atleast.India go in with 3 spinners, 4 medium pacers, 7 batsmen and Dhoni as the captain.Mithun has been given an opportunity instead of Dinda which is unfair on the man as he did his best on the Zimbabwe tour.Nehra will lead the attack in the absence of Zaheer while Praveen and Ishant shall be the support bowlers.Zaheer's injury has meant Ishant gets a chance in the limited version of the game and this selection is debatable as well.Performance is the only way by which Ishant can silence the critics.Ojha and Ashwin are the spinners, a fine choice.Jadeja is the "all rounder" in the team with Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan being left out.There is hardly any difference these days in the bowling of Jadeja and Irfan, though Irfan is certainly a far better player when it comes to batting,hence, selection of Jadeja ahead of him is a shame.India begin the series against New Zeland on Tuesday and both the camps shall be looking to start the series on a positive note.
India go in with a 15 man squad which looks far more balanced than the squad sent in for the Asia cup.Obviously,the focus is on the selection of Yuvraj Singh.Yuvraj has been one of the most important members of the team as far as his batting is concerned.A victory in world cup or champions trophy or any other competitive series is far more likely with him in the team.Personally,i have always enjoyed his batting,the match winning ability,his positive attitude, the imperial timing with which he hits the ball and the pace at which he takes the game away from the opposition.The selectors took a bold but right step of axing him from the Asia cup squad.It was a positive decision from the selectors,a message to the players that performance is the basis for selection.But right in the next series,Yuvraj has been recalled!One wonders whether the message has been conveyed to Yuvraj.Was a month enough for Yuvraj to work on his fitness and fielding?Was it enough for him to get his problematic knee treated?Wasn't there always a feeling that Yuvraj's return was a certainty?Perhaps giving him a long break would have conveyed the message better and a fitter, eager Yuvraj might have returned for the Australia series in November.He might still easily perform with his bat covering the other issues with a couple of match winning knocks in this series, but these shall be the knocks played to prove a point and not played by an improved player.
Sachin Tendulkar has been rested for this series, a good decision as this series has far less significance as compared to the series against Australia and the World cup.Gambhir and Harbhajan have also been given a break.Perhaps a better word would have been "axed" as they certainly needed it.Selectors have done well to keep them out of the squad atleast.India go in with 3 spinners, 4 medium pacers, 7 batsmen and Dhoni as the captain.Mithun has been given an opportunity instead of Dinda which is unfair on the man as he did his best on the Zimbabwe tour.Nehra will lead the attack in the absence of Zaheer while Praveen and Ishant shall be the support bowlers.Zaheer's injury has meant Ishant gets a chance in the limited version of the game and this selection is debatable as well.Performance is the only way by which Ishant can silence the critics.Ojha and Ashwin are the spinners, a fine choice.Jadeja is the "all rounder" in the team with Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan being left out.There is hardly any difference these days in the bowling of Jadeja and Irfan, though Irfan is certainly a far better player when it comes to batting,hence, selection of Jadeja ahead of him is a shame.India begin the series against New Zeland on Tuesday and both the camps shall be looking to start the series on a positive note.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
IND-SRI TEST SERIES - THIRD TEST
DAY - 1
This test series shall be remembered more for individual achievements by cricketing giants instead of the boring and futile cricket it had to offer.The moment Sachin Tendulkar stepped on the field, he became the most caped test player of all time.This is just another rose in his garden of achievement, just another step on the ladder leading to the highest and perhaps, invincible summit and another jewel in the crown already studded with plenty.There is little doubt on who is going to rule the cricketing world after its beloved and all conquering king:The cricketing world shall certainly miss a ruler!In the coming era,Sachin shall always be regarded as the greatest cricketer ever as the batsmen shall hardly be tested, given the already deteriorating standards of test cricket and the necessity of a sound technique shall become a thing of past in the times of fast and furious cricket.
Sangakkara won the toss, yet again, and decided to bat.India went into the test having lost Harbhajan to an injury which meant Mishra got an opportunity.Indian medium pacers started well as they bowled good lines regularly! Paranavitana was the first wicket to fall getting an edge off an Ishant Sharma delivery.Ishant got the bowl to nip back regularly, though the inconsistency in his bowling lines meant Dilshan had enough opportunities to play his favorite shots on the off side.Dilshan did play him well except for his timing while playing the cut short.Sangakkara attacked Mishra, the way he normally goes about playing the spinners at the start of a fresh spell, and sent him to the cleaners.A well spread out field by Dhoni in the 15th over suggested the little belief he has in Mishra and the defensive mindset of the Indians.Confidence is a great attribute to have but over confidence is something a player should guard himself from.Raina made a blunder by diving forward to latch a catch of Sangakkara which was on its way to Laxman's hands.Ojha was introduced into the attack and Sri Lanka looked headed for another strong start when Dilshan lost his wicket off a no-ball! He was run out, courtesy the good work by Vijay at silly point.
It is certainly amazing, unbelievable and incomprehensible, the way Indian spinners manage to deliver no-balls consistently.Sangakkara simply toyed with the Indian spinners, regularly lofting them over the infield, though settling down and nudging the ball into the gaps and building his innings would not have been a bad option.Ojha got some sharp turn a couple of times but otherwise, hardly troubled the two batsmen.Sangakkara and Jayawardene have been the lynch-pin of the Sri Lnakan batting for quite some time now.It was a bit comedic to see them in confusion over running between wickets, though they settled down later. Finally,Sangakkara paid for trying to clear the boundary once again, throwing his wicket away to present Ojha with his first.What followed was a fine bowling spell by Mishra and Mithun in tandem and just when they looked like troubling the batsmen, the umpires called it tea.
Sharma and Mishra started off well after tea and it was a little baffling to see Sharma removed from the attack to introduce Ojha as Sharma was certainly not menacing but had Jayawardene in some sought of trouble.Ojha continued the good work alongside Mishra and for the first time in the series, Indians looked in some control in the field as the batsmen were unable to dominate the two spinners.Ojha finally got Jaywardene who might consider himself unlucky to be given out.Sehwag was given a bowl but,for once, did not look more effective than the premier spinners!
Mishra seems busy finding new ways to get into trouble these days.After his no-ball problem, he has shown vulnerability in his run up suggested by the fact that he was warned twice by the umpires for running on the danger area.Sri Lankan batsmen now looked to consolidate the innings,easy singles available because of the inside out field.
India might just have missed a trick by claiming the new ball after 81 overs as spinners were doing a great job.Play was called off after a few overs because of the bad light.The match seems to be well poised and the biggest relief from the viewer's point of view was the better nature of wicket than the second test.Probability of a result seems to be a good one.
DAY - 2
Ishant Sharma began the day on a good note, though Mithun was completely wayward and was removed soon from the attack.He was reintroduced from the other end, not the best of moves from Dhoni.Ojha removed Matthews with a fine delivery, giving India a chance to restrict Sri Lanka to under 400.The two Indian spinners bowled in tandem,Ojha putting on the pressure from one end while Mishra releasing it from the other!Ojha got the wicket of Prasanna Jayawardene to take his wicket tally in this match to four.One wonders why Chandimal is being ignored by the Sri Lankan selectors.He looks a far better option than Prasanna.
India could certainly have attacked Randiv a bit more while the spinners were on.Dhoni toyed with Sehwag and Ishant, giving them alternate overs from one end and continuing with Mishra from the other though introducing Ojha straight away into the attack would have done India no harm.Finally,Randiv's patience gave away and he threw his wicket.Malinga hardly showed any discretion and was soon back in the pavilion.More than his batting,Sri Lankan camp shall certainly be looking forward to a fiery bowling performance from him.Some mindless batting from Samaraweera was now on display as he hogged singles to give majority of the strike to Mendis.Another small partnership ensued and Sri Lanka went past 400.Finally,Sharma got Mendis and Welegedera in quick succession.Welegedera attacked from the word go, though he could have easily stayed at the wicket with Samaraweera still batting at the other end.Sri Lankan innings was folded at a total of 425.
Malinga started the proceedings with a fabulous yorker to Vijay and one was assured of some entertainment from him.He,once again, bowled his heart out and troubled Sehwag on more than one occasion, though the latter thrashed Welegedera.Vijay hardly looked comfortable through out his innings and was done in by Malinga, who bowled superbly.Dravid came in and looked nice and compact.Sangakkara missed the trick completely by continuing Welegedera from the other end.He might have snared Sehwag a couple of times in tests but still has done nothing substantial to earn respect of the attacking opener.Sehwag,on the other hand,showed fine restraint and looked good for another big one.Sangakkara had just two close-in fielders for Dravid while Medis bowled,something one expects off him now!
Matthews got the big and crucial wicket of Rahul Dravid, who looked good while his short stay at the crease, with a delivery Rahul seems to be troubled by more than any other..A big knock from Dravid is due and one hopes he finds the old touch of his.Sehwag had a slice of luck when Matthews dropped him off his own bowling.Mendis bowled well and for once,Sangakkara was playing normal cricket,introducing Malinga back into the attack.An intriguing phase of test cricket ensued as there was an equal competition between the bat and the ball.Sangakkara should certainly have attacked the two little men from India more.Malinga made both the batsmen think and was well supported at the other end by none other than Randiv, a surprise package!
The day ended with Sehwag and Sachin seeing off the hostile Malinga and surviving quite a few LBW shouts off Randiv.Once again, no team seems to be in an advantageous position though Sri Lankans would certainly feel they have an edge over the Indians.This certainly certainly has much more in store than the dull second test.
DAY - 3
The first ball of the day saw Malinga beating Tendulkar! Sachin,uncharacteristically, looked out of sorts and perished,poking at a short delivery outside off in the same over.This handed Sri Lanka a definite advantage.So far, Sangakkara has pulled all the right strings in this test match as far as bowling changes are concerned, a huge surprise! Randiv was introduced from the other end and Sehwag was extremely lucky to survive a LBW shout in the second over of the day before perishing to the same bowler.Sangakkara could certainly have gone for the kill by bringing in more close in fielders, with the Indian backs to the wall.
Malinga was removed from the attack now! Ooh!! With Raina at crease, removing Malinga after he had just bowled four overs,was nothing less than a blunder.Its just like allowing the snake to live freely by killing the eagle!After 35 balls of patient batting, Raina was doing what he likes to do and stepped out to Mendis, though he survived.Incredulously, Dilshan was introduced into the attack.Randiv beat Raina a couple of times before Welegedera( and not Matthews) was brought on.Extremely surprising was the lack of short stuff from the Lankan bowlers! Well, Sangakkara forgot he had given the ball to Welegedera and brought back Malinga now only to change ends for Welegedera.The first bouncer balled at Raina was after he had faced 77 deliveries to score 39 runs!Malinga fired in yorkers at Raina.It almost seems there has been an off-field pact made between the two camps and Raina is the benefitter!
Raina survived a edge off Malinga before it was Sangakkara who denied Malinga his wicket.A short leg fielder was missing and finally,when the accurate bouncer arrived, the ball fell in the vacant area,begging to be caught.Laxman played a fine and quiet innings before he was sent off by Mendis at a crucial time.Raina decided to open up now and took the attack to Malinga et al.
Finally,he was snared by Mendis and India found themselves in a spot of bother now.A lead would have certainly handed Sri Lankans an advantage.Mithun entered the scene and once again, played well alongside his captain.Dhoni and Mithun looked to get some quick runs and Dhoni perished on the way.A better performance was expected from Dhoni, a fantastic finisher in the one day game.Mendis bowled really well and Malinga returned to nail the skipper's wicket.
Sri Lanka found themselves in a position from where they could have pressed on and attain a lead of,say, 50 runs.It was ridiculous to see Sangakkara having a deep midwicket and a long-off in place.Matthews dropped a sitter form Mishra off Malinga and the two tailenders saw off the new ball till tea, Mithun looking far more convincing as a batsman.Both were beaten quite a few times by Malinga and Welegedera, the former looking at his menacing best while the latter looking completely ordinary.Mithun batted (infact,battled!) really well before he left the scene while India trailed by just 16 runs.Mishra got some valuable runs for India and India took a slender lead before the innings folded.
With just over two days of cricket left, Sri Lankans would certainly look to get some quick runs,a lead of say,250 and have a go at Indian batsmen later in the fourth day and on the fifth day.The two openers started well and Dhoni wass alert enough to introduce spin early on.Sehwag was introduced ahead of Mishra and the move resulted in the wicket of Paranavitana.Both the camps had ups and downs with runs coming off the bat as well as ball beating the bat on quite a few occasions.Next,Dilshan was shown the way to the pavilion by a fine catch from Vijay at short leg.The day was seen off by Sangakkara and Randiv,the night watchman.The match seems to be in complete balance and it all depends on the attitude with which the players approach the game.
DAY - 4
Drama started straight away on day four of the match with both batsmen surviving a chance apiece.Having no slip in place meant the ball flew through the vacant area off the edge of Sangakkara's bat.Next,Sharma unleashed an array of bouncers against Randiv before Dhoni dropped him off Ojha though no damage was done as Randiv was trapped in front the very next ball.It was fantastic to see Dhoni attack ,having four close in fielders for the new batsman, Jayawardene.Indians looked really pumped up in the field which was pleasing.Sri Lankans were looking for quick runs so as to put pressure on the Indians.But fate had other plans for them as Ojha bowled beautifully on a helpful wicket, getting the most out of it.Jayawardene was sent back be him leaving Sri Lanka in a huge spot of bother.Just when a big,perhaps a match saving partnership was required,Sangakkara played a terrible shot on a rubbish delivery from Ojha and lost his wicket to give India total control of the match.
Sehwag was given the bowl for just one over, perhaps considering that Sangakkara,a left hander, was at the crease.Soon after his wicket,Dhoni introduced Mishra into the attack with two right handers batting.Dhoni made a blunder by pushing mod on back to long on after just one boundary from Matthews, who was stupid enough to charge down the track at take the risk of losing his wicket.Well,Matthews was in no mood to capitalize as he threw of his wicket, playing an extremely carefree stroke off Mishra.The drama continued as Prasanna was found LBW the very next delivery.With Sri Lanka completely on the mat, India had a great chance to finsh things off in style and secure a comprehensive victory.
Sri Lankan batsmen decided to still carry on with their attacking approach.Dhoni pushed his fielders back though their was no need of this.He should have looked to attack and finish the innings.There was no attempt to stop Samaraweera from taking a single off the last deliveries of the over and nor did Samaraweera hesitate much in giving Malinga the strike by getting off strike early in the over.Finally,Malinga was out playing his shots to Sehwag.India were denied a wicket quite some time after that as Samaraweera and Mendis piled on crucial runs.An inside out field was set by Dhoni as he brought back his medium pacers into the attac,perhaps,on the advice of Sachin.Mendis proved to be quite a thorn for India as he rapidly gathered useful runs for his team.
Dhoni fiddled with his bowlers, desperate to get a wicket.Ishant did trouble Mendis but failed break the partnership.Mendis reached his fifty with a boundary off Ojha, stretching the lead further.Finally,Mithun provided the breakthrough with the new ball, snaring Medis's wicket.What followed was some hilarious stuff from Mendis, though not too funny if you are an Indian fan.To be fair, Indian bowlers deserve this thumping.They hardly tried any yorkers or slower balls.Finally,the innings ended with a target of 257 in front of the Indian batsmen.A normal performance by the formidable Indian batting lineup would certainly see them through where as Sri Lankans shall be depending on Malinga for early breakthroughs.
Sangakkara did well to start with Randiv at the other end alongside Malinga.Sri Lanka were off to a dream start when they dismissed Sehwag for a duck.A session of Sehwag could have finished the game in no time and his wicket should have given Sri Lankans a big boost.Sangakkara missed a trick by not having a backward short leg early on as a ball went past the region off Vijay's bat.Four overs of Malinga and he was taken off!! Sangakkara certainly knows his ways,though no one else knows where he is trotting! Rahul Dravid was extremely unlucky to get out.There are times when all luck seems to elude you and this might just be such a phase for him.Sangakkara also acknowledged that the game was being unfair to India!He introduced Welegedera and had just a lone slip off him (An edge from Sachin flew past the man).Almost forgetting about him, Sangakkara introduced Malinga back into the attack.Now,Vijay played a careless shot off Randiv to hand him his third wicket and to leave India in doldrums, staring at another possible defeat.Tendulkar and the nightwatchman, Sharma, saw the day off without further damage.India needs a very very special(VVS) effort from its two big guns if they are to save the match.
DAY - 5
The day was started with a Sangakkara special as Welegedera was trusted to start things off.Ishant Sharma hardly looked in any mood to stay at the wicket as he was beaten regularly by ordinary stuff from Welegedera.Finally,he gifted his wicket to Randiv,bringing the two experienced and batting greats together.If Dilshan has been miserable with the bat through out the series, he committed a blunder in fielding that could bear a significant impact in the game.He dropped a simple catch offered by none other than the little master.To be fair to Dilshan,who is an exceptional fielder, every one has a off day and its just unfortunate for him that it had to be today.Malinga was finally brought into the attack, though, for the first time in the series, he looked to be a bit off color.
Extremely poor field settings by Sangakkara were on view as Mendis came in to ball to a good looking, in form Laxman.Most inexplicably,Dilshan was given the ball with a well spread out field.Both batsmen found singles easily, their class and Sangakkara's inordinate field placements making batting look ridiculously easy.Malinga was back after lunch and spat venom at the batsmen only to loose his control resulting in a flurry of runs for India.
Just as India seemed to be cruising, they were hampered by the loss of Sachin, who did not look to be at his best while facing Randiv.Also, Laxman suffering from back problems would have given enough reason for worry to the Indian dressing room.Sehwag came in as a runner for Laxman, who was joined by Raina in the middle.All doubts of Raina possessing the patience and class required for test cricket were dispelled as he charged out at Malinga after edging one through the slips.What extraordinary cricket from him given the circumstances! His lucky stars were shining quite brightly as he survived and displayed some discretion,following Sehwag's advice to calm down.Once again, a rush of blood saw him taking on the bowling, though it paid off this time.This is just not the way to approach test cricket and Raina has a long way to go in developing his credentials as a cricketer otherwise, he is just not the man for India.The sooner its realized, the better!
Sangakkara continued with his rubbish stuff.Lesser attacking fields and poor bowling changes were witnessed on the crucial day.India secured victory, with Raina lofting Welegedera for a six.
The series ended in a draw but their are far more significant things to be remembered than the cricket on the series like Murali's farewell,milestones achieved by Dravid, Sachin becoming the most capped player,Inexplicable captaincy of Sangakkara and the graceful,delightful and majestic batting of VVS Laxman.
VVS Laxman! Whatever might have been said of his and the team's tactics in the first match of the series as he exposed the tailenders to Malinga,his batting has always been a delight to watch.The artistic touch,the class with which the balls at the off stump are flicked to deep mid wicket,the elegant cover drives,the majestic play against spinners and the calming effect that he brings to the proceedings have hardly been witnessed in the game of cricket.One of the most understated cricketer to have ever played the game,Laxman conjured up yet another crucial innings in crisis situation.Most of his memorable innings have been match saving ones or have seen India winning or have come as a rearguard action.To be able to hold your own in the era of Sachin and Dravid is a tremendous achievement in itself.Laxman has never hogged the limelight for most of his career, carrying out his work just like a gun with a silencer!Sharda Ugra certainly recognizes the contribution of the legend to Indian cricket and acknowledged it in her article :- http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/471460.html
Dhoni was back with his vanilla statements after the match, the trophies and prizes were distributed among various players.The captains shared the trophy and the prize money.But for some, it has never been about this glamorous stuff! Dravid,Sachin and Laxman shall certainly be missed when they decide to call it a day.For now, lets enjoy them, revel in their era and salute the men with the capacity to bring a whole nation of one billion people to a standstill by playing "real" cricket..
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