SECOND T-20 - IND VS ZIM

India seal the series 2-0 and end a horrible tour of Zimbabwe on a positive note. So, what were the outcomes of this tour? Did we find some new talent ready for the challenges of international cricket? Or was this one of those meaningless series which are fit in the schedule every now and then! For starters, i think the way Indian fast bowlers used the yorker to good effect at the fag end of the innings in the T-20 matches was the biggest positive of this tour. Consistent bowling of this quality by the more accomplished players like Zaheer, Nehra and Praveen shall certainly bear fruits in the long run. Bowling in the first six overs of the powerplay still remains a big problem. Dinda bowled really wide of the off stump today and this type of bowling is bread and butter for quality batsmen. Ashwin found it difficult to stop Coventry and then Chigumbura when they took him apart. He is like a frog which cannot swim; when in deep waters, finds it difficult to reach the shore!! What i mean is that variations form a vital weapon of a bowlers armory in T-20 matches and he has to work hard on his bowling. The bowl with which he got Chigumbura's wicket was not the greatest either. Ojha also seems to be inapt at blocking the batsmen when the going gets tough. The way Zimbabwean batsmen picked singles at will off him, hitting the odd boundary, is a worrying sign.

Naman Ojha eliminated any doubts left about his cricket levels. I am sure even the staunchest of his supporters shall agree that he certainly looks under prepared for international cricket.Leave alone the short bowl problem, he does not seem capable of finding singles and is not comfortable playing the incoming deliveries. Suresh Raina has to improve his shot selection.There was nothing wrong about his batting in today's match, where India were chasing a relatively high score but he leaves a lot to be desired when the situation demands him to stay at the wicket. He is an aggressive batsman and there is nothing wrong in that but controlled aggression certainly yields better results than raw aggression. Yusuf Pathan just does not fit into this young Indian team. He is fine when we have the likes of Sachin,Sehwag,Gambhir,Dhoni and Yuvraj up the order as there is a very low probability of a batting collapse and his weakness of unidimensional batting being exposed.He just cannot defend a ball, let alone finding singles or twos. The way he got out today, trying to finish the match with a big hit was as stupid as hiring a plane to reach a destination 100 meters from your home in normal conditions! Ideally, he should have stayed and seen his team through.


There were hardly any fielding lapses in today's game by India which came as a pleasant surprise! Raina proved in this series that he is certainly not a captaincy material. India might struggle to find a capable leader in the absence of Dhoni.Introducing Ojha into the attack in the sixth over of today's game wasn't the best of moves.Also, the way Vinay was bowling, he deserved another over in the powerplay instead of Dinda.Now, Yusuf Pathan has a much needed break and should really work hard on his weaknesses and fitness.Rotation of players goes a long way in keeping them fresh and more importantly, providing them time to rectify their weaknesses. Dinda and Ashwin do not have much time to do so at present as both have been included in the squad for the Asia cup and hence, should concentrate on this tournament and be ready to grab any opportunities that come their way..