Cricket India

Thus India’s Champions Trophy campaign has ended; ended almost in a whimper. India which set out on a very positive note with the induction of Greg Chappell has moved forward two steps and slid back three during the last couple of seasons. Sunday’s defeat in fact is a very explainable one. India lost to a better equipped outfit that was ready with talent and preparation. Their bowling was superior to India’s and on a pitch which gave some assistance to pace bowlers, Indians just could not match the Australians.They were sharp, bowled to a plan and even better, bowled to their fields. As ball after ball went to a fielder either in the circle or in the deep, runs were either denied or restricted to one. India which for a change began well with the help of a Sehwag innings that was chancy even by his own standards, was not allowed to race away to an imposing total. Once the Power Play was over the run-graph began to look pretty dwarfish. As the Australian bowlers established a miserly run-conceding pattern, Indian batsmen who obviously were quite short on confidence because of a few recent failures, showed great reluctance to break the shackles. It looked like they were trying to postpone the second wave of attack with niggling thoughts of a possible collapse troubling them. Once Dravid and Kaif got out, it was clear that whatever India would manage to post would not be competitive on this sporting wicket. The pitch allowed some help to the bowlers but was ready to yield runs to careful batting. While Indians mistook sensible run collecting for timidity, Australians in their reply settled to a structured approach to run collection after Watson and Gilchrist did the early damage. While Ponting and Martyn were at the crease, there were gaps galore. Whenever they pushed the ball away from the bat it invariably went into a gap. If there were more than the allowed eleven on the field while the Aussies fielded, one often wondered what two or three Indian fielders were doing in the dressing room.

The ball came on to bat and no Indian pace bowler except Sree Santh could trouble the Aussies. Sree Santh repeatedly made the seam hit the deck and coaxed it to move away. He beat everybody even though he conceded quite a few runs. To force the batsmen to generate their power to put the ball past the fielder, Dravid turned to his spinners. They bowled tidily but by that time, dew had made its appearance. Not that without dew India might have done better because by that time Aussies had ensured a comfortable win.

With this win Australia gets a chance for a grudge match against their neighbors New Zealand. The other semi-final is between South Africa and West Indies. These matches will prove if the Aussies are still the formidable outfit or if the West Indian star is on the rise again. Lara should be doing very well if it is he who is mostly instrumental in converting this bits and pieces bowling team into a champion. Or is it the occult influence of the Champions Trophy?

Now, sorry for an error. I wrote last time that South Africa would meet the winner of the India-Australia tie. That was on the assumption that West Indies would head their group. Now that the Aussies have an emphatic win against India, they have moved to the top and would meet the number two of the other group, New Zealand Sorry again.

Tags: Australian win, India's feeble show

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 11:08 AM 0 comments links to this post

Something basically is wrong with this edition of Champions Trophy. The pitches offered for the games have had a uniform purpose: To prevent the batsmen from playing to their potential. Most of them made the ball keep low, the ball refused to come on to bat and made poor timing par for the tournament. Then comes this pitch at Mohali which would put Waca to shame! The ball here bounced about like a yoyo and moved off the seam as if it had a mind of its own. A bowler could grip the ball the same way bowl it the same way and one ball seamed away and the other darted in! Yu too would have seen Rao Ifthiqar do that!

South Africa, a team better prepared to play on such tracks, made mincemeat of Pakistan in a limited over match which had none of the attractions such a match is expected to have. Of course the presence of Akthar and Asif would have made this contest more bloody and even but in their absence Pakistan could not sustain the pressure it could apply in the early part of South Africa’s innings. On the other hand South Africa which had five front line pace bowlers just went about it clinically and destroyed Pakistan in a humiliating manner.

Even the South Africans who are used to such green tops back home were surprised by the extreme nature of this Mohali surface. They it was certain haven’t come across many tracks like this one even in their backyard. The Pakistanis unable to comprehend the bounties exposed to them didn’t know what to do on this pitch. The inexperienced Pak attack-Rana Naved also was not playing- reveled in seeing the ball seam away almost a foot and didn’t care to pitch them up and in the critical areas. They wasted a number of deliveries which in a way allowed the Boucher-Kemp association to post a total too big for this surface. Though the Springboks too were guilty of erring in length, they were a little more effective in their line making the Pakistanis do something to almost all the balls, either play them or take evasive action.

Ntini with his pace and ability to take the ball away from the batsmen off the pitch just ran through the hapless Pakistani batsmen. His pace on this lively track was just too much for the subcontinent team brought up on low placid pitches.

This win has taken the South Africans into the semifinals. Their emphatic and big win in a low scoring match has enabled them to overtake New Zealand in the group and would pit them against the winner of Australia-India match. The other semi should be between the Kiwis and West Indies.

Tags: SA in semifinal, Mohali pitch

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 11:48 AM 0 comments links to this post

A highly underestimated outfit which often plays with just two frontline bowlers- West Indies- has managed to pull off wins, often with not much to spare but crucial wins all the same. It is generally accepted that they are better off in the batting department but matches are won by their makeshift bowlers. In their match against India in the Champions Trophy also, their batsmen could just make it to the tape only because their bowlers could effectively throttle India’s bid to post a competitive score.

The toss was just a psychologically good one to win because actually the pitch was reasonably good to bat on and only good bowling coupled by some loose batting which forced India on to its back foot. Two wickets-Pathan and Tendulkar-dragging the ball onto the wicket –either they played for the non-existent swing or the ball came that bit slowly off the wicket- along with Sehwag’s meant India would have do some repair work before going into the offensive.

But the offensive never happened because the West Indians bowled with discipline and fielded sharply. They never gave India any chance to wriggle out of their vice-like grip. The run out of Dravid by Smith was representative of their willingness to go the extra mile to keep the match under control.

It took a sensible knock from Dhoni to keep the rest of the innings together. But perhaps because of instructions from the dressing room or because of extra caution, Dhoni settled for singles till things were too late. Another twenty runs would have made all the difference

When Pathan fails to do well, India fails to control the top of the opponent’s innings. And here also West Indies managed a good start and India’s containing job became all the more difficult. The relatively poor form of Agarkar and the two overs that Patel couldn’t bowl were the other factors which swung the match the other way.

Now there are only two matches left in the league stage. Both are for all practical purposes, quarterfinals. The winner is the semi-finalist. New Zealand and West Indies have already qualified into semifinals and most probably they will be leading their groups. So the winner of India-Australia match will be meeting New Zealand and South Africa-Pakistan winner would run into West Indies.

India so far has not inspired with its timid approach and is not expected to give a tough fight to Australia as the Aussies have a history of rising to the occasion. Could it again be the story of a champion sneaking its way out of the crowd and putting its nose
ahead?
Tags: India loses, Windies in semi-final

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 12:38 PM 0 comments links to this post

The toss against New Zealand was actually a passport into the semis for Pakistan but they threw away a golden opportunity by wasting the new ball by not bowling in the right areas. Had Rana Naved, Rao Ifthiqar and Umer Gul bowled with purpose and made the batsmen play more deliveries, Pakistan would have made major inroads into the Kiwis’ batting and the final onslaught would not have been possible. It is those extra 30-40 runs which practically took the match away from Pakistan. The pitch map showed how amateurish was Pakistan’s pace attack. There were very few balls which allowed themselves the length to deviate in the air. They even nullified the seam movement possible on this pitch by pitching short and allowing the batsmen that much more time to sight the ball.

It is here the Pakistan must have felt the absence of Akthar and Asif. Had they been in the team, New Zealand would have found it difficult to reach half of what they actually collected.

This win by New Zealand has suddenly made things much clearer in that group. They are in the semi final leading the Group, waiting for an opponent from Group A. The match between South Africa and Pakistan will be virtually a quarter-final. And Sri Lanka as expected is out of the tournament.

Today India plays West Indies. The winner of this tie goes into the semi-final. If West Indies wins, the match between India and Australia will be a crucial one, deciding the other semifinalist. But if India wins today’s match, the equation would take some more time to get clear. Then an Australian win against India would see them through only if West Indies fails to beat England. Otherwise you have to look at the NRR charts. But if India takes care of Australia and England beats West Indies, all three teams will be left with two points, again bringing in the NRR into play.

Tags: New Zealand in semi-final

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 12:54 PM 0 comments links to this post

This edition of Champions Trophy seems to have a charmed life. The tournament, it appears, is being hijacked by its Group B matches. Now that South Africa has managed to overcome Sri Lanka in a march very crucial to its continued presence in the tournament, things look very hazy in that group.

All teams in that group have one win each so far. Sri Lanka who began as one of the favorites, has finished its quota of matches and should wait for the results of other matches to finalize their travel plans. At the moment South Africa is at the bottom in NRR  but it has one more match-against Pakistan- to improve that. The next two matches in that group, Pakistan-South Africa and Pakistan- New Zealand are crucial for all the four teams. But realistically, Sri Lanka does not stand a chance of making it to the semi-final.  If Pakistan wins today they sail into the semi and the other two teams- South Africa and New Zealand will fight it out for the second spot from that group.

In India’s group things have a relatively settled look. England is practically out of the tournament and all others have a win each. Of them Australia has the disadvantage of having lost a match-against West Indies- and they have to win against India to make sure their place in the semi. Otherwise they also will have to be at the mercy of other teams to move into the semis.

The long gap between its two matches could work against India. It played its first match on 15^th and is to play against West Indies tomorrow. I don’t know how the players spent this period. They could have indulged in more practice or they could have gone home for a short break and could have come back refreshed. Both may have detractors but what is most important is the results.

Tags: Sri Lnka, India's long break

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 11:28 AM 0 comments links to this post

Doping like most issues is a multi-dimensional thing. Which only means it has got arguments of subtle shades which could confuse you about their real intentions. A person takes certain medicines which increase his muscle mass and make him stronger. Stronger muscles are useful in sports and hurling a cherry a few yards faster is one of the benefits in cricket. You can run after the ball a little faster and you can run between the wickets faster. These are great virtues in cricket. So these medicines are of great use in cricket also like all other sporting activities. The temptation of better performances could be difficult to brush aside, especially in this world where better performance could get converted to megabucks.

The conventional position taken regarding doping is that it gives an extra advantage to its user and that is not just cricket. But I often have doubted about the seriousness of this argument. Why don’t you allow everybody to use the best strength-enhancing drugs and thus exhibit more powerful performances thus making our money go farther? If the argument is that such drugs are harmful to the athletes, why do we then allow all and sundry to smoke nicotine, drink excessively and allow the marketing of tobacco-based products which are sure passports to malignancy? There is something specious in the position that the health of the athletes is more precious than their fellow citizens.

Now assuming that this sort of health policing is essential in civilized societies, its prevention and punishment on detection should be linked with the mainstream apparatus every state has for such fouls. Here ICC has very cleverly moved away from the difficult aspect of meting out punishment by having some vague arrangement with WADA and each board is using all the tricks under its control to protect the players under its wing. Some boards punish its players with two years for the first offence, some are happy with one year. I heard one Pakistani ex-player thinking in terms of three months so that Akthar and Asif could come back into the team for the World Cup!

Another doubt which belittles and insults the sense of morality of people is that there may be more to doping that what meets the eye. Reports suggest that advanced labs have developed drugs which can mask the presence of such performance-enhancing drugs. Which simply means the players can take the most appropriate drugs, perform better and get away with murder by taking the drugs which would mask the traces of their crime! And they can get to the press conferences and sermonize putting even the saintly to shame. If that is true and Akthar and Asif are caught out only because they did not have the wherewithal to hide the presence of the drugs they took, don’t you think they are paying a price for the geographic aberration involved in their birth? And those who take the drugs perform well without getting caught and laugh their way to the bank.

I am not trying to condone the offence committed by the Pakistani players but I can’t bring myself to describe taking performance-enhancing drugs as such a great crime. I am not ignoring the health and other relevant problems associated with it but after all we live in a very imperfect world.

Well, if this is to be viewed as a crime, then I.C.C should be bold enough to take the lead and put a uniform system in order, so that nationalities don’t dictate the fate of erring players.

Tags: Doping, Akthar and Asif, masking

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 11:38 AM 1 comments links to this post

There is no conclusive evidence on the efficacy of the adhesive prayed on the Brabourne pitch by the ICC specialist Atkinson. It theoretically binds the surface together. It obviously can’t make it faster or bouncier or even simply better. All that was expected off this plastic spray was to provide a thin coat of film which seeps into the small crevices and presents a relatively better-bound surface.

But after 100 overs a conclusive opinion is still elusive. The early overs by the Sri Lankan openers saw the ball getting good carry and the ball looked like coming on to the bat. But that did not get reflected on the New Zealand batting. When Murali and other Sri Lankan spinners came on, the pitch looked like reverting to its usual ploys. But when the Lankans came out to bat, the ball after flying about for some time assumed its normal timidity and cricket got back to its usual CCI nature.

One thing is certain, the Mumbai pitch is not at the mercy of dew as the Jaipur surface is.  But even a little dew, it is said, is capable of wreaking havoc to the adhesive as it is water-soluble. Imagine the scenario where the team batting first makes good use of the well-bound pitch and then it rains and the adhesive dissolves providing a bowler-friendly top to the team bowling second!

Now that Sri Lanka has won this game, the group looks vulnerably open. Everybody has a win each. Now serious business is on hand. The next round will make it certain the early losers will have to book their tickets if they don’t win their forthcoming match. Even in the other group, Australia plays a must-win match today. If they don’t win this match, they tournament would move on to a sensational phase. But England, in its present state of mind, may not be bold enough to take on a win-hungry Aussies.

Tags: adhesive spray, must-win match for Aussies

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 12:50 PM 0 comments links to this post

What a thriller this version of Champions Trophy is turning out to be! New Zealand accounts for South Africa, a written-off Pakistan brushes aside the strong Sri Lanka and tonight, the mighty Aussies are humbled by the qualifier West Indies! Of all the matches in this edition so far (qualifying matches excluded) the punters have read only India’s match right. The Brabourne pitch by any standards was not a belter. A bowler who could do things smartly got some response from this pitch; the up and down stuff wasn’t rewarded. Batsmen who could apply themselves to their task could make runs perhaps not so flamboyantly.

Cricket is not going to be a spectacle on these pitches but matches can be thrillers, go to the wire, and can become humdingers. Tonight West Indies used the toss to put a reasonable score on the board first, and then try to defend it. After the initial hiccup, the plan worked, mainly propped up by a match-winning partnership between Lara and Runako Morton. After being reduced to a dicey situation-64 for four- Lara and Morton put their heads down and labored their way to a pre-determined target. Lara might have been happy with 234 they posted though a few more would have given them more confidence.

The pitch though not a 300+ surface, was not so difficult to handle as some of the fellow pitches at CCI. Those who like the ball coming on to the bat, might have found it quite irksome failing to time their shots sweetly, especially the shots to the square, Lara struggled for sometime, then was able to adjust his game to the requirements of the pitch. Morton, a stylish bat, made things look easy with his patience and willingness to use his feet. You can’t say cricket was entertaining but it was absorbing. The catch offered by him and dropped by Ponting at wide mid off  might have had some bearing on the course of the match as Morton then on 41 went on to make 90+.

Australia’s was an unnatural response to adversity. They, a well prepared outfit must have studied the vagaries of the pitches but batted as if they expected a Waca but got CCI! Gilchrist, of all the Australians played a subdued knock but others around him collapsed like novices innocent of the challenges of top-level cricket. Typical of their attitude was the shot played by Hogg against Taylor. Moving much beyond the off stick, he played an airy fairy shot trying to swing the ball to fine leg offering just the thickness of the bat to the bowler. A sensible, over pitched ball not only ended his innings but put paid to any hope the Aussie camp had of a victory. Of the hat trick by Taylor only Lee’s was an earned wicket. Hussy played an uncharacteristic cross bat and then came the Hogg foolishness.

So the championship has seen quite a few upsets already. In India’s group Australia now has to win against England and India. A win against either Australia or West Indies may India through to the semis. Not much different is the other group either. South Africa and Sri Lanka have lost a match each. They now have to ensure that they win both their remaining ties. This tournament is likely to see a few more results which may make things quite topsy-turvy. There is a possibility that all this is due to the bowler-friendly tracks or the teams’ timid attempts to overcome their exaggerated spitefulness.

Tags: upsets in Champions Trophy, Aussies lose, bowler-friendly tracks

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 11:45 AM 0 comments links to this post

The wonderful win that Pakistan carved against the in-form Sri Lanka is the best tonic that the world of cricket could have hoped for. A team rocked by scandals and disciplinary actions rose from the ashes like the proverbial Phoenix to make a powerful statement of their inherent cricketing strength. Against a team on a roll, on a pitch which suited the Sri Lankan bowling, Pakistan it was widely believed stood no chance. But they played as a team possessed to redeem their prestige riding on the collective prayers of a nation and stunned the cricket universe by a spirited display of competitive cricket.

Actually Pakistan was better off in the batting department. It lost only Inzamam. But they have even in the past done well without significant contributions from Inzy. But what should have crippled them was the absence of Akthar and Asif. That was where Pakistan responded magnificently. Pakistan which had no match-winning performer in its bowling ranks bowled well within themselves, reading the pitch astutely. More importantly they rallied under Younis Khan with a new-found vigor and converted a hopeless situation into a prestige-redeeming win.

At one stage -142 for two- Sri Lanka was on the way to a match-winning score, well over three hundred. But Pakistan slowly crawled back into the match, its spinners doing a splendid job. Sri Lanka could not recover form the mini collapse and a slump in the run rate. Younis’ faith in his spinners especially Hafeez was unbelievable. In fact it was Hafeez who bowled the penultimate over!

This win does not mean that Pakistan has the stamina to go far in the tournamenTags: It might work in their favor that they are in a relatively open group. But even that may not help them in their effort to stay in the tournament. But this result has injected an element of concern into the other teams in the group. With the Springboks losing to the Kiwis, the group now looks even more open. With the flanks getting vulnerable, the two leading teams in this group- South Africa and Sri Lanka- will have a lot to fight for when they meet head on. Australia and possibly India may have to wait till the end of the league matches to know who they will run into in the semi finals. 

Great win for Pakistan, group wide opent.

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 2:20 PM 0 comments links to this post

So much has happened in the corridors of cricket and intrigue in the last few days. West Indies managed to sneak into the less formidable group in Champions Trophy, India made heavy weather of brushing aside England’s feeble opposition, New Zealand exploited the conditions better to register an emphatic win which may make things easier for them to get into the semifinals and Pakistan’s Akhthar and Asif have made things difficult for Pakistanis to walk head held high let alone do well in the tournament.

First West Indies at Mumbai. The pitch there gave enough signs that exotic shots are not going to take you to a fighting total. But either they failed to read the pitch or didn’t have a plan B. They just came, swung and went back. Even the Sri Lankans might have been surprised by the ease with which wickets came their way. The furious nothing-shots by Hinds, the one-handed defense without moving his foot an inch by Marlon Samuels were by any stretch of imagination inexplicable. And Sri Lanka, masterly on such pitches made mincemeat of their opponents.

India did a decent job at Jaipur. Excellent exploitation of conditions by Indian bowlers both pace and spin made sure that their batsmen would not have to chase an uncomfortable target. Munaf Patel and Romesh Powar bowled with such control that England were never in a position to stage a comeback. But it was Pathan, back to his wicket-taking ways, who pushed England on to its back foot in his initial overs. India seemed to be doing well till Dravid edged to Strauss in the slips. Probably the nature of the pitch was undergoing a change for the worse during this period for the game till the end found the Indians struggling to make runs with comfort. Dravid, Tendulkar, Dhoni, Raina- four wickets were too big a price India had to pay for a win. Perhaps it might have been very difficult to predict the behavior of a re-laid pitch but this new input at least applicable to some grounds might have an influence on the think-tanks when they decide what to do on winning the toss.

At Mumbai, on a different pitch- one pitch can’t be radically different from another in the rectangle and they say the Mumbai rectangle has about twenty pitches- New Zealand struggled to make a 190+ score  only to come back strongly to keep the springboks on a tight leash. As they attempted to break free of it, wickets fell. Here also, both pace and spin worked in tandem and made life difficult for the South Africans.

This unexpected result has probably sent Pakistan’s prospects through the window. No Inzamam-Ul-Haq, No Shohaib Akthar, No Asif, it will be a miracle if Pakistan makes it to the semi finals.  But that might be the lesser worry for Pakistan now. They are in a deep hole at the moment and they might even be wincing under the national ignominy just as they felt furious about the national insult poured on them by Hair. I will get back to it in detail tomorrow.

Tags: Low and slow pitch, Dew neutralised?

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 11:40 AM 0 comments links to this post

It is only early October and fall has just shown its face in North India. Already there are indicators to warn us of some problems which are going to be there in more pronounced ways as the tournament progresses. Yes, the dew factor. The authorities have repeatedly shown their unwillingness to learn from past experiences. During the last several seasons, since the introduction of lights and day-night cricket in India, the element of dew has posed problems to the team bowling second. And that has often influenced the decision-making of the captains whether to bat or not.

That by itself is a factor to be avoided since it is a non-cricketing consideration. It is quite unfair to bestow on the team batting second such a big advantage. The wet ball whatever precautions one takes will not respond to the cajoling of the bowler especially the spinner. Any amount of toweling will not give the bowler the feeling that the ball is there to do his bidding. When the bowler is denied the normal control, the results are huge for the batsmen as the intended guile is drained off the delivery.

There are several cricketing factors which influence the captain in making a decision at toss. But this one has got nothing to do with cricket. But the advantage accrued from it is also equally applicable to both teams. The team batting first gets a dry, good batting track with the weather sort of working against the bowlers. But then they get the wet ball and less control when they bowl.

I understand that there are several hurdles to a proper solution. But experiments are possible in this area also. A couple of seasons back, an effort was made to start the match by about noon so that quite a few overs in the second innings would have been bowled by the time dew becomes a threat. But it must have been the heat that worked against that innovation. Moreover it is not a satisfactory solution since the second half of the chase assumes critical importance and it is only natural for the bowler to get frustrated when gradually he loses his control over the ball.

Another possibility is to play day matches. But that may not be accepted by the treasurer since the revenue from television rights might take a plunge. But something has to be done about it since it is a problem which raises its hood all over India during autumn and winter. Things are going to get worse as the tournament gets into more difficult terrains. Even if technological solutions might be possible they may not be in the practicable realms.

But to neutralize the genius of a team or the bowling legends with a few drops of dew is not just cricket. It is ridiculous that the ability to defend a total, skill to negotiate the troubled waters of chasing, everything takes a backseat when the queen of dew descends on the venue.

Tags: dew, wet ball, bowling second

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 11:19 AM 0 comments links to this post

There seems to be a raging controversy about the issues of experimentation and consolidation in the selection and structure of the Indian team. This experimentation attempted systematically by the team management is quite different from the rotation system in place in the Australian scheme of things. Here Chappell seeks a fine-tuned balance for the team as a whole and along with that tries to ascertain the effectiveness of individual players in different positions and situations.

So much has been discussed on this subject and even experts surprisingly allow themselves to be pushed into compartments of opinion without looking at the big picture. I last night heard Syed Kirmani saying that he would prefer Tendulkar to open with Sehwag, Dravid should come one-drop, and the middle order should be Yuvraj, Kaif, Dhoni etc. How simple forming a team happens to be!

Don’t you think it would be better to look at the resources available to you and then work on it to give shape to an effective combination? Once you reach there, allow the team to settle down and get ready for the serious business on hand. I personally feel what Chappell and co is doing is right. There is no sense in inheriting a bunch of players and following what your predecessor did. It is not making a personal imprint on the proceeding that is at stake. It is putting into practice whatever one had learned all these years about the molding of a team and its continuous improvement. For that one has to work on the bio-data available to him and should formulate strategies in squeezing the maximum out of each player.

But for all these things there should be a time limit or to be more precise match-limit set. One has to set apart a number of matches to get the scheme right. And then should begin the days of fine-tuning.

In India’s case experiments have gone on for too long. There of course are some advantages in the state of flux. So many trials are made to test players at various positions and for various purposes that even the established ones might not be beyond self-doubts. But that also allows the levels of confidence and comfort to dip a little. Moreover the scent of success persuades the management to go overboard as in the case of Pathan. I am not saying that Pathan’s present woes are to be attributed to these experiments There may a bit of a batsman in him but to re-position men like Dravid for the sake of experiment causes damage to the team’s interests and also imposes strain on Pathan who obviously is not a one-drop batsmen. He could have been sent one or two slots higher to test his ability at the more serious realm of international batting. But this big experiment and the strain that goes with it may have dented his overall confidence and affected his bowling.

Look at Sehwag. A better test batsman who likes the longer day ambience is asked to cramp his game by being asked to go lower in the order in a limited over match. His courage or lack of inhibition along with the one-day rules, so far has allowed his to do well though several notches below the expectations. Now he plays like a shadow of the Sehwag we know.

Dhoni. He also has been shunted around too much. Runs may have come even at number three but the management often forgets the fact their job is to put people in the right slots for the team’s best results and not for the players’ best results. Look at Inzy. He bats at number five which he considers is the most difficult position. He could have come at one-drop or at number four and made more runs in international cricket, more centuries also. But his instincts tell him that Pakistan has a problem which he is best equipped to correct. So he is there at number five foregoing the runs and tons. That is the case with Dhoni also. Batting higher in the order provides him with more opportunities to score more notable scores. But there are men in the team to do that. But at number six or seven India does not have a better man than Dhoni now.  Can you think of an innings where Dhoni goes one-down and Kaif at seven?

Some experimentation is necessary to find out what can be done with the material on hand. Then it is consolidation time. Time to tell the players I want this from you. Do your best to give me that or else….

Tags: India's experiments, chappell, India's tweaking

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 5:50 PM 0 comments links to this post

Now that the qualifying matches are underway in the Champions Trophy, it is time to look at the chances of the various teams to lift the Trophy. It goes without saying that Australia is the favorites. The most important question is who is likely to upstage them or make maximum use of the benefit out of an unexpected misfortune suffered by the Aussies. Teams like India, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka are capable candidates to convert such opportunities into successes.

Australia is a gifted team not only because it has the ideally suited players but also because it has the winner’s attitude against any opposition. They are not rattled by any opposition and if they lose a match, they gracefully accept defeat and say well done my boy! It is this comfort level which separates them from other teams. They can easily shrug off such rare setbacks and march on unwounded.

No other team can claim such a nonchalant attitude towards their own superiority. Almost all teams have beaten Australia on occasions proving that the champions are also human. But nothing more that has not been achieved by anybody. South Africa has registered the most spectacular victory over Australia making the record Aussie total sink in a matter of a few hours. But even they don’t realistically claim that they have got the measure of Australia. That is the case with all other teams in this tournament.

If you look beyond Australia, which teams are better poised to go near the summit?  Let us take Pakistan first. Pakistan is handicapped by the absence of Inzamam-Ul Haque and the presence of problems created by his ban. But they are strong enough to go through those four matches even without him and can have a shot at the Trophy with him back in the saddle and his crucial position in the batting order. Akhthar is back, Asif is there with his accuracy and guile and they will have excellent support from Rana Naved. The Pakistani batting boasts of some big names like Inzy, Youseph, Younis, ably supported by men like Razzaq, Afridi, Malik etc. It is a good team and is capable of winning the trophy.

Another team which can go all the way is Sri Lanka.,especially in Indian conditions. Jayasurya, Jayawardhene, Sangakkara and Attappattu will be capably supported by Tharanga and Dilshan. The absence of big hitters at death is compensated by the all-rounders  who help Sri Lanka to bat way down to number nine. And they have got two very steady bowlers who always do well whatever be the conditions. Vaas and Murali. Both are wicket taking bowlers without giving away runs. No other team has two such bowlers. They get effective help from others who try to throttle the batting in the middle overs with some clever slow bowling and smart fielding. The much improved fielding and the much talked about creativity of Jayawardhene’s leadership could guide Sri Lanka past several obstacles.

India. The team all Indians pray would do well.. Indians don’t want anything short of the Trophy. As usual. Indian cricket fans even when they are familiar with their team’s failure to rise to the challenges, hope against hope. They believe that their team is capable of wonders and that such wonders can happen regularly. But setting apart such dreams, India has the team to make a serious attempt to lift the Trophy. They have the players, the experience, the youth, the familiarity with the conditions. But on more occasions than not this advantage doesn’t get converted to results. The average Indian fan is forced to be satisfied with an occasional spark of brilliance by individuals. The tragedy of the Indian team has always been that they don’t fire together to influence the course of a match. If that happens, India will be a major contender for the crown.

There are teams like South Africa with capable batting and sharp bowling but will they be able to overcome the conditions is the vital question. The same thing goes for New Zealand also. They have the all-rounders who make the job of the captain a lot easier but apart from Shane Bond they don’t have a match winner. West Indies may not be the team that it was last year-no one would have looked at it twice-but they don’t have a realistic chance to go very far in this tourney.

England is in an inexplicable position. It obviously is a better test team now but their one-day capability is to be ignored at one’s own peril. But England though Flintoff claims that they are here to win all, may not get into the deep end of the competition.

The only factor which could go against Australia might be Indian conditions but who is there to exploit them to the extent that it can carve a historic win here? Even India might not be credited with the consistency needed for such an expedition.

Tags: Champions Trophy, India's chances

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 7:07 PM 0 comments links to this post

Now we are on the threshold of a new championship. After the mixed fortunes at the Kuala Lumpur outing, India should be doubly wary of its chances in this much bigger tournament where the stakes are higher too. The Indian experiments have drawn flak form almost all quarters and perhaps it is time to settle down to the comfort of a well set pattern. But the World Cup being the one all are eyeing for, there is some justification on the part of the management to look at tweaking only as part of the preparations for the Caribbean peaking.

India as such doesn't have much to set right in any department. It has the openers, the middle order, the bowlers, both pace and spin for the podium finish. But standing in the middle may have some thing to do with more than adequate strength. What it needs now is a tight purposeful look and performance which imparts meaning to that look.

As written earlier, I feel it is a big risk that India is taking by exposing its two greatest batsmen to the new ball. Early dismissals of these batsmen-Dravid and Tendulkar- especially in a bowler-friendly environment could mean a collapse from which India will not recover effectively. But again an argument in favor of such a move is that such a possibility may rise only on rare occasions in one-day cricket. One should always look at the big picture and a comparative study of prospects should show you a great advantage in favor of the Dravid-Tendulkar partnership. Another point in its favor is that it has not been tested for a sufficient period. But with the potential of Sehwag getting unrealized in the melee of changes, it would be quite sensible for India to hold Dravid back, a move which would lend more solidity to the batting lineup. To drop who might the worry the selection panel may have in the case of the middle order. The running into form by Mongia could only make things more difficult for the fence-sitters. His ability to roll his arm over for a few good overs could also do harm to the chances of people like Powar.

The pace department, though young and inexperienced, looks capable of aggression even without Sreesanth. I still remember how purposeful was the response of the selectors to my suggestion that R.P.Singh should be dropped. They just went ahead to retain him and dropped poor Sreesanth! But due credit to Singh who bowled better than in the match against West Indies.

To be frank, India still needs Pathan very badly. A normal Pathan opening spell would almost always put India in an advantageous position from where India could either attack with more sharpness or defend with more comfort. He simply has to come good for the sake of a better, balanced Indian attack. Especially with Munaf Patel bowling like a McGrath in the making, Pathan's initial penetration would advise caution to any batting lineup if the conditions would give even a hint of help to the new ball.

The championship starts with two currently strong teams going through the eligibility round along with Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Let us hope there won't be any hiccups for them in the preliminary round.

It is an exhilarating feeling to have Tendulkar, Lara , Flintoff, Ponting, Lee, Ntini,    Peitersen, Shoib Akhthar, Shane Bond, Gilchrist, Dhoni, Murali, Sangakkara etc playing in the same tournament, each day spewing out the exploits of a few of these legends! Cricket just can't be boring with all these superstars descending on the same arena. Am I not glad that it just doesn't rain in those parts of India where the tournament takes place?

Tags: Champions trophy, tweaking, consolidation

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 11:16 AM 0 comments links to this post