Series win for INDIA but....

Well, India won the series, that to after 24 years on the Indian soil against Pakistan………
Sounds strange, right? India could done it this time because, this team of Pakistan seems to be little be weak. But they managed to win two matches of the series. Actually both the teams were quite competitive.
From the Pakistan side there middle order paid for them, Shoiab was also excellent through out the series so is Umar Gul. At the top Salman Butt gave the good opening in most of the matches, which help Pakistan to post hugh scores. Pakistan captain done well to win the last match, in that match he scores some good runs too. He is new to this job, with time he will definitely mature. Last match win sure gonna help Pakistan in test matches. There key players Yousuf and Younis are in good form, bowlers to are bowling well. They are really ready for the test series.
As far the India is concern…India should have the last match of the ODI series. That match was more important from psychological point of view. As Pakistan has won that match momentum is with them for the test matches. India do have some positives from the one day series. Sachin is in ominous form so is Yuvraj. Dhoni has also played some good knocks. But there is quite a few changes in the Indian test sides. India is also playing under new captain. Also India has got three spinners in the test squad, that is something unusual.
So, it gonna be really interesting encounter. What I can say is that India has the edge over Pakistan but you never know ……………

IND-PAk: 2nd ODI

Hi……………
I guess I need to rethink on my prediction , what I made, on my previous post. In last ODI ,that was one of the fantastic chase I have ever seen. Most striking feature of that chase was the pace of the innings. It seems to be very plan innings of Pakistan. They started very cautiosly, kept wicket in hand, and in the end overs went for a kill. That was old classic chase. All credit goes to the Pakistani batsmen, especially Younis Kahn. ………I was hearing on the commentary, that Younis is no good in chasing big total (he is able to score at the brisk pace). But I guess he proved everybody wrong……..
Actually India also faced similar situation in the Nagpur one day against Australia, in the recently concluded series. Ganguly was doing all well, but the problem was he couldn’t pace his inning properly and at the end run rate was to high for our lower level batsmen.So, there is somtheing to learn from Younis innings.
Well India responsible for its own loss. India was poised to score somewhere around 350-360. That would have been literally impossible target to chase. But the comeback spells from Umar Gul and Shoib broke the back of Indian middle order. 321 is also good enough total to defend on any kind of wicket. If the team is losing after posing such a big total then there is something serious to think about.
Wicket was turning when harbhajan was bowling. If Murali Karthik could have played the game, then he could had major impact on the game. He bowled very well in the Guwahati game. Left arm spinner is always difficult to handle than right arm spinner. So , dropping Murali doesn’t make any sense. Well I think that ploy was adopted to give chance to Sehwag, who once again failed. India should understand that winning matches should be given the top priority. Chances can be given to players when the series is sealed.
Now a days shuffling of batting order has become very regular. No one knows who is coming next. Why Dhoni is kept changing his position in batting order??? He should realise that he is more effective up the order than lower down the order. It is difficult even for Dhoni, to start hitting from the word go. He does take some time to settle down and after that he is very much capable of playing long innings. So why he is still playing down the order. He is capable of hitting centuries, then why he going there to make 30-40 runs? I don’t have any clue.
Now , coming to test captaincy.It really hurts to see some one like Kumble, who is one of the finest and senior most player in the team has to wait so long to become captain. We were trying to convince Sachin who has miserable record as a test captain, and we are giving captainship to Kumble when we are out of choice…….pathetic. In my view Kumble has won more test matches than any other player in India. He should have given this honour long before. Making him captain when he is about to retire doesn’t make any sense.
Well coming back to IND-PAK series. I guess India must have learnt some lessons from the last match. I guess they will be well prepared this time. India should remember what happen last time when Pakistan visited India, India won first 2 matches, then Pakistan went to win 4 matches ………..winning the series.

Ind-Pak 1st ODI

Hi…… so India Pakistan series started with a thriller. Well it was not actually thriller but an easy win for India . Thanks to some brilliant bowling by Harbhajan and Murali Karthik in the first innings and brilliant batting by the batters in the second innings.

Dhoni……..he is a real hero. He lead from the front. He went up the order and finished the job by himself. ……I always advocate for Dhoni playing up the order. He can play control as well as attacking innings. He can be devasting on the flat Indian pitches. He has great scores to his credit at no. 3 position. Then there is no reason, why he shouldn’t play up the order.

Yuvraj is now developing as most important batsman in the line-up. I guess he is the most feared batsman in the Indian line –up. Gambhir is cementing position in the team. He was unfortunate in the past as he didn’t get the opportunities as Sehwag got. No problem with opening pair……….they are best in the world.

Many people must be thinking that Dravid has got unfair deal. But I think leaving Dravid out of one day squad is right decision taken by the selectors. Dravid is no doubt is a great player, he has played 10 long years. Now many young talents is coming up. Its time to move on for senior players and give more opportunities to younger player. …………Ian Healy, former Australian wicket keeper was a great player, but if would have not moved on, then we would have not seen Gilchrist. Dravid was always a better test player than the one day player. Now he should concentrate more on test than one day. He can always come back when replacement players is doing well.

Well coming back to India-Pakistan series, I guess Indian are favorite to win the series. With absence of Inzamam in the middle order, Pakistan batting line up seems to be too weak. And with the absence of Asif bowling is ordinary. Shoaib has to carry the entire bowling department on his shoulder. With India winning first match, I think India will win the series by 4-1.

Time to take tough decisions

Hi ,
India once again proved that they are the world champions of T20 cricket. It was really smooth riding for Indians. Bowlers done their job perfectly well, specially spinners. Irfan also has improved a lot after making his comeback in the team. Batting also clicked, apart from Sehwag all enjoyed their batting. The way Gambhir and Uthappa batted, they had made strong statement for their permanent seat in the team.
I thought Indian team management can lesson or two from T20 victory. Though its another version of game and some what different from ODI, we can carry on some positives from that match.
We are doing consistently well with our young guns. They bring positive energy to the team. Though our senior players are doing well, its time that they should concentrate more on Test cricket and leave ODI and T20 for our young guns. I am not saying that they should be totally phase out. But young new players should get adequate opportunity, specially when they are doing well.
Pakistan is due to come and then Indians will be visiting Australia, so some tough competition is ahead. India need to do some tough decisions.

Consolation win

Hi ………At last India was able to achieve a consolation victory. The last time India successfully chased a target against Australia was way back in 1998, in Sharjah. Since then, India have attempted the task, 18 times, and failed on 15 occasions, with three matches, including the first game of this series in Bangalore, having no result. So it was really a great victory in that sense.
In Nagpur, India was to close to the victory. But India lost its way in the middle of the innings. After losing the wicket of Sachin and Saurav, (and then Pathan), downfall starts. With required runrate more than 7 runs per over Yuvraj and Dravid was not able to rotate the strike. In the process they lost their wickets and when Dhoni and Uthappa came the target was really out of reach…………….So, where the things went wrong. Though Ganguly was brilliant with bat, his strike rate suggest that India was chasing somewhere 275 not 318. India was 3-203 in 36 overs, requiring 115 more runs to win in 14 overs with 7 wickets in hand. Why, didn’t India start onslaught from that very moment, why they let pressure to build on them selves?
We had their time in each match. All through this series, India have had Australia in some trouble early on. In the first game Australia went from 90 for 4 to 307. In the second they turned 66 for 3 into 306 and, in the third, 135 for 3 became 290. In the sixth game, Australia went from 129 for 4 to 317.
Mumbai match was just a consolation win. Hats off to Murali Kathik and Zaheer Khan, both were brilliant with bat and ball. Apart from that their was really nothing to mention in Indian credit. Well 4-2 lost looks much better than 5-1 lost.
Now India has to do some serious thinking regarding……. role of the seniors in the team (specially Dravid), batting order and fielding. Or else its really gonna be tough…….

4th ODI IND- AUS : Dhoni's Dhamaka.......

It was a thriller of a match. At last India manage to pull out a victory over mighty Aussies, after three long years in ODI's. India also broke Aussies 14 match winning streak. For India all things went right from the beginning. Our finest opening pair, Sachin and Saurav gave us once again a solid start. Though, Sachin was not in his owns in the starting overs, he good thing he had done he didn't give up his wicket. From the other end runs were coming freely from the Saurav's bat. We had good partnership and that was the key to India's big total. Though Aussie were consistently bowling body line, India had a merry in their final overs. Yuvraj, Dhoni and Uthappa done their job perfectly.

Though Hayden was on the roll from the start, maintaining close to six runs per over was always difficult. In the process they lose some wickets creating pressure on themselves. But, again Symonds played a belligerent innings. At one time when Hayden and Symonds was on the crease, Indian chance was seems to be diminishing rapidly. Then Murali got the rid of Hayden, flighting the boll, tempting Hayden to go over the top. That was a brave bowling by Murali. But, real highlight was R P Singh's where he got rid of Symonds and then run out Hogg on the next ball.

Once again India gave too many runs in the initial overs, it is something that India need to think about. Their is no value addition by Dravid playing that low in the order. So, India need to think about his position in the team. Sometimes hard decision need to be taken for the benefit of the team.

Well, for me Dhoni was again the star of the match, effecting two brillant stumpings and scoring rapid fire fifty in the final overs of the Indian innings. For, Dhoni lets all sing..........Mahi ve.....

Are we competing?

Hi, Now the Three ODI's of the series are over. And the way India lose last two matches, India winning the series seems to be distinct possibility. Forget the series; India should save themselves from the clean sweep. Its not gonna be easy. Australia are playing there best cricket, as they always do. And there reserves are as strong as there playing eleven. So, the big question is what can India do?

Well I like to put some suggestion for this..........

Dhoni or Pathan should play up the order

India is not scoring enough runs in the power plays. When the team is chasing score nearing 300. They need to take the advantage of field restrictions. We have players to that, Dhoni has done this number of times and his success rate is very high up the order so he is the best candidate for this job. All his big scores has came, when he was playing up the order. While playing down the order he is curbing his natural instinct. He is doing not any justice to himself nor to his team.
Another man who has done this job effectively is Irfan Pathan. If India lose him early that wont be a big lose but his runs at top of the order will be bonus to the Indian team. If some one says that his batting will gonna spoil his bowling, then I will say that it’s a bullshit. There is no logic at all, how one’s batting can spoil one’s bowling. People who are all advocating this please reply me back

Dravid should bat in the middle order

Dravid is the best person who can navigate the innings in the middle order. He has done it before and there is no question of why can’t he do it again. There will support from players like Yuvraj at the lower order, who can play really big shots if required. Dravid role should be to carry the Indian innings through the middle overs. Off late India is losing its way in the middle overs and losing way before the completion of the match. So Dravid need to do what, Izamam was doing for Pakistan or what Clarke is doing for Australia.

R P Singh should play

I don’t know why RP Singh is not playing. My personnel feeling is that, R P Singh is would be the good option in place of Sreesanth. R P has good control on his line and length than Sreesanth. He also don’t get carried away like Sreesanth. Aggression is good for fast bowler, but Sreesanth is showing to much. RP was one of the best bowlers in T20 WC. So his tail is up, he should play.

Harbhajan should look to take wicket

I got the feeling in the last two matches that Harbhajan is concentrating more on stopping runs than taking wickets. Best way to reduce the scoring rate is by taking wickets. Harbhajan is India’s strike bowler and he should bowl like a strike bowler.

Now, India will be playing there fourth ODI tomorrow, no doubt moral of the Indian team will be down. They may try to do all sought of things, they need to be relax in first place. Captain Dhoni has got good thinking head on his shoulder. This is really a trying conditions for him. I have faith on my captain, so do the whole India .