Steve's Team will have Sehwag partnering Dravid

Steve Waugh may be voicing the opinion of many people who saw Jaffer's flop show at Melbourne. He did look to be the fish out of water as he kept fishing at deliveries going outside the off-stump. The former Australian captain is in favour of one more chance for Dravid-the-opener, who could be a perfect foil to Sehwag.
http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2007/dec/31waugh.htm

However, it looks unlikely that India could see any opening combination apart from Jaffer-Dravid or Jaffer-Sehwag. If an opener has to go, then it will only be the makeshift opener in Dravid. They are likely to give at least one more chance to Jaffer as opener.

Meanwhile, the Indian Team management has denied reports in the Australia media that there was unhappiness about Yuvraj's attitude. Their denial should also be a lesson for the home media that such reports should be lapped up only after verification with the person concerned. At least, have 'no comment' or 'failure to reach' from them.
http://www.cricket365.co.za/story/0,18305,14005_3012859,00.html

Do not create another Controversy Mr Rajput, India have enough on their plate!

It was indeed funny to read a report in the Times of India, quoting Assistant Coach Ralchand Rajput in Sydney Morning Herald, that Yuvraj’s air of indifference was likely to cost him in a place in the middle order.

A similar report appeared in the Hindustan Times, titled ‘’Team upset with Yuvraj’s attitude’’ and it quoted the Newspaper, The Age.

The HT report said Yuvraj’s attitude during Melbourne ‘’infuriated the members of the Indian team.’’Unfortunately, there was no quote from Yuvraj, not even a mention that the media tried to contact him. Now where does any of the reports mention what exactly was this attitude problem.

For example, did he tell the other players to look at their own batting first before commenting on his (Yuvraj’s)! Or was there anything else.Why malign a man (who will not reply due to disciplinary reasons), whose heroics at the World Cup helped India snatch it, and whose tremendous batting at Bangalore along with Ganguly saved India from a possible defeat.
If you do not want to play him at Sydney, do it little more gracefully.What is Yuvraj without attitude? And what is the problem with flaunting it! Only men with attitude can take on the Australians. The likes of Botham, Flintoff, Shastri and Harbhajan have shown it in the past.

And the point it, why should Rajput be talking to the Australian media about the attitude of the Indians, and play into their hand!

Rajput wants to have one-on-one with him at Sydney, but has no problem in talking to the media on the issue even before that chat! That is strange.

Sitaree (Stars) lose their glow!

Media watch on Sunday

If you are a loyal friend, blind admirer, or really (rather real) close relative of an Indian cricketer, reading newspapers today will be as tough and soul-sapping as watching the stars in ‘royal inaction’ yesterday. The papers were full of criticism and advice for the rest of the series.

The Times of India had an interesting one, ‘Sitare Zameen Par’’ where the paper wrote that the ‘’Indian papers, long dazzled by the glitz and glamour of international cricket, showed once more that they do not have the stomach for fight when odds are staked against them.''

Well, this blog had indicated this very fact during the Pakistan series itself when it criticized the Indian defensive mindset during the third test. Please read the links below

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/india-end-contest-with-48-overs-to-go.html

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/imran-criticises-late-declaration.html

So India being defensive is nothing new!

Skipper Kumble now says that it is a collective batting failure and the team needs to find the answers collectively. He wants them to be relaxed and positive.

Well, that should have been the advise before the tour started. One fears it is too late. Batsmen, barring Tendulkar and Ganguly, did look too tense and in negative frame of mind. There was simply too much pressure on Dravid, who did not want to fail as opener, and Yuvraj, perpetually on trial and this time more so as an opener had been sacrificed to accommodate him.

HT had ''Suffocated, India Self-destruct’’. It started with Anil Kumble’s quote as to ‘’I wish I knew what went wrong.’’ He only has to see another article in the same paper where HT analyses whey India failed to stretch Australia at Melbourne. Of course, arguments (the ten reasons) are nothing new and we have been hearing them on TV and Print ever since the tour started, but the writer has compiled and argued them really well. That one page needs to be read by the whole Indian team.

HT also has a quote from Kumble saying ‘’if Veru and Karthik were in great form, we would have thought differently.’’ Come on skipper, even Dravid was not in 'great form' during the Pakistan series and by excluding an opener, Laxman and Dravid were forced to play in unfamiliar positions against a lethal attack.

Laxman has not been at number three for very very long time and the strategy was as much counter-productive for him, as for Dravid.

The Indian Express had not much surprise by way of ‘’Early New Year’s Party for Australia as India Crumble.’’ It has a graphics which showed the India’s three worst ever defeats (in runs) had come in last three years, beginning the one at Nagpur in 2004 when Australia had humbled us by 342 runs followed by the one at Karachi in February last year, when Pakistan beat us by 341. And now 337.

Well, we seem to be losing by a mile of late, which shows how fallible we are in the fourth innings. That should be a big matter of concern.

The Hindu’s headline seemed to have been made by tea on the fourth day. Australia victory march continues was simple, a matter of fact statement without too many emotions attached to it.

Viewers who chose not to watch the match on the fourth day and rather went for a fun trip on Saturday, must have felt the same way before giving the telecast a royal ignore.
Related Link
http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/india-look-doomed.html

PATHETIC!

That was the statement India made as Australia won by 337 runs.

India must make their own statement!

Getting up at four (IST), well an hour before the Indian batsmen undertake an arduous, rather a near impossible, journey for glory at Melbourne, reminds me of the days in the eighties when we would not be able to sleep the whole night in anticipation of a great telecast from Australia.

It used to be a tremendous telecast with crystal clear pictures and mind-blowing action replays considering the telecast standards that prevailed in India at that time. One can still recall with amusement how Srikaanth backed away nonchalantly and fooled everybody after dislodging a bail. He even had the gumption to put it back on. But for those action replays, one would have never known that kind of drama. That the Indian team was almost equal to Australia in mid-eighties also helped the matters a lot.

Coming back to Melbourne, I could not sleep tonight (the whole neighbourhood is still pitch dark), because I still hope that this Indian team can leave Melbourne with a good batting display, a display which may not win them the match, but which will surely be a solid statement for the next three matches.

India will badly need to make a statement with the bat because Ponting, by setting a target of 499 when he could have easily gone for 525-550, made a statement that the Australians were brave enough to be prepared to lose, in order to win. After all, statistically speaking, a strike rate of 47 should be good enough to take India through. Even though no team has lasted hundred overs in this match.

Now the Indians must be brave enough to resist even if they lose some early wickets. As Sunil Gavaskar had said yesterday, they must not think of 180 overs or 499 runs. They must play it ball-by-ball, session-by-session and keep rotating the strike.

They will also do well to remember Steve Waugh’s words at Sydney four years ago. Faced with a daunting Indian first innings score of around 700 and in danger of losing the final test and the series, the about-to-retire skipper had said that Australia will fight till the last man standing. And they managed to escape with a draw!

Surely, a draw is impossible here unless bad weather intervenes, and an Indian defeat looks the most likely outcome, but the visitors must go down with all guns blazing. They will make their own statement this way.

Related Links
http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/if-you-do-not-score-australia-will.html

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/india-look-doomed.html

India look doomed

Got up at Seven for two reasons. Not to spoil my wife’s birthday as early morning noises from Melbourne in Indian winter have the potential to disturb the whole neighbourhood, not to speak of my household. And second, did not wish to wake up at five and see the Indian bowlers carted to all parts of the ground and would rather dream of India bowling out Australia for less than 150 by lunch!

Dream did not happen (it happened four years ago at Adelaide thanks to Agarkar and I should be satisfied), and felt happy that did not miss much, though Indian situation at lunch looks much beyond redemption.With Australia leading by a good 282 runs with eight wickets in hand and eight sessions remaining, read an article where Tendulkar defended Dravid’s approach and said the match was far from over.

"We were in a good position yesterday. Today (After Dec 27 play) it's not the same for us. But it's part and parcel of the game. We'll continue to fight (in this Test)," said the batsman in that article and added, "It's possible to chase 400 runs on this wicket. The match isn't over yet. We would try to take 10 wickets as early as possible. We would look to break it down session to session.''

If it was not just for the consumption of the press, it will be a very good statement of intent. Though I have not seen an Indian team successfully chasing even a 300+ score ever since Sachin Tendulkar debuted. But then, India’s rare series win in England too had come 18 years after his debut, so we can hope that India will make it count.

Second, as of now it looks Australia will end up well above 400. May be around 475-500 by the end of play today, which will leave India with a massive task of surviving the last five-and-a-half to six sessions. If we are lucky, weather will intervene.

As of now, India look doomed. Who had said before the series started that if India have to win the series, they will need to win it 2-1 because Australia will try and win every match, and they will win at least one? I think it was Ian Chappell, but may be I am wrong.

The perils of being a print journalist (A story on India's ultradefensive approach is below this post)

There are perils of being a print journalist .

Well, this is what one realizes when one is on tour to Australia or New Zealand. By the time you words reach the readers, the 1st session is normally over and, at times, there is a world of difference between what readers read in newspapers, and what is going on ‘live’ on their TV Screens.

At Seven, when I got my papers, India were reeling at 31 for two at lunch, with both the openers gone. Australia were all set to continue their domination as Jadeja had anticipated on NDTV, when he put the lid of realism on euphoria, saying even a first innings score of 350 by Australia on their home ground was very good.

On the other hand, the newspapers were all praise for Kumble’s performance, which had prevented Australia from posting a total in excess of 500 runs, and some were also critical of their somewhat rash approach to batting. But the euphoria had melted by the time the readers got to lay their hands on papers.

Of course it was a superlative show, but it hid one important fact. Kumble bowled too little early in the innings and at no stage could India curb the Australian scoring rate.

The Indian Express had a big photograph of Kumble on the front page titled ‘Australia Krumble’. Well, Australia did Krumble but it was no collapse by any stretch of imagination. They still managed about 100 more than what could have allowed India to be competitive as India will have to play the fourth innings on this ground. As of now, only rain or an unexpected Australian collapse can save them (in that order!)

The Times of India had their picture titled ‘Jumbo Lands the First Punch’, even though it was only a very good counterpunch after the Australian opening blitz, which must have made the Aussie rework their batting strategy for the second innings.

The Hindustan Times, as matter of fact, said ‘’Well Begun.’’ Equally realistic was the Hindu headline to the main story. ‘’Skipper Kumble inspires Indian fight back’’.

As the luck would have it, Kumble also helped India stage a mini revival with a strong batting display, which ended in the Australian lead getting reduced to less than 150.

But again, the events of the 1st and 2nd days showed that being a print journalist can be a very taxing job when new events supercede the happenings day before.

If You do not score, Australia will score

‘’India would have never been at six after nine overs had Sehwag been there’’

Basically, the commentators were describing Sehwag’s ability to take the bull by the horn after India’s very defensive start, which saw them make just six runs in first nine overs, while losing Jaffer’s wicket at the same time.

Worse, India would have been staring disaster at 6 for two, had Dravid been lapped up by Jaques, or been caught off a legitimate ball by Hayden.

With a player like Sehwag, fireworks are guaranteed, and that is the only sureshot way of putting Australia on the defensive. For records, Australia were 36 for none after ten overs while India were just six for one at the similar stage.

Sure, you have to eschew some strokes initially, as many players including great Tendulkar will testify, but that does not mean not making runs at all. Dravid would have been out without scoring off 19 balls and then 33 balls. His first runs, a two, came after he had played a good 40 deliveries just defending.

Sure, Sehwag is not in the best of form but if you have the confidence to take him to Australia, have confidence to have in the playing eleven as well. The Australian aggression can’t be met by defense alone.

Dravid is still best suited at number three. He looked so uncomfortable as opener. Even if he makes some runs, it will only be thanks to all the chances he got.

Simply Wonderful

As we had hoped, after India got Australia's first three wickets in the space of 30 runs, the Indian bowlers came firing all cylinders and the visitors seem to have restricted Australia to under 350. (http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/kumbles-twin-strike-zaheer-chips-in.html)

The 337 for nine could well have remained 337 for two, three or four, but some on-target bowling by Kumble and Zaheer (the pacer took three) kept India in the match. (For more details, please see sites below profile in this blog)

Make no mistake. Australia still hold the upper hand in this match as India will have to bat fourth on this wicket. And they will have to muster a lead of 100 or 150 to put any kind of pressure on Australia.

The bowlers have done their job. Now everything will depend on how the Indian batsmen negotiate the first session tomorrow, with a makeshift opener in Rahul Dravid. That could well be the most critical session of the match.

Kumble's twin strike, Zaheer chips in with one!

(Very brief summary, details are on the right)

It needed Kumble's inspiration to get India back into the match and his googly to Jaques did that. Then he accounted for another Aussie Hussey (leg-before). In between Zaheer got rid of Ponting. From 135 for none, Australia suddenly looked extremely vulnerable at 165 for three.

Will India do to Australia what Australia did to India at Melbourne four years ago? Leading one-nil in the series four years ago, India had a tremendous start reaching 250 for the loss of just one wicket but then Australia took over, bowling them out for 366 and wrapping up the test eventually.

India look set for long day in the field

For Indian viewers, who got up at five am to watch the first session of the most anticipated clash in cricket history today, it turned out to be a big letdown. It is not that India were not up to the task in first session of the test series at Melbourne. The pacers did everything right in the initial few overs but that critical first wicket eluded them. They pitched it up, moved it beautifully, but missed the edge of the blade. (The details you will get in any of the sites on this blog).

And then the Australians took over. A score of 111 for none at lunch means Indians are well and truly on the backfoot and if Australia's recent performance is anything to go by, they are unlikely to let any side off from such situation. Commenting on pre-lunch play, Wasim Akram did feel that the Indians should have used the crease little more effectively. He also predicted a very tough post-lunch session for India.

The most interesting coincidence, as pointed out by Ravi Shastri when the match took off, was that left-handers were doing everything in the initial stages. The Australian batting was opened by lefties (Hayden and Jaques), the Indian opening bowling attack had Zaheer and RP, and the second commentator to describe the initial overs along with Ravi, was Akram!

A broken bat, that could mend Indian hearts

But Ganguly will need to keep it safe. The Australians now do know what this bat means to Ganguly, and they just need to separate the two.

A very interesting PTI story in the Hindu.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200712251821.htm

Uneasy calm before Melbourne Storm

Less than 24 hours before the mega-showdown at Melbourne, nostalgia, serenity, and a sense of history enveloped Indian newspapers, succinctly described by a headline in the Times of India, calling it ‘’calm before the storm’’.

There was also an interesting piece of statistics which said Australia have won each of their last eight matches on this ground beginning with that thumping 180-run win against India in 1999. India were whitewashed 0-3 in the 1999 series – a result ‘predicted’ by the then BCCI secretary Mr Lele even before the series had started!

For India too, this is their most successful ground in Australia as they have won two matches against Australia here, the last one being that famous almost ‘walk over’ match when under Gavaskar’s leadership, Ghavri and Kapil’s heroics with the ball helped India defend a meager total and beat Greg Chappell-led Australia.

The Hindustan times had an article ‘’Bowl India Bowl..Fast’, where the writer tried to convince that ‘’given the general lack of success that finger spinners have had in Australia, a lot is going to depend on India’s pacemen.

However, her opinion goes against what many experts believe. There looks to be a general consensus among many ex-players that India must carry their best attack on this ground even if they have to have two spinners.

They believe the ground will assist spin and help India if Australia play the fourth innings with marginally defendable total. Even Australia will bank on Hogg, a relatively inexperienced spinner, to make inroads in the absence of McGill.

Yesterday, even Ponting and Gilchrist had come out in support of Hogg.An interesting item in the Indian Express was on Gujarati community. They were full of admiration for Indian cricketers, little disappointed that fellow Gujarati Parthiv Patel was not there, and celebrated the re-election of Narendra Modi!

But come tomorrow, the politics of cricket will take the centrestage among the Indians and Modi will be forgotten. As of now, both the teams look eager to take the field. While Ganguly has remarked that he is not feeling any pressure as he goes for this century, Clarke is adamant that Australia will put the pressure back on the Indians.

It is indeed uneasy calm before the storm. In the battle of words, Indians have so far proved to be equal to the Australians. Come tomorrow, and they will be eager to back their words with action.

Meanwhile, Below is the link to Christmas and New Year wishes, which I have prepared for friends and readers of this blog.http://spiritualsolace.blogspot.com/2007/12/may-this-christmas-and-new-year-endow.html

May This Christmas and New Year endow you with....(Please read the link below)

http://spiritualsolace.blogspot.com/2007/12/may-this-christmas-and-new-year-endow.html

Indian selection dilemma is over, Australia's persists

(Media Watch One for Dec 24, More to follow above this post)

With India finally deciding that Dravid will open (Dravid to ‘crack’ open puzzle in IE and in most news channels yesterday), it is clear that Sehwag will have to wait for his chance from the bench on a ground where he was so lethal with that 195 four years ago.

But one thing good about the decision is that it has been made three days before the test, rather than a day before or in the morning. It will help Dravid get into the opening ‘mindset’ sooner than later. Since now Yuvraj too knows he is in, there is going to be more intensity about his preparations. Sehwag can be called unlucky, but he will surely have his chance in January-Feb 2008.

However, the Australians may still not have decided on whether to include Chinaman Hogg, or go with all pace attack at the Melbourne Test. It will be wise for Australia to include a man about whom Muralitharan says that ‘’the World’s top batsmen can’t pick his wrong ones.’’ Indian batsmen are capable of clobbering a unidimensional pace attack at will on a benign pitch. Australia will certainly need some variety.

If one goes by what the curator has to say, it is not going to be a green top and even he has asked Australia to include a spinner. And if it is not a green top, then even India must go in with their best attack. That is, two spinners and two seamers.

Miandad has interesting tips for India

Media Watch, Dec 23

The former Pakistan coach and one of world’s most resilient player, he says in an interview to the Indian Express that ‘’it is (beating Australia in Australia) a tough task no doubt. But by saying that it is the toughest, you have just made it tougher than it is.’’

That is the best tip someone could have given to the Indian side. Javed has very encouraging words for the Indian team as he says that ‘’I personally do not think that it is as tough as it is being made out to be, especially considering the strength and form of the Indian side at the moment.’’

A report in the Times of India had Tendulkar saying that India have got what it takes to win the test series in Australia, but he also cautioned batsmen to be ‘’little more careful with shot selection.’’ He also said that some ‘’mental adjustments’’ were needed on this tour.

In fact, everyone is talking about the strength of the Indian batting, and that includes Australian past greats and current cricketers. They believe that India have it in them to put it across Australia. That is also representative of the cordial manner in which the series will be fought and lack of hostility should certainly help India as much as the absence of Warne and McGrath.

Australia new coach Tim Nielsen believes that ‘’The older players (in Indian team) know how to pace themselves. As you get older it is easier to lay the big games for you know how to play and recover. The same holds good for India’s top players,’’ he says.

If their reflexes manage to judge the Australian pace the same way as they did last time, India should be able to give a tough challenge. Win or lose, the fight must be good

Why India should aim for the top of the off-stump

Simply because Agarkar successfully did that in Adelaide four years ago and helped India get their first away test win over Australia in over two decades.

‘’It is simple. Just bowl on a good length and try and aim for the top of the off-stump,’’ says Agarkar about his approach in Australia in 2003-04 series.

His advise makes sense because it is easier to get carried away for a pace bowler in Australia. Listening to what he says in the Times of India will do a world of good to Zaheer and company.

Meanwhile, in his column (By Hawkeye/Chivach Sport) in the Hindu, Anil Kumble laments that ‘’Ideally, it would have been great if the weather had been kinder and we had had a good tour game but that was not to be''. He also say ideally India should have had two tour games before the first test to sort out their chinks.

Too late to say this skipper. The Team should have requested the BCCI to take note of this 'thoughtlessly done schedule' even as the itinerary was being planned.

But good preparation or not, India has some good supporters in Gilchrist and Hussey, two of Australia key players who are predicting a good, well-contested series.

Gilchrist believes that India is ‘’not underprepared’’ for the tour, and rather they are ‘’match-hardened’’ after three-four weeks of intense cricket against Pakistan. Hussey believes it is a ‘huge challenge’ for Australia as India right now have ‘good momentum’ and ‘good form’ going into the contest. Though in a separate story in the Indian Express, he also said that the Australian batsmen had plans ready for each Indian bowler.

Basically, the contest between the Australian bowlers and the Indian batsmen will decide the outcome of the series. Australian batsmen are always expected to score heavily on their pitches so do not expect much from the Indian attack. India batting can't afford to fail once or twice in their eight attempts. That will spell doom.

Dravid may not open in Boxing day test?

It looks highly unlikely but that is what the Times of India is saying quoting PTI.

Unfortunately, this source journalism has a problem that there is never any quote with a name. Whose thinking, what thinking -- is always in realm of dispute.

The report says ''Till the start of the three-day game against Victoria on Thursday, the thinking was to put Dravid at the top of the order and pitchfork VVS Laxman at number three. These two were the best bats against Australia in 2003 and the opinion was to again put them at the forefront. But both are unused to this position and Dravid is fighting his own demons, inflicted on him after his ouster from One-dayers, a few technical cobwebs as well as the new task of opening the innings.''

The reasoning is perfect, and that is the way it should be. And Veru should be happy. He certainly has very good memories of MCG with that tremendous 195.

The Report says that ''Sehwag has been put on alert and he wasted little time in rushing to the MCG indoor nets this afternoon to give himself some serious workout against bowling machines.''Good.

That will surely help him if he gets a chance for the sterner test ahead!

More WARNEing

And the warning this time is for the Australians. One of their own, the incomparable Shane Warne, believes that they have become ugly and arrogant which will lead to their downfall. He has come down especially hard on former coach John Buchanan and his 'radical' suggestions on increasing competition at the World level.

Below is the link to the story.
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/success-has-made-aussies-arrogant-warne/54667-5.html

But the problem is, the Australian arrogance stems from the results and it will continue till some nation defies the laws of cricket to hand them a defeat in their own land.

Warne on Tendulkar

A headline in Hindustan times today said ‘’Warne Backs Tendulkar to score heavily’’

Just because he is old does not mean he is finished, said Warne. Well, that is something every Indian knows Mr Warne. We all have tried our best to finish him off (Including this scribe on the blog) but he has survived both verbal and on-field yorkers!

Coming back to Warne, and his line of reasoning: Both Tendulkar’s genius and the fact that Wickets in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide are going to be pretty flat.

If Tendulkar does play two–three special knocks, it will set up India really well. But one of them must come at Melbourne.

Dravid 'may' (!) Open

Media Watch (More will follow in the same post in next one hour)

Dravid may open in the Tests. It was an interesting headline in the Hindu talking about the indications that ‘’the Indian team down under is considering the option’’ of using Dravid as opener in the first test.

It was interesting as the headlines came a day after Dravid's great resilience in making 33 not out at a strike rate of less than 30 (the match against Victoria lasted just a few overs today with Dravid still playing at 38).

Probably the paper, a tremendous source of knowledge on cricket, could have been more adventurous in saying that Dravid WILL open.

The 1st session of play yesterday at Melbourne warm up match made it more than clear that the Indian batting lineup will have Jaffer and Dravid as openers for sure, with Ganguly, Tendulkar, Laxman and Yuvraj in the middle order.

India will definitely bank on its strong middle order to click, and hope Dravid shines in his new role as opener. Hope because Dravid’s average, at 33.54 (Source ToI) is his worst in this position compared to any other he has played at. Even though he may say that he will play wherever his team wants him to be.

Sacrificing your top batsman at number three (where Dravid averages a good 57) does not really make any sense just to ensure that every middle order bat is accommodated. You can't be successful overseas without a 'comfortable' opening pair.

Dravid is not a Wiseman!

Even as someone named Wise was making Indians aware of what Australian conditions are all about, Dravid showed that he was not a Wise-man by ensuring that the Indians did not completely crumble.

But it may also not have been a Wise thing to resist so dourly as an opener (Dravid was unbeaten on 24 by the 25th over of the innings). It ensures that 'the wall' will open at Melbourne, something which Dravid will never be fully comfortable with at the Test level.

One wonders what is in store when Lee and Tait share the Red cherry at Australia's most hallowed ground on December 26th (if Australia get to bowl first).

(This post is purely in zest. Media watch one is below)

Viru does not get a chance to show he is dada against Australian pace!

Media Watch One

One of the headlines today in the Indian Express was ‘’Viru opts for lighter bat to score heavy.’’ His bat is now 90-100 grams lighter.

Blog’s Take: We can now hope that with this lighter bat, Sehwag will strike the Australian bowlers like a lightening. As per the story, it will reduce the time taken to connect the ball after a big backlift. That is very important on pitches where ball comes little faster off the track.

Unfortunately, we will not get a chance to see his pyrotechnics in the three-day match between Victoria and India, which took off today. With Jaffer and Dravid opening, India’s priorities are clear. Unless Dravid fails in both the innings, he will play at Melbourne. That will be a pity because even if Dravid succeeds in Australia, you can not do much without specialist openers.

Latest Five Links

Challenge is enormous!
Inzy's memory is not that HUGE
Soaring Hopes and a Mission not Impossible
Kumble impervious to mind games
What Bishan Bedi never said

Challenge is enormous!

If you take Australia's record and compare it with India's, challenge is enormous. The story below in IBN Live says that Australia win three out of their every four matches and India win one of their every three matches.

So, in lighter vain, India should be happy with a 1-2 scoreline in favour of Australia just on the basis of their respective performances in year 2000.

http://ibnlive.com/news/aussies-test-record-awesome-india-way-behind/54487-5.html

Meanwhile, here are two links on Print media's assessment on India's chances and Blog's take on that.

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/what-will-india-be-banking-on-in.html

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/soaring-hopes-and-mission-not.html

Based on quotes in Print media and Blogs' reaction to it

Please see the link below and give your comments. Blog's take in this link is based on what Kumble and Dhoni have said.

What will India be banking on in Australia

Inzy's memory is not that HUGE

It was funny to read Pakistan former Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq recently blaming Lawson’s inexperience as coach at the International level leading to recent losses against India in both ODI and Test Series. (link is . http://chennaionline.com/colnewsnew/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B9B657005-0F1A-4E5D-918E-520B26003885%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Sports

It was funny indeed because it was his experienced team which had so tamely went down in the World Cup with a very experienced coach in late Bob Woolmer.

Inzamam will also do well to remember that when Pakistan had lost a test series and ODI series on its soil for the first time against India in 2004, he was the skipper (a very experienced one) and the coach of the team was Javed Miandad (another experienced campaigner).

Inzy wants some reasonable time for Malik to prove his mettle, then why not for Lawson to prove his credentials. He should rather be praising the coach and the team for ensuring that it did not go down 0-3 in the test series and at least by 1-4 margin in the ODIs.

One wonders what even Whatmore could have done with a team full with injured pacers, and trying to take on India in India.

Soaring Hopes and a Mission not Impossible

Media Watch Dec 18

India’s departure for Australia was the biggest news in Indian Newspapers today.

''Indians fly off Down Under with Soaring hopes in tow'', was the headline in the Indian Express as the paper quoted Skipper Kumble that the experience of previous tours will come handy.

His optimism was reflected in his comment that ‘’We have the potential and the players to win the series.

Blog's Take: However, while the batsmen in the team have over 30,000 runs collectively, over 10,000 more than what they had when they toured last, they are also older by four years. The reflexes may not hold this time round against Lee and Tait. The last chance missed (in 2003-04) may well have been their last chance.

Meanwhile, Laxman was as down to earth as he has ever been, as he talked about the Australian potential.‘’They are the best so it is pretty simple that you have got to give your best against them,’’ he said. Jaffer too said that ‘’It will be a big test for me’’.

Blog's Take: Surely, and he will also need stability at the other end whether it is Sehwag, Dravid, Yuvraj or Karthik opening the batting with him. It takes two to tango. Noting illustrates it better than the exploits of Sehwag-Aakash Combo which had set the tone for the last series.

HT, well they headlined it ‘’Mission: Not impossible’’. However, the paper did say that the lack of more than one warm up match before the first test will be a big problem for India. The Times of India simply said ‘’Team off to Oz, looking to make history.’’

Blog's Take: Kumble and company can be justifiably aggrieved. With so much at stake, the issue needs to be addressed quickly. Players are not machines that they keep on performing relentlessly at the big stage in completely different conditions without adequate preparation. The absence of that opportunity to get tuned into conditions does make it a mission impossible for a team still grappling with batting combinations at the top.

In the Times of India, there was an interview with Sourav Ganguly where he said that India had done better outside the subcontinent in last six-seven years compared to Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In fact, he used the word ‘’wonderfully well’’.He felt that this knowledge of beating West Indies, Pakistan and England in away series and drawing with Australia last time, will help India immensely. He also quoted India reaching the final of ODI World Cup in 2003 and winning the 20-20 Cup as among the important factors.

Blog's Take: Ganguly has shown that he has the skills to go with the guts. A tremendous skipper, India will look at Ganguly for the kind of inspiration he showed in the recent series against Pakistan. Mission may not be possible, but that is possible!

Kumble impervious to mind games

Former Australian coach John Buchanan believes that the Indian skipper Anil Kumble is a tough cookie who is impervious to mind games.

Below are some comments from Kumble in a website, which show that he is not bothered about what Australia have to offer.

Well, that may not win the series for him, but Kumble has surely not started on the back foot. Good omen that is.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtvcricket/cricketstory.aspx?id=SPOEN20070036188

Meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh has questioned Brad Hogg's credentials to fit into the shoes of either Shane Warne or Stuart MacGill. So, the offensive from India has already started.From now on, one can surely bet that things are not going to be peaceful both on and off the field.

What Bishan Bedi never said!

Well he never said that the 1990 Indian team be thrown into the sea!!

In a TV programme Sunday Night, Bishan Singh Bedi clarified that he had never said that the Indian team should be thrown into the pacific ocean after a narrow loss to Australia.

Speaking on Cricket Controversies programme on NDTV Sunday night, Bedi, the Indian coach then, said the comment was wrongly printed and actually what he said (after a humiliating loss) was that if somebody wants to commit suicide by jumping into the sea, he won’t stop him!

Unfortunately, his anguish, with little touch of humour, became a reckless comment by the time it reached the countrymen and created one of the biggest verbal turmoils in Indian cricket.

His wife, also on the programme, said that while people may have thought of Bedi as aloof and arrogant at times, he was only being frank and forthright.

In fact, Bedi has been forthright and candid (read outspoken) throughout his life (as player, coach and columnist) which was evident when he objected to Vaseline 'abuse' by Lever during England's tour of India in late seventies.

A year earlier at Kingston, to protest against West Indies immoral intimidation he had declare India's second innings rather prematurely.

However, Bedi's wife did say that at times she felt that his criticism of Sourav Ganguly was little harsh and in arguments with her husband on Sourav, she often defended Sourav and asked Bedi to be soft on him!

Interestingly, Atul Wassan, a pacer on the tour, jokingly pointed out that Bedi, in zest, had told them during that tour, after one bad performance, that make sure that if your performance is not good on the field, at least is it good off the it!

Younis is a great captaincy material.....

.....but PCB will never give him another opportunity. The reasons are in the link http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/younis-is-great-captaincy-material.html

How sound was the decision to rope in Sehwag?

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/sehwag-selection-is-about-desperation.html
The link above has comments from commentators and experts -- Bhogale, Imran and Shastri -- on Sehwag's inclusion in the Indian team and India's chances down under.

Some Latest Links

Fading light denies India? Give a break!
Imran criticises late declaration
Simply Sensational Sourav
Will India manage the impossible?
India end the contest with 48 overs to go
Is one bad series enough to dump poor Karthik?
Lawson has thrown a challenge which India might no...
Miandad knows what batting is all about, defends Y...

Will India manage the impossible?

With 13 overs to go, if India manage Pakistan's next three wickets, they will achieve the impossible. Claiming last ten wickets in the final session to win a match! It has never happened before.But if they do not, they will certainly rue the late declaration. Just before interval, every one was predicting a dull draw -- all the experts in the studio and on various channels. But Kumble's genius, Yuvraj's accuracy, and the pitch has changed all that. It made it a most breathtaking battle.Even now Arun Lal is saying that ''time may be running out for India, but game has changed totally.''Here is a link before the fourth day play started where it was pointed out that Yuvraj needed more bowling in Pakistan's first innings after his tremendous over to Misbah on the third day evening. http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/battle-of-bangalore-equal-opportunity.htmlAnd then another which talks about India's failure to give enough time to Pakistan to make it count. http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/india-end-contest-with-48-overs-to-go.htmlFor Pak, one can only say they deserve a draw after showing such bravery.

India end the contest with 48 overs to go

Before we start with this small piece, a link as to why India would have never accepted Pakistan's challenge, written yesterday night.

http://cricketclicks.blogspot.com/2007/12/lawson-has-thrown-challenge-which-india.html

India were never going to accept Lawson's challenge, but they were expected to at least give their bowlers some chance, some decent overs to bowl Pakistan out. If nothing, for the sake of test cricket at least.

Now, the situation facing Pakistan is beyond a team even in an ODI. Pakistan are to make 374 runs in 48 overs, and spectators have gone to sleep knowing nothing else save a draw is possible. Reasons are not to difficult to decipher.

-- Unfortunately, there are no field restrictions for the first 20 overs (usually teams consume powerplays in first 20 overs). India can place the field as they like. They can be offensive at will, and defensive as and when the situation warrants.

-- There is no fifth bowler for Pakistan to milk. So basically no weak link to score off. They will need at least two of the frontline bowlers to go totally off track.

-- India can slow the overrate and bring light into play as and when they want. Duckworth and Lewis do not decide Tests in such situations. Pakistan would have been game otherwise!

Pakistan have already achieved a moral victory. With India making 600 runs in the 1st innings twice, and still not able to win. That can happen only on subcontinent pitches. Still, Pakistan needed to do it and they did it not once, but twice. They can go home with their head held high.

Lawson has thrown the challenge which India might not accept

The final day of the Bangalore test tomorrow holds intriguing possibilities. Pakistan’s coach Geoff Lawson has thrown the challenge that they will go for a win if the score is competitive.

In other words, he has dangled a temptation for India to make it 2-0 by putting Pakistan in a position where their batsmen will go in for their shots.

However, given the fact that it is not everyday that you win a series against Pakistan, it is highly unlikely that Kumble will give them a target of around 4.5 runs per over, which is the only realistic target on this kind of pitch.

India's lead right now is 220 and if the target is to be 315-320 in about 70 overs, the Indian batsmen will have to go at five runs per over in the morning session. That way India will reach the target figure in 18-19 overs, leaving Pakistan with around 70.

But the problem with that kind of target is that it does give Pakistan a realistic chance and it is India who are leading the series right now. Lawson would not have thrown this challenge at India if Pak were leading!

India will be more comfortable with a target score of around 340-345, the same at Kolkatta, and Pakistan having about 60 to 65 overs to chase that. At least five runs per over will be what they will demand of Pakistan to make. However, that will not be the kind of target Pakistan would like to chase. They will end that pursuit after the loss of just one or two wickets.

Anything above five is virtually impossible on this track, especially on the final day, and Pakistan can not realistically expect to chase a total which might need them to go at 5.5 to 6 runs per over. If they try, they will be in real danger of losing an uneven contest.

So Mr Lawson, you can take back your challenge. India would not like to share honours in a series which they have already won.

Miandad defends Younis' Reverse Sweep

One of the top batsmen of the world in the seventies, eighties, and even nineties, Javed Miandad has defended the reverse sweep of Younis Khan at Bangalore which had resulted in his dismissal.

''When a player gets out playing a reverse sweep, it looks ugly and becomes a controversy. But one should not forget that when one succeeds, as Younis did in Kolkatta and on Monday, it draws applause from spectators,'' he wrote in one of India's premier papers, The Hindustan Times today (A PMG Column).

Miandad felt it would be folly to blame Younis and Yousuf for going for runs considering the wicket.If one recalls, Miandad did not seem to be having the most conventional of techniques, but lasted a good two decades thanks to his ability to find gaps and some innovative stroke-making.

Naturally, he believes that some risks are essential to succeed for any batsman as ultimately it is the runs on the board that matter.

Battle of Bangalore. Equal opportunity for both India and Pak

What all can India do on the Fourth day to weed out Pakistan resistance

Just bowl straight and hope for pitch to do something, or pray that the Pakistani players run out of patience. Some times the ball is keeping so low that if it is straight, a wicket is certain.

More overs needed for Yuvraj. His last over today was a revelation. Two of the six deliveries almost got Misbah just because they failed to bounce. May be there is something he can do on this pitch which others can’t.

Realise that they are already 1-0 up in the series and in virtually no chance of losing this test. Crowd the opposition with as many fielders as Possible. Pakistan will be happy to escape with a draw.

Enforce the follow on if the opportunity arises. Pakistan will dread the possibility of batting again without a break on this track.

And what can Pak do to ensure that India remain on the backfoot

Low backlift as Misbah has shown throughout his essay. That will be important to counter the balls which can rattle the stumps by their lack of bounce.

Never lose a run-making opportunity to inch closer to the follow on mark, and then deficit reduction endeavour. There will be ample gaps in the field with the Indians going all out for a kill.

Be more careful against makeshift bowlers. Laxman’s wicket of Sami had almost endangered Pakistan in Kolkatta. Yuvraj is capable of doing the same here.

Pakistan are almost exactly in the same position going into the last two days as at Kolkatta. Indian bowling does not hold much threat. But pitch does.

Yuvraj is Lara! Comparison beats imagination!!

No one can doubt the pedigree of Arvinda de Silva. He was a saint in disguise when batting and nothing seemed to affect him. That showed in his exceptional results. But you do feel that he went haywire as expert when comparing Yuvraj with Lara saying that ‘’I could not believe Yuvraj being left out of the test squad. The way he plays he is the Brian Lara of India.’’

In terms of elegance and timing, Yuvraj can be termed as good as Lara. When he is in flow, he simply reduces the bowlers to tears. But then cricket is also about consistency, and here he falls way too short.

After his 19 tests, Lara was averaging a massive 57 while Yuvraj has just 33 to boost of. Just five fifty-plus knocks (excluding the present innings) in his previous 19 Tests may have been the result of now-in now-out policy of selectors for Yuvraj, still it is way too short for any comparison with the West Indies great.

For more perspective on Yuvraj as Test Player, please see the link below. It also talks about how Yuvraj has fared against other teams apart from Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

http://cricketclicks.blogspot.com/2007/12/do-not-get-too-carried-away-by-yuvrajs.html

Kyun Itna tum Muskara rahe ho (Why are you smiling so much!)

Just before tea on the second day at Bangalore, cameras focused on an unsuspecting Shoaib Akhtar, smiling away to glory. Probably it was his frustration masquerading as smile, and was telecast to the millions of TV viewers the world over.

The Commentator on Neo Hindi fittingly said, 'hans rahein hain par hansne jaisi koi baat nahin hai' (He is laughing but there is nothing to laugh about).

Another symbolic moment was when Sourav Ganguly was dismissed, losing the ball completely as it flattened his stumps. Usually we see a keeper jumping in elation whatever be the score or the situation. However, here Akmal just raised his hand, surprised that Ganguly was finally out! It was too good (or too late!) to be true.

Poor Pakistanis. Second time in succession they are faced with a score of over 600. Winning is out of question so they can only give a helpless smile. After losing their way so badly, the only challenge left for them is to give their best and see if they can prevent a 2-0 mauling.

Another problem they have is that they do not have too many left-handers. And only left-handers seem to be doing well in this match!These Pakistanis do have the grit but miracles usually do not happen twice.

A Silly Law which deserves to be changed (Followed by a story on Do not get too carried away by Yuvraj's form

If the Indian batsmen have not killed the match for Pakistan, a silly law today put the expiry stamp on Pakistan chances.

Pakistan pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar was in genuine discomfort yesterday as he missed most of the final two sessions to go for an MRI Scan.

Now, he will have to wait for nearly three and a half hours to bowl today (Equivalent to the time he was away from the field) as per the law which does not distinguish between a genuine injury and a faked one to take rest.

High time to make some changes in the law. Or at least the high time to recognize the spirit of the law. You can’t always go by the printed lines alone, and kill the prospects of some enthralling cricket.

Do not get too carried away by Yuvraj's form

Certainly it was a tremendous 169 which catapulted India to a position at Bangalore where the worst thing that can happen to them is a draw.

Certainly it was a knock played under extreme duress; with India reeling at 61 for 4 and Pakistan threatening to finish them well under 150 or 200.

Certainly, he could be the most talented batsman in recent times never to have got his due.

But do not get carried away by Yuvraj’s display today and try and force his inclusion at the cost of Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly or Laxman. At least not till the Australian tour is over.

In Tests, Yuvraj has been a tremendous performer on the subcontinent pitches, and that too just against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Before the innings of 169, two of his hundreds and three fifties had come only against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He was averaging 57 from six Tests against Pakistan with two hundreds and a fifty, and 51 against Sri Lanka with two fifties.

Against other opponents, Yuvraj has never been able to average more than 25 runs per innings, and that has been disappointing even considering the fact that he never had a secure place in the test team.

Against Australia, Yuvraj has just 47 runs from two tests, against England 64 from two, against New Zealand 25 from one match, against the West Indies 104 runs from four matches and against Zimbabwe, 37 from two.

He is one of the few top class batsmen, who has played 15 tests and over 100 ODIs, with ODI average at 37 being more than the test average (33).

So do not get carried away. Praise his knock but do remember his record against other opposition, outside the subcontinent, and the two chances he got yesterday.

This talented batsman does deserve a place, but only if Dravid consents to open the innings on the Australian tour. He should certainly not be in at the cost of any of the big four in the test playing eleven for the Australian tour. That will put so much pressure on him.

A harmless query for Younis

Why did you do it it Younis! or rather, what did you do skipper!!

You allowed Shoaib to carry you on his back, as was prominantly displayed in pictures today.

And today, he has gone to hospital for an MRI for back pain even as Pakistan fights a grim battle!

How come the burden was too much for your main bowler!!

Now we know why you were smiling so much in the picture. In the Land of Kumble, you were the real smiling assassin!!!

(Caution: It is purely in jest)

Tremendous recovery by India (They ended the the day at 365 for five)

Second Session Brief -- India 192 for four

Yuvraj and Sourav are doing exactly what Dhoni-Laxman did at Kotla in the 1st test. Accumulating runs without worrying too much about the situation and the circumstances.

In that match, Dhoni and Laxman had staged a tremendous recovery from 93 for five in India's first innings and that partnership had helped India better a modest Pak total.

And today, just when it looked that India were in deep trouble at 65 for four at lunch after opting to bat, Sourav-Yuvraj unbeaten partnership of over hundred runs in the second session took the hosts to the position of relative safety at tea time. Of course, a dropped chance and a missed run out of Yuvraj, when India had not reached even 100 runs, did not help the Pakistan cause. But the Indians won't mind for sure!

Still, the last thing Indians will do is to become complacent. Just one wicket can start a procession and hand over the initiative to Pakistan, as we have seen so often in the past.

Below is end of the day scorecard in Rediff

http://imsports.rediff.com/score/in_match8528.html

Khurafati (Troublesome) Arafat!

1st session of Bangalore

Whatever happens today, on the 1st day of Bangalore Test, Pakistan have proved that the momentum is on their side now. That is unless India go on to get past 250 with four-five wickets intact today.

And that has all been thanks to the new comer Yasir Arafat. The debutant's three wickets in a space of just seventeen runs meant India, after electing to bat, were precariously placed at 65 for four at lunch, fighting for survial.

At 44 for one with Gambhir gone early to Sami, India looked to have weathered the initial storm before Arafat brought one to bounce a little extra and Dravid, trying to attack, just managed to find the waiting hands of Misbah in the 1st slip.

Then Jaffer expected an outswinger and offered no shot. The ball cut in sharply, hit the pads, and up went the finger of Simon Tauffel. India were 51 for 3.

And if that was not bad enough, India's most reliable middle order batsman in the series, VVS Laxman, was done in by the low bounce to a straightish delivery. It took the bottom edge of his bat and disturbed the stumps.

Pakistan's momentum continues, and in what a great fashion!

Why Captaincy destroys life

When Younis Khan says such thing, one has to take the Pakistan captain seriously. A top performer but a reluctant skipper, he does know what it takes to captain India or Pakistan.

Public is the first to pouch on the beleaguered skipper scrutinising his every move. Probably the reason Sachin Tendulkar ‘refused’ Indian captaincy for the third time. Even those who can not differentiate a square cut from a fortuitous edge through the slip, or Long leg from Long on, are the first to comment on the any ‘flawed moves by the skipper.

Then there is media, hell bent upon vilifying the skipper after every loss, without looking into any positives. Rahul Dravid can surely testify to that. His Test series win in England after a good 21 years was overshadowed by just one move of not enforcing the follow on (taken only after consulting the seniors and his bowling colleagues), which allowed England to wriggle out of the Indian web at Oval. Not surprisingly, when he resigned, he said every captain must realize that he has a shelf life.

And then the selectors. These guys have to show from time to time that who is the boss. Especially when they send replacements for the overseas tours, and needlessly meddle with the team affairs when Captain, always in the line of fire, should be allowed to have his say. Younis was justifiably anguished by the inclusion of an unfit Shoaib Akhtar in the team, something which had stalled the Pakistan challenge on the very first day of the Kolkatta test.

So a captain is always under mental pressure and Sunil Gavaskar rightly, though half-jokingly, had said on the ESPN that some of his grey hair had gone black after he had relinquished the captaincy of the Indian Cricket Team!

Will he, or Won't he...But Younis certainly deserves better treatment from PCB

Younis never wanted to be a lame duck captain. So refused captaincy before. At Kolkatta, circumstances forced him to become one even as a partially fit Shoaib Akhtar was thrust on him.

Now, after a superb rearguard action at Kolkatta by Pak, with a brilliant century by the stand in skipper being the Jewel in the Crown, if Younis Khan wants to have his own team in this 'gallow or glory battle', then what is wrong in it.

None of the PCB office bearers is ever going to resign if Pakistan fail to win Bangalore test. Even their selectors, at best, will opt for some new faces. So what’s wrong if Younis wants to fight a battle with his own hand-picked men.

If will be a pity if he is dropped as captain in favour of someone like Misbah, who is yet to prove his credentials in all conditions notwithstanding whatever Rameez Raja says about him.

Pak media manager may claim that there is no truth in the reports that Younis does not want to lead but the signs of turmoil were already there when Younis had written about the controversial inclusion of Akhtar in Kolkatta test, even as Pakistan were battling to save the test.

Now he, or his well wishers, have used some friendly journalist to convey the message that all is not well. Well done, Younis!

Areas Openers must take care of, and Vengsarkar is India's Don

MEDIA WATCH, December 7

A very interesting article by Rohit Mahajan in The Hindustan Times quoting Javagal Srinath about the techniques of four potential openers for the Australian tour. Right now, we will talk about the chinks in their armour, which Srinath talked about in the piece.

Wasim Jaffer: Plays too many strokes when in groove. Should pace his innings better

Gautam Gambhir: Compulsive puller. He needs to handle the short stuff well in Australia because that is one area he will be targeted in

Dinesh Kaarthik: Balls outside the off stump are a problem right now. He lives on scoring runs and gets under pressure whenever it is curbed. Australia need patience.

Aakash Chopra: Compact but Over defensive. If gets opportunity for Australia, he has to take care of this aspect of his batting.

Interesting analysis and who can give it better than an opening bowler, who has a first hand experience of dealing with the openers, and the Australian conditions.

In the Times of India, Pradeep Vijayakar makes interesting comparison of Don Bradman with Dilip Vengsarkar. But it is not about their qualities as players, but as writers. Both were in trouble about their contract for writing columns.

But while Don, as player, had his contract for writing amicably terminated, Vengsarkar, as chief selector, is still writing and selecting. How the problem is solved will be seen in the coming days. Don opted to write because he was not sure if he would be selected in the touring party, while Vengsarkar should be in a position to terminate his contract anytime if Board does not want a columnist as selector.

Meanwhile, Writing his column in The Hindu, Anil Kumble expressed concern about injuries to the pace department. ‘’Yet I am hopeful that the players who have some minor injuries will be better in quick time,’’ he writes.

But like a gritty customer that he is, Kumble did say that the important thing is to get the best out of whatever you have.

Well, that is the mindset that the Indian captain is famous for. A mind which does not allow too many doubts to creep in whatever be the quality of arsenal at his disposal.

Shoaib Malik's absence blessing in disguise as Pak prepare for India at Bangalore

What could be a distressing news for the Pakistan middle order, may have some silver lining after all.

Younis Khan led from the front in the match against India at Kolkatta, and deserves to lead the side for the series saving third Test.

Considering Pakistan’s chances at Bangalore should be good, as traditionally they have dominated at this ground, they would not really like to tamper with the new think tank headed by Younis Khan

Below is the link to the story in Rediff.
http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2007/dec/06malik.htm

If one recalls, Pakistan had won the Final Banglore Test under Inzamam-ul-Haq to level the 2005 series against all odds.

They could be itching to do it once again after such a gritty display at Kolkatta.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gsG9ZKnS5MB9e50zRd6TEbMGTZQQ

Gary is a Wright choice

When Gary Kirsten takes over the mantle as Indian coach, comparisons with John Wright will be inevitable. After all, he is expected to be as low profile a coach as Wright was, while giving right results.

Below is an interesting comparison by Chandresh Narayanan for TNN where he interviews Gary's elder brother Peter to know more about the man, who is going to be in the line of fire.

http://cricket.indiatimes.com/Kirsten_will_be_as_good_as_Wright/articleshow/2598841.cms

ICL is the right destination for Kaif

Better late than never.

Something which Kaif should have thought of immediately after India's win in the Twenty20 World Cup, he is toying with now. That is joining the rebel cricket league -- the ICL.

That cataclysmic event in September had temporarily left question mark over the future of many seniors, what to talk of test and ODI discard Kaif, who seems to be having his best years behind him.

If one remembers, just before the sulking Australians (After losing the Twenty20 semifinal to India) had landed here, there were talks of having a completely young side to take on the Aussie. And it was only some splendid performances by Sachin and a reasonable show by Sourav, which had revived the faith in the seniors.

Now, the fact that he is not even among the probables for the Australian tour should ring the warning bells for Kaif.

He has not played an ODI since November 29, 2006 (against South Africa), and test after the summer series against the West Indies last year. Though there have been comebacks before, most notably by Murali Karthik, in Kaif's case it looks highly unlikely with so many batsmen vying for the middle order place. His average of 32 from 125 ODIs is still decent, but Indian cricket, when it looks for a change, will opt for fresh set of players -- the likes of Rohit Sharma.

With ICL looking to be an acceptable alternative after first few matches, it will only be prudent for the likes of Kaif to look forward, rather than hoping for something which may never materialise.

Akhtar Must Fire But.....

Media Watch -- Dec 6

Possibly the best captain Pakistan ever had, Imran Khan says in a column today that ‘’if Pakistan want to square this series, the man who simply must perform in Bangalore is Shoaib Akhtar.

’’With Pakistan taking just 13 wickets in last three Indian innings, Imran could not be more on target. Akhtar along with Yo-Yo are critical to Pakistan chances in the series.

In what promises to be his last Test series on the Indian soil, Akhtar will be eager to showcase his class but right now it looks that the speedster is toying more with the idea of bowling a maiden out (In a movie), than the Indian batsmen (on the field).

The glitch. Its money honey. As per a Hindustan Times report, he has been offered one crore, but Akhtar has been looking at a rather larger sum of 8 crore. This is something only the top five men command in Indian Movies!

The Times of India has come up with the name of the movie as well. Predictably, it is Main aur Meri Himmat!.

Selection Tangle

Meanwhile, the lead story in all the papers today was selection tangle with many media reports describing the selection of 24 probables, just about two weeks before the Australian tour takes off, as an absurdity.

However, injuries to pacers and the fact that selectors are not still convinced about the opening partners of Jaffer were described as a major reason for the delay. According to an Indian Express report, quoting a top Board official, ‘’it is felt that since Vengsarkar's future as chairman is not clear, the finalizing of the tour party was delayed’’.

Chappell liked VRV

It needs courage to say so today but VRV has said it. ‘’After he took over, we had a bowlers’ camp and somehow he (Chappell) liked me,’’ says VRV.‘’One thing is for sure, he did what he believed in. He believed in youth and we got a taste of international cricket,’’ says VRV in an interview to the Times of India, though he was sensible enough not to go into any controversial aspects of Chappell tenure.

Australia bound team will miss character

A Character, to be precise!

Well, mercurial and temperamental Sreesanth is not among the Australia bound probables in the team so anyone in India or down under, hoping to see another Symonds-Sreesanth tussle will be in for disappointment.

Also, Australian skipper Ricky Ponting will have no chance of assessing if Sreesanth's aggression was real, or fake!

Virender Sehwag, such a prolific score on the Last tour in 2003-04, too does not find favour with the selectors. However, Aakash Chopra does find a place, and could well get a ticket to Australia along with Gautam Gambhir, considering his solid show in domestic cricket of late.

Here is the list of Probables for the Australia tour.
Anil Kumble (captain), MS Dhoni (WK and Vice Captain),
Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Gautam Gambhir ,
Rahul Dravid, Harbhajan Singh, Sachin Tendulkar,
Saurav Ganguly, Vangipurappu Laxman, Yuvraj Singh,
Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, VRV Singh, Murali Kartik,
Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Munaf Patel, Ranadeb Bose,
Pankaj Singh, Piyush Chawla, Ajit Agarkar, Parthiv Patel, Akash Chopra.

Thanks Gary, Thanks Colonel!

Hats off to you two guys. You have indeed saved the Indian cricket by your timely, friendly, pronouncements.

Gary, you by formally consenting to become the coach of the Indian team to the Indian channels.

Vengsarkar, you by kindly consenting to be part of the selectors meeting.

Indeed, the Indian cricket many have won a World Cup without a foreign coach and lost one with him, they still needed one to get the respect of the cricketing world, and serve some Board insiders' interests. So what that the Test series against England, Bangladesh, and now possibly Pakistan, were won without a foreigner at the helm!

And why should we criticize Kirsten for joining the team after only March one. Is not it unprofessional, if not inhuman, to send a coaching novice on his first assignment with an Australia bound team. He will definitely prove his mettle against the lesser mortals.

And dear Vengsarkar. You have been kind enough to, should I say ‘rejoin’, the Indian Selection Committee in the interest of the Indian cricket. Though how the interests of the Indian cricket can be served is quite debatable and different people may have different opinion on it, still your kindness cannot be questioned.

Potentially sacrificing 40 lakh, which shows that the print media is not as poor as compared to its electronic counterparts, is a huge sacrifice, for which you deserve a big pat on the back.

Thanks again Gary. And Thanks so much Colonel. You are the true saviours.

One dimensional cricket becomes boring

That is what the cricket at Kolkatta was if one is to go by the statement of Imran Khan in a live link to an Indian channel.

The former Pakistan captain said the ideal wicket should have something for the pace bowlers as well as spinners, but there was hardly anything for the pace bowlers which made it one-dimensional.

After witnessing another of great shows by Misbah, he also wondered why Misbah, now 33, never got a chance despite splendid performances in the domestic circuit even as Pakistan middle order continued to be fragile for so long.

Imran also told NDTV that the two problems facing Pakistan were the erratic keeping of Kamran Akmal, and the inability of Shoaib Malik to unquestionably cement his place in the Pakistan team.

When chips are down, the captain has to perform to earn the respect of the seniors, he said. If one sees his recent records, well, this is something Shoaib has not been able to do regularly, losing his moral authority in the process.

Can Pakistan do the unthinkable!

Two sessions remain in a match where only three of the previous 13 have produced three wickets or more. Can Pakistan do the unthinkable and lose their next nine wickets, and the series!

After a convincing first session display by Pakistan in Kolkatta on the fifth day, if they do manage to lose to the guile of Harbhajan and Kumble today, that will make it 12 wickets in a day in Kolkatta Test. Just imagine, previous four days saw just 17 batsmen being dismissed.

This kind of collapse has happened to Australia at Kolkatta before, but in March 2001 they had been punctured by Laxman-Dravid jodi, and were still looking for a win in the first two sessions on the final day . On the other hand, Pakistan should be buoyed by the resistance of Misbah, Akmal and Sami.

Their graph is on the rise in the series and they must not squander it on a pitch described as abattoir of bowlers by Javed Miandad.

Even Wasim Akram writes that ''good pitches yield great contest. But the one at Kolkatta has belied that expectations because the pitch has become useless.'' He feels that playing on these tracks will not help India’s preparation for Australia.

If Pak do lose on this track, they better pack up and go home. The Indian fans want a fighting Pakistan side, not a side that surrenders even when the going is good.

Dear Mr Kumble, get ready for some criticism!

If India fails to win Kolkatta test despite completely dominating the first seven sessions, which does look a reality after a tremendous fight back by Pakistan, do expect some criticism of Kumble’s captaincy. Did not that happen to Dravid after India failed to win Oval test despite enforcing the follow on!

‘’I think Sunday was the first real test of Kumble’s captaincy and, unfortunately, he didn’t fare too well,’’ says Waqar Younis in a newspaper column, refereeing to easing up of pressure after Pak were reduced to 150 for five. The former Pak paceman would like Kumble to be ‘’little more active’’ in shuffling of bowlers.

Former skipper Miandad too says that Kumble ought to have rotated his bowlers more effectively when Misbah and Akmal were batting so well.

Hopefully, the criticism will be mild as Kumble is just two tests into captaincy, and has shown more maturity than many other Indian captains at this stage. Also, dropped catches – one each of Akmal and Sami – at critical stages were as important in preventing India from enforcing the follow on as Kumble's ‘’inability’’ to rotate the bowlers effectively.

Muralitharan sole World Record holder for 3rd Time

Tremendous achievement by an Asian bowler. With so much of cricket in its various forms played nowadays, it looks impossible that someone will go on to break his record as highest test wickettaker. At least it won't happen in our lifetime.

The first time Murali held the record was at Harare in 2004, when he bettered Courtney Walsh's 519 wickets. He became the first spinner after Lance Gibbs to hold the record.

The second time was under peculiar circumstances when he and Warne were both on 527 wickets. Martin Van Jaarsveld became Murali's 528th wicket at Galle, making him the sole World Record holder in August 2004, but this accomplishment lasted for just two months.

And now, after a wait of three years, Murali has again got the record with Paul Collingwood being his 709th victim.

Whatever Bedi and otherd may say about the legitimacy of his action, the Sri Lanka great deserves all the accolades for his tremendous accomplishment. An achievement which may never be bettered.

3.3 Lakh per month is a big sum!

Forty lakh per year, if Vengsarkar is indeed getting it, is a big sum for writing columns. Worth spurning any honorary job in the World! After all, 3.3 lakh per month is an income which 99.9 per cent of Indian households can only dream of.

The way the things have gone of late, it look unlikely that BCCI will budge form its stand of not paying compensation to Vengsarkar. That will leave the super-selector with just one way out.

Vengsarkar's predecessor Kiran More, in NDTV's Cricket Controversies programme on Sunday, said that if he were in Vengsarkar's place, he would have resigned (rather than offering to resign) after all the controversies including BCCI directive to him to select team on phone. Though he also said that BCCI was not in wrong in asking him not to write columns.

As per media reports, the BCCI is already considering few other names as chief selector, including Borde's. Now the ball is in Vengsarkar's court. With his brief tenure marred by so many mishaps, including run-ins with former skipper Dravid, he must have a quick rethink on where his priorities lie.

Vengsarkar the columnist will surely have a more peaceful life than Vengsarkar the chief selector.

Battle sure to end in a draw

As we predicted two days ago, the battle between Pakistan and India at Kolkatta may have come to a premature end -- all thanks to a supremely docile pitch. It is quite clear by lunch on the fourth day, with Pakistan managing to avoid follow on, that this match will almost surely end in a draw.

If we take the ten sessions so far of this match, only one has produced more than one wicket. And that was the pre-lunch session on the third day when Pakistan lost four wickets. Two of the remaining nine sessions have gone wicketless while seven have produced just one wicket each.

The point is, what is the point in producing such pitches in times when results take precedence over processes. It is such a waste of time to see such meaningless matches where teams keep on piling runs at the expense of hapless bowlers.

Hopefully, the bowlers will get some of their lost pride back in the next five sessions. But result still looks an impossibility.

Which battle you would love to watch -- India-Pak or England-Sri Lanka

At one point when flipping channels, one saw five wickets down for both India and Sri Lanka.

But while Sri Lanka were battling it out at less than 100 for five against England at Kandy, India had accumulated more than 500 at Kolkatta.

Now which match, as neutral spectator, would you like to watch. The one where bowlers are mauled, or the one which gives everybody equal chance. Geoffrey Boycott may have mooted the idea of holding day and night matches to entice more viewers, but the problem mostly boils down to sporting pitches.

What one saw at Kolkatta is enough to put one to sleep. And it was not just the quality of the opposition bowling attack. Such pitches which make the side winning the toss dominate so much, are certainly no good for test cricket.

Viewers might refuse to watch even day night matches if such batting paradises make the bowling hell for the fielding side, and viewing nightmarish for the fans.

Will he, when he, or won't he!

The way it is all happening, it won't be a surprise if Kirsten eventually chooses not to accept India's job. In a telephonic conversation with NDTV two days ago, the former South Africa opener categorically told that he was yet to make up his mind on the issue. If it turns out to be another embarrassing no, well that will leave BCCI with ''nowhere to hide''! And, in fact, it will be quite befitting for the clandestine way the whole coach selection affair has gone.

Kumble Praises Kirsten

Meanwhile, Indian skipper Anil Kumble has praised Kirsten as ''tough competitor". He said Kirsten's skills as player will be an asset to Indian team. But the problem is that even Greg Chappell was an extremely skillful player, and certainly better than Kirsten. And he was also a member of a very successful team, which was second only to the West Indies in late seventies and early eighties.

Is Kirsten already worried about Australian Tour


Meanwhile, In an exclusive interview with ESPN's SportsCenter India, the former South Africa batsman has said that though the plan was to get involved with the team during the Australian series, it was not intended to be on full-time basis.

To Sportscenter, he said the reason was that the notice had been very short and ''I have some long-standing commitments that I need to honour through to December and January. It’s with a view to starting full-time on March 1, if I sign the contract.”


Now the best way out for Kirsten will be to come up clearly with the nature of these commitments. Else people might think he wanted to get on with the Indian team only after the toughest series in the World was over. Already, a report published today says he is likely to join the Indian team in Australia only after the 2nd test. Sooner this confusion is cleared, the better it will be.