Indian Cricket in Australia

Indian Cricket in Australia

Sleighing – a disturbing vocal or actionable comment or performance by the fielders on the cricket ground to break the concentration of batsman – is the trade mark and successfully implemented action plan of Australian Cricket is seems booming back on them special with the forthcoming [In fact Indian team is there in Australia only] tour by the Indian team. No one will dare to put a question mark on the talent and success of Australian team during last 10-15 years. They are used to walk into ground with the pride of being the undisputed kings of the game. A popular joke, after the ODI world cup in the West Indies goes like. Next ODI world being held in Asia will last for just two days, on the day one there will be inaugural function include glimpse of Asian culture and photographic session for all the participating teams. On the second day a star filled entertainment program will be held at Edan garden Kolkatta – Cricket stadium can accommodate hundred thousands people- and world cup trophy will be handed over to Australian captain. This will mark end of function and world cup.

World scene has changed since the almost insulting exit of Indian team from that ODI world cup. Look at the success run of Indian team after the world cup, not only in ODI but also in the traditional Test cricket, feathers are being added to hat of Indian team one after another. Even the First T-20 world cup saw the Indians emerging as the world champion in the presence and defeating the kings of the game. Won home away test series in England and clinched title for the ODI and Test match home series against the arch rivals Pakistan. Even the solo twenty -20 match between Australia and India, during last Australian concluded with an Indian victory.

Indians are progressing positively to create and pose a challenge for Australians not only on the cricketing fields but also on the other ground. Who will forget the aggression of Shrisanth during the last tour of Australian cricket team to India. It is set norm of Australian players and press to start bombarding of nasty comments on the touring captain to demoralized him even before taking place at war fields of the game. Unfortunately touring Indian captain Anil Kumbale has made them deprived of it. In fact the reflections of changed scenario were started to reflect from the T-20 world cup in the South Africa with the calm, cool and calculated behavioral postures by the Indian captain M. S. Dhoni. Instead of Australian this time it was Anil kumble to lead the sleighing front with the statement “Without Worn, Australian spin attack is at its weakest point and we have batsmen to take advantage of this.” Might this was not sufficient to produce fear waves in opponent camp, so the star wicketkeeper and hard hitting batsman M S Dhoni, who is visiting Australia for first time, came with the statement “ Considering the reports and past records I can say only that Australia pitches are most suitable for the batting style I have.”

The kings are at the receiving end this time and that too at home. It will be interesting to see how the offenders are able to cope with the defending tactics and how and to what extant Indian team is able to convert the words into deeds. We have to remember over the years it has always a tough composition for all the touring teams to get accustom with the Australian climatic and ground situations and time consumed for this often resulted in defeat for them. This tour of Australia might going to prove the last visit for some of indian stars like sachin Tendulkar, saurav, Rahul, Laxman, and Kumbale so they will not leave a space for their already brilliant record.

The dates included in the playing schedule of Indian cricket team in Australia read like as follows

December 2007
26 to 30 First Test Matches [Melbourne]
January 2008
02 to 06 second Test Match [Sydney]
10 to 12 Practice Match against A. C. T. Eleven
16 to 20 Third Test Match [Perth]
24 to 28 Forth Test Match [Adelaide]

Australians are also looking forward to February first when both the Indians and Australians will take the ground for the solo T-20 match of the tour, to compensate some what for the insulting defeat in the semi’s of T-20 world cup and at Mumbai during the last tour of India by the Australian team in the same format of the game. This tour of Australia might going to prove last career visit for some of star performers like Sachin, Saurav, Laxman, Rahun and Kumbale , Surely all of them are going to put additional effrots for making the tour memmorable.

Selected Sixteen

Selected Sixteen
[Indian Cricket Tour to Australia]

Once again the credibility of selection committee of Indian cricket team is place under the microscopic observation. The tradition of coming up with shocking inclusion was kept intact when yesterday board secretary announced “Sixteen Selected” to tour the kangaroo land. It was looked a few days back that selection process of Indian cricketing team is started to run on the reasonable and transparent level when the selection committee announce the probable 24 touring and out of form Shewag was not in the list. The message went to the world of players, at least now the performance at domestic level will get recognition but what happens on the day of picking the team is unsolved mystery. Look at the list of selected sixteen
Anil Kumbale [captain]
M. S. Dhoni [Vice Captain]
Vriendra Shewag
Wasim Jaffar
Sachin Tendulkar
V V S Laxman
Rahul Dravid
Saurav Ganguli
Yuvraj Singh
Harbhajan Singh
R P Singh
Zahir Khan
Irfan Pathan
Ishant Sharma
Dinesh Kartik
Pankaj Singh

My objection is not for the sudden inclusion of Shewag, eventually I was surprised not to see his name in the probable 24 list, but for the pseudo reasoning tactics adopted my the board, why not they are able to generate courage to admit the mistake? How long will they shelter their shortcomings under the fitness cover of players? This it is said fitness of Gambhir forced the selection of Shewag, my question is that even if it was true, why the preference is given to shewag [not in probable in 24] over the in form Aakash Chopara [included in 24].

Inclusion of Shewag has made the process of playing eleven more complicated; accommodating Yuvraj was a burning problem for the team management. If we go with the reports coming out about the Indian playing eleven in Australia, not only Yuvraj but inclusion of Laxman [most successful batsman against Australia] seems to be remote possibility. It is said that Indian think tank is planning to go into the field with combination of 6 batsman and 5 bowlers that means the first five slots will be occupied by Jaffar, Shewag, Dravid, Sachin & Saurav than Dhoni and five bowlers to follow. Over the years spin is the strength of Indian attack and when playing with five bowlers, inclusion of two spinners is most reasonable. Selecting only two spinners for Australia tour is yet another question mark on the selection process.

Looking at the team selected I think the playing eleven will be as follows [in bating order]
1] Virendra Shewag
2] Wasim Jaffar
3] Rahul Dravid
4] Sachin Tendulkar
5] Sourav Ganguli
6] V V S Laxman
7] M S Dhoni
8] Irfan Pathan
9] Kumale
10] Zahir Khan
11] R P Singh / Harbhajan

Under the covers of victory

Under the covers of victory
[Indo Pak First Cricket Test]

What is best way to keep the drawbacks covered, surely it is success or victory because success is kid of thousand fathers and hence there is always ample support available on the victory roads unlike the failure or defeat where you has to face stiff criticism at all alone.

Indian cricket team is on the victory roads against Pakistan in on going series after winning the ODI, the “K” factor proved obstacle for the touring team and they lost the first test match at Delhi. Surely the interim time, before the start of the second test match at Calcutta will keep busy the think tank of Pakistani team in planning their plan of action to avoid the same result at Eden Garden, and indications are very clear from the statement of captain “ Our batsmen has to score at least 400 runs” .

I am not bothering about the planning of opposition because instead of worrying about it, I will prefer to keep self well prepare and with least weak points. I am strong supporter of the views you can win only on your strongest points and by taking the war into the fields of enemy. What the Delhi test has kept under the cover is the failure of our famous bating line, I am not thinking that Pakistan has also failed to score sufficient runs but the bating performance of Indians is surely an alarming call. If we look at Indian cricket team, bating is the strongest side of the team in the past decade or so and surely at Delhi it was not at the standards.

Losing 5 wickets for 90 odd runs in the first inning is not the reflection of bating strength we have, it was experience of Laxman and timely knock of Dhoni that India succeeded in first inning lead but how long we can trust bowlers to score runs also. Opening slot is the first problem, for a good building foundation is most essential and we are fortunate to have world’s most successful pair of opening batsmen in the for of Sachin and Sourav, though age is not favoring them but at least for next 1-2 both will be part of Indian team our failure lies here that instead of utilizing their experience we are trying to find altogether a new pair of players for the opening slot. The ideal situation will be pair one of the younger player like Gautam Gambhir, on the alternative bases, to open with either Sachin or sourav it will not only help the young one to get benefited from experience but will also help to accommodate Yuvraj or Uthappa in the middle order.

If I had been asked I will suggest the following team for the Kolkatta test.
Gautam Ganbhir / Wasim Jaffar [any one]
Sourav Ganguli
Yuvraj / Uthapa [any one]
Sachin
Rahul / Laxman / Rohit Sharma [any two]
Dhoni
Irfan
Kumbale
Zahir / Munaff - Harbhajan / Murali Kartik [Any two]

My playing eleven will be
1] Gautam Gambhir
2] Sourav Ganguli
3] Rahul Dravid
4] Sachin Tendulkar
5] Yuvraj
6] Laxman
7] Dhoni
8] Irfan
9] Kumbale
10] Zahir
11] I will leave this for the choice of captain from the remaining three bowlers. Though considering KolKotta environment I might have opted for the speedster because there are Sachin and Yuvraj in the team to assist Kumble in the spin attack but Sourav’s performance as bowler in Delhi test is prompting me to leave this spot for the captain’s choice.

BCCI & New Dispute

BCCI & New Dispute
It looks that disputes and BCCI [Board of Cricket Control in India] are running on the parallel lanes of cricketing roads. One after another dispute is following the BCCI. Before coming to recent one, my question is why it happens always that decisions of BCCI, goes on to give birth to dispute and why always BCCI comes out of winner? If we look at the composition of BCCI, over the years it is managed by nonprofessionals and most of times by the politicians. This non professional attitude is putting the decisions under the dispute and for the politicians nothing is more important than time being gains, though politicians are said to be most compromising persons through out the world but here power makes their ego such high that they often forget to think or listen the views of others and that keeps the space for the dispute. Coming to winning of BCCI in the every dispute it is happening because BCCI is one among the richest sports association not only of India but also of the world. Who can deny the power of money in the modern life? More importantly the structure in India that there is no other association that can challenge BCCI in the cumulative format, this might be the reason behind the non recognition of ICL [Indian Cricket league] because in future this might result in constitution of another cricketing association in the country. In every dispute, it may be the dropping of Saurav or Rahul, one has to fight at individual levels and it is natural that in this fight of individual and association, association comes out as winner. It is not easy to forget how rudely Kiran More, chairman of selection committee was giving statement to press “Sourav will not be selected in the team till he is chairman”.
The recent decision of BCCI, which has provide space for the dispute, is restricting the members and chairman of the selection committee from giving interviews to media and writing columns in the news papers. I can’t understand how the bylaws of BCCI suggesting this, in a country where right of expression is the basic right of every citizen? Dilip Vengsarkar has started opposing it but it might be more effective if the members of selection committee had resigned their post at the moment this ban was posed on them and try to collect the protesting force. We had to remember that BCCI had provided many occasions for the union of players and others but concerned people always failed in utilizing the opportunity. This failure is yet another reason that give birth to dispute along with Every decision of BCCI.