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.

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.

On the winning doorstep

On the winning doorstep
[Kotala Cricket Test]

India is just on the doorstep step of victory in the Kotala test against the arch rival Pakistan, when the stumps were put down to ground in the Delhi to mark the end of day’s play on the fourth day of first test match.

It is now only matter of time for Indian victory. If we look at last four days surely the fortunes fluctuated a few time but surely it was not away from the Indian victory. The script of Indian victory started on the day one itself, thanks to rear guard action by the Sami, Pakistani fast bowler, otherwise it was not possible for the Pakistani team to take their first inning beyond the two hundred mark. Though famous Indian bating line collapsed and Munaf, the new ball bowler of Indian attack has not lived with the hopes from him but still India managed to set a victory target just over the two hundreds in the pre lunch session on the forth day of match.

Most of the cricketing wisdom of country is criticizing Dinesh Kartik, as his failure kept on going in the second inning also but no body seems to think about his inclusion in the playing eleven. We have to keep it in the mind Dhoni was not hundred percentages fit on the eve of match and there were possibilities of his injury growing and forcing him to remain away from the wicket keeping. Most of the former players and commentators are blaming Saurav and Laxman for non selection of inform Yuvraj but I guess it was not either Saurav or Laxman but the injury of Dhoni which proved hurdle for the non selection of Yuvraj and team management was forced to select Dinesh Kartik in the playing eleven, otherwise surely Saurav or sachin has to be partner of wasim Jaffar to open the bating.

Kumbale has proved that there is nothing to replace the experience. Most of the critics of games are surprised to see the maturity and timely actions of Jumbo in his first test of captaincy. Who will opt Saurav over the Munaff, when the ball is still with shine but Kumble went with this and Saurav lived with expectation by claiming two wickets on the forth day. It is also against the set norms of the game to write a victory before the last ball is bowled and Indians have a tendency of making hard to simple looking wins but still I am looking forward to an Indian win in the pre lunch session on the fifth and final day.
[Written Yesterday]

Added Today
As the destiny script was written on day one and in the pre lunch session on day forth, India took less than half an hour on fifth and final day to go up in the series with a 1-0 lead but I feel sorry for saurav who fail to add yet another half century to his illustrated carrier and Shoaib Akhtar who could not add yet another five wicket haul to his credit.