The Indian Encounter -India vs Pakistan match review

Sunday was a special day for all Indian and Pakistani fans.The epic encounter between these two teams has always drawn interest and people over the years.The match between Australia and South Africa turned out to be a massacre by Shane Watson who made 70 and picked 2 wickets to bag the man of the match award.South Africa are all but out of the tournament and so will be India if it loses today.The pressure was on the Indians and it seemed evident from the team Dhoni selected.He took no chance and brought back our best hitter into the team.Pakistan  won the toss and chose to bat on a typical slow subcontinent wicket.

                                                  Imran Nazir and Mohammed Hafeez walked into bat and the bowling was opened by Zaheer.Khan. The first over was a poor one and Zaheer was wayward in his bowling giving away 13 runs.Irfan bowled from the other end and he immediately tasted success when he had Nazir lbw for 8 runs .Shahid Afridi walked in as a surprise move and he started off with his usual flair hitting a couple of beautiful boundaries.But he didn't last long when he holed out to mid wicket off the bowling of Balaji for 14.Yuvraj then came into the attack and picked up two wickets in two overs when he had Nasir Jamshed and Kamran Akmal caught behind. Virat Kohli kept things tight on the other end by bowling a couple of good overs and picking up the wicket of the Pakistani skipper Hafeez when he inside edged one on to the stumps.Pakistan were in a spot of trouble at that moment when they had lost half their side inside 10 overs. Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal walked in and try to repair the damage by hitting some good shots and putting the Indian Bowlers under pressure.They put on almost 50 runs in quick time when Ashwin came in and removed both the batsmen by bowling his trademark variations.From then on there was no fight back from the Pakistanis who got bowled out for 128 in 19.4 overs.The wickets were shared between Ashwin (2),Balaji (3) and Yuvraj (2).

                                           Pakistan were looking down the barrel with just 128 on on the board which was a below par score on this wicket.It was good to see Virender Sehwag back again on the top with Gautam Gambhir opening the innings. Raza Hasan,the promising left arm spinner opened the bowling for Pakistan and he immediately gave a break through when he caught Gambhir off his own bowling in the second ball of the match.Virat then walked in and put up a very good partnership with Sehwag and put up 74 runs in 10 overs before Sehwag holed out to long off, of the bowling off Afridi. Yuvraj Singh came in and made sure that there were no more hiccups and finished the game with three overs remaining.Kohli remained not out on 78 off 61 an Yuvraj was on 19 off 16.

                                          India won the match comprehensively and they put up a very good show in all the departments.Kohli got the man of the match to nobody's surprise.The bowling which had been receiving the bashing was looking good today and India can go all the way if they keep putting up these kind of performances.

Match Review-India vs Australia

The match between India and Australia was much anticipated by the Indian fans and the Australians alike.India wanted to give back for the thrashing they received earlier this year.The match was scheduled at 19:30 IST in Premadasa Ground,Colombo.The conditions were mildly humid with forecast of thunderstorm.India won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch that was a tad slow.The exclusion of Virender Sehwag was a surprise move by Dhoni.

                                                     Like the match versus England,Dhoni opened the batting with Irfan and Gambhir.Aussie captain George Bailey opened the bowling with the off-spinner Glenn Maxwell.Gambhir started off hitting a couple of good looking drives and India were looking comfortable at the end of the second over.But Gambhir soon departed when he got mixed up in a run out.Kohli walked in and managed to hit a couple of boundaries before he fell to an excellent catch at mid on by Daniel Christian.Irfan Pathan in the other end was hopping through and was not getting the ball in the middle of the bat,though he kept the audience entertained with a couple of well struck boundaries.The comeback man Yuvraj walked in next only to hole to square leg for 8.India were looking down the barrel and more misery followed when Irfan got out in the very same over and Rohit got bowled a ball later.India were deep in trouble by that time losing all of their top order batsmen and it was left to Dhoni and Raina to steer India to a decent total.But Dhoni was quite ordinary making 15 off 21.He departed soon and Ashwin came in to join Raina.They both hit some fine shots,with Ashwin pulling off a couple of audacious boundaries. Raina got out in the ultimate over for a well made 26.India finished their 20 overs with 140-7.


                                                                     Things weren't looking up for the Men in Blue at the end of the first half.140 was only a par score by t20 standards and India were looking down the barrel.Watson and Warner opened the innings for Australia and Ashwin had the ball to bowl the first over.The double W's started going after the bowling right from word go.They struck some wonderful boundaries and gave a blazing start to the team.Shane Watson carried on his form from the last match and struck some wonderful shots.He launched all the bowlers for some huge hits.David Warner on the other hand was equally devastating bringing up his 50 in quick time.Watson and Warner put a massive 133 run partnership in just 13.3 overs.India finally got a wicket when Shane Watson was caught in the covers for a splendid 72 from 42.Maxwell came in and he along with Warner finished the game without any further hiccups and that too under 15 overs.

                               Indian bowling came cropper once again ,with every bowler being thrashed all around the park.The spinners who were supposed to have the upper hand made a meek surrender against the might of the double W's.India can't win a match with this kind of performance and Dhoni needs to polish his captaincy skills if India has to qualify to the semis from here on.


India (Playing XI): Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan

Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, George Bailey(c), Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Christian, Matthew Wade(w), Brad Hogg, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc 

Mellow down Viru!!

There are a very few batsmen who can be impact players the moment the start batting.Their batting can make quite a turn around making the opponents wondering what happened!!These players can shift the momentum to their side within matter of minutes and on their day,they are the bowler's worst nightmare.

                              The Nawab of Najafgarh is one of those players who can have quite an impact on the game if he gets going. Virender Sehwag was born in Haryana to Krishnan and Krishna Sehwag. Viru as some people affectionately call him started playing cricket when he was only a toddler .Viru was a quick learner and he was a regular in the school team from an early age.His parents though weren't quite encouraging till they saw that Viru wanted to take it up as a career.He practiced very hard and he made very good progress.

                                                            Sehwag was picked for the Delhi domestic side and he immediately scored some runs and he was the 5th highest run getter in the league in his very  first season as a result of which he got selected in the u-19 team.His consistency in the domestic league earned him an India call up.But Sehwag was not very successful and he had to wait for more than a year for his next opportunity.He got a chance against the Aussies when in only his fourth ODI he got a half century and picked up 3 crucial wickets to win the match for India and earn the man of the match award.

                                                                       Sehwag played as a floater,as a  player who could bowl and bat anywhere in the order.He was elevated to the opening slot when any of the openers were not able to play .Sehwag was aggressive right from the initial overs and he got some quick runs which impressed the then captain Sourav Ganguly.Sourav immediately changed the batting order and made Sehwag open the innings.This move was a career defining move for Sehwag .He started scoring runs all over the world which included a 69 ball century which was the third fastest for an Indian back then.He also made a breathtaking 22 ball 50 against Kenya which was the second fastest 50 at that time.

                                                         Sehwag was then selected for the 2003 world cup.He made only 292 runs at an average of 27 which was very poor.However he made a quick fire 87 in the finals against the Aussies,a match in which India lost.

                Sehwag quickly established himself in all the formats and he always played fearless cricket.He was always called as the "Viv Richards" because his style of play was almost identical to him.His test career was much better though getting runs whenever he got a chance .Sehwag has hit two triple centuries and was among the elite list of people who have hit two triples. He attacking style meant that if you don't get Sehwag early then he is bound to stay for a long time at a crease making huge scores in the process.

                                                            Sehwag suffered a loss of form in 2006 and was not picked for the tour to England.He was suffering from injuries but he was picked for the 2007 world cup where he was quite average.

                  Sehwag has many records to his name.The fastest triple century,the fastest 250,the fastest 200 all belongs to him.His high score in ODI's is 219 which is a world record which came only in 149 balls. Sehwag has the fastest 100 in ODI's for India which came in 60 balls against New Zealand. Sehwag always loved to attack the bowlers and that has been his bane in the recent times.His penchant to score quick runs has caused him lot of troubles.He has been dropped from the team many times due to lack of form and that is because of his aggressive nature.

                                                     Sehwag is almost 34 now and is now in the twilight of his career.His reflexes and his fitness aren't going to be the same that was before ten years.For a player to mature he has to understand his limitations and play accordingly.Agreed,Sehwag has got many runs batting the same way,but that aggressive instinct must be curbed if he has to go into the history books as one of the legends.He has made more than 8000 runs in both the format and has to only play through four years successfully to be termed as a great player.He should look upto his idol Sachin and learn from him.Sachin who was also once an aggressive player who wielded a heavy bat, changed many things about his game to extend his career.A successful player is one who can understand his body conditions and play accordingly so that his longevity in the game increases.

                                 He should know to curb his instincts and mellow down and play like how sachin is playing these days,because I believe that form is temporary and class is permanent.So he needs to have that class where a team and its fans should feel reassured to see him walk out to bat.Else he'll be a lost legend like a Shahid Afridi who is not able to curb his instincts even after 12 years of playing and has lost his golden touch .Sanath Jayasurya was dropped from the team because he refused to mellow down.That shouldn't happen to Sehwag ,so he has to modify his game to suit his body needs and try to extend his career.

                                                  Sehwag is a terrific player and it will be a big loss to cricket if he decides to bow out without trying.So Sehwag has to improve his game and I strongly believe that he will, in the days to come and its only a matter of time before he makes a memorable comeback.

The joy of "kolkata"

Indian cricket has seen many great players' careers who played excellently when they were given a chance and when they left,they left with pride.There are few others who changed the face of the game that was being played and made such an impact that lasts for a life time.Pride was the face of this man and he was the beloved son of Kolkata.He came,he played and he conquered the hearts of million fans who are now known as "gangulians".

                                             Sourav Chandidas Ganguly was born into a brahmin family in Kolkata to Chandidas and Nirupa Ganguly.His father was running a successful business and their's were one of the richest families in town.Ganguly had a modern upbringing in rich environments.Since Kolkata had more popularity in Football than Cricket,Ganguly took up Football in the beginning only to drop it for his studies.His elder brother Snehasish was already an established player in the bengal cricket team so he encouraged dada to take up the sport.Ganguly took it up like fish to the water and he made gradual progress in the game eventually getting selected to play for Bengal in 1989.

                                                                        Ganguly was deemed arrogant and a man with no good attitude towards the game and he was dropped after he played his only ODI in 1992 against the Windies.However he was a determined man and he made tons of runs in the domestic circuit and  he was awarded a ticket to England,where he made his debut and scored a brilliant 131.

                                                              

                                             Ganguly was a star, the moment he set his foot in the Indian team.He was a kind of player who had an impact on the whole team and its performance whenever he scored runs.He made his debut at the home of Cricket,Lords.India were in a spot of trouble when this young lad from Kolkata came in to bat.Right from the moment he hit his first cover drive, we all knew that we have found a capable replacement for the seniors who were scheduled to leave around that time.He was in sublime touch scoring all over the ground with ease.Unlike many players who come from India,Ganguly was strong in backfoot and that was an added advantage.Whenever a bowler tried to bounce him out,Ganguly rocked on to his back foot and whacked the ball for a boundary.He along with another debutante Rahul Dravid steered India out of trouble that day and a legend was born.

                                                        Ganguly was a colorful character and he was a always above the law.He did what he knew best and that was always enough for the team and fans alike.His demeanor and his attitude made him a standout among other youngsters back then.People criticized him for his behavior,but he never cared and he answered all of them with his bat.He made his first ODI century against Srilanka and from then on he never looked back.He played with such an aggression that it was difficult to contain him let alone getting his wicket.

                                        Ganguly was selected for the 1999 world cup where he made a breathtaking 183 and put up a partnership of 318 with Rahul Dravid which was the second highest partnership in history of ODI cricket.His personal high score of 183 was the second highest by any Indian and the highest in a world cup match.

                    Ganguly's golden period in his career came when he was appointed the captain of the Indian team in the year 2000 after match fixing allegations rocked Indian Cricket.He had a huge responsibility to lead the team from crisis.That was the beginning of an era in Indian Cricket.He revolutionized Indian cricket with his thinking capabilities making some huge changes in the team.He inducted youngsters in the team and made them believe that they can perform,they can beat all the odds and become a successful player.He made some tough decisions to drop senior players and bring in youngsters.

                                                      Ganguly's decision though questionable in the beginning,was a huge success when began to win matches.His moment of pride came when his team beat the all powerful Australians in 2001 when the batting led by Laxman put up a brilliant show to end the Aussies dominance.Their performance was hailed as one of the best and Ganguly was lauded for his captaincy skills.

                                                         Ganguly's other major success came when he led the team to the world cup finals in the year 2003.That was a defining moment for Indian cricket because up until then Indians weren't favorites and they beat all odds to reach that position.Dada made some brilliant plans when he decided to give the role of wicket keeping to Dravid and bring in one more batsman into the team to lend more depth.He led India to some overseas victories against England,South Africa and Pakistan which led to the beginning of ascension of Indian Cricket and its popularity.

                                                                             The success against England in the Natwest trophy in 2002 when Ganguly removed his T-shirt after they won was a significant moment in history of Indian cricket.It was an announcement to the world about a team that was slowly gaining momentum.

                                                           Ganguly had a rough time in 2005 when Chappell began to coach the Indian team.He and Chappell had many disagreements.The lack of form and the rift with the coach costed dada his place in the team.Ganguly's fans were furious and some of them were mad at Chappell for calling their hero "physically and mentally unfit" to lead the team.Ganguly had support pouring from all corners and he was soon inducted into the team after an one year hiatus when he was called for the tour of South Africa.Ganguly immediately made an impact by scoring an half century and he helped winning one of the matches bagging the man of the match in the process.He had a successful run after his comeback making some good scores and he was eventually picked for the world cup in 2007.

                                                         Ganguly then made his career best score of 239 against Pakistan and he retired in 2008 after the series against the Aussies where he scored a brilliant 100.Ganguly was a person who did things in his own way.He was a hero to all his beloved fans and was a quandary to those who saw him from afar.The love people still have for him is astonishing and he was called "dada"by many people from Kolkata affectionately which roughly means elder brother in English.

                                                         Dada's career was filled with controversies right from the time he ran away with his childhood sweer heart Dona Roy to the time when he was blamed for creating a divide and rule atmosphere in the dressing room.No wonder he was called "controversy's first child".But he was the favorite child for Kolkata,god of offside for cricket fans and the guy who made a difference to Indian Cricket.I can today say that I'm a Gangulian and proud of it!!

Yuvraj Singh-"Live Strong " always!

Walking with a thorn prick on your leg is considered very difficult,painful and even impossible for some people.This cricketer walked,talked and played with deadly cancer in his body.Yuvraj Singh.This batsman from Punjab has been a phenomenal success since the time he made his debut.He has been a masterful stroke maker  and a wily hitter who on his day can be quite unstoppable.His character and attitude are quite unique and his fielding is one of the best in the country.


                                           Yuvraj Singh was born to a Sikh family.His father Yograj Singh was a former Indian fast bowler.His father and mother divorced when he was a child and he was brought up by his mother,Shabnam Singh.He played cricket for Punjab and was soon selected for the Indian limited overs team.He made his debut in the year 2000.He wasn't a immediate success though he began making some progress in the side.His knock of 69 in a partnership of 121 with Mohammed Kaif is remembered by many Cricket fans even today.That was the match which showed the class of Yuvraj.He made his first century against Bangladesh in 2003 which was one of the fastest which came in 70 balls.He made his test debut in the same year against New Zealand.

                                                    Though Yuvraj was playing well in the limited overs format,he was unable to cement his place in the test side owing to the strong middle order that India had at that time.He was in and out of the test side for the major part of his career.His major test high came against Pakistan against whom he has scored 3 centuries till date.Though Yuvraj wasn't in the regular test eleven,he has made vital contributions whenever he has been in the side,The epic run chase in Chennai against England in 2008 saw Yuvraj making a stroke filled 87 and he remained not out along with Sachin to take India home.Yuvraj has said that this was one of his finest innings that he ever played.

                                                          Yuvraj was one of those very few Indian batsmen who can play fast bowling well.This has been his strength against tough oppositions.He scored a fighting century in Australia when all the other batsmen faltered,and though they lost the match,Yuvraj was hailed for his innings which was one of the best that one can see.

                                                            Yuvraj's one of the best tournaments was the first ever T20 world cup in 2007 where he made a world record by smashing six 6's in an over off Stuart Broad.It was raw force and domination that Yuvraj projected that day making a mince meat of the bowler.He went on to score the fastest T20 half century in 12 balls,a record that is intact till this date and has very less chance of getting broken.He didn't stop with that.He went on to score a blistering 70 off 30 balls against the Aussies in the semifinals of that tournament.Such was his influence that he almost won two matches on his own.He was an impact player who used to get quick runs and in a skillful manner.He was not a slogger.His drives and pulls are always a treat to watch and he hits his shots with a straight bat which is a plus point in his batting.

                                                                Yuvraj was out of form for a while in 2008 and many people wanted him dropped from the team for the ODI series against England.But Yuvraj was eventually selected.He had his back hurt on the eve of the match,and he played the match wearing a back support.But that didn't stop him from scoring a whirlwind 138 off just 80 odd balls.He went after the bowling like a man possessed and scored some audacious boundaries in his innings,the result of which India won the match fairly easily and Yuvraj got the man of the match.The next match,India were tottering, losing two wickets early in the innings when Yuvraj came in.He steadied the ship and made a well compiled 100 to lead his team to victory.He also picked up 4 wickets in the match earning the man of the match for the second consecutive time.He was one of the very few batsmen to get back to back hundreds at that time.He had a splendid season in 2008 getting picked for the test team and scoring some runs.

                                                      Yuvraj's best tournament which even exceeds the 2007 world cup was the 2011 50 over cup where he played a crucial hand in winning the world cup for Team India.He was short of confidence when he was picked for the tournament .But he came back to form at a crucial time hitting four fifties and a century in the world cup picking up four man of the match awards in the process.He also picked up 16 wickets and the man of the series award.

                                                          The man of the series nor the 50's or the 100 or the wickets mattered.This man played through pain,which we later came to know.It takes a lot of courage and determination to do what he did.The time when he vomitted and was in pain during the match against West Indies where he went to score a fine century,no one would have even imagined that what he would have gone through to stay in the middle for that long and get those crucial runs.It showed a lot of character from him and he is definitely a hero for what he did for his country.He certainly deserves the Arjuna Award and more for his contributions.

                                            When the world came to know about his conditions,his fans were devastated and the country felt the loss of a fine young talent who could have served the country more.But being the fighter that he is,he vowed to come back stronger than ever.He underwent many agonizing treatments including chemotherapy and was bed ridden for almost 10 months.But he made a brilliant come back against New Zealand, and scored crucial runs though India lost the match.

                                                            Yuvraj is one of those "never give in" players.He has worked hard and that shows in his performances.He went through a most painful experience that too at a very young age.Many people won't have the courage to fight back and win over it.But Yuvraj did and he is a hero and an inspiration.not only for me but for the whole world in showing what it is to fight and the what it is to win!!

The no 3 batsman for India

The caption here not only refers to the fact that Rahul Dravid played in that position in almost all of his career but  his popularity among the Indian cricketers.Dravid was always the under credited batsman in the Indian team.The lime light was always on the other two stalwarts Sachin and Dada.This is the reason that I call him the "no:3" though literally too he was the no 3 batsman who stood like "a Wall" for the Indian team for nearly 16 years.

                        He was always under the shadow of Sachin,whom the whole world loved and dada,who was the sweet heart of Kolkatta.But that didn't affect the elegant right hander from contributing for the team's cause.He's never bothered about praise nor criticism,taking everything in his stride and the only thing that mattered was batting.He has always been a team man who always put team's cause ahead of his own.His quite demeanour and his unbreakable concentration are some of the many wonderful traits that you can see in the man.His commitment to the game was so much that Mathew Hayden once said "All this going around is not aggression. If you want to see aggression on cricket field, look into Rahul Dravid’s eyes"

                                                                             Whenever he comes into the field,he brings with him a certain aura of calmness,control over the situation and the will power to make things happen.His impeccable technique and stylish strokeplay are wonder to the eyes.Along with elegance and grace,he is among the one of the greatest to have played the game.

                                                                      Rahul was born into a Maharashtrian Brahmin family in Indore.His family shifted to Bangalore later due to his father's work commitments where Dravid started playing cricket.He started playing from the age of 12 for his school team.He was then selected for higher league cricket and he began to learn and excel.He was a consistent performer in the domestic circuit and that earned him a call up to the Ranji team in 1991.He performed well and he soon got a call up to the Indian team for the ODI series against Srilanka.He didn't do well and he was dropped soon after.

                                                                         Fortunes changed when he was picked for the tour of England where he finally made his debut in the second test along with Sourav Ganguly.It was there it all started for him.He made a wonderful 95 at Lords,the home of cricket.Even there he was overshadowed by a another debutante  in Sourav Ganguly who made a fine century.

                                                                           Dravid was then a regular in the team.He got his first century against South Africa playing at no:3 which was going to be his own in the coming years in a pacy,bouncy pitch is Jo'burg.He started making good progress in the test side by making some consistent scores thereby cementing his place in the test side.

                                                             But Dravid was not lucky in the one dayers.People called him a slow batsman and many people termed him as a test specialist.But Dravid proved them all wrong by playing some wonderful knocks and cementing his place in the side soon enough.He played in the 1999 world cup where he was the highest scorer (461) with two centuries to his credit of which one of them came in a mammoth partnership of 318 runs with Sourav Ganguly.

                                                                When the Indian team was engulfed in the betting scandals that was rocking the whole of India,Dravid was given the role of a senior batsman by his captain Ganguly.Dravid was asked to keep wickets by Ganguly because they were in need of an extra batsman.Navjot Singh Siddhu once said "Rahul Dravid is a player who would walk on broken glass if his team asks him to",That was the measure of this man and sure enough he began to don the role of wicketkeeper for his country.

                                                                              One of Dravid's best knock came in the year 2001 in Kolkatta when he put up 376 runs with Laxman making 180 in the process to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against the Aussies.He was selected as Wisden's one of the five cricketers in the year 2000.

                                                                         His character as a whole was a shade more than his batting and that is saying something since his batting is one of the best in the whole world.His 48 centuries in cricket with 5 double centuries makes him one of the best players to have played the game for India.He was excellent fielder too picking up a record 210 catches in tests and 196 in ODI's .

                                                                             Dravid was a completely flexible player who can bat at any position in the batting order.He was shuffled many a times in the batting order but that didn't stop him scoring runs.For a man who was called test specialist,Dravid went to score 10,889 runs in ODI's with 12 centuries and 83 half centuries.Dravid's high was the series in Australia in 2003 where he scored 619 runs in 4 matches earning the man of the series award and leading India to a historic series over Pakistan in tests by scoring a mammoth 270 in the final test.

                                                                         Dravid's captaincy stint though wasn't as successful as his career was.His captaincy record was average and he was the captain when India bowed out of the 2007 world cup in the very first round.Dravid resigned from captaincy taking responsibility for the loss,yet a another trait this man possessed.He had a bad patch in 2008 where he was average in the series in Srilanka.Calls came from all the corners to drop him from the team,but being the kind of player that he is,he came up with a brilliant century against the touring English side and put up a triple century partner ship with Gambhir in the process.

                                                                                  Dravid was the only sucess in the England tour in 2011 where the Indiam team where white washed 4-0.Dravid saved the face of our country by scoring three centuries in 4 matches earning the man of the series award for India.He was later recalled to the limited overs side after a gap of two years which surprising one and all including him.He announced his retirement from the ODI's and t20's after that series after scoring an half century in his last ODI appearance.

                                                                                He had a poor series against Australia at the end of 2011 getting out bowled for as many as 7 times.After this series Dravid announced retirement from all forms of the game ending what was a brilliant career which spanned for almost 16 years.He was the only  Indian to deliver the Bradman Oration in Australia before the series,an honor not many was bestowed upon.

                                                                        Dravid is a lesson to all of us who follow,play and live cricket.His character,game and behavior on and off field has always been a reason for people to respect him.He has been a constant source of joy for  cricket lovers exhibiting his batting skills,playing those wonderful drives and cuts which were a treat to watch.His penchant for run making was one of the greatest traits of Dravid as a player.I'm proud today in feeling that I'm from the same country as him and one of his greatest fans who loved to see him bat.
                                                                                  

The complete batsmen in world cricket

There are many types of batsmen in Cricket.Some are called test specialists,some are limited overs specialists and we have some batsmen for t20 alone.But there are only a few batsmen whom we can call complete,one who can play all the formats with ease.They are :

1 Hashim Amla :This batsman from South Africa started as a test specialist.But he improved his game by leaps and bounds and is now capable of playing all the formats with considerable ease.His strong technique,temperament and a very good attitude towards the game makes him a treat to watch.He has got the highest score for an individual in tests for SA and was the quickest to reach 3000 ODI runs.His t20 record is not poor either.So all put together he is one of the complete cricketers playing the game.

2.AB De Villiers : The wicket keeper batsman from South Africa has been one of their batiing mainstay in the last few years.He is a terrific fielder and a good wicket keeper.He has a strong temperament and his fitness is the best one can see.His average in tests and ODI's are staggering and his T20 is good too.People who saw his innings against Deccan Chargers in IPL 5 would agree to that.So all put together he makes our list of complete batsmen.

3.Gautham Gambhir : This south paw from Delhi is one of the finest complete cricketers playing today.He can change gears between formats and play every format with equal effect.His drives and flicks are a treat to watch.His performance in the T20 worldcup in 2007 and in the IPL 1 was a proof to his talent in the shortest format.His average in ODI's is more than 40 which is pretty good for an opener and he has played well in test cricket too.Though he is out of form currently I reckon he will come back soon with a bang.

4.Virat Kohli : The hottest sensation in Cricket now,this batsman from Delhi has come a long from being a immature guy who couldn't control his emotions.He keeps improving with every game.Touted to be the next Sachin,Kohli has carved a niche for himself in Indian Cricket.His century against Australia in the fourth test was one of the better innings played by an Indian on that tour.His 183 against Pakistan and 133 against Srilanka were innings that are just out of the world and not many players can match that game.

5.Kumar Sangakkara : This veteran south paw from Srilanka is one of the prolific runscorers in the history of Cricket.With an average of almost 57 in tests and almost 40 in ODI's this wicket keeper has been the go to man for Srilanka during any crisis.He plays the shortest format equally well.With more than 1500 runs in IPL and an average of 31 in t20 internationals makes him one of the complete players playing the game.

6.Chris Gayle :This tall Jamaican is one of the fiercest hitter of the cricket ball.He uses that advantage in the longer forms to get some quick runs.His average in tests is almost 43 with two 300+scores and almost 40 in ODI's.His t20 records is known by one and all and so he makes this list with considerable ease.

7.Virender Sehwag :The Nawab of Najafgarh plays all the format with a flair that is a trademark of him.He plays fearless Cricket which induces fear in the bowlers and he uses that to his advantage.His average in test is almost 51 and he plays the ODI's very well too with almost 8300 runs to his credit.His strike rate in T20 is an astounding 153 and he is one of cricketers who is effective in all the formats of the game.

8.Michael Hussey :This south paw from Australia has an astounding average in tests and one dayers.He is know as "Mr.Cricket" and "Mr.Dependable" in the Australian Cricket circuits.He has been a prolific run scorer for them over the years and his innings in the semi finals of the t20 world in 2010 against Pakistan is a proof to his talent in the shortest format.

These are my choices for complete players though notable omissions include Shane Watson,Tamim Iqbal,Graeme Smith,Ross Taylor,Brendon Mccullum,Mahela Jayawardene,Tillakratne Dilshan,Mohammed Hafeez among others.

Match Review-India vs England

The match between India and England was touted to be a dead rubber technically because both of them had qualified for the next around.But Dhoni wanted to give opportunities for the players who sat out for the first match.So Harbhajan,Piyush and Dinda got a chance to play in the game.England on the other hand went with their full strength team.The match was played in the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.The weather was pleasant and a forecast for mild showers were predicted.The pitch was a bit slow though it was good enough for 40 overs.England won the toss and chose to bowl.

                                                  The match got off to a surprise start when Irfan Pathan walked in along with Gautam Gambhir.Dhoni surprised one and all by this move.The Indian innings started off smoothly with India on 6-0 at the end of first over.Things were going good till the third over when Irfan got bowled on a beautiful in swinging delivery from Finn.The man in form Kohli walked in next and he and Gambhir together put up a good partnership for 57 runs out of which Kohli scored 40.He got trying to hit Swann out of the ground off a good catch by Bairstow.Kohli was replaced by Rohit and began well by hitting a boundary off Stuart Broad.Gambhir didn't last long.He got out to a brilliant slower delivery from Finn which caught the edge of his bat and carried to the keeper.Rohit then took the attack to the opposition by hitting some fine shots all over the ground and brought up his 50.Dhoni played second fiddle to Sharma going at run a ball.He holed out in the last over to the midwicket where Hales and Buttler combined to pull off a brilliant catch.The Indian innings ended on 170/4 with Rohit remaining not out on 55 off 33 balls.

                                                  England had a good batting line up full of youngsters who can win any match on their day.Alex Hales and Craig Kieswetter walked in to open the innings.Irfan bowled the first over and he immediately tasted success when he clean bowled Hales on the last ball of his first over.Luke Wright walked in next and he went for his shots straight away when he hit Irfan for a six over covers in the 3rd over.But Irfan struck again the very next ball getting Wright on the pads for 6.

                                                         Harbhajan was brought into the attack and he struck immediately getting danger man Morgan bowled .From then on it was massacre for England.Wickets fell at regular intervals and the scoring rate dropped down.No one was able to play spin properly and the Indians were clearly dominating the game.England were bowled out for a paltry 80.Harbhajan and Piyush shared six wickets between themselves with Bhajji being the wrecker in chief picking up 4-12.He got the man of the match award for his brilliant performance.

It was a scintillating victory for team India clearly dominated the game from the word go.The batters came good backed up by some good bowling performances.But one should not read too much into this victory because it wasn't a crunch game and Indian bowling still needs to find its feet if it has to win the tournament.

Dada and Dhoni-The baton passing!

Indian Cricket was a very average side during the 90's with only a handful of players coming good.We were still the crazy fans back then backing the players.Sachin was immediately idolized by many after his debut and he was worth every bit of their adulation.Though Sachin was a player every one would dream of having in their team,he didn't have enough support to carry the team forward.That was the time when Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid came into the team and they were a bunch of young raw talent.Together with Tendulkar they began to form the batting attack that was one of the best of their times.
                                                         
                                                                Though they were making progress,it wasn't enough and they faltered because apart from them and a couple of other players they didn't have a strong team to challenge other strong teams.They tried out many captains including Sachin but no one was able to hold on to their position for long enough.Though they were quite strong at home,they lacked the punch to deliver the goods when it came to overseas tours.

                                                 That was the time when Sourav Ganguly took up the captaincy.He made some tough decisions chopping and changing the team to suit his needs.He took on huge amount of responsibilities leading the Indian side,because if one step goes wrong,then you are history.He took on the captaincy when Indian cricket was engulfed in match fixing controversies.He started well by getting a series win against the South Africans and taking India to ICC knockout trophy finals.He was a dynamic and out spoken captain and was a character who had a flourish and an attitude.

                                                               The main trait of Ganguly was he used to back the players who he thought was talented or hard working or worthy.He was the one who discovered talents like Virender Sehwag,Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh among others.These three players were immensely successful and made a name for themselves.It is heartening to see that even today their loyalty has not faded to the man who made them who they are.
                                           
                                              Ganguly's high came in the home series against Australia where they defeated an almighty team in a closely fought,nail biting contest.Indian cricket saw hopes in the eyes of Ganguly and they were looking ahead for some good times.He took India to some overseas victories in England.He then led India to the finals of the ICC one day world cup,only the second time after Kapil Dev.Ganguly was hailed by many as one of the greatest captains India had ever had.

                                                                 Then due to lack of form and a rift with the then coach Greg Chappell, Ganguly was removed from the captaincy.He was replaced by Rahul Dravid,but Rahul was not much of a captaincy material ,he wasn't very successful.India bowed out in the first round of the 2007 world cup and Dravid had to resign.
     
                                  When India went into the first ever T20 world cup,the captaincy was handed over to Dhoni.He was an immediate success leading them to the title with a bunch of youngsters whom he backed and surprised one and all by winning the trophy with players who were just taking their baby steps in the international arena.
                             
                              This was a new beginning for Indian cricket.Dhoni was very much like dada,who trusted his players and backed them,and motivated them to perform.Dhoni inducted many young players in the team which saw immediate success.He was soft spoken and he seldom showed emotions on the field earning the name "captain cool ".

                                            Dhoni took over from where dada left making some dramatic changes to the team and   leading them to many victories.His captaincy and his batting were much praised by one and all.What Ganguly dreamed in 2000 Dhoni achieved in 2011 by lifting the world cup finally.It was the combined effort from Dada and Dhoni.Dada who built the team from the scratch and taught them how to win.He showed what it is to win and bring glory to the country.He revolutionized Indian Cricket and went into the history book as one of the greats.Dhoni,on the other hand,rebuilt the team when it was looking down the barrel with the early world cup exit.He was similar to Dada who kept the core members of the team and removed non performers.

                      Both of them had equal role in India's world cup victory and its ascent to the no1 rankings in the test.So I strongly believe that its unfair to compare these two greats on who is the better captain because they are of the same team,"the captain team".They were unique and though in character they are like chalk and cheese,they did have some come aspects in their approach towards the game like,motivating players,believing in them,taking some tough decisions etc.They approached the game without any fear and that's what made them special and unique.They took on the captaincy when other stalwarts were hesitant and they succeeded big time.

                                    I believe both are the wheels of the same cart and degrading one will lead to the downfall of the other.So lets hail our heroes who have brought so many glories to our country and let's see them as one and not apart.

The 10 most feared bowlers ever

Cricket is a batsman’s game, every one knows that; but there were few bowlers who made it theirs by being aggressive and who induced fear in batsmen. These bowlers ran in hard, bowled fast and made batsmen face chin music. There are a few bowlers who remain in the all time fast bowlers list.

They are:

1.Dennis Lillee

The most prolific fast bowler of all times, Lillee has been Australia’s premium fast bowlers. He picked up 355 wickets at an average of 23 in Tests. He was known as player who would do anything to win. He had a never-say-die attitude and was a favorite among Australian crowds. Though he suffered from injuries, he made a comeback later in his career to be the highest wicket taker by the time he retired.

2.Malcolm Marshall

This fast bowler from West Indies has been one of the many quicks that the country has produced. Though he was shorter in height than many other fast bowlers of his era, he was extremely quick and his average is the best (20.94) for a bowler who has taken more than 200 wickets.

3. Michael Holding

 ”The whispering death” as he was fondly called in his playing days was one of the quickest bowlers to have ever played the game. He was partnered by other quick bowlers like Andy Roberts and Joel Garner. He has picked up 249 wickets in Tests at, an average of 23.45. He deserves a place in this elite list for his exploits.

4. Dale Steyn

Currently the world’s best bowler, Dale has been a thorn in his opponents’ flesh whenever he came to bowl. He has always bowled quick with very good control and that made him more terrifying. His impeccable line and length with raw pace and swing makes him one of the most feared bowlers of his era.

5. Jeff Thompson

The bowler from Australia is known as the fastest bowler Australia has ever produced. His partnership with Dennis Lillee was well-known and theirs was one of the most fearsome bowling pair ever. He was rated ahead of bowlers like Michael Holding and Imran Khan. Rod Marsh, the Australian wicket keeper has claimed that Thompson bowled at almost 180 km/h though there are  no records  to prove his claim.

6.Shoaib Akthar

Technically the bowler to have bowled over 160 km/h twice, Shoaib Akthar was a terrific bowler in his playing days.He has competed against batsmen like Waugh, Ponting, Lara, Tendulkar, Sehwag and has bowled some terrific deliveries. He was known for his speed more than anything else.Though he had a suspicious round-arm action, he was cleared to play and became one of the most terrifying quicks the game has ever seen.

7. Brett Lee

 The quick bowler from Australia was a typical fast bowler who ran in hard and fast and exerted his full strength into the delivery. He is know

n to be the quickest  bowler of Australia after Jeff Thompson and Shaun Tait.

8.Joel Garner

One of the pace bowlers of the pace bowling quartet of West Indies, Joel Garner was both fast and effective picking up 259 wickets with an average of less than 21. His bowling average in ODIs is also an impressive 18 making him one of the better fast bowlers to have played the game.

9. Courtney Walsh

The most successful bowler of all time for West Indies, this bowler has got the most number of wickets by a fast bowler during his time and has the record for the most number of Test wickets till Murali over took him. He was successful in ODIs too, picking up more than 200 wickets and he is one among the greatest fast bowlers of all time.

10. Andy Roberts

Another of the pace bowling quartet, Andy Roberts was a terrific bowler who used to work up good speeds and had a very good action claiming more than 200 Test wickets and about 90 wickets in ODIs. Though I’ve mentioned only 10 of the fast bowlers and this is only my choice there are other bowlers who were equally lethal though they couldn’t make this list with above bowlers. Notable omissions include Shaun Tait, Charlie Griffith, Wesley Hall, Imran Khan, Sylvester Clarke, Colin Croft, Curtley Ambrose, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis among others.

the "mystery" spinners

The World T20 has begun in a brilliant fashion when the Sri Lankans took on Zimbabwe and thrashed them for a 82 run win. All the teams are raring to go and make a mark for themselves in this tournament. This time the world cup is being held in Sri Lanka where the nature of the pitches are slow, and assist spinners more than fast bowlers. So, if a team has to win matches, they should have a strong spin bowling attack at their disposal. Going by the teams that every country has picked for this tournament, they seem to have understood this fact very well. There are at least a couple of lead spinners in every team’s playing eleven. Though there are many good spinners playing in the tournament, there are four “mystery spinners” who catch our attention here.

Ajantha Mendis

The first ever spinner to have the “mystery” tag attached to his name was this offie from Sri Lanka. When he first came on to the scene, it was impossible to pick his deliveries and many of the best players struggled to play him. He picked up a lot of wickets against India in his debut test series. But after that, teams began making plans for him, reading his bowling and they played him out quite comfortably. He began losing his aura along with his form and consequently lost his place from the side. But all that changed when he became the strike bowler for them in the T20′s. He bowled a brilliant spell against the Aussies last year, bagging 6 wickets for just 16 runs. He has brought that form into this world cup and he has already made his mark with a career best 6-8 against the Zimbabweans. For Sri Lanka to win this tournament, Mendis’ form is very crucial to them along with Malinga’s.

Sunil Narine

This diminutive spinner from Trinidad and Tobago came with a bang into the international scene. His unique high arm action makes him quite difficult to read and the West Indians would be banking on him to deliver the goods, particularly after magnificent performances in the IPL and the New Zealand series.

Ravichandran Ashwin

This tall offie from Chennai was quite a revelation when he played for Chennai in the IPL. His journey to the top has been incredible and so has been his performances. He has cemented his place in the Indian side after a string of good performances. He already has a four wicket haul in the warm ups and a 2-20 against the Afghans and he has set the tone going for him quite nicely. If India has to go forward in the tournament, Ashwin has to definitely come good, what with the other bowlers faltering in almost every match.

Saeed Ajmal

This 34 year old offspinner from Pakistan is one of the leading bowlers in the international circuit and any team would love to have him. His variations are day-by-day exceeding the number of balls per over limit and it would be quite difficult to play him in this conditions successfully, let alone hitting. He bowled well against the Indians in the warm up match and against England and will be heavily relied upon to perform.

The four favorites in the tournament are no doubt India, Srilanka, Pakistan and West Indies, having these four best spinners in their side. If any of these teams should win this tournament, the form of these spinners would be the most important thing for them. There are other good spinners like Johan Botha, Graeme Swann and Bradd Hogg and they would do well to pick wickets for their team and help them achieve glory.

Indian Cricket-The way forward?

The last two months have been a good journey for Team India, after they came back from a well deserved break. The Indian team had to bury the nightmares of the past year. The break saw the retirements of two Indian stalwarts which meant a new beginning was on the horizon for the Indian team by the time they took the field again. They did come back in style by winning the Sri Lankan series without breaking a sweat. The only time they faltered was in the second ODI when they were bundled out for less than 150. The main contributions came from Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan. Other than that there is nothing much to say about the Indian performances. Zaheer and Sehwag were pretty mediocre and they didn’t look like any of their old selves.

The next assignment for the Indian team came against a lowly ranked New Zealand in our home conditions. India closed out the two match series 2-0. The major contributions came from Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and MS Dhoni in batting. The only other batsman to get a 50 was Suresh Raina. Had our spin bowlers not picked up the amount of wickets that they did, India could have been in deep trouble. None of the seniors including Gambhir, Sehwag, Sachin and Zaheer did anything that’s worth mentioning. Even in the T20 match played between India and New Zealand, the main contribution came from Kohli. The team collapsed from a winning position after he got out.

Let us rewind a few years back. India’s batting was in shambles and the bowling was  found wanting most of the times. The lone man who waged a war and who stood among the ruins was Sachin Tendulkar. He was the only player who used to perform in almost every match around that period and still India managed to lose the match somehow either by poor bowling or mediocre batting by the other batsmen.

The Kohli situation today and the Tendulkar situation back then are very similar. But this all changed once the seniors were dropped or they retired. Young players came in and changed the fortunes of Indian cricket by taking some responsibility off  Sachin’s shoulder. These were ofcourse Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS and Kumble who came into the team and performed really well to take the team forward. Same way, my belief is that the seniors like Sehwag, Gambhir and Zaheer are taking their place for granted and it shows in the way they are approaching their game. Sehwag has really been out of sorts and it looks like he doesn’t want to make a change to his game. He still wants to play his shots irrespective of whether he can pull it off or not and it is costing the Indian team heavily. He should either realise his mistake and play responsibly or make way for a youngster.

Gambhir, off late has been playing mind games, having captaincy aspirations and that is affecting his game very badly. He has been founding wanting while playing outside his off stump, poking  at the  balls and giving catch practice to the wicket keeper and slip fielders. This has been his problem for a long time and from the way he’s getting out he hasn’t sought to rectify it. Agreed, the jab if played correctly could be useful in shorter formats. But he should realise that, that is not the only way to play. And it certainly won’t help in test matches. So for him to continue as a opener, he should rectify this immediately or be ready to lose his place.

Zaheer too hasn’t been impressive since his comeback, one of many many comebacks that he has made into the team. His career has been plagued with injuries. Though he has been our strike bowler, he has failed to keep up with his fitness issues and that has been a drawback when the Indian team played an overseas series. He needs to look at his future and decide a course of action soon enough. He should pick one format and leave the other for his own good. If he plays only one format he can prolong his career and be useful for the team.

Therefore dramatic changes have to be made and tough decisions have to be taken if Indian cricket has to reach new heights. Virat Kohli needs support from players of his age to aid the team. I feel that the transition should be smooth and players like Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma and Manoj Tiwary should get an extended run in the team. These players barring Rohit Sharma haven’t got 15 consecutive chances to prove themselves and this situation should change and new players should be tried out.

The biggest question is “Who will be brave enough to execute these changes since Dhoni is already bearing the brunt for the supposed role in the retirements of Dravid and VVS? Will BCCI uses its ironhand to weed out irresponsible players from the team and replace them with  youngsters? Will the new batch of selectors have enough nerve to drop non performing seniors? Only time will tell.