The Selection Problems

The Cricket season for India is going to begin with the arrival of the England team.India had a dismal tournament in Sri Lanka, but they would do better to put all that behind them and look forward to make some amends in the coming months.India needs to make a strong statement against the visiting English team,not only to start the season with a success but repay the favor to them, for what they did to us last year. In order to make that happen India needs to have its full strength squad at its disposal.

                                                          The squad for the New Zealand series was pretty good with Pujara and Kohli coming up with fine centuries.The other batsmen though failed to fire and had it not been for these two,India might have fared very badly.The batting is the main concern for Team India now with Gambhir and Sehwag being out of form for quite some time now.It is time for the selectors to look over them now and need to induct some young blood into the team. Sehwag can be dropped to the middle order and Rahane can be made to open the innings. Sehwag can be a pretty useful middle order batsman since he can play spin bowling well and is comfortable playing the old ball against the seamers. So Sehwag should think about playing in the middle order and its time for him to make a decision on how to take his career forward.

                                                       If the above change happens,then there is no slot for Suresh Raina or Yuvraj Singh to come in. Otherwise they can drop Gambhir and bring in a middle order batsman, making Sehwag open the innings.Then a slot would open up in the middle order.There are talks going around about Yuvraj bagging that place on the merit of his double ton in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy.Many people are sympathetic towards Yuvraj and want to see him back on the field soon.But Yuvraj was never a prominent face in the test side right from the time he made his debut.Agreed,Yuvraj can bowl well and that can be an added advantage against England who are weak at playing spin.But we need to have a settled batting line up first and we need a solid middle order batsman who can lend stability to the side.He should be mature enough to handle pressure and deliver the goods.

                                                                 Thinking about all that,I can think of only name - Subramaniam Badrinath. He has been a prolific run scorer for his domestic side for the past few years.His batting technique and solidity is second to none.And he has tons of experience and quality in him to make the cut.He has been out of the side only because there was already a solid middle order all these days.But with the retirements of Dravid and Laxman,those two places have opened up.While Pujara has managed to bag a place for himself,it is time Badrinath gets a chance to prove himself.He should be given a long run in the test side for him to get settled.He would be an apt replacement for Laxman,since he has been the pillar of Tamil Nadu's batting in the Ranji Trophy.

                                           The part time option would be missed if Yuvraj is excluded but Sehwag and Sachin can always double up as part timers and bowl some overs if needed.But that wont be necessary since we are playing on home conditions and our spinners are more than up for the task ahead.

                                                               This is our only chance to pay back our dues in kind.India should do well and win the England series comfortably and heal the hearts of million fans who were heart broken after witnessing the massacre on the tour of England last year.

The T20 Champions!!

The T20 season is on a high now, started right from IPL which had some very close contests that went right down to the wire.There were many nail biting finishes and Kolkatta emerged as the well deserved champions eventually.More action followed when the T20 World Cup began in September with almost all the teams evenly balanced and raring to go.The T20 cup was very enthralling unlike the previous one and nobody was sure who would walk home with the cup.The West Indies Cricket team did it finally with great style and emerged as the new T20 champions.

                                                                The T20  fever is taking over the cricket fans. The fan base for the shortest version is increasing day by day.In this present scenario, where T20 is being lapped by one and all, there arises the question  of who's the best in this format. There are already quite a few stars around and some other are emerging,given the popularity they enjoy among fans.I am going to list a few of those T20 stars who have been ruling the roost in this format for quite sometime :

Batsmen:

1.Chris Gayle :  Whenever we talk about T20, how can one miss the hard hitting south paw from Jamaica.He is one of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket even before the advent of T20.His huge frame combined with his ability to hit straight has been his forte right from the beginning of his career.His record in the shortest version is staggering with almost 8 centuries to his credit.He has been a prolific scorer in the IPL for the last two seasons. Combined with his handy off spin Chris Gayle can be called "King of Sixers" when it comes to T20.

2.Brendon Mccullum : This wicket keeper batsman from New Zealand had been a top class T20 batsman right from the time he made a destructive 157 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the inaugural IPL match.From then he has set the stage on fire whenever he got going. He has two T20 international centuries to his credit. He is an innovative batsman who is never afraid to use the crease against any type of bowling. He deserves to be on this list for his sheer prowess with the bat and his extraordinary skills behind the stumps.

3.David Warner : The diminutive southpaw from Australia had a sensational debut in the shortest format when he was selected to play for the international side even before he had made his first class debut.He repaid that confidence by going on to score a match winning 89 against a powerful South African bowling attack.He has 5 centuries in T20 cricket, numbers which are staggering and only next to the powerful Chris Gayle.His ability on the field is an added advantage to any team that he plays for.Warner is an innovative player with his ability to switch hit spinners and his slog sweeps have always reaped dividends.

All - Rounders :

1. Shane Watson :This burly all rounder who plays for Sydney Sixers has been the "Gary Sobers" of the Australian lineup for quite some time.The biggest advantage of Watson is that he is a genuine all rounder who can bowl as well as he bats.His emergence in the inaugral edition of IPL has been a boon in disguise for the Australian side that has lacking genuine match winners for quite some time now after the retirements of Hayden,Gilchrist,Warne,Mcgrath etc. He has a track record for injuries but his stats are staggering nonetheless.His blistering knock of 185 against the Bangladeshis in an ODI has taken the cricketing world by storm. Watson single handedly took an otherwise weak Australian side to the semi finals of the World T20 2012.He has on a purple patch for the last two years and he has lots to offer to the Australian side.He therefore makes this list as "The Premier All Rounder".

2.Shakib Al Hasan : The ex Bangladesh skipper is a go to man for his team in t20 matches.He ability to bowl  economically and get some quick runs has been his forte and is a quick feet on the field.He has been the best batsman for Bangladesh along with Tamim Iqbal for some time now.

3.Shahid Afridi : One of Pakistan's best allrounder, he has been a pillar of strength for his team taking the team to victory in the 2009 edition of T20 world cup and leading the side to the semifinals of 2011 world cup bagging 21 wickets in the process.Though his batting prowess has been dwindling, he has hit some useful runs for Pakistan in many crunch games.Who can forget the breath taking 37 ball century he hit a few years back.He has been an utility player for Pakistan and has the second most number of wickets for a bowler in T20's.

Bowlers :

1.Lasith Malinga : Malinga is to bowling like how Gayle is to batting in T20 cricket.Having more than 100 T20 wickets in his kitty he's one of the best T20 bowler on the circuit at present.His unique round arm action mixed with his toe crushing yorkers and slow bouncers have kept the best of batsmen guessing and that has been his forte.He is one of our picks for the best bowlers in the T20 formats.

2.Saeed Ajmal : This talented off spinner from Pakistan has a bag full of variations with which he has bamboozled the best of batsmen.His unique high arm action and the change in pace are his basic strengths.Combined with his lethal doosra's he's one of the best in business.

3.Umar Gul : This tall fast bowler from Pakistan is one of the best death bowlers in the world who can bowl yorkers with precision and can be pretty good in his line.He has third best bowling figures in T20 internationals.

Players who missed out :

There are few players who were omitted from this list. But these are also very good T20 players and second to none,though they didn't find a place on my list.They are :

Batsmen :

1.Ab De Villiers

2.Eoin Morgan

Bowlers :

1.Dale Steyn

2.Graeme Swann

All rounders :

1.Albie Morkel

2.Angelo Mathews

When will India learn ??

The Champions League is on in South Africa and even before the tournament could get down to the business end, three of the teams from India are out of it and one is just a match away from elimination.The teams from India are doing very poorly even after having four foreign players in their side.It is disheartening to see no Indian player is on the top of run scorers list or wicket takers list.Delhi is having the pole position as of now but who knows what might happen in two days.

                                                            There are various reasons for this failure.Teams which have been quite unbeatable in the IPL have surrendered  meekly to the force of the opposing teams. This is mostly due to the inexperience, the domestic players have in foreign conditions and also because, most of the other teams play as a single unit through out the year in various domestic competitions and that allows them to work as a team ,understand each other's strength and weaknesses. This in turn enables them to be more competitive whereas teams in IPL get together only once in a year and that isn't quite enough to gel together.

                                                                   The Australian Cricket Board surprised one and all when it recalled all rounder Shane Watson from the CLT20 when his team,the Sydney Sixers were well on their way to making the cut for the finals. He could have been a vital cog in their journey and could have helped them win with the form that he is in. But the Australian board thought otherwise and wanted to preserve the hard hitting all rounder for the upcoming series against the Proteas.The Indian players on the other hand are having fun in CLT20 like always.Their attitude hasn't improved even after the defeat in the world T20.

                                                                           Many feel that since Shane Watson is a fast bowling all rounder, he needs to be preserved in order for him to be fit for the South African series. But even though we don't have any all rounder, we do have players who are on the better side of 30 and their fitness is waning with each passing day.Many players like Viru, Gauti and Sachin are tend to get injured and this should be prevented with a tough season ahead of us with teams like Australia,England and Pakistan due to visit us soon.Even our skipper has to get his rest ahead of this season because he looks worn out and jaded after the continuous dismal performances from his team.

                                                      The best option for these players would have been skipping the CLT20 and playing some domestic games in order to regain their form or taking some rest and keeping themselves fit ahead of this season.Instead they have gone to play in South Africa where their presence is not really needed by their team because this is T20 and anyone in the 15 are eligible and talented to play in the eleven and it wouldn't have made much difference to the team's chance since the seniors are also not performing well anyway.The only people who would have missed them would be the sponsors who demand them to play, for them to make money.

                                     BCCI has its root problems in IPL and CLT20 .This system should change in order for India to regain the number 1 status in the tests. Our players are aging and the board would do well to preserve them for crucial series.We need a better system than this to look into these matters and to stop the team from losing crucial matches in home conditions.It would be a shame if India lets England or Australia win even a single match in our home conditions and we can only redeem ourselves by extracting revenge against them in the upcoming series and for that we need a full strength team, raring to go.This isn't gonna happen in the present scenario and whether the team will make a comeback??is a tough query to answer with the way things are going now.
            

R.Ashwin - The search for a genuine allrounder

We all know that R.Ashwin is a very good bowler who has a lot of variations in his armory to deceive the batsmen and pick wickets. He has been crucial to the Indian team and the Chennai Super Kings for the last 2 odd years.His emergence has put a good spinner like bhajji out of the contest for a while and he has taken up the mantle and has been quite a success in all the formats.

                                                            The strength of Ashwin has always been his height, his ability to extract bounce in Indian conditions which is partly due to his height,the sharp spin and the many variations that he possesses.His skipper Dhoni who captains him in both IPL and in the Indian team has always known what's best for Ashwin and has handled him quite well.Ashwin is a bowler who loves challenges and he has never backed down to bowl in a pressure situation.More than being a economic bowler,Ashwin is an attacking bowler who loves to flight the ball and pick wickets.He has always backed himself to bowl to his strengths and that has been his secret for success through the years.

                                                      Born in Chennai,Ashwin has a legacy of spin bowlers to contend with and has truly been a revelation since the third season of the IPL when Ashwin along with another Chennai lad Vijay joined together to take the team to the finals and win the cup.Ashwin was one of the leading wicket takers for CSK and was preferred over the likes of Murali. His most crucial moment was against Chris Gayle in a match against the Knight Riders team. Ashwin came into bowl early since Gayle was threatening to cut loose.Dhoni brought in Ashwin and he was right away carted off for a six by Gayle. But Ashwin bowled an excellent delivery to Gayle the very next ball and got him out.He came back to pick the wicket of Mc Cullum two balls later. This might not be of much significance to the team's chances but it was a turning point in Ashwin's career.He was slowly gaining confidence with each passing game and began picking up wickets quite consistently.

                                                  He quickly rose up the ranks with his showing in the IPL and got a chance to represent the country in the shorter formats. Ashwin made his debut against Srilanka in 2010.Due to his consistency Ashwin got a chance to represent India in the 2011 world cup. He was not picked for the first few games since there was a more experienced spinner (Harbhajan) in the playing eleven. But he got his chance in the quarterfinals of the World Cup against Australia where he picked up two crucial wickets of Watson who was threatening to take the game away from the Indians and Ponting who made a fine century.Ashwin bowled a tough line making it difficult for the batsmen to hit him.Though he was not picked up for the finals,Ashwin had already done his bit for the team.

            Ashwin had to wait for a long time to make his test debut since Harbhajan was in the playing eleven and the team couldn't afford to have two off spinners in the playing eleven. Ashwin made his debut finally in November 2011 against the visiting West Indies.He immediately made an impact picking up 9 wickets in his very first match.He carried on in the same vein throughout the series bagging 21 wickets in the series and also got the man of the series award.

                                                   The most important thing in Ashwin's debut was his batting.He surprised one and all by applying himself very cleverly and scoring some important runs throughout the series. He made a fine century in the third test and saved India from the jaws of a certain defeat.The manner in which he got those runs were simply outrageous.He went after each bowler continuously milking them for runs all over the park.His technique was solid and rare for a number 8 batsman.He averages nearly 40 in test which is a very good average even for a batsman at this level.

                                                 He has batted well for a number eight batsman scoring runs consistently and quickly.The most important aspect of his batting is that he is not a wild slogger, rather a capable batsman who technique is sound and has all the shots in the book. Being the opening batsman in junior level cricket has helped him quite a bit and he is using that to full effect now.

                                                          Ashwin should be handled carefully now.He should be given ample chances to bat up the order to see whether he can sustain and perform in every game.But he should not be put under pressure to deliver every time he goes out bat because we do not want another case like Irfan.So Ashwin should be encouraged to bat at no 5 in inconsequential dead rubber matches and groom him. If taken care properly, Ashwin can very well be a Shakib-Al-Hasan or a Daniel Vettori for our team.

                                                             He has got huge potential in batting and Dhoni and the coaching staff should do better to help him attain the status of a genuine all rounder who can win matches on his own.His only weakness is his fielding and he can make up by scoring some runs in every match and contribute in this way for the team.With the emergence of Ashwin the team can afford to have an extra batsman or bowler depending on the situation and that can be an added bonus for any skipper.The search for a genuine allrounder by Dhoni can be fulfilled if Ashwin can truly live up to his potential.But will he?? is a question that only time can answer.

IPL,CLT20 -What is BCCI playing at??

The Champions League which was originally an idea of the football community was adopted by the IPL board and being played every year with domestic teams from different countries.But like the foot ball league, is the CLT20 a success or a failure is a huge question hanging on our heads??The most important question to be asked now is "Is Champions League necessary??"

                                                           Champions League was a traditional tournament between the various club teams in Europe. It was a huge success owing to the undying popularity for the game of Football in those places. But in cricket, its totally a different scenario.There are only 15 teams involved and almost 5 teams are knocked out even before the actual tournament starts.It was really sad to see a competitive team had to go out in an unfashionable way even after being the  winners of their country's domestic competition and they had bow out even without a chance and team like Mumbai Indians who came fourth in IPL qualified owing to the popularity of IPL in our country.

                                               The Champions League is not really needed.There is nothing new in it apart from the 6 other teams participating.It could in short be called a mini IPL since almost half of the teams are playing in the tournament and most of the other players are involved through some other franchise from the respective countries.
     
                                 Champions League should either be conducted with all the winning team from different countries participating.The number of foreigners in the squad for IPL teams should come down to just 2 or 3 so that there can be equal competition between the teams.


                                                         The problem has its roots from IPL itself. The land of India where once our players were invincible to the English and the Australian teams and even West Indies had to fight hard has become a piece of cake with the knowledge they are obtaining about Indian pitches these days.They are getting better at playing spin after playing against spinner for almost 2 months in spinning conditions and we are not doing the same in exchange.The Australian domestic cricket does not entertain too many Indian players on their lands and so does the English.We only get the money from all those matches and we are losing our pride slowly day by day by exposing our home conditions to foreign players.

                                                                If India has to be a dominating side in our home conditions we should bring some tough rules to stop foreign players getting hold of our conditions.We should not allow this to prevail.Rules have to be made to stop this from happening. Some of them are :

Six IPL teams only!!

This rule is mainly to give importance to the strength of the team.Since there are too many teams, the domestic squad gets diluted among all the teams and that's why we are always looking upto our foreign players to perform.So in order to strengthen the teams, we should imbibe them with more domestic players and that can be done only if there are lesser teams.

2-3 Foreign players only!!

This is the most important rule.If the teams are less in number, then there will be lesser need for foreign players since most of the teams can make do with the domestic talents around.If we take a look at Big Bash, there are very few foreign players in their squad and they rely on their domestic players to perform.By having this rules we can give lot of exposure to the upcoming talents and thereby improve our domestic structure.

Only two teams for Champions League!!

If we can make these successful changes and have a really good squad,we can go in with only two teams, the winners and the runners up and can be confident of our chances . The other domestic countries can get a chance too if this is established and this competition can go global and can gain audience all over the world.

Any player can play only half of the matches in the League stages !!

Since there are only two players proposed for each team, we can have a rotation policy not allowing any player to participate in more than half of the team's matches in the league stage.By this way all the foreign players can get their chance and there wouldn't be enough chances to master our conditions

 These above suggestions if established can make IPL and CLT20 a huge success instead of what it is today- a biased mini IPL. These changes are necessary and can be vital for Indian domestic circuit and for the future of Indian cricket.

Why is Sachin God to us??

There was a time when cricket  was just another sport in India.It did have its followers and die hard fans but nothing like the craze that we are seeing these days.There are people in this country who are ready to forgo every basic need to play and watch cricket these days.Cricket madness has taken over our country and there is one man behind all these craziness -"SACHIN TENDULKAR".


                                                         Sachin Tendulkar, one of the finest talents that cricket has ever seen.He has been a prodigy from the day he started playing cricket.Though he was a natural at batting ,Sachin wanted  to be a fast bowler.He went to the legendary Aussie bowler Dennis Lillee who was at that time coaching young fast bowlers in the MRF pace foundation.He immediately rejected Sachin stating that his physique won't suit fast bowling and asked him to concentrate on batting.Had he taken him on ,Sachin would have been no where today.Instead, Sachin concentrated on his batting and soon he developed into a class act.He was revered right from his school days and people had high expectations of him.This was proved when he along with former India team mate and close friend Vinod Kambli created a record partnership(664) while playing for their school in the Harris Shield championships. He scored a mammoth 326 runs and they kept on batting until a bowler was reduced to tears.Such was his domination that the opposition gave up without even trying.

           He was always an enigma to the bowlers. He used to set high standards in batting right from a young age.An apt example was when he played in the nets, his coach used to test him by placing a coin on the top of his offs stump and asking the bowlers to bowl at him. If after the end of the session Sachin remained not  out, he can have the coin for himself. Sachin has now treasure the 13 special coins as a token for the hard work he put in even as a child.

                                          Sachin was catapulted into stardom after that mammoth innings and he made his First class debut soon enough.And he came in with a bang scoring a century in each of Ranji,Duleep and Irani trophy debuts thereby becoming one of a kind record holder since his record is intact even today (after nearly 24 years).

                          Owing to his performances in the domestic circuit, Sachin was selected for the tour of Pakistan in 1989 at the tender age of 16.He was going to be tested against bowlers like Imran ,Wasim and Waqar.Though he didn't make huge scores, the way he negated the pace battery of Pakistan with sheer determination was very very impressive according to some of the players who played at  that time.Sachin who was only a kid won many hearts after that series and he continued in the same vein scoring centuries all over the world including England,New Zealand and Australia which had strong bowling line ups back then.

                                                       Indian cricket which was losing its popularity due to the continual overseas losses after the world cup seemed to have found a new hero who can fulfill our dreams.He gave us hope when everything seemed lost.He instilled a sense of ease in every fan whenever he came out to bat so much that some people even till today switch off the tv after Sachin gets out irrespective of the result.

                                                              Sachin was a player who brought laurels to the country every time he went out to bat.His scoring was consistent and his dedication was exemplary for a guy who was only a teenager. He broke many batting records in the following years.His humility,down to earth attitude and soft spoken nature earned him many fans. A legend was born who was on his way to become the greatest cricketer to have ever played the game perhaps only second to the great Don.

                                                             Sachin always had the natural aggression and style in his game. He dominated the bowlers right from the word go. His footwork and his technique was near to perfect and his timing was impeccable. He was the lone warrior who stood among the ruins back then when Indian batting was shoddy and lacked quality ,match winners and this was why Sachin was lapped up so quickly by the audience.

                 Playing in a match right after his father's death and scoring a century, playing with tennis elbow,playing with five stitches to his hand and many other countless injuries and problems, he has showed us what it is to have perseverance and dedication to have managed all that and to still play. It is simply a miracle that he is playing till today and has even mastered the shortest format T20,a game meant for "youngsters".

                   Even after all these years many people do not want him to retire and want him to continue for eternity because no body's game can keep the audience glued more than his. The day Sachin retires will be a black day for the whole of the cricketing fraternity and many fans might even stop seeing cricket.His departure will leave a big hole in our hearts that no other player can fill. Whenever we switch on a tv to catch the telecast of a live match, we are instantly assured when we see Sachin on the screen or if he is yet to come. But sadly,that won't happen after he retires and we hope that he keeps playing in the IPL for at least a few years

                    A book won't be enough to write his records and his achievements in cricket.He continues to be the hero of many die hard fans all around the world.Hayden once mentioned "I've seen god, he plays at no4 for the Indian team in test cricket". That is the kind of adulation he enjoys even among players. Many youngsters want to emulate him and want to play the game only because it is the game Sachin plays.There are fans who would go any length to get a glimpse of him and his fame has only increased all through the years.

               Sachin is one of the greatest cricketing sons of this country and his name will go down into the history books for the contributions he has made to cricket.His name will be a legacy in cricket and will be revered and worshipped by any aspiring cricketer even after his retirement.Hats off master for all that you have given to Indian cricket and its fans. We are in your debt forever and and being the die hard Sachinists that we are, we thank you for all the joy you have given us over the years.You can never be replaced by any other player in our hearts.We always want you to play and to some of us you are more important than the game and so we say "NO SACHIN,NO CRICKET!!"

                                                            

The Three different ways

Indian cricket is now under a state of turmoil with the early exit from the world cup.Though India won 4 out of the 5 matches they played,the team has come under scanner with many people claiming that the team has lost its aura and if Virat is out early,the team is going to lose, much like the conception we had years ago.Only the player is different in this case.India is facing a similar situation to one that was haunting them 15 years back when the team was leaning on Sachin Tendulkar to deliver the goods every time.

                                                                   In this extremely volatile scenario many people want the man in form to lead the side out of trouble.But let me remind you that an extremely capable batsman does not necessarily have to be a good skipper and Sachin is a prime example of that.But one cannot ignore the fact Virat already has the experience of captaining the U-19 side and the RCB in few games.So he might be a good choice for captaincy.

                                              Dhoni on the other hand has been receiving a lot of flak for the lack luster  performance of the Indian team.But one should accept the fact that "One can lead a horse to the water,but cannot make it drink".That has been the case with Dhoni.He has made mistakes but having non performing seniors in the side has not been of much help to him and the team.He cannot take responsibility for them.The seniors should take responsibilities for their failures and come up with either good performances or should be brave enough to drop themselves since the BCCI aren't doing anything on this issue.Dhoni should also look at his captaincy career and decide a course of action soon enough.He has been under a lot of pressure lately and that is showing in his game and decision making.Perhaps he should think about dropping captaincy in one format so that he can have some pressure taken of him.Once he decides that,the next question will be "the format and a suitable candidate".

                    There are two main names doing the rounds Virat for ODI's and Raina for T20's. Both of them are excellent in the respective format.Virat has been the back bone for the ODI team for quite some time now while Raina has been an effective player in the T20. Virat certainly deserves more responsibility since he has matured a lot since the "finger raising" incident.Raina meanwhile has been a constant feature in the playing eleven for sometime now and has been on the radar of the selectors for captaincy since he was given a chance to captain the side in a tri series against Zimbabwe and Sri lanka. Though he wasn't quite successful, it seemed like he was enjoying the new role and was keen on the field while making decisions.

                                               But captaining a national team,that too a team like India where fan following is crazy,where the captain has to bear responsibility for every failure, is a very difficult task.Its not only about field set ups and bowling changes.Its about bearing the pressure,the brunt every time your team fails. Virat and Raina are young and they needn't bear this kind of responsibility so early.More over there might be inside politics in the dressing room from the seniors which might emotionally affect their performances.They might tend to give in those pressures and might eventually find themselves out of form and out of the team.

                                                  There should be a change in captaincy since Dhoni needs some well deserved peace.But things should be taken one step at a time.Maybe Virat could take over from Dhoni for the T20 format first.He should get accustomed to the role first and understand its nuances.He can learn from MSD and eventually can take over the other two formats.But for now I feel that there is no need for a change in captaincy for tests and ODI's. Dhoni  can lead the team for at least till the tour of South Africa and things can be decided once the tour is completed.

                                                               The team should stick together and show its spirit now and should not let down their captain,the man who won us two world cups and many other tournaments.Drastic changes will only affect the team's performance and the player's career should be kept in mind while taking such decisions.Having three different captains for the three formats might be working for other countries but we need to unite under a single captain.The T20 captain can be changed and experimented if need be. "Too many cooks spoil the broth" so we should stick with one captain and hope that things will turn around soon.

'Darre'n Sammy- The War horse!!!

West Indies have won a major title after a long time and when people are busy praising players like Gayle, Samuels and Pollard,let us take a moment to salute an unsung hero of the West Indian team who has been criticized almost after every match calling the man unfit to lead the side.Some people even went to the extent of saying that he is only there on the team because he is the captain.But Sammy was a fighter right from the time he made his debut.He had to go through lots of odds to reach where he is in cricket today.He may not be an aggressive bowler like Walsh,technically sound like Lara or does not possess hitting skills of Gayle but he is got his own set of skills which he has put to good use and has reaped rich dividends.He has been a major contributor for the West Indian team for the past one and half years.

                                                  Darren Sammy was the first player from St.Lucia to play international Cricket.He has played for the West Indies u-19 team previously.Sammy after a successful domestic season was picked for the Champions Trophy and was scheduled to play his first match against New Zealand against whom he made his debut.He was not able to play that match because of rain so his first actual match was against Bangladesh against whom he picked up 1/19.Sammy made a sensational test debut picking up a 7 for in the second innings against England which is one of the best bowling figures by a West Indian since Alf Valentine.

                     Though Darren Sammy was doing well in the domestic league,he wasn't a regular in the West Indian team for a long time.He was constantly in and out of the side and therefore was not able to make any significant contributions.But all this changed when he was picked for the home series against Bangladesh in 2009 . He was selected only because of the main team's pay dispute against the WICB and was appointed as the vice captain for the series.Though the West Indies lost that series Darren Sammy's performance was noticed by the selectors and he slowly started working his way into the team.

                                                         Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, the then captain and vice captain chose not to renew their WICB contracts in 2010 and that led to Sammy's ascension to captaincy.His selection was criticized widely as foolish since he was not a good all rounder.Sammy had a uphill task of running the team without many stalwarts and was under pressure right away.He did start improving once he got settled down in the team by making useful contributions here and there and was slowly trying to gain momentum for himself and his side.Success eluded them for the most part and he was always blamed as the reason.He took everything in his stride and worked with the team by bringing in youngsters like Bishoo and Simmons among others.

                                        Sammy preferred bowling long spells whenever he bowls.He prefers to call himself "war horse" whose aim is to keep coming at the opponents again and again .He bowls a very tight line,stump to stump most of the times which is the reason why he is one of the most economical bowlers around.His batting has been a boost to the team and his knocks have always been entertaining.

                                                              West Indies had a turn around when Gayle returned to the team after a sabbatical and they made good strides in the international arena. The West Indies had a balance in their team with number of all rounders present in the side, Sammy being one among them.

                                                                  Sammy tasted success when the Australians toured West Indies last year. They drew a ODI series against Australia after many years along with the T20 series.Sammy scored well in the series with his high score being 84.He score a fine century against England at Nottingham helping his team to put a fighting total on board.

                                                           He then had a brilliant home series against the kiwis winning all the formats of the game thereby winning his first whole tour as a captain.Sammy's contribution to his team has been massive.He has always gone about doing his job without a fuss and that is a big positive for West Indies cricket.He has swallowed criticisms and hard a large heart .He is a amicable,down to earth character who is always fun to be with.

                                               The tournament in Sri Lanka is a personal milestone for Sammy to prove his detractors wrong and the answer he gave when in post match presentation when some one asked  whether he has answered his critics with the performance that he has given in the finals. He said "When a man like Jesus Christ can be crucified without fault,then who is Darren Sammy!!" That is measure of the man who had a very good heart.His dance along with Chris gayle to the "Gangnam Style " song would go down as one of the lightest moments in history of cricket.

                                               I strongly believe Darren Sammy's task is not over yet and he has a long way to go.He has got to lead his team to more success and I sincerely wish him luck.I am happy to say that Sammy has been a perfect entertainer for his fans and with the success yesterday he has earned lot more fans for himself."Hats off Sammy"!!

India- Transformation mode!!

The Indian cricket team had a pretty mediocre outing in Srilanka missing out a semi final berth once again.I have already highlighted what went wrong with the team in one of my previous article ranging from selection issues to some of Dhoni's on field decisions. But blaming is of no use now and Indian cricket needs to look forward now.There has to be some changes made and the selectors should be brave enough to drop some non performing senior players so that a message can be given out to the future generations that "no cricketer's place is safe!!".A change in captaincy is definitely needed at least in the shortest format where Dhoni has to keep the seniors owing to politics in the team.A new skipper can come in and take some bold decisions.But Indian cricket is going to go no where with this team and a revamp is the need of the hour. Lets us look at the possible captaincy candidates '


1.Gautam Gambhir : He has made it clear that he desires to lead the team some day and has always been on the heels of M.S.Dhoni. But his form is very pathetic and his place in the team is not sure if he keeps up these kind of performances and so he cannot hope to  be appointed the captain now.

2.Virender Sehwag : A constant vice captain in the team, Viru has been waiting for his chance to captain the side since Sourav Ganguly stepped down.But he is also struggling for form and he is  extremely un dependable and that has been his bane and he has to improve a lot in his batting to be the captain of the team.

3.Virat Kohli : This young lad has impressed one and all with his batting and his altered attitude and is the apple of the eyes for many Indian fans today.He is certainly in the fray for captaincy but he has to wait for at least 2 years before he can take up the role because he is young and in the form of his life and he would do well to capitalize on that. But he can definitely be appointed as the skipper for the shortest format which can be a learning curve for Virat before he takes up the mantle from Dhoni say in 2 years time.

4.Yuvraj Singh : He was the favorite for bagging the captaincy role when Rahul stepped down in 2007 but our selectors decided to go with the flamboyant Dhoni back then and he was never considered for the role after that due to his form problem and he is not a regular in the test team.Adding to the fact that he has only recovered from a deadly disease,he needs some time to figure out his future.

5.Zaheer khan : Though he is one of the seniors, he gets injured often and because of that he cannot be the captain.More over being the strike bowler of the team he needs to concentrate on his bowling alone.

6.Harbhajan Singh : Since dada said that Harbhajan could be a possible captaincy candidate, I have suggested his name here,but his position in the team is not sure anymore let alone captaincy.


So there are very few options when it comes to captaincy.Dhoni has to continue leading the side at least until Virat is ready.India has to look into the ODI side and it needs many changes and so does the test team.The quandry of Yuvraj and Raina in the test team still remains unsolved.

The Youngsters :

The youngsters in the team are being shunted to the side by the seniors.They are not given chances and this has led to many talents like Tiwary,Rahane and Ojha to warm the benches.I strongly believe that they must have more exposure.Even batsmen like Pujara should be made to play in "all the formats" because after playing a test series if the selectors send him back to domestic cricket,it is not going to help his confidence.He is the future of Indian batting and he needs to have a permanent  slot in all the three formats to have enough exposure so that by the time all the seniors retire,Pujara will be a complete batsman who can be a mainstay in our batting.At least he should be sent to overseas tours along with the A team to hone his batting in alien conditions.

                                                 Ojha too faces a similar situation though he is occasionally selected for the limited overs side though he has not got enough opportunities. He needs to be a regular in the limited overs side so that he can have enough exposure to lead the Indian spin attack.

                                                                Virat Kohli should open the batting in limited overs and play at no 4 in tests, in other words carry the legacy of Sachin because as of today he is the only player who can at least be compared with him on the basis of statistics.Ajinkya Rahane can be the other opener with Gambhir coming one down,and Cheteshwar Pujara can play at no:4.Yuvraj,Rohit and Dhoni.But the place of Rohit and Yuvraj can be shuffled between them and Raina if the rotation policy comes into effect.

                                                           There isn't much to say on the bowling department.Ashwin and Ojha are two regular bowlers and Irfan can be the man in limited overs cricket but India needs to give serious thought in the fast bowling department because there aren't many good fast bowlers around.

The bottom line :

                                       A team success depends on the key players and the future lies with these players who aren't in the thick of things right now.Other youngsters like Vijay,Mukund,Tiwary can also be considered based on form and fitness.India has got a good pool of younsters and BCCI would do better not to waste them.A serious change in the cricketing system is needed.The coach should also be changed and a former Indian player like Dravid or Dada can be considered for the same.And a specialist bowling coach should be brought in to coach youngsters,encourage them to bowl raw pace with control.               

The good ,the bad and the best- T20 cup!!

The T20 world cup in Srilanka has finally come to an end and the team from West Indies are the deserved winners.They showed lot of character and fight and they took the challenges head on. Their star player Gayle did not fail to impress and he put up a magnificent performance in the semifinals.But this West Indies team was not all about a single player.Others contributed excellently to take West Indies to the finals where Marlon Samuels had the day of his life.West Indies played one of their brilliant tournaments to date where everything clicked and they were on their way to being the champions. Hats Off Windies!!


                                                   This tournament brought out some new talents like Raza Hasan,Akila Dananjaya and it was a come back of sorts for many players including Yuvaraj, Harbhajan and Mendis among others.While there were many good performances, only a few stood out like beacon for their team while a few others disappointed very badly.I'm going to list these performances and rate them for the contributions that they made for their team :

The Best :

1.Shane Watson : No points for guessing.This all rounder was in peak form smashing the bowlers to all parts of the ground and taking crucial wickets.He won a record 4 man of the match awards and was instrumental fof Australia in reaching the semi-finals.His tally of 249 runs and 11 wickets helped his otherwise mediocre team to rise above all and make a mark.

2.Chris Gayle : This man from Jamaica has been a T20 star right from the day he played his first T20 international. The West Indians fancied their chances in this tournament and he was one of their key players who can win a match on his own.His massacre against the Australians put them out of the tournament.Adding to Gangnam style dance he was the talk of the tournament.

3.Ajantha Mendis : This mystery spinner from Srilanka was heavily relied upon to perform after the exit of Murali.Though Mendis was not in the best of forms when he came into the tournament,he made a immediate contribution to the team by picking up his career best 6-8 against Zimbabwe.From then on he has been quite good and he went to become the highest wicket taker(15) in the tournament and beat competiton from his team mate and Srilanka's no 1 strike bowler Lasith Malinga.

4.Marlon Samuels : He was the silent contributor for the team's cause getting crucial runs in almost every match and picking up wickets too.He is the 3rd highest run getter in the tournament and his blazing knock (78) in the finals sealed the victory for the team.

5.Mahela Jayawardene : The Srilankan skipper has been the key for the Lankans.Mahela is a person who always takes responsiblity at big stages and the century he got against India in the finals is a testament to that.he amassed 245 runs, second to only Shane Watson and he captained the team brilliantly to take them to the finals.

The Good :

1.Brendon Mccullum : This wicket keeper batsman should have been in the above list had his team reached the last four.They were extremely unlucky to miss out on a semi final berth losing two consecutive super overs.Brendon was brilliant right from the start getting a magnificent 100 against Bangladesh.He made more than 200 runs and could have made more had his team been in the semi finals.

2.Virat Kohli : This batsman from Delhi is on a purple patch and he is the leading run scorer for India.He scored around 185 runs and has been instrumental in the chase against Pakistan. Though he could have done well against Australia and South Africa,he did manage to win hearts with his performances,

3.Yuvraj Singh : The warrior who came back from the jaws of death had a pretty good tournament picking up 8 wickets though he couldn't do much with the bat.He got 2 man of the match awards and played a crucial role in the match against Afghanistan,Pakistan and South Africa.

4.Saeed Ajmal :Pakistan's best bowler came good once again picking up wickets(9) and was economical too.Though he doesn't feature in the list of wicket takers he was a key to Pakistan's semi final entry.

5.Raza Hasan : This young cricketer from Pakistan had a very good tournament.He bowled with control and accuracy troubling the best of batsmen throughout the tournament and picked up crucial wickets.His economy was below 5 which was an added bonus.

6.Dale Steyn :Dale was in his fiery best form having the best economy(4.8) in the whole tournament and was the pick of the bowlers for South Africa.

7.Mitchell Starc : He bowled some very good death bowling through out the tournament picking 10 wickets in the process.His pace and line-length varaiations were superb and he is going to be one of the mainstays of the Aussie team in the years to come.

8..Luke Wright :He played brilliantly against the Afghans and made  good contributions against other teams scoring 193 runs in the process.

9. Steven Finn : The tall lad has been the pick of the bowlers for England picking up 8 wickets at an economy of 6.1 which is quite good for the shorter format. 

10.Sunil Narine :He was not in the best of forms in the league stages but came back well to pick up 9 wickets to help the windies win the trophy.

11.Tim Southee : He bowled with a huge heart in sub continent conditions but was very unlucky.He picked up 7 wickets at an economy of 5.6

The Average :

1.Suresh Raina : He was playing well throughout the tournament but was not able to convert his starts into big scores because he batted too down the order and his fielding was brilliant as usual.

2.Nasir Jamshed : Apart from his whirlwind knock of 57 in the first match he was pretty ordinary and didnt have much to offer.

3..Eoin Morgan :The south paw has been in scintillating form for the Poms scoring at nearly 170 strike rate and has been an asset to the team .His only problem is his consistency.Other than the two matches where he played brilliantly,he was quite ordinary in the others.

4.Ravi Rampaul : The sturdy bowler from West Indies was average because he was too expensive though he picked up wickets at crucial junctures.His ball to Dilshan in the finals was praised by many and was called the ball of the tournament.He picked up 9 wickets at an economy of almost 8.

5.Kumar Sangakkara : The wicket keeping south paw from Srilanka was pretty okay in the tournament.But his keeping abilities have come under the scanner in recent times with him dropping a couple of catches.He scored 170 runs in the tournament.

6.Tillakratne Dilshan : This explosive opener was in average form scoring 179 runs in the tournament.But he played some crucial cameos to help the team reach the finals.

7.Graeme Swann : He was not able to capitalize on the sub continent conditions and was able to bag only 7 wickets.

8.Lasith Malinga :He was good in some matches and was patchy in the others.He gave away more than 50 runs in the finals which cost his team the match.Other than that he was good as usual.

9.Lakshmipathy Balaji : He was the highest wicket taker for India with 9 scalps but his economy took a beating (almost 8).

10.R.Ashwin : Though he bowled well against Pakistan and South Africa, he was taken to the cleaners against the Aussies.Dhoni could have put a better use of him.

The bad :

1. Gautam Gambhir :This south paw from Delhi was very poor and was not able to play a vital inning for the team when needed.His casual approach to batting has been his bane and he has let his team down big time.

2. Shahid Afridi : He had a very contrasting world cup when compared to 2011.He was expensive, didn't pick many wickets and he was batting like a school kid. No more can be said.

3.M.S.Dhoni : The Indian skipper has been out of sorts in the shortest format both in batting and captaincy.His poor decisions have been a factor in India's exit and he hasn't played one significant knock in the tournament.

4.Zaheer Khan : Though he was quite economic, he hasn't picked up many wickets, a trait that he is usually known for.

5.Kane Williamson : He has seldom lived up to his potential and has been very mediocre without a single credible performance to his name.

6.Rohit Sharma : Other than the 50 in the dead rubber against England,Rohit was pretty mediocre in the tournament.I fail to understand why Dhoni kept him on the team.

7.Shoaib Malik : He was only making up the 11 and was not of much use in the team.

8.Farhaan Behardien : His talent was not justified by his performances.

9.Wayne Parnell : He was a poor bowler who didn't know which length to bowl in subcontinent conditions and was taken to the cleaners.

10.Hashim Amla :He was supposed to be the lynch pin of South African batting line up but he failed to impress .

11. Ab De Villiers : His poor form cost the tournament because he was that kind of a player who can take the game away from you if he gets set.

These are my rankings based on the performances I witnessed over the last two weeks.I might have missed out some players because they would have fallen between two categories (ex:Irfan pathan - between average and bad) or maybe because a certain player did not play more than 1 or 2 matches.

Reasons behind India's failure!!

The Indian team unusually did very well in this world cup winning 4 out of the 5 matches and getting the opponent bowled in all the victories which is no mean feat for a team like India.The Indians went into the tournament as favorites boasting of a strong squad that had talented players."But did it really?" is the question to be asked after its ouster without reaching the semi finals for the third consecutive time??

                                                              The problem started right from the time when the team was selected for the series.It was bizarre because the team had four players who were coming back into the Indian team at least after a year.Harbhajan for one even after playing in the domestic circuit after for almost a year failed to make a single worthy headline. He was average on his stint in England and didn't do much to impress the fans and yet he was given a ticket to Srilanka on the basis god knows what!Yuvraj Singh won a great battle against Cancer.It was admirable and was a heavy struggle that he endured.But his selection was not justified at all because he was yet to play a single international game before the squad was announced. Balaji was pretty okay compared to the others mainly because he had a very good IPL and he was regularly picking wickets in the domestic leagues.The most absurd selection was that of Piyush Chawla's. He wasn't in the scene for more than a year after the 2011 world cup and was not preferred over the likes of Ojha and Rahul Sharma.He had a pretty ordinary IPL though he picked up 17 odd wickets.He went for runs and was singularly responsible for losing a match for the KXIP. His selection was a shock to the whole of the cricketing fraternity ahead of spinners like Ojha who had a very good series against the Kiwis.

                               Due to these selection blunders there were few good talents left out of the squad.The selectors should have selected an extra opener in place of Tiwary because Indian middle order is quite strong and since Viru was out of form and with Rahane in blazing form after the IPL,the selectors should have had a back up for the opening slot.Picking Rohit after a very ordinary series against Srilanka was a huge mistake.The selectors could have had a solid middle order player instead of him or a slog hitter who could have gotten some runs.But the selectors persisted with Sharma which was a big mistake.

                                                               The blunders didn't stop with selection alone.Those players who were an integral part of the Indian team like Sehwag,Gambhir,Dhoni and Zaheer failed to make any impression on the tour.Gambhir was a huge failure making only one score above 40 and that too came in a dead rubber match.Sehwag was totally out of sorts not making any note worthy contributions apart from the 29 odd runs he got in the match against Pakistan.His form has been so poor that he was made to "rest" for two consecutive matches.Yuvraj for more than once was the pick of the bowlers bagging 8 wickets in the tournament second to only Balaji who was a pure bowler.But his batting form was pretty mediocre and his highest score was 21 in the tournament which was very average for a player of his stature.

                                                                   Dhoni had a very poor tournament both as a player and a captain.His batting was very poor and his trademark shots went missing everytime he came to bat.His strike rate was not of t20 level .More than his batting what affected the team was his small captaincy blunders.His decision to promote Irfan ahead of Kohli was a huge tactical blunder against the Aussies and Irfan failed to deliver the huge shots that he was known for.I'm able to agree with the dropping of Sehwag but India has been successful always by deploying a 7-4 combination.Dhoni did a huge mistake by trying out a new combination over a well tested one in a crunch match.It back fired very badly allowing the Aussies to tame India for 140.Another mistake was opening the bowling with Ashwin against the Aussies when we had two good swing bowlers who could have stopped the run flow and taken some crucial wickets.Irfan Pathan has always delivered with the new ball and it was a huge mistake not opening the bowling with him.

                                                               Harbhajan Singh shouldn't have been in the 15,not for his experience  or previous performances.Frankly,he had a poor year and didn't merit selection in any 'quota'.So was Ashok Dinda.Though he is a very good bowler,he did not play the majority of IPL this year and was not in great form.Instead a bowler like Parvinder Awana could have been picked.It was not the amount of wickets that he picked in IPL that is making me say this but the manner in which he got those wickets.He got 17 odd wickets in 9-10 matches which was pretty incredible for an Indian fast bowler.He might have come good or he might have flopped but it was worth a try in my opinion because there aren't many good fast bowlers in our country and he could have been a surprise package like a Raza Hasan of Pakistan or an Akila Dananjaya of Srilanka ,two new faces who have done well for the team.

                                                                  More over the tactic of sending Raina at 6 failed big time.Raina is one of those players,once he sets in ,it is difficult to stop him.But for him to get settled he needs at least 15 overs in hand with enough wickets behind him,for him to play some fearless cricket.But Dhoni always chose to bring him at no 6 when half the team were  back in the pavilion and with almost 12 overs gone already.Raina did hit few runs in the tournament,had he batted a bit high things could have well been different.

               Dhoni's defensive approach in the last game was very sad to see.He kept Ashwin back till the 9th over when India were in a difficult position to stop the Proteas from scoring the stipulated 121.He should have asked Ashwin to bowl from the 5th over itself because we were virtually defending a small target of 121 and to defend that you need to use all your trump cards front up because if the batsmen are going to play out 10 overs,they will eventually get the runs by the end of 20 and to stop them doing that the only possible way was to attack with all the 5 bowlers in tandem and putting pressure on the opponents.Sadly,our captain failed to grasp that which 'might' have cost us the tournament though not the match in the end.

                                                         The selection committee needs to look into these matters soon enough and in order for India to be successful in the shortest version,infusion of more young blood are the need of the hour.Seniors should content themselves playing the longer formats and leave the shortest one alone. The one man who has stood apart through all of this has been Virat Kohli and the selectors would do well to make him the skipper for this format.I do not say this because we lost the tournament but also because Virat is the most obvious candidate for captaincy in near future and if he's made the captain in this format,it will help him in learning the nuances of captain slowly without putting too much pressure and he will have time to settle down as the captain before he can take up the mantle in all the formats one day.
                                                       
                                                                           Though India didn't make it into the semis,they played some good cricket to win 4 of the 5 matches that they played and that augurs well for the country.India weren't really bad and a little bit of luck and change of decision here and there could have changed the way things went.So hard luck to Team India and I sincerely hope that they perform better in the upcoming series.

The Murali Magic

The brandishing of the ball on his left hand,the jump in his stride,the slow,steady and open chested run up,the arm which is a optical defect of god's creation swings into action,the widening of eyes and the ball leaves out of the magical fingers to claim yet another wicket.Yes,that is a theoretical demonstration of the bowling of the magician "MUTTIAH MURALIDARAN".

                                                       Muttiah Muralidaran was born in a village near Kandy to Sinnasamy .P and Lakshmi.His father was one of those people who migrated from India to Srilanka in search of a job.His father runs a successful biscuit making factory there. Murali started off as a medium pacer but changed into a off spinner when he was 14 years old. Murali had a unique action right from his young age.His ability to spin the ball made him a difficult bowler to get away with.He played some good cricket while he was at school and used to bag many prizes including "Bata schoolboy cricketer of the year.He then was signed up for a domestic team Tamil Union and Athletic Club.His performances there paved way for his debut for Srilanka .He soon made his debut for the national side in 1992.

                                                           Murali was a gifted bowler right from the start of his career.He was the only wrist spinning off spinner in the history of Cricket.His action was difficult to read and it helped him bag many wickets early in his career.His unique action let him obtain spin in any type of wickets and he was bowling very well in overseas tours.

                                                            Murali became the team's lead spinner in a very short time picking heaps of wickets.He toured many countries like Pakistan and New Zealand and was the pick of the bowlers for Srilanka everytime. But his career was at cross roads when he toured Australia in 1995.The umpire who officiated the second test Darrell Hair called him for chucking repeatedly.He was sent for diagnosis and was not allowed to bowl until he was cleared.But after the diagnosis people came to know that his arm was naturally bent and his action which seemed like throwing was infact an optical illusion. He soon came back into the team and was a key to the Srilankan team that won the world.

                                                               Murali is one of the best cricketers to have come out from Srilanka.He has always been a key member of the team and has always delivered when it matters.Murali was not only a great cricketer but also a man who is down to earth,full of humility and character.He has always been friendly,charming and always has a word for an aspiring youngster.

                                                                 Murali's record are so huge and there have not been many cricketer who have achieved what he has done for the past 20 years.With 800 test wickets and 534 ODI wickets one can go as far as to call him the Bradman of bowling because he has reached heights that none have dared venture. He was rated as the best spin bowler ever by Wisden twice in his career and that shows his calibre.His average in ODI's and test are staggering between 22 and 23 which is quite astonishing for a man who has taken 1300 odd wickets.

                                                   Murali has never shown attitude on or off the field and has always been a likeable cricketer.No one can forget his smile and his child like glee on his face after everytime he picks up a wicket.

                 Murali lived a life of a warrior considering all the humiliations that he had to go through on his bowling action and his the huge responsibility to lead the Srilankan Spin bowling attack for nearly 20 years.These were no mean feats and Murali managed to achieve that with impeccable brilliance.

                                                    Though Murali was born in Srilanka and has lived and played cricket all his life there,his heart is still Indian and that is evident from the fact that Murali's favorite place is India where his grandparents lived and  he got married to a Chennai girl too.I'm proud to say that a man from my culture has gone on from being a grand son of a tea plantation worker to one of the world's renowned cricketers who has a ground named after him and it is not only his pleasure but for the whole of Tamil Nadu who consider him as one of our favorite cricketing sons who played for us in the IPL for three full seasons and a person who still enthralls us with his bowling and affable nature.Hats off Murali for all that you've done for cricket and its fans.
                                                     

The Protean hurdle - India vs South Africd match review

The match between Australia and Pakistan ended up meekly for Australia and they surrendered to the spin quad of Afridi,Ajmal,Hasan and Hafeez.This win was a shock for the Indian fans and  it was task cut out for the Indian team.The match between India and South Africa played at the R.Premadasa stadium,Colombo.The conditions were fairly slow and the weather was quite humid.The toss was won by the Proteas who asked India to bat first.

                The batting was opened by Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag while the bowling was opened by Dale Steyn.India started off well by making 23 runs of 3 overs without losing any wicket.Morkel struck then removing Gambhir for 8 runs.The danger man Kohli walked in next who made a brilliant 78 in a run chase against Pakistan only two days back.But disaster struck when India lost two quick wickets in the form of Kohli and Sehwag .Kohli was the first to go when he edged one to the keeper off the bowling of Kallis down the legside.Sehwag after hitting a wonderful six off Peterson got bowled off the very next ball when he stepped out and tried to hit him again.Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina walked in next and they tried to build the innings by playing cautiously and they put up a partnership of about 50 before Rohit was trapped in front of the wicket by Peterson for 25.Dhoni walked in next and he along with Raina hit some wonderful shots to take the team to 152 at the end of 20 overs.Raina got run out on the last ball of the match for 45 off 34 and Dhoni remained not out on 23 off 13.The wickets were shared betwenn Morkel (2) and Peterson (2).


                                                        Indians were on a spot of trouble having a huge task ahead of them.They need to get South Africa for below 121 if they had to qualify.The South Africa opened their batting with Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis.India opened their bowling with the experienced campaigner Zaheer Khan.He immediately got a break through when he got Amla caught at slips for naught. Ab de villiers walked in next and he put up a partnership with Kallis before Kallis departed in the fourth over after making just 6.The next man in was Faf du Plessis.He along with De Villiers built a very good partnership and India were under pressure.Du Plessis was striking the ball at nearly 200 runs per 100 runs balls and a panic began to rise in the Indian ranks.He was hitting the ball very well and was putting pressure on the Indian bowlers.

                                                             Yuvraj Singh came into bowl next and he removed De villiers in his very first ball for 13.But Faf du Plessis kept it going with some extraordinary hitting.Duminy was playing the second fiddle to him not scoring much.But things turned around for the Proteas when Du Plessis got to Yuvraj Singh in the 13th over.The others kept the match going only in bits and could not make a notable contribution.South Africa needed 14 off the last over.Balaji came in to bowl the last over and he was dispatched for a six on the very first ball by A.Morkel.But Balaji came back to pick up his wicket the very next ball.M.Morkel walked in for the last wicket then and he too got out after hitting a huge six.India won the match by 1 run though they got knocked out off the semis.The wickets were shared between Z.Khan (3),Balaji (3),Yuvraj (2).

                                The Indian did do well to score a victory.Yuvraj Singh won the man of the match for his all round performance.They played well though they couldn't make the semi final even after winning 4 out of the 5 matches they played and South Africa were knocked out without winning a single match in the super 8.Australia and Pakistan go through from this group and Srilanka and West Indies go through from the other group.