India overcome the Afghan attack-match review

The match between India and Afghanistan was not touted to be a big match because the Afghans are just taking their baby steps into international cricket. The Indians, though they lost their warm up tie against the Pakistanis, were brimming with confidence and it showed from the team that Dhoni had selected for the match. He decided to go with a four-man bowling attack which showed that he didn’t expect much of a fight from the Afghani batsmen. The conditions were a bit humid with a bit of passing clouds and the pitch, a typical Sri Lankan wicket. The Afghans won the toss and elected to bowl first. The captain Nawroz Mangal stated that since their batting was their main strength, they chose to bat second.

The Afghan bowlers were not much fancied over a star studded Indian batting line up. The proceedings started smoothly for the Indians with Gambhir and Sehwag playing themselves in very well. But they didn’t last long. Gambhir was the first one to go when he inside edged the ball on to the stumps. Sehwag followed soon when he edged one from Zadran to the wicket keeper. In came Kohli and Yuvraj, trying to repair the damage. They played cautiously, getting the easy singles and doubles without taking much risk. Yuvraj hit a beautiful six on a fullish length ball from Zadran and also survived a caught and bowled chance on the bowling of M.Nabi.  But Yuvraj soon departed for 18 runs when he cut one to short third man off the bowling of Karim Sadiq.

The Afghan bowlers were spot on in their line and length apart from the occasional blemishes. The fielding though, was quite pathetic. The fielders missed a couple of run out chances and three regulation catches which cost them dearly as Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli plundered them for runs. Kohli especially, went after the bowling and hit a few beautiful shots over the top and got to his 50 in style. But he couldn’t carry it forward when he got out for a well made 50 off 39 balls. MS Dhoni then joined Raina in the middle. Raina decided to cut loose and played some beautiful shots to get India to a respectable total. Raina capitalized on the lives he got and made 38 runs before getting bowled in the last over. Dhoni then hit a four and six to take the score to 159. He remained not out on 18.

The Afghans started their innings by attacking the bowler right away. Mohammad Shahzad hit some beautiful shots to get the innings going for the Afghans. He could have taken the game away from the Indians had he stayed longer. He holed out to mid-on after playing a nice cameo, giving Balaji his first wicket. Skipper Nawroz then joined hands with Karim Sadiq and played some nice shots all over the ground, giving the Indians a jolt. But their partnership didn’t last long. The skipper was the first to go when he got one on his pads, becoming the first victim of the comeback man Yuvraj.

Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan hits a six, as MS Dhoni of India looks on during the ICC World Twenty20 match Group A match between India and Afghanistan

The Afghans then started losing their way when three wickets fell in quick succession. Two of them were picked by Yuvraj and one by Ashwin. After that, they didn’t look like making a comeback and things turned in favour of the Indians. The bowlers bowled tight lines as the asking rate increase and the Afghan batsmen were under pressure. But the incoming batsmen Mohammad Nabi and Shafiqullah responded magnificently by hitting a couple of fine sixes. Irfan Pathan then came back into the attack and picked up the wicket of Shafiqullah for 8. Mohammad Nabi carried on though, in a brilliant fashion, hitting some fine boundaries before he got out for a well made 31 of 17 to Ashwin. The score was 119/7 then, with the Afghans needing 41 runs from 3 overs, which was nigh impossible.

From then on, it was a formality for the Indians though the Afghans didn’t give up easily. Even their tail enders showed some character and went for the shots and brought the total closer though they couldn’t get their team past the finishing line. The wickets were shared by Balaji(3), Yuvraj(3) and Ashwin(2) as Indian won the match by 23 runs.

I’m proud to see the Afghans playing the way they did and they deserve a lot a lot of credit for putting up such a brilliant show. Had they taken all those catches that they dropped, things could have been very different for them. Hats off to them and I’m sure they have got themselves many fans after this match. Take a bow Afghans!

The six most feared batsmen ever

Cricket is called a funny game by many. It could be called dangerous if you happen to be on the receiving end of any of these batsmen. Whenever these batsmen have walked in to bat, they created such kind of fear in the bowlers that people won’t be surprised even if they started shivering. There was a bowler who said “If I glared at Viv Richards he’d just hit me even further.” That was how these batsmen played their game. I’m listing six of those lethal batsmen who have played the game; batsmen who  have been a source of joy for their fans and fear for their opponents.

1. Sir Don Bradman: Being the most prolific and the most  worshiped cricketer by many cricket lovers, he has managed to set a benchmark for players all around the world and his record in many categories are yet to be broken. Known as an attacking player, Bradman was a crowd puller whenever he came in to bat. His average of 99.94 is enviable and is yet to be surpassed. His exploits include scoring a 100 in just a single session of a day’s play and scoring a triple in a single day: a feat which is still unmatched. Though Bradman has hit only 6 sixers in the whole of his Test career, the number of fours that he hit is 618, a staggering amount for a player who has played only 29 Tests. Many of the bowlers who bowled to him had made special plans for him alone and one of Australia’s former captain has said about Bradman, “He is worth three batsmen.” He definitely deserves a place in this elite league and he makes one of the six.

2. Sir Vivian Richards: He is one of the most feared batsman of his era, and has managed to impress one and all with his batting skills. He was mainly a right-handed opening batsman who could bowl a bit. He was a very good fielder too. He is called one of the most devastating batsman of all times. His Test average of over 50 and strike rate of over 70 says it all. He was voted one of the 5 cricketers of the century by Wisden. His hundred of 56 balls in a Test match is a record that is yet to broken. Wasim Akram has rated Sir Vivian as the best batsman he has ever bowled to. That speaks volumes of his ability and he is certainly one amongst the best when it comes to power-hitting.

3. Adam Gilchrist: The wicket-keeper batsman from Australia has been a mainstay batsman for his team for over a decade. He was a capable batsman unlike many others who were there in the team especially for their keeping abilities. Known to strike the ball hard, this southpaw has always managed to set the stage on fire whenever he batted. He redefined the way wicket-keepers should approach the game. His tally of 31 centuries is the most by any wicket-keeping batsman. His hundred of 59 balls in a Test match is a innings which is remembered by many even today. He opened the batting for Australia in ODIs and his ability to score quickly put many bowlers under pressure right away and that has been the success of this southpaw.

4. Chris Gayle: The amicable Jamaican is one of the most feared batsman in cricket today. His exploits in the T20 format are known to one and all. He has 8 centuries in the shortest formats playing for different clubs all around the world. His strike rate of over 160 in the T20 format has put him on the top of the table. His hitting abilities are in a league of his own which cannot be matched.

5. Sanath Jayasuriya: The south paw from the island nation started off as a bowler who could bat a bit. But due to a lucky experiment, he was chosen to open the batting and was asked to use the powerplay overs to attack the bowlers. He created a new dimension to powerplay batting and used the field restrictions to his advantage. He was a nightmare for many bowlers all around the world. He amassed more than 13000 runs, the second highest behind Sachin at the time of his retirement. Glenn McGrath once said in his interview that Jayasuriya is one of the toughest batsman he’s bowled to.

6. Virender Sehwag: How can the list be complete without this diminutive batsman who closely resembles Sachin in his batting style. The Nawab of Najafgarh is one of the finest hitters of the cricket ball. His strike in Tests and ODIs is right on top. He is fondly called as the “Viv Richards” of our era for the kind of domination he brings into the game. His fearless attitude and the “I don’t care” policy on his wicket makes him even more dangerous and his average is also very good in Tests and ODIs for an opener. He has the record for the fastest triple century in Tests and fastest century in one dayers for India. So he makes up the last and sixth of my very own list of top six most feared batsmen of all times.

Well, like in every other list, there are certain notable omissions in this list too. They are Shahid Afridi, Matthew Hayden, Shane Watson and Sachin Tendulkar. These players are also good in their own right and if my list was made for top ten, then these batsmen would have been my other four.

The epic battle-India vs Pakistan warm match review

Like all the India vs Pakistan ties,this one was also  much anticipated, more so because of India’s spectacular win against them in the Asia cup. The only practice game to be telecast, this match caught the attention of one and all. The conditions were hot and humid. The match began with India winning the toss and choosing to bat first on a typical Sri Lankan wicket which tends to be a bit slow and aids the spinners more than the fast bowlers.

Sehwag and Gambhir opened the innings for India. They got off to a good start, putting up 41 runs. Sehwag was in his own elements, thrashing the bowlers for some quick runs. He made a quickfire 24 and Gambhir made 10. Both of them fell in quick succession and in came Kohli and Rohit. They steadied the ship after the loss of those two wickets. Kohli took the attack back to the opposition while Sharma was content playing second fiddle to him. But once both of them had got settled, they unleashed a flurry of boundaries, bringing up the scoring rate. Both of them matched each other shot for shot and brought up their century partnership in the 16th over. They were particularly severe on Mohammed Sami and Shahid Afridi, who were taken to the cleaners. India were looking at a score above 200 when Saeed Ajmal came in and picked up the wicket of Rohit Sharma for a well made 50. India were 176/3 at the end of the 19th over. Yuvraj Singh came in and made sure that India didn’t lose any more wickets, though he didn’t get as many runs as he would have wanted. India finished with 185/3 with Kohli remaining not out on a well compiled 75.

India were looking favorites at this stage. But the Pakistan had other ideas. Imran Nazir launched a counter attack, when he took apart Irfan Pathan for 17 runs in his very first over. More thrashing followed in the next over when Zaheer went for 10 runs. Ashwin was brought in to stop the massacre and he immediately responded with the wicket of a well-set Imran Nazir. More trouble followed for the Pakistanis when they lost Nasir Jamshed, thanks to Dhoni’s brilliant sense of mind when he got the batsman runout.

Things were looking downhill when they lost 3 more wickets in quick succession, all to R. Ashwin, the birthday boy. Shahid Afridi went without troubling the scorers, Hafeez and U.Akmal too went without adding much to the score board. They had lost 3 wickets in 7 balls for just 7 runs. Kamran Akmal was batting brilliantly at one end to keep the momentum going. In came Shoaib Malik at number 7. Both of them immediately started to repair the chase by playing with caution, yet managing to keep afloat with the run rate. They set themselves up nicely and started knocking off runs at a quick rate. They demolished the Indian bowling, with Ashwin being the only exception. Ashwin finished with 4-23. Harbhajan, Zaheer, Yuvraj, Pathan and Balaji were all poor with their line and lengths, which the Pakistanis capitalized on and took them apart. All these bowlers gave away more than 10 runs per over.

But one can’t take the credit away from Kamran Akmal who batted beautifully, ably supported by Shoaib Malik. Kamran was playing well all around the ground, playing some beautiful lofted shots. He  played the cut and pull with equal efficiency. Shoaib played some lovely strokes down the ground to take the total closer. Only 6 runs were needed from the last over. And Kamran Akmal brought it up in the very first ball of the last over when he launched Irfan for a six over the cover boundary. Kamran finished with 92 n.o. and Malik with 37 from just 18.

Hats off to Kamran and Malik for their splendid efforts, aided by some poor bowling from the Indians. All in all, it was an exciting finish and both teams can take positives out of this game going into the tournament.

Playing eleven:

India: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni(C&wk), Irfan Pathan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan.

Pakistan: Mohammed Hafeez (C), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Mohammed Sami.

The Dhoni defence

As the title suggests, it’s not about the weird kind of defensive prod that he has made his trademark over the years, but to the detractors of Dhoni who have always managed to find something wrong with our “Captain Cool”, no matter how much success and laurels he has brought to the country. I admit he has had his share of failures and they were even more dramatic and huge because it was “Dhoni” who failed. But being the kind of player that he is, he has learnt to take both victories and defeats in his stride. That is the mark of a champion player and captain.

When I first saw MS Dhoni in a match, I said to myself, “That is horrible technique” both while batting and keeping. His front foot defence was so pathetic that even a tailender could have done better than him. I, on that day, felt that he was a part of experiment from the BCCI in pursuit of a wicket keeper for the Indian team since other players like Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel had failed miserably. I thought he wouldn’t stay long in the international circuit because he never looked like a professional keeper, let alone a batsman. It was the time when wicket keepers like Sangakkara and Gilchrist were plying their trade, and comparing them with Dhoni, I felt that the selectors had made a terrible mistake by selecting him. But today, I’m proud to say I was quite wrong on both the counts. He went on to become one of the best limited overs batsman that India has ever produced and his keeping is second to none today.

His very first ton came up in a grand fashion against the Pakistan. Having no inhibitions about getting out, this young lad from Jharkhand launched a scathing attack that is remembered fondly by many Indian fans even today. His 148 saw many records being broken that day, including the highest score for a Indian wicket keeper. Even on that day, I thought this “slogger” won’t stay for long because he was, according to me, playing “blind cricket” where he looked like he was swinging the bat wildly every ball. But he kept improving on this “slog hitting” technique of his and brought up a brilliant unbeaten 183 against the Lankans while chasing, which remains the highest individual score by any batsman while chasing.

What he lacked in technique, he made it up with good fitness, agility and solid temperament. The way he kept scoring runs, it was impossible to drop him or ignore him from the team. He showed us – the aspiring cricketers – that to succeed at the highest level, one does need to be born with cricketing talent. Good fitness levels, playing to your strengths and knowing your game were more than enough to sustain yourself at the highest level. For these qualities alone, you can find millions of fans in cricket circles all around the world.

For all those who thought that being the hard hitting batsman was the best that Dhoni could have offered to Indian Cricket, they were terribly wrong. When Dhoni was made the captain of the Indian limited overs team, he had a very young squad at his disposal. The team was going through a transition phase just when Dhoni was made the captain. Playing poorly in the 50 over World Cup had hurt Dhoni the most and he came out to  prove his critics wrong. He was determined to do something for the Indian cricket fans and hence took some hard decisions on and out off the field. There wasn’t a single player from the fab four in the Indian team when he got the captaincy. His decision to induct “young blood” became his mantra in the latter years.

Though he wasn’t the original choice for captaincy, he handled himself and his team with great dignity and pride on and off the field. He showed immense faith in his team and backed them to the hilt, a trait Sourav Ganguly was known for. In the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa, he led the team to the ultimate glory of winning a World Cup, which had been eluding the team for quite sometime. And after the win, he took the backstage and let his players soak in the moment, showing the world that he only meant business.

More glory followed up when Dhoni successfully led the limited over team to series victories in Australia and Sri Lanka and to the final in the Asia Cup in the year 2008. The most remarkable thing to note in that tournament was Dhoni was the only player who was able to play the “mystery spinner” Mendis with considerable ease.

Dhoni was revolutionizing Indian Cricket with his skilled batting, cool demeanor and super effective captaincy. He was not afraid to take risks and take the blame when the team failed. He led his team to the finals of the inaugural edition of IPL and missed the trophy by a whisker. Dhoni had the privilege of leading Chennai Super Kings to five consecutive semi finals, making the finals three times and winning the coveted trophy twice. He has led the team to successive IPL titles and a Champions League title in the year 2010, making him the most successful captain in IPL history.

Dhoni’s record has been immaculate and staggering since he took over captaincy. He has had overseas victories in countries like Sri Lanka, Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh and New Zealand. The only odd blemishes in Dhoni’s career are the series defeats against England in England, Australia in Australia and the early exits in two ICC World Cup T20 tournaments.

His biggest triumph came in the year 2011 when India won the 50 over World Cup playing at home after almost 28 years. Going into the tournament as hot favorites, the Indian team lived upto the expectations by lifting the World Cup on 2nd of April. Dhoni played a huge role in the victory by backing the out-of-form Yuvraj, who put up brilliant all round performances throughout the tournament and also giving Kohli enough chances to settle down in the team. But the biggest contribution was his own unbeaten knock of 91 in 79 balls to seal the World Cup for India when India were tottering at one stage. He truly showed his class and came up with a brilliant innings in the final. The icing on the cake was the six he hit off Kulasekara to take India home. This moment has been defined as one of the “finest moments” of Indian Cricket.

As a batsman, Dhoni has set a bench mark for himself and future Indian players. He, who was once a pure hitter and played as a floater in the batting order, improved his game to become one of the finest finishers and middle order batsman the world has ever seen. With his average (which is over 50) and a strike rate of almost 90, Dhoni has emerged as one of the greatest limited overs batsman. There are only a few who can equal his record in the limited overs format.

Dhoni’s tactics have sometimes been questionable and defensive. He likes to take the innings till the last over of the game when he bats and tends to finish it off with a flourish. This has sometimes been done successfully and sometimes failed miserably. But the most important thing to note in this is the fact that the game is never lost till the last ball is bowled. So if you take the game till the last over, the bowlers will be under pressure to bowl a good over and this might result in mistakes. Dhoni always likes to play on the minds of the bowlers by not throwing away his wicket, and keeps the batting together. This has helped India win many matches, and yes it has cost us matches too. But one can’t always be in the winning team and one has to acknowledge that even the “best laid plans” can go awfully wrong when the day is not yours. To put it in Dhoni’s words “Winning and losing are part and parcel of the game”.

To be the captain of a team like India, where millions of people follow your every action and word, to be the kind of finisher that he is, to handle a team filled with stalwarts with ease is not a easy job. And I’m proud to say that Dhoni has done all these admirably. He has taught many aspiring cricketers to dream big, no matter how small their present status is, to play to their strengths and has been a inspiration for them showing them that “At the end of the day, it is the performance that matters and nothing else!”.

Read more: http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/09/15/the-dhoni-defence/#ixzz27CiNhQAz

Indian bowling-powerhouse or pathetic?

I am disheartened to see that after all these years after having so many good coaches and support staff, having a bowler like Dennis Lillee to coach young bowlers, we are yet to see a genuine fast bowler in our country who can bowl raw pace with complete control – in short a bowler like Dale Steyn. Agreed, there are bowlers like Umesh Yadav,Varun Aaron who are bowling quite fast, but just fast, is it enough?

I have heard many people say that Zaheer Khan is the best fast bowler for our country as of now. I do quite agree with them to some extent because there are no other fast bowlers to give him competition. But still, problems like frequent breakdowns before an important series and injuries have kept him out of the game for so long that one can go as far as to say that his injury days are more in number compared to his days on field (pun intended, of course). Yes, I do agree that his stats are on par with some of the other successful bowlers of his era like James Anderson, Morne Morkel, Ben Hilfenhaus etc. But past stats can’t help him get wickets in the present. Zaheer Khan, in the last two years has been a mere shadow of his former self. Except for the World Cup, he has been quite average in his bowling and even his batting to some extent. His fitness has been on the wane for the last 4 years: be it the breakdown in England, or his poor showing in Australia, this bowler who is supposed to be our spearhead has failed miserably. His pace has dropped alarmingly and his rhythm is not the same as the old Zak’s used to be. This was evident from the way he bowled in Australia where pitches support fast bowlers and he didn’t have one good showing to his name. So, if Zaheer wants to continue as our premium fast bowler, I reckon he should improve his fitness and his fielding, which have also been mediocre off late. And it does not help that age is catching up with him quite fast.

There’s nothing much to say about the other pacers that India has got. Promising though some of them are, I think they have not done much to prove their credibility in the side. They have simply not done justice to their talents. Umesh Yadav after a fine debut series against the Windies has failed to impress with his poor bowling. His line and length does not suit Indian conditions and it showed from the way he bowled in the NZ series. He made some of us think that we are still in Australia or maybe he has still not recovered from the memories of the tour. Trying out bounce out an opposition in subcontinent conditions would never work and to be a successful bowler, you have got to know that. Even in Sri Lanka, he went for runs and in the T20, had Pathan not gotten the wicket of Jayawardene it could’ve been even worse.

Irfan Pathan, I’m happy to say has made quite a good comeback and has been among the wickets in the last two series. It is a happy sight for any Indian fan to see the Irfan of the old back to form. Though he has lost some pace, he can still be handy as the bowling all-rounder in the team. Ashok Dinda, is the only other bowler worth mentioning. Though having the support of former players like Sourav Ganguly, he  has not done much to stake a claim in the main eleven. And going by the team selected for the NZ  T20, I reckon Dhoni prefers Balaji to Dinda and it is not good news for him. But I strongly believe that he has got the potential to succeed at the highest level and its only a matter of time before he bags a place for himself in the playing eleven.

Stalwarts on the wane!Will they ever be able to regain their old form?

Bowlers like Aaron, Munaf Patel, Balaji, Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Sreesanth are bowlers who just come and go into the fray and no one has been impressive enough to be retained. One can go as far as to say that they are like lightning – they come and go that quick!!

When it comes to the spin department, India has got some talent in bowlers like Ashwin and Ojha. But both of them are still in their early days and it remains to be seen whether their performance will sustain against better oppositions like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Australia and England who have some good players of spin in their ranks. And the most important question for them would be “Can they replicate their success overseas?” But to know that we would have to wait till the end of 2013.

There is one more problem that haunts the spin bowling department of the Indian team. If either Ashwin or Ojha lose form or get injured, are there enough replacements on our bench?Certainly Harbhajan can come into the side since he’s got the experience. But it seems that he still hasn’t gotten back his old form and wouldn’t be of much use in the immediate future. Looking beyond Harbhajan, I feel sad to say that there aren’t enough spinners in our reserves. There’s a dearth of good spinners in a country which is known for producing outstanding spinners in every era, like  Bishen Singh,Venkatraghavan, Prasanna, Kumble etc. to name a few. It is evident from the fact that the Indian board has started a facility to groom spinners which we had in plenty in the past without any special training.

It is my opinion that to be a strong team, the bowlers should be better than the batsmen because the best way of winning a match is by bowling the opposition out of the game like India did against NZ recently. It needs to be seen what steps BCCI are going to take to find new talents, to create a potent bowling attack like West Indies and Australia of the past and like South Africa in the present??

The fight for the cup

We all know that the T-20 World Cup is just around the corner and almost all the teams have started preparing very hard for the mega clash. I personally believe that this World Cup is going to be the most exciting T-20 World Cup since the first one. I say this because almost all the teams are even-footed and are well-balanced going into the tournament. They have got their best players on the team and have left no stones unturned to taste success. Even teams like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have good chances to make it into the last four considering their recent performances.

I have my own predictions on the teams that might reach the last four. In this format, even a little prediction can turn to out to be a gamble since nothing is decided until the last ball is bowled. I can either be spot on or look like a fool, but that can only be decided after the results come out. The five teams that have the best chances to reach the last four are:

1. India – I start with my home-team, because like many I am a sentimentalist too. I think that India is one of the most well-balanced team, both in the batting and bowling departments. The openers are in good form and are complementing each other well. Sehwag can be a bit unreliable, but he still is our best bet as far as opening is concerned. And Gambhir, he is the perfect foil for Sehwag. He’s a shrewd cricketer who can both attack, as well as play around Sehwag, for the ones and twos quietly. The middle order is quite strong with the return of Yuvraj  Singh. Though he is out of match practice, he can be dangerous on his day and a perfect match-winner for the team. Welcome back YUVI!! With Virat Kohli, Manoj Tiwary, Suresh Raina, MSD, Irfan and Ashwin, the batting looks solid. The only concern is the lack of form for Rohit Sharma. India can be well served if he is back to form soon. The bowling will be lead by Zaheer Khan. Ashok Dinda or L.Balaji can be good partners for him. Or Dhoni can go with Bhajji since Irfan can double up as the second seamer in the side.

2. West Indies - This is probably the hottest team on the circuit in the T20 format. Consisting of almost eight all-rounders, this team has all the perfect ingredients for a champion team. The openers Gayle and Dwayne Smith are T20 specialists and a blazing start from them would provide a perfect platform for the middle order.The middle order comprises of the Bravo brothers, Marlon Samuels, Pollard, Sammy and Russell. They bat very deep and it is an added advantage for the team.The fast bowling attack is also quite decent with the presence of Ravi Rampaul and Fidel Edwards backed by Sammy, Bravo, Russell and Pollard. The spin bowling is one of the main strengths of the team with the presence of the dynamic Sunil Narine, who is one of the world’s best T20 bowlers today, ably supported by the leggie Samuel Badree and the part timers Marlon Samuels and Chris Gayle to some extent.

3. Pakistan – I’d be shocked if this team doesn’t make it into the semis, that too in subcontinent conditions. With the bowling attack comprising of the Ajmal, Afridi, Gul, Hafeez and Tanvir, their’s has got to be the best bowling attack in the competition. And with Razzaq filling on their all-rounder’s slot, their only concern is batting. If they manage to get their act together, then I would daresay, they are the team to beat!

4. Sri Lanka – The home team, though not in good form at the moment, are still a force to reckon with. A well-balanced side on paper, this side boasts of batsmen like Tillakaratne Dilshan, who on his day can turn a game on its head, the veterans Sangakkara and Jayawardene who can  provide stability to the middle order mixed with some young talents. The all-rounders Mathews, Jeevan Mendis and Perera lend balance to their side with much effect.These players form the crux of the batting. In the bowling department though, Sri Lanka relies heavily upon “the slinga” Malinga who’s got to be among the world’s best T20 bowlers. On his day, he can win matches on his own. Apart from him, they have got some decent bowlers like Ajantha Mendis, Kulasekara, Herath and Eranga. Their strength would be to play around Malinga who is very crucial for their chances.

5. South Africa – I have added South Africa as an afterthought to my original four-team list considering the fact that they are the world No. 1 as of today and they are a very good team on their day.The team though lacks a quality spinner, who can win a match on his own and the middle order is bit shaky. It’ll be interesting to see who they open their batting with since there are more than enough choices for that spot. The key players are however Richard Levi, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla(who is on red hot form), AB deVilliers and Dale Steyn. On form, they can be a lethal team and can be quite unbeatable. But in order to win the cup, this team needs to overcome the “choker’s” tag first.

So my pick are these, but I dont deny that T20 is a funny game (cricket in itself, is a funny game), so any team can beat any team on any given day if they are on the top of their game. Even Bangladesh can qualify for the super eights ahead of New Zealand owing to the fact that they are playing in subcontinental conditions. There are certain key players in every team who can play a big role in their teams. I’m highlighting some of them below:

Ireland:

George Dockrell: The wily left-arm slow bowler will relish the slow conditions in Sri Lanka and can be good bowler.

William Porterfield: The skipper would be itching to get his team some glory by knocking of at least one major competitor from their group.

Australia:

Brad Hogg: The 41-year-old veteran could be a vital cog for Australia, if they have to go one step further than the last time.

Michael Hussey: The veteran southpaw would be hungry for runs as usual and being a good player of spin, he would look to lead his team in crisis.

Shane Watson: The 30-plus all-rounder is one of the most successful players of the shortest format. He will be needed to get his team a good start and to bowl few vital overs in the middle.

New Zealand:

Ross Taylor: The captain of the Kiwis is in form and would do well if he can capitalize on it.

Daniel Vettori: If he manages to play, he could be a very important asset for the Kiwis, for them to make an impact in the tourney.

Bangladesh:

Tamim Iqbal: The explosive southpaw is in good form which was evident in the recently concluded SLPL and his presence will boost the top order.

Shakib-Al-Hasan: The all-rounder is very experienced and that will surely be handy for the team if they are to make it into the super eights or even further.

Zimbabwe:

Brendan Taylor: He is a very good top order batsman and his form is very crucial to the team’s chances.

Hamilton Masakdza: The highest run-getter in the recently concluded tri-series, his presence at the top will provide the much needed balance to the team.

Afganistan:

Mohammad Nabi: This guy played an useful knock against Australia and can be crucial to their middle order. He bowls well too.

Asghar Stanikzai: The middle order batsman played well against Australia. More knocks from him could take his team over the line.

So this tournament which is evenly poised on paper is all set to roll soon and its gonna be a viewer’s delight I’d reckon!

The future of Indian cricket

The most saddest thing that has ever happened to Indian cricket is not the whitewashes at the hands of the Aussies and the English but the sudden yet expected retirements of two stalwarts of Indian cricket for over a decade -”RAHUL DRAVID” and “VVS LAXMAN”.

We all know the kind of players they were, the kind of impact they had on Indian cricket. They were true team players, doing all they could for team, not expecting anything in return. But like every good thing that comes to an end, these guys’ career has ended too. What was once called the “Fab Four” has become the last leaf  now. And I believe, the little master’s time is up. I not only say this because his age is nearing forty as each day passes but, because this is the right time to groom a new look Indian team and it is the time for the new “Fab Four” to settle down.

Since the time Ganguly retired, there hasn’t been a suitable replacement for him. Many players including Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina were tried out but no one was able to hold on to their place in the team. One can go as far as to say that it was the weakest link in the otherwise strong Indian batting line-up. But this changed last year when Kohli came on the scene and grabbed the position with strong performances in the limited version of the game. He made couple of fifties against West Indies and followed it up with decent performances in Australia.

I strongly feel that the youngsters should be given a extended run in the team to cement their positions. I feel that this is the right time not only because the away tours are not until the end of next year, but because being one the three newer faces will feel secure and since all of them are youngsters, they can understand and back each other up.

The next important thing is to find the right guys for the right positions. I personally believe Kohli has earned the number 4 spot because he closely resembles Sachin when it comes to building an innings. Being the number 4 in the ODI team already, Kohli can easily adapt and play  in that position to full effect.

After seeing Cheteshwar Pujara bat in the first test against New Zealand, I think he is the right choice for the number three position. He exudes confidence while batting and shows extreme composure, poise and elegance; qualities Dravid was known for.

The next two spots opens up lots of possible combinations. There are six players mainly vying for these two spots. They are Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh (once he’s ready), Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Subramaniam Badrinath and Irfan Pathan. There are two main combinations that I would like to highlight here. My number one choice would be Irfan Pathan and the other spot should be given to either Subramaniam Badrinath or Manoj Tiwary. Irfan Pathan can play at the number 5 spot on the overseas tours mainly because he is an all-rounder. This will help in countries like Australia and England where we are in desperate need of a  third seamer who can bat a bit. Since Irfan is not a pure batsman, the other batsman should be more than competent to play long innings because the number 6 will have to play with the tail enders most of the time. So they should be,  in short, test specialists like Laxman.

My next combination would be Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma. Both these batsmen are good players of spin and could be an asset in sub-continental conditions. And with both them being  able to bowl, it’ll be an added advantage to the team.

On the bowling front, it becomes quite easy to select the spinners especially after the West Indies tour to India last year. Already hailed as the “SPIN TWINS” by many, Ashwin and Ojha are bowling well as a pair. Zaheer Khan has come to his twilights and has little left of him to contribute in the longest format. Therefore the new pacers, once Zaheer decides to call it quits, should be groomed from now itself. Like in batting, there are many options and combinations when it comes to fast bowlers. The bowlers in contention are Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth,Varun Aaron, Ashok Dinda as of now. I think the ideal pair would be Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma because they complement each other well. Irfan can also be considered to fill in Zaheer’s  place because their bowling is quite similar.

The openers and number seven batsmen are set for now. But when the time comes, players like Rahane and Abinav Mukund can fill in their place.

All in all, one can say that Indian cricket is in for some good times up ahead and we can soon lap up the new heroes of the Indian cricket team.