PLANNING OF A CHASE

India beat Australia earlier today by 4 wickets with 2 balls to spare at Adelaide in the 4th ODI of the CB Triangular Series. While Gautam Gambhir was India's top contributor with a measured 92, it was Dhoni's knock of 44* (58) that was the talking point of the day.

India won the match due to a massive 112 meter six by Dhoni followed by a no-ball by Clint McKay due to a above-waist height full toss. Once it was over, a lot of people called it all well and good... but was it just as well and good when the chase was on? My Twitter timeline at the time of the chase said that most of the viewers were having trouble understanding why Dhoni was leaving it so late. And I was with them... indeed, why so late?

The biggest question raised after Dhoni hit that monstrous six was that if one can hit such shots, why not try it earlier to ease a bit of pressure, rather than risking it all at the end. And these kind of queries were not just raised in the minds of casual viewers, but also the men in the dressing room. The Man of the Match Gautam Gambhir had this to say: "We should have finished this game in the 48th over. We shouldn't have taken this game to the 50th over, that's my personal observation."

What is the best way to plan and pace a chase? When do you attack and when do you rely on quick running? Obviously, the answers differ in different conditions, but I think certain things remain common everywhere. In my opinion, if the best finisher of the team (MS Dhoni) is coming in to bat with 92 needed of 95 balls and batsmen like Suresh Raina (batting), Jadeja and Ashwin (to follow), and the team ends up needing 13 in the final over with two of these above batsmen still batting, then the chase has been miscalculated somewhere.

And in this innings of MS Dhoni, it is quite apparent where the miscalculation occurred. His innings break up is like this - 8 runs of first 24 balls, 25 of next 31 balls, and 11 runs of the last 3 balls. He came in when 92 were needed of 95 balls, and ended up playing 30 dot balls, i.e. 52% of the total deliveries he faced. To put it in perspective, Gambhir faced 52 dot balls in his 111-ball innings, i.e. 47% of the total deliveries faced by him, despite batting through the middle overs as well!

One might well argue that since Dhoni was not doing much to get the required run rate down, Raina and Jadeja had to go for the big hits, and lose their wickets in the process. Gambhir was right when he said that it's difficult in the middle, and different people plan their chases differently, but surely, when you end up with 7 runs of 19 balls in the Batting Powerplay and play a dot ball in almost every over where you also take a 2, you are not doing a lot of good, are you?

Dhoni is usually a fabulous planner and executor of chases - stiff ones, tricky ones, easy ones and straightforward ones. He, along with Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, have made India a very competent chasing unit in limited overs cricket, and also made the World Cup runners-up captain Kumar Sangakkara remark that a team needs about 350 runs on the board to feel safe against this Indian team. But every now and again, there arises a question mark of Dhoni's strategies in such situations.

Like it arose today, it had also arisen during the first Twenty20 between India and Australia earlier on this tour. One of the earlier occasions that I can remember when a similar question had arisen in my mind was not a chase, but India setting a target for New Zealand on the tour of 2009 in the 2nd Twenty20 International, where he wasted the middle overs with 8* (18) before ending up with 28* (30). In that match too, it might be argued that Dhoni's slow approach forced Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja to play shots that shouldn't have ideally been required in those situations.

The man I have written this post about - MS Dhoni - had brilliantly executed the 161 required runs of 170 balls in the World Cup finals. The run rate required then at Wankhede Stadium was 5.68 runs per over, and here at Adelaide Oval was 5.81 runs per over. If he can do it so well there, why couldn't he do it as well here? Had this been a one-off case, I wouldn't have bothered writing this long a post, presuming it to be a mistake. But it is not a one-off case, and thus this has to be considered a strategy of some sort - and in my opinion, a miscalculated strategy!

GARY KIRSTEN

As the World Cup enters the Knock Out stages, every team knows that one slip-up and it might spell the end of the road for them. For some players in these teams, it may well be the end of their cricket careers.

India play a tough Quarterfinal match against the Australians at Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel Stadium on 24th March 2011. If we lose that match (I desperately hope not!), that would be the end of Gary Kirsten's coaching period with Team India. His coaching career with India is now anything between 1 to 3 games long.

Since there is this uncertainty about what can India do in these Knock Out stages, I thought I'll write this tribute to Gary Kirsten right away, for I do want to be amongst the first ones to applaud him during his last few days with the team.

Whether or not India succeeds in winning this World Cup, Kirsten will always be remembered as one of India's best loved coaches, and definitely the most successful one till now. He will leave India, having attained the No. 1 ranking in Test cricket, No. 2 in ODI cricket, and hopefully, a World Cup!

Officially, Gary Kirsten took over as the coach of India's cricket team on 1st March 2008. India's previous full-time coach was the controversial Australian Greg Chappell, who had resigned almost a year earlier, after India's disastrous campaign in the World Cup 2007. During this interim period, where India had a good and successful tour of England, a win in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup, and a tour of Australia, we did not have a full-time coach, but the responsibility was carried out by men like Chandu Borde, Lalchand Rajput and Ravi Shastri.

During that acrimonious tour of Australia, the Indian team saw Gary Kirsten joining in as a traveler. He was not officially the coach then, but he had been announced as the future coach. He wanted to spend some time with the team before he took over the coaching duties. He joined the team after the infamous Sydney Test, and almost saw the tour being called off. Luckily it wasn't, and India won the next Test at Perth, followed by a win in the ODI tri-series.

His first assignment as the official coach of India's cricket team was against his home country South Africa, who had toured India in March 2008. That was the start of a wonderful journey, during which India lost just 1 Test series (to Sri Lanka in August that year), and towards the end of this journey, several cricketers have come out profusely praising the contribution of this man to their success.

Almost every Indian cricketer that I can think of, who has played substantial cricket for India during this period, has gone on record praising Gary Kirsten. The Indian skipper MS Dhoni called him "the best thing to happen to Indian cricket." Mighty words those!

Less than 50 days into his new job, Kirsten saw the launch of Indian Premier League. The most commendable part of Kirsten's coaching has been how he has managed to get a lot of youngsters to ground themselves from the high they attained in the riches of this league. India's sustained presence at the top of Test rankings, and emergence of Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan and in particular, Virat Kohli bears ample testimony to Kirsten's brilliant handling of India's post-IPL cricketers. It is no wonder that his man-management skills have been hailed by one and all, and I won't be surprised if his tenure is taken up as a case study in the future by management graduates at reputed B-Schools studying the subject of Human Resource Management.

During Kirsten's tenure, India played 33 Tests, with 16 wins, 11 draws and 6 losses. The fact that these results came despite the fact that India lost 21 tosses makes it even more commendable! In the 94 ODIs, India won 56, lost 29, tied 1 and others were abandoned or yielded no result. The worst ODI win-loss record that Kirsten can end with is 56-30, and the best is 59-29... both numbers of a highly successful coach during the Golden Era of India's cricket!

Kirsten leaves the job due to family commitments, as he would like to spend more time with his two young children and his wife. The Indian team, along with the followers of Indian cricket, respect that decision. We all wish you well, Gary!

WORLD CUP TRAGEDIES OF SURESH RAINA

As the 10th edition of One Day Cricket's largest event looms ever closer, here is a closer look at the Indian team, and in particular, at a man called Suresh Raina.

A few days ago, I had posted this where I had suggested that the 11-member team of India should include Raina, Yuvraj, Dhoni and Pathan in the middle order, and leave Virat Kohli on the bench at least to start the tournament with. My thinking was this - keeping an inform player on the bench will make the out-of-form batsmen (Raina and Yuvraj) realise that they have to perform not only for India but also for their place. If they do, they are India's big match winners (bigger in impact than Virat Kohli)... and if they don't, then we can always have Kohli replacing them after a couple of matches. Since each team plays 6 matches at the league stage in this World Cup (and India has Ireland, Netherlands and Bangladesh in our group), the impact of an early loss or two can be taken care of later.

The second important reason was also that Yuvraj and Raina will provide Dhoni with part-time bowling options... something that can come in very handy in the sub-continental conditions. But one thing is clear - this selection of the middle order spots is a potential headache to MS Dhoni. Already, I have read some really diverse views everywhere about the composition of the Indian team.

Golandaaz has suggested pushing Sehwag to middle order, Vidooshak has suggested dropping Sehwag altogether, SP has suggested Sehwag in the middle and dropping Yuvraj as well as Yusuf in favour of Kohli and Chawla, Mahek is in favour of going for specialist bowlers instead of part-timers, Govind also thinks that Sehwag would be better of at No. 4 or No. 6, Mayank (Freehit) feels that if someone is to be dropped then it should be Raina, and I am sure there are a lot of other different variations being planned in the heads of Indian cricket fans.

Finally, we all know that the question of who is dropped and who is not will be finally answered by MS Dhoni in assistance with Gary Kirsten. But no one can deny that Raina's place in the squad is not a 100% certainty today... and definitely much less sure today than it was about a year ago or even two years ago.

The reason why I am writing this post about Suresh Raina is that this is the second time we are seeing pre - World Cup blues for this southpaw. Raina made his international debut in July 2005 against Sri Lanka at Dambulla and got out for a golden duck. The not-so-great debut aside, he was quite impressive in his first few performances for India and also scored 3 very good half-centuries against England when they toured India in 2006.

Till the end of that England ODI series, he had scored 406 runs for India at an average of 45.11 and a strike rate of 89.82. After that came a rough patch of form. He scored 246 runs in his next 17 ODIs at an average of 17.57 and a strike rate of 63.08 with a top score of 40. This was when he was dropped... right before the World Cup 2007.

India performed miserably in that tournament... and voices from some corners said that he should have been a part of the team despite his less-than-convincing performances. But his first chance at a World Cup for India had gone. His next chance to play for India came almost a year and a half later in June 2008 against Pakistan in Bangladesh.

Since then till the end of our Bangladesh tour in January 2010, he scored 1602 runs in 54 matches at an average of 45.77 and a strike rate of 96.62 with 3 hundreds and 12 fifties. Because of such a good display of batsmanship, he was assigned the captain of Team India for its tour of Zimbabwe in a tri-series also featuring Sri Lanka. Since then, it has again been a downhill road for Raina.

425 runs in 21 matches at an average of 25.00 and a strike rate of 91.01 with just 1 fifty has again resulted in question marks over his spot. It hasn't helped that his weaknesses against short-pitched pacy bowling have been rediscovered and that after a good debut on a very flat track, his Test performances have also been disappointing. When Pujara was given his Test spot, the ice had broken. MS Dhoni had sent out a signal that Suresh Raina is not indispensable and can be dropped.

Yet he played all the 5 ODIs on South African tour, scored 111 at an average of 22.20 and strike rate of 78.72. Now before the start of yet another World Cup, a sword is hanging over his neck. It may even fall before India faces Bangladesh in the first match of the World Cup 2011. It will be quite a tragedy if a talent like him goes wasted yet again before the Cup that Counts...

DHONI'S SUPER-MISTAKE

MS Dhoni's choice of bowler for the Super Over during yesterday's tied tie against Victoria was a surprising one. Usually, a captain gives the ball to a bowler who has had a good day. That would have been Murali, given that both Bollinger and Ashwin had had a mixed day.


However, to my mind, the best option would still have been Bollinger. Here is a bit of trivia before I proceed further:


- Cricinfo archives show that there have been 12 recorded cases of Super Overs in Twenty20 matches, including yesterday's.
- Of these 12, I managed to find out who were the bowlers and the scores involved in 11 of them.
- The 1 match that I did not manage to find anything about was the Northern Districts v. Canterbury match at Seddon Park, Hamilton on 18th February 2009.
- On a completely irrelevant note, that day (i.e. 18th February 2009) saw 2 other cases of Super Overs in South Africa - Dolphins v Cape Cobras at Kingsmead, Durban and Eagles v Warriors at St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth.
- Of the 22 Super Overs (11 X 2) I have on record, only 7 have been bowled by slow bowlers.
- Of these 7, only 2 have been won by slow bowlers. Incidentally, both these wins came when the opposition also used a slow bowler for their Super Over.
- So in the 3 cases where Super Over was a slow bowler v medium / pace bowler affair, the slower bowlers have always failed to deliver.


Now, I do not expect MS Dhoni to know these facts. But I would have expected him to learn from his mistakes. Just this year at the IPL, he had faced a Super Over situation where he chose Muttiah Muralitharan to bowl against Kings XI Punjab to defend his team's score of 9 for 2 (which were scored against Juan Theron - a medium pacer). Muralitharan managed 10 for 1 in less than 1 over as CSK lost that match and crucial points.


In the only other case of pace v spin, Ajantha Mendis had fared badly as Yusuf Pathan demolished him during IPL 2009's Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders match. Kamran Khan, the unheralded young Royals pacer had gone for 16 in his over as Mendis conceded 18 in his first 4 balls itself. And I expect Dhoni knew about this match.


Added to this were factors like constant drizzle and the grip on the ball during the Super Over yesterday. So Dhoni's decision to use Ashwin was pretty much a wrong one to me even before he started bowling and conceded those 20-odd runs. The match was effectively sealed then and the points secured for Victoria.

THE FUTURE OF MENDIS

I must say I was impressed with the way Aravinda De Silva handled his first assignment as the Chairman of Selectors of the Sri Lankan cricket team. Makes for a good viewing... especially for those who are sick and tired of the antics of a certain Mr. Krishnamachari Srikkanth.


De Silva gave some very sound explanations for all the major decisions taken during the selection of the team for the Asia Cup to be held at Dambulla, Sri Lanka. The axe for Jaisuriya was coming... the entire world could see it. But I was most impressed with the decision to send the young wicket keeper Dinesh Chandimal on a tour to Australia with the Sri Lankan 'A' team.

"Chandimal and Jeevan have got great potential. It was very heartening to see them perform the way they did. We are playing three games initially in the Asia Cup and when you look at the team for the first two games they might not get the opportunity to play. If that happens we are depriving them of the opportunity to go and get some exposure in Australia. We thought the best idea would be to allow them to go to Australia with the Sri Lanka A team and play there. That's one tour I will follow very closely which I think will be competitive. It will really separate the men from the boys, a tour of Australia."

Now that is one really intelligent bit of selection... something that should also have been done with Yusuf Pathan. But sadly, our Chief of Selectors does not have enough logic to think so deeply.


However, I am disappointed in Aravinda De Silva with the dropping of Ajantha Mendis. Of late, Sri Lanka have been employing this strategy of dropping Mendis in matches against Asian opponents, who have pretty much figured out his 'mystery'. They play him against non - Asian opponents, who apart from being not too good against quality spin, also find this unconventional spinner far too difficult to read.


Mendis rose to fame with a spectacular Asia Cup in Pakistan a couple of years ago. His 6 - 13 against India followed by a phenomenal Test debut series against the same opponents at home made him the new mystery star of cricket. However, since then, India and Pakistan have played him quite comfortably. But does that mean he should be dropped in matches against these teams?


What will happen when the English, Australians and South Africans also figure him out? Will he be dropped forever then? Or selected for matches against the Associate and Affiliate teams only? I really do not get this logic. How will this help his development as a cricketer? Playing more against the Asian teams will keep him on his toes... and that will automatically help his performance against the non - Asian teams.


I may be completely wrong... and the tactical reasons of Aravinda De Silva may be completely different. But this is what meets the eye! And what meets the eye is what I blog on!

SELECTION REVIEW: PART 2

(contd...)

YUSUF PATHAN DROPPED:

Like Yuvraj, Yusuf too had it coming. Bowlers world over have the knowledge of shortcomings against the short ball. So much so that Yusuf Pathan could not even touch the two short balls bowled to him by Zimbabwean Christopher Mpofu in India's first ODI of the tri-series in Zimbabwe.

I have aleady mentioned and I reiterate it here that Yusuf needs to tour with India's A teams to places like England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. He is not going to improve much even if he smashes 10 more match-winning double hundreds in finals of domestic tournaments.

In fact, now that Saurabh Tiwary has been called for the Asia Cup... there is a vacancy in India A's squad that is currently in England. That should be Yusuf Pathan now... if the selectors are wise enough!

SAURABH TIWARY GETS A CHANCE:

Saurabh Tiwary is unlikely to get a game in Sri Lanka... but the fact that he has been selected as a part of the Indian team should do his confidence a world of good.

He has been selected on the basis of his IPL performances... and that is why I feel that this selection is flawed. Selection on the basis of IPL performances is not a very wise strategy. We have already seen it backfire on Murali Vijay, Umesh Yadav, and even Yusuf Pathan for that matter. I just hope that this young lad does not meet the same fate.

I followed Tiwary's season this IPL in detail since I am a Mumbai Indians supporter. He is not technically great... but has a lot of power. However, he does need a few overs to settle in. He is not a Kieron-Pollard-style-smash-it-on-arrival fellow... he needs time to get in before taking the aerial route. And that is why, my impression of him was that he could have a good future in India's ODI team. There are some players who are Test specialists and some who are Twenty20 specialists. Saurabh Tiwary, for me, comes under a different category called ODI specialists.

OTHER DECISIONS:

Ravindra Jadeja was retained in the squad. Not too wise in my opinion. I certainly do see a future for him as an Indian player. But the Shane Watson attack on him at Barbados seems to have robbed him of his confidence completely. He needs time to regain it before stepping back into the international scene.

Ashok Dinda has also been retained. Well, it would be unfair on the lad to drop him without giving a decent exposure. But did he deserve that India cap in the first place? I doubt it. The selectors have been playing musical chairs with India's seam bowling resources... and I don't blame them completely. They are not getting the results... but that does not mean that they can shove anyone and everyone (like Dinda and Yadav) into the international scenario.

SELECTION REVIEW: PART 1

Another meeting of the Selection Committee for the Asia Cup 2010 to be held in Sri Lanka from 15th June to 24th June. How is the team? Not ideal, but do we have a choice?

Here are some of the big decisions:

YUVRAJ SINGH DROPPED:

Well, he had it coming... Yuvraj's major problem was not that he was not getting the runs. He was bound to get them if he continued batting... he is too talented to be in a run drought for a long time.

The problem was his attitude. I am not even going to have a look at the off-the-field incidents that might have / might not have had an impact on this decision. Just the onfield incidents are enough.

First of all, his fitness is a huge issue. His waistline has grown... and the fact that it has shown no improvement in over two months now begs this question that does he really have the motivation and desire to work hard and earn a place in the Indian team?

Secondly, his fielding has gone bad... there is no other word for it. With the emergence of newer and fitter fielders, Yuvraj was bound to be moved away from his usual point position. But, wherever he fields, Yuvraj is expected to be agile and alert. Misfields because he failed to go down in time to pick up the ball, gross attempts at diving and unwillingness to chase a ball down does not seem to suit the requirements of Team India.

Thirdly, all this has taken a toll on his batting as well. His average has dropped... and he is not the dangerous batsman anymore who could once upon a time, change the game like no one else (apart from Sehwag, perhaps!)

SACHIN TENDULKAR RESTED:

This was not the decision of the selectors, in any case! The minute Sachin Tendulkar makes a decision... everyone in Indian cricket listens... right from the Board President to the groundsman working on the pitch. Who are the Selectors then?

But I have to add here that I am not happy with SRT's decision (for a change). Sure, he has earned enough respect and done enough for India to have the right to decide which tournaments does he want to play in and which ones does he not want to. But skipping the Asia Cup is not too wise a decision, in my opinion.

I know that India has a tight schedule ahead now. But skipping the season opener will not make the future schedule lighter. A wiser decision would have been participating in the Asia Cup now... and then skip maybe the ODI home series against New Zealand. Or some other additional tournament that the BCCI is bound to insert for more moolah...

Whatever the case, we have to live with this decision now. Though with the comebacks of Sehwag and Gambhir, I am not too worried.

(contd...)

THE NEED TO DROP THEM

Here's a Cricinfo bulletin to reassert the need to drop the likes of Yusuf Pathan, Dinesh Karthik and Murali Vijay from the team...

India A top order in opening day run-fest

It was a run-fest on the opening day at Headingley as the India A top order made a perfect start to their tour of England, amassing 473 runs and losing just three wickets. Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane went past three figures, Abhinav Mukund fell nine short of his century and Cheteshwar Pujara remained unbeaten on 55 after 95 overs of toil for the Yorkshire bowlers.

The Indians were the fresher lot in the field compared to their opponents, who were away at Worcester the previous day and as a result, play started an hour later. Abhinav and Dhawan scored at a brisk rate in the opening session, adding 132. Dhawan hit 14 fours before reaching his century, off 133 balls, but Abhinav fell just short of his century. The Tamil Nadu opener was dismissed by Moin Ashraf for 91, hitting 12 fours and a six in his knock.

It took 43 overs for Yorkshire to break the stand, but there was more toil for the bowlers as Rahane joined Dhawan in a stand of 141. Rahane dealt mainly in boundaries, smashing nine boundaries en route to his fifty, and he went on to reach his century off 132 balls. Dhawan looked set to record a double-century, but the Delhi opener fell to Lee Hodgson for 179.

Pujara joined Rahane and added a further 107 in nearly 22 overs to take the score past 400. Tino Best, the West Indian fast bowler, had some success when he had Rahane caught for 118.

NO POWER IN POWERPLAY

I just saw 22 overs of India - Sri Lanka match yesterday. The first 22 overs. Did follow a bit after that on Cricinfo, but without much interest. I was surprised (and unsure) about the move to send Yusuf Pathan at No. 4. I was even more surprised (and even more unsure) of the move to take the batting Powerplay after 17 overs.


Eventually, I thought that it was a good idea... but wrongly implemented. When 2 well-set batsmen bat out the batting powerplay without losing a wicket, there can be no excuse for the team gathering just 39 runs in those 5 overs. Mendis bowled 2 of the Powerplay overs for 6 runs. R Ashwin hit as many runs in one ball from this bowler in a non-Powerplay over man! Then what was the point in having Yusuf Pathan batting?


When the umpire signalled batting powerplay at the start of the 18th over, the commentators were just as surprised as everyone else... and were expecting fireworks and pyrotechnics from Yusuf Pathan and Virat Kohli. They said that the move was a very sensible one. India's three batsmen best suited to Powerplay overs, in their opinion, were Yusuf Pathan, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina. With two of them well - set and batting, and the third one slotted to come in next, they said that the move to opt for the batting Powerplay is good and positive cricket.


They even said that if India could manage about 12 an over in the 5 overs, it would put India well on course for a 300+ score and a chance to go for the bonus point. What happened next was not in the script...


India managed a measly 7.8 runs an over in those 5 overs... limped their way to 268 for 9 in 50 overs... and lost comprehensively (tired of using this word again and again) to the Sri Lankans... who have gotten into this habit of knocking India out of multi-team tournaments.


So what was being touted as a brave initiative by the Indians eventually turned out to be a 'Power'less move!

THE NEXT STEP FOR YUSUF PATHAN

It's a weekend again... I just love weekends! A number of reasons... it offers me a break from my daily work and there is always interesting sporting action waiting on weekends.


This time, it is the finals of the French Open Grand Slam Tennis... and of course, the rather uninteresting India - Sri Lanka clash at Harare. India did try to make the match up interesting by losing to Zimbabwe on Thursday... a do-or-die match usually means higher TRPs for the broadcasters! And then the Indian batsmen tried to make it more interesting by taking the batting powerplay after 17 overs only.

But just to prove that the entire world is right, Yusuf Pathan survived the early overs, played decently in the powerplay... and then succumbed to a temptation, which is also sometimes called an innocuous off-spinner. That man is going nowhere!


I left a comment another blog that Yusuf Pathan needs to be dropped from the Indian team for some time now. He needs to be dropped, and tested in bouncier conditions like England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as a part of India 'A' team tours. If he can overcome his weakness against the short balls on such tours, then good! If he can't, then I think that the Indian team management needs to just accept the fact that he will be a perennial underachiever and move on...


There are others out there waiting for their chances. They may not be as talented as Yusuf... but there is a good chance that they will be far more consistent and committed than the elder Pathan.


India has just lost a couple of quick wickets (Kohli and Sharma) in their quest of setting a formidable target and win the match against the men from Emerald Isle with a bonus point. The task is extremely tough... and even more tougher now after the two wickets! The skipper Suresh Raina will have to guide the ship for India now in the company of Ravindra Jadeja.


Forget a bonus point... at this stage, even a win looks a distant thought!

I SEE THE FUTURE...

As I write this, Zimbabwe is strangulating India slowly at Harare. India is struggling at 111 for 5 in 33 overs. That is a run rate of 3.36 runs per over with 17 overs to go. The batsmen in the middle are Ravindra Jadeja (12* of 20 balls) and Yusuf Pathan (5* of 16 balls).

Now, here is what is going to happen next. Yusuf Pathan is going to hit and hit and hit the spin-based Zimbabwe attack and score his career best score (which currently stands at 59* only). Most fans and almost everybody in the Indian media will forgive him for his past performances in the Indian deep blue and forgetting his shortcomings with the short balls, will heap praises on him and his phenomenal ability to change the course of the match.

The hype and hoopla will end when Yusuf Pathan fails in the next match against Sri Lanka... falling to a short ball. India might even lose both these matches (or one of them)... and might find itself on an early flight back home before the finals.

And then God save these boys! The media will cremate them live... and the selectors will be questioned and hung alongwith Ajmal Amir Kasab!

TEAM INDIA FOR WORLD CUP 2011: PART 2

(contd...)

I have a feeling that Dhoni will prefer Yusuf over Jadeja... though I would prefer otherwise. Despite his torrid performances lately, I still find Jadeja as a much safer slow bowling option... particularly in 50-over cricket. Plus, he will turn the ball away from the right-hander, which should complement well with Harbhajan's off-spin. There are arguements for including Yusuf for his batting abilities. But then, all those abilities come to nought the moment he faces up to a pacer. And batting at No. 7, he is bound to face pacers at all times. Even if he is promoted up the order, the opposition captains will bring their pacers in immediately. His tryst with the short deliveries has been well noted and documented. Yusuf could not even get his bat to touch the ball on the last 2 balls of India's innings against Zimbabwe because they were bowled short by a certain medium pacer by the name of Mpofu. Imagine the damage that can be caused by a Dale Steyn or a Mitchell Johnson.

Coming to the bowling department now. The team is likely to go in with 3 pacers and a lone spinner in the form of Harbhajan Singh. The pacers are likely to be Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar. There is a small question mark over Zaheer's form and a larger one over Praveen Kumar's place in the side. Though I am not particularly worried about Zaheer Khan, the third pacer's spot is certainly a cause of worry for MS Dhoni. He does not want his first change bowler to become a target for the opposition's top order... a bowler that will release the pressure after the new ball spell. There are several boys who will be eyeing Praveen Kumar's place: Vinay Kumar, S Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma... and many others. But I am not sure about any of them. It is quite possibly the weakest link of the squad.

As you might have noted... there is hardly anything similar between the ideal Team India for the World Cup and the team that lost to Zimbabwe. Suresh Raina... that's just about it. But the guys like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik and Vinay Kumar are likely to be the other members of the 15-men squad... the replacements in case of injuries, losses of form or commitment issues. And that is where the greater problem lies.

Are they good enough? Bobilli Vijay Kumar, in his article in Times of India titled 'Second String or Second Class?' ponders upon this issue. Maybe a Rohit Sharma will manage a 100 against a Zimbabwe and a Virat Kohli may do slightly better by hitting a 100 against Sri Lanka, but when they are under pressure... a knockout stage of a World Cup... a team as strong as Australia... backs to the wall situation... will they be able to deliver? They have done nothing so far to show that they can.

TEAM INDIA FOR WORLD CUP 2011: PART 1

TEAM INDIA HAS BEEN SELECTED: CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT THE TEAM


What's the immediate goal for the Indian team? Obviously, it is identifying and preparing a squad for the World Cup 2011? To that effect, how much does the loss to Zimbabwe affect the plans?

What is the batting order expected to be like when the World Cup begins in February next year? The top order is expected to be Virendra Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir. The middle order would comprise of Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. This would be the ideal top-6 if all the men are in form... fit and firing.

Currently however, there are question marks over form, fitness, commitment... just about everything. Most of those question marks, I believe, would be cleared by the turn of the year. One question that threatens to remain is that of Yuvraj Singh's attitude and commitment to Team India's cause. His waistline is causing a lot of problems for Team India and a lot of angst for fans because they can see a potential exceptionally-gifted match winner being wasted away.

There are limited all-round options... just Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja. There is no pace all-round option... but in the short term, we do not need it. Pace-bowling all rounder is not going to be of much help in the sub-continent, unless he is of a Jacques Kallis pedigree. So, for now, we just have to be content with these two. In the first 11, only 1 of the 2 is likely to get the chance. After the top-6, Dhoni is likely to play an all-rounder at 7 followed by 4 bowlers... 3 of whom are likely to be seamers.

(contd...)

DOSA OR SAMBHAR - WHAT'S THE SECRET?

The chef in the Chennai Super Kings team has been adding a secret ingredient in Murali Vijay's dosas over the past few days. How else do you explain 11 sixes from his blade, 5 of them against the Aussie trio of Tait, Warne and Watson? If not the dosa, it must have been the sambhar then!

A 56-ball 127 from Vijay - the only bowler to go for less than 12 an over against him was Shane Warne. 469 runs in 40 overs bowled at Chepauk - and the irony is that I thought that it would be a slightly slow pitch. I couldn't have read it any worse!

Morkel was good... long time since we saw him playing the way he did today. His sixes are very pleasing to the eyes - they are clean and he is a leftie. And spare a thought for Naman Ojha. He has been performing consistently, was a part of the list of 30 probables squad of India for World Twenty20 Championship, and has been quietly strengthening his CV. He really deserved a century today... but its good he did not get it. I really want youngsters like him to get their milestones like 1st century or 1st 5-wicket haul in a winning cause.

But the star of the day, other than Vijay obviously, was Doug Bollinger. Flying in from the southern hemisphere just 24 hours ago, he was up and running on the field, conceding just 3.75 runs per over in a match where the average run rate was 11.725 runs per over (more than 3 times Dougie's rate). Add to that the catch-hop-skip-jump-catch-again catch he took of Yusuf Pathan, and he virtually sealed the deal for his new yellow jersey.

And the final note on the next match: Mumbai Indians v Deccan Chargers at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. MI is batting first after winning the toss. I hope SRT gets his 50-odd runs for the orange cap... so that atleast we will get to see him wearing the orange while playing, and not just during the presentation ceremony.

"RAJASTHAN WAS NEVER A THREAT"

Gautam Gambhir is not only learning from his mate, Virender Sehwag... he is going beyond it! In January, Sehwag described Bangladesh as an 'ordinary' Test side... and it created a controversy!

Today, after Delhi Daredevils crushed Rajasthan Royals at the Ferozeshah Kotla in New Delhi, Gautam Gambhir, in the post-match presentation cermony, told Ravi Shastri: "Rajasthan was never a threat! We never considered Rajasthan a big threat, except for Yusuf Pathan. We were only worried about Yusuf Pathan. Everyone else, we were not that bothered about!"

That is revolting... to say the least! One can still understand Sehwag's statement about Bangladesh, but Gambhir was talking about a team that had won four consecutive matches before arriving at Kotla. He was talking about a team that has won the IPL, something that DD has not managed yet.

If this was Gambhir's honest opinion, I am surprised. I'd be interested to see Shane Warne's reaction to this statement. Warne is a proud man... and proud of the team that he has created and moulded at the Rajasthan Royals camp. The fact that Gambhir so outrageously derided his boys will certainly not go down well with him.

Frankly, even I never consider RR a big team. But I never say it aloud because I know that Warne has the ability to inspire them to do the unthinkable. So Gambhir's statement seemed even bigger, coming from the captain!

DAN'S THE MAN... THE SUPERMAN!

Rajasthan Royals have just beaten the defending champions Deccan Chargers comfortably to throw open the league table completely. Yusuf Pathan blasted 8 sixes in his Man-of-the-Match performance, but for me, it still does not erase a question mark over him because of his inconsistency, especially when he plays for India. If anything, this innings highlights it even more.

But that's enough of IPL. Amidst all the frenzy, most Indian cricket lovers seem to have forgotten that New Zealand and Australia are currently battling in a Test series in New Zealand (who are trailing 0-1, expectedly!).

Later today, when Daniel Vettori tosses the coin at his home ground (Seddon Park, Hamilton), he will be playing his 100th Test (99th for NZ and 1 six-day Test for World XI in the ill-fated Super Series in 2005). In the process, he will become just the second Kiwi to achieve this landmark after his captaincy predecessor, Stephen Fleming.

When Sachin Tendulkar reached 200 against South Africa at Gwalior in 24th February 2010, Ravi Shastri called him 'Superman from India' on air during commentary. If I am asked who is the first cricketer who comes to my mind when I hear someone say 'Superman', my answer will be Daniel Vettori.

Daniel Luca Vettori made his Test debut as a slow left arm spinner in February 1997. Today, 13 years later, 31 years of age, on the eve of his 100th Test, he has been the captain, coach, selector, strike bowler, most consistent batsman and one of the most inspirational Kiwi cricketer ever. It wouldn't be surprising if he runs for the Prime Ministership next!

On a more serious note, Daniel Vettori has done almost everything he could have for cricket in New Zealand... and he's just 31. He can easily play for 5 more years. And 5 years means that I have a wish for him...

Just like I want to see Sachin Tendulkar win the 2011 World Cup for India at home, I would also like to see Daniel Vettori lead his team to their maiden World Cup win in 2015 when Australia and New Zealand are going to jointly host the spectacle. New Zealand have for long been a competitive limited-over outfit without getting enough silverware to show for it. Not only are they due for a big win, Daniel Vettori also deserves such an honour.

I know that I am thinking too far ahead right now. That World Cup is half a decade away. Some might even be wondering if One Day cricket will survive till then. But that will not stop me! I will continue hoping for worthy reward for a champion cricketer... a true Superman!

A MONGOOSE ATTACK

Finally, the Mongoose came out of the kit! And what a way to use it... Matthew Hayden used the loooong handle in a brilliant manner and completely negated the effect of Virendra Sehwag's typically smashing innings earlier in the game.

In the end, Chennai Super Kings were comfortable winners (5 balls to spare is indeed comfortable in this format). So Raina's capatincy debut in IPL got off to a dream start... he even hit the winning six (over the off side, for a change)! MS Dhoni was missed in his captaincy... he might have had a trick up his sleeve to halt Viru's assault (I doubt it!). But eventually CSK was happy in the end.

Dinesh Karthik should not be too disappointed... one can't do a lot when Hayden lets his bat talk (Mongoose or otherwise)! What DK might be worried about is his recent captaincy record while defending strong targets. Not too long back, he was the captain when Yusuf Pathan hit a quick double century to help West Zone defeat DK's South Zone chasing a 500+ target in the Duleep Trophy final. Maybe next time he wins the toss, he should opt to chase rather than set the target!

A word on the current match in progress: DC v KXIP. I noticed the name of Adrian Barath on the team sheet of Kings XI Punjab. I wanted to see both Adrian Barath and Kemar Roach in today's game... I like the Caribbean flair (all the more a reason to support Mumbai Indians)! Well, atleast half my wish is fulfilled!

INJURY UPDATES

Here's a list of all the injuries that I know of, thus far in this IPL:

1. Ashish Nehra - Delhi Daredevils - Rib Injury (sustained before IPL)
2. Greame Smith - Rajasthan Royals - Finger Injury (v DD)
3. Dimitri Mascarenhas - Rajasthan Royals - Ankle Injury (v DD)
4. Yusuf Pathan - Rajasthan Royals - Shoulder Injury (v DD)
5. MS Dhoni - Chennai Super Kings - Elbow Injury (v KKR)
6. Gautam Gambhir - Delhi Daredevils - Torn Hamstring (v MI)
(Please let me know if I have missed any)

What's interesting to note is that all of the above players (not sure about Dimi) would feature in their country's squad for the World Twenty20 Championship in the Caribbean islands after the IPL. Heck, two of them are captains.

Last year, India missed the services of Virendra Sehwag in the World Twenty20 Championship in England due to the injury he sustained during the IPL. So when one hears Lalit Modi say that despite a huge increase in the number of matches next year, IPL will be played out over 51 days only... it's something to worry about. He may turn a blind eye to all these assertions, but the fact remains that the injuries sustained during IPL are not helping the  players when they wear their national colours.

ROYALS' BATTLE TO BE ONE SIDED AGAIN?

Just one match yesterday - but a big one! And a big win for the Mumbai Indians. The only thing that went right for Delhi Daredevils in the game was the toss. After that, it was all downhill for them.

TEAM PERFORMANCE REVIEWS:

DD: Completely and thoroughly outplayed! One does not usually get to see a side as strong as DD beaten so brutally. Gambhir's injury is a big loss. But if anyone has to suffer from an injury, it's best to get it out of the way early in the tournament. Nannes started with a big wide outside leg, but was the only bowler to go for less than 10 an over.

MI: Such a big win was completely unexpected! The performance was clinical, and Sachin's captaincy was admirable. He is a great thinker of the game - everyone knows that. But somehow, his captaincy record never suggested that. But yesterday, it was fun to watch all his moves pay off. And to watch the two openers with a combined age of more than 77 running for almost everything between the wickets made you love cricket a whole lot more!

MATCHES TODAY:

RCB v RR: If RCB play to their potential, this should be an easy win. The RR side just does not look good enough. Shane Warne does not seem as inspirational as he was in 2008, Yusuf has consistency issues (as well as a dodgy shoulder), and Ravindra Jadeja has been banned. On the other side, Kallis looks threatening every time he holds a bat, Morgan and Pandey are brilliant talents, and their squad looks a lot more healthier than that of RR. Had this match come later in the tournament, I'd even havee said that RCB should test its bench and give a chance to the likes of Dillon du Preez, who  bowled well in South Africa last year in the game against Mumbai Indians. RCB have a chance of winnings their 2nd consecutive 'home' match (they won only 1 at home in 2008).

WAITING FOR MONGOOSE

A super high scoring thriller followed by another thriller, not that high scoring. If one had the hard hitting performance of Yusuf Pathan going in vain, the other had a sublime performance by a captain called Gauti.

TEAM PERFORMANCE REVIEWS:

MI: The Brabourne stadium erupted when Shane Warne called it wrong at the toss... Sachin Tendulkar had won the first battle... The rest of it did not happen! The recruitment of former ICL stars has strengthened MI's lineup in a big way. And it showed!

RR: For RR, the big issue is that no one apart from Yusuf Pathan seems to be a threat while batting. Greame Smith may get it right some time, but that time needs to come soon.

KXIP: The batting was below par. Mistakes in the field arguably cost them the match. Sanga made an impressive captaincy debut in the IPL though. Atleast he managed to get Dilshan for 0.

DD: Gauti's innings was a throwback to the previous era. Its very rare to see such innings in this form of the game. It included cuts, late cuts, jabs and nudges - a very well compiled knock. With the skipper doing well and other big names due for a big score, DD is a strong strong team.

MATCHES TODAY:

KKR v RCB: RCB will be hoping to kick off its 2010 campaign in a different manner than 2008, when against this very team - they were smashed. The silver lining for them - McCullum is far away in New Zealand right now.

CSK v DC: MS Dhoni's men in yellow will be starting out at home against the defending champions, who would want to fight back from their loss in the first game. Bowling is a worry for both the teams. Hayden's mongoose will be interesting to watch.