WHO SHOULD BE DROPPED???
This is a serious question that the team think tank must answer very quickly. Virender Sehwag must be brought in the XI not because of his form but for his sheer ability to take the attack to the opposition. Now we have seen how well Dravid and Jaffer have prospered opening the innings for India. Two games and their partnership have been in single digits. Rahul Sharad Dravid is a class act. You cannot ignore him so easily and make him sit out given the fact that he lends lot of experience into the team. If Dravid is dropped it will send wrong signals in the team. Dravid is opening the innings for the best of the team and you cannot drop him because he hasn’t performed well today.
But, Dravid is due for some criticism definitely. India faltered very badly because he never rotated the strike. He held the fort so strongly for more than an hour that he did not even think to run. What more, when a wicket has already fallen!!! Dravid looks to completely shell in so that the opponents will not get him that easily. Dravid also forgot that he is playing Australia and quick singles, twos and threes are the need of the hour. Dravid should have understood the importance of the singles when he saw Jaques and Hayden snatch singles so easily by dropping it close to the turf. Having said that, neither Dravid nor Laxman is a good runner between the wickets and there is a huge risk of taking such risky singles against a field that has Symonds and Clarke guarding the offside ever so seriously.
It is very hard to imagine that a team takes its 1st single in the 17th over of the innings. Even Bangladesh would have got few boundaries against Australia. There was no point in Dravid playing such a knock. It would have meant a lot had he capitalized on what hard work he put before that. May be, he was trying to emulate Sanjay Bangar, who played so defensively to negate the swing @ England in Headingley (one of the places where the ball swings viciously). When he got out, India had 25 on the board for the loss of 2 wickets in 25 overs!!
Yuvraj Singh cannot be left out for one bad performance. He can’t be chucked out so easily. But, Yuvraj must also know that all the shuffling in the team batting that is happening around is for him to be placed in the order. If he doesn’t reciprocate well for this help from the captain, then I guess Yuvi will have to sit out, bringing Laxman and Dravid to their regular positions.
So, I feel Sehwag must be brought in place of Jaffer. Jaffer is a class opener. No doubt in it. But he doesn’t make a great partner for Dravid or the other way around as well. With so much pressure against Aussies it becomes doubly difficult for these players to attack. If Sehwag is around, there is always a chance for scoring quick runs. A quick 60-70 partnership is at least needed immediately. Look at what Gayle did to the Proteas yesterday. 66 off 49 balls and whoomph…Windies managed to reach 281-4 at the end of the day. Dravid-Sehwag combination might just work better than Jaffer-Dravid combination. I must also say that we are paying a heavy risk when we get in Sehwag, with the man under tremendous pressure as runs have dried up for him in all forms of the game. But, I feel it’s not that bad a ploy when you know that one of the openers who are currently playing will be removed so easily in the first 5-6 overs.
Also make sure that we are not chip-chopping openers for every test match. With 4 openers in the squad and many failing to grab the opportunity, I somehow feel that we will see 4 different opening partners in 4 test matches.
Now what we need from India is not one but many things –
1. Play positive cricket in the morning tomorrow and show the same hunger on the field as shown on the first day. Make sure you don’t drop your shoulders so easily and so quickly. Australians can capitalize on that when they see you dropping shoulders.
2. We should realize that many of the Aussie wickets were gifts more than anything else. I would rate Jaques and Ponting’s wicket as something unplayable. There were lot of lose shots played and don’t expect them to do it again in a span of 2 days.
3. Make sure that you bowl out Australia quickly. Ideally a score of 150-160 would be the maximum India can afford to give Australia. One of the bowlers must be at his lethal best tomorrow.
4. When India bat again, Opening is the most important key for success (either winning or saving the game). If we falter at the start, don’t be amused to see a great Indian collapse on the 4th day morning.
After all these points, one must always understand that Australians are the bosses here. They are the dictators of the game. At their own den, it becomes even tougher to test them and beat them. As I said earlier, you can’t expect them to play well below opposition’s levels consistently over a period of 5 days.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Final Frontier....still remains to be broken !!!!
IVS Cup finals truly lived up to its expectations with hard fought cricket being the mantra for both the teams. It was one day, I was waiting for a long time for two reasons. One, to be a part of the team to reach the final and my thirst and hunger to meet "All Stars" one day in a cricketing field. All Stars are a tremendous unit on the field and the character they displayed throughout the tournament was simply amazing and I must admit at this point of time that they were many-a-step ahead of all other teams in this tournament, but I suppose "Chak De ABN" were the next closest to the "All Stars". If it was one team I wished to play other than "Chak De ABN" it would be "All Stars" :) :) :)
I was waiting for a long time for the clock to strike 16:30 and finally it did when we went into bat after winning the toss. "All Stars" showed their skill on the field and the bat throughout the tournament and the bowling was viewed a weak link. But, I suppose they had reserved the best for the finals. First 5 overs of our innings and we lost a couple of wickets. What do you expect? A score of 35-40 in an 8-over game? We couldnt even manage the sum of the individual digits. Only 5 runs came off the bat and 4 extras helped us reach 9 in the first 5 overs. We were hit back hardly, by some really good bowling and the timely wicket of Rajneesh, one player who showed his class in this tournament with 106 runs in 6 wickets in 5 games (10 overs and 6 wickets...wowowow!!!) Great Stuff Rajneesh. But, it wasnt enough to win us the game.
Skaria was on the money and we had planned to play him safe. But I felt we were extremely cautious and over-defensive. We were in the mindset to not collapse quickly in the finals. Truly we dint collapse but, it was never sufficient against AllStars. When Sam got Rajneesh, we completely went defensive. But the last 3 overs saved the day for us as we had some score to fight for. 31 came off the last 3 and we reached 40 runs !!! The situation was so bad that I was advising Fathima (our female player) to bowl as tight as possible so that we dont lose the game in the first over itself :) :) .Highlights of the first innings were some gritty knocks from Shino, Richard and some absolutely tremendous fielding by All Stars. They had easily saved 3 boundaries which would have enriched our score tremendously.
When we went in, we had to take wickets quickly and at the same time not give away freebies. We were against the strongest batting line up in the tournament and "All Stars" according to me were against the strongest bowling line up. This was the match up that everyone wished to see. The fight was awesome with Vishal, Nikhil, and Karthik strongly facing a bowling attack that boasted the likes of Shino, Rajneesh and me :) :) :) People say I am good bowler ;) ;) ;)
As the score wasn't huge and more importantly "All Stars" played some crazy cricket in the semi finals, they made sure they will not make that mistake again. Karthik and Nikhil never looked like giving away their wickets. Shino got us the first breakthrough by castling Vishal. That brought the pair that made the highest partnership of the tournament together. We had a hard task in our hands. I tried a lot to breakthrough Karthik and Nikhil. It never happened. But there was a glimmer of hope when Karthik was out of a controversial runout. In fact, we turned that into a great possibility of winning the finals. Rajneesh bowled a splendid penultimate over to pick up a wicket giving away 4 runs.
Amit came into bowl the last 6 balls of the game. I had actually told Amit that, there is a big possibility for him to be bowling the last over of the final even before "All Stars" innings' started. I kept on reminding him every over. And that actually happened. For once, I thought of asking my captain to get Richard bowling because he has had a better match and infact has been batting well right from the quarter finals. Amit had a disappointing run from the quarter finals. 2 ducks and 2 run outs in addition to some ordinary bowling couldnt help his cause. But again, I thought Amit could well spoil All Stars party like the same way he did against "Sher-e-BT". Before he started I was asking him if he needed the fine leg, but he never replied. May be, he was tensed. May be, the pressure was too much on him.
He started his runup and all our fielders were on their toes. But much to our dismay, Amit bowled a short ball on middle and leg that Sam cleverly guided to the fine-leg boundary. Alas !!!! 1 run needed off 5 balls and "All Stars" were ecstatic. Sam punched the air and hugged Praveen as they knew they were very close to victory. The next ball that Amit bowled was of the same line and length and it went to the boundary. Amit is not the player to be blamed here. We should have had some sense and batted with some purpose in the first 5 overs when we scored a mere 5 runs. That is where we lost the game. Would you believe that 26 balls were dot balls of the first 30 (3 singles and 1 two in the first 5 overs) !!! We should have scored atleast 35 off the first 5 to give some fight against the tournament favorites.
The "All Stars" supporters just ran into the field with so much of joy and passion. It truly showed the spirit of the team. Every team from IVS-IHL that took part in the tournament was very well supported by a strong contingent from All State. It really showed, how united they are very much unlike other teams at least in the fray ( may be they had lot of work and project pressures).
Nevertheless, we had a stunning final and a grand end to the month long tournament. But, to be a part of a losing side in such a close final was heart breaking. Here, the "winner" takes it all. "All Stars" showed how to play a 8- over match. Their brutality on the field was evident in the first 2 rounds when they amassed 241 runs off 16 overs !!! They showed some sense while batting against the best possible bowling line up in this tournament. Karthik who was adjudged the Man of the Series, truly represented the spirit of AllStars on the field and a deserved winner of the Man-Of-the- Series. But, I feel it would have been even better had the trophy been shared with Rajneesh. He had a dream run in this tournament.
I was happy with my personal performance in the tournament. 5 wickets in the 10 overs I bowled in the tournament with a maiden as well :) :) But, I was visibly upset that we lost a close final against the favorites and the champions.
VC (delivery head here in IVS) gave away the medals and the trophy. When I went to collect it he said, "Dont worry that you lost the match, you won the hearts of many by showing your passion on the field." I was very happy that my efforts were recognized and also won many hearts during this hard fought tournament.
I am waiting for the same tournament to kick off again as soon as possible.
This my ALL- IVS TEAM
1. Rajneesh
2. Nikhil
3. Karthik
4. Lionel
5. Srikanta
6.Skaria
7. Shino
8. Sudheer
9. Sooraj
10. Mitesh
11. Vasanthi / Fathima.
This is just my vision of the possibly the best players in the tournament. But as it was limited to 8, I cant push in the other wonderful performers in the tournament.
Some of them showed the strength and helped their team go through to finals and win it and some of them failed as their team collapsed at some point of a crucial match.
A great tournament comes to an end and also ends the year 2007 in a memorable way.
I should see the 2008 version of this tournament soon.
I was waiting for a long time for the clock to strike 16:30 and finally it did when we went into bat after winning the toss. "All Stars" showed their skill on the field and the bat throughout the tournament and the bowling was viewed a weak link. But, I suppose they had reserved the best for the finals. First 5 overs of our innings and we lost a couple of wickets. What do you expect? A score of 35-40 in an 8-over game? We couldnt even manage the sum of the individual digits. Only 5 runs came off the bat and 4 extras helped us reach 9 in the first 5 overs. We were hit back hardly, by some really good bowling and the timely wicket of Rajneesh, one player who showed his class in this tournament with 106 runs in 6 wickets in 5 games (10 overs and 6 wickets...wowowow!!!) Great Stuff Rajneesh. But, it wasnt enough to win us the game.
Skaria was on the money and we had planned to play him safe. But I felt we were extremely cautious and over-defensive. We were in the mindset to not collapse quickly in the finals. Truly we dint collapse but, it was never sufficient against AllStars. When Sam got Rajneesh, we completely went defensive. But the last 3 overs saved the day for us as we had some score to fight for. 31 came off the last 3 and we reached 40 runs !!! The situation was so bad that I was advising Fathima (our female player) to bowl as tight as possible so that we dont lose the game in the first over itself :) :) .Highlights of the first innings were some gritty knocks from Shino, Richard and some absolutely tremendous fielding by All Stars. They had easily saved 3 boundaries which would have enriched our score tremendously.
When we went in, we had to take wickets quickly and at the same time not give away freebies. We were against the strongest batting line up in the tournament and "All Stars" according to me were against the strongest bowling line up. This was the match up that everyone wished to see. The fight was awesome with Vishal, Nikhil, and Karthik strongly facing a bowling attack that boasted the likes of Shino, Rajneesh and me :) :) :) People say I am good bowler ;) ;) ;)
As the score wasn't huge and more importantly "All Stars" played some crazy cricket in the semi finals, they made sure they will not make that mistake again. Karthik and Nikhil never looked like giving away their wickets. Shino got us the first breakthrough by castling Vishal. That brought the pair that made the highest partnership of the tournament together. We had a hard task in our hands. I tried a lot to breakthrough Karthik and Nikhil. It never happened. But there was a glimmer of hope when Karthik was out of a controversial runout. In fact, we turned that into a great possibility of winning the finals. Rajneesh bowled a splendid penultimate over to pick up a wicket giving away 4 runs.
Amit came into bowl the last 6 balls of the game. I had actually told Amit that, there is a big possibility for him to be bowling the last over of the final even before "All Stars" innings' started. I kept on reminding him every over. And that actually happened. For once, I thought of asking my captain to get Richard bowling because he has had a better match and infact has been batting well right from the quarter finals. Amit had a disappointing run from the quarter finals. 2 ducks and 2 run outs in addition to some ordinary bowling couldnt help his cause. But again, I thought Amit could well spoil All Stars party like the same way he did against "Sher-e-BT". Before he started I was asking him if he needed the fine leg, but he never replied. May be, he was tensed. May be, the pressure was too much on him.
He started his runup and all our fielders were on their toes. But much to our dismay, Amit bowled a short ball on middle and leg that Sam cleverly guided to the fine-leg boundary. Alas !!!! 1 run needed off 5 balls and "All Stars" were ecstatic. Sam punched the air and hugged Praveen as they knew they were very close to victory. The next ball that Amit bowled was of the same line and length and it went to the boundary. Amit is not the player to be blamed here. We should have had some sense and batted with some purpose in the first 5 overs when we scored a mere 5 runs. That is where we lost the game. Would you believe that 26 balls were dot balls of the first 30 (3 singles and 1 two in the first 5 overs) !!! We should have scored atleast 35 off the first 5 to give some fight against the tournament favorites.
The "All Stars" supporters just ran into the field with so much of joy and passion. It truly showed the spirit of the team. Every team from IVS-IHL that took part in the tournament was very well supported by a strong contingent from All State. It really showed, how united they are very much unlike other teams at least in the fray ( may be they had lot of work and project pressures).
Nevertheless, we had a stunning final and a grand end to the month long tournament. But, to be a part of a losing side in such a close final was heart breaking. Here, the "winner" takes it all. "All Stars" showed how to play a 8- over match. Their brutality on the field was evident in the first 2 rounds when they amassed 241 runs off 16 overs !!! They showed some sense while batting against the best possible bowling line up in this tournament. Karthik who was adjudged the Man of the Series, truly represented the spirit of AllStars on the field and a deserved winner of the Man-Of-the- Series. But, I feel it would have been even better had the trophy been shared with Rajneesh. He had a dream run in this tournament.
I was happy with my personal performance in the tournament. 5 wickets in the 10 overs I bowled in the tournament with a maiden as well :) :) But, I was visibly upset that we lost a close final against the favorites and the champions.
VC (delivery head here in IVS) gave away the medals and the trophy. When I went to collect it he said, "Dont worry that you lost the match, you won the hearts of many by showing your passion on the field." I was very happy that my efforts were recognized and also won many hearts during this hard fought tournament.
I am waiting for the same tournament to kick off again as soon as possible.
This my ALL- IVS TEAM
1. Rajneesh
2. Nikhil
3. Karthik
4. Lionel
5. Srikanta
6.Skaria
7. Shino
8. Sudheer
9. Sooraj
10. Mitesh
11. Vasanthi / Fathima.
This is just my vision of the possibly the best players in the tournament. But as it was limited to 8, I cant push in the other wonderful performers in the tournament.
Some of them showed the strength and helped their team go through to finals and win it and some of them failed as their team collapsed at some point of a crucial match.
A great tournament comes to an end and also ends the year 2007 in a memorable way.
I should see the 2008 version of this tournament soon.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Team India's tryst with destiny
Team India has embarked on another tour down under with lots of hopes to win the series. The hopes are always hopes. I am a big cricket fan and I love it even more when I see players of my own soil perform tremendously well abroad. In reality, people must understand that India has Mount Everest to cross in the next 2 months. It is simply not going to be easy as many of them predict, India to win this series.
I will reserve my comments for the final result right now.
Test matches are vividly different from the One day format and more so from the T20 format. If a team can beat Australia quite consistently, then it could be in the T20 format. The game is decided by one brilliant innings or one nerve-wracking spell of bowling. Even one mistake by Australia in a crunch moment can make them lose a game in T20. But, that is not the same case with Test matches. Test matches are a real test of a cricketer.
India’s tour down under has 4 test matches lined up this season. 4 test matches mean, effectively 20 days of full cricket. If mental and physical skills of a visiting team are tested for so long, you can expect a “truly” strong team without any kind of weakness anywhere to challenge the Australians in their own soil. I reiterate, a “truly” strong team without any kind of weakness anywhere can challenge the Australians. You still cannot declare such a team to win down under.
As far as India is concerned, they need to dominate Australia in more than 35-40 sessions in the test series. Australia is not a team to let India off the hook to dominate in such a huge number of sessions. With Indian bowling looking so inexperienced, it would be better if we play in bowler-friendly conditions rather than a batting paradise. Batting paradise means Indian bowlers are very close to their demise. India, off late have performed exceedingly well in bowler-friendly conditions because, Indian bowlers had the skills to exploit anything in the wicket. England and South Africa have been good examples for it. Even Zaheer bowled brilliantly @ Brisbane during India’s last visit. If the pitch is dry and flat, Australians will score 500+ surely. If we say that Indian batting line up is in superb touch, so is Australian batting line up. They have scored more than 500 runs in an innings 6 times in the last 7 tests. How is this for some team batting record???? :) :) :)
Effectively, Aussies make sure they bat only once in the test matches and their bowlers claim 20 wickets. When a bowling line up with such variety like Srilanka’s was tortured last month, don’t expect to many freebies from the Australians. Malinga, Vaas, Fernando, Maharoof and Muralitharan together couldn’t pick up 10 wickets in an innings against Australia. I fear, India’s conditions if they play in a supposedly dry batting friendly pitches this season. Australia will demolish India on the first 2 days of the test itself.
Having said that, India has vastly improved and they have the fire power to cause an upset especially with Sreesanth’s comeback possibly @ WACA!!!
So for all who have been crying aloud that India can win this series.... think again. It is very easy to post these lines in a few minutes. As I said, India need to be consistent throughout the 20 days of cricket which I feel will be really tough if not impossible.
Team India's tryst with destiny is in their hands now.
I will reserve my comments for the final result right now.
Test matches are vividly different from the One day format and more so from the T20 format. If a team can beat Australia quite consistently, then it could be in the T20 format. The game is decided by one brilliant innings or one nerve-wracking spell of bowling. Even one mistake by Australia in a crunch moment can make them lose a game in T20. But, that is not the same case with Test matches. Test matches are a real test of a cricketer.
India’s tour down under has 4 test matches lined up this season. 4 test matches mean, effectively 20 days of full cricket. If mental and physical skills of a visiting team are tested for so long, you can expect a “truly” strong team without any kind of weakness anywhere to challenge the Australians in their own soil. I reiterate, a “truly” strong team without any kind of weakness anywhere can challenge the Australians. You still cannot declare such a team to win down under.
As far as India is concerned, they need to dominate Australia in more than 35-40 sessions in the test series. Australia is not a team to let India off the hook to dominate in such a huge number of sessions. With Indian bowling looking so inexperienced, it would be better if we play in bowler-friendly conditions rather than a batting paradise. Batting paradise means Indian bowlers are very close to their demise. India, off late have performed exceedingly well in bowler-friendly conditions because, Indian bowlers had the skills to exploit anything in the wicket. England and South Africa have been good examples for it. Even Zaheer bowled brilliantly @ Brisbane during India’s last visit. If the pitch is dry and flat, Australians will score 500+ surely. If we say that Indian batting line up is in superb touch, so is Australian batting line up. They have scored more than 500 runs in an innings 6 times in the last 7 tests. How is this for some team batting record???? :) :) :)
Effectively, Aussies make sure they bat only once in the test matches and their bowlers claim 20 wickets. When a bowling line up with such variety like Srilanka’s was tortured last month, don’t expect to many freebies from the Australians. Malinga, Vaas, Fernando, Maharoof and Muralitharan together couldn’t pick up 10 wickets in an innings against Australia. I fear, India’s conditions if they play in a supposedly dry batting friendly pitches this season. Australia will demolish India on the first 2 days of the test itself.
Having said that, India has vastly improved and they have the fire power to cause an upset especially with Sreesanth’s comeback possibly @ WACA!!!
So for all who have been crying aloud that India can win this series.... think again. It is very easy to post these lines in a few minutes. As I said, India need to be consistent throughout the 20 days of cricket which I feel will be really tough if not impossible.
Team India's tryst with destiny is in their hands now.
IVS Cup Finals...1 day to go....
IVS Cup.... It has been an enthralling tournament as far as I am concerned. 22 teams participated and we are now to the finals!!!! The final is just hours away and it could well be a humdinger. I just cannot wait for the moment to happen.
IVS cricket tournament is part of IVS celebrations that have been realised by a group called IVentureS. IVS is a big department in Mysore and to imagine the logistics involved in managing 22 teams and their schedule means business and I congratulate the IVentureS folks who made the tournament a grand success.
Well our journey in this IVS Cup has been no less than sensational. We never knew how our opposition would be. We had to first face 'Sher-e-BT' in the first round. 8 overs a side and we needed to win as all the games were round-robin games. We batted well to score 62 runs in 8 overs under lights. I had got out for a DUCK :( :( ...and that too off the very first ball of my innings. Things looked gloomy for me when I got out. People around me had built up a reputation for me and my bowling talent. I had to make sure that I live up to that reputation and give my captain the confidence with my bowling. Happily, it did happen. I took 3 wickets in the match, helping my team win the first round. Wicket of the first ball I bowled, 2 wickets in the first over and 3 wickets overall (all bowled !!!) was a satisfying performance. 'Sher-e-BT' was thus thwarted.
We had a relatively easy game and we were through to the 2nd round where we had a weaker opposition in 'The Invincibles'. We were off to a flyer scoring 57 runs off 5 overs and guess what, I got out again for a DUCK :( :( :( ....off the very first ball also. My captain was annoyed with my batting performance. But rain interrupted and the game was halted for a week !!!!
We had to wait for more than a week for the game to resume. But, to our shock, we lost all our wickets for 8 runs and with 9 balls to spare. Invincibles smelled victory somewhere....But, it was not to happen. I couldnt get any wicket in the match but managed to keep it tight and we won the game....Yipeee... through to the QuarterFinals :) :) :)
We now had faced, two oppositions which were definitely weaker than us. In the quarter finals we expected our opponents to give us some run for the money.Instead, they were made to run for their money.Rajneesh showed the way by scoring 67 runs and we finished our innings @ 88 in 8 overs. 'Wachovia Tiger' was finally hunted and we were over the moon as we were through to the semi finals. I had picked up the crucial wicket of Gagan Mehra. A very important breakthrough, as he was their main stay in batting. My team was pumped to win this game desperately as one of the mails sent by Vivek, one of the players in the opposition, spurred us on to show who we are.
No strength in the opposition to rattle us and it never happened even in the semifinals. 'The Mavericks' started their IVS Cup campaign quite strongly but failed to show their strength in the crunch game. We lost the toss for the first time and we were bowling first. Sooraj was their star batsman, and I was elated when he got out of my first over as I changed my angle coming around the wicket. That helped because, Sooraj nicked the ball through to the keeper. A very happy moment as I piled on the pressure by bowling a maiden ( quite a rarity in 8 over game). Mavericks lost their way and got out for 21. Rajneesh was among the wickets with 3 scalps. We did stutter while chasing,but never lost our way through. Shino's boundary made sure we were through to the finals of one of the coveted soft ball tournaments I have played.
Most of the team members (Ajish, Vijay, Amit and I) were a part of the ABN CUP winning team. The final is against the 1st seeds, All Stars. All Stars have been the favorites to win this cup and they will be the favourites. They were totally scared by 'Dark Horses' in the semifinals. Skaria saved them and helped them reach the finals.
This was touted to be the match of the tournament, even before the schedule was fixed. More so because, the teams represent two of the biggest accounts in IVS @ Mysore. So, tomorrow will be a big day for both the teams and the winner will take it all. All Stars are a very strong team and my thirst for a strong opposition is here. Here is where people's strengths and weaknesses will be exposed. The crowd is expected to be pour in large numbers. All said and done, the weather could play spoilsport as it has been drizzling all through the day today. The match could well meet the expectations of many or could even become a damp squib. The spirits in the team is quite high and everyone in the team is raring to go for the finals. The tournament has been going on and on for over a month now. The final will be played @ the football ground @ 1630 hrs IST.
Hope I come good with the bat as well :) :) :) 5 wickets and still counting :) :) :)
More updates on the final soon.
Chak De ABN !!!
IVS cricket tournament is part of IVS celebrations that have been realised by a group called IVentureS. IVS is a big department in Mysore and to imagine the logistics involved in managing 22 teams and their schedule means business and I congratulate the IVentureS folks who made the tournament a grand success.
Well our journey in this IVS Cup has been no less than sensational. We never knew how our opposition would be. We had to first face 'Sher-e-BT' in the first round. 8 overs a side and we needed to win as all the games were round-robin games. We batted well to score 62 runs in 8 overs under lights. I had got out for a DUCK :( :( ...and that too off the very first ball of my innings. Things looked gloomy for me when I got out. People around me had built up a reputation for me and my bowling talent. I had to make sure that I live up to that reputation and give my captain the confidence with my bowling. Happily, it did happen. I took 3 wickets in the match, helping my team win the first round. Wicket of the first ball I bowled, 2 wickets in the first over and 3 wickets overall (all bowled !!!) was a satisfying performance. 'Sher-e-BT' was thus thwarted.
We had a relatively easy game and we were through to the 2nd round where we had a weaker opposition in 'The Invincibles'. We were off to a flyer scoring 57 runs off 5 overs and guess what, I got out again for a DUCK :( :( :( ....off the very first ball also. My captain was annoyed with my batting performance. But rain interrupted and the game was halted for a week !!!!
We had to wait for more than a week for the game to resume. But, to our shock, we lost all our wickets for 8 runs and with 9 balls to spare. Invincibles smelled victory somewhere....But, it was not to happen. I couldnt get any wicket in the match but managed to keep it tight and we won the game....Yipeee... through to the QuarterFinals :) :) :)
We now had faced, two oppositions which were definitely weaker than us. In the quarter finals we expected our opponents to give us some run for the money.Instead, they were made to run for their money.Rajneesh showed the way by scoring 67 runs and we finished our innings @ 88 in 8 overs. 'Wachovia Tiger' was finally hunted and we were over the moon as we were through to the semi finals. I had picked up the crucial wicket of Gagan Mehra. A very important breakthrough, as he was their main stay in batting. My team was pumped to win this game desperately as one of the mails sent by Vivek, one of the players in the opposition, spurred us on to show who we are.
No strength in the opposition to rattle us and it never happened even in the semifinals. 'The Mavericks' started their IVS Cup campaign quite strongly but failed to show their strength in the crunch game. We lost the toss for the first time and we were bowling first. Sooraj was their star batsman, and I was elated when he got out of my first over as I changed my angle coming around the wicket. That helped because, Sooraj nicked the ball through to the keeper. A very happy moment as I piled on the pressure by bowling a maiden ( quite a rarity in 8 over game). Mavericks lost their way and got out for 21. Rajneesh was among the wickets with 3 scalps. We did stutter while chasing,but never lost our way through. Shino's boundary made sure we were through to the finals of one of the coveted soft ball tournaments I have played.
Most of the team members (Ajish, Vijay, Amit and I) were a part of the ABN CUP winning team. The final is against the 1st seeds, All Stars. All Stars have been the favorites to win this cup and they will be the favourites. They were totally scared by 'Dark Horses' in the semifinals. Skaria saved them and helped them reach the finals.
This was touted to be the match of the tournament, even before the schedule was fixed. More so because, the teams represent two of the biggest accounts in IVS @ Mysore. So, tomorrow will be a big day for both the teams and the winner will take it all. All Stars are a very strong team and my thirst for a strong opposition is here. Here is where people's strengths and weaknesses will be exposed. The crowd is expected to be pour in large numbers. All said and done, the weather could play spoilsport as it has been drizzling all through the day today. The match could well meet the expectations of many or could even become a damp squib. The spirits in the team is quite high and everyone in the team is raring to go for the finals. The tournament has been going on and on for over a month now. The final will be played @ the football ground @ 1630 hrs IST.
Hope I come good with the bat as well :) :) :) 5 wickets and still counting :) :) :)
More updates on the final soon.
Chak De ABN !!!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
December 16..A rare event in Windies Cricket
West Indies reached the finals of the Akai-singer Champions trophy by beating India in the last match of the group stages on 16-Dec-1997.
Well the significance of the victory is bigger. More so because, not a single West Indies fast bowler took a wicket in the match when India were actually bowled out for 188 chasing 230. Courtney Walsh, Mervyn Dillon and Franklyn Rose couldn't do much with the ball on the day when the West Indian spinners showed India the way. Hooper claimed 4 wickets in the match. Rawl Lewis, a forgotten leg spinner took 1 wicket and guess who, claimed the other 3 ? It was Shivnaraine Chanderpaul :D :D :D
13 years into international cricket, it still remains Chanderpaul's best bowling figures.
A great day for West Indian cricket when all the big fast bowlers were shadowed by moments of brilliance from the spinners.
P.S.:- India were cruising @ 126-1 after 28 overs and soon after Dada's dismissal, India lost their plot against some intelligent spin bowling.
For the detailed score card check it here:-
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65878.html
Well the significance of the victory is bigger. More so because, not a single West Indies fast bowler took a wicket in the match when India were actually bowled out for 188 chasing 230. Courtney Walsh, Mervyn Dillon and Franklyn Rose couldn't do much with the ball on the day when the West Indian spinners showed India the way. Hooper claimed 4 wickets in the match. Rawl Lewis, a forgotten leg spinner took 1 wicket and guess who, claimed the other 3 ? It was Shivnaraine Chanderpaul :D :D :D
13 years into international cricket, it still remains Chanderpaul's best bowling figures.
A great day for West Indian cricket when all the big fast bowlers were shadowed by moments of brilliance from the spinners.
P.S.:- India were cruising @ 126-1 after 28 overs and soon after Dada's dismissal, India lost their plot against some intelligent spin bowling.
For the detailed score card check it here:-
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65878.html
To all Dada critics worldwide !!!
How do you measure a batsman’s performance on the field? Is it by the number of hundreds he scores or by the number of runs he has scored in all forms of the game or is it by the positive impact he creates as a batsman on the field or is it by the way he inspires / motivates his fellow players on the field while wielding the bat or is it by the way he helps his team come out of a hole to a winning position?
If any of this or if all of these combined is taken as a yard stick, Ganguly’s contribution to Indian cricket will be enormous. Sourav Ganguly has been a phenomenal impact in the game. If Sangakkara says “Jayasuriya changed the face of the game”, I am sure many would accept my point of view that “Ganguly changed the face of Indian cricket.”
One needs to show his skills as a player first to secure and cement his place in a team. A player’s man-management skills will not be questioned at the beginning of his career. He showed the whole world what he is made of when his bat did all the talking. This is his second comeback into international cricket. His first comeback was a decade back and everyone knows what happened after the Lords’ test match. As many say, the rest is history.
How many players in this world have not at all been dropped from the side? If Bradman is the yardstick for batsmanship then I guess you should know that Otto Nothling had actually replaced Bradman soon after his disappointing debut (He scored 18 and 1). When a batsman of Bradman’s caliber was dropped, it was always on cards that Sourav would be dropped after 2 years of poor performance. He just scored 422 runs in 11 test matches played in 2004 and 2005. But, it does not mean that, Sourav isn’t a class act. Even players like Steve Waugh, Mohammed Azharuddin, and Ricky Ponting were dropped. Does that mean that they are not class performers? No one can doubt Ganguly’s skills as a batsman and as a leader.
When someone says that 144 was fluke, one must clearly rewind how the innings unwounded. India had lost 4 wickets (Sehwag, Chopra, Dravid and Tendulkar). Laxman and Ganguly resurrected the innings @ Brisbane. What came after that 144 was even special. Indians played brilliant test cricket and every batsman other than Aakash Chopra and Parthiv Patel scored hundreds bigger than Ganguly’s (Sehwag – 195; Dravid – 233; Tendulkar – 241; Laxman – 176). But had Ganguly lost his wicket it would have been curtains for India. Many of his hundreds in test matches haven’t been match winning. Accepted. But, a middle order batsman is one who consolidates the innings with the start given by the openers.
The number of runs and hundreds he has scored is a mind boggling figure. Since many of the critics say that numbers are just numbers I don’t want to prove them anything on that front.
As a fellow player the impact that Sourav has had on youngsters is astonishing. The freedom he gave to players like Yuvraj who made his debut (at the age of 18) and Zaheer (who was 22 then) in only the 2nd ODI series for Sourav speaks how much he motivates youngsters.
I know that many of them would still not be satisfied with this explanation and would like to pull Ganguly’s leg here. Sourav Ganguly will always be a legend in Indian cricket and he played a very important role to churn out the “Golden Era” of Indian cricket. Ganguly is a class apart and will always be remembered for the guts and the spirit with which he plays. It is a nice disease to spread across :) :)
To learn more about Ganguly, the critics can read Sambit Bal’s article in cricinfo.
http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/indvpak/content/current/story/324588.html
If any of this or if all of these combined is taken as a yard stick, Ganguly’s contribution to Indian cricket will be enormous. Sourav Ganguly has been a phenomenal impact in the game. If Sangakkara says “Jayasuriya changed the face of the game”, I am sure many would accept my point of view that “Ganguly changed the face of Indian cricket.”
One needs to show his skills as a player first to secure and cement his place in a team. A player’s man-management skills will not be questioned at the beginning of his career. He showed the whole world what he is made of when his bat did all the talking. This is his second comeback into international cricket. His first comeback was a decade back and everyone knows what happened after the Lords’ test match. As many say, the rest is history.
How many players in this world have not at all been dropped from the side? If Bradman is the yardstick for batsmanship then I guess you should know that Otto Nothling had actually replaced Bradman soon after his disappointing debut (He scored 18 and 1). When a batsman of Bradman’s caliber was dropped, it was always on cards that Sourav would be dropped after 2 years of poor performance. He just scored 422 runs in 11 test matches played in 2004 and 2005. But, it does not mean that, Sourav isn’t a class act. Even players like Steve Waugh, Mohammed Azharuddin, and Ricky Ponting were dropped. Does that mean that they are not class performers? No one can doubt Ganguly’s skills as a batsman and as a leader.
When someone says that 144 was fluke, one must clearly rewind how the innings unwounded. India had lost 4 wickets (Sehwag, Chopra, Dravid and Tendulkar). Laxman and Ganguly resurrected the innings @ Brisbane. What came after that 144 was even special. Indians played brilliant test cricket and every batsman other than Aakash Chopra and Parthiv Patel scored hundreds bigger than Ganguly’s (Sehwag – 195; Dravid – 233; Tendulkar – 241; Laxman – 176). But had Ganguly lost his wicket it would have been curtains for India. Many of his hundreds in test matches haven’t been match winning. Accepted. But, a middle order batsman is one who consolidates the innings with the start given by the openers.
The number of runs and hundreds he has scored is a mind boggling figure. Since many of the critics say that numbers are just numbers I don’t want to prove them anything on that front.
As a fellow player the impact that Sourav has had on youngsters is astonishing. The freedom he gave to players like Yuvraj who made his debut (at the age of 18) and Zaheer (who was 22 then) in only the 2nd ODI series for Sourav speaks how much he motivates youngsters.
I know that many of them would still not be satisfied with this explanation and would like to pull Ganguly’s leg here. Sourav Ganguly will always be a legend in Indian cricket and he played a very important role to churn out the “Golden Era” of Indian cricket. Ganguly is a class apart and will always be remembered for the guts and the spirit with which he plays. It is a nice disease to spread across :) :)
To learn more about Ganguly, the critics can read Sambit Bal’s article in cricinfo.
http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/indvpak/content/current/story/324588.html
11 for the hour !!!!
This may probably be the XI that could rattle this Australian outfit.
Mark Taylor Adam Gilchrist
Mark Waugh Matthew Hayden
Damien Martyn Ricky Ponting
Darren Lehmann Michael Clarke
Steve Waugh Andrew Symonds
Michael Bevan Michael Hussey
Ian Healy Shane Watson
Tom Moody Brad Hogg
Shane Warne Brett Lee
Jason Gillespie Mitchell Johnson
Glenn McGrath Nathan Bracken
Andy Bichel Stuart Clark
Mark Taylor is the only add-on to this Steve Waugh led team which I think has the potential to challenge this current line up. Many may still not accept it, but to beat the current Australian XI you need man-to-man advantage and a team advantage as well.
To start with, we will dissect the captains.
Steve Waugh will always be a stronger captain with his support to his players, mental strength and confidence. Ponting will be shade grayer than Waugh. But, Ponting has his own style of aggression that he developed under Waugh. Ponting has made this team INVINCIBLES. Ponting’s purple patch is still on and his fielding abilities are just second to Jonty Rhodes. Steve Waugh edges out Ricky Ponting slightly for me, as he is still more useful as all round personality than Ponting. Having said that, still Ponting isn’t much behind Waugh. :) :) :)
Mark Taylor’s finesse and touch is what an ideal opener would look out for. Mark Taylor will always fit in any team for his good cricketing brain, brilliant slip fielding and of course, those batting qualities with a lot of grit. Matthew Hayden has completely changed the art of batting. He is a run machine and with loads of burning desire in him, Hayden will always be a threat of any line up including the likes of Warne and McGrath. Hayden’s slip fielding capacity is as good as Taylor’s. Hayden will be my man, if I had to choose between Taylor and him. :) :) :)
Mark Waugh’s qualities as a pure batsman is unparallel. I would go any distance to watch this man bat. Many would still believe that Mark Edward Waugh was the most stylish and elegant batsman in the cricketing history. His strokes on the leg side is just brilliant. Mark Waugh is another player in Waugh’s XI who scores his runs quite calmly with a lot of wrists. Although, this Mark doesn’t make a good fodder in bang-bang form of cricket, Mark Waugh is still one of the best One day batsmen. Not to forget his cheeky off spinners and some stupendous catching abilities. Effortless fielding was what Waugh brought in to cricket. Michael Clarke, the little “NEMO” of Ponting’s invincibles had to fight for his place with the likes of many stalwarts. His 100 on debut at Bangalore will speak volumes for his batting capabilities. Clarke is one batsman in Ponting’s side who runs a lot to score his runs. He gets far less boundaries than what his fellow team mates do. But, that is what you want with strong strikers in your line up. Add to that, some brilliant catching and throwing abilities. Clarke can bowl some intelligent left arm spinners as well. Clarke is the man for future. Clarke is the future of Australia. I still feel, Mark Waugh to be better in all departments than Michael Clarke :) :) :)
Damien Martyn will be the torch bearer for this Australian line up led by Steve Waugh. Martyn provides that flexibility in the batting order. Martyn can also play his innings according to the situation. His touch is just second to Mark Waugh. I was fortunate to see, one of Martyn’s test hundreds in Chennai. One awesome team man. Andrew Symonds, with all respect cannot be actually compared. But, on his day Symonds will be even more rattling than Martyn. Symonds also offers stunning fielding abilities and all round bowling opportunities. Symonds will be a captain’s favorite. He can bowl seam-ups, spinners, field well and bat mightily. So, Symonds edges Martyn out for sure. :) :) :)
Michael Bevan would have won many matches from nowhere for Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor. Bevan’s world class finishing abilities is a known fact and many teams envy and are still in search of such a finisher even today. Bevan also offers some beautiful china man as a bowling option. Michael Hussey is probably the only player who has come very close to be compared as Michael Bevan. Hussey has been on top of his game right from the time he entered international cricket. The world cup in Caribbean is what Huss may still feel bad about. Called as Mr. Cricket, Hussey is as good as Michael Bevan. :) :) :)
Ian Healy is regarded by many as the best wicket keepers in the world right now. With Ian Healy behind the stumps, the bowlers never worry about what’s happening behind after the batsman edges one. That sort of confidence, is what oozes with Adam Gilchrist. Gilly, as he is fondly called is the best batsman-wicket keeper in cricket history. His batting capabilities are just phenomenal and Healy doesn’t possess such strength. So, even though Healy is brilliant, Gilchrist is still too good for Healy :) :) :)
Tom Moody has been a part of 2 world cup wins. One under Border, the other under Waugh. Moody has been the package, every captain would like to have during his era. Moody has a good cricketing brain. He possesses good bowling abilities. He is a handful under seaming conditions. Moody also provides that lusty hitting at the end of the innings. His flourish with the bat and his bat swing is what a lower order batsman should ideally possess. Shane Watson, has had his career much like Moody. But, Watson has been struggling with niggling injuries throughout. A fit Watson, can be very flexible. He can open the batting and can also open the bowling as well. He is a good outfielder as well. But, Moody for me is better as he was fitter and reliable than Watson. :) :) :)
Shane Warne is just world class. I won’t write much about Warne as the whole world knows how good he is. Australia still miss a champion spinner like him. Brad Hogg is an interesting option that Ponting has. Hogg’s control and the length he bowls is amazing for a left arm chinaman. Hogg is as good as Warne with the bat. But, on any day Warne would give me lot more wickets than Hogg. :) :) :)
Jason Gillespie has just worked hard time and again to keep his baggy green going for this long. Gillespie has lost his place after the Ashes 2005. But, until that dreadful Ashes, Gillespie’s career would be marred by lot of ill-luck. He should have at least 100 wickets to his total tally. Gillespie’s persistent line and length with some good pace rattles every batsman in the world. His 200* against Bangladesh will still be remembered for his doggedness and his hunger to stay in the side. But, that dint satisfy the selectors. Nathan Bracken has been with Australian cricket team since 1997-98. But of late, he has become more certain in this team. His intelligent bowling @ the death and swing @ the beginning of the innings is just what Ponting needs from his bowler. But, I would rate Gillespie more than Bracken for his sheer grit. :) :) :)
Glenn McGrath. The service of McGrath to Australian Cricket is unparallel. McGrath’s wicket taking abilities at a nagging pace and consistent line and length is just what McGrath can only do. McGrath has got all the top batsmen in his kitty. A gentleman off the field, McGrath on-field sledging and antics are still debated around. Brett Lee is the strike bowler for Australia. After McGrath’s departure Lee has taken that responsibility and is working on very well. Lee’s pace and now add that control, is just menacing. Lee can also be handy batsman down the order and fast sprinter on the field. Lee, according to me is just slightly ahead of McGrath. :) :) :)
With a 7-4 line up of different kind under Steve Waugh and Ponting, Darren Lehmann and Mitchell Johnson miss out on the man-to-man comparison.
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