cricket without balls

shared by straight point on Saturday, December 29, 2007

although i wanted to be proved wrong but somehow i didn't see the fightback coming...when i saw so many peoples airing their optimism that we will go for win...manage at least draw...put up resounding fight to salvage some pride...and i was skeptic coz there were no grounds based on what i saw in first innings...and i was not wrong...

i pity kumble...i really feel for him...you wont see spinner taking five wickets on first day of test match against australia and that too on their soil...

for all the efforts he put up he deserved more...he deserved more from his batsmen who he thought were his master cards...his strength....but he was left to throw his hand in despair coz not a single batsmen looked to guts it out there...there was no one standing to be counted...to fight the 'demons in the pitch' which was more subcontinentish pitch...but as the match progressed we saw that demons were elsewhere...they were in minds...

don't look anywhere than dravid to understand the demons i am talking about...time has come for india to decide what to do of him...he is clearly struggling for his form...his approach...and more importantly his mental strength he was used to known for...will we keep on going for him in the faith that he is just an innings away from his previous best...but somehow i don't see it coming...in these days of back to back test matches...where is the time...but if i am kumble i would have one to one talk with him...this is the time when champion player like him need support.. i would make him feel wanted in current setup...i would not let him fade away in his wilderness so easily...i would give him at least another test...but with an ultimatum...

if a batsman who is stated to be 'in the form of his life' comes to crease like this...there was no body language...no air of confidence...and plays the way he played (and i am not even talking about his scores) it would be better he is confided to the comforts of dressing room...coz by sitting there he served india far better...all other guys were on their toes thinking that there's one sitting outside who can replace them...

it was only Ganguly (and to some extent sachin) who came unscathed and looked at par...special mention must be made to gangly who many thought (uncle included, who famously said that aussies will be having orgasmic pleasure by seeing him coming to bat) that he will be stream rolled by aussies etc etc...but he just refused to lie down...played his shots and remarkably rotated the strike which he is not known for...its not coincidence that only time india looked in control (batting wise) was when ganguly and sachin were batting together...

the fact that aussies hardly crossed 350 in both innings and yet they won by more than 300 runs speaks volume about the 'efforts' of our famed batting lineup...was that a pitch where our illustrious batting lineup could not score even 200 in both innings?? are we living in dreamland where our batsmen score far heavily than in reality...?? are we expecting too much from these lions-on-paper batsmen??? we must look within and search for the right answers...this was by far the worst performance we came up with in recent times...

we will have to find solutions and that too quickly...it would be very interesting couple of days in indian dressing room and specially for kumble of what he comes up with...to counter this 'freezing attitude' in our batting...next couple of days will give us an idea how kumble has taken this defeat and what combinations he would come up with...

coz another bad day in the office and we can safely say tata to this series...

i would go for full leather and would field

jaffer/dk
sehwag
laxman (coz he looked good for more, so no. 3)
sachin
gangly
Dravid (if he has to bat slow better be at this position but as i said with an ultimatum)
dhoni /(yuvraj in case DK gets opening slot)
zahir
rp
kumble
harbhajan (to share burden of kumble i wont place rookie here at this moment)

what will be your final xi...

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

SP,
Love the title of your post.
BTW, I not for Sehwag or any other batsmen just making up the numbers.
Lets go with a bowler.

straight point said...

what wold be your combination then OTT

Anonymous said...

Why do you guys give up on Dravid after everything he has done self-lesly for Indian cricket? He needs help... and somebody in the team which most specifically means Kumble needs to help him out during this phase.

Am sure you will also agree that India did not play their normal everyday brand of cricket... it was poor... that is not something which consistently happens either to the extend of what happened today. Dravid has being the most integral part of any Indian test win apart from Kumble... and his problems are India's biggest problems. Being pessimistic is not solving anything nor is it anything new... It was expected that India lose! So what are you adding? How different are you all from the main stream media which just goes by popular perception? Give me a break!!

Anonymous said...

sorry... consistently not happen to the extend that happened today

straight point said...

scorpy

observing the trends are not called pessimism...the changes in mindset don't happen over nite and we all saw this coming...

also

if you read my post carefully i mentioned that this is the time when dravid need support...so from where you come to the view that i was bashing him for nothing...your comments just baffled me...

Anonymous said...

SP, hey... I was not commenting on your post as such... so don't take it wrong... I was commenting on the six bloggers who generally share their views among us and especially the mainstream media which if you turn on the tv is braying for dravid's blood.

hey, sorry if that hurt you... it actually was not intended to your views as such... honestly.

Anonymous said...

am just asking for more patience... and realistically, this team or for the matter 80 or 90% of this team... this is their last tour! So whatever needs to be done is always a bit after and not right now! It doesn't make sense.

straight point said...

scorpy

don't be...chill out...

we need to show some patience alright, but at the same time we also need to keep any eye on results...

as i said in my post, one more bad day in office and the series will be gone...

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Soulberry said...

The title says it all. The balls went missing down under.

Cricket Guru said...

My XI for SCG test (in that order too):

Jaffer
Sehwag
Dravid
Tendulkar
Ganguly
Laxman
Dhoni
Kumble
Zaheer
Harbhajan
RP Singh.

VVS has played some useful knocks coming at 6. Plus he is adept at batting with tailenders, something others in the team cannot boast of.

Dravid at No. 3, form or the loss of it, notwithstanding!

Anonymous said...

Hey SP... wish you a very happy new year... cheers buddy

Soulberry said...

Happy new year to you SP. Zak isn't playing at Sydney...and batting is the same. Sharma or Pathan likely to play. Wotsay?

about me...

BCC!straight point (sp) is restless... relentless... but a fun loving guy... likes to live life to fullest... trying to discover himself through cricket... welcome to this little world of his...

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