one bad outing it takes...

shared by straight point on Wednesday, November 18, 2009

for the commentators to start their tongues wagging... that selectors should look for an alternative for the second test match when even the second innings of the first match is yet to begin...

no denying the fact that amit mishra is having an awfully bad day... but where were these ravi shashtri and company when they saw bhajji bowling dart after another but pretend to look the other way...

such is the protection shield around bhajji that even though he bowl shit nobody will comment on his bowling coz he is a 'world class' spinner... a 'turbunator' when the fact is that even on spin friendly wickets he failed to make an impression... not coz his skill has vanished but is afraid to do so as he has an image to protect...

for the man who was kept on the benches for past six months or so... and even when it was clear that he won't take any part in home series against australia was not released to play domestic games to keep himself match fit... when you don't require more that 12-13 players to be present in dressing room and even a local lad can come and field as substitute...

on a dead pitch where even the likes of murli's experience went for runs... and could have gone for more had we not lost so much wickets upfront... calling for a head of a bowler based on his maiden outing after months when second innings is still due is bit rich...

go mishra go... so weak is the threshold of the rope given to you that anything less than running through the ranks of sri lankan team in second innings won't be enough to keep your place in the team...

32 comments:

Nathan said...

Yeah, its rather unlucky for Mishra, especially when M. Jayawardene has Bhajji's number on freaking speed dial. They just passed 450, great knocks from Dilshaan and Jayawardene to counter Dravid and Dhoni.

I've got to ask though, what is so wrong with lively pitches? Honestly, a flat-track batter's dream is great every now and again but still...

I just really hope they've put the bounce back in the WACA for when I get to go watch the West Indies play.

Gaurav Sethi said...

Even Shastri outdid himslef today, now we just need SMG to pitch in a bit, or has he already?

Incredible that he replaced Bhajji in SAF and then Bhajji was back just like that for the Aus series.

For Bhajji the break in SAF, as for Ishant against Aus, was a breather.

Their ghosts will bowl for the Indian team. That's a given.

By keeping Ojha, Mishra and even Chawla on edge, rotating them, you not only undermine their confidence, but boost Bhajji's.

And then both Ojha and Mishra have to contend with Bhajji the batsman.

By next year Chawla will be back. That's what will keep Bhajji gng.

straight point said...

nathan... authorities wants the test match to last distance to cover for tv ads... gate money if any... etc forgetting the fact that if the matches will pan out like run feast one after another anyways the interest will die down...

they do lip service about test cricket every now and then but cant see and do anything about this obvious fact...

but on the other hand... where are batsmen who can last on five days on lively pitches...? :)

straight point said...

scathing but true comment nc...

spinners must revolve around bhajji the bat not bhajji the spinner he has become...

so you wont even count on the fact that which other spinner ran thru on this match... that mishra even after being hit around bot afraid to toss the ball... and the very fact that if you dont have patience with wrist leg spinner who by nature are attacking then you better settle for the bowlers who roll the arm over in disguise of spin...

to be very frank i hv not heard sunny in this match but remember his statement when he egged bhajji to score a century in test... and not to take another five-for... tells you the real story...

Nathan said...

SP,

So true, so frustratingly true...

And sure, not many would last the 5 days at first but I think they'd learn to cope!

NC,

And whilst they're in the reserve they can't keep honed in the domestic and can't prove themselves in the international.

It makes you wonder if delusion is a job requirement for selectors worldwide.



And how these bowlers up to 15 NBs?? Compared to 4?? Gotta stop the eight ball overs.

straight point said...

yes nathan... they will learn to cope... i still believe these sporting pithces will sort out many pretenders and flat track bullies who exists in every team...

for the last part of your comment... my tube light is still blinkering... :)

Ankit Poddar said...

so apt there, SP!

why only mishra infact, every spinner in the ranks except bhajji gets a raw deal! ojha was supposedly the best spinner for 2009, but he doesn't find place in any indian XI!

thanks to the 'aura' around bhajji!

straight point said...

thanks ankit...

yes 'aura' around bhajji is better phrase...

and why would ojha find a place in indian team as spin bowler... can be bat..?

scorpicity said...

Mishra was awful but then it is also a fact that he has not been playing much cricket stuck on the benches of the Indian itinerary. It is his first match in a long time.

Besides, some of the fast bowlers continue to be rubbish.

My thoughts on Bhajji are well documented LOL.

straight point said...

indeed scorpy...

tho i would like to see the mud on their face if mishra happens to take some wickets in second innings...

that's why i said its bit premature to talk about a bowler when second innings is yet to begin...

btw how's blog shaping up...?

Nathan said...

Honestly, Mishra's stats weren't really any worse than Bhajji's. His economy rate was better and there was only the one lucky wicket that went Harbhajan's way. That said, no one in the bowling today really wow'd or dominated.

straight point said...

its the collective failure nathan... then why singling out one bowler only...?

its pretty clear that ishant is not at the top of his game form and fitness wise both... but even then he was preferred over sree... but we are struggling with this selection prejudices for quite a long time now...

dhoni and co. are refusing to see beyond certain set of players...

Nathan said...

Yes, a collective failure; no one wow'd, no one dominated, no one could really impede the runs, even.

I didn't mean to isolate one player :X Was just trying to point out, Mishra and Bhajji did about the same as each other so it wasn't really fair to isolate either of them!

(Btw, just started up own blog, The Prindiville End. Nothing really there yet, but I'll have something up later tonight :D)

Homer said...

Am I the only one who thought Bhajji was bowling way way better than his ODI version? And that Amit Mishra was more intent on stubbing his own toes with the ball than ripping it across the bat face?

Case in point, Mishra's first 3 deliveries to Prasanna Jayawardene.. All googlies, all bowled short. Given that the leg side is Jayawardene's strong suit and the leg side had only 3 fielders and the ball was coming slowly off the track, it begs the question - was Mishra unlucky or did he not put enough thought into his bowling?

Cheers,

scorpicity said...

Homer... Mishra was total rubbish today. He had a bad outing. Surely this doesn't warrant some of the commies fueling suggestions on dropping him for the next test. Right?

scorpicity said...

Sp... No further work done on the blog... Looking for a nice break at work to sneak in some work for fizz. So far holding up nicely and I got the backup done as per your suggestion. Worked like a charm. Thanks.

Homer said...

Scorpi,

Make that two bad days..And he does not seem to learn..look at the number of half trekkers he bowled..

Cheers,

Wasim said...

SP

A spinner can't afford to have a bad day on a placid pitch against the likes of Mahela.

Indian pacers were already struggling before this series so what was the point in preparing a flat track, to make matters worse the spinners also decided not to show up.

It will be an uphill task for the Indian batting line up to survive against Murali on the last day.

straight point said...

nathan... when i said why singling out mishra only... i dint meant it directly to you but to the ones who were on air... :)

thanks for the link... nice to see you have started your own blog... looking fwd to it with much anticipation...

straight point said...

homer...

look at this way if by bowling that badly he can still have the economy rate better or equal to bhajji i will take him anyday over bhajji who according to you bowled way way better...

give mishra the confidence and backing as much as bhajji is getting and he will show you far better result...

straight point said...

thanks and cheers scorpy...

nice to learn that you were able to take backup safely... looking fwd to more cricket fizz now...

Homer said...

Sp,

I thought Test cricket was about taking wickets and not economy rates !

"give mishra the confidence and backing as much as bhajji is getting and he will show you far better result..." - well , I talked up Mishra when no one was talking about him but that does not mean that he gets the allowance to bowl tripe and get away with it.

And the Bhajji argument is neither here nor there. Bhajji and Mishra have both played in the Test series versus Australia and in NZ - Bhajji is our first choice spinner in ODIs.

So where is the lack of confidence or backing? And if after bowling 49 overs into the innings, he still continues to bowl too short or too full, he is being his own worst enemy.

Cheers,

straight point said...

thou i agree with you largely wasim that spinner should bowl better lines but anybody can have bad day and you have to take that in stride too...

but what was more appalling was that only one bowler was singled out when the reality is everybody bowled below par...

ishant is bowling around 125... zak is bowling from short runup and already throwing underarm... bhajji for being the no.1 spinner of india is going for more economy rate than mishra and still its mishra who has been made to seen the culprit...

as i said elsewhere now the flatness of the pitch is the thing which will help us save this match now... if we manage to draw that is... ironical but true... :)

straight point said...

homer...

and as i have already said i am not for once saying that he dint bowl badly...

i brought up the economy issue only to highlight that both should be judged on same ground... nothing more nothing less...

jarry said...

Well, let's leave Mishra out of this. What has Bhajji done to deserve further selection? In the last few years? Answer that without brining in the TINA factor. Pragyan Ojha has show great promise - atleast try him out before saying nobody can replace Durbajan Singh(Durby, for short). And yes, drop Durby because Mishy deserves one more chance. Two bad days or one bad day - it is one bad test. If people have to be moved out because of one bad test, Durby should have been dropped atleast 23times now in the past few years.(dont come back with research on India played only 12 tests in last 3 years, so how could Durby have played 23 tests. The numbers are just an illustration. Enough evidence available that Durby has been mediocre for India for a looooo..ong loooo..ooong time now)

And yes, Ishant is being given a loooo..ong rope. Why dont you try Sreesanth? I think people do not understand that when one person is given such a long rope, and you are given only one chance, so obviously your confidence is not what it should be. Some like Warne just require one chance - they are the freaks, all time greats. But you dont need 5 all time great bowlers in your team - 4 decent ones should do. And when Ishant is not even reaching that 'decent' level, nothing wrong in giving Sreesanth half the rope that Ishant got - say give him 5-6 tests blanket and ask him to deliver. If he fails, fine, he is no better than Ishant. Discard him forever. But dont keep saying TINA factor for Ishant and Bhajji for years together...

straight point said...

welcome jarry...

on contrary i agree wholeheartedly with you...

if we keep dropping players for one bad performance than we will end up playing musical chair... of late we are made to believe that bhajji is the leading and only spinner left in our ranks worth salt... but the reality is far from it...

i will take ojha anyday over bhajji but the thing is they are not comepeting with bhajji the bowler but bhajji the bat... but if only bhajji does his primary role better we probably wont even require him with the bat!

ishant has been mediocre for too long and had been given very long rope... if only players like sree, ojha, mishra given half the backing we can have bench strength to die for... but not... we will always stick to fixed set of players come what may and however mediocre they have been...

and then later one day dhoni will have press conference and say where is the bench strength to choose from...?

not even funny...

Nathan said...

Guess who just saved his test career?

"DPMD Jayawardene b Mishra 275 (435b 27x4 1x6) SR: 63.21"

Mishra, that's who!

straight point said...

hahaha...

nathan did you notice that when mishra got mj's wicket guess what dhoni did...?

take mishra out of attack and bring bhajji back so that he can take some cheap wickets and make his bowling analysis look better... its getting so damn obvious and cheap...

Soulberry said...

Ouch! SP man, both bowled tonnes of shy ite. I have never seen an Indian spinner on the defensive in India...not even when Pakistan at times had a go at them.

Bhajji must be on the brink...when Ravi speaks that way, be alert! Very alert!

I hope Mishra gets another chance to redeem himslef after this...difficult to erase this from memory but Mishra isn't a Shaun Udal. Bettern' he is Amit.

straight point said...

haven't you following bhajji of late sb...? :)

if bad one match is yardstick to drop a player then bhajji should have been dropped a while back...

the thing is next match is at kanpur which is more or less the same track as the mortera is... and if he dont pick wickets in that match too, never mind the strip, this will be as long a rope mishra will get... provided he plays next match that is...

raj said...

already there are murmurs of Ojha replacing...Mishra!

straight point said...

raj...

basically i don't have problem with ojha replacing mishra provided they show consistency in implementing it...

so all i want is that they drop every player from now on for one bad performance... as a measure of consistency... and not pick and chose the culprit...

am i asking too much...?

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