who is test specialist...?

shared by straight point on Monday, April 12, 2010

there are many players who get labeled as 'test specialists'... coz it is perceived their game... their temperament suits more to the longer format of the game rather than the shorter format...

from past... players like rahul dravid faced consistent scrutiny through out their LOI career despite scoring ten thousand runs... to the present one murali vijay who is denied opportunities for the same perception... though both have and are playing some scintillating t20 innings... the shortest format... without much altering their game... but for the prejudice...

on the other hand there are players like our own jatman, virender sehwag, who despite their tailor made game for shorter (or shortest version) are more successful in the longer format of the game...

just coz their strike rate is higher in short format and when stars align perfectly in sky they play some match winning knocks too... they get away with most of the things... despite leaving their team high and dry coz of their 'natural' game more often than not...

when we expect players like murali vijay, the so called test specialists, to adjust their game to the demands of shorter format and thereby team's interest... why we do not expect the same from players like sehwag...?

why we should not brand players like sehwag as 'test specialist' by same token...?

15 comments:

namya said...

Think what Viru does is that he tries to up his strike rate from tests to odis to t20s.. now when you starts with a base rate of 120 in tests, 200+ strike rate is going to ensure much more risks being taken.. If only he starts believing that 130-140 s/r is good enuff in T20 as well, all will be well..

Its like Infosys growing at 50% q on q on a small base but once the base has become larger, the rate of growth obv slows down..

namya said...

beg your pardon for the grammatical errors in the previous comment.

imemyself said...

Prejudice rules roost in all walks of life. Even after silencing the most with good T20 knocks, Dravid still needs to make a point in every match.

Sehwag is a very differect case. He was never great at ODI or T20s. He hits 1 match and goes silent for few matches. He always lacked consistency. But no one will question his credentials in T20s thats for sure.

Many so called test match specialists proved their worth in T20s but im very much disappointed with VVS. He has all the attributes to score 30s or 40s at a decent rate of 130s. But he tries too much and ends up in wrong side. Hope he plays atleast one good knock in his last IPL this year.

straight point said...

agree cent percent with you on this namya... this is exactly what happening with viru and then he comes up and says he plays his natural game...

when he is puts himself under undue pressure to have 200 strike rate where his game remains natural...?

all this when he says he being cautious in shot selection... :)

straight point said...

but i questioned him imemyself... :)

the thing is if somebody can stuff some sense in virus head that instead of trying to outdo himself... if he just plays the way he plays in tests he will be more consistent in shorter format with equal devastating effect...

on another hand we have test specialist like dravid, kallis and murali scoring at brisk pace without compromising on technique and shot selection...

Soulberry said...

Viru takes his tests a little more seriously than LOIs. But that can never explain his better performances in tests where you can have slips, different bowling lines and angles and field placings in the outfield. I will never understand how he contrives to fail (relatively only) in LOIs.

But the nett effect of all this is that his success in tests shines brighter.

I don't know...only he can tell how it works with him. is it all in his mind...does he think at A pace in tests and at B pace in LOIs? maybe B pace of thinking clutters his mind which helikes to keep clear from ball to ball.

But only he can tell, we are just guessing.

We must read the concerned passage in John Wright's book, and what led him to grab Sehwag's collar to understand a little more about this Sehwagian phenomenon.

straight point said...

to add to your comment sb... the sehwag the feared is coz what he does in tests... so when one says he is match winner in reference to LOIs, T20 a lot of that impression is coz of what he has done in tests...

i tend to believe when all reasoning with sehwag was over... wright did what he did... out of sheer frustration of a true potential... and if the seasoned player, coach and person like wright can do this to sehwag... one can really sense the acuteness of his frustration seeing him throwing away without caring a damn...

kanda said...

The God and The Religion are not answerable to general public.The deliverance will fall on the mankind only when they see us deserve. ;-)

Hey thanks for blogrolling me.

kanda

straight point said...

but kanda... all we want is he is answerable to his self, team and the immense potential he has...

it's my pleasure to blog-roll you... :)

Golandaaz said...

Viru is a test specialst. He thrives in that format. He is totally 'turned on in a test match. he also reads a test match situation better than he reads an ODI / T20 situation.

He would like us to believe that his batting is about see-ball hit ball, but i don't buy that. He seems a brilliant student of the test match format.

as someone who enjoys watching him play, i don't care much for his T20 or LOI batting. I think he too doesn't care about it. It just appears that way. The complexities of the LOI game seem to turn him off. the powerplays, the spread out fields seem to be a put off for him.

Bottom line, I agree with you SP 100%. Viru for me is the ultimate test match player and i would much rather see a Vijay open for india at the T20 WC. He seems more hungry that Viru

straight point said...

exactly hunger is the key word here golandaaz...

i also agree with you that odi cricket seems bit complicated to him and he still has not come terms with the pace he should approach his innings while tests are clear from the very beginning to him on how to approach his innings...

but the bottom line is if he does not seem interested (or do not care that much) why waste a place...? why not give it to a player who is hungrier and eager to learn tricks of trade...?

vmminerva said...

Thank you for making the point on branding players. It is sad but true that some who adapt don't get the credit they deserve as imemyself points out.

Sehwag is a different story altogether. Either he isnt taking the T20 too seriously or he's looking for a 250+ strike rate. Going by the second token, look at Uthappa with a 250+ strike rate this IPL. Look at his average and that doesnt look too good. Sehwag needs to make up his mind if he wants to be an impact player (that he's capable of) or a fancy strike rate player.

@Namya, liked your comparison to Infosys' q-on-q growth.

straight point said...

thanks vm...

not even in t20 he goes unwarranted strike rate in odis too and hence is more prone to untimely dismissals that explains his not so successful stints in t20 as well as ODIs compared to tests... coaches have come and gone but nobody could stuff senses in him on how to play in short format...

what happens is that his form start to reflect in his test batting and then it becomes very difficult for him...

its time we look beyond him and go for the player who is, as i said, more hungrier and eager to play... and let sehwag concentrate on tests as he is the key to india's success there...

Anil Singh said...

SP you have raised a good point.Actually Test batsman is a specialist in any form of game. As he is a notebook player and that's why more than anyone he's the one who can adapt to any format of the game.

The perfect examples are Kallis, Dravid, Murali Vijay.

Let I give you an example from my college days. Although I was not a good player of cricket. I used to play with my friends. I have found that most of them were not very sound in batting technique, but when it comes to hit a tennis ball to the boundary they managed to send it there. They will hit a few six and fours and then get out. So although they can't play for 50 overs with that zeal, they definitely do so for 8 or 9 balls.

What I see is, in T20 too, technically sound players will start to rule.

straight point said...

why not include sachin in the list too anil... :)

but you have put it beautifully... some of delhi batsmen are not even looking to survive beyond 8/9 balls and consumed with obsession of sending every ball in orbit even if the situation demand some common sense...

and the biggest let down is sehwag... who despite being the senior most member of delhi team is showing zero commitment...

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