though you might be thinking that i am indicating to the 2-0 soopda saaf (white wash) of australia in the latest edition of border gavaskar trophy... err... teri maa ki series as we call it on bored... and you won't be too off the mark...
but i am talking about the satisfaction of a different kind...
the satisfaction of next-gen looking capable of taking the charge as and when the time will come to hand over the baton...
i am sure the seniors of team india, past and present, will not only be immensely proud on winning the series this way but deep down they will be even more happy in knowing the fact that baton will get passed on to the capable hands... the legacy will keep going...
murali vijay in first and second innings... and the moment cheteshwar pujara (CHE) stepped in at no.3... he ensured the game was team india's by the time he left the crease for sachin to take over... and it was only fitting that two veterans of the team gave finishing touches to the comprehensive win... the soopda saaf...
kumble, when he took over as test captain, made a very big and important statement... as future course for team india... that he would want india to play to win taking pitch out of equation... and when i saw him in stands applauding cheteshwar pujara, i could sense how mightily pleased he must have been seeing it happening for actual in front of him... the satisfaction on his face could be seen and felt even from the distance... transcending the live stream straight to the heart...
so sleep well today... not only for that we have established yet again that why there is no other team right now that deserve no.1 spot more than team india for we don't depend on toss... or fixed eleven to win matches as this series has shown... but sleep well knowing that we have the next-gen players who have it in them to ensure many such wins in future once the baton... the legacy... will be passed on to them when their time will come...
satisfaction!
shared by straight point on Wednesday, October 13, 2010
can india do bit differently at bangalore...?
shared by straight point on Thursday, October 07, 2010
after the thrilling finale of mohali test all eyes are now on bangalore test... and rightly so... the farce for a test series is still living up to its hype and fans from both sides can't wait for the next test to begin...
should india go for the kill and whitewash the series 2-0 to silence its critics or can selectors show some balls by distancing themselves from the hype of expectations and take stock of things...?
did i say stock of things...? what is there to take stock of... you say...?
well... you will know in a minute...
murali has shown in past that he has this un-flustered temperament about him... that is why he could fit in the side seamlessly in short notice in past... plus he is high on confidence now so i don't think there is much to dispute his selection as sehwag's partner...
ishant's place will be replaced by sreesanth and more than his bowling we might miss him for his rear-guard play when he bats... which tells us a lot about the kind of bowling ishant is dishing apart from his consistent over-stepping problem that can make even dilhara fernando proud...
india has nothing to lose as far as this series goes... even if they lose the next test... we will retain the border-gavaskar trophy... as well as the no.1 status... but being bit more proactive we can still gain something out of bangalore tests... in real sense...
this leaves us only one place where i would like selectors to use their discretion and look for future at the same time...
however much one wants to see vvs bat after mohali test... it will be nothing short of a risk india could ill afford given the number of tests we are going to play in near future...
so i would give vvs the precautionary rest... and replace him with cheteshwar pujara and play him at no.3 with dravid taking the spot vacated by vvs laxman...
the reason being... dhoni is not in greatest of form these days... his test batting is regressing by each outing... so having che and raina followed by dhoni will be bit of a risk and i think dravid's experience will be best used there...
of whatever little i saw of che in field... he appears to be a good close-in fielder... stays low till the last possible moment... no hurried movements... and more importantly looks relaxed... no wonder he took a very good catch fielding there... plus he is coming at the back of mountain of runs on every platform he has been given the opportunity to perform... so its time he is given the nod to see what he brings in to the table...
as i said... india has nothing to lose... not the series... not the border-gavasker trophy... not even the no.1 position... on the other hand we can test how murali, sreesanth (who is making bit of comeback in test team) and of course che cope with the pressure when oz will be trying their best to make a comeback in the series...
to me its another god send opportunity (after they missed on the bangladesh tour) with a win-win situation for us as well as che & co. and if we can use this opportunity to provide them glorified net-practice against exhausted australia team i think we must enchash it... until unless we want to have bragging rights on them for a while and lose focus on the impending transition...
we are heading towards a potential vacuum...
shared by straight point on Wednesday, January 06, 2010
amongst the hoopla, if any, of tri-nation series... five wise men quietly slipped a note of test team selection to the media... with only sudeep tyagi being the lone fresh face in the test team which will tour bangladesh and even his inclusion is debatable...
one would have thought that selectors will show their cards and announce players they have marked as the successors of our legends in the middle order... we will get the glimpse of whether rohit sharmas, badrinaths, CHE'teshwer pujaras etc. have it in them to replace legendary names of test cricket in a time to come... but selectors decided to keep the cards close to their chest as if they were afraid of exposing them...
our seniors are not getting younger by the day... yuvraj has still not shown definite signs that he really belongs to the test arena... and if our selectors cannot use this opportunity to inject some young blood then one fears whether we are heading towards a potential vacuum when suddenly we will have to find replacements to not only fill the vacant slots but performers who can keep the team momentum going... against much tougher opponents than bangladesh...
unlike changes... the transition is not going to happen overnight and we must use opportunity like this to not only give platform to the next gen to showcase talent but also make them aware that they are looked upon as future of indian test cricket so that they can keep focus and prepare accordingly...
there were two choices in front of our selectors... whether to reward seniors some easy runs for the efforts they have put in to scale team india the test summit... or use this opportunity to test the waters...
no point for guessing which option they chose... and this precisely is the concern...
India Win and 'Tabooed' Transition...
shared by straight point on Monday, August 04, 2008
Congratulation India!!
...for you have mastered the art of coming from behind...so much so that it has become a design...
opposition team have not caught up with this yet...but i am sure they will know in time that while winning is not bad thing...but on their way to victory they must ensure that margin of victory should not be humiliating or else you know what happens next...
we never play cricket better when we are favorites...if you are still in doubt you can see countless examples of how we win one outstandingly only to loose another outstandingly too...
you should win like there was an outside chance of india victory too...by this way we will remain at our same 'level of intensity' and lo...you have formula of how to win series against india...
but before you start to come to feel that this post is about how to win against india...let me warn you that this is not about it...
this is about next couple of series...this is about our phasing out of fat-fours...
this is about when india will make the transition...
how i was waiting for this victory to write this post...coz had it not happened...this post would have lost its purpose...its meaning...for it would have been outrightly discarded and dusted as another rant...
so here it goes...
is india sitting on a time-bomb waiting to explode...?
we all know how once australia faced this time bomb when it suddenly exploded on them and its repercussions...they could over come it coz they had willing administers to fight it out and excellent system...to fall back on...
india too is slowly but surely approaching to a stage when same will happen to us also...
its not that our youngsters are not performing...or our cupboard is bare...
badrinaths...rohits...tiwaries to name a few are waiting in the wings and wondering when their time will come
win at j'berg came from our bowlers mainly...sree santh's effort with ball and that six of nell is still fresh in memory so is vrv's effort with the bat...
DK was one of highest scorer for india against england...only century came from kumble...with dhoni gusting out at lords to safe guard us from definite defeat...
we won at perth and pathan first with bat then with ball contributed as much...
gambhir seems to be on mission...and the way he has stood against the might of M&M is heartening...so our youngsters too have been contributing...
not to forget one and only sehwag since his re-birth of late...he has been at his smashing best...
it looks like india plays on two strips at the same time...one on which sehwag plays and one on which rest...
now before you jump on me saying that sehwag is no way youngster now...you are missing the point...its about our fab fours...and their contributions...and how long we are ready to go with them...
'the wall' is not what it used to be...
consistent injuries is keeping sachin to be at his best consistently...
vvs looks so bemused by his dismissals that it has become his permanent expression...
and in all this ganguly has been...well...ganguly...chipping in here and there to keep himself floating...
but how long...
when your best is not best to either save or win a match then my question is how long should or can india keep on affording your 'best'...
irrespective of we win...loose or draw this series...our combination is going to be same...
yes i am saying this despite me predicting before...that this series will make at least one spot available in middle order...but i know also that our selectors wont dare that as yet...coz our next assignment is gonna be aussies...
so when we will sit and ponder on the taboo word 'transition'...
macgrath and warne bid adieu when they were playing at thier best and winning...IPL too showcased that they are still the best...but if they were from subcontinent...i bet they would have been still playing...
there is something in our water that things works differently here...
that RD and SG (and even VVS?) are still harboring the thoughts of returning to ODI fold is the best exemplified fact to gauge the psyche...
so selectors will have to take call on their own...they wont be eased...they wont be assisted...to take decisions on their careers...
as for me...
england is scheduled to visit india after oz and i seriously believe irrespective of oz series results...though win will be even more perfect... that series will be the best time when we can introduce one (if not two) middle order bat...
will we take the decision...or wait till it explode...?
the time is ticking...
