team india performace review...

our bowlers need helpful conditions to be successful...

our batsmen don't...

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what last 'draw' test tells us about team india chances in australia...

thank you golandaaz of 'opinion of cricket'... his latest post "India v Australia - An Early Preview" made me write at sp after a long time...

i liked the way he concluded the post...

Not all wins are equal. Neither are losses. Some loses reveal a lot more than we are willing to read into. India's 4 Test match losses in England were not just shocking and humiliating but it also served an indicator of many collective missteps that no one is willing to talk about. Also a win-loss transaction is not a zero sum game. What England gained from the 4 wins, India lost far more than that. England simply confirmed their standing, India brushed the loss aside as "bad luck" and swept their real problems under the carpet. India are no longer as good as they were a year back and it will show in Australia.

specially the last line... to me india is not as good as year back was so profoundly revealed in last test against west indies team... we somehow managed a 'draw' while weakened west india team was further weakened by injury to their captain sammy... we managed draw against west indies which was reduced to only three front line bowlers and a part timer in samuels at home on such a pan cake of a pitch where a debutant, well almost, in ashwin who is not even a proper batsman scored almost run a ball...

imagine if sehwag not made those runs he did upfront at the pace only he scores... we either would have lost or played for a draw... and that's the pinching reality...

it seems that its written in the contracts of our illustrated seniors that run making has to be left to sehwag they can just carry on doing things at their own pace and comfort...

in england we suffered from this aspect more than anything... there was no one in the team that could have forced the issue or arrest the slump despite no one from our illustrated seniors looked out of form there...

at the twilight of their careers they need the push from upfront more than ever and its not a joke if india looks like batting on different pitch once sehwag departs... so our chances in australia lies how well sehwag plays for if he fails there we might have a repeat of england... in spite of having the experience of more than 37000 test runs and more than 100 centuries at our disposal between fab 3 at the other end and dhoni stubbornly refusing to improve as a test bat...

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dravid hyperbole...

dravid contrary to perception is one of the most aggressive... most ruthless player one would come across...

only his method is different...

when players like sehwag will smash you to submission... dravid will kill you step by step to the point that you will stop seeing light... you will yearn for the mercy... he will sap your last ounce of energy... he will kill all the hope that gave you the reason to keep coming back... and then he will kill that reason too... slowly but surely...

dravid is the kind of torture tale that one reads... that how late one kept his victim alive while torturing him by taking one limb at a time...

but of late he looked like the victim of the walls that he built around himself... he would often get the start but then the torture was as equal on him as on his fans... he showed some sparks in between but those were too far too few...

the questions were being asked and rightly so... so in that regard... he could not have timed his two centuries more perfectly... for his sagging career...

suddenly you can see pundits are falling over one other to get the dravid pie... the wall that seen as crumbling has suddenly taken a new lease of life... like tendulkar he too seems to have got the 'second wind'... not many thought was possible given his struggles in doing things that was his second nature...

but on the back of two successive centuries... now everybody is hailing him as the ultimate crisis man...some even went on to proclaim that he is the lone crisis man in the team...

as if all this while when dravid wasn't performing... team india didn't face any crisis at all...

all this while team virtually carried him on the hope that dravid will show his class... and when he has started to show it... is it necessary to praise his contribution at the cost of ones that helped him stay in the team for as long as he did... at the cost of those who gave all the space he needed to perform the way he is performing now...?

why it is necessary to belittle the contribution of one to show the greatness of other...?

ps: just saw the tweet that dravid is recalled to the one day team... well well... india, it seems, has already started preparation for next world cup...

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are you ready to look ugly...?

most of times even in test matches you get batting beauties for pitches... at least for first three days... where ball will come onto bat nicely... quick out field and lots of open spaces coz captains won't look 'attacking' if they don't place catching fielders even on most patta wickets... with not very threatening bowlers around...

so you will get value for your shots... look very 'positive' and pundits will fall over one another in singing praises for you...

but along with patta wickets sometimes you will encounter pitches where scoring will be difficult... the bounce will be uneven... ball will rise off length... and off same length refuse to rise above knee level... scoring off square will get increasingly difficult and you will realise the shots on bounce, you are so fond of playing, have dried up... there will be lots of nudges... the ball will land in slip cordon on one tip... the shots won't have the timing you are known for... even half decent bowlers will trouble you... basically the pitch where you will not feel in... until you are really in...

what you will do...?

are you ready to look ugly...?

sabrina park was classic pitch of the mold where if you wanted to be in... you would have to be prepared to look ugly... the classic examination of not only your talent... temperament... but your humbleness in accepting the fact that boss... here i will have to give a quarter to bowlers first...

kohli's little innings was classic example in this regard...

he wanted to play flowing cover drives... he wanted to show that he can carry his odi form to the test arena... he wanted to show he can still be positive... but he was not ready to look ugly... despite being in clear discomfort against short balls... he wanted to show he was not... rather than let the phase pass by quietly letting the ball go above his shoulder by ducking humbly underneath... he wanted to show he can ride on it...

forgetting that, sometime in a test match, ducking too is quite a good option... it not only wears the bowlers out quickly... but force him to try something different... seeing that you are not being as disturbed by it as he wanted you to be...

not everybody can play like dravid... not in slower terms of scoring... but on how to let the moments of indiscretion pass without minimum harm... force bowlers to bowl to your strengths... and when you have stayed there enough... unleash yourself on tiring bowlers... or till match situation demands it to go for leather...

there was live example in front of some of our players who still think... its rather better to look 'positive' than look... struggling... ugly...

hope next time... when they will encounter similar situations... pitches... they will be better prepared... for not for nothing we call it... 'test' matches...

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when dady bat... kids watch...

as you grow up... your body slows you down... what you used to do in a flash even in a subconscious state... increasingly requires a conscious effort... your reflexes that stayed by you like a true lover... start to part with you in search of a young companion...

you start to look more and more ugly doing your job and youngsters around you only enhance the effect... of effort... the predicament... in the watchful, glaring eyes of camera... fans...

in that light one has to see rahul dravid's latest 100...

it is not a coincidence that of all the batsmen struggling to score on this pitch... there is just only one centurion... rahul dravid...

the problem with class not being uprooted with youth of today in team india is that even when class is not at the top of its game... its giving you a hundred in most precarious situation... and who knows... win you match too that is played over five days of intense scrutiny...

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how do you feel about the stalemate...?

so InSaf ho gaya... and we tied the test series 1-1 with south africa...

before the series started not many gave chance to team india but ended up saying they could have pressed more to create history... this is as lop sided assessment as one could get...

before the series started... there were customary or shall i say phony talks of bouncy pacy wickets that will test this 'aging' line up... how india will be cream rolled coz they don't know how to play short bowling etc etc... the talks that creates headlines before every series only to melt into oblivion after the series is over...

so how do you feel about the stalemate now...?

would you boast about the fact that south africa with arguably the best bowling attack in the form of life... with the pitches of their liking... could not press matter beyond a point...

that with all the class and pluck... they could not get pass that 'aging' line up in their own backyard...

that india with arguably the thinnest bowling line-up were in a position to actually win the series against the batting line-up that consist of some of the best in business in the comforts of homely conditions...

that despite the goof-up, even before the first ball of series were to be bowled, from the bcci in the form of accepting/finalising such itinerary in first place and selectors doing the icing on cake act with the kind of selection blunders only they can manage and getting paid for it... and yet despite all those hiccups team india not only surmounted the challenges from the opponent but also from a bigger opponent at home... their own board... their own selectors...

south africa had all they wanted to upset indians... but they would or rather should be the first to admit that their best of best was not good enough against the grit of team india... that despite all the requisite armory in their tank they could achieve only a stalemate... to show for their efforts...

if left to me i would say... gautam gambhir's performances on the proteas tour epitomizes team india in all possible ways...

before the start of the series... there were doubts raised about gambhir's technique and temperament...

it was gambhir's first tour of south africa where even the best in business have come short before him... first innings started with 'look what we said'... but by the time tour ended... lots of those doubts were put to bin... step by step... innings by innings...

gambhir emerged with an enhanced and enviable reputation... and so did team india...

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curious case of cheteshwar pujara...

since his debut che's (as we fondly call him at bored) case is getting bit curious with his each outing...

his debut innings dismissal was strikingly unlucky...

in his second innings he impressed everybody with his temperament and stroke play and played a decisive knock which helped india whitewash australia...

and yesterday he received the delivery which was almost unplayable...

in between some freak or unlucky dismissals he has impressed pundits and fans alike and shown enough glimpses that he belongs to the highest arena... test cricket... without a decent score to show for the efforts...

mind you, though pujara's average at domestic level is very good, but it is also a factor that he would not have played anything resembling the quality of bowling at display that too overseas at as difficult a place as south africa where even many best at business have come short...

he still has second innings at newlands, capetown to post a decent score to wave off some doubts that might be creeping in the mind of those that matter most... selectors... but given the quality of bowling he will have to counter on the fourth innings at a wearing pitch of a series decider match for who the no.1 team in the world is... one can easily understand the pressure...

at one time he has shown enough promise... but at the same time his honeymoon period might be running off faster than one would like to believe... and given that we won't play tests for quite some time and there is world cup in between where players like raina, kohli, rohit sharma etc can stake claims with their good performances at the world stage...

how many more chances pujara will get if he were to fail again in the fourth innings at capetown...?

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when getting dropped is not a setback...

come durban test... and we might see a very talented cricketer in suresh raina being dropped for another talented player... cheteshwar pujara...

but this post is about suresh raina...

recent failures of suresh raina has not been well received... pundits have already started calling him limited overs cricket bully not suited for test cricket...  his perennial problems against short pitch bowling... his lack of foot work... basically you name it and he has that deficiency in his game...

for once i don't think he has any more short coming against short pitch bowling than the other talents around... its just that it has been hyped so much that he has fallen into no-man's land... the mind is cluttered with so many thoughts that it has started to infiltrate the functioning of his more strong skills... now more than the talent or skills it has become a question of temperament...

right now he seems to be in quandary whether to play a pull shot, he is perfectly capable of than most, or leave it... and in doing so isn't doing both... hence we saw him giving catching practice to slip cordon in centurion test... that was the shot of a man who wanted to leave it till last minute but played coz of instinct...

make no mistake... he has better footwork than most famed left-handers... he is one of the better players of spin... and has the skills that can change the complexion of the game by his sheer stroke play in just one session... given right dose of confidence and care... he could be the game breaker in the mold of gilchrist for india at no.6... but like many before him... he needs to find the right bearings to make a career in highest form of game... test cricket...

its only going to serve him good that he has been confronted with some uncomfortable questions at the very beginning of his test career and now knows exactly what it takes to be consistently successful at highest level... coz unlike one day cricket one can not get away in test cricket by just playing shots...

he needs to find his batting arc but for that he needs to be in relaxed and right frame of mind... which can only come from facing the same uncomfortable question again and again till it stops bothering you... once he will be able to make distinction of batting arc viz a viz which (short) ball to play and leave he will become that game-breaker at no.6 everyone wants in his team but only dreams about...

i know it is easier said than done but when playing at highest level was supposed to be easy...?

the same south africa tour last time saw another stalwart in virender sehwag getting dropped from team india... felt the pain of seeing team india playing from the idiot box in his own words... how he used that pain and how he has returned with vengence since then is a story worth telling...

so, if i were suresh raina, i won't see getting dropped from playing eleven as a setback... but a timely learning towards a long fulfilling journey...

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sachin tendulkar... the centurion...

they call him god...
i say let him stay human...
only then we will realise...
his feats are actually humanly possible... 

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in the realm of senses...

if you came here looking for Nagisa Ôshima's classic of same titled movie In the realm of Senses review... sorry to bother you... its about cricket...

first day at centurion of india vs south africa test series to be precise that will decide who is the second best team in the world... InSaf ho ke rahega...

it is very easy to dismiss india's performance on opening day as "oh! look how they would struggle in south africa coz these ain't roads..."

how india would struggle to keep straight face on sa pitches with bounce and pace... i would like to remind them that this was just the day one of fifteen days of competitive test cricket to come... remember we did the same to them with better results last time in johannesburg in similar circumstances... so just wait and relax...

if i say india were kanpoored at centurion it won't be an exaggeration...

but having said that... i was most disappointed by two performances...

our openers... sehwag and gambhir...

sehwag coz... if you see action replays of his dismissals of last fateful tour of sa that cost him his place... his dismissal in just the 2nd over of the match would just be that... action replay... which in turn means that he has not learned anything from his last experience... that you just can't play ball on the up so early in innings without taking the stock of things... when there is bit of movement and carry... as we witnessed yesterday...

before you jump on me and say "o come on... this is the way he bats.." i say it means that of late you are not watching sehwag bat in tests... or rather just watching him bat in evening highlight shows...

the sehwag of today is more patient than ever before... today's sehwag gives four-five overs to bowlers... leaves lots of balls outside off stump... let his eye in... take stock of the bowling and pitch and then unleash himself on balls that to him are boundary balls...

contrary to perception he is very shrewd cricketer and he must feel disappointed with his shot selection so early in his innings of a historical tour...

its one thing to accept the challenge and its completely another to blindly succumb to the billing of the most feared batsmen in indian lineup... the champion players don't walk into that obvious a trap... not on the second over of the match...

sehwag of yesterday was the sehwag of last south africa tour who was rightly dropped...

another disappointment came from gambir... who never looked like an opener of a no.1 test team... he looked very nervous from the start... appeared like cat on hot tin roof... and never looked like the partner of most lethal opening pair in cricket world today...

the conditions were no doubt difficult... but he never appeared that he belonged to the test on offer... and his eventual dismissal rather had the air of inevitability than anything else...

it remains to be seen how he compose himself coz i fear the damage could be deep than just the half-hearted poke... that eventually cost him his wicket... and a long walk back to some serious introspection...

this tour will go a long way in establishing gambhir as the true world class opening batsman or he will just simply chicken out... like his last dismissal...

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dhoni's curious stand on suresh raina's 'mental fatigue'...

first accept my sincere apology to talk about sundry matters like india vs south africa test series when the flavor of the moment is 'the asses'...

dhoni, after crushing new zealand in final test match of the test series, stood up for raina... and pronounced...

"If he doesn't get a break in the ODI series [after the first 2 games] then you have to [replace him]," Dhoni said. "He is at a point where he needs a break from cricket.

A 10 to 15-day break will really help him. He has played as much cricket as I have or most of other cricketers. He has played one more series in Zimbabwe. At times international cricket really drains you. More than the physical part it's always that mental part that is important. Unfortunately, most of the senior players are missing from the ODI series which means he had to play."

now no denying the fact that after dhoni, if any player that deserved the rest... it was suresh raina... he is the most busy player in team india, after dhoni, who has featured in almost all games without a break... but if he has really reached the 'tipping point' as mentioned by dhoni... why they continued to play him against no.8 team in the world...?

dhoni's excuse that they kept him playing thinking he would be given rest in one day series against new zealand don't cut the ice simply because why would you risk a fatigued player for three back to back five day games to limit team's potential when you have more fit and eager player in ranks in the form of cheteshwar pujara...?

as things stands now... if raina is not rested in later half of the odis (which i hope he will be) he is going to miss the first test against south africa in their home soil... and guess who will replace him...? cheteshwar pujara... in all probability...

this is baffling on many counts... if che is deemed capable enough to play in far tough conditions than the roads that were laid for new zealand test series at home... why he was not given an outing here instead of opting to include a player who is on the 'tipping point' as far as mental fatigue goes... hence, can be safely assumed, was not able to give his 100%... thereby limiting the potential of a team...?

dhoni himself acknowledged that india did not play to its potential in the test series against new zealand when he himself opted to do so...

another aspect is that if team management can decide who plays after selectors have done their job by selecting 15-16 players... can decide and announce more than a fortnight ago that so and so player will be rested... what was stopping the same think tank for doing it at home against a much lessor opponent...?

poor che... who had to spend time at bench when the roads were waiting for him to have a decent knocks against his name while a mentally fatigued player was allowed to keep playing to give him easy runs... but when the conditions will be more demanding... more challenging he will be picked to play coz the same fatigued player will be rested... and irrespective of whether che succeed or not will see his place being taken over again by the same player... who will come 'refreshed' after a well deserved break...

must say our team think tank has already made the forthcoming india vs south africa test series interesting without even a ball being bowled... at least for me...

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abhimanyu mithun deserves an explanation...

in my last post... is team india a one man army again..? the debate in comments section touched upon the arbitrary selections from our selectors...

the debate was on the way they have played musical chairs with pace bowlers and specially abhimanyu mithun who did more than ok against sri lanka... a tough assignment for any bowler there considering how good sri lanka are at home...

but instead of appreciating his performance there by the way of giving him more opportunities... they have done exactly the opposite... first they replaced jaidev unadkat with injured zaheer and now they have selected unadkat for the sa tour...

what message selectors wants to give a player like abhimanyu mithun...?

that now you are not even an option as fifth bowler...? is this the way our selection panel reward a decent performance against tough opponent in their own den...?

selectors are picking and dropping pace bowlers at random without any apparent logic... another case in point is the selection of umesh yadav... who is the surprise inclusion for sa tour...

may be it was the demand of team think tank... zaheer, nehra, gambhir, sehwag etc have spoken some nice words about yadav in past... as he is seen as india's answer to pace bowler that can give it back to opposition in short bursts...

but if he is going to tour south africa wouldn't it be good for yadav had they selected him for the one day series against new zealand to give him as much overs as possible against a competitive opposition in real match situations...?

south africa tour is seen as 'the tour' for team india... the series win there will go a long way in establishing credentials as the real no.1 test cricket nation... one would assume in such tours where there is lots at stake... there is no scope of passengers... every place would go to the player who can replace a first choice player in case of injury without much loss of balance or keep the first choice players on their heels...

mithun was such bowler who has performed in tough conditions but selectors have preferred a passengers in yadav and unadkat much like dhawal kulkarni who was considered good to be sent to the new zealand tour and forgotten afterwards without given a glance...

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is team india a one man army again...?

if you have come to read it thinking about certain sachin in mind... please don't even bother to read beyond this line coz this post is not about him...

its about zak... zaheer khan... when no one can...

Zaheer takes a wicket every 58.6 balls. Of all the bowlers who played for India and took 100 wickets or more; no one has a better strike rate. For reference Kapil stands @ 63.9, Kumble and Chandrashekhar @ 65.9 and Bedi @ 80.3

- facts courtesy opinions on cricket...

naturally when zaheer don't take wickets... india struggles... considering bhajji has refused to take the lead spinner role let alone the lead bowler... and ojha being a defensive bowler at best...

together they are not creating enough wicket taking opportunities and reasons are apparent... obvious...

india is playing with virtually non-existent second pace bowler... sree has been erratic at best... ishant struggling with fitness and form... and selectors not showing enough balls to look for pace bowlers beyond these two until unless forced by the way of injury...

this has resulted in a tremendous pressure on zak who is supposed to take wickets with new ball... with old ball... supposed to check the flow of runs and keep the one end going while the bowlers from other end seem more interested in creating bowling dots all over the pitch...

still zaheer's name is not taken in the same breath as his more pedigreed colleagues as the reason india rose to the summit of test ranking... but this rant is for another day...

unlike previous dominant forces... team india has adopted a different route to achieve results... their no-nonsense batting...

although test match advances coz of wickets but team india is consistently putting up huge totals or over coming it in no time which not only gives our bowler enough time to bowl opposition out but give an additional teeth of pressure of total on board...

australia becoming the first team to lose a test match in india despite putting up 450+ score in first innings recently is the case in point...

but this strategy backfires when pitches doesn't even have the semblance of life coz then it neutralises everything... one of the reason india could not force issues in current series with new zealand... on the likes of pitches where even a tailender in sree could play out 70 odd deliveries without looking much in trouble against the likes of vettori and company...

it seems that curator's and team india's missions are poles apart... that simply defies the endeavor of a world no.1 test ranking nation... that team india is no.1 despite all these limitations is testimony to its character, attitude, intent and mental strength...

but in short india can afford to have an off day from any bowler but zak... the fit zaheer could have still extracted the result from this track and there in lies the story...

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india should have gone for a win...

at the end of day four... india were reeling at 82 for six with a paltry lead of just 110 with all recognised batsmen gone but for VVS laxman... with irratic bhajji on crease with him...

now bhajji is no ishant... he is known more for the flamboyance than the assurity ishant exudes when he is at crease... not many gave team india a chance at the end of day four of even drawing this test let alone winning from that position considering the factors were stacked against team india...

india not only needed to score some runs to first achieve what they would have felt a safe total but in doing so needed to consume at least 40-45 overs out of 90 possible overs on final day... with only bowlers at other end of VVS... and make no mistake... no ishant to follow...

india managed to do exactly the same with bhajji century being icing on the cake... and of course we all know how VVS revel under these, now his patent, circumstances... shows a character of this team that invariably finds a player who puts his hand up and say 'i will do it'...

so basically india had about 45 overs to bowl out new zealand had they declared and considering the last hour is cut off to call a draw about 30 overs to be precise to make things happen on a track when no wicket fell in first session... knowing the fact that it was easy to shut the shop on this track which had no apparent demons in it... even on third session of the fifth day...

but we would take none of it... rather than applauding the fact that just in past three test matches india has come from the brink of an almost certain defeat twice... ended up winning one of them... we must criticise... question our team's intention... motive... character and take moralistic stands on things which are highly subjective...

if team india is special... we the fan are even more so...

so now, being the true fan of team india,  i too think that india should have gone for a win too, however improbable it might have been, and next time even if there are two overs left in the fifth day i would demand team india to declare and go for a win...

technically it takes just ten balls to achieve it...

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satisfaction!

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...

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talk about cricket fitness...

this is what murali vijay said after the end of day's play... after scoring a well deserved hundred...

"It was really special knock for me. I would like to dedicate this to my mom. It was a dream come true for me to play with Sachin. I was just focused on each ball and not try to think too far ahead. In that regard Sachin paaji helped me a lot. He gave me pep-talks through the day. After the tea I got tired; I didn't want to give my wicket away but ended up playing a bad shot. I am trying to just keep things simple and work on my basics; whenever I get my opportunities I want to do well."

this is a significant statement coming from a youngster of about 26 years of age just into international cricket... who batted alongside the veteran of 21 years of almost non-stop international cricket at the age of more than 37 year... and still batting as strong and as relaxed as if he has just come to crease... taking quick singles or twos with youngsters like murali... raina.... and later with dhoni... during his marathon innings of 190+

yes... age is just a number... right murali...?

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14000 reasons to salute sachin...

 they say he has been playing international cricket for about 21 years...

to me... he started batting at international level the momement he picked up the bat... its not sachin's fault that they don't play international cricket for that age...  so cricket waited patiently for him to become a teenager...
so that we all could feel privileged to watch him bat ever since...
its not only us who feel privileged though...
even milestones feel honored to have their name taken alongside sachin... thank you sachin!  

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can india do bit differently at bangalore...?

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...

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This country misses Ajay Jadeja or does it not ?

Yesterday, Indian news channels were buzzing with the India's win over Australia at Mohali. Just move from one channel to the other and one will find a panel of experts discussing the win and of course, the VVS.

On NDTV India, Sunil Gavaskar and Ajay Jadeja were doing the honors. Sunny, though at his sarcastic best when taking on British and Aussie commentators; looked a bit subdued. i think, the part of the damp sunny was the not so fluent anchor, but the presence of Jadeja was affecting Sunny too. Jadeja -- Someone who speaks his mind without much laag-na-lapet (approximately means ' With no value Addition on aesthetics')

Jadeja has been with NDTV for more than a year now, and most of the times I find him very accurate with his predictions. In the recently concluded Sri Lanka Test series, in the second match when all the experts , Indians and others alike, were saying Sri Lanka has chance, that too during the lunch break discussion; Jadeja pitched a very non-ambiguous stance in India's favor.

I even go a step further, i believe, if the match fixing incident would not had happened Jadeja would prove to be a good captain too. What do you say ?

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australia lost mohali test on another dustbed...

Let's get one thing straight: losing to India in the subcontinent is no disgrace.

Plenty of great Australian teams have returned home from those dry dustbeds with their tails between their legs.

no it's not me... this is what ben dorries said who's article got published in herald sun, australia... thanks for the hat tip by friend and fellow blogger bala...

back to the dust-bed...

i wonder which test match ben reported and herald let it publish... so although the date of article seems october 6, 2010, but correct me if i am wrong... is he referring to the same mohali test that went on till almost the tea of fifth day... the same test match in which pace bowlers took 25 wickets out of 39 wicket that fell during the course of match with two run outs being other mode of dismissals...?

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