The T20 World Cup is back! After the IPL circus, we’re back with cricketers playing for their country, with patriotic emotions and passions riding high.
India are the defending champions and overwhelming favourites, boasting of (arguably) the best T20 line-up of them all. And with their vast experience after 2 editions of the IPL, the Indian squad is supposed to be the most ‘experienced’ in this format of the game.
However, many forget that before the inaugural T20 World Cup, India had never played a T20 international, there was no Indian domestic T20 tournament, and absolutely no experience of T20 cricket. So why should experience be a decisive factor now?
I don’t think experience is going to be all that important. Instead, the following 5 factors will be critical to India’s performance.
1. The Fatigue Factor and Injuries
Objective reasoning would suggest that most of the Indian players should be physically and especially mentally tired after a gruelling 5 weeks of IPL, which only followed 2 years of non-stop cricket. Fatigue is bound to creep in.
The squad already has 2 injured soldiers - Zaheer and Sehwag. Their exact fitness status is a secret. They might recover in time, but what if others get inured? We have to keep our fingers crossed for captain Dhoni, as shockingly the selectors have chosen not to pick a backup wicket keeper (opting for Ravindra Jadeja who will find it hard to get a game anyway).
It remains to be seen how the players conquer mental fatigue as well. But given that they are defending a world cup, I am certain they will be motivated through and through. MSD will ensure that!
2. Batting Line-up
Rohit Sharma has been the stand-out performer in the warm-up games, giving Dhoni a happy worry about the opening combination. Both Sehwag and Gambhir failed to live up to expectations in the IPL. Gambhir’s lack of timing is a worrying aspect, while Sehwag’s form is unknown. I’d suggest that Rohit Sharma be given an extension at the top; this might just be the tournament where he shows his potential as a future superstar.
Raina is my choice for #3, but Dhoni has taken that position in the warm-ups. In my mind, Raina and Yuvraj should come in ahead of Dhoni, who is an ideal finisher. Undoubtedly, India has the strongest top 6 of all. Will they deliver? We’ll know soon.
3. The Bowling
All those who believe that IPL was an indicator of performances at the World Cup should take a look at Ishant Sharma and RP Singh. Ishant was very ordinary in the IPL and has been the standout bowler in the warm-ups. RP Singh took the purple cap, but has been pathetic in the warm-ups. Praveen Kumar hasn’t been special either. With Zaheer’s injury, pace bowling is surely a serious weak link.
Harbhajan will walk into the side, and will be heavily relied upon. Pragyan Ojha outbowled him in the IPL. But in Dhoni’s scheme of things, he may not get into the 11.
4. The all-rounder quandary
A balanced attack for English conditions in June should almost certainly have 4 seamers, (perhaps 3 regular seamers and an all-rounder). Irfan Pathan is seamer-all-rounder. But his bowling is simply not good enough. Batsmen relish his bowling, and almost all his wickets come when batsmen go after him. He is just too big a risk, especially considering that bowling is our weak link.
Elder brother Yusuf is the spinner-all-rounder in contention. He is a proven hard-hitter, except a near inability against short-pitched bowling. He cannot command a place in the top 6, and we have plenty of part-time spinners who can pitch in with 2-3 overs.
All-in-all we have nothing to be proud of our all-rounder strength. This is where India falls behind South Africa (with Kallis and Morkel) and New Zealand (Oram and Styris).
5. Captain Cool - Dhoni
Over the last 2 years, Dhoni has emerged as a great motivator and leader. He has the ability to get the best out of his players, and the knack (or luck) of making the right moves at the right time. Never before has an Indian team been overwhelming favourites to win a World Cup. Dhoni's leadership is the biggest influence on this team. He will motivate his team to shake off all mental fatigue and give their best.
However, his fitness is of major concern. Behind the wickets, he is highly prone to finger injuries, especially when he stands up the stumps for Praveen Kumar or Irfan Pathan. Without a backup keeper India has taken a big risk, and we can only hope that Dhoni avoid injuries thru the tournament.
Speaking of his captaincy, he is also known to favour all-rounders. This came to the fore in the IPL as he persisted with a hugely disappointing Jacob Oram, despite having Makhaya Ntini on the bench and the Chennai Super Kings’ bowling being mauled in every game. If his affinity for all-rounders continues, the Pathan brothers might both get into the playing 11, at the expense of regular bowlers.
Time and again his out of the box moves have proved critics wrong. We have to just wait and watch. Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainities, and T20 can only bring in more unbelievable surprises.
Showing posts with label T20. Show all posts
Showing posts with label T20. Show all posts
Friday, June 5, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
IPL now goes international
Two great stories emerged last weekend. One was India’s comprehensive victory in the Hamilton test, the first test win in New Zealand for 33 years. The second was of the IPL deciding to move out of India. But for all the history and joy associated with the test victory, the IPL story has created a much bigger stir in the cricketing world and the media.
The desperate situation that IPL finds itself in today makes me very very happy. Let me explain why…
The motive behind the IPL
IPL is not an event of national pride. It is not even a cricketing event. In fact, IPL is a business model that has promised big profits for all stakeholders - the BCCI, franchisees, sponsors, broadcasters, and the cricketers themselves. All stakeholders except the most important of them all – CRICKET.
If the development of cricket was among the priorities of BCCI, we would have seen much more interest and coverage for the domestic competitions – the Ranji, Irani, Duleep and Deodhar trophies. There could have been a domestic T20 competition on the lines of similar events in England, Australia, South Africa, etc. We could have some teams sign up international stars to add the glam quotient.
But all of that would not have satisfied the humungous appetites of the goons that run Indian cricket. They wanted to make it big, with corporate houses buying teams, cricketers being auctioned off like prostitutes or slaves in the olden days. So, the only motive behind this entertainment circus is money.
The Political connection
The biggest problem with world cricket today is its administration. It is not run by people who understand the game. Neither is it run by professionals with prior experience of sports management. The problem is especially damaging in India, where the people in charge are either corrupt politicians, or some rich influencers who can throw some money around to make lots more.
Any aspirant of a top BCCI position must have significant political affiliations. That was exactly the formula used by Lalit Modi. Unfortunately, BJP lost the Rajasthan state elections, and after that, Modi lost his clout in the Rajasthan Cricket Association. That made him weak in his home turf, and with the Congress at the helm in Parliament, he obviously cannot pull as many strings. Dirty, Dirty politics!
The Franchisee dilemma
Cricket is India’s #1 passion. The country stops when the national cricket team is on the field. So, it is not at all difficult to rope in the corporates who can use such a platform to reach out to Indian masses. That’s exactly what attracted big names like Mukesh Ambani and Vijay Mallya, and other (stupid) corporate houses to put in hundreds of millions of dollars into this ambitious project.
The model first ensured that BCCI would make profits. Most of the franchisees would take at least 3-4 years (of successful IPL) to break-even.
With so much at stake, the franchisees have no option but to support BCCI in whatever steps they take to ensure that IPL2 happens. It was not mere coincidence that we heard all team owners express full support to BCCI. And they do not have an exit route; nobody will invest (bet) in this circus given the economic downturn. Franchisees have to rake in whatever sponsorship they manage to get, and pray that somehow their losses this year are minimized.
Where now?
At this moment, the BCCI is considering 2 options to host the IPL – England and South Africa. These are the only 2 countries where cricket can be played in April and May, and the telecast can coincide with prime time in India. The boards are more than willing to accommodate the IPL on its grounds. And why not? Why should anyone mind the extra buck?
Common sense and knowledge of adverse weather conditions in England would suggest that South Africa should be the obvious choice. But there seems to be some powerful lobbying for the games to be held in England. The economics would tilt the decision in favour of England. Given the huge expat population, we can expect some good crowds for the matches. Some reports suggest that the Indian team management (Dhoni and co.) want the matches in England, so as to get some valuable practice before the T20 World Cup there.
I would like this to happen, and to see how many matches get washed (or even snowed) out. I wonder how many sponsors would be willing to stick around thru the chilly journey to England!
What lies ahead…
The next year (if IPL lasts that long) will be even more interesting. IPL plans to host matches in March – April to avoid a clash with the T20 World Cup in West Indies. It will then clash with the exam season. This will mean that the student/ youth segment (and their families) who make up the largest segment of audience (either in-ground or on TV) will give the matches a miss.
Lower audiences will mean lesser ticket revenues. Lower viewership will mean lesser sponsorship revenues. All this will translate into losses for the franchisees (the biggest losers in the whole circus). Ultimately the IPL will lose the pillars it stand on and hopefully, should fold up – the sooner the better.
Summarizing..
The IPL wants to change the face of international cricket. The goons promoting it want to take all romance out of our #1 passion and make cricket a business. They were cheeky enough to lay the blame of the IPL2 fiasco on the non-cooperation from the government and political reasons for the fiasco. So much for climbing the BCCI ladder using political affiliations themselves!
Indian Cricket is the ‘Goose that lays golden eggs’. BCCI, instead of nurturing the goose, wants to cut it open and have all the eggs at once. They want to fill their coffers and usurp all the power they can using this money. Now, it’s their karma hitting back. Hopefully, this should see a major change in cricket administration, and better days and years ahead!
The desperate situation that IPL finds itself in today makes me very very happy. Let me explain why…
The motive behind the IPL
IPL is not an event of national pride. It is not even a cricketing event. In fact, IPL is a business model that has promised big profits for all stakeholders - the BCCI, franchisees, sponsors, broadcasters, and the cricketers themselves. All stakeholders except the most important of them all – CRICKET.
If the development of cricket was among the priorities of BCCI, we would have seen much more interest and coverage for the domestic competitions – the Ranji, Irani, Duleep and Deodhar trophies. There could have been a domestic T20 competition on the lines of similar events in England, Australia, South Africa, etc. We could have some teams sign up international stars to add the glam quotient.
But all of that would not have satisfied the humungous appetites of the goons that run Indian cricket. They wanted to make it big, with corporate houses buying teams, cricketers being auctioned off like prostitutes or slaves in the olden days. So, the only motive behind this entertainment circus is money.
The Political connection
The biggest problem with world cricket today is its administration. It is not run by people who understand the game. Neither is it run by professionals with prior experience of sports management. The problem is especially damaging in India, where the people in charge are either corrupt politicians, or some rich influencers who can throw some money around to make lots more.
Any aspirant of a top BCCI position must have significant political affiliations. That was exactly the formula used by Lalit Modi. Unfortunately, BJP lost the Rajasthan state elections, and after that, Modi lost his clout in the Rajasthan Cricket Association. That made him weak in his home turf, and with the Congress at the helm in Parliament, he obviously cannot pull as many strings. Dirty, Dirty politics!
The Franchisee dilemma
Cricket is India’s #1 passion. The country stops when the national cricket team is on the field. So, it is not at all difficult to rope in the corporates who can use such a platform to reach out to Indian masses. That’s exactly what attracted big names like Mukesh Ambani and Vijay Mallya, and other (stupid) corporate houses to put in hundreds of millions of dollars into this ambitious project.
The model first ensured that BCCI would make profits. Most of the franchisees would take at least 3-4 years (of successful IPL) to break-even.
With so much at stake, the franchisees have no option but to support BCCI in whatever steps they take to ensure that IPL2 happens. It was not mere coincidence that we heard all team owners express full support to BCCI. And they do not have an exit route; nobody will invest (bet) in this circus given the economic downturn. Franchisees have to rake in whatever sponsorship they manage to get, and pray that somehow their losses this year are minimized.
Where now?
At this moment, the BCCI is considering 2 options to host the IPL – England and South Africa. These are the only 2 countries where cricket can be played in April and May, and the telecast can coincide with prime time in India. The boards are more than willing to accommodate the IPL on its grounds. And why not? Why should anyone mind the extra buck?
Common sense and knowledge of adverse weather conditions in England would suggest that South Africa should be the obvious choice. But there seems to be some powerful lobbying for the games to be held in England. The economics would tilt the decision in favour of England. Given the huge expat population, we can expect some good crowds for the matches. Some reports suggest that the Indian team management (Dhoni and co.) want the matches in England, so as to get some valuable practice before the T20 World Cup there.
I would like this to happen, and to see how many matches get washed (or even snowed) out. I wonder how many sponsors would be willing to stick around thru the chilly journey to England!
What lies ahead…
The next year (if IPL lasts that long) will be even more interesting. IPL plans to host matches in March – April to avoid a clash with the T20 World Cup in West Indies. It will then clash with the exam season. This will mean that the student/ youth segment (and their families) who make up the largest segment of audience (either in-ground or on TV) will give the matches a miss.
Lower audiences will mean lesser ticket revenues. Lower viewership will mean lesser sponsorship revenues. All this will translate into losses for the franchisees (the biggest losers in the whole circus). Ultimately the IPL will lose the pillars it stand on and hopefully, should fold up – the sooner the better.
Summarizing..
The IPL wants to change the face of international cricket. The goons promoting it want to take all romance out of our #1 passion and make cricket a business. They were cheeky enough to lay the blame of the IPL2 fiasco on the non-cooperation from the government and political reasons for the fiasco. So much for climbing the BCCI ladder using political affiliations themselves!
Indian Cricket is the ‘Goose that lays golden eggs’. BCCI, instead of nurturing the goose, wants to cut it open and have all the eggs at once. They want to fill their coffers and usurp all the power they can using this money. Now, it’s their karma hitting back. Hopefully, this should see a major change in cricket administration, and better days and years ahead!
Monday, March 2, 2009
India in New Zealand – Looking forward to the ODIs
India have been comprehensively defeated in the 2 T20s. Although the 2nd game went to the last ball, but really, the Kiwis seemed to have the pace of the game under control. So what’s ailing? And how should they approach the ODIs?
Pathans have flattered to deceive
Irfan Pathan has no right to occupy the 3rd seamer’s slot, especially in New Zealand. His bowling was welcomed by the batsmen in the T20s, who promptly dispatched him over the boundary on a dozen occasions. His batting comes handy at times. But in New Zealand, India needs 3 specialist seamers, and Irfan should be dropped.
Yusuf, the batting allrounder, has rarely (if ever) bowled his full quota of overs on turning tracks. His utility in New Zealand is minimal. And does he deserve a place above a specialist batsman? I would rather give an opportunity to Rohit Sharma no. 6. Too bad Ravindra Jadeja is not part of the ODI squad.
Dhoni is confused
From the evidence of the T20s, it seems that Dhoni is not sure how he should use his batting skills. He is trying to mould himself into the sheet anchor role which is just not his style. He is best at smashing the ball and that’s what he should continue doing. He should come in at no.7, after Sharma.
Bat around the master
With the young brigade failing in both the T20s, the batting will yet again depend heavily on Sachin Tendulkar. Ideally, I would have Sachin back at no.4, where he can play the steadying role, for the others to bat around him. This would also allow the Sehwag-Gambhir partnership to continue at the top of the order.
But Gambhir has looked somewhat out of sorts. So Sachin has to open, and bat and bat...
3 specialist seamers please!
I reiterate – Irfan Pathan is not good enough to be the 3rd seamer. Praveen Kumar should play all matches. Zaheer, Ishant and Munaf can be rotated for the other 2 seamer slots.
So my playing 11 will be:
1. Sehwag
2. Tendulkar
3. Gambhir
4. Yuvraj
5. Raina
6. Sharma
7. Dhoni
8. Harbhajan
9. Praveen
10. Zaheer
11. Ishant/ Munaf
Pathans have flattered to deceive
Irfan Pathan has no right to occupy the 3rd seamer’s slot, especially in New Zealand. His bowling was welcomed by the batsmen in the T20s, who promptly dispatched him over the boundary on a dozen occasions. His batting comes handy at times. But in New Zealand, India needs 3 specialist seamers, and Irfan should be dropped.
Yusuf, the batting allrounder, has rarely (if ever) bowled his full quota of overs on turning tracks. His utility in New Zealand is minimal. And does he deserve a place above a specialist batsman? I would rather give an opportunity to Rohit Sharma no. 6. Too bad Ravindra Jadeja is not part of the ODI squad.
Dhoni is confused
From the evidence of the T20s, it seems that Dhoni is not sure how he should use his batting skills. He is trying to mould himself into the sheet anchor role which is just not his style. He is best at smashing the ball and that’s what he should continue doing. He should come in at no.7, after Sharma.
Bat around the master
With the young brigade failing in both the T20s, the batting will yet again depend heavily on Sachin Tendulkar. Ideally, I would have Sachin back at no.4, where he can play the steadying role, for the others to bat around him. This would also allow the Sehwag-Gambhir partnership to continue at the top of the order.
But Gambhir has looked somewhat out of sorts. So Sachin has to open, and bat and bat...
3 specialist seamers please!
I reiterate – Irfan Pathan is not good enough to be the 3rd seamer. Praveen Kumar should play all matches. Zaheer, Ishant and Munaf can be rotated for the other 2 seamer slots.
So my playing 11 will be:
1. Sehwag
2. Tendulkar
3. Gambhir
4. Yuvraj
5. Raina
6. Sharma
7. Dhoni
8. Harbhajan
9. Praveen
10. Zaheer
11. Ishant/ Munaf
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
