Why is India failing to cross 300 in overseas tests?

2011 saw a historic World Cup victory for the Indian cricket team. Indian cricket fans came out on the streets to celebrate their team’s victory as their own! Accolades poured in for the team, and deservedly so.

Since then, things have turned sour. In May, India embarked on a tour of West Indies, which seemed to be stuffed in between the IPL and the marquee tour of England. Many senior players chose to skip this tour to nurse their tired bodies and/or to prepare for the England tour. But the England series that followed was nothing short of a nightmare. India failed to win a single international match on the tour, and suffered an embarrassing 0-4 defeat in the test matches.

After some heartening home-wins against England and West Indies, India have now embarked on their 2^nd big tour of the year... to Australia. With the Australian team facing issues of its own, and calls to axe their veterans, this was seen as India’s best chance to win a test series in Australia. Sadly, after another defeat in the 1^st test at MCG, cricket fans fear that this tour might turn out to be another nightmare.

What has caused this sudden fall from grace? Over the last decade, India had improved their overseas record significantly, with test wins coming at Headingley (Leeds), Adelaide, Wanderers (Johannesburg), Kingston (Jamaica), Trent Bridge (Nottingham), Kingsmead (Durban) and above all at the WACA in Perth.

Then what has gone wrong? The Indian batting line-up boasts of over 40,000 test runs, more than any other test team ever. However, in the last 5 overseas tests, this amazing line-up has failed to cross 300 in an innings. In fact, they did so only once (in 3 tests) in the West Indies. We all realise that test matches are won by bowlers. But, if the batsmen fail to put up a decent score, even the best of bowling attacks will have problems defending it.

Here are some of my observations and thoughts on why the Indian team has not crossed the 300-run mark in 5 consecutive away test matches.  Of course, a lot of credit goes to the English and Australian bowlers, and they have been very good. But, Indian batsmen have faced top class fast bowling int he past, and have come up trumps! So, what’s going wrong of late?

An Unsettled Opening Pair

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have been one of the most successful opening pairs in recent cricket. Unfortunately, both suffered injuries during the IPL and skipped the West Indies tour. Both were undercooked for the England series and failed miserably against some hostile and accurate seam bowling.

In fact, Sehwag embarrassed himself by grabbing a King Pair at Edgbaston, his comeback test. He looked uninterested in the home series against West Indies, until he scored a magical 219 in the ODI at Indore. However, his run of low scores has not inspired any confidence in Indian fans.

A couple of years ago, Gambhir was on top of the ICC Test Ratings for batsmen. Sadly, he hasn’t put up a century in 2011, and has shown serious vulnerability outside the off stump. His form has fallen over the last year to such an extent that some critics are even calling for his head.

The opening stand is very critical to India’s batting fortunes. It will be difficult for India to put up a big score without Gambhir’s solidity and a swashbuckling knock from Sehwag to put pressure back on the Aussie bowlers. They have the skills and experience. This is the right time to show what they are capable of.

2^nd New Ball worries

It’s not only the 1^st new ball that has created problems for Indian batsmen. The 2^nd new ball has had devastating effects on India’s middle and lower-middle order. Notably, India have not survived 100 overs in a single innings in the last 5 overseas tests.

In my opinion, the failure of India’s no.6 and 7 batsmen has been primarily responsible for this. On quite a few occasions, India found themselves to be 4-5 wickets down at the end of 80 overs. However, the 2^nd new ball has then triggered or accelerated a batting collapse to leave India short of the 300 mark.

After Saurav Ganguly’s retirement, India has struggled to fill the no.6 position. Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina have failed. Cheteshwar Pujara is injured. It is now Virat Kohli’s turn to show if he is capable of succeeding at test cricket. This, coupled with the (overseas) batting failures of MS Dhoni has exacerbated matters further. Captain Dhoni’s wicket has often triggered a lower-order batting collapse. The table below throws up an interesting trend.

Venue	Inn.	2nd New Ball wk	MS Dhoni wk	MS Dhoni score	Team Score	2nd New Ball Collapse
Lord's	1	240-6 (83.4)	240-6 (83.4)	28 (103)	286 (95.5)	46-5
Lord's	2	225-6 (85.2)	225-6 (85.2)	16 (49)	261 (96.3)	36-5
Trent Bridge	1	267-5 (85.4)	273-6 (87.3)	5 (9)	288 (91.1)	21-6
Oval	2	269-7 (83.2)	269-7 (83.2)	3 (19)	283 (91)	14-4
MCG	1	245-7 (81.4)	245-7 (81.4)	6 (8)	282 (94.1)	37-4

As the table above suggests, India have often been in a decent (but by no means strong) position after 80 overs. From here, nos.6 and 7 should take the responsibility to take the score from 250 to 400+. Sadly, our nos.6 and 7 have not been good enough to survive the 2^nd new ball and the results are there to see. In fact, MS Dhoni can be classified as a “New Ball Bunny”.

What’s the solution? Surely MS Dhoni is a better batsman than his recent scores suggest. His frailties against the new ball need not surprise us. He is a natural stroke-player and if his batting is allowed to flourish, can change the course of a match.

I would suggest a move for Dhoni to promote himself to no.5, at the expense of VVS Laxman dropping to no.6. This move may look drastic, but this is the time for our captain to lead the way himself, much like he did in the World Cup finals, when he promoted himself ahead of Yuvraj Singh who was in peak form.

Batting at no.5 will mean Dhoni will get the opportunity to build an innings against a relatively older ball. He can then take charge as the ball (and bowlers) get worn out, and make a difference of 30-40 runs before the 2^nd new ball is taken. If he survives beyond 80 overs, he will be in a much better position to encounter the new ball with 50-60 runs under his belt. Else, the new ball can be faced by VVS Laxman and  Kohli (or even Ajinkya Rahane who is an opening batsman and can face the new ball with much more confidence).

Either way, Dhoni’s skills will be much better utilised if he walks in to bat when the ball is 40-50 overs old. These additional runs and the momentum can prove to be the difference between a score of 280-290 and 400.

The Bigger Issue

Of course, the above problems are only symptoms of a much bigger trend. With the overwhelming importance given to ODI and T20 cricket, batsmen all over the world have become used to playing on flat pitches, which offer little or no help to the bowlers (especially seamers).

As a result, when a test match is played on a pitch with some grass, modern batsmen are found lacking in technique and temperament to grind out a long innings. It turns out to be a low-scoring affair and one where ‘the men are separated from the boys’. Cricket administrators the world over need to consider the effect of bang-bang cricket on the quality of test match batting. But that can be left for another day.

For now, I’d like to see Dhoni batting at #5.

DRS and the Role of Technology in Cricket

The story so far...

The DecisionReview System (DRS) has captured the attention of everyone who has anything to do with cricket. From the administrators and players, to fans around the world, people have been discussing and debating the utility of DRS and accuracy of the technologies available.

The issue created headlines quite often through the summer. On a few occasions during India’s tour of England, Hot-Spot went cold. Before this series, Hot-Spot was considered 100% foolproof. It also had BCCI’s stamp of approval. However, it regularly failed to detect fine edges, and was later dumped for India’s home series.

Then we had the Phil Hughes’ LBW in Sri Lanka. Anyone who saw the incident could tell that the ball would have missed off stump. However, Hawk-Eye made a ‘tracking mistake’ and showed the ball to be hitting leg stump. Based on this erroneous Hawk-eye tracking, the batsman was adjudged Out. The matter was then referred to the ICC by the officiating umpires.

The Disagreement

The biggest point of contention here is the use of Hawk-eye, which not only tracks the ball’s actual trajectory until it hits the bat or pad, but also attempts to extrapolate the ball’s path after impact. The BCCI has maintained strong reservation about the accuracy of this Hawk-eye projection.

To complicate matters, the creators of Hawk-eye have confessed that the projection may be inaccurate beyond a distance of 2.5m. In other words, if the ball hits the batsman’s pad at a distance of over 2.5m from the stumps, Hawk-eye cannot accurately predict whether the ball was actually headed for the stumps.

Technology vs Umpires

Technology has been increasingly (and successfully) adopted in cricket for decision making and for an enhanced viewing experience. However, the ICC needs to define and articulate the precise role of technology in cricket. There needs to be a clear distinction between the role of the umpire and the role of technology. Should we use technology to assist the umpires, or should technology be allowed to take over?

While we all want umpiring decisions to be 100% accurate, if we allow technology to take over completely, then the on-field umpires will soon become redundant. Steve Waugh in his autobiography wrote that leg spinner Stuart MacGill once said to an umpire, “Your job is to hold my sweater and count to six.”

Does cricket want its umpires to be reduced to such menial existence? Thankfully, cricket lovers all across the world consider the umpires to be an integral part of the game.

Drawing the line

So, where do we draw the line between the role of technology and the role of the umpire? This, in my view can be laid down by adopting a simple philosophy. “Technology should provide factual evidence and the umpire will make the judgement.”

This statement has the potential to clear all confusion around the DRS. The key phrase here is “FACTUAL EVIDENCE” i.e. evidence of an event that has definitely happened.

If we look closely at all the moments when the (technology-aided) 3^rd umpire is called for (stumpings, run-outs, doubtful catches, etc), we notice that, in all these cases, the cameras only show factual evidence. In the case of Hot-Spot, the evidence of an edge is factual, i.e. appearance of the hot spot suggests contact between the bat and ball. Based on this factual evidence, the 3^rd umpire makes an Out/ Not-out judgement. The same philosophy should be applied to the use of Hawk-eye by the 3^rd umpire.

The Way Forward

Let’s look closely at the proposed use of Hawk-eye for an LBW decision that has been referred to the 3^rd umpire. From the moment the ball leaves the bowler’s hand till it hits the batsman’s pad, hawk-eye gives factual evidence of the ball’s trajectory, and its point of contact with the pitch and with the batsman (height and line of impact). This is where Hawk-eye must STOP.

Beyond this point of impact, the hawk-eye gets into prediction mode and extrapolates the path that the ball would have taken had the impact not occurred. This extrapolation goes beyond the limits of “factual evidence” and technology transgresses into the jurisdiction of the umpire. Based on factual evidence of the actual trajectory of the ball, point of impact, distance from the stumps, etc., it should now be the 3^rd umpire’s role to adjudicate whether the ball would have hit the stumps, and whether the batsman should be adjudged LBW. 

An obvious counter-argument here would be: “How do we guarantee 100% accuracy from the umpires in such situations?” While 100% accuracy can never be guaranteed, the umpires can always be trained to make LBW decisions based on “factual evidence” provided by technology. Perhaps, umpires can make use Hawk-eye simulations to enhance their judgement of a ball’s trajectory. That is the ideal scenario – where technology will help umpires make better decisions. And both will live happily ever after.

T20 World Cup – India’s prospects

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.

How IPL will hit Test Cricket (Part 2 of 2)

To justify my last post, we witness the case of Chris Gayle – the West Indies cricket captain. As if going straight from T20 to test match cricket wasn’t bad enough, the Calypso King chose to play one more game for his IPL team which cannot win even if the match was fixed for them. He joined his team 2 days prior to the 1st test match, starting today. With the WI batting failing miserably in the tour games, the team badly needed their skipper but he's more interested in earning the big bucks. This is only the beginning of the damage that IPL will do.

3. A window for IPL, another window for Champions League…
There have already been some requests for a window in the international cricket schedule for the IPL. Not surprisingly, these requests (or demands) have come from the IPL promoters themselves.

These demands may seem to be very ambitious. But today, money rules the world, and cricket is no different. Given its humungous financial strength, the BCCI enjoys most of the power and clout. Comparatively, ICC and most of the cricket boards are extremely weak, and often have to give in to the atrocious demands of BCCI.

If the IPL circus continues, I wouldn’t be surprised if they manage to bully ICC into creating a separate window for the IPL. That will be the proverbial ‘inch’. The goons will then want a window for the ‘Champions League’. Who knows what could happen after that!

4. Injuries, injuries and more injuries
Many cricket fans may not know this, but Mathew Hayden played through IPL 2008 with a niggling ankle injury. He did not have a great 1st season, and the ankle did not get the rest needed. Hayden had to play through a tough international schedule without any rest. He then lost his form and runs dried up. The pressure on him increased and the selectors took him to the brink. He had no option but to end his Australia career. This is the first instance of IPL causing a (great) cricketer to relinquish national duties, there will be many more.

This year Jacques Kallis is playing with a thumb injury. And then there is the curious case of Dwayne Bravo. Apparently, he is not fit enough to play test matches, but somehow, ODIs and T20s are fine. So he’s raking in the moolah while West Indies is represented by some mediocre newcomers.

I have not even touched upon the most infamous injury story of the year. The story of Andrew Flintoff, who re-injured his knee and had to go in for surgery! He will miss the West Indies series, and has been left out for the T20 World Cup as well. The papers in England are full of debates and hate-columns. Unfortunately the Indian media lacks people of integrity and/or courage to come out with the facts and some sincere analysis of the state of affairs.

The injury epidemic has now hit the Indian cricketers as well. Our bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan has hurt his left shoulder. Sehwag and Yuvraj have split webbings. Captain cool Dhoni has a back problem and a finger injury. Being the only keeper selected for the T20 WC, this injury could have serious repercussions.

All in all, there is nothing positive (for cricket) coming out of the IPL circus. If anyone feels the IPL has introduced anything positive to the sport, I’d love to have a debate.

How IPL will hit Test Cricket (Part 1 of 2)

Ace shooter and India’s 1st Olympic individual gold medalist, Ahbinav Bindra calls the IPL – “an over hyped cricket tournament”. I would call it, “the most over hyped circus ever - in a cricketing disguise”.

I hold the strong view that the IPL will cause damage to the real cricket - test cricket. In fact, it has already started to do so. Let me explain how…

1. Corporatisation of cricket

IPL is changing the way teams are oriented. From a tradition of national teams and national cricketing boards, IPL teams are owned by franchisees. This model has been adopted from football, where professional footballers are contracted to play for professional clubs. This is also the model followed by American leagues.

Many would argue that corporatisation will bring in more professionalism into cricket, and benefit the Indian economy as well. However, we must realize that unlike football or the American sports, cricket is a sport played in multiple formats.

We have the original test cricket for the purists and then the ODI and T20 formats for the fans who do not necessarily understand the intricacies of cricket, but follow it for the entertainment value. The shorter versions obviously attract a larger and younger viewer base, thus making them more attractive to corporate sponsors, i.e. they are more ‘marketable properties’.

Let’s not be under any illusion - Corporates are not interested in developing cricket; they just want to make money. If corporates had it their way, professional cricketers would be playing for 365 days a year. And of course, we will never see corporates line up to buy franchisees for a world test championship! Corporates do not want the slow boring form of test cricket; they want the bang-bang of 20-20.

2. IPL will overlap with international schedules

Over the years, we are seeing more and more international cricket being played. An international team plays around 80-100 days of cricket every year. These days, it is very rare for a team to not have any fixture for even a month at a stretch. The international cricket calendar was already jam-packed. And to top it off, we now have the IPL.

The IPL demands at least 5-6 weeks from international players. Obviously, for the first 2 seasons, many foreign players could not participate for the entire tournament; they had to return to national duties. But all national boards are not that financially strong to compel their players to give priority to representing their country over their franchise.

The Sri Lankan tour to England has been the first casualty. The board (shamefully) had to bow down to their players’ demands and opt out of the scheduled England tour. England had to then schedule a series with the West Indies, to salvage their home season.

This is the first instance where the IPL circus has hit the international cricket schedule. If IPL gets stronger, there will be even more instances of cricket tours getting cancelled. Needless to say, India will not have any cricket matches for the 6 weeks of IPL.

More on this in part 2...

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!

India in New Zealand – ODIs in the bag, time for the real Tests

What a scintillating performance by India! Having put the T20 defeats behind them, Dhoni’s men went on to register India’s first ever ODI series win in New Zealand. All credit goes to the batsmen of course, who took full advantage of some pretty good pitches, small boundaries and mediocre bowling.

Virender Sehwag took ‘hitting’ to another level, as he plundered the hapless bowlers over the boundaries with regular ease. Tim Southee, Ian O’Brien, Jacob Oram, Ewan Thompson and Kyle Mills were left with serious self-doubts and forgettable bowling figures.

Sachin Tendulkar took a couple of games to find his touch. But with his 163 at Christchurch, proved for the umpteenth time, why he still remains a force to reckon with. Moreover, the batting debacles in the T20s and the final ODI, showed the value of his experience, and the possible effects of his absence.

Just about all the batsmen contributed their bit. However, the bowlers were quite disappointing. Munaf Patel was especially pathetic, absolute lack of intensity or focus. He has a very good opportunity to cement his position as the 3rd seamer, but his lackdaisical attitude will not give the captain any confidence.

The sides will now focus on the tests. A lot is being made of the return of the test specialists, Dravid and Laxman. Of course they will play a key role. But, my gut feel says the openers will decide India’s batting fate in the series. Sehwag has already gotten under the skin of the Kiwi bowlers. Gambhir has been scratchy, but will play the important steadying role at the top of the innings. Hopefully, Tendulkar will be fit enough to play all the tests.

The other important factor for India will be the performance of the 3rd seamer. Zaheer and Ishant will need serious backup support to ensure that the pressure is maintained. Munaf might still get the nod for the 1st match and based on that show, Dhoni may decide for the following games.

The Indians know better than to underestimate the Kiwis. Jesse Ryder has already shown how dangerous he can be. Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill are both extremely talented and can play critical roles. James Franklin will do the all-rounder's job that Oram did so well on India's last tour. And their bowlers are just the right kind to exploit seaming conditions.

But overall, India must and will focus on their strengths, and ensure that they play with their heads on their shoulders. Reading the pitch will be absolutely critical and so will shot selection. If India do the basics right, they should be able to win at least 2 matches (if the weather holds). But the last time India won 2 consecutive tests in a series was against Sri Lanka at home in 2005. We saw how they gave away the advantage in South Africa. Do they have the mental strength and determination to win 2 out of 3 test matches? I think they do.

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

The Referral System – Bring it On!

Here is a piece of online cricket commentary I caught over the Australia v New Zealand ODI series -

“Mills to Ponting, no run, that's plumb but not given. Good length delivery, pitched outside the off stump and this one jagged back in. Ponting pushes forward to drive and is beaten by the angle. Looked out but umpire Davis was not impressed.
Hot spot picks up a touch on the front pad and a solid hit on the back-pat. Either way it looked out…”

And one from the India-NZL T20 encounter –

“Harbhajan Singh to Guptill, OUT, very bizarre decision! Guptill aims to pull a short delivery and gets a thick inside edge onto his thigh, the Indians appeal and the inside edge was obvious to the naked eye, umpire Gary Baxter doesn't appear as if if he's going to give it out and then all of a sudden raises the finger, Guptill doesn't want to go and McCullum can't believe it either”

Time and again the cameras and technology have exposed glaring mistakes made by umpires. Talk of the infamous Sydney test. Or Steve Bucknor adjudging Tendulkar out LBW at Brisbane in 2003, when the ball was sailing over the stumps by more than a foot. Or the millions of times Ricky Ponting has been hit on the pads bang in front of the stumps, but the umpiress did not budge.

Cricket today has become so competitive that there is just no room for errors, and especially no room for errors from the umpires. I cannot say that umpires of the decades gone by were impeccable, but today’s set of umpires (barring 1 or 2) cannot be called ‘elite’.

We all know how Bucknor and Benson messed up the Sydney test, notably with all their bad decisions going in favour of the Aussies. After this, India should have welcomed the referrals and been thoroughly prepared on their use. Unfortunately, they failed miserably with their challenges thru their debacle in Sri Lanka, and instead of analyzing their own errors, they spoke against the system. But was it the system’s fault that they ended up on the wrong side of most of the decisions referred? It showed a clear lack of awareness on the part of the Indians, who challenged with hope rather than certainty.

This innovation has already taken too long to be introduced. Bad umpiring decisions have affected a number of matches and a number of cricketers. My honest estimate is that Sachin Tendulkar has been robbed of at least 1000 runs in tests and ODIs, and Ricky Ponting has played some 40 more innings than he should have been allowed to.

Any new introduction will have teething problems. The players have to get familiar with the rules of the game. Technology has to become foolproof and remove all doubts. (Hawkeye cannot be relied on to extrapolate the path of a delivery.) Third umpires do not seem clear as to how much they can depend on hawk-eye. And some umpires are so bad that they make mistakes even with technology support!

The most disappointed aspect of the adoption process is the hesitancy shown by the players themselves. To my mind, it should have only been the Aussies resisting this move (with their standard line that ‘Umpiring mistakes are part of the game’). And nobody can now blame the umpire for a bad decision.

For cricket’s sake, I hope this concept is given the full go-ahead. A few chinks need to be removed:
1. Only if the challenge is conclusively wrong, should the challenge be lost. If the 3rd umpire cannot make a conclusive judgement, it is not the challenger’s fault.
2. ICC must ensure that the best technology is made available for all international matches. The best cricketers deserve the best technology.
3. A team should be allowed at least 3 erroneous challenges per innings. A minute’s delay will surely not affect commercial interests!

It’s then up to the cricketers to get comfortable with the system and know when the umpire has goofed up. They must be good judges themselves and be fully aware of proceedings on the field.

So let’s get the doubts in our minds out and let this wonderful innovation come through – it will surely take the game positively forward.

Australia down and under

After a decade and a half of domination, the Australian cricket team has finally been brought down to earth. South Africa has defeated them in both the Test and ODI series, and exposed a number of weaknesses in the Australian side.

Australia lost as many home test matches (3) in 2008, as they did over the previous 10 years. Add to that, they failed to win the last 2 versions of the tri-series, and have now slumped to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of South Africa. They have lost their#1 spot in ODIs, and hold on to their test ranking, but for how long?

Some might say it’s their karma! They started 2008 with the infamous ‘win’ against India at Sydney… we all know how. And it went downhill from there. The only exception was the win against West Indies.

The gaps are obvious. Problems start right at the top. Langer retired after the Ashes, and now Hayden has given in to the constant pressure. Suddenly Ponting and co. in the middle order have to face the new ball more often, and the fall in their averages is obvious. A cricketer of the ability of Adam Gilchrist comes once in a lifetime. Brad Haddin is trying his best, but expecting him to repeat Gilly’s heroics would be silly.

In the bowling department, Warne, McGrath and Gillespie have gone. Brett Lee could bully batsmen and build his persona while the senior guys were around. But once they went, he had to take up the leadership role, and has failed miserably. The most over-hyped cricketer has fallen apart and Australia has among the weakest bowling attacks in world cricket today.

To sum it up, Australia is no more an extraordinary international cricket team. They will lose in South Africa, and if England sort out their off-filed issues and keep their heads in place, Australia will lose the Ashes as well.

Test 1 @ Bangalore – Views and Reviews

The 1st test has ended in a draw, but not without much excitement and the usual analysis. The Aussies held the upper-hand for most of the game. But their scoring was unusually slow and, as predicted their bowling lacked necessary experience and guile to take 20 wickets. The Indians were on the backfoot after a big first innings from the Aussies, but a spirited performance with the bat from Harbhajan and Zaheer saved the blushes. Some points to review:

Ponting and Hussey scored centuries. Ricky Ponting finally broke the Indian shackles with an attacking hundred on the first day. He has been a fantastic performer across the world, but his technique, esp defensive, against quality spin on turning wickets, is still suspect. With Harbhajan and Ishant constantly on the prowl, run making will continue to be difficult for the Aussie captain thru this series. Mike Hussey, on the other hand, has looked extremely confident and will probably be the biggest thorn for the Indian bowlers over the remaining matches as well. His performance will be a key factor in this series.

The Indian batting collapse in the 1st innings gave a real scare to all supporters, but some tough lower order resistance minimized the 1st innings deficit to just 70, and also consumed valuable time, a big factor that came into play as India were saving the test on the last day. With their bowling attack, this was probably Australia’s best chance to win a test here. Harbhajan and Zaheer have a big job to play with the ball, but their batting contribution will prove invaluable in the context of this series.

Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma were the bright lights of the Indian bowling. Their spirit and control was tremendous to watch. Zaheer’s reverse swing and Ishant’s slower deliveries were hugely successful. Before the series commenced, Kumble and Harbhajan were tipped to run through the Aussie batting, but the new ball pair shone above all and present a lot of hope for the future. Kumble and Harbhajan however largely disappointed. There isn’t much to say about their performance, except for a charged-up spell by Harbhajan on the 4th afternoon, when he had the better of Katich and Hussey.

I witnessed a most intriguing 4th day of the test match at the Chinnaswamy. It started with Zaheer and co. holding fort for an hour. Zaheer then trapped Hayden with a late inswinger, and Ishant fooled his bunny Ponting into chipping a slower one to Laxman at short mid wicket. Before the series Ponting had professed that batsmen should take the fielder’s word on doubtful catches. I might be mistaken, but it felt as though Ponting was not convinced with Laxman’s claim to the catch and waited more than necessary to walk off. Sorry Mr. Ponting – you should first practice what you preach. And this is why, despite his great batting and captaincy records, he will never be respected as a great sportsman.

Anil Kumble came in for a great deal of criticism thru this test match. His bowling was supposed to be a decisive factor in this series, but was merely innocuous and the Aussies were very comfortable in dealing with him. It later emerged that he was playing with an injured shoulder. Whether his injury was diagnosed before the match is unknown, but the fact is that he returned with the worst bowling figures of his test match career, and that too on his home ground.

Kumble’s captaincy was equally toothless and lacked any creativity or imagination. His bowling changes were very predictable, with the pacers being used for standard 7-8 over spells, then being rotated as per a plan that seemed to be put together in the dressing room, with very little on-field proactiveness and tactical moves.

On the 4th day, while Kumble couldn’t take the field for 22 overs, Dhoni handled the mantle of captaincy. This was perhaps India’s most aggressive phase of the entire match. Field placements were unorthodox and very effective, the pacers were charged up and did not give any chance to the batsmen to set the pace. Harbhajan followed with a spell of utmost control, taking the wickets of Katich and Hussey. The Aussies were in a spot of bother at 128/5. That might have been a glimmer of a chance for India to actually bowl out Australia and push for a win.

Unfortunately Harbhajan and Kumble could not keep up the pressure. Inexplicably, Harbhajan bowled (and continued to bowl) a leg stump line, and allowed Haddin and Watson to pick him off for singles on the leg side. A more aggressive and positive tactic should have been to bowl into the rough outside the right-handers’ off stump, challenging them into driving the ball. Driving on that wicket would have been an impossible task, and with any luck, we might have seen the Aussies bowled out on day 4 for 170-180, leaving India with about 250 to win on the final day – that would have been some climax.

Overall, this was an intriguing test match, and has set up an exciting series. Australia, controlled most of the game, but could not pull off a win. This was probably their best chance, but they have given enough indication that they are not to be counted off. For India, the darkest spot was the captaincy of Anil Kumble. But every dark cloud has a silver lining. MS Dhoni, in his brief period of leadership, proved that he is ready to take up the job full-time. We might have seen the last of Anil Kumble.

Rewind to 1998 - the Sachin Tendulkar show

As we wait in anticipation of a keen contest over the next 5 weeks, let’s sit back and refresh our memories of the last three times the Australians visited for a test series in India. I have been extremely fortunate to be witness to some great action, sitting in the stands, for some days on each of the 3 occasions, returning full of excitement and with a sore throat every time. So here goes..

The year 1998 saw the Australian cricket team visiting India for a full test series after a gap of 12 years. The Aussies came with a big reputation of course, and were already considered by many to be the unofficial world test champions. But India was considered to be ‘Tigers’ at home, and this was surely going to be a very tough series.

But the Aussies were badly hit with their first-choice pace bowlers, McGrath and Gillespie out due to injury. It was left to Michael Kasprowicz to shoulder the burden, supported by Paul Reiffel, Adam Dale, and Paul Wilson. In the spin department, Shane Warne had a partner in Gavin Robertson, who out of near obscurity, was given the unenviable task of bowling against the Indians at home.

The Aussies are renowned to putting visiting sides through gruel right from the tour matches, but now they had to face some of their own medicine. They drew up against the defending Ranji champs, Mumbai, at the historic and picturesque (can’t say that about many Indian cricket grounds) Bradbourne stadium. The Aussies declared after the first day, but what hit them on day 2, the scars still remain...

The day was February 25, 2008. Thru the first hour, Amit Pagnis set the pace with a half century. Then walked in the little master. The upcoming series was billed as Tendulkar vs Warne, and this was to be the curtain raiser. But what we witnessed over the next 4 hours was simply sublime. Reiffel, Dale and Wilson were made to look like they were some tourists who did not belong on the cricket field – such was the ease and caress with which he drove them to the fence. Sachin’s treatment of Warne was much more ruthless. This was the day he tested the slog sweep to Warne bowling round the wicket, hitting him over mid-wicket on more than one occasion. 4 hours of batting exhibition, and the little master had completed his very first double century in first-class cricket. Sachin relented on 204 not out, and Shane Warne retuned with his worst bowling figures, 16-1-111-0.

The Aussies were bundled out on the 3rd day, and Mumbai won by 10 wickets. This game was to be the preview of things to come. India won the first test at the Chepauk, Sachin Tendulkar with another magnificent knock, which is now part of folklore. The 2nd test at Eden Gardens was utmost humiliation of the Aussies, defeat by an innings and 219 runs in 3½ days. The tourists managed to save face at the Bangalore test, thanks to Mark Waugh’s 153, and a dream 5 wicket haul by Michael Kasprowicz.

With that, India won the series 2-1, and retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The battle of the leggies turned out one-sided. Anil Kumble returned with 23 wickets, Warne with 10. The Aussies had to return empty-handed, India was the only country in which Mark Taylor did not win a test series. Neither did his successor Steve Waugh, who famously christened India as “The Last Frontier” before the 2001 tour.

India V Australia – Post 1: the Fab 4 debate

We’re less than a week away from one of the most eagerly awaited test series of all: India vs Australia. After the excitement (cricketing and otherwise) of the last dual down under, one hopes this series will be remembered for great cricketing exhibitions than anything else.

A much hyped discussion these days is that of the “Fab 4” that is the legendary Indian middle order. Well, much of the guessing has been put to rest for the moment, with all 4 selected for the first 2 tests. And rightly so, irrespective of the failure in Sri Lanka, the 4 still remain India’s best bets for this all-important series.

However, there will soon come a time when the big 4 boots will have to be filled; so what are the prospects? Let me discuss a few obvious contenders:

Badrinath has been given the nod for the first two tests of the series. He has been among the most prolific run-getters in domestic cricket, and has truly deserved the recognition. However, the impression I get whenever I have seen him is that he is a little late on the ball and will be quite susceptible on the faster tracks. His showing against the Aussies in Hyderabad does not give much confidence.

Rohit Sharma has just hit a magnificent 105 against the Aussies. Yes, he surely seems to have the talent, and has more than proven his shot-making abilities in the shorter versions of the game. But, temperamentally he is not yet ready for test cdricket. He needs to invest at least one full Ranji season, and maybe some ‘A’ tours, to develop his mindset to build longer innings.

Yuvraj Singh is in my view, the 2nd most naturally gifted batsman to have represented India. (No disrespect to Gavaskar, Vishwanath, etc., and Ranjithsinhji played for England) But, alas he has been playing international cricket for a decade now, and has never displayed a mental aptitude for test cricket. Yes, he has had the odd big knock against Pakistan, but he refuses to correct basic flaws in his defensive technique. Anyways, by choosing to go out on a date in the middle of the crucial Sydney test, he has proven without doubt that he lacks any work ethic. Sorry Yuvi, you have flattered to deceive, and can forget about test cricket.

Suresh Raina was rated very highly by Greg Chappell, and that’s some bullet point for his resume. Notwithstanding Chappell’s failed stint as coach, he has been one of the finest batsmen, and has a fantastic eye for talent. Rewind to the 1991 WACA test, a certain S.R.Tendulkar, all of 19 years, had just completed a marvelous century when all his senior teammates fell like 10 pins. Greg Chappell, the commentator said, “We have just seen the emergence of one of the stars of the ‘90’s!!!”. And how true was his prophecy. Raina seems to have the complete package of a fine middle order batsman, and the humility to handle success. All the best boy, let’s hope you go all the way!

Manoj Tiwari is one name that has gone out of the limelight of late. He had a fantastic Ranji season last year, and was widely pitted to be a future test player for the country. He missed a superfast yorker from Brett Lee at Brisbane in his only ODI outing earlier this year. I thought Sehwag’s handling of this fine emerging talent during the IPL (Delhi Daredevils) was very disappointing and he deserved a much better run. He has a very solid technique and his strokeplay is a sight to watch; my vote to take over from Rahul Dravid. If he can be half as successful as Dravid, he’ll have done a great job.

Who are the other contenders? Mohammad Kaif has been given one too many chances, but has not shown the ability to play long innings. Robin Uthappa … nah that’s a long shot. Virat Kohli needs to prove himself for a couple of seasons at least.

So I have nominated 3 future Indian middle order batsmen (making Srikkanth’s job that much easier!) – Manoj Tiwari, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. What about the 4th? Let’s have some patience… we have till 2011 at least.. Sachin isn’t going to retire without winning the World Cup at the Wankhede!