India's disastrous world cup?

As I write this, India have officially crashed out of the cricket World Cup 2007. There is bound to be anger and indignation across the nation and the world among all the Indian cricket "fans". There are several issues that I think need to be addressed.

Is the exit as serious as we make it out to be?
In a word - NO. Yes we crashed out when we should not have. But I believe that it was just one game where we did not play to our potential, the game against Bangladesh. We underestimated them and were made to pay for this mistake. In any sport I guess the first rule is not to underestimate opponents.

The format of the world cup was highly appreciated before the "black saturday". Most experts agreed that the format was the best of everything - it gave the "minnows" an opportunity and then had a round robin where every team plays every other team. I still believe that this is an excellent format for the world cup. However one thing that it lacks is opportunity for a team to come back from a bad start. With only four teams playing each other just once, the probability of unexpected results increases. One solution would be to play each other twice in the group. However it would mean a lot more matches and may not be a suitable format.

One of the articles that has affected me is The Desi Fan by Mukul Kesavan. One of the observations is that a vast majority of the "fans" do not play cricket or any other competetive sport. This leads to the fans believing that it is a right of our team to win irrespective of the opponent. As a tennis player who has now played with the same partner for the past one year, I can tell you that it is still not a certainity that I will win each time. I realize that the argument may be a bit lacking in that the cricketers have all the time to improve, but so do the other teams.

The other thing we as fans should understand is that there are two teams and the other team also wants to win equally badly and may have superior talent or a perfect day or we may have a bad day. Such things happen. To bring in another tennis comparision, anyone who saw the Australian open semi finals between Roddick and Federer would understand how when an opponent is having a perfect match you just cannot do anything. Watch it to see what I mean.

Was the vision right in the first place?
Greg Chappel's much publicised vision when he was interviewed, Vision 2007, aimed solely at the world cup. This is in stark contrast to his predecessor's vision which was to make India a very good test team. I believe that the vision of John Wright was a much better one. As anyone will tell you making the transition from test matches to one day matches is much easier. If we had aimed to build a good test team, we would naturally have become a good one day team. At most points in history, with the exception of the current England team, a team with a good test team is equally good in one day matches. Also many true cricket lovers from India including me would rather India win a test series in Australia, South Africa or England rather than the world cup. In this regard, to give Chappel credit, we did win a test series in West Indies and won a test match for the first time in South Africa. I sincerely hope and pray that the next coach's aim would be to make India the best test team. I am not very confident that this would happen as Mr Pawar has already started talking about the 2011 world cup.

Is India going out a good thing?
One or two things were running through my mind after India lost to Bangladesh. Since there is so much at stake for corporates, TV channels and the ICC, I was worried that if India won against Sri Lanka or if Bangladesh lost to Bermuda, there would be talk about the officials fixing the results. So in a sense it was good that either of those did not happen.

India going out would hopefully make a lot of people, businesses and tv channels realize that the world cup is not worth hyping so much and hopefully for the next world cup it would be a bit more low key. Maybe that is asking for too much. At least the hype would die down and people can get back to work and start being productive again. I was reading about the conflict between Sony TV and the advertisers and how Sony has stated that India's fortunes are not included in the contract. I think though legally this is right, it would come back to bite them. It would make the advertisers apprehensive about them the next time round and Sony could loose in the long run. Hopefully the advertisers would also learn a lesson from this and not fuel the hype.

Captain and Coach.
I thought that as soon as we were knocked out, we would atleast see the captain, if not both the captain and coach step down. However this has not yet happened and I am not sure of the reasons. India needs Dravid the batsman rather than Dravid the captain. One of the main reasons that India did well under Ganguly was because Dravid the batsman was in prime form. A perfect number three in test cricket and one of the best finishers in one day cricket, Dravid the batsman lended the solidity to the flashy personnel of the team to flourish and thus take the team forward. Whereas as captain, Dravid the batsman has not been in the same kind of form.

There don't seem to be any alternatives to Dravid as captain. If not Dravid then who would be the next captain - some names Sehwag, Yuvraj, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dhoni, etc just don't feel right. This is a tough one and I don't seem to like anyone else as captain. However maybe as suggested on an article I saw on Cricinfo, we should have a split captaincy with VVS Laxman as captain of the test team and Yuvraj as captain of the one day team. However, I don't see the selectors being as imaginative as that.

All in all, the whole of India must be slowly getting to terms with us not being there. Hopefully, they would appreciate and enjoy a lot of good cricket that would be played over the next month and with India not being there, there need not be any anxiety. As I write this, Sri Lanka showed why they are considered certain semi finalists by their fighting qualities against South Africa. Though they lost, the way they fought showed what our team really lacked.

Hope everyone enjoys the world cup for what it is without bitterness and resentment about India's exit.

Fix the test team!!

Cricinfo's fascinating discussion this time deals with the two totally different India's that seem to take the field when we play test cricket and one day cricket.



As I write this, India has won one more meaningless victory against Pakistan, in one more meaningless match. It is like a pack of potato crisps, we enjoy it now, but we still have to have dinner. However good the crisps are, it cannot and will not replace the dinner.



This season, India has served us a lot of crisps - 6-1 against Sri Lanka, 2-2 against South Africa, 4-1 against Pakistan, 5-1 against England and finally 1-1 against Pakistan. In the same time, India's test record reads 2-0 against Sri Lanka, 0-1 against Pakistan and 1-1 aganst England. I totally agree with some of what the eminent writers at Cricinfo have to say about Greg Chappel not concentrating enough on test cricket and instead focussing solely on the World Cup. It almost seems like Greg Chappel has made a deal with selectors whereby he gets to do what he likes with the ODI team and the selectors get their say in the Test team. The lack of experimentation in the Test arena surely suggests this.



Another point I would like to make and has been raised by some writers is that all of these one day matches have been in sub-continental conditions. We have yet to tour Australia, New Zealand or England and get our one day team tested. However, to counter this is the fact that all our tests also have been played in subcontinental conditions, in which we have been unbeatable until recently.



Our top order, in tests, have not made enough runs in these matches. There have been very instances when we have not been under a 100 for 4 or 5. The lower order has been depended upon too frequently. One of the reasons for this, I believe is due to the teams insistance on playing Yuvraj. I am yet to be convinced that he is a test batsman. I believe Kaif is a much better test batsman. I also believe that Raina would fit in the test arena much better. Another reason is the chopping and changing of VVS Laxman. He is a way too classy batsman to leave out. I believe that he should bat at no 4. Sachin should be at no 5 - I haven't come across a batsman whose position has not changed over the course of a career, except Sachin.



As for our bowling, it is a one man army of Anil Kumble. Harbhajan, according to me is highly overrated. A series should be granted to Ramesh Powar. The more I see this man bowl in the one dayers, the more I am convinced that he will be very successful in the tests. The one thing I like the most about him is his wry smily face seemingly suggesting - "I am going to flight the ball all the time.. so let me see you hit it if you can..". I would also go as far as dropping Irfan Pathan from the tests for a few matches as I believe that on current form Sreesanth and Munaf Patel are our best test fast bowlers.



When Dravid bowled in Mumbai, there was a hue and cry about the decision. However, the fact is that if we had held on to the chances, England would have been reduced to something like 200 / 6 instead of 272 / 3 at the end of day1. This decline in our catching standards has to stop. Dravid, normally the safest slip fielder has dropped several important catches after he became the captain. Our slip cordon is not regular. Though Yuvraj and Kaif maybe the best fielders in one day cricket, their slip catching and close in catching for spinners are just not upto scratch. VVS Laxman also adds value here. To compound problems, Dhoni has not been able to match Dinesh Karthik's glovework, missing easy stumpings and catches.



As can be inferred, it is no surprise that we are not doing as well in test cricket. We should probably start with fixing up our team. Dravid should also not make the mistake of not fielding when he wins the tosses. We should follow the Australian philosophy of win toss - bat, if in doubt - think, bat.



I for one don't care about the World Cup. If we are able to win a test series against Australia, England, South Africa, etc in their backyards, it would be a greater achievement than the world cup. Waiting for the day we do this...

Be careful what you wish for..

Its 5:00 AM here in UK and the second test is just about to start. We have already had some excitement in the form of the announcement of the teams. The teams are exactly as I had wished for, 5 bowlers and a debut to a new leg spinner from India - Piyush Chawla. Hopefully for the good of Indian cricket and cricket in general, he will be a star debutant. From the little footage shown of Chawla playing in the under 19 world cup, he seems a big spinner of the ball with a googly that turns more than Harbhajan's off spinner.

The other major decision for me is shock dropping of VVS Laxman. I am a big fan of Laxman and believe he has played some of the best innings ever played by an Indian. Everyone remembers his 280 in Kolkata. That innings certainly defined Laxman. But the ones people tend to forget and I consider more important are his centuries on the Australian tour of 2004. The centuries in Adelaide and Sydney.

In the Adelaide match, Laxman made a fabulous 148, after india were 85 / 4. He was involved in a 300+ run partnership with Dravid. The innings was certainly a great innings, containing all the shots and scored at such a pace that India could win even after conceding 550+ runs. Do refresh your memory with this mini scorecard from Cricinfo.

1 Aus 556    127     - L 2nd Test  Aus v Ind 2003/04 [1673]
2 Ind 523    161.5   - W
3 Aus 196     56.2   - L
4 Ind 233/6   72.4 230 W

The above innings was overshadowed only by the one at Sydney. Laxman made 178 of the most beautiful runs when Sachin at the other end was playing the most disciplined innings at the other end. They were involved in a 380 run partnership that ensured that we would not loose the series and may even win it. This partnership was significant for the contrast of the two innings. Laxman and Sachin seemed to be playing on totally different pitches. Sachin being circumspect, eschewing all risks and playing only leg side shots. In contrast, Laxman was fluid, shots all around the park, scoring at a fast rate as a result taking the pressure off Sachin. I still remember some shots from this innings - most notably a cover drive off Brett Lee on the second morning and a straight drive that sped past the bowler even before he had completed his run up (Also remember Sunil Gavaskar's oh oh oh comment to describe this shot). Match summary from Cricinfo to refresh your memory.

1 Ind 705/7d 187.3   - D 4th Test  Aus v Ind 2003/04 [1680]
2 Aus 474    117.5   - D
3 Ind 211/2d  43.2   - D
4 Aus 357/6   94   443 D

In the 2004 series, Laxman being involved in two 300+ partnerships was remarkable. This is probably a record of some kind.

There were certainly other innings, most notably another one at Sydney where he made 167 out of a team total of 261, a match we lost. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to comment on this innings as I could not watch it.

I hope that this does not signal the end for Laxman. Hopefully, we will be able to witness some more magical Laxman innings. However, there is an uneasy feeling that he may have played his last match. Sometimes, getting what you wished for may not be the best thing...

Onto Mohali.. 0-0

So.. after the first test, the England team showed India that they would be far tougher competition than previously thought.


There were several excellent performances. However, for me the performance that made all the difference was Paul Collingwood's century in the first innings. If that innings had not materialized, I am sure that England would have crashed to a heavy defeat.


The test also showed why India are a very good side. With the Ganguly issue finally seeming to die down, the Indians seemed a much settled side without any differences and a single leader - Rahul Dravid. Earlier, I had been very skeptical of making Dravid the captain, mostly because of the fear that we will loose our best batsman to the pressures of captaincy. Now after about half season, it is clear that captaincy has not affected his batting adversely. It could even have improved it as he seems a lot more confident and positive now.


India's atrocious attempt at victory late in the match, I believe, helped them save the match more easily than otherwise. Imagine a scenerio where after tea, with the dismissal of Dravid, instead of Pathan, Tendulkar had walked out. The English team would have attacked him with his greatest weakness, playing defensively to left arm bowlers. There would have been a good chance that he would have been dismissed early and from then on, England with their tails up would have attacked furiously and could have caused a collapse. The fact that the Indians pretended to go for the win spread the field with only 3 people inside the circle(if there was one) and no men in attacking positions making it easier for us to save the game. It also gave England a huge scare and did not allow them to get a "Winning Draw" (commentators terminalogy).

Onto the next test then, Mohali - is a a venue where a draw is more likely. The results at Mohali from Cricinfo -

WI  won  243 runs   won  1st n  3rd Test  Ind v WI  1994/95 [1278]
-   draw -          -    -   n  1st Test  Ind v SL  1997/98 [1385]
-   draw -          -    -   n  1st Test  Ind v NZ  1999/00 [1462]
Ind won  10 wickets won  2nd n  1st Test  Ind v Eng 2001/02 [1574]
-   draw -          -    -   y  2nd Test  Ind v NZ  2003/04 [1662]
-   draw -          -    -   n  1st Test  Ind v Pak 2004/05 [1738]

This gives India a slight psychological edge to India as their only win at this venue has come against England.


I think India should get Munaf Patel into the team. We have been hearing about this bowler for about 2-3 years now and he did exceptionally well in the warm up game. Left to me, I would replace Kaif with Piyush Chawla and Harbhajan with Munaf Patel. However, I think the team management thinks it is mandatory to play Yuvraj. Hence most probably Yuvraj will replace Kaif and that will be the only change. Hopefully the team management will be bold enough to attack with 5 bowlers.

Should be another fascinating test match..

Ind-Eng first test - Me as a selector.

Writing a blog means that I too can be a selector. So here are my thoughts about the selection issues and finally the team as I would select.

In my earlier post, I had written that Yuvraj being injured had made life a lot easier for the selectors and that Ganguly would play in the first test. The unpredictable selectors surprised everyone and gave a firm indication that this is the end for Ganguly. One of my thoughts is that they were actually nervous of the possibility that Ganguly, who after being dropped from the one day team has been batting extremely confidently and positively, may finally get a big score. Chappel and the selectors would then find it extremely difficult to justify dropping him.

Of the eleven places, the certainties - Sehwag, Jaffer, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Dhoni,Pathan,Harbhajan, Kumble take up 9 spots leaving 2 spots. These two spots can be filled in two ways -

1) Fill the two spots with two bowlers - a spinner and a fast bowler.

The selection of the third spinner is simple as Piyush Chawla is the only other spinner in the 16. I have heard that in addition to being a very good leg spinner, he is a good lower order batsman. Given the english batsmen's weakness in playing leg spin Chawla is a very attractive option. Only issue is if it is a bit too early to push him into the deep end. However since everyone expects Kumble and Harbhajan to do the job, it would reduce the pressure on the youngster.

The second fast bowler is a bit more difficult to pick. From what I have seen, Sreesunth will be a good pick. On the other hand, a case can be made for VRV Singh, reputedly the fastest fast bowler in India. I would pick VRV Singh very slightly ahead of Sreesunth just because of reputed pace.

2) Fill the two spots with a middle order batsman and a fast bowler.

The middle order batsman choice is a direct fight between Kaif and Raina. At this moment, with Kaif in poor form, I would pick Raina. The one innings of his that I saw, his 30 odd against Pakistan was superb reminding me of Ganguly in his glory days. He also has a very good defence and seemed more compact and safe than Ganguly.

The fast bowler would be VRV Singh as argued above.

I am ambivalent about which of the two options we should follow. I believe that with Dhoni at 6 and Pathan at 7, we can afford the luxury of 5 bowlers. With Chawla reputed to be a good lower order batsman, I believe we should go with the 5+1+5 option for the first test. Hence my team for the first test would be

1) Jaffer

2) Sehwag

3) Dravid

4) Tendulkar

5) Laxman

6) Dhoni

7) Pathan

8) Chawla

9) Harbhajan

10) Kumble

11) VRV Singh

Whatever the team, I believe that the Indian team should beat the English rather easily. But as the cliche says - Cricket is a funny game...

Yuvraj doubtful for first Test against England - Blessing in disguise?

It is being reported that Yuvraj may not be available for the first test against England. This may actually be a blessing in disguise for Sauvrav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and the selectors.

With Yuvraj being injured Saurav is sure to be included in the side and Rahul does not have to be a makeshift opener. It would mean that India would go into the test series with proper openers thus giving them a very good chance of winning.

I believe (though simplistically) that our defeat in Karachi, which most people may have already forgotten, was due to two main factors. One - The absense of proper openers and two - lack of a right arm pacer.

The absense of a proper opener was forced upon the team by one - the selectors who probably insisted on Ganguly being in the team and two - Greg Chappel who probably insisted on Yuvraj being in the team, leaving no option but to go in without an opener. Dravid being the "lead by example" kind of captain took it upon himself to open as against Ganguly who when faced with a similar dilemma made scapegoats of the wicketkeeper, Laxman, Dravid, Sehwag, etc. (It has to be admitted that this reluctance of Ganguly to open led to the discovery of Virender Sehwag as an opener.). Even though Dravid got centuries in the first two tests, it is clear that he is not very comfortable as opener. I think he has a psychological block which he is finding quite difficult to overcome. He is most comfortable at no 3 and as the best batsman of the team deserves the right to be comfortable. Invariably when Dravid makes runs at no 3, India win. I also think that with Dravid opening, the batting order seemed disturbed. Taking all these into consideration, I believe we should have a proper opener - Gambir or Jaffer, open the innings.

If we recall the last series, Balaji was one of the major performers in that series. Balaji swung the ball quite prodigiously and accounted for quite a few batsmen with beautiful deliveries. He is a ideal partner to Pathan. In the Karachi test, if we had Balaji instead of Zaheer or RP Singh, it might have been the case that Pakistan would have been bowled out for under a 100 in the first innings from which it would have been impossible to comeback. For some reason Balaji seems to have gone missing. If he is unavailable, I think Sreesanth would be an equivalently effective partner to Irfan. (I hope we do look beyond Agarkar, at least for the tests). A right armer pacer, taking the ball away from the batsman - like Balaji or Sreesanth, would be very dangerous on a pitch like Karachi. In addition, it would also add to the variety of the attack. I hope that we select a new right arm pace bowler - either Sreesanth, VRV Singh, Munaf Patel or Balaji and solve this issue.

Yuvraj being injured would certainly mean that his middle order spot would be taken by Ganguly. It should be made clear to Ganguly that this would be last chance he would get. With the issue of Ganguly settled and with Dravid now coming at no 3, we can solve the problem no 1 by having Gambir or Jaffer open with Sehwag. Before the one day series, I was of the opinion that Gambir should be given one more chance. However, with his performance in the one days where his total lack of sense showed up, my mind has been changed and now think that maybe Jaffer should be given a chance.

Either way, we will get back our most potent weapon, Dravid at 3 giving the batting order a settled look. This is why I state that Yuvraj being injured would be a huge blessing in disguise for all people concerned.

Future captain of India.

Virender Sehwag is currently the best matchwinner of the Indian side. He is a really positive person who always thinks about winning. Even on a last day chase of 400+, Virender Sehwag would think about winning and not about drawing the test match.

The innings of 155 against Australia in Chennai, as described in this article, is a classic. In a team total of 376, Sehwag made 155 and when he was dismissed, the team score was 233. This alone demonstrates the dominance and positiveness of Sehwag in comparision to our other celebrated batsmen.

We probably think of Sehwag as an impetous person who does not think about his shots, the situation, etc. In this article, he comes across as a very shrewd character who knows exactly what he is doing and what he is supposed to be doing.

Before Dravid was given the captaincy, I was of the belief that captaincy would adversely affect Dravids batting. Keeping that in mind and the fact that India needed Dravids batting more than his captaincy, I thought that Sehwag should be made the captain of India. Reading this article only strengthens my belief. However seeing that Dravid is doing a great job as captain and is so far not letting captaincy affect his batting, I would like to change my view on Dravid being captain. At the same time, it does not change my mind about Sehwag and I am certain that he should and will be captain of India.

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