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Sight Screen

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

real test cricket continues - Ind-Zim Day2 Open Thread

A dull first day....India being good and ineffective in patches...in bowling and fielding. Khan good in second spell, Kumble not at his best throughout, Pathan only in first spell(without sticking to a consistently good line and length)...Bhajji was good, with a few missed chances (atleast 2 catches and 1 stumping, I remember)...all in all..probably Zim 50 runs more than what India would have ideally liked...not that there's much cause for worry yet...this being their first test match day of the season.

Meanwhile a news bit, a strong Aus A beaten by a stronger Pak A. And looking at the scorecard....some gains for Aus A-Phil Jaques made the highest score of the match in their first innings, White took all 3 Pak wickets to fall in the second innings.

Anyway....open thread for the day...

posted by worma at 2:36 AM

229 Comments:

  • abhay, if you have any feedback for me, please do share it here, or you can mail me if you prefer that. I do have opinions, but I definitely try to listen to others, and give everyone enough space. Or, not be involved in the discussion if it goes beyond me.

    Btw, in the 'comments' section...I am just the same as you all...with no special powers or privilages. Even otherwise, I like to think myself as one of you guys, just with enough time and energy to post my thoughts on the main page.

    By Blogger worma, at 03:28  

  • I expect zim innings to be wrapped up within 20 more runs...

    India WILL struggle and VVS and Karthik will be the rescuers...

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 03:58  

  • vshan, well...that was my opinion, not hal-hearted descriptions (my full heart in that:)....lowly Zim does not mean they will roll-over each time....and as I agreed...it was a patchy effort....if you want to generalise that as 'bowling sucked'...then so be it. Had it been 220/7 (as I said 50 extra runs) then it was perfectly OK bowling...that was as per right expectation. since its not, hence i call it patchy

    By Blogger worma, at 03:59  

  • btw, someone watching... new ball taken???

    By Blogger worma, at 04:03  

  • yeda, exactly...I KNOW what ZIM has been doing..even against Zim...thats why my expectation with them was that they would not roll over on day 1 on a flat track...thats why I'm not as disappointed with the bowling...only some extra runs...thats all.

    And btw, in same vein...I would expect them to have improved bowling also...Blignaut wasnt there in Nz series....he's good...

    By Blogger worma, at 04:05  

  • oops I mean 'even against Nz'...

    By Blogger worma, at 04:06  

  • vshan...yes dude...shields and barriers...I build realistic expectations...I said before the start of this test series...i expect India to win....reasonably comfortably...but no thrashing...no bulldozing...nothing of that sort will happen. And my realistic expectations are built on the past and current performance of Indian and Zimbabwe teams....not on my 'hope' and 'wish'...

    By Blogger worma, at 04:10  

  • LOL yeda :)

    By Blogger worma, at 04:14  

  • ravi...if this team, now at the start of the season, has a decent start...and has not fitness or otherwise obstacles...I think they will reach the same level as the past(Pak, Aus tour). SRT, ofcourse, is one big missing link.

    And even that team(actually same team..but in 'that' performance level), that visited Aus and Pak, would not have 'run through' the Zim lineup......the reality is outside subcontinent we are a modest bowling lineup team...

    By Blogger worma, at 04:18  

  • LOL yeda :)...that was what I said in my post yesterday/day-before.....just throw in Inzy and it looks like a Pak main team..coming fresh from an internal power struggle (so 1 or 2 players missing) ;-)

    By Blogger worma, at 04:28  

  • yeda...yes there's pathan's five-for :)...ilovecricket...yeah I think thats possible...if only they get a decent opening partnership

    By Blogger worma, at 04:35  

  • ravi, thrice against BD and once against Zim ;)

    By Blogger worma, at 04:37  

  • I predicted the scores yesterday morning........So far 99.99 % accurate :D

    ~~~~~What i wrote yesterday ~~~~~

    My prediction ::

    Zimbabwe 285 all out,
    India 180/6 ...karthik and laxman to save India from then on...

    Remember... u heard it first here... :)

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 04:42  

  • k-slice...the management did not expect a bowling pitch IMO....thats why two spinners..we never earlier played two spinners outside the subcontinent (I think)

    By Blogger worma, at 04:46  

  • ravi...just mentioned that weak opposition thing to keep the right perspective...sure they are still wickets at highest level (so many bowlers are there who havent even managed 5 wkts against these opposition..despite having an oppurtunity...). And ofcourse all bowlers in their career do this....all batsmen also get cheap runs like this...

    good point about murali....he was quite 'ineffectice' against BD top order in first innings...notice the score i posted....150+/2 in 20+ overs !!!.....then later he ran through tail...and next innings he was all over them....

    By Blogger worma, at 04:50  

  • I wonder if Sehwag can maintain his composure for long against this attack. Surprisingly he does much better against stronger attacks like Aus & Pak

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 04:52  

  • Just as i posted my above comment, Sehwag is dropped

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 04:56  

  • k-slice...Zim won the toss and batted first on a batting pitch. India was made to bowl :)

    By Blogger worma, at 04:57  

  • It aint over till the fat lady sings :) I still blv VS and RD will struggle in this tour

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 05:11  

  • When India went to Aussies they faced macgill, bracken and brad williams of all bowlers....... Still we cud not win the series :(

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 05:16  

  • ravi...I agree that India missed Kumble (or did it :D )

    BUt i think u wud agree that had McGrath and warne played that series, the result would have been very different...

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 05:26  

  • Even i prefer VS for captaincy, but does any one here believe that BCCI wud have the foresight to look ahead of RD ?? I doubt very much...

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 05:40  

  • Na, kaif is the best cover driver.....Hey how come we forgot SG :D. He was supposed to be god there, remember :)

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 05:47  

  • Interestin story this...Roger Federer says there are lessons for him in the Ashes defeat of his favourite team, Australia....
    "They did lose? You're kidding. Oh shit," Federer said yesterday, the day after his US Open final win against Andre Agassi

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 05:56  

  • The first bicycle comes down.......Now wait for the rest to follow suit :D

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 06:02  

  • I have come up with an idea ...

    Select 10 regulars and leave out SG and VS...

    Now if we play against a top team like Aus, Pak or Eng, let VS be the 11th player..

    Let SG play when we play Zim or BD....

    In the end, Team India will be benifitted :D

    Wot say Junta here ??

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 06:06  

  • ravi.. I am a consultant :) . I currently work at Deloitte Consulting, Hyderabad

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 06:13  

  • In his two Innings in Zim against Zim (one today & one in the triseries),VS stats read as

    V Sehwag b Mahwire 12 &
    V Sehwag b Mahwire 44

    Guess, Sehwag will be having a few sleeping nights till the next time he faces the hostile bowling of "Mahwire" :)

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 06:32  

  • Here is the apparent reality of the ICC investigation of the tri-series. Looks like they had this 'regular' visit, and TOI found out from 'internal sources' that it was related to tri-series! And others just picked it from there ?

    Sure, even this can be a cover-up statement. Maybe Sujata/Prem can comment on it.

    By Blogger worma, at 06:37  

  • And here is the Indian captain explaining day one, from his point of view. Not surprisingly, it covers most of the questions we were debating here yesterday! About 4 bowlers, 2 spinners, performance of these, Yuv vs Kaif, Bhajji's wicketless day etc

    By Blogger worma, at 06:43  

  • "The wall" is batting, I wonder if SG will come at the fall of next wicket ??

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 06:43  

  • kansultant...the supposed batting order has Lax next...and SG has said earlier that he wud bat at regular position(means no 5)

    By Blogger worma, at 06:45  

  • blwe_torch : I was taunting inside sources of TOI there ;-)...abt Sahi, I think he has good connections...so the 'information' part of his reports is good...the 'analysis' part not so

    By Blogger worma, at 06:49  

  • Prem, no comment on YS in place of MK?

    By Blogger samc, at 06:53  

  • As I said, the Bicycles have started to fall :)

    GG is gone

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 06:55  

  • rajesh..let him play outside the subcon..against decent attacks. IMO his game is a bit 'loose'...but then..so we thought for sehwag once (not comparing him)...

    By Blogger worma, at 07:10  

  • as far as I remember...there was a time when his candidature was seriously considered...and it was said that he was tactically good...also lead Hyd well (dunno abt results, but I guess those were also good). He also lead a few games like board XI or Challenger Trophy games..and was praised in those. Going by his interviews..and whatever little I saw him (in those practise, local games) he can be good...but u need to test these things in pressure situations...like Dravid is being tested (and I have reservations about dravid's style...but needs to be seen more).

    Anyways, I dont think he has a chance now...if things work out the normal course....after SG it will be RD or VS/Kaif/Yuv/youngster...depending on when SG goes...so VVS's windown is shut now

    By Blogger worma, at 07:27  

  • ravi, i dont think VVS captaincy prospects (in the past, nothing now) had anything to do with Azhar....I'm sure RD or SG would also have admired Azhar's batting at some point of time...if they know good batting!
    About inspiring...well he may not be, but then a challenger game is not enough to know that....we should know that from his Hyd team...Prem may have more on this. Like we know from Mumbai team what sachin was capable of as a captain(despite whatever weaknesses we have discussed here in the past)...

    By Blogger worma, at 07:33  

  • VVS captained India A once against Aus A in that tournament in Hollywood, USA 3-5 years back.. Did a fairly good job, I thought...anyone remembers that series ???

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 07:42  

  • well that's what happens when you carry a sword behind the neck....Poor VVS always seems to carry that sword :(

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 07:48  

  • One of the rare occurances in test cricket, Umpire Daryll Harper
    (perhaps feeling ill at the moment) leaves the field and is
    replaced by Russell Tiffin, who is the TV Umpire for this game

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 07:49  

  • blwe_torch...I think the selectors etc would also have teh same idea...depends upon when the captaincy handover question comes up. Even if its one year down the line...RD wud not be a good idea...

    By Blogger worma, at 07:49  

  • blwe_torch...sodhi was given enough chances I think.....but his problem was he tried to fill the allrounder slot..and his bowling wasnt international standards...so he got forgotten for that allrounder position...had he modelled himself as a batsman, i think his attitude would have been greatly appreciated in the ODIs atleast....so partly his problem..partly selectors/management thing

    By Blogger worma, at 07:54  

  • who is the TV umpire now? hope they have someone watching the TV..

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 07:54  

  • when was the last time our selectors thought of the long term ???

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 07:55  

  • The problem with RD is not his cricketing brain.... but a charisma a leader shud possess...he definitely lacks that

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 08:01  

  • rajesh...as I said earlier, RD shud be seen more before deciding whether he is suitable or not....from what I have seen so far, I thought he was over experimental (field placements, bowler changes etc)..as if trying to cover for all the critics of SG style...and sometimes that doesnt work...also he's not dogged in his mindset or attitude....which is required in captaincy, more so in India captaincy....he is very intelligent and articulate so thats not a problem...but probably he 'thinks' too much rather than go with the moment???....so...having 'plans' for each stage...rather than go with the game and felxibly change mindset....maybe this is abstract...but lets see...who knows...if and when given a long term chance he may 'mature' as a captain...like SG also did..

    By Blogger worma, at 08:05  

  • rajesh, yes Vijay Bhardwaj....was an ok kind of guy...not extraordinary...well at this stage our ODI team is down in dumps...so we think all those could have been useful :-)....but can you say the same when the same team was flying high in 2002-03 ? Could you have persisted with him in that team? btw..he was under Azhar's captaincy right??

    By Blogger worma, at 08:08  

  • COngrats to RD. 50 off 61

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 08:11  

  • sriram yuv has played less matches than kaif! I dont think that is the only reason why he isnt here in the team, its more to do with persisting with one who got a chance first (rem Yuv was forced to open, and had to relinquish the middle order berth to Kaif...when he was actually deserving it much more than him?)

    By Blogger worma, at 08:12  

  • blwe_torch..probably right abt RD in Aus....even SRT in Aus...but these are hypotheticals :)...maybe Waugh would have quit in disgust in our team...going by backroom politics ;)

    By Blogger worma, at 08:14  

  • And Bharadwaj was one of those guys like David Johnson,Sujith Somasundar and the likes who got into the team when G R Vishwanath and Kirmani were in the Selection Committee

    ravi, Is there something common among all these gentlemen, .... lemme think.... Oh yes :D

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 08:15  

  • blwe : true...thats why i said we shud watch more of RD before passing judgment...that was based on what i saw so far...he can also mature.

    ravi...you want more runs or higher rr ?:)...VS scored fast..and probably went because of that....so did GG...let these buckle down and make big runs....i dont care abt run rate...we can get Zim out in 2 days :)

    By Blogger worma, at 08:17  

  • ravi, u r right about one thing u said yesterday. this blog does get boring when gangs in not in the field. things actually go well and there is no one to blame...:)

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 08:19  

  • ok, thats true ravi ;)

    By Blogger worma, at 08:21  

  • ravi, i was joking! it was an underhanded blow at gangs when there was no reason to blame him...

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 08:23  

  • anyway, about the run rate - taibu's field setting is pretty defensive...so a lot of shots are going to fielders set far enough out to stop singles or fours. there are no fielders in catching positions...so its perfect recipe for boring cricket - no wickets will fall unless laxman or dravid commits harakiri...but very few boundaries will come

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 08:27  

  • jk..thx for that update...hmm..so defensive field...spinners in tandem...Taibu expecting RD to be bowled by offspin I guess :)..btw any idea anyone why Utseya is not playing ? I thought he was their most impressive bowler in the tri-series besides Streak....any non-cricketing reason ??

    By Blogger worma, at 08:30  

  • dravid seems to be in aggressive mode though...he playing a shot to every ball - or waiting until the last minute to play shots to the spinners...laxman is more content to nurdle the ball with his forward defensive shots.

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 08:34  

  • Does anyone know why Dinesh Karthik is preffered over Dhoni in Tests? Is it because of superior keeping skills?

    By Blogger Unknown, at 08:38  

  • don't think there is anything to it. nzealand rested their top players for a meaningless game - and thats it. i don't think fleming or gangs are that brilliant...

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 08:39  

  • ruchir, he was tried before Dhoni impressed in Tests...and so far his batting in tests have been good, keeping decent (compared to Dhoni's in ODIs he's still better)...so no reason to drop him.

    By Blogger worma, at 08:41  

  • i meant he was tried in tests before dhoni impressed (in ODIs) ;)

    By Blogger worma, at 08:42  

  • worma:

    OK...

    By Blogger Unknown, at 08:42  

  • Laxman completes 4000 runs in Tests.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 08:45  

  • jaiho....my opinion..as I stated yestday also was that Yuvraj had a prior claim to that middle order slot(when he did well in Pak)...then he was coerced by team management to try opening(like Sehwag, he also didnt prefer it) for the good of the team, with the promise that it wont affect his middle order chances...so he opened against Aus, and Kaif got YUv place in middle order(and did well in that game in Chennai) hence in next game, when sachin came back, they had to 'rest' yuv...although he should have been playing..
    ..so going by that..he was now preferred over kaif....add to it the fact that he is not really out of form (now) and also as Gangs said, he has a good test record...so, it would be like virtually dropping him to pick Kaif...

    sorry for repetition..others :)

    By Blogger worma, at 08:52  

  • ravi, i think Dhoni can play the test game also...he played sensibly in that win against Nz I think(50 something?)...didnt slam bang from the start. He has technical limitations no doubt, but many others have done well with limitations. I think its good if there is healthy competiion for both places...so if Karthik does well in a few tests, like maybe big scores here, then Dhoni would also have to keep improving (his keeping also!)

    By Blogger worma, at 08:55  

  • tiger, cricinfo said sehwag was dropped early on...thats all

    By Blogger worma, at 08:56  

  • tiger: no, no catches dropped for dravid and laxman...dravid, because he was going for his shots, had a couple of inside edges missing his stumps but otherwise, a chanceless innings from both

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 08:58  

  • k-slice - don't tempt fate and the peculiar indian genius for spectacular suicides...

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 09:04  

  • tiger..yeah shud get 400 atleast. Dunno how 'tricky' chasing 150 would be...going by how comfortable they are now(reading cricinfo, not watching)..

    By Blogger worma, at 09:09  

  • I am finding this dot-ball battle quite intriguing and fun. The Zim bowlers are trying to get the batsmen out by attrition, and the Indians are sensibly (IMO) not trying anything extra. The time for that will come. It is just the 2nd day of a 5 day match.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:15  

  • Bad news. Sania Mirza lost her 1st round match in Bali.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 09:19  

  • yeah I know tiger :)..but hopefully not against 'this' team!

    btw...ICC nominations for player/team of the year here..didnt see many surprise omissions/inclusions...not even Pak can complain since Inzy's there is all the lists (not in emerging player of the year ;) )

    ..umm..on second thought, what is bell doing in emerging player list??

    By Blogger worma, at 09:21  

  • Nothing has really happened with it...but I am a little concerned of this tendency (of late) of Dravid to reach far out to his right to get to the pitch of the ball to drive to cover. It could be an issue on seaming tracks. (Though from what I have read of Dravid he may have gauged correctly that the ball is not doing much and he can do this without worrying about it sneaking past the middle of the bat).

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:21  

  • Someone watching the match on TV: Are the bowlers so difficult to score off? Or is the pitch doing something here? Why so many dot balls?

    By Blogger Shankar Anand, at 09:22  

  • mr v
    No, the zimbabwe bowlers are bowling honestly (!) but the field is spread out to stop the runs. No close-in catchers and all the "close-in" fielders are where the 30 yard circle would be. I guess they know that Laxman is not the kind to steal singles, so they can spread a little bit. Thats all.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:23  

  • And about the emerging players of the year : What have Dinesh Karthik and Gautam Gambhir done to get nominated?

    By Blogger Shankar Anand, at 09:24  

  • One wide slip for Mahwire (2-3rd slip area...floating slip), a gully...and thats about ti for catchers.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:24  

  • Looks like VVS and RD heard y'all. only 3 dot balls in over # 53 and 54 and 13 runs off them.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 09:25  

  • ah well...yes shankar...maybe there were not so many good emergence last year

    By Blogger worma, at 09:26  

  • ah! now it gets interesting...

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 09:27  

  • ruchir,

    Dravid got too cute for that shot...once earlier in the over he played that and not too well. I thought he'd have given up on the shot, but no...oh well, straight to the floating slip.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:28  

  • is Rana Naved emerging player ??...he shud be there in some list atleast

    By Blogger worma, at 09:28  

  • jaunty...i thought he didnt play that shot in tests at all!...ODI bad habits creeping up?

    By Blogger worma, at 09:30  

  • Laxman and Ganguly take the quickest single I have seen all day!! Ironic!

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:30  

  • taibu should be brining in heath now...but he isn't.

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 09:31  

  • jaunty:

    Yeah, well too bad. He missed out on a 100 here...

    By Blogger Unknown, at 09:31  

  • worma, absolutely. What surprised me was that earlier in the over he tried that shot, and looked uncomfortable and immediately practiced a forward denfensive stroke and a "well-left". So when the short ball outside off-stump came by three balls later it took me by surprise that he tried the glide to 3rd man.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:32  

  • mahwire averages 120-125 kmh...

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 09:33  

  • Vintage Laxman cover drive!!

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:33  

  • TT should bring Streak back on for SG (and then Blignaut for Mahwire when Mahwire tires).

    Now, a vintage Laxman flick/drive to midwicket!

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:36  

  • yeah cricinfo rights RFM for Agarkar(also McG, Khan) while for Pathan its RFM

    By Blogger worma, at 09:36  

  • jaunty I think it should be Blignaut for SG...doesnt he hit the deck hard...bang it in? Blignaut?

    By Blogger worma, at 09:37  

  • jaiho..um...i think streak would replace mahwire...

    By Blogger worma, at 09:39  

  • mayur, I agree. Also it looks like Laxman is a little more relaxed now that he has crossed a 50. It certainly was playing on his mind for a little bit there. I am sure he will buckle down again in another 10-15 runs and consolidate.

    A slip for Ganguly. I'd be crowding the bat just to play on his tension. TT is captaining very defensively here and with little imagination. Shouldn't a faster bowler be operating at BOTH ends, especially when you know the new batsman has for a few years been susceptible to it?

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:40  

  • worma, you are on the money!! HS replaces Mahwire.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:41  

  • yeah, gangs is lucky. he hasn't even faced a ball from mahwire yet...taibu should learn a trick or two on playing mind games...

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 09:41  

  • finally, with heath bowling there is a field setting which looks like a test field setting... 3 catchers.

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 09:43  

  • 2 slips and a gully for SG. I would place a short-leg just for kicks, actually, to make him think the short one is coming.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:43  

  • to ganguly's credit, he hasn't played and missed yet...and he has faced 15 odd balls...thats an achievement.

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 09:45  

  • jk, mayur...even in ODIs SG wasn't troubled by any bowler other than Bond..he did throw away his wkt to poor bowlers...but not to their credit...lets see how he handles Streak/Blignaut...but I dont expect them to trouble him

    By Blogger worma, at 09:48  

  • If ganguly reads the last few minutes of this thread, he wud commit suicide :)

    Most of us here are hoping that he fails, isnt it...and he gets kicked out of the team...

    A pity that situation for a country's captain has come to this stage

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 09:51  

  • Ganguly 1 off 17 balls... what is he upto?

    By Blogger Shankar Anand, at 09:51  

  • cricktip..yeah thats the thinking I guess...although not all the way to 4th morning I think :)..if they dont get allout, I think they'll probably bat till around 10-15 ovrs from close of play tomorrow(with around 550 runs). But anyway, all thats a bit far off now..

    By Blogger worma, at 09:51  

  • Vintage square-drive from Laxman!

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:52  

  • Ganguly is looking unhurried and middling everything. Laxman is keeping it going with an occasional four every other over. Ganguly, IMO, is doing fine. The runs will come in due course. These are the hard yards for any batsman (at the beginning of the innings).

    (Though why Blignaut is not bowling at the other end is puzzling).

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:54  

  • mayur, Strauss has been phenomenal....but he ran into Warne :)..ravi yeah mostly on the mark...not sure about the ODI player of the year...I think some Pak players are also quite close...dont remember all the stats/games..so many of them

    By Blogger worma, at 09:56  

  • what has symonds done over the last year ??

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 09:56  

  • The problem with these awards, ravi, is that you can easily make a case for 3-4 players for each award, so no matter who gets it there will be some muttering by others.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:58  

  • Laxman is playing Streak comfortablty and TT's "master" plan of having HS bowl to SG is being thwarted. Ay, ay, where is Blignaut at the other end? Really mindless captaincy.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 09:59  

  • jaunty..am surprised too at Blignaut not operating....maybe he wasn't bowling his best today...was wayward...and taibu trying his best available options....I would still think its a good idea to have pace at both ends...whenever SG, or any Indian batsman, walks to the crease....giving them spin first up in tests is almost like a lottery (unless Murali is there)...even Yuv would play normal spin well in tests...he doesnt have too many strokes for spin...but in tests that wouldnt matter

    By Blogger worma, at 10:00  

  • ravi, thats a good list. i would just add that michael clark makes a good case for emerging player of the year (he has played more tests than pietersen).

    and strauss and inzy have also had an excellent year.

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 10:01  

  • jk clarke doesnt qualify...its only for debutants..

    tiger yes first thing in the morning

    By Blogger worma, at 10:03  

  • worma, I know. Shastri and the other commentator are talking about Zimbabwe tightening things up at one end with Ewing. But with a new guy at the crease, courtesy a gift by Dravid, I'd be attacking again. There is no way Zimbabwe is going to defend its way to a draw. Where is the fight? Sad, really, since they have a "coach" who should be on top of these things.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:03  

  • Just saw Veeru's dismissal...ay caramba. Veeru, when he first started, had this Tendulkar-esque short backlift straight punch down the ground to good-length balls on the stumps, and when the two batted together I'd often get confused who hit it. No longer is that true. Veeru has been looking to put them through mid-wicked these days and has been repeatedly getting bowled. GC, wake up and see the videos and talk to VS, please.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:06  

  • suraj that was a good one :D

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 10:07  

  • mayur:

    Not too much faith can be put in just staying there and runs coming. Lot of times batsmen stay there for a long time and go deep into defensive frame of mind. Then when they try to step up the scoring, they invariably get out.

    Best way to save your wkt is to take a single and be on the non-striker's end.

    This is the 4th over going maiden. Something will give in soon.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 10:08  

  • tiger, finally, some thinking. Remember the last Aus-Ind series? Aussies used to keep two guys at short-midwicket within hand-shaking distance almost for Laxman (and Dravid, actually) and it curbed his propensity to flick across the line.

    Similar to the English putting a guy at short-mid off, right next to the non-striker to stop Hayden from bullying down the track.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:08  

  • jaunty, he who lives by the sword dies by it too. VS often connects with those kind of deliveries and gets runs off them too. I am not for a moment suggesting that this is good practice but that is the kind of game he has.

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:09  

  • Harsha and Sunil are going on and on that SG and Ganguly ran very tardily for 2 when 3 was there. Haven't they been watching these guys run for the past few years?

    (Though I must say that as soon as Laxman hit the ball I thought it was a boundary. The fielder did well to stop it. So I can see the batsmen jogging along and then suddenly realizing that they had to run for it. Not that the tv guys showed us WHY they ran only two).

    Sweet hop-skip down the wicket and cover drive to the fence by Laxman.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:12  

  • Short-arm pull for 4...shades of Kolkatta in that shot.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:12  

  • bedoon_esam, were you at one time mohd iqbal?:)

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:13  

  • Gavaskar just sadi, "if there is any reverse-swing, he (Streak) will always swing it away from the left-hander."

    My question is this: If reverse swing is just a case of the ball swinging towards the shiny side after the ball has been sufficiently scuffed up on one side, why will it "always" swing only one way?

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:16  

  • clap clap clap sriram :)

    bedoon, u didnt answer my q, but your writing seems very similar to one mohd iqbal on this blog, hence the curiosity.

    Wasnt appeal against VVS a pretty close one?

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:19  

  • 15 overs for SG to survive..Boy !! This is getting more intersting than the ashes :)

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 10:19  

  • Hmmm...that was out LBW in my opinion. Laxman is lucky.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:19  

  • while we discuss SG, Laxman moves on to 83

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 10:21  

  • sriram, well then if you hold the ball with an out-swingers grip, shouldn't it out-swing?

    Nice dance down the wicket and chipped over the mid-on guy for 4.

    Looks like a conscious effort on the part of the Indians to have Laxman score while Ganguly gets comfortable.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:21  

  • I wish jai, vick, mock_turtle, jgohill etc. were reading these comments. They would see people talking about Ganguly inspite of Toney and me being silent. Wow...

    By Blogger Unknown, at 10:22  

  • First time today Ganguly has played in front of the wicket to mid-off. The footwork is starting to get loosen up here, not as tense as before...ominous for Zimbabwe. They may have missed their chance. And even as I write it Ganguly gets his first boundary.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:23  

  • with those two 4s, SG has vindicated his position in the team.

    jaunty,
    Cannot vouch for this, but remember how Waqar Younis swung the old ball in and the new ball out to a RH batsman? And so does Shaib Akhtar and most other guys. The swing seems to be reversed to what they get when they bowl with the new ball, maybe this inability to reverse-swing the ball in both directions has got something to do with a bowler's action.
    In fact, only in the Ashes did I actually see bowlers swing the old ball in both directions.

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:28  

  • sriram, thaks...that was enlightening!! :-) Answered a lot of my questions...but I can see what Ian Chappell was getting at when he siad reverse or otherwise, swing is swing. So a guy should be able to swing it BOTH ways it it is reverse swinging, right? (That was my point about Gavaskar saying Streak will ALWAYS swing away from the left-hander if there is reverse-swing.)

    Zimbabwe missed their opportunity. Ganguly is getting into Streak now. Tatendu is 21, I wish others with more experience (Streak, Curran) had discussed strategies with him. Oh well.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:28  

  • cant believe that Harbhajan is in running for the ICC test player of the year award....What has he done guys... or is it Dalmiya's work in hand..

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 10:29  

  • toney, yes...THAT I can see. A bowlers action in a sense forcing him to bowl one way or the other. But the way Gavaskar said it (and this will be the last thime I harp on this, I promise) he was making a generalized comment about reverse swing, using Streak as an example, and it intrigued me since Gavaskar has obviousl played Sarfaraz and Imran and knows a thing or two about it.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:31  

  • mr. v:

    Actually, yesterday a lot of Ganguly supporters were after me because I wrote against him, accusing me of being one of the very few who are taking out their "personal vendetta" against him. So I was making the point that today I am quite but others are talking about Ganguly.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 10:33  

  • yule,
    Nope. I am an India supporter through and through. I just like a battle where the opponent throws everything your way and you come out on top. Had Zimbabwe hasked Ganguly all the questions they could and he came out on top then it would be more fun to watch. That was why the Ashes was as engrossing as it was. Warne threw everything and the kitchen sink at the English players and the ones that made it through have pplayed innings that will be spoken in superlatives everytime they are mentioned.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:35  

  • Jaunty, my last time on this too :)
    can anyone remember a bowler who swings the new ball in to a RH batsman? I think I can pretty much guarantee that he would have swung the old ball out (if he had mastered reverse swing). I dont think Srinath ever swung the ball out a lot (he had one that styraightened, towards the later part of his career), so he cannot be used.
    Maybe, somebody who has played first class cricket could elaborate more... I think what Gavaskar meant was that Streak would swing the ball in the opposite direction to whta he got with the new ball.

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:36  

  • Yes, Toney, that must have been what he meant.

    Laxman is opening up now and pulling with more authority.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:39  

  • yes, sriram, it does. :-)

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:41  

  • Blignaut will try a yorker to Laxman on 99 is my guess.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:42  

  • No he did not! And Laxman punched it away to the cover fence for a sweet four! Well played!!

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:43  

  • VVS after tea looked like the old one, I guess its not fair to say that he is back in top form, what with the Zim bowling quality. But he seems to have the touch back.

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:43  

  • lakshman was too funny when he got his hundred...well played.

    i am as big a critic of ganguly as anybody else but i think he is doing a good job today.

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 10:44  

  • Now Laxman has to double (or triple?) his score to make it count. As Shastri says, he has put in the hard work.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:44  

  • VVS kissed the helmet badge, KP style!! Whats next? A tattoo of the 4 lions?! :-)

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:46  

  • Ewing should not be too disheartened. Bowlers far superior to him have been put away by Laxman before. I think Ewing is tiring, the balls are getting shorter in length.

    Classic Test innings by Laxman. Splendid!

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:48  

  • Mayen, amen for that thought on VVS.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:48  

  • suraj,
    lol abt that "How can you disrespect the capatin of our national side" when I read that yesterday. We in India managed to get the Shakaracharya arrested for no reason and not many people felt bad at that. But speak about a non performing captain who is in the team without deserving it for so long and suddenly, you are a huge villain.

    And Ravi,
    just went through some of the coments above. You seem to have quoted me out of context when you mentioned Dona. All I said was this:
    "Wonder if Dona would be as hurt as some of the pro-guys on this blog"
    You seem to have made it out to be something like I humiliated a woman in public. Its a good thing that people can go back and read the previous day's blogs, if they wish.

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:49  

  • ...sportingstreams working for anyone right now?

    By Blogger worma, at 10:51  

  • From Cricinfo:
    72.4 Blignaut to Laxman, FOUR, good length delivery outside the off stump, Laxman gets in to a good position and punches it away into the gap between the cover fielders, 'Marvellous Marvin' would have been proud of that punch! that's Laxman's 8th Test Hundred. what an innings!

    Who is Marvellous Marvin (Marvin Hagler?)?

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:51  

  • no worma, not for me

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:51  

  • thats pretty funny toney. ganguly supporters on this board haven't been given a record to defend ganguly with...so they have to resort to innuendos and even better, guilt, to defend him....

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 10:53  

  • toney ok thx. got it back now:)

    By Blogger worma, at 10:53  

  • jk..I'm a SG defender...but I dont do it anymore ;)

    By Blogger worma, at 10:55  

  • jk, whats the use? SG'll prob make a 50 here and then live on for the next 5 years.
    I first got a feel for things when people said SG had returned to form with that 50 off 90 balls Vs SL in ODI cricket.

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:56  

  • rp...sure Kaif deserves a place...but there are reasons why Yuv has been promoted over him...read my thoughts here in this thread sometime earlier(search with Kaif)....maybe during the earlier discussions we were discussing just on current form...and true Kaif is in better form than Yuv today

    By Blogger worma, at 10:58  

  • exactly my point, SUraj. People seem to get animated and angry for all the wrong reasons and then have this high hypocritic moral sense about this!! I guess silence is the best retort

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:58  

  • rp, early in the blog yesterday worma had a cogent comparison of YS and MK (in Tests) and showed why YS over MK was not that big a stretch of imagination and that a case could be made for both of them in the team. After that I had not qualms about the decision.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 10:59  

  • dadagiri /mr. v:

    To be fair to myself, yesterday, I never, ever commented on Ganguly's batting. Proof is yesterday's blog archive. I was only an only talking about his captaincy in the last 12-13 overs of the day.

    Everyone started putting words in my mouth and posts. Accused me of personal vendetta when I had none. Accused me of "hating" ganguly when I said I "disliked" his captaincy and all such stuff.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 11:00  

  • That was a good ball by Blignaut to Ganguly to end the over. Very wide of off stump, full pitched and swinging away. SG wisely let it go. Problem with Blignaut, like a certain Indian bowler, he gives away too many fours in return for that one good ball.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 11:02  

  • Someone rightly mentioned earlier - playing Zinbabwe is a no win stituation for India. If the batsman or bowler fails, he is pilloried for not being able to put Zinbabwe away. If he succeeds, it is decried as haing being scored against a pea-shooter attack.

    Hayden scored 380 against Zimbabwe, but over time the quality of the opposition has been forgotten and people remember him for having held that record once.

    Same reason why Laxman and SG need to keep going and going, like the Energizer bunny.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 11:06  

  • Yes, mayur. A pity that they do not have a reliable first-class system to fall back upon. As long as Blignaut is healthy, I can see him playing for Zimbabwe.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 11:08  

  • yeah jaunty...thats true...the records still remain....when some time down the line people count lax centuries...not many will think that there was one(or two:) )against Zim

    By Blogger worma, at 11:08  

  • rp,
    Here are the relevant bits of the discussion on the blog yesterday:

    Yuvraj Singh's recent test career:

    14/10/2004 Aus Chennai 8 7*
    06/10/2004 Aus Bangalore 5 27
    13/04/2004 Pak Rawalpindi 47 DNB
    05/04/2004 Pak Lahore 112 12
    28/03/2004 Pak Multan 59 DNB

    Mohammad Kaif's recent Test career:
    03/11/2004 Aus Mumbai 2 25
    26/10/2004 Aus Nagpur 55 7
    14/10/2004 Aus Chennai 64 DNB
    Hmmm, MK plays the more recent Test's and does better against the (then) #1 team in the world. Also, he has struck a rich vein of form and is a better Test prospect (technique-wise), but still is left out for YS. Can someone enlighten me on this one?

    By Jaunty Quicksand, at 04:26

    jaunty ..I think one reason is that when Yuv was made to open, he was clearly told my team management that it wont count against his midddle order prospect (so that we dont end up with a VVS like case). I remember reading this from Ganguly/team-management at that time. So remove his opener innings and you see he is equally good(if not better) than kaif at that position. Also, he was the one given first chance, so he has the first claim on it.

    It was already injustice to him in the Aus series that when he 'supposedly' failed in the Chennai test, and in the next game they decided to get a regular opener, the middle order slot went to kaif...despite yuv being a success at that place....but still that was understandable to some extent, given Kaif's form...and that he had played aussie well at that time

    By worma, at 04:32

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 11:12  

  • sriram:

    Don't need no pity, my friend. :)

    Just want to be treated fairly and want everyone to understand that it is okay to post your opinions on this blog, whatever they may be. They are just opinions, they can not change reality.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 11:14  

  • rp also ...my opinion..as I stated yestday also was that Yuvraj had a prior claim to that middle order slot(when he did well in Pak)...then he was coerced by team management to try opening(like Sehwag, he also didnt prefer it) for the good of the team, with the promise that it wont affect his middle order chances...so he opened against Aus, and Kaif got YUv place in middle order(and did well in that game in Chennai) hence in next game, when sachin came back, they had to 'rest' yuv...although he should have been playing..
    ..so going by that..he was now preferred over kaif....add to it the fact that he is not really out of form (now) and also as Gangs said, he has a good test record...so, it would be like virtually dropping him to pick Kaif...

    sorry for repetition..others :)

    By Blogger worma, at 11:14  

  • Streak is getting it to swing but a little wayward in his line.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 11:14  

  • rp and worma, what doesn't help in that the Indian think tank is never transparent with its reasons and they (the reasons) change from time to time, clouding the issue.

    I think they goofed up big time with the YS/MK issue by changing the parameters for their inclusions and removals, each time. Of course the shenanigans of the selectorial committee and the Board must have something to do with it, too.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 11:17  

  • rp: great of you to find that post from Dileep. I hope he is happy now :)....goes on also to show that this team management tries to reduce the 'injustice' element as much as possible

    By Blogger worma, at 11:18  

  • jaunty...I think our team management today is as transparent as team managements around the world....I dont know about the media reporting and selectors and BCCI etc...but atleast the management is as transparent as possible....there arent much hidden decisions....its usually media who cooks up things....for example...read ashish shukla's take on kaif's selection today (in rediff :)

    By Blogger worma, at 11:20  

  • criclogic...i know abt the politics etc part of nagpur test...but abt the team row....where did you hear that? interesting...

    By Blogger worma, at 11:24  

  • Exactly, worma, that last throwaway paragraph about rumours is terrible and an injustice to the players since the last thought the readers are left with are innuendos and suggestions that cloud the overall thinking. Sad.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 11:24  

  • hey rp...ever heard of bench strenght! :)...they way we keep wanting all good players to immediately come into the playing 11...I wonder how we'll get the Aussie like bench strenght...when they rest their main players...their bench players get hundreds (Haddin for example)...and still they get their main team back....

    By Blogger worma, at 11:27  

  • mr. v,

    In response to a question you asked a long time back:

    VVS Laxman 50 (105b 5x4)
    VVS Laxman 100 (158b 15x4)
    VVS Laxman 125* (186b 18x4)

    Perfect way to build a Test match innings!! 53 balls for his second 50! 28 balls for the last 25 runs.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 11:28  

  • jaunty yes these are nice stats of Lax...thats how he plays always....even against Aus he opened up this way.....thats what was missing with most Eng batsmen this ashes series...they were trying to start too fast (being over-agressive) hence no big scores from any of them..(except vaughan, who is a damn good test batsman)....unfortunately for Aus, they didnt have batting form to make the Eng pay

    By Blogger worma, at 11:33  

  • Sigh**... how much I am missing jai, vick, mock_tutle and jgohill in today's discussions on Ganguly... Guys, where art thou?

    By Blogger Unknown, at 11:38  

  • rp and worma,

    Either way, when SRT comes back, YS/MK would have made way. The key here is how SG resurrects his career. If he fails, all the above discussions are moot. If he does not, then YS has the inside track on the vacancy, as of now. In time both will make their way in. As long as India wins matches, I could live with either of them being in the team right now.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 11:43  

  • rp :
    1) So why is YS under pressure...just because he doesnt deserve it? Strange reason. And would he be satisfied and relaxed that he knows that his test performances are being lookd at consistently and not mixed too much with ODI performances ? And its not as if he is out of form and still being given a chance...so that he comes under pressure

    2) Well when YS had to sit out (because of the twist that happened in the Aus series, and as I mentioned) the logic for him sitting out was quite clear...that kaif cannot be dropped in the immediate short term as he has impressively handled the Aus attack in his last innings. If the team management had TOLD him(yuv) this logic, and also told him that it would be rectified in the future, he would not be disheartened. Now, do we know what was told to him? Or we, like Dileep and others in the media, assume that the players 'feel' this and 'feel' that....after all they 'talk' to the captain, they ask questions and get answers...its not a school where students are told to go stand in the corner

    3) Again if MK is told the reasons why Yuv is being preferred...and MK also sees the logic, and also that its not as if some damn out of form player is being chance in place of him...I think he would understand. Again it depends on what he is told now...and how well re-assured he feels (Also what he was told then during aus series, and how well be realised the yuv connundrum). I think these are all mature players, and they would (atleast should) understand these logics.

    Now, I dont know whether there is such communication within the team, but going by how the core team has stuck together in these 3-4 years, I would assume there is. But the thing is, its media's JOB to FIND OUT how Yuvraj felt at that time, and how Kaif feels now....not sit in the office and write 'surely Kaif would be feeling disheartened..'

    By Blogger worma, at 11:44  

  • jaunty, agreed totally on that one :)

    By Blogger worma, at 11:45  

  • rp, if I talk about non-performing issue...we'll get into the SG debate...and I dont have anything new to say :)...without going into that...lets say if we get SG out of picture...and SRT comes back...still one of these two sits out, right ? So what do you say then??

    By Blogger worma, at 11:49  

  • rp,

    I will jump in here for one comment - I agree with dropping a non-perfoming player, albeit after giving him a few chances if he has shown in the past that he can do it. IF (and this is a big if) the selectorial committee can be professional about this and drop players who do not perform, then we will not have to worry about out-of-form players trying to play their way into form in a Test match.

    Australia asked Hayden the tough question twice on the tour - and in both cases he responded by scoring centuries in the tour game. Ergo, he was retained in the Tests and eventually translated that form. The key for me here was that he was asked to perform in the tour matches, or else. Thats what tour matches are for. I wish the Indian team would take a similar attitude about tour matches and not treat them as batting practice but rather as a testing ground for players on the cusp of selection/non-selection.

    By Blogger Jaunty Quicksand, at 11:53  

  • well if he deserves the place..then what is the pressure?...except for the normal pressure to perform which is there on all players...what is the 'extra' pressure on yuv ? I fail to see the point

    By Blogger worma, at 11:54  

  • jaunty...well Hayden had been non-performing for some time (without even tour game centuries)...and I am sure, from what I read and understood at that time, Hayden would have played in the last game irrespective of his tour game century. And why should they anyway attach importance to tour game century....when they saw that despite tour game century before 1st test...he struggled in three games...y would they believe that tour game century just before 5th test would help him?

    By Blogger worma, at 12:38  

  • rp, it doesnt matter what the fans think, if the team management and the selectors are consistent. Which he should feel they are, haven't done anything wrong with him. And anyway media has started writing about it now when the game actually started (that morning). I dont think that pressure should show on him so soon.

    Tell me what, in your opinion, should the team management have done to lessen the pressure on Yuv ? Played Kaif instead ? that would surely not have helped Yuv's mindset....if he was promised that he would be considered, and if he feels that he is in good enough nick, still not picked

    By Blogger worma, at 13:30  

  • rp, I tried to use SRT as an example. When you talked about non-performers...I said since we cannot debate the non-performance of SG, so ASSUME for a moment that SG is not there in the team, and SRT is there in his place....Yuv and Kaif still have to fight it out for a single position. So the argument about team position is still valid.

    Thats y I used SRT

    By Blogger worma, at 13:32  

  • rp..MK's selection in Nagpur was a short term thing...a confidence issue..MK was handling he Aus well..and Yuv had failed in a few innings....although mainly due to the experiment of opening....but still in the interesting of that game and series it was justified to go with the best shot
    ..in the long term....Yuv deserves a chance first due to the reasons I mentioned earlier....

    ..so, if anything has to be faulted with team management, I would still put that fault for the Nagpur test, that they went for the very short sightend thing (in team interest, but still...)...but hopefully they would have taken MK, YUv into confidence at that point and explained the whole scenario..

    But, since you talked specificially about this match, I dont think there was any mistake for this game....but still, whats your opinion should have been done now in this game, to help both Yuv and Kaif (mainly Yuv?)....knowing what had already happened in Nagpur

    By Blogger worma, at 13:54  

  • rp, not going into the 'playing the best 11' issue(I feel this is our best 11, given SRT is not there)....you worry about pressure on yuv, and then you say he shouldnt have played !!
    ..and how do you, or anyone in the media, know that yuv or kaif is 'feeling bad' about this issue ? did anyone interview either of them after nagpur ? or now ? Maybe this was the understanding all along ? Maybe Yuv would have 'felt bad' only if Kaif got a chance over him despite the team promise.

    By Blogger worma, at 14:00  

  • rp, yeah mate. If this is about SG, then no point going there (atleast for me)...I thought it was about MK and Yuv..and who deserved the first chance. Actually I wouldn't have minded MK getting ahead of Yuv myself, all I was trying to say was that there seems to be a reason for Yuv getting the chance first, and my hope (and feeling) is that the team management has kept both Yuv and Kaif involved and informed about it right from Aus tour times. Atleast until either of them drops even a hint of their dis-satisfaction(not disappointment, because that is natural) at the team decision..I dont see any reason for us to worry on their behalf

    By Blogger worma, at 14:12  

  • In addition to Premachandran's article, here's a link on VVS' reaction

    http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/zimvind/content/story/219291.html
    He seems to have treated the innings in the right perspective when he said that the attack was not upto the mark.
    I wish he had elaborated on the below statement:
    "There has been some negative vibes in the team and outside and I just wanted to prove myself," he remarked. Laxman was particularly scathing at the critics who questioned his presence in the one-day squad, some even doubting if he was fit to retain his position in the Test side.

    By Blogger Toney, at 14:17  

  • yes there is bound to be disappointment, as I myself said. But there shouldnt be sense of injustice. And if they are a real good 'team' then there has to be some kind of understanding...sure not taking injustice to personal career in the name of teams good, but still understand the situation of the team as a whole a well (e.g the Nagpur connundrum)

    By Blogger worma, at 14:21  

  • I agree with Ravi Shastri when he says that "Yuvraj & Kaif should be playing in every match from now on." Its time we make hard decisions and start looking towards the future.
    Ganguly, Dravid, Tendulkar, Kumble all have only 2 years max with only Dravid having the fitness to go longer. We are going to have a huge gap in the middle order when these 3 vacate together and then Laxman won't be far behind. He too is bound to get injured more often now (already has problems with knee).

    By Blogger ClannZú, at 14:28  

  • rp...well YS showed promise in that century in Pak, didn't he. Anyway, this will start going in circles. And you misunderstood me, I said I feel best XI is playing. There's very little difference between Yuv and Kaif to choose from, but anyways...there's just one spot....and there'll always be such debates.

    toney, yeah the point you highlighted is really interesting! That negative vibe thing!!..is he talking of ODI selection...or he means negative vibe in general..dunno..I also wish he had talked more about it(or the interviewer had asked one more question!)

    By Blogger worma, at 14:30  

  • worma, dont think VVS is stupid enough to say more in any case. And I am sure, even if he blurts out something, he'll retract the statement soon enough

    By Blogger Toney, at 14:32  

  • rp..ok mate..see you later (...tomorrow, in the game thread)

    By Blogger worma, at 14:41  

  • Has anyone ben to sportingstreams.com today? There site seems to have shut down. Surprising....

    By Blogger Unknown, at 14:42  

  • yeah toney, but since he himself mentioned the negative vibe thing, there was an oppurtunity to corner him...

    By Blogger worma, at 14:42  

  • no ruchir, I saw the match on it, last 1 hr

    By Blogger worma, at 14:43  

  • ruchir, the site is down ut the links to the games work. The temporary links to the backups have been emailed to you (if you had sunscribed), so no problems anyway

    By Blogger Toney, at 14:44  

  • when players make comments like that, wonder what the rest of the team would think. I mean, SG, RD, Wright/Chappel all may worry if this was directed at them. And probably every team member might wonder if it was something they said. Its not very healthy, is it? :) I would rather he just let his bat talk all the time

    By Blogger Toney, at 14:46  

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