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Sight Screen

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Open thread for Challenger Seniors vs B

OK, open thread for today's game...lets see how many of the youngsters get a look-in. No matter what the result, this to me is the most interesting-to-watch of the three teams.

Btw, Laxman said, at the end of yesterday's play, that the team had decided to play as a unit, rather than strive for individual performances...which is, frankly, the implicit objective of the tournament. Lots of credit to them if they planned thus, and were able to execute it.

Anyway...open thread of the day...


P.S. Those of you in touch with Prem, request to update us on the situation.

posted by worma at 2:54 AM

273 Comments:

  • like ystday, let's support the youngsters, the underdogs, and take pride in their performances against an established international outfit.
    great match yesterday, hopefully a good one today

    By Blogger Dhruv Deepak, at 03:40  

  • yep dhruv...to me the format of this challenger has been the best thing...so the youngsters and probables are not overshadowed by the seniors...they can play allout to show their talent.

    And even the seniors have a better chance of match practise since they dont play against an attack which they regularly face in nets.

    By Blogger worma, at 03:50  

  • thanks chappel...the guy who jumps and sprays is not our strike bowler ;-)....I keep pointing you since yesterday (and dude...I checked your comments....not fair...despite my repeated reminder that atleast *my* comments are in specifically in context of yesterday's game..you kept taking them out of context to say I am promoting the case of x, y, z to hold a place in the team)

    By Blogger worma, at 03:57  

  • thanks chappel: firstly nothing taken personally at all (I never do, unless someone specifically calls me names ;-)..so no worries there.

    My comment was that going by yesterday's performance...we cannot think of throwing out any of our ODI regulars (and no ZK does not count in there). Thats all.

    If you want a generic discussion...then I agree....some of them are stretching the expectations of fans and selectors....ZK has already realised and paid the price(I dont think he is going to come back in our ODI team anytime soon...even if Nehra is unfit). There are others in this zone...but Kaif and Yuv now seem to have realised that the kick is around the corner (Yuv needed more of it) and have atleast started showing more application in their approach.

    Whether Yuv looks ugly again spin is not my concern. He has lots of batting talent and only his brain needs to be set right. There are so many good batsman around the world who are weak against spin and yet survive. He also used to do it around the phase when he made the comeback (after being dropped since that Sharjah tournament).

    Agarkar is anyway on the fringes...and I still dont see him bad enough to be ignored from the fringes. Not until we have found some more better bowlers. And I mentioned this many times yestday, I do find some of the newcomers worth watching, and being given chances. RP is already in contention...VRV seems another one. I think one of them may get a chance against SL if Nehra doesnt recover(maybe even if he does)

    Harbhajan...well first of all...anyone who spins the ball and does a few good performances doesnt become a Murali or Warne (or even Vettori or Kumble). bhajji has gone down in last season(in ODIs mainly) and I discussed this yestday. Its a combination of defensive use, and overall the team doing badly..low confidence...and his own capabilites going down a bit since his return (atleast I feel his revvs has gone down since his return from injury) and also some of it has to do with his confidence due to that doosra controversies. Anyways....sure give chances to others....but do you really see, so far, anyone remarkably better than him?

    My stand on SG...well thats well known...isnt it. My reason for wanting to give him more chance was based purely on cricketing reasons...and off-field activities dont change that. Now whether he is fit enough...does a decent showing in Duleep trophy to earn a comeback etc....is a diff issue.

    And all the criticism of his captaincy...well I agree with a lot of it...but to me...if he is playing well...and holding a place in the team as a player(in ODIs or tests or both)....he is the best captaincy bet we have. Now this can go on longer....so dropping this line now :-)

    By Blogger worma, at 04:15  

  • crick..I dont see any way of selectors picking SG as captain on 13th...I dont expect them to declare him as captain 'subject to fitness test and duleep performance'....not after the mess up they did with the SL tour. So unless they postpone the captain (and therefore the team) selection till much later (after the Duleep game?...that would be scarily close to SL series..no that cant happen)...I dont see any way of SG being the captain for SL.

    And since RD is likely to be made captain....I have a feeling that even that would happen long term....atleast for next two series, if not longer.

    This also shows what SG may have missed through Challenger!...although I am not so sure that he would have been retained the captain anyway...unless he had had a couple of v good knocks....because I have a feeling that unless he had played exceptionally well, the selectors would not have wanted to make him an automatic selection in playing XI...hence they might not have picked him as captain. Anyways...all that is mere hypothesis now

    By Blogger worma, at 04:26  

  • Worma....No Ganguly....Greg is the coach...and India Seniors lose!!??Any message from this...Not many matches India has won since Greg took over..and the India Seniors anyways represents the Indian Team ( add / remove one or two players)

    By Blogger RR, at 04:34  

  • trr
    Not many matches India won even in the last year of JWs tenure ...

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 04:37  

  • crick:..umm...not sure if it would be 'end of career' for him....but yes a comeback would be much harder...he would have to make a strong case in domestic games for his comeback. I'm not sure how much motivation he would have left....but it would need a lot of it

    mount_cleverest: yes that can be one option..although SG would have to *play* some serious cricket by the time of next test series (yep, plenty of time for that)

    trr: dude..not much to read...what can GC do...this seniors team wasnt actually a full blown team (Nehra, VS, RD, SG missing)....and its not as if the A team was all newcomers..one could have expected the match to be close....although the seniors, and not A, should have won in that final over(ZK did poor against tailenders...but then ZK is also not a regular in our ODI team anymore). Ofcourse one big message is that our Senior team is not "leagues ahead of the rest of talent in India"....and this is actually a message mainly for the components, esp the more vulenrable ones, of the team...that they cannot take things for granted...

    By Blogger worma, at 04:40  

  • gk...true...Was expecting some refreshing change with GC...or is it too early...hope things change before it is too late.
    Too much of tinkering with batting line up is unwarranted... Why wld one want to send in IP as an opener??

    By Blogger RR, at 04:41  

  • gk: yep good point...so its not GC's fault....actually the ODI team was down in dumps....GC is trying to bring it up...atleast attempting to (forgetting the off-field issues for this discussion)

    By Blogger worma, at 04:42  

  • Guys... just changed my profile from Ravi to TRR to Ravi1010.Just a clarification :D

    By Blogger RR, at 04:43  

  • @ravi
    pathan has good battint potential. with GC we are beginning to see some changes. middle oeder looks settled fielding improved - bowling still major problem

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 04:43  

  • ravi: Too much of tinkering with batting line up is unwarranted....yes thats one complaint I have from yestday....Pathan should not have opened...but Kaif gave the reason that its only because they dont have an opener..although as we discussed yesterday...JP Yadav seems to be a regular opener...and anyway we need to develop his batting much more desperately than Pathan(since if JP has to be a regular in our scheme of things...he needs to be really v good in batting, unlike Pathan who can still take more time to mature as a batsman)

    By Blogger worma, at 04:44  

  • Could not watch the match lst evening. Any updates on Kaif's captaincy

    By Blogger RR, at 04:45  

  • Worma...Why would Kaif say that...Dhoni could hav ebeen sent in ...or if he wanted a left/roght combo...he had YS tailor made for the job

    By Blogger RR, at 04:46  

  • Sorry..."left/right"

    By Blogger RR, at 04:47  

  • ravi..Kaif also mentioned that since Dhoni is established in middle order..and thats what they want to be in long term..so didnt want to send him up

    By Blogger worma, at 04:49  

  • This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    By Blogger RR, at 04:52  

  • Yeda...Jeez...u are the smart one who picks on my writing being teda

    By Blogger RR, at 04:53  

  • Thanks chappel...yr prayers have been answered. India B is batting

    By Blogger RR, at 04:56  

  • India Srs should try out Vidyut...he is a good allrounder with a lot of potential.Hope he does not get treated like his father was

    By Blogger RR, at 04:57  

  • V Sivaramakrishnan...Opened for TN with TE Srinivasan and also with Srikkanth...an amazing batsman, a decent bowler and an incredibly great close in fielder

    By Blogger RR, at 05:02  

  • vick...yes lets hope they get a chance in second match....well atleast Chawla is sure to get a bowl...now that B team is batting first

    By Blogger worma, at 05:11  

  • @all
    just logged in and isnt it gr8 to see ZAHEER DROPPED ??

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 05:13  

  • ohh yes..I forgot..the dew factor...too bad....the lad has a reputation for ripping the ball, and if he cant get to showcase that...too bad

    By Blogger worma, at 05:14  

  • @crick
    absolutely. and he shud get the new ball

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 05:15  

  • sahir..isn't wrist spin a better bet than finger spin in due?

    By Blogger worma, at 05:15  

  • @bulchee
    LOL
    btw those of u who r watching on Zee who are the anoying anchors this time ?

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 05:21  

  • sahir...vidyut may get into the lineup after half-time....maybe he will open ;-)...dont go by batting order list...they had JP listed as opener yesterday

    By Blogger worma, at 05:23  

  • I saw the closing part of the coverage yesterday on zee.

    The anchor babe was really smart and i found her to be quite likeable.

    Her male counterpart was a real dumb a**h***, something like a male mandira

    By Blogger Kansultant, at 05:32  

  • sahir..regarding the supersub...I think Seniors had wrong strategy yesterday also...having primarily a batsman(Vidyut) as supersub and then opting to bat first!

    ..but I agree with vick...we dont need to find an opener...or rather...we need to find more personnel for our middle order

    By Blogger worma, at 05:32  

  • sahir..I think our regular slipper are pretty good(not great...except VVS over some periods)..and btw have you seen Kaif in slip...its a ROFL sight!

    By Blogger worma, at 05:44  

  • crick...yep like 'some' great ex-captain of India used to say "boys need to bat well, bowl well and field well" ;-)

    By Blogger worma, at 05:48  

  • sahir...kaif comment was just joke...I think on that day(when he stood in slips) he looked funny...but I would still have bet on him catching anything coming his way!

    and our slip fielders have had a bad match...but in general if you rate them...they are good overall.

    By Blogger worma, at 05:50  

  • .so whats up with B team?..those watching...whats their strategy?....playing out a maiden to AA!..or is he bowling good line?

    By Blogger worma, at 05:51  

  • @all
    agarkar delivered the breakthru ... the only way he can do that is with the new ball which is why i insist on him

    i wonder why mongia sent sriram ahead of himself - does he not fancy a comeback ?

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 05:54  

  • avinash..why do you have to drag AN here?...his fitness is an issue..but then he is not playing...right? When he does play...he is the closest to a strike bowler we have in subcontinent conditions

    By Blogger worma, at 05:55  

  • @avinash
    agarkar has been more or less destroyed by constant dropping and reselection

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 05:56  

  • thanks mount_cleverest

    By Blogger worma, at 05:56  

  • vick..is this a diff pitch from yesterday? Or just behaving differently?

    By Blogger worma, at 05:57  

  • @sahir
    sriram is not good enuf - realized 4 yrs ago

    @worma
    AN is the most overrated cricketer in the country

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 05:57  

  • @bulchee
    yup ... do u remember the amazing slower yorker to bowl marwan atapattu in sharjah 98 ? absolutely magnificent

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 05:59  

  • gk...well I dont know about AN's ratings (I think the country rates ZK, IP over him) but I say from what I see....in unhelpful conditions..he's the one who usually gets the breakthroughs....at the top...and in the middle stages....and has recently been well developed for the death role....so atleast I find him my number one selection in ODIs when fully fit

    By Blogger worma, at 06:00  

  • @worma
    sorry mate ... i have to disagree with u again ... i dont see a place for AN in the ODI side ...

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 06:01  

  • mount_cleverest: his fitness doesnt last for five consecutive days ever ;-)

    gk: sure you can disagree...but care to give reasons?

    By Blogger worma, at 06:02  

  • @mount_cleverest
    while i agree that AN has wicket-taking ability he has this hopeless tendency to bowl 1 ball short and wide every over. even when he took 6 in indianoil final he gave 59 runs ... and he was pathetic in the zim final after doing well in the rest of the series.

    and his fielding is downright criminal

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 06:03  

  • @vick
    ah ... now bhajji will pick wickets .. when it comes the time to save his skin

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 06:04  

  • gk...if that is yr reason for AN not being up to it in ODIs, then AA is equally bad.Only advantage he has is his fielding and catching

    By Blogger RR, at 06:05  

  • vick ok...that plus seniors bowling first....makes it diff proposition

    gk: sure he is expensive...as most pace strike bowlers tend to be. But his value is in his wicket taking ability, esp on subcontinet...and remember we dont have many strikers in these conditons. So often, even in recent past, we have seen the entire attack being hopelessly toothless...only Nehra taking wkts

    Yes he did was expensive in finals(not sure if he was 100%) so what...3-4 good games in a row is not bad.

    Ofcourse his fielding is pathetic most of the time...

    By Blogger worma, at 06:06  

  • mount_cleverest: bhajji was never insecure...his comments (if they were true) were for the team...and a personal allegation against him...but I dont think his ODI place was in doubt....however we may criticise him from here :-)

    and deepak...Harbhajan is a decent fielder by any standards...I dont think its right to paint our entire team with the same brush of 'poor fielders'

    By Blogger worma, at 06:28  

  • Ridiculous over rate they are going at...If match goes full length, may end tomorrow morning...12 AM(IST)

    By Blogger RR, at 06:31  

  • vick I doubt if ZK would get into 15...he was dropped for a reason(I presume?) and since then hasn't done too much too merit a recall. A couple of decent spells against poor Zim is not too much to show, right?

    By Blogger worma, at 06:33  

  • sahir...well it didn't count for the Zim triseries..did it? To the 'blind ganguly supporter' like me..it does seem that SG has some rationale in backing players...and its not just blind faith.

    btw...SG gets a vote only if he is made captain on 13th...u see that happening?

    By Blogger worma, at 06:37  

  • sahir: lets see...I have a strong feeling it wont happen (SG captain on 13th). And ZK dropped even from this squad has some indications, no? As I said...why didn't SG pick him for triseries? Since then, SG's vote and ZK's performance has got weaker, not stronger

    vick...tough...if AN misses out...RP(rem he is already on the fringe...or rather he is already in our ODI squad...so not picking him is dropping!) and maybe VRV..lets see how he gets the second game. I myself dont like Balaji in ODIs (never really had a very good period..did he?). Also his bowling style, to me, seems to be of attack of persistence outside off...not much ODI style variations in pace and line-length...actually perfect for tests

    Btw...do you see ZK making a comeback?...unless seniors reach the final, he gets to play...takes a 5 wkt haul! (still tough)

    By Blogger worma, at 06:45  

  • those watching...hows the field give to bhajji today? seems to be in a more attacking mode

    By Blogger worma, at 06:50  

  • @all
    just back and nice to see that HS is the most expensive

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 06:51  

  • @sahir
    is yusuf a pincher ? id like to see pathan v pathan too

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 06:53  

  • @sahir
    im back after an hour and sriram seems to have stepped up a bit and mongia doing okay ...

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 06:55  

  • vick Though i am quite sure ZK will be back soon. : do you mean this in a positive way?..that he will prove himself and be back?...or the other way?..btw..he's still in the test squad where combinations start changing. IP, Bala and Zk have the fight for two places...and at home...its always a three way fight with no automatic choices (hope ZK picks himself and gets back well in tests atleast)

    bulchee...havent been watching mate....so dunno what to make of them.

    By Blogger worma, at 06:56  

  • @sahir
    u r rite ... why has mongia been given such an imbalanced side ?

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 06:59  

  • hmm...Mongia, Badani, Laxman all making the selectors think....although of all...it seems Laxman played the most fluently(from what I read)...but then the other two have more ODI flexibility...tough choices...with JP already there...SRT back...

    By Blogger worma, at 06:59  

  • @all
    honestly we have kaif dravid yuvi and dhoni pretty well slotted in the middle

    SRT, VS and SG for the top

    and Rao as the first choice backup

    where will the likes of DM, Lax, badani look for an opening ??

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 07:01  

  • gk: yep thats what I was trying to point out..JP cannot be given up so early...but what if one of these has another decent show (or a real big knock)...then it becomes tough for selectors...no?

    By Blogger worma, at 07:03  

  • sahir..as I said...not yet....but then..this is one decent knock in one outing...what if they make it 2 in 2

    By Blogger worma, at 07:04  

  • vick...do you know that that particular HT comment (a senior saying he has been playing for 6 years, and never felt so insecure without knowing his faults) was, according to my understanding, from ZK. So, not going into GC debate, I think what this also shows is that he's a bit confused. Maybe a coaching stint at MRF...or some other specialised attention may do him good.

    So..sure drop him for bad performance...but I feel that he still has it in him to be one of our best bowler...esp in unhelpful conditions...hope he isnt just lost without background effort

    By Blogger worma, at 07:07  

  • sahir...not in playing XI....but in 15....maybe supersub utilization....anyway...point is....2 in 2 can get them into reckoning...and why not, its good to have good bench strength.

    By Blogger worma, at 07:12  

  • and that reminds me...we'll get to see Patel's keeping after a long while...I wont like to miss that..

    By Blogger worma, at 07:15  

  • sahir...probably...you're right. Lets see...SG missing out can make a case for one of them(if only the score another good knock)

    By Blogger worma, at 07:19  

  • vick...you *dont* want to see 'old' PP as keeper mate ;-)...i know i know..

    By Blogger worma, at 07:20  

  • sahir...well if cannot play(and perform decently) in Duleep he may miss out..no?..looks tough that they will select him without any outing....BCCI has recently been proclaiming repeatedly that no-one, coming back from injury, can get in without playing domestic games (esp meant for Nehra, Kumble etc)...I wonder how openly they would want to flout it for SG

    By Blogger worma, at 07:22  

  • so wheres the momentum going ppl ?

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 07:39  

  • @siddhu
    how do u know that ?

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 07:43  

  • mount_cleverest: I thought bhajji was good today? lots of edges and close calls on his bowling as well? am not watching though...

    By Blogger worma, at 07:43  

  • This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 07:43  

  • This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 07:43  

  • mount: bhajji was getting turn and bounce...troubled mongia and sriram...got dhawan with a good ball also

    By Blogger worma, at 07:47  

  • hmm..10 ovrs to go...if they loose another wkt in next 1-2 ovrs..should they get Chawla in?...but then he can come only for Bhandari...who is a genuine bowler (or Bose?)

    By Blogger worma, at 07:52  

  • mount: yes that bhajji debate is also a common one here :-)...look above in this thread for some more on that

    By Blogger worma, at 07:53  

  • sahir..but do notice that PP has so far played mainly part timers and karthik...so he's come in at the right time also...

    By Blogger worma, at 07:55  

  • mount: well...lets see..when the team is doing better(esp the batting) what kind of role bhajji plays....because in this last season...with the entire team on backfoot most of the time..bhajji's role was also tailored accordingly (and some of his own shortcoming...lack of confidence..chucking....return from injury etc)

    By Blogger worma, at 07:58  

  • what is this annoying habit of struggling to bat out 50 overs ? yesterday 8 and 9 wkts were lost and today already 7 ... what abt those good old times when teams wud lose only 4-5 wkts in 50 overs ?

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 08:01  

  • PP is rocking

    pity RD had to go to play in that stupid series

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 08:04  

  • @ram
    how wud u call not batting out ur full quota as "using your resources fully" ?

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 08:12  

  • both teams look like keeping the substitue just for the heck of it...and getting an additional player in second innings (if their choice of sub goes as per plan)...no strategy going into it at all...and I have a feeling that in most of domestic games in India it would remain like this...too bad...cos we really need to start thinking on its best exploitation...maybe design and innovative strategy around it for WC07 (like SL did for WC96)

    ..now this game...whats the point in having an allrounder in Chawla...when B team is ready to be allout..but not to sacrifice a specialist bowler (well Chawla is that too). There were 22 balls left in the game when 9th wkt went down...thats a lot in ODIs...had the last wkt gone next ball...they would have rued the missed chance

    By Blogger worma, at 08:27  

  • http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/221647.html

    No Indian this time...

    By Blogger Saurabh Wahi, at 08:29  

  • @worma
    it is always a tuf choice ... to use the sub ... bcoz u mght use it just to play out the 50 vers and then sacrifice a specialist bowler who cud well deliver with the ball

    here for eg is there any solid backup that might indicate that chawla wud not only do well with the bat but be a bowler much better than say bose ??

    so it is very difficult to get a sub in that way

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 08:32  

  • gk...sure....its a tough call...whether to go for more runs and sacrifice a specialist bowler..or just take whatever runs you got and try to defend it

    the choice has to be made on simple reasoning like...are these runs enough to defend on this track...or atleast enough for a fight?..if not then what the heck..go for the sub...you're anyway going to loose(more likely)...so why not give it a shot...and its not as if the supersub in this case is just a pure batsman..so you do gain another bowler.....

    but ofcourse its difficult to sub this way...thats why it requires strategy..if it was a simple matter of having an additional player in second innings...then ICC rule would have been to play with 12 players...any 11 bat and any 11 bowl.

    as for guarantees...there are none of course..but then he *has* been selected in the team...to bat and bowl...so there must be some logic behind it...well thats the only guarantee

    By Blogger worma, at 08:37  

  • Chappel, our players don't even have that to show as a trophy.

    By Blogger Saurabh Wahi, at 08:38  

  • @worma
    yup but almost always in such situations the one u have to sub out is a specialist bowler and in most cases the strike bowler ... makes it all the more diff ... imagine for instance aus in such a situation and the #11 being mcgrath ... can u sub him out ? of course in india its not such a issue bcoz we have *NO* strike bowler

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 08:41  

  • gk....yes agreed...thats why i said the call has to be taken based on situation...how desperate is the need to get atleast few more runs...and dude..in all teams there are 'expendible' strike bowlers in such desperate conditions (Aus doesnt play with 4 McG, do they?). Ofcourse the value of a bowler is 'relative' to the team....so Aus may look to sub a Hogg with a Watson....

    By Blogger worma, at 08:45  

  • What would be the name of the movie starring Bajji and a blonde?

    Dumb and dumber...

    By Blogger Saurabh Wahi, at 08:47  

  • @worma
    yeah ... in that sort of case ... of course ... but then it is generally hoped that #7 and #8 are decent bats and #9 onwards genuine strike bowlers. .. so on the one hand u r hoping that 7,8 can do a job with the bat ... and then u cant really sub 9,10,11 ... becoz of their being strike bowlers ... all in all depends very much on a match to match situ
    here i really dunno how good bose, santh, chawla etal are ... so really in no position to say

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 08:50  

  • mount, why not IP in that list?

    By Blogger worma, at 08:52  

  • and gk...frankly I also dont know much about these guys...from what little I know..Chawla can bat...but ofcourse he is a kid even at U19 level...so maybe they know what they are doing :-)

    By Blogger worma, at 08:53  

  • oh ok..that way...hmm yes your list is complete...(although I have a feeling, despite what we say in AA's criticism here, he is there in the ODI setup almost surely...so didnt have to prove much).

    anyway...nice take...its exactly halfway point of the league stage

    By Blogger worma, at 08:55  

  • @mount
    i wud look at powar seriously ... im not happy abt HS

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 09:11  

  • Partiv has always looked good with the bat. And unlike most Indian batsmen, his specialty is attacking shots off the backfoot. Interesting to consider playing him as a batsman, have to see how he does at domestic level. Perhaps interesting to consider him as an opener. I was interested in seeing how Shikhar Diwan did. Any comments from those who watched him bat?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 09:18  

  • Ashvin, Parab was originally in India B. He got into the senior side as Saurav's replacement. Yusuf Pathan was Parab's replacement in the B side

    By Blogger Pavan, at 09:24  

  • vick..whats his pace like?..cricinfo says RM for him...almost an insult ;-)

    By Blogger worma, at 09:29  

  • yeah..was reading..moving the ball regularly...had the master edging

    By Blogger worma, at 09:33  

  • yeah..lets see how long that lasts...Bhandari seems ordinary...maybe Mongia realises that SRT would try to play himself in early on

    By Blogger worma, at 09:38  

  • WOW..this is big....not only getting SRT...but outfoxing him....feeding outswingers and then this!...this is special..ofcourse we noticed this in Balaji also...

    By Blogger worma, at 09:44  

  • I think GC should have brought in Vidyuth in No.3 at SRTs wicket. He is supposed to be a hard-hitting all-rounder. It would have been a good way to test his mettle here.

    By Blogger Madhu Rao, at 09:48  

  • tombaan..tinu was v slow...anyways...good for sree...lets see if he can keep this up..sure to get attention then

    By Blogger worma, at 09:49  

  • 3 down...

    By Blogger Saurabh Wahi, at 09:56  

  • wow..bowled 'in-form' Rao off first ball.....ok vick...you're right....we've probably seen the first 'look-in' of the tournament :-)

    By Blogger worma, at 09:59  

  • One more defeat staring Greg and team in the face....and no SG around to be blamed...Ruchir...do u see some conspiracy here...
    Sorry guys...just happened to read that wonderful dialogue between Worma and Richir in an earlier post...

    By Blogger RR, at 10:03  

  • yuvraj seems to be playing well. 37-3 after 9 overs.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:03  

  • raci1010, are you the same ravi who used to write in italics?

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:05  

  • anything abt SreeSanth too? Like his pace, control etc. How old is he?

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:06  

  • Why on earth do some people here think that this sreesanth guy would make it to the Indian team?? Bcos he got an "owefully lack of batting practice" Sachin and another 'indifferent' Kaif out.
    It takes more than that to get Indian colors

    By Blogger RR, at 10:08  

  • Toney...my dear friend...yes I am the same Ravi.Back after a self imposed hibernation

    By Blogger RR, at 10:09  

  • why the change in the nickname? Good thing too, I think there's another ravi doing the rounds. Welcome back :)

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:10  

  • mau tor...On the comparison of Kaif and Badani...i am with you...AA ...well I have my opinion on him...but not sure how he compares with sreesanth and on the 3rd comparison...VRV who??

    By Blogger RR, at 10:12  

  • tiger...on that comment on SG facing VRV...if he plays Duleep trophy opener..he would have to...its east vs north!

    By Blogger worma, at 10:15  

  • mau tor...Kaif's indifferent form in this tournament was what I meant to say..I have nothing against him or for him.But, yes in comparison to Badani , the latter is a shade better

    By Blogger RR, at 10:15  

  • 11.3 Sreesanth to Yuvraj, no run, outside off and little swing, Yuvraj drives and gets an edge, Parthiv completes the catch, everyone in the ground heard the sound except the umpire, heartbreak for Sreesanth!!

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 10:21  

  • Vick...LOL..on the umpre cheats part!!

    But, YS has spoken in favor of GC and is still considered as SG's coterie...So, where is the conspiracy..Ruchir Joshi..yr help needed on this one,pls ;)

    By Blogger RR, at 10:21  

  • hey
    just got back - and i like what i see - sree santh looks the stuff here

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 10:21  

  • vick, against Yuv? Was it lbw or something else?

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:22  

  • vick...agreed (although Rao was a genuine no ball wkt) that by this performance...unless he is really mauled in next match..he should be in..and before VRV and RP(who is already technically in)

    mayur....well the argument would be that those are diff set of supporters/baiters etc etc....but anyways...the point is...someone like Kaif who is succeeding currently at international level does not have to do well here to retain his place....sure he shouldnt *think* this way(so I hope he's not listening)..but the point is...he has to *now* fail at international level...and then, after enough chances, dropped from there...and *then* has to prove himself in such tournaments....like Lax, Mong, Badani have to (arguably)...so its not a one-on-one comparison between them.

    The same way..if Dhoni fails today..doesnt mean Patel should get in...heck we wud just keep revolving door policy in that case...

    By Blogger worma, at 10:23  

  • not sure what I think of sree santh. bowls with lots of energy, decent action. the ball that got tendulkar was okay, the ball that got kaif was nothing, the noball that got rao was a beauty, the ball that got yuvraj was very good. He doesn't seem to have consistent control of line or length, but when he keeps the ball straight, he's excellent.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:24  

  • toney
    11.3 Sreesanth to Yuvraj, no run, outside off and little swing, Yuvraj drives and gets an edge, Parthiv completes the catch, everyone in the ground heard the sound except the umpire, heartbreak for Sreesanth!!

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 10:24  

  • tiger yes there is a camp....but I dont think SG wud get included if he doesnt play...they will ask him to join late or something (if at all he gets picked up by the selectors...who are deciding after the challenger)

    By Blogger worma, at 10:25  

  • thanks roublen.

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:27  

  • mayur, YS is within his rights to not walk. The umpire should make a decision.

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:28  

  • Hi guys
    any update on Prems wife? Hope everything fine there

    By Blogger Neelan, at 10:28  

  • If the team is not going to be decided on the basis of performance in Challengers, then what is the point in having such a tournament ? Why not just select SRT, SG, YUVI, Kaif, RD, Sehwag and be done with it. What is the point of creating all thos noise about selectors are watching your performance in challenger and all that BS.

    IMO,
    1. Kaif shouldn't be there in the ODI team
    2. Sachin shouldn't be there either
    3. SG shouldn't be there as well.

    By Blogger The Random Rambler, at 10:28  

  • I would expect Monigia will have a spinner at one end soon to have Yuvi do some training.
    Has the dew factor started playing in ?
    We need yuvi's wicket now to give selectors some job to do.Else they will stuck with the same 11 for eternity..

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 10:33  

  • jiet, from behind you could see the deflection. it was clearly an edge.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:33  

  • Wasnt Parab's run out the runner's fault? I thought there was a single in it. SOrry, just watching the rpelay now

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:34  

  • oracle...this tournament is not a selectorial trial from clean slate!!!...heck..is there is mass dumping of the entire team and a 'reselection' being done here? This is amusing...so what happens to VS and RD? I guess they were fortunate to have 'escaped' the trials :-)...and so is SG (why did you include him in this list...he didnt fail here ;-)

    Dude this tournament is supposed to judge the ones on fringe of selection (like ZK, Rao, JP...Lax) and then check out the state of some of the youngsters as well as old timers...if any of them are with huge potential or with great form..then include them in scheme of things.

    Otherwise your team would have to exclude SRT, RD, VS, SG, Dhoni, Bala, ZK, Murali...preparing an A team or what?

    By Blogger worma, at 10:34  

  • avinash, I'm not really sure how to estimate pace, maybe 135?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:36  

  • worma, I am not advocating wholesale changes either. But what do you think should be done when say, ZK fails to make an impression in 3 matches and Santh or VRV or RP does that? The aim of this tourney is not to just mark out the fringe players but to give them an opp at some pt of time. And the best time is a few home matches against SL and SA, rather than on an impt away tour to Pak or even when Eng comes here.

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:37  

  • toney...you are late mate...we had lots of discussion on ZK earlier..he is *not* in our ODI team...and I dont see him coming back for a while...heck he's been dropped from *this* team as well....so there is scope in senior team for pacers...esp if Nehra is not 100% fit...RP is in contention, VRV, Sree now...sure give them oppurtunity..

    the point is to identify what fringe players are in good form...get them included....what non-fringe players are good...get them into the 'fringe' etc...

    I dont mean to say that we should pick up new faces from here...its just that those doing well recently at international level cannot be dropped based on failures here...right?

    ..and ofcourse, leave SRT(if he feels he is fully fit) alone :-)

    By Blogger worma, at 10:42  

  • Worma, the Zk thing was just an example.

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:47  

  • it's important to note both rp singh & sree santh played for roi against railways, and neither did well. just because we didn't see it doesn't mean it didn't happen;)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:48  

  • 78-3 after 17.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:50  

  • toney ok...anyways i think the non-performers are being closely watched...balaji is another one....yuv and kaif seem to have learned to apply themselves more in recent times (today's shot from kaif notwithstanding)...who else do we talk of?...I think VS is another one who needs to get his act together(not that his place is at risk...although his position in the lineup may be)..AA seems to be getting his act together...and in his recent showings also hasnt been bad enough to drop from fringe also....who else? Bhajji is a contentious issue....had some debate on that earlier

    By Blogger worma, at 10:51  

  • Forget abt control, these guys VRV and Santh at least looks like fast bowlers, steaming in full of energy, not like those lazy tired AA , Balaji, the way these guys bowl reminds me of Mohinder amarnath, some used to say the batsmen used to yawn when Amaranath bowls

    By Blogger Neelan, at 10:52  

  • vick, is he a natural outswing or inswing bowler? And 135 is good by Indian stds, although I know you are estimating.
    I remember, ZK bowled88-90mph in his first series in Nairobi, bowled that perfect yorker to Martyn, but he's lost pace now.
    AA is the only bowler who has maintained his ability to bowl sharp spells

    By Blogger Toney, at 10:54  

  • so..like I said earlier...its the fringe...JP, Rao, murali etc who need to keep performing in such outings...to show that they are worth persisting

    By Blogger worma, at 10:54  

  • toney..also Nehra has managed to maintain his pace....although wont be bowling too many of those 149kph spells!

    By Blogger worma, at 10:56  

  • We need a wicket to break the partnerhip , another 10 overs these guys play , the match is off the hook..
    Who would be the next bowling change ?
    Mongia, sriram, pathan ?

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 10:56  

  • hey...why's there no spin for Yuv yet?...bring Chawla in :-)

    By Blogger worma, at 10:57  

  • @avinash
    got yuvi as in ?

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 10:58  

  • mount, it wasn't a drop. very difficult chance, though the way parthiv went after it was poor.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:58  

  • worma, Beg to differ on that Kaif dismissal. I thought that was wide and suitably short, MK's execution was poor, dont think his intent was, even in the situation they were in at that time.

    By Blogger Toney, at 11:00  

  • I agree with Avi, I would let Sanath finish his quota, send him off get SSub Chawla in, Win the match, and get some work done :)

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 11:02  

  • toney...I thought he chased a wide one?...just read that...not watching(although planning to...soon)

    mayur...yeah well...he doesnt miss too many ODIs does he ;-)...anyways...thats a team management call...whether his injuries are hampering their prep for WC or not.....for us fans...as long as he does well when he plays...we shouldnt call for his head. Maybe use him more selectively?

    By Blogger worma, at 11:03  

  • What do you guys think of this team for the SL series?

    SRT
    Sehwag
    Kaif
    Dravid
    Rao
    Yuvi
    Yadav
    Dhoni
    Pathan
    HSingh
    Santh
    Raina (super sub)

    Yup, no ganguly. one can at least dream.

    By Blogger Jerry Kalarickal, at 11:04  

  • 90-3 after 21

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:06  

  • Abt AN, reminds me of something Prem said abt his delivery, foot pointing in opposite directions. I guess AN and injury will always go together.

    By Blogger Toney, at 11:06  

  • worma, abt he MK dismissal. I just watched one replay. When you say a wide delivery, I am not sure either :) Will have to see again

    By Blogger Toney, at 11:07  

  • Mayur, Then Let Bhandari , singh or Bose do it.
    I have two things in mind.
    1. Get a wicket now.
    2. Use the SSUB, dont make it an exhibition match make it competetive.

    Sometimes i thnk the best allrounder in the team should be used for the SSUB if he is not the strike bowler.

    If the team is batting first Let a top order batsman , who can't bowl get out.
    If bowling, let one strike bowler finish his 10 overs and use the SSUB.
    just my thoughts though.

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 11:11  

  • mayur, the thing abt AN is, what if he bowls well in a couple of 4 day matches in Ranji? And then, on his return, he gets injured. What happens then?
    Remember that being injured is in most cases beyond the control of the player

    By Blogger Toney, at 11:12  

  • any comments on the cheer leaders?

    By Blogger Toney, at 11:13  

  • @all
    yuvraj to the rescue again ? and rao ?

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 11:13  

  • @toney
    it is a myth that AN is better than all other indian bowlers. he is most overrated.

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 11:14  

  • gk, AN produces more wkt taking deliveries. And he's sharp. Just my opinion, AN is better than ZK, Balaji and AA.

    By Blogger Toney, at 11:16  

  • sunny singh, not impressive. jp yadav without the nip. doesn't look like he belongs at this level.
    109-3 after 24

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:17  

  • @toney
    look at his odi figures - they are quite ordinary ... it is not enuf to produce wicket-taking deliveries once in a while if u r gonna bowl 1 bad ball per over

    to me at the moment AN, ZK, IP and AA are more or less the same (in ODIs) - altho ZK is drastically going down and AA has been mishandled. IP being young - we can hope for more from him

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 11:19  

  • @mayur
    hope ... even i thot that AN had improved after his showing in SL and initially in ZIm - but come the final - come the big occasion and what happened ?? A pathetic performance ... dont tell me that that score was too small ... it cud have been defended by good bowling

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 11:21  

  • LOL reverse sweep

    By Blogger Toney, at 11:24  

  • chawla in as supersub

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:27  

  • cricbuzz says for yuvi:
    luckiest FIFTY!! he would have ever scored!

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 11:27  

  • Raublen .. who went out ?

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 11:28  

  • 123-3 after 27

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:29  

  • @mayur
    yes .. i blame AN along with a lot of the others (IP, SG in particular) for the loss in the zim finals

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 11:29  

  • robin utthapa

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:29  

  • YS is still there. And in these matches, it seemms he has taken on the role of trying to play out the overs instead of being a dasher. Welcome change

    By Blogger Toney, at 11:30  

  • they're playing well. haven't looked challenged by the bowling at all lately.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:34  

  • @mayur
    cricket is a team game played by individuals ... obvi some will perform and some not ... those who dont have to cop the blame ... otherwise do u suggest never making changes in a team ? or if any change is to be made replace the whole team in 1 go ?

    By Blogger Gaurav, at 11:36  

  • Vick,
    If you don't Chop and Change, you will make superstars and they will be advertising more then playing cricket.
    No I dont have anythign agaist their advertising, but feel at this age it is easy for the success to get into your head.

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 11:40  

  • Tehn you give them three series to perform because the played good cricket some time back

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 11:42  

  • pankaj, in normal cases, I prefer a stable look to the team rather than chopping and changing.
    But with WC07 in mind, it is necessary to experiment more than what is usual. Some of these guys like SRT, SG might not even be there, with injuries and such issues.
    We do need to get an idea of the backup and the best wya to do that is to groom some of them, maybe even throw them in the deep end. It can be argued that this is not the way to treat young inexperienced but otherwise talented guys. But the ebst guys will definitely ocme through.

    By Blogger Toney, at 11:44  

  • I guess they are not trying Chawla because its almost impossible to spin due to the ehh..dew ? Also puts Karthik and esp bhajji's performance from yestday in perspective (and the ease with which some of the A team got to score)?

    By Blogger worma, at 11:46  

  • vick...yep...i really dont understand..what the harm in trying him for *atleast* one over...

    By Blogger worma, at 11:48  

  • Toney I agree,
    But stability(confidence) should not be misused.
    Which is very rare with the mindset of young star minds, unless you are Sachin.
    DOnt you think this stability has got into head of SG ?
    I dont know how much time she spends on his cricket nowadays ?

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 11:49  

  • ok..now Mongia is being plain selfish...he has a specialist bowler in Chawla waiting...why is he bringing himself on!

    By Blogger worma, at 11:51  

  • avinash, I don't want to be too negative but he seems kind of gentle and not that threatening. He's very tall, doesn't turn the ball much, he flights the ball a bit and gets a bit of bounce. also has a flatter ball which yuvraj just glanced for 4. mongia on to bowl. 138-3 after 31.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:51  

  • sorry, not avinash, anand k.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:52  

  • Vick,
    I agree with your examples and that is the reason these are great players.
    All are not of the same breed though !

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 11:52  

  • Chawla will be disappointed if e doesnt get a chance to bowl

    By Blogger Toney, at 11:54  

  • mayur..dude when would he get him on? now they can do with some wkts....and anyway if he doesnt know about him, then find out...give him atleast an over!...and they dont need a 'decent' over...they need wkts

    By Blogger worma, at 11:56  

  • Rao seems to handle the slower bowlers well. How was he against Karthik?

    By Blogger Toney, at 11:58  

  • dinesh mongia does not turn the ball on turning pitches...here hes plain up-down restrictive bowler...dont understand the strategy for his bowling (even if I forget chawla)...just saw a replay of his last ball....less than 5 revvs by the time it reached he batsman!!

    By Blogger worma, at 11:58  

  • anand...yep that was out..ump thought it pitched outside leg...but it was in line...marginal

    By Blogger worma, at 12:01  

  • ok one useless fact we know now...Dinesh Mongia is probably never going to make a good captain ;-).. (just been declared captain of North Zone)

    By Blogger worma, at 12:03  

  • @anybody watching

    Yusuf Pathan to Yuvraj, FOUR!!, full pitched, sweeps it to deep square leg, all the way from outside off, brilliant cricket!

    Was this ball up in air by any chance ?

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 12:04  

  • rao started to move his feet to pathan after the first 2 balls. result: 1 lofted 4 straight, 1 lofted shot to long on dropped by sree santh, one sweep for 4 by yuvraj off pathan.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:05  

  • sree santh back on

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:07  

  • >>>oracle...this tournament is not a selectorial trial from clean slate!!!...heck..is there is mass dumping of the entire team and a 'reselection' being done here? This is amusing...so what happens to VS and RD? I guess they were fortunate to have 'escaped' the trials :-)...and so is SG (why did you include him in this list...he didnt fail here ;-) <<<

    Either you perform or perish. That should be the mantra for every one. You cant have one rule for SG/RD/SRT/Kaif/YS/VS/DHONI and another for VVS/Badani/Mongia(D)/ZK etc.

    If SG is not fit to participate in this tournament then he should get fit first, play domestic and prove that he is match fit(just like SRT did), score runs and prove that he deserves to be in the team.

    VSehwag is an over rated ODI player and I think we can do without him, if he was no there then he should be judged by his performance in Super Series and dropped as well. Why should we select a player who has been averaging 28 since WC 2003 (worst Indian ODI batsman since wc).

    >>>Dude this tournament is supposed to judge the ones on fringe of selection (like ZK, Rao, JP...Lax) and then check out the state of some of the youngsters as well as old timers...if any of them are with huge potential or with great form..then include them in scheme of things.<<<

    Ehh why should we judge VVS, JP, ZK(he should be dumped right now) every time and the untouchables get to play despite their rubbish form over last 2 years. Rao has already proved that he can bat and we need to persist him for a while (remember Attapattu ?) If SG, SRT, VS, RD, MK, MSD(honi), YS are going to play and selectors have already decided on that then where is the room for anyone else ? And What is the point of this challenger and checking out the yongsters ?

    >>>Otherwise your team would have to exclude SRT, RD, VS, SG, Dhoni, Bala, ZK, Murali...preparing an A team or what? <<<

    Is there a written rule that SRT, SG, MK, VS, DHONI etc cant be dropped ?? Didn't this 'A' team just beat the Indian seniors ? I want a team which can win and play like a team not a team of stars who really suck.

    VS - Highly over rater ODI player, Failed in Super series.
    Dhoni - Simply overrated, nothing much to show except one 100 against Pak.(I would like KDK in his place)
    MK, SRT - failed in Challenger.(much prefer VVS & S Sriram in their place).

    By Blogger The Random Rambler, at 12:08  

  • 7 runs in each of the last two overs .. Mongia needs a change for himself

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 12:08  

  • Is venu batting better or Santh bowling faulty ? two 4's hmmm

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 12:12  

  • YS took his eyes off that pull/hook. I thought he was a decent player of the short ball

    By Blogger Toney, at 12:13  

  • Santh aint bowling that great now :)

    By Blogger Toney, at 12:14  

  • I thnk Seniors have this under their control now..
    I dont see them losing from here on but in final to Ind A .

    By Blogger Pankaj Tripathi, at 12:15  

  • when is the finals? Immediately after the last game?

    By Blogger Toney, at 12:15  

  • Prem,
    just learnt that your wife ain't too well. Good luck to you and bhabhiji. I'm sure she will get well soon
    God Bless,
    Ridham

    By Blogger Ridham, at 12:16  

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