Looking forward to the India South Africa T20 and ODI series

After the long, relaxing, rejuvenating break of more than a month, Indian Cricket Team is going to don the National Colors again and coming back on the field against South Africa. South Africa will start this tour by playing two practice games. The tour, which consists of 2 T20Is,5 ODIs and 4 Tests, will be 72 day long extravaganza for all cricket lovers.

Both teams are in the re-building phase with many new faces. India and SA both have won their previous assignments against Sri Lanka and New Zealand respectively. SA however had lost the ODI series against Bangladesh and were unable to win the test matches against them when they last toured the Indian sub-continent in July this year. 

On the other hand, Indian team is high on confidence after beating Sri Lanka on their home turf after 22 years and their first away series win in 4 years.

India has announced its squad for the two T20s and first three ODIs. Overall it’s a balanced side with inclusion of new blood like Gurkeerat Mann and Sreenath Aravind, whose selection has raised some eyebrows. Also the exclusion of the most successful bowler fast bowler of the Sri Lankan tour, Ishant Sharma, is bit baffling. But Harbhajan Singh somehow managed to save his birth in the T 20 team despite a below average performance on the tour.

With Dhoni back in the squad to lead the team after a break of 3 months from competitive cricket for T20s and ODIs, will this new looking Indian Team be able to repeat the magic of the Sri Lanka tour and beat SA at home? We will get to know very soon.

Where does AB DeVilliers rank in the pantheon of all time greats?

AB DeVilliers has redefined and revolutionized modern day batting by his exploits on the field. He has been the most outstanding batsman in international cricket for last few years and through his innovative and imaginative batting has won over the hearts of cricket fans world over.

DeVilliers’ most recent swansong was a brilliant 133 of just 59 balls. He literally toyed with a strong Mumbai bowling line up which contained the likes of Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh.

Irfan Pathan tweeted about him: “I'm writing an official complain as a bowler against @ABdeVilliers17. All the bowers please join me @IPL #legend”.

Harsha Bhogle commented: “I know different eras and styles etc but how much better could mighty Viv have been than this AB? #PepsiIPL #RCB”.

The last tweet brings us to an important question. DeVilliers is undoubtedly the best batsman in world cricket today, but how does he compare to past batting greats like Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara Ricky Ponting and the likes. (Don Bradman was a different class altogether to anyone else)

First, De Villiers has changed modern day batting by his innovative hitting. He can score runs all over the ground, and has shots which can only be imagined by other mortal batsman. He has scored runs of the back of the bat, scores runs directly behind the stumps, can send yorkers 30 rows behind the boundary and do stuff which takes your breath away.

Past greats too had something special or extra about them, which enabled them to dominate and entertain. DeVilliers too has that extra about him. Helped by the advent of T 20 cricket, he has taken batting to another level altogether and has been doing great for last many years.

Also like past greats, he has scored against the best bowlers of his time. The way he literally played with Dale Steyn in the IPL few years ago has become stuff of legend. Steyn has been arguably the best fast bowler in world cricket for the last decade, but he played with him like he was some club bowler. He has meted out similar treatment to many other top bowlers of his era.

Clearly AB DeVilliers compares favourably with all past greats and ranks alongside all of them. Cricket is indeed privileged to have an ambassador like him. Let us bow down to the modern day king of batting, AB DeVilliers!

Keys to India’s success in the match against West Indies

India have made a terrific beginning to their World Cup campaign, winning all their three encounters comfortably, and having easily dispatched top opposition in Pakistan and title favourites South Africa. The bowling and fielding have been in top shape and have augmented our explosive batting power.

India next face West Indies and would like to carry forward the momentum. Let us analyse the keys to India’s success in that encounter.

Chris Gayle factor

Chris Gayle is the key player in the West Indies squad. Whenever he gets going, West Indies are able to post a good total and become a more competitive team. He has just scored 215 in the World Cup encounter against Zimbabwe and looks in great form.

India need to prevent him from scoring big. In the past, Ravichandran Ashwin has had good success against him. If Indian quicks fail to get him out early, MS Dhoni must bring in Ashwin early to get the danger man out. If India can get Gayle early, it will be half the battle won.

Weakness of West Indian batsmen against spin

Most West Indies batsmen are power hitters and quite capable of scoring quick. However they are vulnerable to high class spin bowling. West Indies on their last tour of India struggled against the Indian spinners, albeit on spin friendly tracks.

Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja must bowl well an dput them under pressure. Most often, these two would be bowling bulk of the middle overs. If they can choke the West Indies’ batsmen in the middle overs, it can help India gain the upper hand.

Good start against the West Indian quicks

The West Indies fast bowling attack has some firepower, with Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor and company all capable of hitting 90 mph. India’s opening batsmen need to deal with them judiciously and ensure a good start to the innings.

The last few matches saw India getting a good start to their innings, not losing many wickets in the first few overs. It enabled them to lay a platform on which the innings was built. India would need their opening batsmen to carry on the good work against West Indies.

Fielding like Rabbits

Indian players have put up an impressive fielding display so far in the tournament. In the match against South Africa, the fast bowlers effected two crucial run outs which sealed the affair for India. The fielders have also saved runs in the field, while the catching also has been world class.

If India can keep up their fielding standards going ahead, they will be a tough team to beat for any other side in this competition. They must keep up this standard in the West Indies encounter too. Going ahead, it may prove to be a vital cog in their World Cup defense.

Predicting the final day of play in the Sydney Test match

The fourth Test match of the series between India and Australia has been brought alive by attacking play by both sides on the fourth day. The Aussies scored 251 for 6 in only 40 overs, giving their bowlers a good platform to attack on the final day.

Whirlwind Batting by the Aussies on the fourth day

They now lead by 348 runs with 4 second innings’ wickets intact. It was entertaining cricket at its best and Indian bowlers were meted out a good hiding. It is a good enough lead already as no side has scored more than 350 in the fourth innings to win a Test match in Sydney.

Early declaration on Day 5

Expect Australia to bat for a maximum of another 30 minutes and declare with a target of around 370-380 for India to chase. The Aussies would want India to go for the target as that would maximise their chances of getting wickets. The Sydney track is still pretty good for batting, and India under the aggressive Virat Kohli may look to go for the target to get a Test win in Australia after a long time.

Virat Kohli would shine again

The Indian chase would depend to a big degree upon Virat Kohli as he is one batsman capable of tearing apart any bowling attack on his day. And he seems to relish the pressure of a big stage. Expect a good show from him again on the final day.

Lyon will get a good old thrashing

One of the biggest failures of Indian batsmen has been how they have tackled Nathan Lyon in this series. They have failed to attack him enough and have allowed him to settle down way too often. Expect that to change tomorrow as the young guns would go after him and take him to corners of the ground.

Prediction

India would give Australia a run for their money on this flat Sydney track and the last day will have its share of excitements and hopes for both the sides. At the moment it is 60-40 in favour of Australia. However if Virat Kohli produces one of his best Test knocks of his young career, India might surprise Australia to win this one. Whatever happens, it is must watch Test match cricket on the final day.


Australia Test Cricket Records Vs India

Analysing MS Dhoni’s Test career

MS Dhoni has sent shock waves across the country with his sudden retirement from Test cricket. On the final day of the MCG Test, he announced his retirement from Tests. It was as sudden as one of his helicopter shots, coming out of nowhere to surprise everyone.
As Dhoni leaves the Test arena, let us have a look at his Test career and the legacy he left for Indian cricket.

Initial Journey
MS Dhoni started his jouney as a Test cricketer in 2005 against Sri Lanka and came into his own very soon. His unorthodox batting and suspect technique were as barriers to a good Test career. However Dhoni proved eveyone wrong and played many good knocks early into his career. His century versus Pakistan in Pakistan helped India save a Test match in the 2006 series,and his attack on Shoaib Akhtar enthralled Indian cricket fans no end.

He continued to improve his overseas batting also and played few crucial knocks there too under pressure situations. By 2008, Dhoni’s name was talked about as the possible successor to Anil Kumble to lead the Test side. His successes in the T 20 and ODI formats in a very short span of time made him the most suitable contender for the Test leadership.

Rise To The Top
MS Dhoni led India in Tests for the first time in 2008 against South Africa and he went on to win all his first four Test matches as captain. Under his charismatic leadership, India steadily improved and won series after series to attain the number 1 spot in Test rankings for the first time in 2009.
The two biggest factors behind this rise to numero uno spot were Dhoni’s shrewd captaincy and Virender Sehwag’s batting. After Anil Kumble’s retirement in 2008, Dhoni used the limited bowling resources India has very wisely and got the best out of players like Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh.

Calm under Pressure
Dhoni also brought a sense of calm to Indian cricket and it saw players performing well under pressure situations. India held on to the number one spot in Test ranking for 18 months, and sustained many sharp challenges to their position by rising under pressure and always peforming when it mattered most. Dhoni’s calm and composed nature under all situtations seemed to pass on to his teammates.

Dhoni as a Batsman
Dhoni as a batsman was destructive in Asian conditions and his match winning 224 against Australia in Chennai has to count amongst the best knocks on Indian soil in the last decade. He also improved overseas and played many gritting knocks, including a match saving 92 in the first Test of the 2007 series on England soil. India went on to win that series 1-0. He was India’s top scorer in the 2014 series also in England, where most top batsmen failed to put up a good show.

Overseas Failures
He faced failures overseas from 2011 to 2014, when he lost most of the matches in England and Australia against top opposition. He was passive at many times in matches, and did not play the same aggressive brand of cricket he was known for. What exacerbated matters was the retirement of Indian batting greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. The lack of good fast bowling options also hampered his quest to lead successfully on overseas soil. All these factors seemed to weigh upon him both as a player as well as the captain.

Dominant at Home
However despite all this, Dhoni was very successful on Indian soil and won most of the matches Indian played at home. He was a different captain at home, attacking with the spinners and looking always proactive in spin friendly conditions. India white washed Australia for the first time in its Test history 4-0 in a Test series in 2013. Out of the 30 Tests that Dhoni led India on home soil, we won 21 and lost only 3. Historically he ranks fourth amongst Test captains with most home wins.

A word of Thanks to the man!
India owe MS Dhoni a big thanks and lot of respect for what he has achieved for Indian cricket. He led India to the top of Test cricket and led the team with dignity and composure. His calming presence will be missed by all Indian cricket fans when India takes field in the whites next. Truly a champion cricketer and a great leader of men! Well done on a fabulous Test career Mr Dhoni!

Captain Cool: The MS Dhoni Story

Analysing the impact of Philip Hughes episode on the sporting world

The last few weeks saw a great outpouring of support and warmth for the cricketing community after the tragic death of Philip Hughes. Hughes was hit by a bouncer on the back of his head which led to his demise a few days later. 

The incident shook the entire sporting world. There was an outpouring of support and emotions from sportsmen across different sports for Philip Hughes' loss. The cricketing community was also united in mourning this tragic loss, and cricketers across the globe expressed their shock and feeling of personal loss over this incident. 

The incident highlighted the dangers that modern sportsmen face in many sports. Despite the technological advances and modern equipments available these days, such accidents show how player’s safety is still not guaranteed. 

Some sports have already responded to this happening. Hockey has introduced metal masks for players stopping the penalty stroke to prevent any hit on the head. In cricket too, helmets have come under scrutiny and there has been a demand for better technology in that area too.

The incident also triggered a debate as to whether the bouncers should be banned because of the dangers they might cause to players. However most players are of the opinion that it is not the right thing to do, as it would take the excitement out of the game.  However in the near future, most fast bowlers will have second thoughts on the idea of bowling quick bouncers to batsmen, considering what has happened just recently.

What the cricketing world needs is greater safeguards to prevent such accidents from happening again. Also having first hand medical staff on the field to help in case of such emergencies can prevent such mishaps in the future. That can be one learning cricket can take from this incident and implement it for the betterment of the players and of the game.

Start of love affair with cricket and Anil Kumble, my first hero

It's hard to pin point exactly when it all began, but it was around the beginning of  World Cup in Australia,1992. That was my first taste of the game of cricket. The energy associated with the game attracted me from the very beginning.

I remember listening to my dad and my youngest uncle, as they discussed India's chances at the ODI World Cup. The first match of India was versus England , which we lost by a small margin. I still remember the thrill that close chase gave me. I remember watching a few more matches of that tournament, and enjoying most of it. An instant attraction for the game developed which was gripping beyond description.

However, it truly kicked in only an year later when England toured India in 1993. The Indian team had a new look about itself, with a triumvirate of spinners for the first time in a while. I still have few memories of that tour with me, the most striking being watching a young bespectacled spinner , who bowled at a brisk pace ,running through the English batting line-up. 

I particularly remember one delivery bowled at almost medium pace that got Graeme Hick out in the 2nd test. It was something else. He seemed to be a different breed from the other Indian bowlers that I had watched in the recent past. I immediately developed a deep admiration and liking for that man. It felt like now we had a really top class bowler. The guy was Anil Kumble, and he became all and more of what I had imagined about him at that time.

To develop a love for something, we need to see examples of men who excel above others at that , and do great things that ordinary mortals can only think of. You need heroes. He was my first hero, and with him began the love affair with cricket that continues to this day.