For a team low on confidence, it is imperative to get off to a good start. It can lift the spirit.
Team India's case was different.
Going into the opening day of the fourth and final Test against England , the visitors had lost their best bowler, Praveen Kumar , to a thumb injury. His replacement, RP Singh , hadn't played a Test match in 28 months, and to expect instant results from him seemed a tad too far-fetched.
There was a surprise in store at the toss as well. Andrew Strauss , having called correctly, opted to have a bat first -- a somewhat surprising decision considering the conditions at The Oval were overcast, as expected.
Andrew StraussHowever, England's captain had confidence in his batsmen. The same couldn't be said for his Indian counterpart though.
MS Dhoni's bowlers were a tired lot. No wonder he had expressed his desire to bat first and put up a good total on board on the eve of the Test. True to form, the Indian bowlers did precious little in the first hour.
Ishant, Sreesanth and RP had neither speed nor direction. Strauss and Cook were never really tested. The duo started on a cautious note before slowly freeing their arms. There was a free flow of runs thereafter and the 50-run partnership was achieved in the 16th over -- a record 31st 50-plus stand for the pair, 27 of those having come for the first wicket.
When lunch was called, the home team had scored 75 without loss off 26 overs. Strauss was batting on 38 and Cook on 34.
The Indian think tank has a lot of work to do during the breather to prevent the home team running away with the match.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
India played too much cricket
Former captain Kapil Dev has lashed out at Team India for lacking team spirit in the ongoing Test series against England, and also criticized senior cricketers, including captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar, for not motivating the youngsters in the squad.
The former all-rounder, who led India to its maiden World Cup title in 1983, slammed Dhoni's men for "going through the motion(s) more than their love for the game" in the ongoing four-match series, which England have already pocketed with an unassailable 3-0 lead.
"Indian players did not play as a team. I am not trying to blame anybody, but I think they played too much cricket. Within four days of winning the World Cup you play IPL. They then travel to West Indies for a tour and then from there to England. I think our players were going through the motion(s) more than their love for the game," Kapil told Press Trust of India.
Asked whether there are any other reasons for the humiliating defeat against England, which dislodged India from the No 1 position, Kapil said the seniors have not guided the youngsters during the tour.
"No cricketer walked up to young bowlers to advise them on what line to bowl. Dhoni could go up to Ishant (Sharma) and tell this. Media termed him as 'Captain Cool'. He says everybody should know their job.
"In Indian sports, we have not reached that level where all the players know what they should do. We still look up to the captain and senior players. We need somebody with aggression. All the senior players have become so senior that they do not want to be aggressive," he said.
The former all-rounder, who led India to its maiden World Cup title in 1983, slammed Dhoni's men for "going through the motion(s) more than their love for the game" in the ongoing four-match series, which England have already pocketed with an unassailable 3-0 lead.
"Indian players did not play as a team. I am not trying to blame anybody, but I think they played too much cricket. Within four days of winning the World Cup you play IPL. They then travel to West Indies for a tour and then from there to England. I think our players were going through the motion(s) more than their love for the game," Kapil told Press Trust of India.
Asked whether there are any other reasons for the humiliating defeat against England, which dislodged India from the No 1 position, Kapil said the seniors have not guided the youngsters during the tour.
"No cricketer walked up to young bowlers to advise them on what line to bowl. Dhoni could go up to Ishant (Sharma) and tell this. Media termed him as 'Captain Cool'. He says everybody should know their job.
"In Indian sports, we have not reached that level where all the players know what they should do. We still look up to the captain and senior players. We need somebody with aggression. All the senior players have become so senior that they do not want to be aggressive," he said.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Is a defensive Fletcher costing Team India?
Well, people might agree or disagree, but Duncan Fletcher doesn't seem to be the right man to coach Team India. The biggest challenge Fletcher faces is taking forward the legacy that India'a World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten left behind.
His record was phenomenal. He not only helped India lift the World Cup but also won five out of the nine ODI tournaments India contested under him. Then in Tests, of the eight series he coached India in, the team won three, drew four and lost just one.
Comparing him to Fletcher, the Zimbabwean has already faltered at his first real challenge against former wards England, after winning against the lowly Caribbeans.
First Test series that India played under him was against West Indies, where the team just about managed to beat a struggling West Indies 1-0. But what that tour will be remembered for is India's surrender in the third Test, where the team needed just 86 runs to win off the last 15 overs with seven wickets in hand. But MS Dhoni chose to shake hands for a draw. Maybe that reflected the defensive mindset of the new India coach.
Kirsten's replacement was hired to maintain the winning momentum. But Fletcher seems to have brought a defensiveness to a team that was fast becoming know for its aggressiveness under MS Dhoni.
Under Kirsten, not once we saw India losing without a fight. You never saw players keeping with hands in the pocket and lost on the field with no idea of what's going around.
India needed a coach who could groom young players and take it from where Kirsten left, but considering how things have started for Fletcher, it doesn't look too promising, though it may be too early to call.
Maybe the new coach will have to take a stand with the BCCI, whose callous scheduling is hurting India as much as Fletcher's defensive tactics. Players, at times, need the coach to take their case forward and tell the board what's the best way forward - especially schedule wise.
Fletcher came into BCCI's frame as a planner who outwits and outplans oppositions but it seems exactly the opposite has transpired against England, where India stares at the possibility of a 4-0 whitewash. There just seems to be no gameplan against the English batsmen and that's where Fletcher has been a big disappointment. He should have been familiar with his former wards' strengths and weaknesses but that didn't happen.
Hope things change in the future series, and the tour of Australia later this year will surely help us better gauge how long can a 'defensive' Fletcher stay in the Indian dressing room.
Source: http://cricketnext.in.com/
His record was phenomenal. He not only helped India lift the World Cup but also won five out of the nine ODI tournaments India contested under him. Then in Tests, of the eight series he coached India in, the team won three, drew four and lost just one.
Comparing him to Fletcher, the Zimbabwean has already faltered at his first real challenge against former wards England, after winning against the lowly Caribbeans.
First Test series that India played under him was against West Indies, where the team just about managed to beat a struggling West Indies 1-0. But what that tour will be remembered for is India's surrender in the third Test, where the team needed just 86 runs to win off the last 15 overs with seven wickets in hand. But MS Dhoni chose to shake hands for a draw. Maybe that reflected the defensive mindset of the new India coach.
Kirsten's replacement was hired to maintain the winning momentum. But Fletcher seems to have brought a defensiveness to a team that was fast becoming know for its aggressiveness under MS Dhoni.
Under Kirsten, not once we saw India losing without a fight. You never saw players keeping with hands in the pocket and lost on the field with no idea of what's going around.
India needed a coach who could groom young players and take it from where Kirsten left, but considering how things have started for Fletcher, it doesn't look too promising, though it may be too early to call.
Maybe the new coach will have to take a stand with the BCCI, whose callous scheduling is hurting India as much as Fletcher's defensive tactics. Players, at times, need the coach to take their case forward and tell the board what's the best way forward - especially schedule wise.
Fletcher came into BCCI's frame as a planner who outwits and outplans oppositions but it seems exactly the opposite has transpired against England, where India stares at the possibility of a 4-0 whitewash. There just seems to be no gameplan against the English batsmen and that's where Fletcher has been a big disappointment. He should have been familiar with his former wards' strengths and weaknesses but that didn't happen.
Hope things change in the future series, and the tour of Australia later this year will surely help us better gauge how long can a 'defensive' Fletcher stay in the Indian dressing room.
Source: http://cricketnext.in.com/
BCCI accepts Kumble's suggestion: report
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is said to have accepted the suggestion made by former Indian captain and current president of the Karnataka Cricket Association (KCA), Anil Kumble, to include three warm-up games in their series against Australia later this year.
Kumble's proposal to include two more first class games to the one already scheduled ahead of the opening Boxing Day (Dec 26) Test at Melbourne came at the Board's working committee meeting here on Monday.
"Kumble said that if only one first-class game is fixed only 11 players will be able to play in it and he wanted all 16 touring members to have a competitive game before the start of the Test series by having more games. His suggestion has been accepted," sources told PTI.
The Indian squad, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, played a lone first class game against Somerset during the ongoing tour of England before sliding to massive defeats in the first three Tests to also lose its No. 1 Test ranking which it had held on to for more than a year-and-a-half.
The sources also conceded it will be a tricky task for the Board to try and add more first-class games in the tune-up to the tour as there was hardly any time gap between the conclusion of the home ODI series against the West Indies and the departure of the team to Australia.
The BCCI has also written to Cricket Australia that the first-class game that is already scheduled should not be reduced to a club-level affair as it clashed with the commencement of the country's "Big Bash" T20 tournament.
"The Board has already written (to Cricket Australia) that it should not be reduced to club-level cricket with the top players not playing," the sources said.
The lone warm-up game is to be played against Cricket Australia Chairman's XI from December 18-21 at Manuka Oval in Canberra, before the opening contest of the four-match Test series.
India play the four Tests back-to-back from December 26, 2011 to January 28, 2012 at Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.
India are then set to play two T20 Internationals on February 1 and 3 at Sydney and Melbourne before taking part in a triangular ODI series also featuring the hosts and Sri Lanka between February 5 and March 8.
Kumble's proposal to include two more first class games to the one already scheduled ahead of the opening Boxing Day (Dec 26) Test at Melbourne came at the Board's working committee meeting here on Monday.
"Kumble said that if only one first-class game is fixed only 11 players will be able to play in it and he wanted all 16 touring members to have a competitive game before the start of the Test series by having more games. His suggestion has been accepted," sources told PTI.
The Indian squad, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, played a lone first class game against Somerset during the ongoing tour of England before sliding to massive defeats in the first three Tests to also lose its No. 1 Test ranking which it had held on to for more than a year-and-a-half.
The sources also conceded it will be a tricky task for the Board to try and add more first-class games in the tune-up to the tour as there was hardly any time gap between the conclusion of the home ODI series against the West Indies and the departure of the team to Australia.
The BCCI has also written to Cricket Australia that the first-class game that is already scheduled should not be reduced to a club-level affair as it clashed with the commencement of the country's "Big Bash" T20 tournament.
"The Board has already written (to Cricket Australia) that it should not be reduced to club-level cricket with the top players not playing," the sources said.
The lone warm-up game is to be played against Cricket Australia Chairman's XI from December 18-21 at Manuka Oval in Canberra, before the opening contest of the four-match Test series.
India play the four Tests back-to-back from December 26, 2011 to January 28, 2012 at Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.
India are then set to play two T20 Internationals on February 1 and 3 at Sydney and Melbourne before taking part in a triangular ODI series also featuring the hosts and Sri Lanka between February 5 and March 8.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Gavaskar takes a dig at England team
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar believes England's cricketers would have "hit the panic button" and talked of leaving the series midway if similar riots had happened in India.
Click here!
England and India face off in the third cricket Test in Edgbaston amid growing riots in the UK after a youth was allegedly killed in police firing.
Sunil GavaskarGavaskar said a situation like this in India would have evoked reactions of wanting to leave by English cricketers.
"No question about it, they would have been pressing the panic button. They would have been talking in terms of the team returning home. That is a given," Gavaskar told the Sun newspaper.
England, under Kevin Pietersen , did leave a tour of India midway after the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 but came back to complete the series after a while.
Current Test captain Andrew Strauss has, meanwhile, insisted that the tensions on the street have not affected his team's preparation for the third Test, a win in which would give England an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the series and the World No 1 tag.
"When you watch scenes on TV, it is horrific and far from England's proudest moment. But, in terms of our preparation, it has not affected us. We intend going out and playing the game as we would any other.
"A few of the guys went out early on Monday evening but the advice from our security manager was to come back as there were some disturbances. This is an opportunity for cricket to put out a feel-good factor," he said.
Source:- http://www.rediff.com/cricket/report/india-england-gavaskar-takes-a-dig-at-england-team-london-riots/20110810.htm
Click here!
England and India face off in the third cricket Test in Edgbaston amid growing riots in the UK after a youth was allegedly killed in police firing.
Sunil GavaskarGavaskar said a situation like this in India would have evoked reactions of wanting to leave by English cricketers.
"No question about it, they would have been pressing the panic button. They would have been talking in terms of the team returning home. That is a given," Gavaskar told the Sun newspaper.
England, under Kevin Pietersen , did leave a tour of India midway after the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 but came back to complete the series after a while.
Current Test captain Andrew Strauss has, meanwhile, insisted that the tensions on the street have not affected his team's preparation for the third Test, a win in which would give England an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the series and the World No 1 tag.
"When you watch scenes on TV, it is horrific and far from England's proudest moment. But, in terms of our preparation, it has not affected us. We intend going out and playing the game as we would any other.
"A few of the guys went out early on Monday evening but the advice from our security manager was to come back as there were some disturbances. This is an opportunity for cricket to put out a feel-good factor," he said.
Source:- http://www.rediff.com/cricket/report/india-england-gavaskar-takes-a-dig-at-england-team-london-riots/20110810.htm
I've been very lucky in my Test career: Bresnan
Edgbaston, Aug 9 (IANS) England all-rounder Tim Bresnan revels in the glory of being a steady bowler who can 'bat a bit' and 'never lets anyone down'.
Bresnan's solid performance with both bat and ball in Trent Bridge has assured him of a place in the Edgbaston Test. He scored 90 in England's second innings and then secured his first five-wicket haul as England won by 319 runs with a day to spare.
It's just one of those things. I've been very lucky in my Test career and I felt ecstatic after we won in Nottingham,' Bresnan was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
Despite his sterling performance in Trent Bridge, Bresnan insists he has not been given any assurances.
'There's not been a bit of that. When the team finally gets announced it's going to be as interesting for me as everyone else. The selectors have got a nice headache - at least it's nice for them. I'm glad it's not me making the decision although I also hope it's not me who is disappointed. It would be hard for me personally, but it's terrific for English cricket,' he said.
Asked if the uncertainty has taken some pleasure away, Bresnan said: 'No, not at all. I've just been enjoying how well I played and I've also been trying to move house this last week. That's helped take my mind off this next Test, which is probably healthy.
'But we have such strength in depth. Look at Stevie Finn. He's got the highest strike rate of anyone playing at the minute and he's the youngest bowler to have reached 50 Test wickets. But he can't get into the team right now.'
If Bresnan plays the third Test and India are beaten then England would become the world's No.1 Test side. It could be Bresnan's ninth consecutive Test victory.
'It would be nice to get to 10 Test wins by the end of this series. If we go to Edgbaston and produce the same performance, it's going to be hard for India. But we know how strong they are and there is absolutely no reason for us to get complacent. We've just got to keep doing the basics well - and producing to hold on to our places,' he said.
Source:- http://cricket.yahoo.com/cricket/news/article?id=item/2.0/-/story/cricket.indiaabroad.com/ive-been-very-lucky-my-test-career-bresnan-20110809/
Bresnan's solid performance with both bat and ball in Trent Bridge has assured him of a place in the Edgbaston Test. He scored 90 in England's second innings and then secured his first five-wicket haul as England won by 319 runs with a day to spare.
It's just one of those things. I've been very lucky in my Test career and I felt ecstatic after we won in Nottingham,' Bresnan was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
Despite his sterling performance in Trent Bridge, Bresnan insists he has not been given any assurances.
'There's not been a bit of that. When the team finally gets announced it's going to be as interesting for me as everyone else. The selectors have got a nice headache - at least it's nice for them. I'm glad it's not me making the decision although I also hope it's not me who is disappointed. It would be hard for me personally, but it's terrific for English cricket,' he said.
Asked if the uncertainty has taken some pleasure away, Bresnan said: 'No, not at all. I've just been enjoying how well I played and I've also been trying to move house this last week. That's helped take my mind off this next Test, which is probably healthy.
'But we have such strength in depth. Look at Stevie Finn. He's got the highest strike rate of anyone playing at the minute and he's the youngest bowler to have reached 50 Test wickets. But he can't get into the team right now.'
If Bresnan plays the third Test and India are beaten then England would become the world's No.1 Test side. It could be Bresnan's ninth consecutive Test victory.
'It would be nice to get to 10 Test wins by the end of this series. If we go to Edgbaston and produce the same performance, it's going to be hard for India. But we know how strong they are and there is absolutely no reason for us to get complacent. We've just got to keep doing the basics well - and producing to hold on to our places,' he said.
Source:- http://cricket.yahoo.com/cricket/news/article?id=item/2.0/-/story/cricket.indiaabroad.com/ive-been-very-lucky-my-test-career-bresnan-20110809/
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Dravid announces retirement from ODI and T20 cricket
Less than 12 hours after earning a shock recall to India’s ODI squad, Rahul Dravid announced his retirement from one-day and T20 cricket at the end of the England tour.
Dravid made the announcement after India’s practice game against Northamptonshire.
“I am honoured and privileged to be selected for the one-day team,” Dravid said.
“Since I had not been picked for one-day cricket for the last two years, I was obviously a little surprised and to be honest, because I had not been picked, I had not informed the selectors or the board of my desire to solely focus on Test cricket.”
“At the end of this one-day series, I would like to announce my retirement from one-day and Twenty20 cricket and concentrate only on Test cricket. I am committed, as always to give my best to India in this one-day series and obviously the Test series that follows.”
"In the short term I am committed because now I have been picked for the series, but in the long term I think it is best for me and Indian cricket that I focus on Test cricket."
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