It was not something unexpected from the rejuvenated men of Indian cricket. After a lacklustre performance at Hyderabad, clinical would be the best word to describe their efforts at Bangalore. The Indians were all over South Africa right from the first over and with some extremely mature heads over their shoulders, pouched the 2nd ODI at Bangalore with considerable ease. This post essentially will try at bringing out little observations in the form of snippets.
Sehwag's tryst with Number 4
This little snippet is inspired from the on-air conversation Robin Jackman and Ravi Shastri were having during the Indian run chase, about Sehwag's role in the middle-order. It seems like a dream come true for someone going back to the position he once started, but would it affect the team as such ? I for one do not think so. Gautam Gambhir has done all he could to convince the selectors about his potential in the shorter version of the game, especially after being branded as a "test" player. And if he does play in the team, the only position he could cling onto would be the opening berth, especially with Tendulkar showing glimpses off and on of his golden days. Ravi Shastri rightly hit the nail on the head by pointing out that "India have often lost matches because of initial top-order failures. If they can have someone with the experience and the threat of Sehwag, they are still in the hunt". Absolutely, I must say. The only drawback of such a potential move could only be as Jackman raised "Sehwag at No. 4 could potentially break-up one of the most dangerous opening partnerships (along with Sachin) in International Cricket". Whatever the consequences, if Chappell, Dravid and Indian cricket are comfortable with this very move, they should stick with it simply because they have a left-handed opener, who is as aggressive as Sehwag or as Sandeep Patil says "Gambhir is even more aggressive as compared to Dhoni !", so it evens out, as India have lost nothing and instead gained a specialist opener and more importantly, some hope and experience in the form of Sehwag in the middle-order. For all you know and think about, this could be another move of experimentation in Chappell's chessboard. So folks, as specators and fans of the game, all we can do is keep guessing until the next time...
Irfan All the Way...
After his reckless performances against Pakistan earlier this year, Irfan Pathan has grown and matured so much that his performances in these recent one-dayers (with the bat or with the ball) have virtually been indispensible. A perfect example of what being dropped out of the side for 3 games can do (Irfan was dropped mid-way in the Pakistan series). Hunger and motivation is the keyword. Kudos to the youngster for taking his repeated failures seriously and making an immediate impact. It wasn't all that rosy for Irfan, for he spent a good three to four weeks in the UK working on his game with Middlesex, and this short burst with the county has reaped loads of rewards to Pathan, both with the bat and the ball. What seems a significant
progress is the amount of work he has done with his batting, which is proving to be an asset to the Indians. Batting at number 3 is not easy, and his very nimble footwork seems he's been doing it all his life. While the matches against Zimbabwe were a virtual walkover for the Indians, Irfan got the bucketfull of wickets and confidence he needed for the season. Everyone around knew what he was capable of it was only just for him to have delivered, as he righltly did. The media should shoo itself away from making boisterous comparisons to Freddie Flintoff just yet, as he comes across as a bowler, who could bat and anything he scores is an absolute bonus. But, from the more rational point of view, it is important for him to think like an all-rounder, who could be called on at times of calamity to contribute - both with bat and ball. It has been a truly memorable homecoming for the 21-year old, as slowly the promise is turning into performance, but in this rather cruel game of cricket, the need of the hour is getting it right consistently. And with him leading the hopes of many, it will only be a matter of time before he makes himself felt among the very best in International Cricket.
Specialist streak-enders
For this little snippet, I would like to draw a parellel between English soccer giants Manchester United and the Indian team. Any team maintaing a certain level of consistency, gets into a mode of invincibility. It was the Argentine David Nalbandian today, who got through Roger Federer to end his 35 match streak at Shanghai. Other notable expert streak-enders can be the Manchester United team, who saw through the epic 49-matches unbeaten run of Arsenal in 2004, and yet again brought an end to the 41 match-unbeaten league run of Chelsea on 6th November in 2005. So where does India fit in amongst all these great teams and individuals ? To put the records straight, India were instrumental in stopping Australia from a huge 16 match winning streak in 2001 at Kolkata. Here they are again, where the spirited Men-in-Blue caught South Africa short of their record equalling effort of 21 (Australia - streak ended by West Indies in 2003). A fine effort to highlight the relativity of invinciblity of a sporting side. But, as far as the Indians are concerned, they need to put together a streak of wins themselves to ensure that they surely are among the world's best and serious contendors for the title in 2007.
Watch out this space, as I will be putting together another string of snippets on Wednesday, after the Chennai match. The posting could be a little delayed, as I would be busy with academic commitments.
Sehwag's tryst with Number 4
This little snippet is inspired from the on-air conversation Robin Jackman and Ravi Shastri were having during the Indian run chase, about Sehwag's role in the middle-order. It seems like a dream come true for someone going back to the position he once started, but would it affect the team as such ? I for one do not think so. Gautam Gambhir has done all he could to convince the selectors about his potential in the shorter version of the game, especially after being branded as a "test" player. And if he does play in the team, the only position he could cling onto would be the opening berth, especially with Tendulkar showing glimpses off and on of his golden days. Ravi Shastri rightly hit the nail on the head by pointing out that "India have often lost matches because of initial top-order failures. If they can have someone with the experience and the threat of Sehwag, they are still in the hunt". Absolutely, I must say. The only drawback of such a potential move could only be as Jackman raised "Sehwag at No. 4 could potentially break-up one of the most dangerous opening partnerships (along with Sachin) in International Cricket". Whatever the consequences, if Chappell, Dravid and Indian cricket are comfortable with this very move, they should stick with it simply because they have a left-handed opener, who is as aggressive as Sehwag or as Sandeep Patil says "Gambhir is even more aggressive as compared to Dhoni !", so it evens out, as India have lost nothing and instead gained a specialist opener and more importantly, some hope and experience in the form of Sehwag in the middle-order. For all you know and think about, this could be another move of experimentation in Chappell's chessboard. So folks, as specators and fans of the game, all we can do is keep guessing until the next time...
Irfan All the Way...
After his reckless performances against Pakistan earlier this year, Irfan Pathan has grown and matured so much that his performances in these recent one-dayers (with the bat or with the ball) have virtually been indispensible. A perfect example of what being dropped out of the side for 3 games can do (Irfan was dropped mid-way in the Pakistan series). Hunger and motivation is the keyword. Kudos to the youngster for taking his repeated failures seriously and making an immediate impact. It wasn't all that rosy for Irfan, for he spent a good three to four weeks in the UK working on his game with Middlesex, and this short burst with the county has reaped loads of rewards to Pathan, both with the bat and the ball. What seems a significant
progress is the amount of work he has done with his batting, which is proving to be an asset to the Indians. Batting at number 3 is not easy, and his very nimble footwork seems he's been doing it all his life. While the matches against Zimbabwe were a virtual walkover for the Indians, Irfan got the bucketfull of wickets and confidence he needed for the season. Everyone around knew what he was capable of it was only just for him to have delivered, as he righltly did. The media should shoo itself away from making boisterous comparisons to Freddie Flintoff just yet, as he comes across as a bowler, who could bat and anything he scores is an absolute bonus. But, from the more rational point of view, it is important for him to think like an all-rounder, who could be called on at times of calamity to contribute - both with bat and ball. It has been a truly memorable homecoming for the 21-year old, as slowly the promise is turning into performance, but in this rather cruel game of cricket, the need of the hour is getting it right consistently. And with him leading the hopes of many, it will only be a matter of time before he makes himself felt among the very best in International Cricket.Specialist streak-enders
For this little snippet, I would like to draw a parellel between English soccer giants Manchester United and the Indian team. Any team maintaing a certain level of consistency, gets into a mode of invincibility. It was the Argentine David Nalbandian today, who got through Roger Federer to end his 35 match streak at Shanghai. Other notable expert streak-enders can be the Manchester United team, who saw through the epic 49-matches unbeaten run of Arsenal in 2004, and yet again brought an end to the 41 match-unbeaten league run of Chelsea on 6th November in 2005. So where does India fit in amongst all these great teams and individuals ? To put the records straight, India were instrumental in stopping Australia from a huge 16 match winning streak in 2001 at Kolkata. Here they are again, where the spirited Men-in-Blue caught South Africa short of their record equalling effort of 21 (Australia - streak ended by West Indies in 2003). A fine effort to highlight the relativity of invinciblity of a sporting side. But, as far as the Indians are concerned, they need to put together a streak of wins themselves to ensure that they surely are among the world's best and serious contendors for the title in 2007.
Watch out this space, as I will be putting together another string of snippets on Wednesday, after the Chennai match. The posting could be a little delayed, as I would be busy with academic commitments.
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