©2010 Cricket Blog. All Rights Reserved.

©2010 Cricket Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Tendulkar is coming back from an injury so he would likely take some time to get into some form. Ganguly should hang up his boots and leave now with his pride intact. Laxman still has a couple of years left and needs to get into some sort of form sooner rather than later especially with the Aussies coming to town soon.

Dravid is the main worry for me here. The wall has certainly shown a lot of cracks ever since he renounced his captaincy last year. He has been out of form ever since. I am not sure how long the Indian board is going to wait before axing him from the team.

So, to the future. The Indian team’s bench strength has never looked so promising at it looks right now. Here is my team for the future (next 2 years):

1. Gautam Gambhir – Continues to prove his mettle against all oppositions in all forms of the game.
2. Virender Sehwag – No denying him now that he has found his form.
3. Rohit Sharma – The future wall of Indian cricket, in my opinion.
4. Sachin Tendulkar – What can you say about this man
5. VVS Laxman – Wristy elegance not found anywhere else now.
6. Mahendra Singh Dhoni – Indian cricket’s future.
7. Robin Uthapa/Yuvraj Singh/Irfan Pathan – Pick your choice depending on form and conditions.
8. Harbhajan Singh – Almost 300 test wickets. Need I say anymore.
9. Piyush Chawla/Pragyan Ojha/Amit Mishra – One of these will have to support Bhajji.
10. Zaheer Khan – He is back and he is meaner and leaner than ever.
11. Ishant Sharma – Indian cricket’s true express fast bowler. Ricky Ponting anyone.

Then there are Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Parthiv Patel, Manpreet Singh Gony, and more waiting in the lines.

Post your comments on your future Indian Test team.

©2010 Cricket Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Sachin Tendulkar was the standout performer for India and played two dream innings just when it mattered. He silenced his critics, for now, by playing match winning knocks in the crucial finals. But the real heroes were the 19 and 20 year olds backed by their maverick captain. I still remember Dhoni calling this team as “My team” in the presentation ceremony. This performance, coupled with the T20 win, has surely put an end to the One day careers of Dravid, Laxman and Ganguly.

Playing with the most inexperienced side in this tri-series, Dhoni and his “boys” have proven that experience without will and talent is like a glass without water. I, for one, had been extremely impressed by the selectors’ decision to pack the squad with these talented youngsters. The fact was that these players had already proven themselves in the T20 World Cup. How many tournaments have Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman won for India? I am not questioning the talent and experience of these four, but at the end of the day, results matter.

The squad plays for each other, rather than for themselves. Case in point: Dhoni had sore hands in the finals. Uthappa and Yuvraj were catching all the throws to protect their skipper’s hands. Dhoni has earned the respect of his team-mates, including Sachin. No wonders they play for him. His real strength has always been to back himself against all odds. In the finals, he decided to play Piyush and Praveen Kumar. Piyush did not play a single match during the league phase. Praveen Kumar had not taken a single wicket before India’s last match against Sri Lanka. Both were key figures in the wins.

Ishant Sharma, just 19 years old, was the standout bowler of all three teams. His aggression and pace were the talking points of the entire series. India have definitely unearthed a real gem here, and he needs to be carefully looked after. His fitness needs to be priority for the team management. The tall, lanky youngster will be a key performer for India in all formats of the game in the future.

Rohit Sharma has definitely proven his abilities by some solid middle order batting right throughout the series. It seems that the Number 4 position is tailor-made for him. He has the technique and the temperament to be compared to the Great Wall of India, none other than Dravid. And that is saying a lot less than what Rohit really is capable of. His straight drives are a treat to watch and his balance is simply perfect. Rohit Sharma is already a match winner for India.

Then there is Robin Uthappa. Not really clicking in this series, he did more than enough in the two finals as he played in the opening position, a place where he is most comfortable. Although there wasn’t a lot of flamboyance from him, he did play to the team’s plan of not losing his wicket early. He is still young and there is plenty more to learn, but he can be a real destroyer when he wants to be. Definitely a man that India needs at the top of the order.

Yes, I was extremely disappointed (on the verge of being pissed off), that Sehwag was dropped for both the finals. I still think that India would do even better with him in the team. However, Dhoni proved me as well millions more wrong by sticking to his 5 bowlers theory in part helped by the all-round capabilities of Pathan and Kumar.

Talking of Pathan, he has had a terrific season until the first final. He has been picking up wickets regularly and scoring runs with the bat as well. The strategy of sending him in 3rd backfired, and the Indian team management did well to send him down the order. Getting Gambhir to come in at number 3 was another touch of genius decision-making as he ended up being the top scorer in the series. Yes, the future is bright for India. Its game on against South Africa.

©2010 Cricket Blog. All Rights Reserved.

For years we have seen our team to be the worst in fielding, on paper and on Live TV. The bungling old players have had over a decade of playing experience, yet there has been absolutely no improvement in their fielding. Yes they are good in catching, and catches win matches. But catches don’t come every other ball. Every single run counts in ODI cricket, and every time the ball is placed to Ganguly and Dravid, the batsmen always take an extra run.

Well what about running between the wickets. It would be an understatement to say that both Ganguly and Dravid are the worst runners in the Indian squad. Saurav Ganguly has played 311 matches. He has been part of 145 losses. He has been runout 13 times averaging 34.92 every time. Almost once every 11 matches that India have lost. Almost always after getting a good start. Overall he has been runout 23 times. Dravid, on the other hand, has played 333 ODI matches. He has been involved in 160 defeats and got himself runout 20 times. That is once in every 8 defeats. He averages 30.65 and just like Ganguly gets himself runout after getting a good start.

And this does not include the number of runouts that happen to the other batsmen. One of the biggest crimes while taking a run is NOT to slide the bat when completing a run. Ganguly literally “plonks” his bat when he reaches the other end. How many times has he been given runout due to this. That is something he has ignored for his entire career. Same goes for Dravid. Or for that matter even Virender Sehwag. But Sehwag is a better fielder than these two and is also a useful bowler in the shorter format of the game.

Lets talk about the players that ARE coming to Australia.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Current age: 26 years

Matches: 96
Runs: 2838
Highest: 183*
Average: 43.66
Strike rate: 94.72
100s: 3
50s: 17

The Indian skipper hasn’t had much to say in the ongoing test series as far as batting is concerned. His wicket-keeping has definitely gone to a whole new level ever since he became a captain. He is said to be the main reason behind Ganguly and Dravid’s exclusion from the team. He will now have to back himself by leading this group of youngsters to a historic win in the Triangular series. His form since he became captain hasn’t been too bad although this series will be a true test of his character, both as a captain and as a batsman.

Yuvraj Singh

Current age: 26 years

Matches: 195
Runs: 5573
Highest: 139
Average: 36.90
Strike rate: 86.61
100s: 8
50s: 34

The vice-captain of the Indian team. He is Dhoni’s deputy and the two definitely share a terrific record when batting together. He is a proven match-winner and his athleticism in the field has been a boon for India. Once he gets set in, he knows how to finish a match. His record of playing match-winning innings is perhaps even better than Tendulkar’s. He has a good average against Australia and Sri Lanka, however, its his bowling that will be the key during the middle overs.

Virender Sehwag

Current age: 29 years

Matches: 178
Runs: 5231
Highest: 130
Average: 31.51
Strike rate: 96.88
100s: 8
50s: 25

Definitely one of the surprise elements in the squad. Sehwag, not too long ago, was considered to be the successor to Tendulkar and the man who would lead India’s next-gen cricketers. He has a terrific cricket mind and more often than not his suggestions/decisions pay off. His batting strike rate is more than enough to shake the very best bowlers in their knees. To maintain almost a run-a-ball strike rate for over 5000 career runs goes to show how devastating he is. Just like Yuvraj, his bowling will be very important for India.

Sachin Tendulkar

Current age: 34 years

Matches: 407
Runs: 15962
Highest: 186*
Average: 44.33
Strike rate: 85.50
100s: 41
50s: 87

Not much to be said about this legend. He is back to near-peak form with the bat. Needs to continue tormenting the Aussie and Sri Lankan bowlers. Should open the innings with Sehwag to launch a counter-offensive on the opposition bowling. Will most likely be out to prove everyone wrong about his performance declining with age. Sachin Tendulkar. Just the mere mention of his name sends goosebumps among the opposition bowlers. Should end this tour by winning the ODI series for India.

Dinesh Karthik

Current age: 22 years

Matches: 26
Runs: 330
Highest: 63
Average: 22.00
Strike rate: 69.75
100s: 0
50s: 2

Karthik will most likely sit out during the entire series. He is more suited to Test cricket than ODIs as his strike rate will point out. The Indian selectors should have brought in Mohammad Kaif instead of Karthik for this series. Karthik is definitely one of the better fielders in his side, however, he is short on form and confidence at the moment after being side-lined for the entire test series. The only way he can get a chance is if Gambhir, Uthappa and Sehwag do not perform or Dhoni gets injured. No doubt a player for the future, however, his selection in this squad leaves a lot of question marks over the selection criteria.

Robin Uthappa

Current age: 22 years

Matches: 25
Runs: 607
Highest: 86
Average: 30.35
Strike rate: 104.65
100s: 0
50s: 4

The future of India, this young fire-brand is changing the way Indian youngsters will play cricket in the future. Believes in one theory only – Wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. His strike rate is exceptional at the moment. He will definitely be one of the kids to watch out for in the ODI series. Has a smart brain stacked into his small frame. Loves to go on the front foot and will love batting in Australia with the ball coming onto the bat nice and easy. Is not afraid of pulling or hooking the ball in the air to get maximum runs. Definitely in the mould of Sehwag rather than Tendulkar. Robin will most likely bat in the late-middle order and will have to do the job of finishing off the innings/match. He has shown a lot of potential in that area in the recently concluded ODI series against Pakistan. Robin needs to convert his starts into a three figure score. He is also one of their most energetic fielders and has a very good throwing arm.

Gautam Gambhir

Current age: 26 years

Matches: 37
Runs: 1043
Highest: 103
Average: 30.67
Strike rate: 75.14
100s: 2
50s: 6

Gautam Gambhir is on the verge of becoming another enigma like Ajit Agarkar, unless he pulls himself together and starts making more consistent contributions with the bat. He has started doing that once he established himself from the Twenty20 World Cup onwards. The confidence that he now has in own abilities is very heartening as he is a very good opening batsman with the right technique to take on the best bowlers. Loves to go after the spinners. Is a very good outfielder and good runner between the wickets. He was always going to be in the squad, its only a question of if there is a spot for him in the playing XI.

Suresh Raina

Current age: 21 years

Matches: 36
Runs: 612
Highest: 81*
Average: 26.60
Strike rate: 72.68
100s: 0
50s: 3

If there is anyone who should be permanent in the Indian team just for their fielding capabilities, then it is this young boy. Raina fell away last year due to a drop in form and injuries. However, he has bounced back with some healthy contributions on the domestic circuit and has been rewarded with a place in the 16 man squad. Raina is by far India’s best fielder, easily eclipsing Yuvraj, Kaif and Karthik. He is a livewire in the cover position and will change the game with his direct hits. It really is his destiny to lead India in the future, however, he will need to contribute consistently with the bat. Not that he can’t, Raina’s real strength is his ability to bat under pressure. He has all the elegance of a left-handed batsman and add a street-smart thinking mind, you have another match-winner in your hands. And he is only 21 years of age.

Rohit Sharma

Current age: 20 years

Matches: 4
Runs: 61
Highest: 52
Average: 20.33
Strike rate: 82.43
100s: 0
50s: 1

Here is another bright talent for India. In just 4 matches, he has scored a 50+ total and that too batting lower down the order. He is another good fielder for India and he has already proven his match-winning abilities in the Twenty20 World Cup. Rohit may not get a chance to play in the XI as there is way too much talent already in front of him, but to be included in the squad is a definite morale booster for this youngster. He may not be flashy as Uthappa or elegant as Raina, but he is a smart cricketer who has the technique to succeed in the international arena. Just looking at him playing, I feel that the future of Indian cricket is indeed in safe hands.

Irfan Pathan

Current age: 23 years

Batting

Matches: 85
Runs: 1137
Highest: 83
Average: 24.19
Strike rate: 79.39
100s: 0
50s: 5

Bowling

Matches: 85
Wicket: 127
Best: 5/27
5w: 1
4w: 3
Average: 27.81
Strike Rate: 32.80
Economy: 5.08

He may not admit it, but Irfan Pathan is definitely the all-rounder that India has been hoping for over two decades, ever since Kapil Dev retired. His comeback to the Indian team started with the Twenty20 World Cup win. Always a dangerous bowler to the right handers, getting the ball to come in being his most lethal delivery. Irfan has also added a very good slower-ball to his arsenal and has started hitting the late 130k to early 140k speed limits. He can swing the ball both ways and has a lovely yorker. He is also no mouse with the bat opening the innings for India in both ODIs and Test matches. He is a street smart cricketer who has gone through a rough patch recently. However, it seems that’s exactly what he needed after being on the top of the world not too far back. Excellent fielder, Irfan Pathan is India’s biggest find after Tendulkar, simply because of his all-round capabilities. He may not be the master of everything, but he sure is on his way to becoming the best all rounder in cricket.

Harbhajan Singh

Current age: 27 years

Matches: 161
Wickets: 181
Best: 5/31
5w: 2
4w: 2
Average: 33.46
Strike Rate: 48.00
Economy: 4.18

Whenever the “Turbanator” bowls, something almost always happens. Harbhajan’s achiles heel is his aggression. The sardar from Jalandhar has a fiery temper and is always a different bowler as soon as he picks up a wicket. His economy in ODIs is exceptional. His average, however, does not do justice to his natural talent. He has erred too much by bowling fast and flat in recent times and has failed to extract the turn that he is capable of. This series will be a competition between him and young Piyush Chawla for the lone spinner’s spot in the Indian team, unless the team management decide to go with two spinners, a strategy that would be really useful against the Australians. If he gets cleared of the racism charge, he will have a point to prove to himself, his team and to the Aussies. Still very young and with tons of experience, Harbhajan will have to lead the spin-department of India into the future and this series could just be the beginning.

Piyush Chawla

Current age: 19 years

Matches: 13
Wickets: 17
Best: 3/29
5w: 0
4w: 0
Average: 31.64
Strike Rate: 39.10
Economy: 4.84

At just 19 years of age, Piyush is the youngest player in the Indian squad alonwith Ishant Sharma. With the art of leg spin bowling dying after the retirement of Shane Warne, Chawla is hot property at the moment. The youngster has already shown class in England. He isn’t afraid to give the ball some air and continues to learn with every match. His biggest moment was when he got Sachin Tendulkar out to a wrong ‘un in a domestic match. That wicket showed the talent this youngster possesses. After Anil Kumble retires, Chawla will have to lead the Indian spin attack with Harbhajan Singh. The latter will have to play the mentor’s role. Chawla is also a handy batsman and he surely going to get a spot in the first couple of matches in the playing XI.

S Sreesanth

Current age: 24 years

Matches: 34
Wickets: 50
Best: 6/55
5w: 1
4w: 1
Average: 32.48
Strike Rate: 33.6
Economy: 5.78

‘The Aussies should be worried I am coming’ – Just one statement to tell you what Sreesanth is all about. Sreesanth is the new face of young, confident and aggressive India. Even more hot-headed than Harbhajan, Sreesanth will not take anything from the opposition. In fact he will most likely give back the same with twice the interest. He is definitely not afraid to lock horns with the best batsmen. His tussle with Hayden and Symonds will be a treat to watch in the ODI series. A natural wicket-taker, Sreesanth will have to channel his aggression for the benefit of the team. His trademark talking to himself has earned him the respect of a lot of commentators who are impressed by his fiery approach to bowling, perhaps the only Indian who is so fired up even before the start of the series.

Rudra Pratap Singh

Current age: 22 years

Matches: 38
Wickets: 48
Best: 4/35
5w: 0
4w: 2
Average: 31.70
Strike Rate: 36.3
Economy: 5.23

Rudra Pratap Singh will have the job to lead he Indian bowling attack with Pathan and Sreesanth. This young boy from Uttar Pradesh has accomplished a lot already in his short career. The key member in India’s win over Pakistan in the Twenty20 World Cup final, RP Singh has been showing tremendous form in the recent test series against Australia. A bit shabby in the outfield, RP Singh is also handy with the bat. Suffering a hamstring strain in the Adelaide test, he may not be a starter in the ODI series. This may pave way for Praveen Kumar to get his second ODI. RP Singh is definitely an asset for India as he can get the bowl to move in both directions and is very tight in his line and length.

Ishant Sharma

Current Age: 19 years

List A

Matches: 12
Wickets: 19
Best: 4/34
5w: 0
4w: 1
Average: 25.26
Strike Rate: 32.50
Economy: 4.65

Ishant Sharma has already shown a lot of promise in the ongoing test series against Australia. This lanky youngster from Delhi has had the better of the tussle with one of world cricket’s premier batsmen, Ricky Ponting. His rise to the Indian team has been very quick and the beanpole should reward the selector’s faith with a strong showing in the ODI series. With RP Singh looking uncertain to start the series, Ishant could very well be one of the bowlers leading the Indian bowling attack.

Praveen Kumar

Current age: 21 years

List A

Matches: 37
Wickets: 63
Best: 5/32
5w: 2
4w: 1
Average: 22.19
Strike Rate: 29.90
Economy: 4.45

Not much to say about Praveen Kumar regarding International experience. However, his List A stats as per above, are extremely impressive to say the least. Playing for India A regularly meant that it was only a matter of time before he was included in the national team. Praveen Kumar has a terrific batting average for a tailender and could well give Irfan Pathan a run for his money in the all rounder department. Not much is known about his fielding abilities though. His bowling will be his strength and he is known to be a match winner.

All in all the Indian selectors haven’t done a bad job at all. The potential of this batch of youngsters is phenomenal. This is the same team that won the Twenty20 World Cup, so I wonder why there is such a hue and cry this time around. None of Dravid, Laxman or other players’ supporters are crying foul except for Ganguly’s supporters. But the people from West Bengal have always been extremely passionate and defensive about their idol so this does not come as any surprise. The best way to silence them would be to put up a strong showing in the ODI series.

If we take Sachin out of the equation, here are some averages to ponder about this current squad:

Age: 23 years

Experience: 62 matches

Batting average (excluding bowlers): 29.57

Two bowlers (Ishant and Praveen) have yet to take wickets in ODI cricket. Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh are the most experience bowlers for India with only Harbhajan playing over a 100 matches. So, yes, the team is low in experience and this is where senior players like Sachin, Yuvraj, Sehwag and Dhoni will have to play a crucial role in guiding the talented but less-experienced youngsters. There is a lot to like about this squad and one thing is for sure, Indian cricket is going to see some very exciting times.

©2010 Cricket Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first. After the first three overs it seemed that this would be a big total chase. However, that was the only real challenge put forth by Pakistan. The Indian bowlers came back admirably and restricted the visitors to small, yet defendable, total on a pitch that was predicted to crack and turn in the second innings. Salman Butt started aggressively and was, perhaps, the only Pakistani batsman who looked like he had the better of the bowlers. Kamran Akmal was all over the place despite playing a couple of delectable strokes.

Irfan Pathan got the first breakthrough for India when he trapped Akmal LBW. Although the ball pitched just outside leg-stump the umpire had no doubts in giving Akmal out. Younis Khan walked in and the enormity of the situation/responsibility may have gotten to him. He was in his shell from the word go and just could not break the shakles. Butt on the other hand got himself run out to poor calling and his own mistake.

Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan then decided that they needed practise for the upcoming test series. It took Pakistan almost 23 overs to get a boundary and by that time Harbhajan Singh and Murali Karthik had done the damage. Even Afridi could not really do much as the ball was not coming to the bat and some clever bowling from Sachin “Master Chief” Tendulkar saw Afridi short of his crease as he got stumped. Dhoni, it seems, has been relishing the job of captaincy as can be clearly seen in his wicketkeeping skills that have taken a massive leap forward. Now he can truly be compared to Adam Gilchrist as the wicketkeeper-batsman that India have been so desperate to get their hands on.

Yousuf’s late hitting helped Pakistan get to 239. A low score that was below expectations. A low total that could have caused India trouble as so often in the past. Yet this is not the same team that would capitulate so easily in the face of pressure. Despite losing Tendulkar cheaply, India had the firepower in their batting to win this match comprehensively. Poor fielding by Pakistan made things all the more easier. Gautam Gambhir’s two edges off consecutive balls went between the keeper and first slip. After that he took the bowling to the sword and alongwith Ganguly helped launch a platform for Dhoni and Yuvraj.

Talking about Dhoni and Yuvraj, the two have also improved tremendously ever since the leadership responsibility was given to them. Yuvraj is in his prime form, he has never batted better than what he is doing this year. His form with the bat really decides where India normally heads as he is a single-handed match winner. The fact that the two are India’s, and perhaps the world’s, best finishers in ODI cricket helps India a lot in their run chases. And this time was no exception. With the required run rate hovering around 4.5 rpo, there was no need to take unnecessary risks. The two went about their tasks calmly. This is where Shoaib Malik has a lot to learn as a captain. He needed to cut down on the singles and by having only 4 men inside the circle, he was very defensive in his approach. He allowed the Indians to rotate the strike and the left-right combination made it extremely difficult for the bowlers to target a specific line/length.

India, as so often happens, were not going to make things that easy. The wickets of Yuvraj and Dhoni fell in quick succession and 15 runs were still required. Ten years ago India would have lost this match and Pakistan would have won this match. But as time changes so do people. This is not the same India and this is not the same Pakistan. Robin Uthappa doesn’t care about the situation, if he wants to go after a bowler he will go after that bowler. His straight drive of Shoaib Akhtar was a peach. Full face of the bat, nice balance, lovely follow-through. Yes, I think India have found a reliable batsman. Alongwith Pathan, he ensured that no other hiccups were going to happen as India wrapped up the first match quickly.

Dhoni was awarded player of the match and India now lead the series 1-0. Before the start of the ODI matches both the teams were equally placed in the ICC table and that is why the stakes are very high this time. I am hoping that the next matches are a lot more intense, gripping and exciting. Even though India won, I wasn’t feeling extra jubilant about the win as there wasn’t a lot of thrill this time. With India vs Pakistan, that is not going to happen again.

Click here for the full scorecard

Match Highlights

©2010 Cricket Blog. All Rights Reserved.