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Posts Tagged ‘wasim jaffer’
Bangalore Royal Challengers Squad
TheBangalore franchise has named its team as the Royal Challengers and Rahul “The Wall” Dravid is the captain.
| Name | Country | Contract (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| Rahul Dravid | India | Icon |
| Balachandra Akhil | India | NA |
| Jagadeesh Arunkumar | India | NA |
| Nathan Bracken | Australia | 325,000 |
| Bharat Chipli | India | NA |
| Wasim Jaffer | India | 150,000 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 900,000 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 30,000 |
| Anil Kumble | India | 500,000 |
| Devraj Patil | India | NA |
| Ross Taylor | New Zealand | 100,000 |
| Cameron White | Australia | 500,000 |
| Abdur Razzak | Bangladesh | 50,000 |
| KP Appanna | India | NA |
| Mark Boucher | South Africa | 450,000 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 200,000 |
| Shreevats Goswami | India | 30,000 |
| Zaheer Khan | India | 450,000 |
| Praveen Kumar | India | 300,000 |
| Misbah ul-Haq | Pakistan | 125,000 |
| Dale Steyn | South Africa | 325,000 |
| Vinay Kumar | India | NA |
| Venkatesh Prasad | India | Coach |
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New Year’s Resolution - Get Veeru Back
It’s about bloody time that the Indian team management realized the importance of getting Sehwag back into the opening spot. After the performance of Jaffer and Dravid in the first test, the case for Sehwag’s inclusion becomes even more strong. With the second test starting in less then 24 hours, India would do well to avoid a repeat embarassment.
See, what I don’t understand is why he has been kept out of the test team when he was doing pretty OK in test matches; it’s only in the ODIs that he has been really struggling. But Sehwag is the sort of player that is worth gambling. If he clicks, which he ought to considering the Sydney pitch, he can wrest the initiative towards India. The team needs a good aggressive start and even though the Aussies may not admit it, they are in awe of this man. Who in recent history has scored almost 200 runs in just the first day of play against Australia, in Australia.
Yes, I may be contradicting myself when I look back at history, but with Sehwag it is different. My only disappointment has been that this man has so much potential yet the team management looks to pretenders like Yuvraj and Jaffer who are good to play in slow and low pitches that can be found only in the subcontinent. I was incensed at Yuvraj’s attitude on the field during the Boxing Day test match. I was sitting just 4 rows behind the fence and Yuvraj had been sent to the fine-leg/3rd man boundary. The Indian supporters were begging him to just look and wave, but Yuvraj held his head high. Who the bloody hell does he think he is? I was disappointed and felt sorry for us “ordinary” supporters. Here is a comparison. Tendulkar walks to the boundary to collect a ball and waves to the crowd.
But this has been a problem with Yuvraj ever since he shot to fame. The only way to treat him and his attitude is by ignoring him and hopefully axing him from a few matches for disciplinary reasons. It has worked before, it will work again. Another problem has been the decline of Harbhajan Singh in the last couple of years. He has lost his flight and the doosra seems to have deserted him. I find it strange that Piyush Chawla was not included in the squad as he is the only player with tons of potential and the ability to lead India in the spin department once Kumble resigns.
Back to the story, Sehwag needs to be brought back into the playing XI as soon as possible. I wouldn’t mind seeing Dinesh Karthik partnering him as the other opener. This would be a reality check for Jaffer and Yuvraj. Which would also mean that Dravid can come down to either 3rd spot or 6th spot, depending on where Laxman gets to bat. Dhoni will also be under pressure as with the inclusion of Dinesh Karthik he will have to perform better with the bat.
The question really is whether Lalchand Rajput and Anil Kumble have the balls to make these tough decisions. Enough with politics and stupid ego problems. The pride of India is at stake and the sooner these people realise it the better. For us fans, it was a disappointing end to 2007, hopefully, the start of the next year may be the complete opposite. There is always Hope when it comes to cricket and India.
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My man is back - Sehwag will go Down Under
In what could be considered as one of the biggest surprises that the selection committee could ever conjure, out-of-form batsman Virender Sehwag has been given a spot in the Test squad that will tour Australia later this month. Many would consider this as wrong and mis-calculated, with Ian Chappell even considering Sehwag’s ommission from the list of 24 probables as India’s first mistake ahead of the tour. Looks like the selectors have given heed to his advice by recalling Sehwag back. The X-factor that Sehwag provides cannot be ignored. All he needs is a good score to get going. If he can start the series with a resounding century then he may just be included in the ODI squad as well.
Lets look at why his selection can be a bonus for Team India, provided he gets a place in the playing XI. Wasim Jaffer is in the form of his life at the moment, so was Dinesh Karthik a couple of months ago. Jaffer is not experienced in bouncy conditions as Australia, but Melbourne and Sydney are no longer fast, in fact they will actually be more suited to Indian players. The first match at the MCG offers Sehwag the perfect opportunity to reclaim his spot in the Indian team. He should remember that on this very ground he smashed 195 in the first day of play. Of all the Indian players, only Sehwag can demoralize the Australian bowling attack, especially Brett Lee and Shaun Tait. With not a lot of swing movement predicted, the pitches suit his style of attacking play.
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Pakistan vs India, 2007, 2nd Test - Highlights
Day 1 Report
Pakistan needed desperately to bounce back as this was a do-or-die match for them. They have to win no matter what. But considering the first day’s play that may seem too far fetched now. Kumble won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first. Despite an early hiccup losing Karthik cheaply, Jaffer and Dravid ensured that there would be no further mishaps. The two put on a valuable 136 run partnership for the second wicket before Dravid was unlucky to be given caught behind to Danish Kaneria. India were 138/2. In walks the little master. Who would have thought that the master blaster would be overshadowed by someone called Wasim Jaffer, but that’s exactly what happened.
Jaffer was in the Zone and his strokes were sublime and effortless. He caressed the ball to all sides of the park and soon reached his first test century against Pakistan. India were 206/2 at the tea break from 55 overs. The partnership was going at around 5 runs per over. The final session saw the floodgates opened up. India amassed 146 runs from 29.3 overs and finished the day at 352/3 with Jaffer unbeaten on 192 from only 255 balls. He could very well be the second Indian ever to reach a triple hundred at the test level. Tendulkar was the third wicket to depart falling for a googly from Danish Kaneria. A long day awaits Pakistan tomorrow with Ganguly, Laxman and Dhoni to bat and Jaffer looking in ominous form. India need to get to 600+ and then declare. The pitch has been predicted to slow down and crumble during the third day making Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh as key weapons in the host’s arsenal.
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