SubscribeWelcome to Australia
Posted on Feb 04, 2008 under Cricket views |
This picture says it all… Welcome to Australia, mate! There is no better guy who could give a much warmer welcome to the young colts on what International cricket is, than Brett Lee right at the form of his life. And there is no better learning curve on figuring out how hard cricket is by playing with the world champions, Australia.
I have to disagree on the selectors approach in throwing these guys to the lions straight out because I personally believe that the best way to build a team is to have a good well thought out transition, so that the momentum and competitiveness remains and winning or competing very hard, makes you learn better to adapt to difficult situations. I had strongly criticized Pakistan cricket board’s approach to thrown in their young guns without a transition plan and the same holds for India. The reasons are obvious because the earlier team spent over a decade in setting up a base and start moving in a upswing and it is important that one makes use of the base rather than resetting everything back to zero. The earlier Indian team with the likes of the 5 Indian greats were not world champions by any means but they made significant progress to build an absolutely nothing team to an appreciable competitive team. To build on that makes logical sense.
Even though I personally would like to see a proper transition plan, I don’t also wish to be very hard on this new approach of throwing the lamb to the lions straight away… sometimes, when you have to make someone learn to swim quickly, you ought to end up throwing them in a deep pool of water and the chances are that they will learn far quickly and well but more importantly, there is also an absolute chance of them outright drowning and getting traumatized. So this approach is a double-edged sword but considering the risk factors here, a transition makes better sense.
It is also important to see that these guys now stick on and play for the future series. If the board dilly-dallies on bringing back the old guys, then it is a nothing policy.
Looking at the first ODI and the Twenty-20 match, the Indian batting needs to show more common sense and skill application. There is no doubt that all would be having butterflies in their stomachs so it will be fair to give them some time.
I personally think that the talent pool picked are the best set of people in domestic cricket and therefore should congratulate the selectors in terms of picking the right guys in view of their domestic cricket performance policies. This is perhaps the first time in Indian cricket history where all the people picked come from their sheer performances in the domestic circuit rather than been picked because of the current stars recommendations, or merely being uncles, nephews of the team members which was the case not too long ago in the past.
As for the match, I was deeply disappointed to not see Suresh Raina play. To me this guy is the brightest young talent we have and I believe that he will lead the team one-day in the future.
To rest of the world on Raina, he was picked for India at the age of 19 and played some brilliant knocks under pressure-cooker situations. The English team was stunned by his composure and shots. Unfortunately, he soon lost his form and was dismal. Greg Chappell had his influence in getting him to play for India but unfortunately, his hard-ball performance only policy went hollow, when he continued to persist with Raina when he was failing miserably. Raina had then hardly played any domestic cricket and people like myself felt that International cricket is not the place to start experimenting or testing… that’s what a domestic circuit is for. Raina has played 25 odd matches with a dismal record but I believe that he has played enough domestic cricket and his performances were good enough for him to have another crack at the international level. I see him as the replacement of Ganguly and he should be able to go past Ganguly’s record if he can put to use all the wonderful talent he has.
Rohit Sharma is a good talent and looks to be a logical replacement to Dravid. He has shown that when things don’t go well, he is ready to grind it out like Dravid and hang on. He is a stylish batsman with a lazy elegance attached to his shots much like Inzamam. His composure needs to be improved, where he has the tendency to throw things in a fit of madness when things in contrast are actually going well.
Badrinath may be the only other talent who must be wondering how he still doesn’t find a place in the side in spite of pilling on runs seasons after seasons on a consistent basis. When Australia toured India, he was picked, never got to play and is now not in the scheme of things.
India’s fast bowling talent looks far brighter with the likes of Ishanth and Praveen Kumar doing well to compete with RP. Singh, Pathan and Sreesanth. This area looks healthy. Praveen Kumar is a workhorse and a genuine swing bowler who can swing the ball big time. Unfortunately, like a Harbhajan, Malik or a Tait, he too has a hyper-extension problem, where in the process of the delivery, his elbow is bent but straightens out at the point of delivery. If he does start doing well and picks a lot of wickets, don’t be surprised if some dumb-witted opposition or umpire immediately blows the chucking trumpet call.
If Praveen Kumar is to be used in a match, then it has to be with the new ball, otherwise it is pointless. Dhoni seems to have lost the plot off late on several areas in his captaincy.
India’s thrashing at the twenty-20 game reflected that Dhoni has forgotten the very set of strategies he employed which worked and won his team the championship. While batting in the 20 over format, the standard approach was India play the first 4 overs normally, picking out offered runs without any risk, keeping wickets intact and then accelerate. The approach employed in that match was a gung-ho, slam-bam… thank u ma’m right from the first ball which was a madness only a school or street cricket team would use, considering they never knew the conditions, practiced and were more busy boarding planes and hotels in the wake of the mad racial drama.
Nevertheless, this new team may end up and very likely, loosing badly in this series or spring up a surprise like a guy thrown into a deep pool a couple of time, who quickly learns to swim… For the first time, a team entirely on domestic performances have been picked and eventually this series would be a great indicator to India and the world to gauge how good a domestic structure is in place. This is something I really look forward to watch.
by straight point, on February 4 2008 @ 4:25 pm
nice account scorpy…
its only when we will throw them in the ring they will learn to tame lions…
and if they succeed you can imagine their confidence and what wonder it will do to the team…
however it will be very interesting to see how their failures will be accepted (if at all) by us and media…and more importantly selectors…
i dont know if you saw the match live but for me the momemt of the day was when tiwari was sitting next to sachin soaking up what sachin was saying…like a true student!! PRICELESS!!
where on earth he can get this??
they will be OK…they will manage…just give them some time…
by John, on February 4 2008 @ 4:35 pm
Scorpi,
Agree that Badri needs a chance, and this was the best time. Can’t see what happened between the Pak ODIs and now that he is in the domestic wilderness again. Perhaps we should induct him into the Test side even before he plays ODIs, now that the backup middle order batsman’s spot is no longer Yuvi’s for certain.
But both Tiwary and Sharma will gain from this experience and when they play domestic tournaments again while the Indian Test team is playing , it can only help them become better.
by scorpicity, on February 4 2008 @ 6:15 pm
SP… yup there is the time factor allowance on this move. Am ok with it as long as the selectors do not make any stupid move to bring back the oldies. The problem is one of the board members have shot their mouth in telling that Ganguly will be back in the next series, so it all becomes a pointless exercise. Either they go strongly on a transition mode or throw them straight into the fire. Transition works better I feel… let’s see how it goes… hope they do well.
by scorpicity, on February 4 2008 @ 6:17 pm
Welcome John… Badri must be seriously wondering. You are right… he is perhaps the only guy among the new lot who actually shows promise to be able to play test cricket. But I doubt he or the new lot will be given the nod in the next 1 year for test matches.
by kp, on February 4 2008 @ 6:39 pm
I so agree sharma is good technique is brilliant…..I hope he gets more oppertunitites and he can be next dravid…infact better……..:) Raina should have played instead of tiwary…I just dont want tiwarys carrier to be over b4 even it starts…we have to be patient and give them time….ozs series might not be good idea to try them…since v r very impatient people………
by scorpicity, on February 4 2008 @ 6:53 pm
KP… yes, there is nothing against Tiwary as such. It is a 17 member squad that’s huge… maybe they will rotate. My take is Raina to be given the first shot… maybe many feel that Raina had opportunities and messed up, therefore should wait second in line. Fair enough.
by The Sporting Spirit, on February 4 2008 @ 8:20 pm
True that…Brett Lee has shown how pace can be used ….lots of respect for him…
by scorpicity, on February 5 2008 @ 3:50 pm
Welcome sporting spirit… hope to see more of you.
by Cricket Guru, on February 5 2008 @ 6:44 pm
KP,
THe ‘next Dravid’ is Cheteshwar Pujara, not Rohit Sharma.
Scorpi,
Have patience, man! As SP said, we won’t know their true worth until they play against the very best.
by Soulberry, on February 6 2008 @ 11:06 am
While I believe transition must be through the door of test matches except in the case of a couple of limited over specialists, these are after all the reining T20 champs we are speaking of. They have been thrown to the lions much earlier and they came out of it alive, kicking and with a trophy aloft. To extend that into ODIs was a logical progression.
What comes out of all this is 1) T20 is not a true predictor of even ODI performance, let alone test matches 2) T20 and ODI success do not guarantee test match success in most cases 3) to maintain form, you have to keep playing…sitting idle doesn’t help your form and confidence 4) those who succeed in test matches to any extent have succeeded in ODIs too and not vice versa 5) those who have played a reasonable duration of the longer version of the game are more likely to succeed in the condensed versions with a degree of consistency.
India’s young guns need to take their education seriously and that includes all opportunities to play longer games. Form tends to remnain longer or retrieval of it becomes easier then, and class develops further.
by scorpicity, on February 6 2008 @ 11:13 am
CG… I have no problems in this approach as long as they stick to their convictions… personally as a policy I prefer a transition but it’s ok with a direct front-on change.Yup, I will be patient on this :).
by scorpicity, on February 6 2008 @ 11:16 am
Soulberry… yes you are right on the points. The good thing which has come out today is that Vensarkar in an interview with the Hindu has clarified that the test team will involve a transition approach and the ODIs is to throw them into learning quickly and getting the exposure to graduate to test level… so it looks ok.
by John, on February 6 2008 @ 1:33 pm
Scorpicity,
Very conveniently, the embargo on writing columns does not extend to giving interviews. Wonder when the BCCI will step in to curb that.
by straight point, on February 6 2008 @ 2:03 pm
good observation Scorpy…
when he can say what he wants in an interview why curb his writing in columns?? please someone can make a sense ot of it…for me…
by scorpicity, on February 6 2008 @ 5:15 pm
John… has the BCCI implemented the rule for selectors to not write columns? Any progress was made and has vens stopped after that? Am clueless on that one.
by scorpicity, on February 6 2008 @ 5:17 pm
SP… it was John with his sharp obs. yes, if there is a gag-order in place, then interviews is no different… strange… but has the gag-order been implemented as such? No news on that one.
by straight point, on February 6 2008 @ 5:35 pm
oops scorpy…and sorry john…i missed that…
scorpy…can you fwd me the link of this interview…
by scorpicity, on February 6 2008 @ 9:03 pm
Sp, you can read it here… http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/06/stories/2008020653822200.htm
by Naked Cricket, on February 7 2008 @ 8:49 pm
Hi Scorpicity,
Liked the restraint n your balanced views - and yeah, the Raina focus. It did get a li’l manic with GC and Raina, as also with Dinesh Karthik. Esp when Raina was edging everything outside off yet being persisted with.
Like the look of Raina and Rohit Sharma - there’s a reassuring calm, almost like Kaif has when on top of his game. Would like to see Raina bowl a bit, and express himself fully as a cricketer.
cheers!
by scorpicity, on February 8 2008 @ 12:31 pm
Welcome Naked cricket… hopefully things would go on the right track for these youngies.