India's decision to go in with four medium pacers in the match against West Indies was a strange one. Playing four medium pacers in Indian conditions is a luxury even a Maharaja in his pomp would turn a blind eye to. Excessive use of medium-pacers on Indian turfs, an obese, overflowing middle order and the serial quarrel over Irfan Pathan at No.3 which the team picks up with the nation every time it takes the field - the Indians are only refining their finesse to shoot themselves in the foot.
We all know the soil in western India has a reddish tinge. In cricketing parlance it means a ticket to party for the spinners at the start and end of a cricket season. Yet India dispensed with Ramesh Powar and picked up four medium pacers. I can understand if you have pacers who can bowl at 140kmph but that isn't the case. Just picking up right and left-arm bowlers doesn't mean variety. There was too much sameness. All you end up doing is under-bowl a few of them and turn to the Sehwags and Yuvrajs. Fifteen overs between them is an admission that the team woke up to the reality late in the game. Sometimes wisdom comes to us when it can no longer do any good.
Now take the case of India's packed middle order. Besides the ones who played, Dinesh Mongia and Mohammad Kaif were resting on the bench. Compare this with the options they have at the top of the order. If some unfortunate injury was to happen to Virender Sehwag or Sachin Tendulkar, India don't have an option to give the team a thrust in the Power Plays. Who are the alternatives they have thought of for such an eventuality?
Clearly, the Indians must, without any further delay, get an absolutely clear idea of the 15 they are going to pick for the World Cup. In my squad, Gautam Gambhir will be a must. You can't sideline players who can take a good helping for themselves in the Power Plays. It is an area where India don't seem to take a heavy toll of bowlers. Even in Ahmedabad on Thursday, they should have promoted Yuvraj Singh to make the most of the field restrictions, or even Suresh Raina, who needs to be given a stage to establish himself as a top-order left-hand batsman rather than allow him to languish at No.7.
Despite all the problems at the top, India keep thrusting Pathan at No.3. Bull-headedness is one thing but carrying on in the same vein is foolhardiness. I believe the time has come for Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, to impose his will early in his stint and be hands-on when the playing XI is being selected or the batting order is being pencilled down. Otherwise, the ship, already in stormy waters, is bound to run into rocks.
I can't believe this is the same side which stirred my heart six months ago. The quality of players hasn't worsened drastically, but poor selection and mismanagement of batting positions has seriously hampered the side. More of it and the bottom will come apart.
The pitch for their match against West Indies wasn't a 220-run kind of surface. Even this total was possible due to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's sensible batting. As I said, there are too many men queuing up for a place in the middle order while at the top there aren't enough hands to pick up the riches of the Power Plays.
India are now left to pick up the pieces. Around the same time last year, they staged a revival. Sometimes acknowledging your erroneous ways is the first step to redemption. Hopefully common sense will prevail and Dinesh Mongia will be thought of as an option in the do-or-die game against Australia.
Comments
Posted by: Tarun jaiswal on 10/28/2006
yes this is the story of Indian cricket since.... westindies tour. Mismanagment & poor team selection.. is this the sign of serious downfall, an dit happens mostly with Indain team as they always finds out way to loose afetr a winning streak..This is what happens in 2004 when Indain team perfomed in Aus.. & Pak.. and in Asia cup n following tournaments.. below the par performance...
well i m in full agreement with Mr. Ravi Shastri taht this is high time for indian cricket board to discuss it future tactics with mr. chappel rather than blindly following his idea of expermentation
Posted by: Ranjan on 10/28/2006
Well done Ravi Shastri, I feel the Indian selectors should sit down with their head down really and think about the state of our Indian team right now
if they dont think now than they will eliminated from world cup well in advance even bangladesh and other teams will beat them
dont forget Bangladesh team is also becoming strong
Take a clear example of West Indies team
what they were last year and what are they now
they have changed drastically
even they have problem with board rigt now but they play as team with great spirits not like India all the time politics in team.
Also i feel Mr Chappel should be cautioned about too much experimenting in team
his experimnets and not yielding any good results so he shd put his down and go with what others say
SURVIVAL OF INDIAN TEAM IS MUST
thanks
Ranjan
Posted by: Abhishek on 10/28/2006
Surprsingly Mr Shastri is good at disecting what has happened on the field. It would have been good if he would have been able to do this during his days. He has made Indian supporters cry with his batting(if you can call it so). England players learned to play spin with Mr. Shastri dishing out his lollypops on their legs.
Anyway he is a good commentator and I wish him all the best ofr his future.
-Abhishek
Posted by: Ghanashyam..D.R. on 10/28/2006
Those were the wonderful comments by Ravi Shastri on the Indian batting line up.
India must follow the almost fixed batting line for its players to be established at their respective places and changes in their positions should be occational only under some conditions.
I also strongly feel that Zaheer Khan should be brought in to the team considering his good show in the domestic season and he is the man who can bowl at 140KMS and we will have variety in the attacking side.
Posted by: Srikanth on 10/28/2006
when WI and Pakistan are playing with only 2-3 full time bowlers why cant india do that. i feel there is no need for the 5th bowler. they should probably kick raina out of the team and get in kaif and mongia instead of powar/rp singh. i feel the ideal team and the batting order for the next match infact for the next world cup should be this:
V. Sehwag Bowl/Bat
S. Tendulkar Bowl/Bat
M. Kaif Bat
R. Dravid Bat
Y. Singh Bowl/Bat
D. Mongia Bowl/Bat
M. Dhoni Wk/Bat
I. Pathan Bowl/Bat
H. Singh Bowl
A. Agarkar/ Sreesanth Bowl
M. Patel Bowl
Posted by: Ravi M on 10/28/2006
Ravi Shastri hit the nail on head - it is time Rahul Dravid & Co stopped their'experimentation' and stabilise the team and the bating order..! It is difficult to understand the thinking - on one hand they want to have experimentation and keep changing everything left right and center ... and on other hand, they are sticking foolishly to the idea of sending Irfan Pathan at No.3..!! It is high time Rahul Dravid understands that Short term results are as important as Long Term improvement!!!
PS: On a slightly unrelated note - I read the exactly same article in some other web site ... but from a different author's name..!! Who actually wrote this article..? Can some one clarify..???
Thanks.
Posted by: manikandan on 10/28/2006
wellsaid Ravi.
Due to mismanagement & uncertainity of place in team for our players make them mentaly uncomfortable.Also decisions and game plans which should be taken during the play, inside the ground were all prefixed make our captain too helpless.While we have six seamers & eight professional batsmen why a top strike bowler should come at #3.Its time now to recondition our team management and our captain should think his role.
Posted by: Jayant Sanyal on 10/28/2006
Couldn't agree with Mr. Shastri more. Whatever he has wriiten in this article is absolutely right. Being a class allrounder of his time, and who still has an immensely gifted cricketing brain coupled with the fact that being an Indian; after playing on these conditions for a major part of his career, he knows Indian conditions more than the coach Mr. John Wright. Hence when he says playing four medium pacers is a luxury in India, then only a fool can find a fault in that.
His other observartions regarding less options in Opening as cover to Tendulkar/Sehwag and overflowing middle order are based on proper cricketing knowledge and sound thinking. Indian Team must listen to explayers like him and take a leaf out of their book if they are to make a turnaround in this Champions Tropy. ALso, Mr. Shastri's other comment about the need for Rahul Dravid to assert himself more as captain can be overlooked by the team at its own peril. He is absolutely right. Mr. Rahul Dravid should exert himself more as India skipper, stamping his authority in final 11 selection just before a match.
Jayant Sanyal
New Delhi
Posted by: Gopi Mysore on 10/28/2006
I totally agree with Ravi sastry's views on team selection. Its the time Greg Guru to stop the experimentation as the world cup is round the carner and players have fall into a groove of stability. The team should be managed in such a manner that Team India reaches its peak at the time of world cup than becoming a stale one to the disspointment of large fans all over the world. On a short time measure, as Gavaskar used to mention, the best batsmen should get more time at the wicket to settle and play in this shorter version of game. For that, players like Dhoni, Raina, Kaif should go up the ladder. Also as I notice, the reserves for the operners slaght is still bareft. No youngster tried or on the anvil are great hitters or the who can advantage of the initial power plays. Vengsarkar as CEO of selection inc has a job on hand and should focus on this matter. And Greg Guru should do something and teach the young fast bowlers to judge the nature of the pitch and adjust their pace accordingly.
But all said and done, the high committment from each and every player on the frontend and the support team from back office should harmonise and make the TEAM India , an orchestra par excellence.
Wishing all the succuss to DRAVID & CO in coming matches of ICC.
Gopi Mysore.
Posted by: Kartik Kapoor on 10/28/2006
Yes, many of you may be thinking, this guy doesn't have anything to do with the BCCI why should we take his comments into consideration, but below is the a team that could do a world of good against the australians on sunday.
Sehwag
Tendulkar
Dravid
D.Mongia
S.Raina
M.Kaif
Dhoni
Pathan
Harbanjhan Singh
Sreesanth
Munaf Patel
Posted by: K. Arichandran on 10/28/2006
For Ravi Shastri
While I find your articles incisive and stimulating, I am puzzled that you have not commented on Indian batsmen's running between the wickets(RBW); and on the importance of fielding skills in team selection.
I have written to Cricinfo on more than one occasion about the crucial Indian weakness in RBW. Suicidal runs are often taken and the explanation is "run out due to a brilliant pick up and/ or "a direct trhrow/hit to the stumps". Dravid was run out in this manner against the WI at a most critical time.
My questions, in this instance are:
Was there any calling and, if so, who called? Who should have called ?---the ball was hit square by Dhoni.
It was obvious that the run was a suicidal one.The call, if any, should have been " wait".
I wish to repeat that risky running, even if quick, is foolish running.
Leading Indian batsmen like Dravid, Shewag and even Tendulkar( on occasions) have been guilty of this fault.
A separat easpect is: what is the emphasis on fielding skills in team selection? Is a weaker fielder preferred just because he is a " better" batsman or bowler even though his fielding is suspect compared with his competitors?--e.g. bad catchers, or slow ground fielding allowing ones where there should be none and twos instead of ones!
Finally, do you really think that Shewag should be an automatic chice in the Indian team?
Sincerely
K. Arichandran
The writer is a naturalized US citizen, originally from Sri Lanka where he played first class cricket( not for the national team)over 50 years ago! He recalls vivdly how he was repeatedly coached, inter-alia, to call properly for RBW--FOR EVERY BALL, and whose call it should be.
He has been a supporter of the Indian sides, going back to the 1940s when the Nawab of Pataudi ( senior) led a test team to England and had players like Vijay Merchant, Mustaq Ali,Rusi Modi, Vinoo Mankad and so on!
Posted by: rony on 10/28/2006
HELLO EVERYBODY,I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH MR RAVI BECAUSE ITS THE RIGHT TIME NOW TO SETTLE DOWN THE BATTING LINE-UP,I DON T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY R NOT PROMOTING DHONI AT NUMBER 3,BCOZ WE HAVE SEEN IN THE PAST WHEN DHONI GET S GOING HE GET S BIG HUNDREDS,WE SHOULD TRY TO WIN THE MATCH AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BUT JUST NOT WAIT TILL THE FINAL STAGES AND KEEP DHONI AT NO.5 OR 6.I FEEL SEHWAG IS A VERY GOOD BATSMAN BUT IF HE CONTINUES TO FAIL THEN I THINK GAMBHIR CAN REPLACE HIM,JUST ONE MORE CONCERN ABOUT THE BOWLING DEPARTMENT WHY ARE NT THEY PICKING ANIL KUMBLE WHO HAS MORE THAN 500 TEST WICKET S AND ABOUT 300 ODI WICKET S IF THEY SAY HE IS NOT A GOOD FIELDER THEN EVEN MUNAF,POWAR,R.P SINGH,EVEN THEIR FIELING IS NOT THAT GOOD EITHER AND A BOWLER LIKE KUMBLE WHO CAN DEFINATELY BOWL HIS 10 OVER S WITHOUT CONCEDING TOO MANY RUN S AND ALSO PICKING UP 2-3 WICKET S,AND IF HE CAN FIELD IN THE TEST MATCHES THEN WHY CAN T HE FIELD IN THE ODI'S.THANK U
Posted by: Younus patha on 10/28/2006
I'am not happy with INDIAN TEAM SELECTION. i really shocked when india played with 4 Medium pacers agints W.indies. i think BCCI makes CIRCKET as A JOKES .....my personal Question is
why indian team not play with 7batsman 3mp 1 spinner ?
why Mohammed Kaif and Dinesh mongia not play last match againts W.indies ?
Posted by: onkar on 10/28/2006
You hit the nail on the head. I simply cannot fathom the infatuation the management has for RP Singh. It would have been understandable if they had a genuine fast bowling option - even a Sreesanth would have been defendable - to replace Powar, but RP, are you kidding me? I would say that a Powar with a soap in his hand will bowl better than an RP Singh with a ball in his hand on Indian tracks. And we must realise by now that Virender Sehwag will end his ODI career with an average of 31, no matter how many matches he plays. In today's batting era, that is at best mediocre. So I am not sure he warrants a permanent place in the side and hence deserves being the vice-captain, a fact that prevents him from being dropped.
How many of us really believe that India can pull it off against Aussies? All we can do is just hope. I fear that's the answer to what's going to happen tomorrow.
Posted by: Hardik Parikh on 10/28/2006
Yes, i agree, the team selection is getting wrong.
I think, Pathan should be dropped from the team, not even in 15. Even Sehwag should be dropped, as he repeats same mistake in every game, and now all teams know how easy it is to get him out, just bowl a straight one, or an inswinger, and he is out!!
I think Suresh Raina is also not doing good job, he is playing foolish shots every now and then, i think
Kaif should be played instead of Raina, R.P singh is also no good, we have other better and experienced fast bowlers, like nehra and balaji.Also Mongia should be played in place of Sehwag and sehwag should be taught a lesson.
Posted by: Avinandan Phookan on 10/28/2006
I have always followed Ravi's views on different issues covering the men in blue and I think there is a certain 80% chance of his suggestions working wonders, if applied as strategies. Though its always easier said than done, Rahul and the management should have taken these views into serious consideration well before they floundered. But again, its never too late for these fine men. All of them have qualities that need to be utilised in the right areas. A serious thought over the whole issue of a recurring decline of the batting order, a few little adjustments to get the BATSMEN up in the front, and I am sure India will go a long way thereon..Good luck Team1
Posted by: Muhammad Mazher on 10/29/2006
As far as my thinking is concern Creg Chappel has ruined the career of Irfan Pathan . Pathan will never be a good option to play at no. 3 he should concentrate on his bowling and should bat at no. 8 or no. 9 position. Creg Chappel is really miss using some Indian players. It seems that Australians had set their wolf( Chappel) among sheeps ( Indian Team). I think Chappel's aim is only to ruin Indian team as much as he can . He should be removed from Indian team. First he destroyed the Career of Prince of Kolkatta and now he is doing same thing with some other players . BCCI should think about this issue .
Posted by: shailendra kirtikar on 10/29/2006
The comments are forthright and clear. Most importantly Vengsarkar has to move it. I am travelling from Singapore to watch the finals. Hope our fellows are there at my pet ground the Brabourne Stadium.
Posted by: Ramendra Saha on 10/29/2006
Mr. Shastri, one of the most active cricket brains in India, disappoints me with the timing of his current thoughts. He says he was happy with this Indian team 6 months ago when this very team ‘stirred his heart’. So what has changed in these 6 months? Even then, Irfan Pathan was playing at no.3 and four fast bowlers were operating for India. How has the same policy degenerated from being a worldclass maneuver to mere ‘bull-headedness’ in 6 months? The answer probably lies in the quality of our opposition. A severely depleted Sri Lankan or English side and a Pakistan team without Shoib Akhtar are not the toughest of questions that one can face within those 22 yards. In current times, a revivified West Indian pack and the world champions themselves have resisted like what you expect to overcome in order to kiss that cup. But, Mr. Shastri was happy then. India was winning and the horses looked perfecto for the tracts they were put on. Sadly, loses have made them imperfect. Right Mr. Shastri?
Well, the policy making of the Indian team has been bordering on big-time Las Vegas style gambling for quite some time now. Irfan Pathan at no. 3 was bound to fail against bowlers of better quality. In the process, the poor chap has lost his basic art of bowling curving beauties. Four fast bowlers with less than 100 combined international caps (excepting Agarkar, who was dropped despite his fine showings in Caribbean), are not the rack of lethal cannons, you pin your hopes on to blast the best in business. A rusty Sehwag, with no inclination or indication of improvement, is still being persisted with like a guest-of-honor. If Mr. Shastri approved the gamble 6 months ago, he should rather stay shut between his lips now.
Posted by: Mohanram B.S. on 10/29/2006
india cricket is all about money, they are greedy and do not care about their fans. Gambling is a curse from god. Why the captain of the india team is rearranging the batting line up is like playing back yard cricket, shame on you "CAPTAIN" Dravid!!!
LET SACHIN BE THE CAPTAIN FOR INDIA TEAM THEN HE CAN RETIRED FROM CRICKET.
THANK YOU
Posted by: rakesh on 10/29/2006
ravi is true .we have to utiise most of the power plays.now see,viru has to click this time and it also releases pressure from midle order.all experts keep remainding that dravid has got good technique and best at no 3.pathan is a slogger and with dhoni he can make merry at the end.when main players r sidelined due to injuries reserves should be all type of players ,ex gautham gambir.in india in any track two professional spinners are must.tanq
Posted by: G.Asokan on 10/29/2006
I agree with ravi Shastri. India need to put more emphasis on strike rate than the average score. There should be a policy of playing to your strength which is your batting and there should be 6 specialist batsmen in the playing eleven. India's strength in bowling lies with the spinners. You must accept the reality that the Indian pacers are not upto the international standard. My Indian team, in general, would consists of 6 batsman, a wicket keeper, two spinners and two pacers. If the pitch is pacer friendly, you make take an extra pacer in place of a spinner.
Posted by: Raj Parmar on 10/29/2006
I am big FAN of Ravi Shastri & Sunil Gavaskar Columns, intellegent cricket comments. I think biggest problem with Indian Team is not being able to rotate misfiring players. Unlike Aussies, our bench strength in all departments is NOT good, therefore over usage of Failed batsmen, also this is against Greg Chappel's doctrine of "Excellence of Performance" presentation. I think Veeru Sehwag is best opener in the world, even now, if he has low scores then he can play FIFTH position temporary as ball is not new, not boucing, seaming. Gambhir can bat ONE instead. Suresh Raina and Dhoni are best finds for India, and yougsters can be made mentally tough by Kapildev or SunnyJi or Ravi Shastri, as I rememeber your 187 made in Englang on jot 1990 summer when I was going for my Final Honors exam there, and you made 2-day stay there, so mental toughness is required for these youngsters in NOT giving up wickets cheaply (Fight your wicket- Boycott).
Personally Ganguly is better skipper than Dravid. and atleast Gangulty shopuld be in oneday squad, that is a tragedy on political confrontation...
Thanks.
Posted by: Adarsh on 10/29/2006
This article perfectly puts my own thoughts into words. Pathan at No.3. is absolutely ridiculous now. The Indian team management should get the message that he is no Andrew Flintoff after 10 attempts! Besides that I think Sreesanth should get more of a chance considering his hardwork and future. I hope India figures a sound stategy before the World Cup next year, otherwise, they can say by even before the start!
Posted by: Mathew on 10/29/2006
I strictly agree to what Ravi said in his aritcle about "Getting the team selection all wrong." I don't know why indian are going for a guy who can hit six and fours, there are times when indian team despritely need guys like who can take singles, doubles and triples. I am saying this one more time indian team defenetly need some guys like rahul dravid, who can play in the middle. Sehway is out of form why can't seleciion move him to sixth or seventh and give chance to dhoni or raina. Then here comes the needed part rahul dravid then who? i don't see anyone who can play like him. Pathan is not a guy like dravid, bring someone like kaif or laxman. Then give it a try like pathan or others like new comer. Then as usual bowling guys. In my mind line up should be like first and second must be sachin and sehwag like guys, it could be ganguly, gambhir, dhoni or players like who can beat the bowl out of the court at the same time they have to defend their stumps for atleast 12 to 15 overs. Third should be dravid or kaif or laxman. it depens, if wickets are going to fastly then there are the player that i would like to see, if not then yuvraj or some like him. Fourth goes to yuvraj if he is not getting third spot. Other are like laxman or kaif or i don't know other guys. Fifth part goes to raina or mongia or ganguly, long time ago we had a perfect guy in that spot his name is jadeeja, he can do some real damage. Sixth spot goes to new comer like powar, uttapha, etc. Seventh spot goes to guys like pathan or dhoni, agarkar like that. Eight place goes to spinners like kumble or harbhajan, etc. Nine, ten and eleventh spot goes to so many guys like khan, balaji, nehra, rp sing, sreesanth, patel, etc.
I have a selection
Fast Bowling Pitch Slow Bowling Pitch
In that fast bowling line up no one is not scared to face fast bowler like lee or mcgrath or akthar.
I hope selection will make a good move and hopefully we will see 2007 world cup is lifted by India
Posted by: pramod on 10/29/2006
hi ravi sir,
i don't think these things are going to change untill and unless there is some change in either captaincy or coach jobs. Dravid keeps saying in the press conferences that his batsmen should perform, but when his batsmen are struggling why he is playing only 6 batsmen. he always says pathan is primarliy his bowler and he won lot of matches as a top order batsman. but in reality he never really succeedded at top of the order against a quality bowlling. god only knows when yuvraj and raina will be promoted up the order.
eventhough i am diehard fan of inidan cricket team, i was praying during the last over of WI match that india should not win. otherwise it might have been positive sign for all the silly experiments he is doing for our beloved captain.
Thanks,
Pramod
Posted by: ramya on 10/29/2006
I absolutely agree with wot ravi sastri has mentioned. Its time for shewag to take back seat . Oflate he is playing irresponsible. Instead we can give chances to gautham gambhir, robin uttappa .
Posted by: Sridhar Chitturi on 10/29/2006
What we need against Australia is send Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Mongia as Openers; then Rahul, Sachin, Kaif, Sehwag, Dhoni, Pathan, Hajbhajan, Power,Munaf. This Opening pair should surprise the Aussies that they get disturbed with their game plan. Mongia,Dravid and Kaif should steady the innings while Sachin, Sehwag and Gambir should play freely. Then we have the hitters Dhoni and Harbhajan.Target 280. Then spinners - Harbhanjan, Power,Mongia, Sehwag,from 10th Over to 30th. and again from 38th to 46th over. Dravid should take a leaf from Lara who is responsible for the wickets of Sachin and Yuvraj on that day.
Posted by: sanghamitra on 10/29/2006
as usual ravi hits the nail square on. he is the only expert who gives an unbiased view and carries his heart on his sleeve. wonder when will Dravid wake up? he is suspending all his judgment as a captain. four medium pacers against the WI match? even my 8 yr old commented that it was foolish. pls pls wake up Dravid for all our sake...its not greg's country, its yours
Posted by: arijit on 10/29/2006
it is time to objectively look at the record of Greg Chappel as a coach & has he been good for the India Team. What is the record of India in tests & one dayers since he took over & what is the record of India similarly over the same number of tests & one dayers before he took over. being emotionally linked to india cricket, we sometimes tend to judge the team/player/captain/coach based on the last match played, but data speaks and we now have enough data to judge the performance of the coach, especially someone who insists on a say over all aspects of the india cricket team. can someone please provde this data?
Posted by: Sujit S. Kumar on 10/29/2006
...yes, and we are getting a trifle tired of Virender Sehwag are'nt we?
Posted by: Ravishankar on 10/29/2006
Shastri's comments are absolutely correct !!! Indian strong line of batting on paper, failure is becoming a pain for the viewers as well. Its unpredictable to know who is coming next and plays to the situation.
Its high time for Sehwag to stop playing for some time and re-invent himself to represent the country. Stop making Irfan a scape-goat by sending at No 3 position and lose pinch hitters in the slog overs. Kaif is completely ignored for whatever reason. I am also observing the physical stature of the players. They are all bulging and could not able to bowl and run during fielding. This is another area I fell we need to concentrate on. No good back-up process followed, incase of any drop outs. If somebody is hurt, it takes hell lot of time to find the replacement. In the process, we will bring the same dropouts and fail to make it.
1. Give way to new, young talent
2. Cut down international cricket, if somebody fails in 5-8 matches
3. Keep an appraisal for each player and monitor without any politics
4. Respect Indian talent for team management
Posted by: girish prabhu on 10/29/2006
Hello,
I totally agree with what MR RAVI SHASTRI had to say.The indian team has been going downhill ,gauging their performance since the tour to the carribean.I would say the last world cup team which reached the finals in south africa had a much better sorted out batting line up with more balance in the opening and the middle order slots.Like Mr Ravi Shastri pointed out there has to be an option considered if our big guns Sehwag and Sachin were to be injured,who will go blazing guns in the power plays and Greg Chappel has to be told about his experimentation with the batting line up has to reach its end.As Munaf Patel seems to impress every match,we have to find his partner at the other end who can keep things tight,and Pathan has proven expensive and very inconsistent giving away crucial runs.My bet would be on Sreesanth.By sorting out the opening slots for bowling and assigning proper batting slots to the players ,things will be clearer and the batsman will be aware of their tasks.
thank you
Posted by: krupakaran on 10/29/2006
pathan being frequently sent one down has bocome predictable and that experimentation should stop.top order collapse has become a norm in last 10 matches.if shewag is having trouble with moving ball,why not send him when spinners are employed,in middle overs.we saw how he took them apart in world cup final.and thankfully,opoening with dravid has stopped.in swinging conditions like mohali,its better to open with kaif and sachin,bat with heads down than try to steam roll the ausies with shewag.and dinesh mongia should play.
in bowling,pathan,if he finds swing,should bowl out his 10 overs.he is at loss in the slog overs.
india should go with 2 spinners as bounce will assist them.naturally,we must exploit aussie weakness in spin.
nothing short of a miracle will save india against an aussie slaughter.
Posted by: pradyum muralidhar on 10/29/2006
ravi shastri is a very knowledgable person who knows the tricks involved in this game . he has hit the nail on the head by talking about the team batting order . it makes no sense to send in irfan pathan at number 3game after game . he is a good batsman but he is being wasted at number three . he would be useful at number 7 and he can use the long handle in the last 8 or ten overs when the ball is old . the middle order is very inexperienced and is badly out of form . dravid needs to walk in at number 5 and steady the ship after 30 plus overs .he is a good enough batsman to get settled in 6 or 7 overs and start picking up the scoring rate after 40 odd overs . the way india is going i would be surprised if they reach the semis of the world cup.
Posted by: Kieran on 10/29/2006
I believe that MS Dhoni should be promoted to the number 3 spot. He is an attacking batsman but at the same time he showed us against the west indies that he is also sensible. i believe it was at nuber three where he broke the record for highest score by a wicketkeeper in ODI's. At the moment pathan is wasting the powerplay overs and taking some of the fun out of the first 20 overs.
Posted by: AK Jadhav on 10/29/2006
I do not agree with Ravi entirely. The pitches like the Mohali pitch are favoring the pace bowlers. The decision to play medium pacers or spinners should be taken on a match by match basis, based on the pitch condition.
Posted by: jagan on 10/29/2006
What Mr.Ravi Shastri says is correct.There is no need of four medium face bowlers in team.Instead of these four we can make two or three of this and make a batsman to be added in the squad.
This will help the team to be strong in batting order.
Our captain Dravid and team comittee members should think of this.
And also Gambhir is a good player who has been played well in opening position.We can also give chance for him.
Posted by: Jiju on 10/29/2006
Revi is absalutely right, I just need to know what is the role of RP Singh in the team? Bowling 4 overs giving up 50 Runs which made india loose the match gainst WI
Posted by: Anonymous on 10/29/2006
I certainly agree with the above assesment. The reluctance to play Dinesh Mongia who can be a very good batsman when his confidence is high, besides providing a good spinning option, cant be understood. Pathan infact plays very catiously up the order and negates the role of a pinch hitter which one presumes he is promoted for. Dhoni might be a better option.
Posted by: Santosh Mathew on 10/29/2006
I fully agree with Shastri with regard to going with 4 seamers is ridiculous. Your quickest blower Sreeshant not selected, an all rounder Mongia sitting as reserves. I don't understand who is the thinktank for India, it is high time the team drops non performing players.
Posted by: Chokka Sunder Raju on 10/29/2006
Hi,
I beleive what Mr.Ravi Shastri has to say but their is a limitation since players like Ghambir and Dinesh could not be accomadated as regular players were available and the out of form players have been given enough chances to fire up their performances. Its time to have faith in players like Mongia and Ghambir as well as power and should be backed up. Out of form players should by now know this, hope they do well against Australia today.
Cheers
Posted by: Dilip Shukla on 10/29/2006
yes i do agree with Ravi's comments.Team india is trying various batting options for a change but now it is enough experience section panel got to decide permenant position for each bastman.Too many trial & experiment keep each match as a training school classes.
Also Dravid should be bold enough to speak his own mind with out getting under influence of coach Greg Chepel.
Posted by: Dilip Shukla on 10/29/2006
yes i do agree with Ravi's comments.Team india is trying various batting options for a change but now it is enough experience section panel got to decide permenant position for each bastman.Too many trial & experiment keep each match as a training school classes.
Also Dravid should be bold enough to speak his own mind with out getting under influence of coach Greg Chepel.
Posted by: Ismail on 10/29/2006
Mr. Shastry's comments are very very good, Irfan Pathan should play as a bowler and not as a batsman specially on No.3 - this is ridiculous that he plays on No.3 and spoil the countries hopes, when we plays with the experienced players like Sachin, and Dravid, and talented like Sehwag and other youngsters.......
Ismail Shareef
Posted by: Ted on 10/29/2006
Ravi Shastri has many valid points. The #3 batting position needs to have a solid batsman. Pathan or Dhoni,the allrounders,can play there on special occasiona when situation demands. Or when then the opening pair is in a very fine form. The moment the opening pair goes out of form, the #3 plays a key role. Right now,SRT/VS not in good nick,they need a specialist batsman.
If you look around the cricket landscape,5 bowlers don't play in successfull teams. They have 4 specialist bowlers and couple of allrounders.
What worked last year against decent teams is not good enough against much better oppositions.
So,surely as Shastri indicates the team needs certian changes to its composition.
Posted by: Karthigeyan on 10/29/2006
6 Months ago this was the same strategy, Pathan would come in at 3 whenever possible, there were seamers in rotation and batsmen position would move up and down.
Its not mis management but shear lack of motivation. You need to be motivated to make an impact and you cant be bogged down by media how get after you for every failure.
Posted by: Vajid Manga on 10/29/2006
Very well said Shastri and I am sure the sentiments are shared by another million Indians or more. My question to whomsover is authorative and responsible for team selection and above all, Coach performance. As an Indian I think I have a certain right to ask how much of pure sweet success we had since the hiring of Greg Chappell? Something that could make India Proud? Isnt it time to work towards a strong 11 member squad for the World Cup? Why would Ganguly be asked to sit out and instead chances are given to some ridiculous performers? Mind you, Ganguly is among few players in the history of Cricket to achieve approx. 10,000 runs. So what is the justification? Is he too old for his age to play Cricket anymore? In that case, the entire Australian team should be sacked, dont you think so?
Posted by: Randhir on 10/30/2006
A call for Gautham Gambhir is the dumbest ever. He's probably the worst player of the swinging ball that India has ever seen. I think despite a couple of good knocks on flat tracks, his average still languishing in the mid twenties indicates the quality of the player.
Picking Gambhir would be the biggest of all mistakes. Pathan did ok in the last game against England - scoring 19 in a low scoring game and setting up India well with a few good shots. So one mistake and the Shastris of the world swoop down on the team management like wolves and decide the strategy of the team off the field. This just will not do.
Posted by: raj on 01/07/2007
As india is going to play world my recommended one day will be like this
Before introducing Yashpal singh and Reetinder Sodhi to world cup they should be selection both series one days against one days with sri lanka and west indies
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