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September 5, 2008
Zaheer happy with Test return
Posted on 09/05/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
Zaheer Khan, who returned to the Test side after seven months, picked up eight wickets in three Tests in Sri Lanka. He talks to Mid-Day's Sanjeev Samyal about the tour.
It's natural to be apprehensive when you are coming back from injury. Did any negative thoughts bother you?
That is why I took my time to get back to international cricket. I was very clear that physically there was not going to be much of a problem. To get back into rhythm was the important thing. All I was concerned about was, that. It takes time as it only comes after bowling a number of overs. Playing the Test matches and bowling long spells helped me achieve that. I knew that Sri Lankan conditions would be tough in terms of heat and humidity but I think I coped well during the series.
What has been Gary Kirsten and Paddy Upton's influence on the team?
The important thing is there is good communication between players and coaching staff. There is good atmosphere. They are ready to give you space and at the same time, they are always there for you. They are always thinking of how we can go forward which is very important.
August 31, 2008
Save the celebrations for later
Posted on 08/31/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
Reviewing India's tour of Sri Lanka, Ayaz Memon feels that despite India's spirited comeback in the one-dayers, there were more questions raised than answered as the tour progressed. Most worrying is the performance of the Fab Four and that the new generation of Indian cricket did not exactly cover itself in glory in the ODIs to suggest that the Old Guard is entirely dispensable. Read on in DNA.
I wholeheartedly endorse Dilip Vengsarkar’s statement that Mahendra Singh Dhoni is emerging as a great captain, but I think his belief that the victory over Sri Lanka in the one-day series must rate as one of the finest in Indian cricket history is a bit exaggerated — or premature.
In the Hindustan Times, Ravi Shastri gives India a good report card and praises the new-ball bowlers for sinking the opposition before they could even put up a fight.
Bowlers rarely get the same space as batsmen in newsprint or on prime time but this time they did. I can't recall when each one, in isolation or as a group, was so telling. Zaheer, Praveen, Munaf or Harbhajan and Pragyan Ojha earned everyone's respect.
August 29, 2008
Dhoni Mark 2
Posted on 08/29/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
Harsha Bhogle admires the manner in which Mahendra Singh Dhoni has grown as a player. The man who first hit the headlines for his marauding innings now reminds Bhogle of the composed Rahul Dravid. Read on in the Indian Express:
... he has grown, he has mellowed, he has become constructive and yet the target is the same. He is more the clinical assassin, taking in the moment, surveying the landscape and waiting for the moment, aware that it can be his. There isn’t the sense of drama, no Bolt, no Isinbayeva, no Ronaldo — gee, more Bindra, really.
And in the Hindustan Times, Anand Vasu praises Dhoni for instilling self-belief and resolve in a young side.
August 24, 2008
Badrinath did well to speak out
Posted on 08/24/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
S Badrinath played a crucial innings in India's second ODI against Sri Lanka in Dambulla and Sunil Gavaskar is glad the batsman spoke out against the selectors after initially being excluded from the squad. He writes in the Hindustan Times:
There is not the slightest doubt that had he not expressed his bafflement at being continually ignored for national selection and not being told what he needs to do by any selector, he would not have been picked as a replacement for Virender Sehwag. By saying what he did immediately after the one-day team to Sri Lanka was announced he brought attention to the selectors wandering minds that here was a player who had done no wrong and needed to be given a chance, or as Badri himself put it, given a chance to fail. Make no mistake, if he had not given that interview the selectors would have turned to Dinesh Karthik, or the perennial standby Mohammad Kaif, to take the place of the injured Sehwag.
August 23, 2008
A potential middle-order fixture
Posted on 08/23/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
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S Badrinath on his way to an unbeaten 27 on debut
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| "It was obvious to all but the very daft that S Badrinath was the answer to India's middle-order prayers," writes Dileep Premachandran in the Guardian. He feels Badrinath, who made a match-winning 27 not out on his ODI debut, has what it takes to succeed at the Test level.
Mahela Jayawardene had the scent of the kill in his nostrils, and Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan were soon wheeling away in tandem. Badrinath, who was Murali's team-mate in the IPL, played them with the poise of one who had been doing it for years. He worked Murali through the leg side with a wristy flourish and cut him impossibly late on a couple of occasions. Mendis's variations were met with the straightest of bats. Unlike some of his more illustrious compatriots, he didn't get sucked into pad play, and his solidity at one end allowed Mahendra Singh Dhoni to whittle away at the target from the other.
Even after Dhoni departed with victory in sight, Badrinath stayed around to make absolutely sure, clinching the game with a neat drive to extra-cover. As with Clarke, his technique had been impressive. His temperament and focus were even more eye-catching, and it'll be a brave selector who tries to pitchfork a callow youth into the Test team at the expense of one whose game appears far more complete.
August 14, 2008
Unsung and running silent
Posted on 08/14/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
The spirited performances of Zaheer Khan in India's series defeat went largely unnoticed, when the brickbats were out following the failure of the Fab Four. Though Zaheer's figures appear far from flattering, he shouldered the burden well as the senior pro in the pace department, writes Anand Vasu in Hindustan Times.
If proof was needed that Zaheer was a changed man it came in the final Test, when Ishant keeled over with a glut (buttock) injury. With Ishant hobbling off the park, not to return to bowl in the game, India had lost a quarter of their specialist bowling options. Zaheer then had to bowl for more than one person and he did so admirably.
In the Hindu, S Ram Mahesh writes that Ajantha Mendis' startling rise is all credit to the Sri Lankan way of cricket, one that embraces unorthodoxy.
When Mahela Jayawardene was translating for Ajantha Mendis in the press conference following the conclusion of the third Test, there occurred the sort of moment that throws light on the natural humours of two men, and the relationship sport binds them in. Jayawardene would incline his head in Mendis’ direction, listen to the reply, which to every question was incredibly brief, and answer in English, looking at his young spinner from time to time to see if he had anything to add.
August 13, 2008
Time to review techniques?
Posted on 08/13/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
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Was Rahul Dravid's technique flawed during the recent Sri Lanka series?
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Makarand Waingankar, in the Mumbai Mirror, says the review system has highlighted a few flaws in batting technique.
It was the angle of downswing and position of the front shoulder pointing towards cover as opposed to mid off or straighter which was restricting the bat from coming in front of the pad and that created a problem most of the time. Rahul Dravid seems to have figured it out in the last Test but it was too late.
There is a growing tendency among batsmen to use pads when not sure of a length and run for a leg-bye. Why should that be allowed when a batsman is beaten while attempting to play? Why should leg-bye runs be added to the batting side? The rule of leg-bye has to be knocked off. But the review system is good for the game especially for bowlers.
The stated aim of the referral process was to eliminate obvious mistakes. Towards that end, it achieved its objective. It was the less cut-and-dry, more subjective, decision-making — particularly with regard to leg before wicket — that raised more questions than threw up answers. Read more in the Deccan Herald.
August 12, 2008
Time to phase out seniors?
Posted on 08/12/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
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Sri Lanka have successfully picked Malinda Warnapura in the opener's role ahead of Sanath Jayasuriya
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Following India's 2-1 defeat in the Test series against Sri Lanka, Sandeep Dwivedi wonders whether the side left it a little too late in phasing out seniors. He writes in the Indian Express:
Sri Lanka have done it, and the results are there to see. They have resisted the temptation of redrafting the in-form 39-year-old opener Sanath Jayasuriya in the Test side and he hasn’t been missed. The sight of opener Malinda Warnapura returning with a stump in one hand along with skipper Mahela Jayawardene showed that the Lankans had passed the uncomfortable transition stage.
In the Daily News, like everyone else Elmo Rodrigopulle is awed by Ajantha Mendis' performance in his debut Test series. The transformed P Sara Stadium also caught the writer's attention, and he goes down memory lane:
As a tender cricketer I had taken in a lot of the Colombo Oval as it was then known from the newspapers. My first sight was as a 15 year old when coaches Edward Kelart, Francis Casiechetty and Prefect of Games A. Gnanapragasam took the Benedictine team of 1957 with Lovellyn Rayen as captain for a practice session.
It was like Alice being in wonderland. I stood again to take in the first sights of this beautiful Oval and its imposing scoreboard that saw some of the cricketing greats such as the lord of cricket Sir Donald Bradman, the terrible Ws - Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes, Clyde Walcott, Keith Miller, Neil Harvey, Lindsay Hassett and many others had shown their prowess, including the great Mahadevan Sathasivam and Ivers Gunasekera of Sri Lanka.
August 11, 2008
The business-like Kaluwitharana
Posted on 08/11/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
While Sri Lanka and India fight for the series, Sandeep Dwivedi searches out the former Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Romesh Kaluwitharana working as a business development manager at Sri Lanka Insurance. He writes in the Indian Express:
In the years to come this cricket-crazy island will throw up more freaks, mavericks or audacious stroke makers but Kalu will retain his place in history as the man who changed the concept of opening batting — an innovation that resulted in Sri Lanka coming of age in the World Cup. In this slam-bang age, the Kalu-Jaya formula is worthy of making it to cricketing text books. Ask him about the early days of the new experiment and Kaluwitharana paints a vivid picture. “I was batting at No.7 but Arjuna Ranatunga, Duleep Mendis and coach Dav Whatmore suggested that I should open. We were both stroke players and our idea was to attack the bowlers”.
August 10, 2008
Referrals: Not absolute, but accurate
Posted on 08/10/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
The referral system is conceptually very good if the technology assisting the eye is foolproof, writes Pradeep Magazine in the Hindustan Times.
The Indians have been at the receiving end of most of the referrals and there have been reports that players are not happy with some of the verdicts that went against them ... But in most cases the right decision based on the technological evidence has been given and that is what should matter in the end. Just because the Indians have got more decisions against them should not be the yardstick to judge the referrals.
August 9, 2008
Big three, small total
Posted on 08/09/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
Between two 50-run partnerships, there was an eerie batting silence that summed up the day for India, writes Sandeep Diwvedi in the Indian Express.
Batsmen with 100-plus Tests behind them haven’t looked like experienced pros but like aging men struggling to find their feet. These are players who have bounced back after being written off but, in this series, waiting for them to fire has been long, if not futile. When Ishant Sharma has a better batting average than Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, somehow, optimism and patience aren’t emotions that come to mind.
There have been 30 odd referrals made to the third umpire, and in about 10 of those cases, the decision has been overturned. Out of those 10, only one or at the most two can be called dubious. And both of those instances came in the first Test, where the umpires were presumably still getting to grips with the new system, writes Sumit Chakraberty in DNA.
August 8, 2008
'I see a team that is happy'
Posted on 08/08/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
Anil Kumble says that his team is happy and confident of winning the third Test after bouncing back to level the series in Galle. He adds that "it would also do the team's cause some good if Parthiv Patel, Dinesh Karthik's replacement, can contribute". Read more in the Hindustan Times.
Parthiv is making a comeback after four years and yet he is only 23. Time has always been on his side, writes Anand Vasu.
August 7, 2008
India's middle-order blues
Posted on 08/07/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
The Indian middle order has had an ordinary series so far with just one half-century in the first two Tests. Anand Vasu, though, writes in the Hindustan Times that Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid look to be getting into form.
In the second Test, where he made five and 31, especially in the second innings, Tendulkar looked ominously good before giving his wicket away. What this points to is that there isn’t a particular chink in technique or blind spot that the bowlers are exploiting. Usually this means that it’s only a matter of time before a batsman comes good.
The Deccan Herald's R Kaushik feels the middle order has to find the right balance between defence and aggression to the runs start to flow again.
Meanwhile, in the Guardian, Dileep Premchandran ponders whether Virender Sehwag has done enough to be considered an all-time great.
August 2, 2008
Sehwag does it alone
Posted on 08/02/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
Kunal Pradhan of the Indian Express criticises Virender Sehwag's team-mates in the Indian team for failing to support him adequately, which was illustrated during the ongoing second Test in Galle, when he contributed 201 in their first-innings total of 329.
But the story of Sehwag, the batsman, is not just a modern-day fable about hand-eye coordination, balance, the will to take risks, and the resolve to back yourself against any odds. There is a parallel story-line in which he is criticised for being reckless, the shortcomings in his technique are highlighted by experts in tacky e-stadiums on TV channels, and there’s a constant debate on how many times he has let India down by losing his head when he should have used it.
What hardly anyone talks about is how many times Sehwag has been let down by his own illustrious team mates after he’s handed them a Test match on a platter by providing them with the best platform they could’ve ever hoped for. Inevitably, instead of building on a blazing century-stand or a mammoth run-a-ball opening that should bolster the confidence of any middle-order batsman, India have crumbled under the weight of his runs.
July 30, 2008
The man who made Matara famous
Posted on 07/30/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
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The Matara Marauder
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Sandeep Dwivedi passes by Matara, famous for being the town Sanath Jayasuriya hails from, and he can't resist visiting the Sri Lankan batsman's home. More in the Indian Express.
Mother Breeda recalls her Tsunami experience to drive home the point. “I was in the market buying vegetables that day when the place got suddenly flooded. Somehow I got hold of a tree but I was losing my grip. Then I shouted, ‘I am Jayasuriya’s mother’, and soon I was rescued,” she says, with a smile on her face even as she narrates the harrowing experience of getting unconscious and being taken to a hospital in Colombo.
Dwivedi also speaks to Sri Lanka A coach Chandika Hathurusinghe on the transformation of Thilan Samaraweera, whose century perhaps went unnoticed at the SSC.
The man who changed Samarweera’s approach to the game happens to be the ‘A’ team coach, Chandika Hathurusinghe, who explains the turnaround. “Once when Samaraweera was dropped, I had asked the then Sri Lankan coach, Tom Moody, about what he could do to make a comeback. He had said Samaraweera needed to improve his strike rate,” said Hathurusinghe.
So before the start of the season, a target was set for the batsman. “Previously his strike rate was in the 30s and I asked him to get to about 60,” recalled the Lanka ‘A’ coach. Things changed as Samaraweera changed gears and more importantly retained his consistency. A call to the West Indies saw him continue his form.
July 28, 2008
Round the wicket works for Murali
Posted on 07/28/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
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Batsmen still can't master Muttiah Muralitharan
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Sandeep Dwivedi of the Indian Express analyses Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling in the first Test against India, and finds that most of his wickets came while bowling round the wicket. While Ajantha Mendis may have a bagful of tricks, Muralitharan too has managed to reinvent himself.
Sri Lanka A team coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, who was Murali’s first captain at the Tamil Union cricket club way back in the early 90s and a close friend till date, was instrumental in the bowler frequently changing his run-up route from the conservative ‘over the wicket’ a few years back. And with the referral system coming into play, the coach is delighted that the new path will get Murali more dividends
In the Hindustan Times, Anil Kumble reiterates that India weren't solely focussing on Mendis, and says the team needs to bounce back after a poor game. He doesn't blame the loss on lack of preparation:
People were raising questions about us not playing more warm-up matches before the Test series and our preparation but that was not the problem. What is crucial is attitude and character and we didn't show that in this Test match. We will come out strong, it's not as though all has been lost.
July 27, 2008
India entangled
Posted on 07/27/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
Supple wrists lost out to nimble fingers as Sri Lanka recorded their biggest win at home. In the Indian Express, Sandeep Dwivedi takes VVS Laxman as a case study on how the egos of several Indian batsmen went for a toss after facing Ajantha Mendis and Murali at the SSC.
In an instance, Laxman’s languid strokeplay was forgotten as he was made to look ugly. After beating Laxman repeatedly outside the off-stump with the away-going ball, Mendis bowled a loopy googly. As the ball sailed between the bat and pad of the confident-looking batsman, there was a new debate about the ‘ball of the match.’ The house was divided over which one was better: the leg-spinner that did Rahul Dravid in on Friday or the one that castled Laxman.
The new umpire review system could even things out between bat and ball and importantly, bring down batsmen's avarages. Read more in Times of India.
Umpires who feel pressurized not to raise their fingers with notable batsmen at the crease and succumb to the stress of appeals by top-rung aggressive bowlers will find life easier. There could, however, be a flip side to the story. The review system might tempt on-field umpires to keep their fingers in their pockets. Because they will be aware that the fielding team has the technological option of getting to the truth by themselves.
July 16, 2008
55,035 vs 1686
Posted on 07/16/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
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Not a bad trio: Sachin Tendulkar (11782 Test runs), Anil Kumble (608 wickets) and Virender Sehwag (4813 runs and two triple-hundreds)
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If wealth of cricketing experience was something that could have been deposited in banks, the cricketers from India and Sri Lanka would have formed the creamy layer of a Forbes list and their congregation at Colombo for the three-Test series would be akin to that corporate thing they have in Davos in January every year, writes Sandeep Dwivedi in the Indian Express.
Seven of the 11 active members in the 100-Test club are here and that includes the top four longest-serving present-day cricketers. Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble made their Test debuts in the late 80s or early 90s — that’s an era with which no other international team, besides India and Lanka, has any remote connection with. West Indies with 1994 debutant Shivanarine Chanderpaul in their side comes close, but that’s all.
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Even if one does a real needle-in-the-haystack kind of search, it will be tough to find a series where record-breakers will so frequently brush shoulders, where every other bat versus ball contest is a high-profile face-off with several layers of intrigue. The 55,035 vs 1686 is a kind of contest that has never happened before and the chances of it happening in the near future aren’t very bright either.
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