As the cricket world takes a break for a change, I got an opportunity to think about what has been going on with the teams and cricket in general. There have been a lot of changes, introduction of T-20, introduction of the review system in test matches (tried out in India vs SL series in SL) but topping all that is the change in leadership for most of the teams. Some have been impressive some have not, some might taste success and some might not. Here is what I think is happening with various teams and my thoughts on them.
Australia:
Aussies have been at the helm of the game in all forms of cricket (barring T-20) for quite some time now. Obviously they had the best players of all times in their team but with Warne, Mcgrath, Gilchrist and Langer gone, they are undergoing a rebuilding stage. Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke have been the backbone of their batting order both in Tests and ODIs with Ricky Ponting playing his best cricket in recent years. Also they have seen a lot more committed and sincere Symonds who has been an asset in the lower middle order. It is going to be difficult to find players to replace the legends but they are headed in the right direction. With Phil Jaques coming in for Langer, he has done pretty well thus far in the tests. He still has to be tested against good spin bowling but I think he will be a good opening batsman for Australia with some more experience under his belt. With Hayden having fitness troubles, one doubts whether he will be able to continue for a long time and hence the Aussie selectors need to find another opener (both in ODIs and Tests). They have tried Katich, who has been scoring tons of runs in their domestic circuit but has been a bit inconsistent at the international level. On the bowling front, they have not suffered a lot in the fast bowling department though. Bret Lee has had a meteoric rise and has handled the role of being the lead bowler for the Aussies admirably well. He has been prolific over the last 18 months and has been a big factor in helping Aussies to maintain their supremacy. And then comes the most important part, the captain, Ricky Ponting has enjoyed a very successful stint as the captain, with two ODI world cups and being the best in the test arena as well. But I think he is not a great captain, he has been found wanting in situations where Aussies have been in trouble. He seems to have very limited plans and runs out of ideas when he has to think quickly on his feet. He has been winning as he has had the best players in the side. The Aussie selectors do a commendable job in preparing for the future and have been grooming Michael Clarke as the next captain. He has taken to the responsibility really well and seems to be an exciting prospect to lead Aussies after Ponting's reign is over.
England:
England has had a very poor run in the recent past, both in ODIs as well as the Test matches. Especially when Michael Vaughan was the captain. He was indeed a good captain who had revived England but had nothing more to offer and was running out of ideas as captain. He failed to inspire the team and lost badly to NZ and SA. He was struggling for form with the bat as well which put added pressure on him and he failed to fight off that pressure and finally gave up the captaincy after the series against SA was lost. He could be back as a batsman if he regains his form with the bat, provided his dodgy knees hold on. Flintoff has made yet another comeback and this time it seems he is going to be fit for a while. He has had the frustration of having the same ankle trouble again and again but with the recent performances in Tests and ODIs against SA it seems he is back to his best and is enjoying playing cricket. Ian Bell has been doing well recently and has been a lot more consistent providing solidarity in the middle order. The top order seems settled with Cook and Strauss in the tests. They still need to find a batsman who can fill up the gap at No. 3 in the ODIs. Flintoff has been bowling really well, his spell against Kallis was superb and rejuvinated the England side providing them a much needed boost. And the most important thing to have happened to England - Captaincy for Kevin Peitersen. He has brought a much needed confidence and arrogance to his side. He has been able to inspire the team well and it seems that England now takes the field with only one thing in mind - to win. Peitersen has always been confident about himself and perhaps that has rubbed on to his team. He has backed Harmison to the hilt giving him confidence, and even talking him out of retirement from the ODIs. Harmison has returned the favor by delivering a much improved performance against SA. He took the old ball in the ODIs which I think is best for him. Anderson and Broad have been doing decent job with the new ball with Flintoff and Harmison being the first and second change bowlers. KP has also placed confidence in Owais Shah who has been in and out of the side due to incosistant performances and also limited opportunities. KP has promised him a longer stint and it seems to have worked for now. This means its worrying times for Paul Collingwood as he has not been missed at all in the ODIs and perhaps it is going to be hard for him to keep his place. Peitersen himself has been playing brilliantly with no signs of his batting being affected by the added burden of captaincy. In fact it seems to have challenged him and he always meets the challenges head on. Thats the nature of the beast. Hoefully, the success will continue for some time and England will prove to be a good test for Aussies in the upcoming Ashes.
South Africa:
South Africa has been the second best team for a while, behind Australia. The Proteas took a gamble with Graeme Smith as the captain and the gamble has paid off in grand style. They have enjoyed success in the tests but have been facing problem in ODIs ever since the retirement of Shaun Pollock. Smith has been good with the bat, leading from the front, scoring a match winning ton against England to finally get the elusive test series victory. Hashim Amla seems to have settled well into the no.3 position in the tests and has been quite consistent off late. He had a really good series in India. Kallis like Dravid for India, has been struggling for form off late. This year has been really bad for him. But it was bound to happen as the current poor form has come after almost a decade of relentless run scoring. He has been like a run scoring machine in the last decade, and this poor form only proves that he is human. I am sure he will fight back hard, he put in extra effort in his bowling to compensate with the poor form with the bat. He was the most successful bowler in the recently concluded series against England. Talking of bowling, Ntini has been the mainstay of the SA attack for the past decade but the age has started to catch up on him. He has lost a few yards in pace and has been a lot less penetrative than SA would have liked. Morne Morkel seems an exciting prospect and promises to be a long term prospect for SA. They have enjoyed the success of their new pace sensation - Dale Steyn. He has been the most successful fast bowler in the tests and has been consistant thus far. If Ntini manages to get back to his best then the opening pair can be quite a handful for the rest of the teams. The proteas are immensely missing Shaun Pollock, specially in the ODIs as he was their stock bowler who could choke up the runs. It has been a huge setback for them and Morkel has to work a lot harder to fill that gap. The form of AB deVilliers seems to be a problem as well. He is a good talent but has been very inconsistent. He did score a big hundred in the recent test series, but needs to be a lot more consistent for SA to keep being competitive in the near future. Boucher has been a great servant for the Proteas and continues to be a good contributor with the bat, although not quite in the league of Adam Gilchrist, he gives the same value to the team as Gilly did for Aussies. And finally, the captain Graeme Smith. He has handled the captaincy really well and has managed to avoid the added burden to affect his batting. In fact, he has regained his form and has been their best batsman recently, leading from the front. The tennis elbow however has been a set back, but that gives him the opportunity to take a break and focus on the series against the Aussies.
Sri Lanka:
Lanka have been doing quite well off late. The main reason being the super success of their 'Mystery Bowler' Ajantha Mendis. Batmen have struggled to pick him up and he along with Murali have been to much to handle for the batsmen on the subcontinent pitches. It will be interesting to see though, how effective Mendis will be on overseas wickets where the pitches don't offer any turn. Will SL give preference to Mendis over Murali on pitches outside Subcontinent, as playing two spinners in side will be a remote possibility on such pitches. It will be interesting times for the selectors and the management. Sri Lanka has been fortunate that the role of captaincy seems to have helped Mahela Jayawardene's batting as well. The additional responsibility has made him a lot more consistent batsman and he has been their leading batsman for the past few years along with Kumar Sangakara. They are still sorting out their top order in tests as well as the ODIs while Jayasuriya's career is nearing its end, his recent form has been good. They have a bunch of new bowlers but none seem to be exceptional. Lastih Malinga has been struggling with injuries since the WC and has been out of the squad. Vaas is towards the fag end of his illustrious career for SL. He has been a great servant for SL cricket and recently joined the 400 club in the ODIs, being only the 4th bowler to do so. Over all, I think SL will do well in Subcontinent where they can play 2 spinners in the team but will continue to struggle overseas. Unless they find a good pair of fast bowlers to share the new ball, it is going to be a tough period for them in the near future.
New Zealand:
New Zealand has always amazed me with their competitiveness. They have such a small pool of cricketers and still they keep on being a competitive side and give the best sides a run for their money. Daniel Vettori has been a decent captain thus far. It has been a really tough task for him to take over from Stephen Flemming, one of the best captains they have produced. But he has taken to the responsibility well and has improved on his batting to become a handy lower order batsman. His bowling has been as reliable as ever and being a spinner he has backed Jetan Patel to be his spin partner when the pitches have favored the spinners. Batting has been their main concern though, with Hamish Marshal quitting and no Flemming, their batting is their biggest weakness. Jacob Oram has been struggling for form adding to their troubles. On the bowling front, Chirs Martin and Kyle Mills have been doing a decent job with no services from Bond available anymore. Tim Southee has been their new star with the ball, coming in from the under-19 ranks and making a good impression at the highest level. Jessie Ryder seems to be an exciting prospect as well, but he needs to overcome his disciplinary problems to make his stay a longer one. Their best batsman, Ross Taylor, has loads of talent and can be in the same league as Martin Crowe, but needs to work hard on his concentration and temperament to be more consistent and hold up the NZ batting line together. In all, I think they will continue to compete as they have been doing for a long time.
West Indies:
West Indies really been struggling since their glory days. They have sliding down in the rankings and with lack of investment and basic infrastructure for developing the game they once ruled, it has been really sad to see them in such a state. However, things have started to look up a bit, with a small flash of light at the end of the tunnel. Shivnarain Chanderpaul has been Bradmanesque in the recent months and has tried his best to fill in the void created by Lara's retirement. He has been supported well by Ramnaresh Sarwan and these two form the backbone of Windies middle order. At the top Chirs Gayle has been doing well and his presence makes the team feel a lot more stronger. While Dwayne Bravo has been their best player, a true all rounder, contributing with the bat, ball and in the field. He provides the spark in the side. Another one to have joined him recently is Xavier Marshal. He fearlessness had caught Ausies off guard, him going after Bret Lee was a rare site to see and the ploy coming good was even more joyful to watch. He seems to be of the Virender Sehwag mould, who really doesn't care abt the situation and just trusts his style of play to take him through. If he comes good and manages to stay focused he can easily be their next star player. On the bowling side, Taylor and Edwards have started to settle down into their roles in the test arena, while Darren Powell seems to be settled in the ODI squad to support Taylor. However their is no backup and if anyone gets injured, it is very difficult for Windies to put up a fight against top teams. I think they are heading in the right direction but the selectors need to get over the politics and sponsorship struggles to keep up the rebuilding of the team and move in the direction of regaining the old glory days.
India:
India has had one of their worst batting displays in a test series in the subcontinent since I don't know when. The great India middle order was referred to as a Muddle Order for the lack of application and pathetic failures against the spin duo of Mendis and Murali. Even the hugely experienced Dravid, Sachin and Ganguly struggled to solve the mystery of Mendis and threw in the towel rather tamely, to much chagrin of the Indian fans. And the fact that the young ODI side was able to adapt to the spin duo without the experience has done the work of adding the fuel to the speculation that a change is needed in the test side. I agree that the change needs to happen, no doubt, but is it the right time to do so? Not quite. India should rely on the Famous Four to pull up their socks and show their class against the mighty Aussies in the home series. It will also give them the opportunity to redeem themselves and also the time to think about their future plans. I will not be surprised if one or two seniors announces his retirement after the Aussie series. However, if there is no improvement then the selectors need to look towards the change. The chief selector, Dilip Vengsarkar, admirably, has admitted that some of the youngsters are ready for test cricket. It is a big statement to make, hopefully, it will shake up the Fab Four and we will be able to see a much better performance from them. The selectors need to blood in the players once in a while to give them a feel for what lies ahead for them. This can be done by resting the senior players against the minnows or even when playing a dead rubber. I feel Yuvraj Singh needs to be given the same treatment as Veeru, Ganguly and Zaheer to make him work hard and ask him to make atrocious statements about his future plans. He talks about being a regular in the test team by the end of this year, while I see him struggling to keep his place even in the ODI side. If only the desire to be in the test team for India was a criterion for selection then I would not have been sitting here and writing this blog! Trust me. India has Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and S. Badrinath as the fringe players who have been doing well recently. I believe the selectors have not done justice to Badrinath for all the hard work he has been doing for the past three years. He has been among the top scorers in the domestic circuit and really deserved a test call up. He has been ignored and Yuvraj has been given chances, which he has been sqaundering again and again. On the bowling front, Ishant Sharma should get better with experience, he really toiled hard on the dead Lankan pitches and bent his back to help India to win the second test. I was heartening to see that. Zaheer was ordinary in the tests but gained his rhythm in the ODIs. In fact all the bowlers bowled well in the ODIs. Munaf was perfect as the first change, I think he needs to be backed up and given confidence. He really can be a good ODI bowler for India, if groomed well. The biggest concern for India is in the spin bowling department. It is a surprise as India have always been good in that department. With Kumble towards the end of a stellar career, Harbhajn Singh is pitted as the lead spinner for India in the future. That is worrying me the most. Harbhajan has become more of a ODI bowler and has lost his magic in the tests. His loop is long gone, with the trajectory getting flatter and the speed getting quicker. He has been consistently inconsistent, and get a 5-for only if the opposition batsmen help by playing rash shots and the pitch is a square turner. Hopefully, Pagyan Ojha or Piyush Chawla will be able to raise their standards and help fill in the big hole that will be created once Kumble retires. On the captaincy front, the choice is easy. Dhoni has been amazing, he has a great understanding of the game and he backs his instincts. He also has amazingly adapted to the need of the hour by bringing himself up the order and curbing his natural instincts to pummel the bowlers. He has managed to to so without having to compromise on the rate at which he scores the runs. He runs hard and takes plenty of singles and twos when offered. He has been a true blessing for Indian Cricket. He has been able to inspire the youngsters in the side and backs them to the hilt. Virat Kohli's call up to the ODI team was a surprise, no doubt, even I thought it to be an outrageous move, but Dhoni backed him and gave him the confidence which he has repaid well till now. India may also have to look back at Mohd. Kaif to get in some experience in the test squad for the future. He needs to grab the opportunity with both hands and needs to give consistent good performances in the domestic season to be considered for the opportunity that is sure to present itself in the near future. I hope that selectors will not look at the short term results and take the bold, but right decisions.
Pakistan:
There is really nothing to write about them. I just wonder how they are able to play cricket when the whole country is in such a mess. Really amazing!
Australia:
Aussies have been at the helm of the game in all forms of cricket (barring T-20) for quite some time now. Obviously they had the best players of all times in their team but with Warne, Mcgrath, Gilchrist and Langer gone, they are undergoing a rebuilding stage. Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke have been the backbone of their batting order both in Tests and ODIs with Ricky Ponting playing his best cricket in recent years. Also they have seen a lot more committed and sincere Symonds who has been an asset in the lower middle order. It is going to be difficult to find players to replace the legends but they are headed in the right direction. With Phil Jaques coming in for Langer, he has done pretty well thus far in the tests. He still has to be tested against good spin bowling but I think he will be a good opening batsman for Australia with some more experience under his belt. With Hayden having fitness troubles, one doubts whether he will be able to continue for a long time and hence the Aussie selectors need to find another opener (both in ODIs and Tests). They have tried Katich, who has been scoring tons of runs in their domestic circuit but has been a bit inconsistent at the international level. On the bowling front, they have not suffered a lot in the fast bowling department though. Bret Lee has had a meteoric rise and has handled the role of being the lead bowler for the Aussies admirably well. He has been prolific over the last 18 months and has been a big factor in helping Aussies to maintain their supremacy. And then comes the most important part, the captain, Ricky Ponting has enjoyed a very successful stint as the captain, with two ODI world cups and being the best in the test arena as well. But I think he is not a great captain, he has been found wanting in situations where Aussies have been in trouble. He seems to have very limited plans and runs out of ideas when he has to think quickly on his feet. He has been winning as he has had the best players in the side. The Aussie selectors do a commendable job in preparing for the future and have been grooming Michael Clarke as the next captain. He has taken to the responsibility really well and seems to be an exciting prospect to lead Aussies after Ponting's reign is over.
England:
England has had a very poor run in the recent past, both in ODIs as well as the Test matches. Especially when Michael Vaughan was the captain. He was indeed a good captain who had revived England but had nothing more to offer and was running out of ideas as captain. He failed to inspire the team and lost badly to NZ and SA. He was struggling for form with the bat as well which put added pressure on him and he failed to fight off that pressure and finally gave up the captaincy after the series against SA was lost. He could be back as a batsman if he regains his form with the bat, provided his dodgy knees hold on. Flintoff has made yet another comeback and this time it seems he is going to be fit for a while. He has had the frustration of having the same ankle trouble again and again but with the recent performances in Tests and ODIs against SA it seems he is back to his best and is enjoying playing cricket. Ian Bell has been doing well recently and has been a lot more consistent providing solidarity in the middle order. The top order seems settled with Cook and Strauss in the tests. They still need to find a batsman who can fill up the gap at No. 3 in the ODIs. Flintoff has been bowling really well, his spell against Kallis was superb and rejuvinated the England side providing them a much needed boost. And the most important thing to have happened to England - Captaincy for Kevin Peitersen. He has brought a much needed confidence and arrogance to his side. He has been able to inspire the team well and it seems that England now takes the field with only one thing in mind - to win. Peitersen has always been confident about himself and perhaps that has rubbed on to his team. He has backed Harmison to the hilt giving him confidence, and even talking him out of retirement from the ODIs. Harmison has returned the favor by delivering a much improved performance against SA. He took the old ball in the ODIs which I think is best for him. Anderson and Broad have been doing decent job with the new ball with Flintoff and Harmison being the first and second change bowlers. KP has also placed confidence in Owais Shah who has been in and out of the side due to incosistant performances and also limited opportunities. KP has promised him a longer stint and it seems to have worked for now. This means its worrying times for Paul Collingwood as he has not been missed at all in the ODIs and perhaps it is going to be hard for him to keep his place. Peitersen himself has been playing brilliantly with no signs of his batting being affected by the added burden of captaincy. In fact it seems to have challenged him and he always meets the challenges head on. Thats the nature of the beast. Hoefully, the success will continue for some time and England will prove to be a good test for Aussies in the upcoming Ashes.
South Africa:
South Africa has been the second best team for a while, behind Australia. The Proteas took a gamble with Graeme Smith as the captain and the gamble has paid off in grand style. They have enjoyed success in the tests but have been facing problem in ODIs ever since the retirement of Shaun Pollock. Smith has been good with the bat, leading from the front, scoring a match winning ton against England to finally get the elusive test series victory. Hashim Amla seems to have settled well into the no.3 position in the tests and has been quite consistent off late. He had a really good series in India. Kallis like Dravid for India, has been struggling for form off late. This year has been really bad for him. But it was bound to happen as the current poor form has come after almost a decade of relentless run scoring. He has been like a run scoring machine in the last decade, and this poor form only proves that he is human. I am sure he will fight back hard, he put in extra effort in his bowling to compensate with the poor form with the bat. He was the most successful bowler in the recently concluded series against England. Talking of bowling, Ntini has been the mainstay of the SA attack for the past decade but the age has started to catch up on him. He has lost a few yards in pace and has been a lot less penetrative than SA would have liked. Morne Morkel seems an exciting prospect and promises to be a long term prospect for SA. They have enjoyed the success of their new pace sensation - Dale Steyn. He has been the most successful fast bowler in the tests and has been consistant thus far. If Ntini manages to get back to his best then the opening pair can be quite a handful for the rest of the teams. The proteas are immensely missing Shaun Pollock, specially in the ODIs as he was their stock bowler who could choke up the runs. It has been a huge setback for them and Morkel has to work a lot harder to fill that gap. The form of AB deVilliers seems to be a problem as well. He is a good talent but has been very inconsistent. He did score a big hundred in the recent test series, but needs to be a lot more consistent for SA to keep being competitive in the near future. Boucher has been a great servant for the Proteas and continues to be a good contributor with the bat, although not quite in the league of Adam Gilchrist, he gives the same value to the team as Gilly did for Aussies. And finally, the captain Graeme Smith. He has handled the captaincy really well and has managed to avoid the added burden to affect his batting. In fact, he has regained his form and has been their best batsman recently, leading from the front. The tennis elbow however has been a set back, but that gives him the opportunity to take a break and focus on the series against the Aussies.
Sri Lanka:
Lanka have been doing quite well off late. The main reason being the super success of their 'Mystery Bowler' Ajantha Mendis. Batmen have struggled to pick him up and he along with Murali have been to much to handle for the batsmen on the subcontinent pitches. It will be interesting to see though, how effective Mendis will be on overseas wickets where the pitches don't offer any turn. Will SL give preference to Mendis over Murali on pitches outside Subcontinent, as playing two spinners in side will be a remote possibility on such pitches. It will be interesting times for the selectors and the management. Sri Lanka has been fortunate that the role of captaincy seems to have helped Mahela Jayawardene's batting as well. The additional responsibility has made him a lot more consistent batsman and he has been their leading batsman for the past few years along with Kumar Sangakara. They are still sorting out their top order in tests as well as the ODIs while Jayasuriya's career is nearing its end, his recent form has been good. They have a bunch of new bowlers but none seem to be exceptional. Lastih Malinga has been struggling with injuries since the WC and has been out of the squad. Vaas is towards the fag end of his illustrious career for SL. He has been a great servant for SL cricket and recently joined the 400 club in the ODIs, being only the 4th bowler to do so. Over all, I think SL will do well in Subcontinent where they can play 2 spinners in the team but will continue to struggle overseas. Unless they find a good pair of fast bowlers to share the new ball, it is going to be a tough period for them in the near future.
New Zealand:
New Zealand has always amazed me with their competitiveness. They have such a small pool of cricketers and still they keep on being a competitive side and give the best sides a run for their money. Daniel Vettori has been a decent captain thus far. It has been a really tough task for him to take over from Stephen Flemming, one of the best captains they have produced. But he has taken to the responsibility well and has improved on his batting to become a handy lower order batsman. His bowling has been as reliable as ever and being a spinner he has backed Jetan Patel to be his spin partner when the pitches have favored the spinners. Batting has been their main concern though, with Hamish Marshal quitting and no Flemming, their batting is their biggest weakness. Jacob Oram has been struggling for form adding to their troubles. On the bowling front, Chirs Martin and Kyle Mills have been doing a decent job with no services from Bond available anymore. Tim Southee has been their new star with the ball, coming in from the under-19 ranks and making a good impression at the highest level. Jessie Ryder seems to be an exciting prospect as well, but he needs to overcome his disciplinary problems to make his stay a longer one. Their best batsman, Ross Taylor, has loads of talent and can be in the same league as Martin Crowe, but needs to work hard on his concentration and temperament to be more consistent and hold up the NZ batting line together. In all, I think they will continue to compete as they have been doing for a long time.
West Indies:
West Indies really been struggling since their glory days. They have sliding down in the rankings and with lack of investment and basic infrastructure for developing the game they once ruled, it has been really sad to see them in such a state. However, things have started to look up a bit, with a small flash of light at the end of the tunnel. Shivnarain Chanderpaul has been Bradmanesque in the recent months and has tried his best to fill in the void created by Lara's retirement. He has been supported well by Ramnaresh Sarwan and these two form the backbone of Windies middle order. At the top Chirs Gayle has been doing well and his presence makes the team feel a lot more stronger. While Dwayne Bravo has been their best player, a true all rounder, contributing with the bat, ball and in the field. He provides the spark in the side. Another one to have joined him recently is Xavier Marshal. He fearlessness had caught Ausies off guard, him going after Bret Lee was a rare site to see and the ploy coming good was even more joyful to watch. He seems to be of the Virender Sehwag mould, who really doesn't care abt the situation and just trusts his style of play to take him through. If he comes good and manages to stay focused he can easily be their next star player. On the bowling side, Taylor and Edwards have started to settle down into their roles in the test arena, while Darren Powell seems to be settled in the ODI squad to support Taylor. However their is no backup and if anyone gets injured, it is very difficult for Windies to put up a fight against top teams. I think they are heading in the right direction but the selectors need to get over the politics and sponsorship struggles to keep up the rebuilding of the team and move in the direction of regaining the old glory days.
India:
India has had one of their worst batting displays in a test series in the subcontinent since I don't know when. The great India middle order was referred to as a Muddle Order for the lack of application and pathetic failures against the spin duo of Mendis and Murali. Even the hugely experienced Dravid, Sachin and Ganguly struggled to solve the mystery of Mendis and threw in the towel rather tamely, to much chagrin of the Indian fans. And the fact that the young ODI side was able to adapt to the spin duo without the experience has done the work of adding the fuel to the speculation that a change is needed in the test side. I agree that the change needs to happen, no doubt, but is it the right time to do so? Not quite. India should rely on the Famous Four to pull up their socks and show their class against the mighty Aussies in the home series. It will also give them the opportunity to redeem themselves and also the time to think about their future plans. I will not be surprised if one or two seniors announces his retirement after the Aussie series. However, if there is no improvement then the selectors need to look towards the change. The chief selector, Dilip Vengsarkar, admirably, has admitted that some of the youngsters are ready for test cricket. It is a big statement to make, hopefully, it will shake up the Fab Four and we will be able to see a much better performance from them. The selectors need to blood in the players once in a while to give them a feel for what lies ahead for them. This can be done by resting the senior players against the minnows or even when playing a dead rubber. I feel Yuvraj Singh needs to be given the same treatment as Veeru, Ganguly and Zaheer to make him work hard and ask him to make atrocious statements about his future plans. He talks about being a regular in the test team by the end of this year, while I see him struggling to keep his place even in the ODI side. If only the desire to be in the test team for India was a criterion for selection then I would not have been sitting here and writing this blog! Trust me. India has Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and S. Badrinath as the fringe players who have been doing well recently. I believe the selectors have not done justice to Badrinath for all the hard work he has been doing for the past three years. He has been among the top scorers in the domestic circuit and really deserved a test call up. He has been ignored and Yuvraj has been given chances, which he has been sqaundering again and again. On the bowling front, Ishant Sharma should get better with experience, he really toiled hard on the dead Lankan pitches and bent his back to help India to win the second test. I was heartening to see that. Zaheer was ordinary in the tests but gained his rhythm in the ODIs. In fact all the bowlers bowled well in the ODIs. Munaf was perfect as the first change, I think he needs to be backed up and given confidence. He really can be a good ODI bowler for India, if groomed well. The biggest concern for India is in the spin bowling department. It is a surprise as India have always been good in that department. With Kumble towards the end of a stellar career, Harbhajn Singh is pitted as the lead spinner for India in the future. That is worrying me the most. Harbhajan has become more of a ODI bowler and has lost his magic in the tests. His loop is long gone, with the trajectory getting flatter and the speed getting quicker. He has been consistently inconsistent, and get a 5-for only if the opposition batsmen help by playing rash shots and the pitch is a square turner. Hopefully, Pagyan Ojha or Piyush Chawla will be able to raise their standards and help fill in the big hole that will be created once Kumble retires. On the captaincy front, the choice is easy. Dhoni has been amazing, he has a great understanding of the game and he backs his instincts. He also has amazingly adapted to the need of the hour by bringing himself up the order and curbing his natural instincts to pummel the bowlers. He has managed to to so without having to compromise on the rate at which he scores the runs. He runs hard and takes plenty of singles and twos when offered. He has been a true blessing for Indian Cricket. He has been able to inspire the youngsters in the side and backs them to the hilt. Virat Kohli's call up to the ODI team was a surprise, no doubt, even I thought it to be an outrageous move, but Dhoni backed him and gave him the confidence which he has repaid well till now. India may also have to look back at Mohd. Kaif to get in some experience in the test squad for the future. He needs to grab the opportunity with both hands and needs to give consistent good performances in the domestic season to be considered for the opportunity that is sure to present itself in the near future. I hope that selectors will not look at the short term results and take the bold, but right decisions.
Pakistan:
There is really nothing to write about them. I just wonder how they are able to play cricket when the whole country is in such a mess. Really amazing!
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