Watching Cricket in my life...

Dravid & Dhoni to the front - 1st Day at Motera 2009

2009-11-16T19:15:00.003+05:30

India had played only three test matches in the entire year - evidence was seen in the first hour itself when the scoreboard read 32 for 4. Swing bowling that attacked the stumps combined with lack of footwork from the batsmen meant that the top-order was gone in no time. The only batsmen in the top-order who had played well in a longer version of the game in recent time, never mind the domestic Ranji Trophy, could hold his place at the crease.

The Indian team was also distracted probably by trivia (Sachin Tendulkar playing his first match in his 21st year) - the batsmen didnt need any fielder or keeper to support the bowler in his wickets. Three bowled and one lbw meant that the feet were not moving properly. The last ODI at Gauwahati had shown this failing recently - the Lankan bowlers had done their homework and delivered successfully. Sri Lanka missed their frontline but probably it was a good miss - they repeated the success of the Australian second-string bowlers - maybe that is the key, as one reader on Cricinfo mentioned. Rest your front-line bowlers and the Indians will have no way of finding out the plans of the new bowlers (with no footage nor video analysis). They were definitely caught off-guard.

Murali was still far away from the bowling crease when the first four wickets fell - even when he came on, he hardly troubled the batsmen except for Yuvraj. Rangana Herath was attacked from the word go - the Indians obviously did not want to give him the confidence very early in the game. The opening bowlers did not make any impact after the opening spell. Murali and Herath had to bowl long spells that could restrain the batsmen from making more than what they finally did. Couple of balls kept low - this would be interesting for the rest of the match. Ominous signs for Sri Lanka.

Rahul Dravid had played positively and his strike-rate (as good as MS Dhoni's strike-rate) definitely showed the signs of a huge innings looming large. In the course of the day, he managed to become the fifth highest scorer in test matches. It has been a good comeback by Rahul, considering that many had written him off the same time last year. This knock will emphasise what a great asset he is to test cricket in large, not just Indian cricket. The world record of number of century partnerships is testimony to the fact that Rahul is the perfect team-man. Yuvraj Singh gave him company and threatened to go beserk after lunch, until he got out to a soft dismissal.

MS Dhoni can be considered to be India's Rahul Dravid in ODI matches. So, when both of them came to the crease, it was cricket at its best - concise & without any risks. Strike-rotation at its best. MSD had changed his game to match that of Rahul Dravid in the ODIs - following the same approach was very important in this situation and he did it convincingly. Thus, the run-rate for most of the day was never less than four - a good one considering the initial collapse. MSD's batting record as a captain continued with this century - he averages more than 50 as a captain in test matches - obvious proof that he relishes the additional responsibilities.

Dhoni's dismissal in the last session gave some hope to the Sri Lankans - otherwise, both Dravid and Dhoni were on their way to a huge score. Harbhajan and the tail should provide support to Rahul Dravid tomorrow so that the Indians can add a further 100 to the team total - this will put the match beyond Sri Lanka's reach.

The scorecard below shows the number of sessions that each side 'won' in the day's play. We will keep track of this during the five days of the match to see who is expected to win. Typically, a side needs to win a minimum of 7 or 8 sessions to win a test match. What happens here will be interesting.

Sachin after 20 years

2009-11-13T21:47:00.004+05:30

Sachin Tendulkar after 20 years in the international arena, is at a stage of his career where he does not have to prove anything. His career has to be celebrated in a way his rivals feel proud of. From the time he stepped on the ground as a 16-year old to this moment, he has been a picture of great dignity. There is nothing for him to do anything more on the field - a World Cup win, yes. But, obviously, he needs help from the other 10 players also.

There are various tributes that are being done across the country - I have done my tribute in a way I feel appropriate.

The Best 5 knocks in test matches and ODIs have been identified accompanied by links, pictures and videos wherever available.

Test Matches
SRT-tests

Youtube Playlist - Very interesting to see that except one match in my Top 5, all matches have resulted in a loss or a drawn match.

ODIs
SRT-ODIs

Youtube Playlist

Suggest that all of you also share your best knocks and let me know your thoughts so that I can update the list.

Let us enjoy the 20 years of the legend.

PS - If there are any issues, please drop in a mail at madhusudan.gr at gmail.com

Indian test team announced for Srilanka series

2009-11-10T21:13:00.004+05:30

The Selection Committee announced the squad for the India-SriLanka test series. Couple of surprises in the squad

Sreesanth - Why he is in the team is a big suspense? He has played just one match (Irani Trophy) after his county stint. Of course, one more Ranji match where he didnt get any wickets. More than his form, his temper and temperament is a big question. Of course, if Zaheer and Ishant back & 3 spinners in the squad, he will be a backup option.
Vijay - Maybe the selectors want to give him more big-match experience as well as backup for any injury scares to Sehwag and Gambhir.
Badrinath - Similarly, backup option to the middle-order. Dont think he will play as well.

3 of the squad have no chances to play the test match in normal course.

The choice of spinners - there are 3 of them - will be Harbhajan and Amit Mishra. Though, I would prefer Pragyan Ojha instead. Looks like he will be the one dropped.

The Indian team would start as the favorites - for that, they will have to leave the Oz series debacle behind.

Match and Series to Australia

2009-11-08T12:57:00.011+05:30

The Indian team was eager to draw level with the Aussies at the beginning of the 6th ODI at Gauwahati. MS Dhoni took the bold decision to bat first on a surface that looked like it would give the bowlers some early support (as well as the early start) only for his batsmen to give up their wickets. MSD, in his pre-match session, had mentioned that he was not looking too far about the series. In fact, after the match, he need not look anywhere but his team. Inept batting performance cost the team the Mohali match while chasing.

Sehwag and Gambhir were beaten by the swing, Sachin and Yuvraj by the bounce. Raina couldnt keep his chip-shot down and India were staring at a sub-50 score!!!

MSD, just like he had done earlier against the West Indies, along with Ravinder Jadeja set up about repairing the innings until a bad decision by the umpire sent him back. Praveen Kumar, like he has been doing this series, made his batting count. In fact, he took the score to 170, more than anyone would have imagined at the beginning. Doug Bollinger bowled well to pick up 5 wickets - India continued their tradition to give debutants very good chances to create an instant impact.

Australia, for a change, missed couple of half-chances and one clear catch (of Praveen Kumar). They also seemed to have missed a trick to get the Indian batsmen out quicker than they eventually did. Even then, they had the match (and the series) in their pocket.

The wicket, though, had seemed to have eased out and India's fielding was 2 short (Munaf and Ashish Nehra are notorious for their bad fielding - batsmen know how to convert ones to twos if the ball goes in their direction). The score required was probably 50 runs less. The only way to win the match was get quick and early wickets.

The opening bowlers could not get any more than the wicket of Shaun Marsh. Harbhajan came to the attack and dismissed Watson and Ponting. But, the runs were obviously less to defend. The wicket of Cameron White came too late in the game to make any difference.

This series showed that the Oz team was far ahead of the Indians in the mental game - what with missing most of their first-choice players and still finishing ahead of the Indians. The Indians obviously can learn a lot by watching their opponents and apply it to their game. The upcoming series against Sri Lanka will show whether they have learned or not.

Lessons from the Hyderabad ODI

2009-11-06T13:34:00.002+05:30

The Indians lost yet again in the ongoing India v Australia series by a close margin in Hyderabad. Despite Sachin Tendulkar’s pyrotechnics, the Indians could not get their 3^rd win in the series.

It panned out in such a way that Praveen Kumar was trying yet again (thrice in this series has he tried and failed) to single-handedly take India through the finishing line. Shane Watson proved to be the thorn in India’s flesh, just like Mohali.

Where did India fail then? 2 Australian actions on view were very interesting to watch:

The run-out of Ravinder Jadeja. Forget the young man’s suicidal tendencies to run for anything and everything. The ball went to Cameron White and he could have tried to become a hero by throwing down the stumps. Instead, he reduced the chances of failing to almost none by throwing it to the bowler Clint McKay who was doing the right job by running to the stumps.
The run-out of Praveen Kumar that ended the match. Nathan Hauritz fielded the ball cleanly and threw the ball to the gloves of Manou before PK could reach the crease. There were no fumbles by both the players involved.

Both these actions showed that in pressure, the Australian team could think straight and clean. This is essentially the difference between winning and losing. Probably, this is what MS Dhoni was referring to, in his post-match conference. Obviously, talent and temperament are other factors that matter in a close battle like this, as well. But, the ability to do their tasks (fielding, deciding where to throw the ball back) is something that the Aussies do better (even if it was a debutant like McKay).

SRT should be praised for the great innings he played last night but the innings was destined to end as the 3^rd highest score in a losing cause. The fact that Sachin has six of the top seven scores in a losing cause says something – obviously, lack of support at the other end (like yesterday) would be the first reason. One only hopes that Sachin will get enough reasons to celebrate his records in the near future, if his team-mates can learn from the master innings that was on show in Hyderabad.

The fact that Australia could put up a score of 350 itself is reason for worry. Agreed that the pitch was doing nothing – but this was the same pitch where Harbhajan Singh and Shane Watson bowled with discipline.

For the next match, what should MSD do?

Ask his team to field in the same way that they have done the last 2 matches,
Start taking their catches,
Replace Munaf Patel with Amit Mishra. The Aussies have not been able to score against the spinners as much as they have against the faster bowlers. Why not pack the bowling with spin options?
Suggest the batsmen to make their starts count, especially Viru Sehwag. Also, the batsmen should ensure that they stay at the crease till the last ball is delivered. No point in getting out before the overs are exhausted.

Lets hope the Indians come back in the next match and make the final ODI meaningful.

PS – One day earlier to the match, 12-year-old Sarfaraz Khan blasted 439, the highest individual score ever made in the Harris Shield tournament (best known for the 664-run stand in 1988 that brought Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli into the limelight). Is there a future Sachin in the horizon? Maybe not – check this piece.

The fight between T20 and ODI

2009-11-02T21:20:00.002+05:30

The current ODI series is good advertisement for ODI format. Strike One definitely to ODI. Let us see how it pan outs as the series progresses.

GoAnimate.com: T20 vs ODI by madhugr

T20 and ODI discussion goes on…

MSD and Yuvraj see India through

2009-11-01T10:54:00.002+05:30

Fantastic innings from MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh took India through to the winning line in the Delhi ODI against Australia.

A big partnership made sure that there were no hiccups at the end of the innings. The two (coincidentally ranked No.1 and 2 in the ICC Rankings) played a wonderfully paced innings which took the match away from the Aussies.

The Aussies had packed their bowling so much that the batting depended on Ricky Ponting, Shane Watson and Michael Hussey heavily. That they responded well meant that the wickets were in hand when the slog overs started. But, the Indian bowlers (slow ones - especially the part-timers) pegged them back every time they threatened to explode.

Ravinder Jadeja looks much better than the main spin bowler of India - Harbhajan Singh. Probably, it is a better idea to rest Bhajji for some matches - that will give him time off to look at how he is bowling. Yuvraj Singh, especially this year, has been doing well as a bowler and this match was no different.

Sachin and Sehwag started off cautiously - in fact, Sachin was outscoring Viru most of the time. Finally, it was the magic of MSD and Yuvi that took India through.

The pitch was slow but that is probably good for the variety of ODI matches. This was a low-scoring match compared to the ones usually played on Indian soil. It gave both the batsmen and bowlers equal support.

The Indians adapted better to the conditions and the wicket, as Ponting admitted. Ponting was also trying to hint that the umpires were not that great (given that both of them were Indians). But, it was very clear that the performances of the players backed their rankings in international cricket - a truly champagne performance.

Indo-Australian series ensures ODI revival

2009-10-31T09:29:00.002+05:30

If the 2 formats of cricket (ODI and T20) were boxing rivals, the current series between India and Australia would definitely ensure that the ODI format wins the bout hands-down.

The lower-order fight-back in the first ODI was something that can be witnessed only in the ODIs. T20 doesn't allow such luxuries. The fluctuation of fortunes of the two teams was worth watching. Similarly, the way MSD and Gautam played the ideal one-day game in the second ODI was interesting.

MSD in the post-match ceremony (after the 2nd ODI) mentioned that it is a five-match series now. It is not so straight-forward as that. The Indian team is in a much better state than what it was at the beginning of the series whereas the Australian team have gone down with withdrawls.

Brett Lee is the latest casualty in the Aussie camp after Tim Paine went back from India.

Ricky Ponting seems to be upset with the practice pitches at the Kotla - is it a way of representing his frustration?

The pitch will be key - India holds the advantage as the slow and low pitch will help its spinners and part-timers. Can MSD anchor another Indian win?

Deccan Chargers shut out by TT

2009-10-15T21:43:00.002+05:30

R-B Chart

R-BpOR Chart

R-BpWR Chart

Problem understanding the charts - Refer here for description.

Eliminator at last

2009-10-14T19:13:00.002+05:30

The Champions League saw the Eliminator being played at last!!!

The Eagles messed up their chase so badly that they did not deserve to win at all - thanks to the great over by CJD de Villiers, they managed to win the match.

The R-B rate shows how from an easy target, the Eagles brought down the R-B to -14 (this means that they could leave 14 balls alone without scoring) and then up to +6.

Similarly, the R-BpOR rate by the 13th over came back to the stage it was at the beginning of the innings. It increased till the last over when it reached 3!!!

The R-BpWR rate also shows an interesting movement of the chart.

Do not understand the rates mentioned - check this for more details.

Crushing Victory for Delhi Daredevils

2009-10-12T21:29:00.002+05:30

The Delhi team led by Virender Sehwag and Dinesh Karthick's pyrotechnics posted a huge score for the Wayamba Elevens to chase. The victory was very emphatic indeed.

The R-B started at 53 and went on climbing till it reached 72!!! Thanks to Mahela Jayawardene, the number reduced to a match-low of 48 and finally ended at 51.

The R-BpOR rate is even more revealing. The rate went above 5 when the 5th wicket fell for Wayamba. At the fall of Jayawardene's wicket, it was 12 - it increased finally to 25!!!

The R-BpWR rate also shows a convincing victory - rising to a high of 17.3 and then ending at 17.0. Nothing more has been convincing so far in the CLT20.

More details about the R-B, R-BpOR and R-BpWR rates can be found here.

Somerset win a Topsy-Turvy match

2009-10-11T09:12:00.006+05:30

The Champions League T20 match in Hyderabad (Deccan Chargers Vs Somerset) concluded late last night with all the thrills that one associates with a typical T20 match - sixes, wickets and a last-over finish.

The charts will help us look at why the match became interesting over the 2nd innings.

R-B Chart

The initial burst by the openers ensured that the difference between Runs and Balls started reducing every over. The overs from 6 to 9 (with introduction of Pragyan Ojha) increased the R-B once again. Couple of big overs off the part-timers helped reduce the R-B. The fall of the 7th wicket brought together Hildreth and Thomas. Some smart hitting and the rain (which didnt allow the spinners to grip the ball properly) decreased the R-B every over. The fact that the wickets were kept in hand till the last over ensured that the problem on hand was manageable.

R-BpOR Chart

R-BpWR Chart

How are these charts useful to gauge T20 chases? Refer here.

Perfect T20 Chase at CL20

2009-10-09T21:27:00.004+05:30

The Champions League (another ofshoot from IPL-fame Lalit Modi) started off with a match in Bangalore.

The match seemed to be a lost cause as RCB had scored180 in their first innings. But, what happened was something very unique. It was probably the best chase in T20 matches - the way JP Duminy (the next Brian Lara) planned the innings.

R-B chart - This chart shows the way the Runs-Balls difference was reduced every over. This led to the last over needing 9 runs - major requirement in a normal ODI but not in the mad rush of T20 matches.

R-BpOR chart - This chart shows the difference of Runs/Balls with every passing over. One can see that from Over-15, the chart starts reducing drastically. That is when the acceleration from JP and Co. started.

R-BpWR chart - the final chart shows the difference with respect to the number of wickets remaining. Again, it showed that with wickets remaining, there was no problems to the chasing team at any point in the game.

This chase must be looked at by various teams, if they want to plan a large chase successfully.

PS - The charts were explained in another blog post of mine - Refer here.

Post-mortem of India's performance at CT

2009-10-02T11:47:00.001+05:30

Champions Trophy - Group Phase (Updated)

2009-09-27T10:55:00.002+05:30

After the initial set of matches the tournament is poised at an interesting phase. The favorites of before are on the verge of bowing out early.

Group A

Group B

The cells without color are the matches not played yet - that has my predicted favorites mentioned.

Let us see how the rest of the matches unfold.

India - Pakistan at CT

2009-09-26T10:43:00.002+05:30

India meet Pakistan after nearly 2 years on the cricketing soil. Pakistan is desperate to defeat India while the latter is keeping mum because of various reasons. The absence of Yuvraj Singh makes it tough for the Indians who are already missing Sehwag and Zaheer.

India can win only if:

Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni make a significant contribution with the bat
Ashish Nehra and Harbhajan Singh create an impact with the ball
The youngsters prove that India is miles ahead on the fielding/catching front

Sachin, recently, is on a mission to prove that his contribution to critical matches are vital - looks like he has read all the works of the critics about his deficiencies & ready to prove them wrong.

Pakistan, on the other hand, seem to have everything working for them. The pressure of the match as well as that of their seniors (Younis and Afridi have been making statements on how Pakistan want to win this match so badly) will be a factor - can they convert it to a positive energy? Seems possible. They have a good balance in their team and look very positive - the recent T20 win must have boosted their confidence a lot. Only their inherent idiosyncrasies can bring them down.

This should be an interesting match for Pakistan's victory will almost guarantee them the spot in the Semi-finals (unless they fare very badly in the last match). India would want to start on a positive note.

Verdict - Of course, India !!!

Champions Trophy - Group Phase

2009-09-24T21:44:00.005+05:30

The ongoing Champions Trophy will definitely throw up some surprises, as is the wont of these ICC events.

My picks on the outcome of the matches of Group A and Group B are as follows:

Group A

Group B

I might be biased towards India but that is what I feel might be the points table after the Group matches. Let us see.

India tumbles out of the T20 World Cup

2009-06-15T11:06:00.001+05:30

Thanks to various factors, the Indian team crashed out of the ICC T20 World Cup in England. I would say that Harbhajan Singh's 2 five-wide balls tilted the match towards England. The difference is there for all to see. Even if a single was scored on each of the balls, the English score would have been 8 less.

Various other factors contributed to the downfall.
a) The absence of Viru Sehwag. Though Rohit Sharma tried his best, it was obvious that the talent of Sehwag would definitely made a difference.
b) Off-field events. MS Dhoni is known as Captain Cool. But, he had lost his cool for couple of press conferences - signs that he was not comfortable with something.
c) Over-confidence. There was a hint of over-confidence in the team, which resulted in net sessions being attended only by part of the team.
d) Dhoni's Midas Touch seemed to work in the first innings, when the leg-slip field-placing worked and also the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja. But, in the second half, it was conspicuous by its absence.
e) The short-pitched ball again played its part in the Indian loss. Both Rohit and Raina fell trying to play the hook/pull shots.
f) The Indian bowling choices were also not so great. RP Singh bowled so well at the start but ended up bowling an over short. Ishant Sharma gave away runs in most of his overs but still completed his quota. Yuvraj Singh's over against KP failed but he was given another over to try again.

Next time, better luck to the Indian team. The attention on the World Cup will no longer be there personally - let the best team win.

India lose first match at Super8

2009-06-13T22:23:00.002+05:30

West Indies took revenge on India at Lords after 26 years with a convincing performance. The Carribeans were hungry on the field and the pitch helped the bowlers to take early wickets. Bad shot-selection also contributed to the Indian demise. Maybe, India should have bowled first in the match, after winning the toss.

India recovered thanks to the heroics of Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan. The captain, MS Dhoni, took extra time to ensure that further wickets do not fall. The dot-balls hurt India badly at the end. They were clearly 20 runs short.

While bowling, the Indians could restrict Chris Gayle for a low score. But, a lesser-known batsman like Lendl Simmons hurt them, which was exploited to the hilt by Dwayne Bravo. Harbhajan Singh was able to restrict the scoring but not get any wickets. Similarly, Ishant is turning out to be a liability.

India's chances at the World Cup now rest on winning both the matches against England and South Africa. Will they be able to do it? Million Dollar Question.

Super Eights at the World Cup T20

2009-06-11T21:41:00.002+05:30

The ICC T20 World Cup has gone to the next stage where most of the lightweights (along with 2 heavyweights - Australia, Bangladesh) have moved out. Now, matches will be much more tighter and finishes will be closer.

The two groups are a bit lop-sided, thanks to the upsets in the First Round of matches.

Group E contains four teams, who have equal chances to go to the semi-finals in this format especially. My favorites are South Africa and India. West Indies are erratic and England still new to the format, will not be able to go through.

Group F is not so tight - Ireland is the weakling here. Sri Lanka and New Zealand will be the favorites. Pakistan is also too erratic to make any impact.

Again, the format makes it very difficult to give the exact teams - but, these four teams definitely are in the forefront, as per my predictions.

Wait and Watch!!!

Good start in the Twenty20 World Cup

2009-06-07T19:38:00.000+05:30

If someone had mentioned that after 2 days, the two teams slated to play the best series of All-time (well, as per their respective countries of course) - Ashes - are in danger of being eliminated from the T20 World Cup, people would have laughed. It is true - for Australia and England have to win their next match to stay in the tournament!!! NewZealand got a scare when their match against Scotland was reduced to eight overs. But, their firepower was enough to get past the Scots.

India was the only team that managed to go through their first round without any jitters - of course, there were some but very quickly the least experienced (in International T20) player did the trick with some well-thought left-arm spin. Spin in the English cities, especially when there was enough in the air and the temperature was low, is not something that you wish to see - let alone two spinners.

MS Dhoni decided to take the risk of including both his spinners (on the evidence of the IPL2 and the initial warm-up matches) in the match and the match was his. The batting order was decided once Sehwag sat out of the match. The remaining batsmen put their hands up and ensured that the score was a huge one.

What will happen next in the tournament?

Pakistan will beat England and throw them out of the tournament. Just like the previous World Cup, the series will go on without the participation of the host country in the latter stages.
Sri Lanka has the chance to put Australia out of the tournament when the two teams meet on the 8th.

Then, the two teams can concentrate on the Ashes series!!!

India is the team to beat at the Twenty20 World Cup

2009-06-03T21:40:00.002+05:30

It would not take a rocket scientist to predict that the Indian team is the favorite to win the T20 World Cup, especially as it comes so soon after the IPL2. Sachin Tendulkar has favored his team and that is not a surprise. Other teams are also wary of the defending champions. Why are they so dangerous? Is it more hype than substance? Or are they real contenders to the throne again? Let us go through the team and find out.

The captain MS Dhoni, is the SuperMan of the team. He keeps wickets, steadies the batting order and captains the team without showing a trace of any tension. How he performs under the pressure of the 'defending champs' tag will be interesting to watch. He is very important in the batting order full of stroke-players.
Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are the most dangerous opening batsmen in any format of the game at present. They have taken the throne vacated by Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist. They had a modest IPL2 and that should give them enough thrust to regain their form. Sehwag used to bowl in the shorter versions but after the mauling he received from Gilchrist in the IPL, he might prefer not to roll his arm over in the field.
Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh are players who can turn the game by their dare-devilry. They can adjust to the tempo of the game and hit big shots when required. Both are great fielders and have proved their (bowling) worth in the IPL2.
The Pathan brothers (Yusuf and Irfan) are allrounders who give the team the depth in bowling and batting. It is more likely that both will play in the initial set of matches. They are dangerous in the slog overs, capable of chasing down any totals.
Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha are the spin twins, who might tilt the Cup towards the Indian team this time again. The pitches seem to be helping the slower bowlers (on evidence of what was visible during the first Indian Warm-up match). The way Ojha lures the batsmen out of their crease is stuff of the likes of Bishen Singh Bedi. Spinners do have a role in T20!!!
Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma will be the first choice bowlers for MS. Both have proved themselves time and again. Just like the batting combination, these two will try their best to prove that the IPL2 loss of form was just a mirage.

The firepower that is available to MS Dhoni outside these eleven players is just too good to be true. Rohit Sharma was adjudged the best Under-23 player in IPL2 - obviously he will play but how is the question that will haunt MS. Praveen Kumar and RP Singh will prove to be more than a handful in English conditions. Again, the selection problem will be the major headache for the thinktank.

How the team gets their selection correct for the conditions given will be crucial to their chances. Otherwise, complacency is the only obstacle in this team's path of defending the World Cup title.

Constant winner in IPL1 and IPL2

2009-05-29T21:55:00.002+05:30

Guess who is the constant in both the winning teams of IPL?

One who played as a batsman in IPL1 (for Rajasthan) - last match was against Kings XI Punjab at Jaipur 2008 and coach in IPL2 for the champions (Hyderabad).

Darren Lehmann!!! Yes, YAA (Yet Another Aussie)

World Cup post IPL2

2009-05-26T21:39:00.004+05:30

The ICC Twenty20 World Cup begins in the next 10 days (June 5th to be precise). Will it be a hit with the paying public? Will the viewers find it really attractive to watch? Questions that will have answers very soon.

Like my friend Nik mentioned, the plus point with the IPL2 was the fact that the teams contained players from various countries (maximum of four), which made the playing field more level. Compared to the current scenario where the top four teams can be considered as Australia, South Africa, India, Sri Lanka; the IPL2 was so much more close. Even a team like Kolkata Knight Riders (which eventually finished last) could beat a top team like Chennai, provided their team got their act right.

(-) Will I watch India play Bangladesh? Yes. Will I stay late to watch it? Probably not. That is what I am trying to put across - the matches in the World Cup will become interesting only during the last stages of the tournament - many matches will be inconsequential (more to promote countries).

(+) Of course, the format itself brings the surprise factor to the game. One individual performance can swing the fortunes of the match but that is probably more predictable in the World Cup, compared to the IPL2.

(+) With India being the defending champions, there is the additional factor to watch the team defend successfully.

Overall, I feel that I will watch the matches with same fervor (maybe not all matches but at least the ones that have India as one of the two teams). But, going forward, the ICC has to give a consulting assignment to Lalit Modi to make the T20 World Cup format more attractive to viewers.

Lull after the storm (IPL2)

2009-05-25T21:37:00.003+05:30

It seems there is something missing in my evening today - definitely amiss in my daily life. A daily ritual has stopped as of last night and nights are not the same any more - I am sure that there are many more who share the same feeling with me.

The same IPL last year had not ignited the feeling that an international tournament would bring about - was it because of the nature of wickets the IPL1 was held? Probably. Maybe it is because of my confused loyalties to the clubs - I have spent half my life in Chennai and Bangalore, speaking the language of the third semi-finalist (the eventual winner). I did not have any feelings of favoritism last night - there was no favored side for me. Hence, there was an empty feeling inside. But, the match was interesting on many counts.

As mentioned earlier, the match was significant for the two captains who had points to prove, on many counts. The way the match tilted in different directions was praiseworthy. More interesting for me was the way Symonds came out on the field after the break - I have seen him in that manner only when he played for his national team. He was determined to prove his point to the selectors.

Rahul Dravid's dismissal was, in my mind, the turning point of the match for he would have been the ideal anchor for the strikers (Ross Taylor, Virat Kohli, Robin Uthappa, Mark Boucher) to play along. The way he tried and failed, showed that even the experienced can falter in situations like this. Looks like the adrenaline rush is too hard to conquer.

I am looking forward to the next version of IPL but not if there are two versions every year. That is too much to swallow. And then there is the Champions League. One wonders where this will stop. Lalit Modi must not be allowed to run amok - but he has become bigger in the context of the international cricketing politics. The ICC will listen to him, it seems.

The other question that was asked to me - Will the ICC T20 World Cup be of any interest now? - by my Oz friend, Nik. I will try to answer it shortly - let me get back to normal routine first!!!