Indian Premier League and Cricket News by IPL Cricket Forum

India’s first ever paid selection committee gears up for its first and very crucial assignment which in many ways is going to define how the Indian team will look in the next couple of years. The committee is headed by the darling of most hearts – Krishnamachari Srikkanth and has first on its job list to pick the team for the test series against Australia.

The last committee had taken some firm decisions. This is an entirely new panel and they may spring in some surprises. But lets try to figure out the best possible combination for the series.

Team

Number 1

Even though Wasim Jaffer and Aakash Chopra showed glimpses of form in the ongoing Irani Cup match but Gautam Gambhir came up with a stellar knock in the second innings which has seen his position shift from the front-runner to that of certainty. He had a good test series in Sri Lanka averaging over fifty while most senior players struggled to score runs. He makes it to the opening spot and being the junior partner, in all likeliness will take strike when India bat.

Number 2

The mere presence of these two words – “Virender Sehwag”, on the team list sets a cat amongst the pigeons. He might not score as often as one would like but when he does, he makes it count big time. He had a double ton in the test series in Sri Lanka where he made Murali and Mendis look ordinary. He might have failed to score big in Irani Cup but form hardly counts for players who have poor memory for failures.

Number 3

Selectors might want to look towards future but Rahul “The Wall” Dravid has the spot his own at least for the next three grueling series against Australia, England and Pakistan. He still could have a big role to play in the 50 over format as well and there is a ray of hope as the selection panel gets renewed. People might not admit but the team in blue has missed a player like him when they collapsed in some matches in Australia, Asia Cup and Sri Lanka.

Number 4

Sachin Tendulkar has been declared fit for the series and will be joining the squad in his favorite two-down position. He failed miserably in Sri Lanka but he has a special liking for Australia and had amassed almost 500 runs in the series down-under earlier this year. He would want to make his own, what might be his last test series against Australia in India.

Number 5

Exclusion of Sourav Ganguly will see VVS Laxman come in a number higher in the batting order. He had a decent series in Sri Lanka and has been in an over all good form in test matches over last couple of years. His form has been one of the reasons which have led Yuvraj Singh out of the reckoning for the test side.

Number 6

The name that gets this spot for the series will define how the new selection panel wants the team to shape up for the future. With a good domestic season behind him and his superb athletic capabilities, Mohammad Kaif looks the most likely to grab this spot. A good performance for Board President’s XI against the Aussies could see Yuvraj Singh grab this spot. The selectors might as well look for an all-rounder for this spot, which may land in favor of Irfan Pathan. However, the team is unlikely to risk omitting a specialist batsman and give the spot to an all-rounder or a bowler. The new panel may even call up Sourav Ganguly, which will then see him come in at five and Laxman at six. Rohit Sharma still doesn’t seem to be ready to take the big stage in the longer format.

Number 7

Forget even mentioning the statistics, this spot is sealed and done for our ODI and Twenty20 skipper MS Dhoni. He played a superb knock in the second innings of the Irani Cup match and showed how he could make it count if some of the lower order batsmen stuck around. Apart from his batting, he has surprised one and all by the improvement in his wicket-keeping. He is splendid with the webbed gloves as well and is certainly amongst the top wicket-keepers in the world right now.

Number 8

The “Ultimate Warrior” of Indian cricket, Captain dignified, spinning maestro Anil Kumble comes in at number eight in the batting order but the load of expectations will be higher when he will tweak his fingers. He has an important role in the batting order as well. Coming in just after the fall of the last recognized batting pair, he will be required to lend support to his partner and stretch the score and mount opponent’s frustrations. He took 27 wickets when Aussies last toured India. He troubled Aussies in their den big time grabbing 20 wickets in the four match series earlier this year and would want to add another feather to his cap by leading his team and regaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

Number 9

Turbanator Harbhajan Singh, the nemesis of Australian skipper Ricky Ponting comes in at this spot. In the absence of Kumble, he was the chief destroyer in the series against the Aussies in 2001 where he took 32 wickets in the three match series. The importance of the feat can be illustrated by the fact that Zaheer Khan was the second most successful bowler for India with three wickets in the series. He grabbed 21 wickets in the 2004 series as well and would be looking to prove that he is ready to take over the mantle of “India’s Spinning Spearhead” when Captain Kumble hangs up his boots.

Number 10

Zaheer Khan has risen as India’s premier pace bowler in the last year or so. Barring some injury niggles; he has been a regular and has performed consistently. When he has not taken wickets he has helped the bowler at other end by bowling a tight line and length and building up pressure. He bowled with a big heart and tremendous composure in the Irani Cup match and showed how a pacer can be effective on dead and docile tracks.

Number 11

His spells to Ricky Ponting down under were what brought this tall, lanky fast bowler into limelight and since then Ishant Sharma has been a regular name on the team list, his fitness permitting. The control and incisiveness he demonstrated in the Irani Cup match must have sent a few shivers down the Aussie spines. His form ensures that India have a supremely potent bowling attack, well capable of toppling the Aussie batting line-up twice in five days.

Number 12

One more spinner will be taking a spot in the 14 man squad and Piyush Chawla’s continued lack of control over the deliveries means that Pragyan Ojha will retain his place. The new selectors may want to give Amit Mishra a chance, but they might choose to not take a risk in an important and tough series like this.

Number 13

Munaf Patel in the last few weeks seems to have marched ahead of RP Singh, Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan for a spot in the team. He bowled with control in the Indian Premier League and has been quite good in the One Day tournaments after that. He looked a different person in the Irani Cup match, diving around in the field, bowling with fire and clocking speeds of over 140 KPH.

Number 14

If Sourav Ganguly is picked in the 14 man squad, he will in all probabilities feature in the final 11. One of Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif or Rohit Sharma is likely to be in the final eleven and one other will occupy this spot.

 

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Tags: Australia, commitee, india, selection, Series, teams, Test

Former Australian star Adam Gilchrist has called for the inclusion of cricket’s Twenty20 format at the 2020 Olympics, saying it will help secure the global future of the game - reports AFP.
The wicketkeeper-batsman, who after retiring from international cricket  played in the Indian Premier League (IPL), said the International Cricket Council (ICC) must push for Twenty20 to become an Olympic sport.

“It doesn’t matter where the 2020 Olympic Games are held,” he wrote in a column for Indian daily the Deccan Chronicle on Monday.

“But many of us who’ve experienced international Twenty20 cricket and the IPL are convinced that cricket should bid to become an Olympic sport in time for the Games,” he wrote.

Gilchrist, 36, said re-introducing cricket as an Olympic sport would help the sport grow internationally and also boost the Olympic movement in the subcontinent.

“We have a responsibility to grow our game in new territories and amongst the women of the world.

“I believe the Olympic Games is the vehicle the sport should use to aggressively sell the message of our sport to all 202 competing Olympic nations.

“So that our sport is strong and robust in countries where it is currently played, and exciting and ground-breaking in countries who haven’t yet caught the ‘cricket-bug’,” he said.

Cricket was part of the Olympics just once, in 1900, but last year it was recognised as an Olympic sport — the first step towards full admission to the Games.

“With Twenty20 cricket here to stay, now is the time for the 10 full-member nations of the ICC to plan for the development of the sport over the next 100 years,” Gilchrist said.

Gilchrist said winning an Olympic medal would be the ultimate for any cricketer.

“Take it from someone who has won almost everything cricket has to offer — the Olympics is the absolute pinnacle in sport.

“Cricketers won’t care about the money. The chance to stand on top of the Olympic podium, to wear an Olympic gold medal and the pride of belting out your national anthem would be a life-changing money-can’t-buy experience,” he said.

Tags: 20Twenty, Adam Gilchrist, cricket, ICC, IPL, olympics

The founding members, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) after a meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday, officially announced the Champions Twenty20 League. The first edition to be held in India from September 29 to October 8, 2008 is likely to be played at Delhi, Jaipur and Mohali but IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has kept the options open as of now.

On Thursday David Collier, the chief executive of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed Middlesex’s participation in the league, bringing to an end the speculations of a similar Champions League being organized synchronously by ECB in the UAE. Collier also expressed ECB’s interest in sending two teams from the next year.

Two teams each from the IPL, Australia’s Big Bash and South Africa’s Pro20 and one each from England and Pakistan’s Twenty20 tournament will take part in the first edition. In the coming years there are plans to make it a 12 team tournament with two teams each from India, Australia, South Africa and England and one each from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies.

Teams in 2008 and their star players

 

From India (Indian Premier League)

Winner - Rajasthan Royals

Shane Warne, Graeme Smith, Younis Khan, Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan, Sohail Tanveer, Dmitri Mascarenhas

Runner-up - Chennai Super Kings

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Muttiah Muralidharan, Mathew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Stephen Fleming, Makhaya Ntini, Albie Morkel, Jacob Oram, Suresh Raina

 

From Australia (KFC Twenty20 Big Bash)

Winner - Victoria Bushrangers

Cameron White, David Hussey, Brad Hodge, Chris Rodgers, Dirk Nannes, Adam Crosthwaite

 

Runner-up - Western Australia Warriors

Adam Gilchrist, Justin Langer, Shaun Marsh, Luke Pomersbach, Luke Ronchi, Brad Hogg, Chris Rogers, Adam Voges, Sean Ervine

 

From South Africa (Standard Bank Pro20)

Winner - Nashua Titans

Martin van Jaarsveld, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn, Andre Nel, Morne Morkel, Gulam Bodi, Paul Harris, Pierre Joubert

 

Runner-up - Nashua Dolphins

Ahmed Amla, Shaun Pollock, Hashim Amla, Dale Benkenstein, Johann Louw, Doug Watson, Kyle Smit

 

From Pakistan (ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 Cup)

Sialkot Stallions

Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Asif, Mansoor Amjad, Abdur Rehman

 

From England (Twenty20 Cup)

Winner – Middlesex

Ed Smith, Andrew Strauss, Shaun Udal, Ed Joyce, Owais Shah, Murali Kartik, Chris Silverwood, Billy Godleman

 

Dr. Mohit Goyal © IPL Cricket Forum

Tags: 20Twenty, ABN-Amro, champions, Cup, IPL, KFC, leahue, Middlesex, Nashua Titans, Sialkot Stallions, trophy, Victoria Bushrangers

Indian team is down, although not out of it yet but they will certainly need to come out all guns blazing to make a comeback after the crushing defeat in the first test. They managed to get just six wickets bowling for almost six sessions and were bowled out twice within four sessions. The more crucial thing for the Indians would be to be up mentally for the next challenge that is just four days away.

The players need to be motivated and fans need to keep patience as these are definitely the best test players in India. Let us analyze the performance of Team India members and what could they do or not do to turn the tables around.

Openers

Gautam Gambhir must be thanking his stars that the team doesn’t have his substitute at hand otherwise he could have been thrown out, not for his failure to score but for his attitude. He got out in both innings jumping out to Muralidharan, caught at short cover in the first innings and stumped in the second. He needs to show a bit more responsibility and resilience.

Virender Sehwag is one batsman whose batting style cannot be changed. And, a team can afford a luxurious batsman like him if they have as solid a middle order as India does. He was caught in the deep trying to pull Kulasekara in the first innings and got a rough decision in the second innings. A review request of the bowling of Murali by Jayawardene turned against Sehwag as Rudi Koertzen missed the ball’s deflection off the front pad.

Flop err Fab Four

Eyes refused to believe the scenes as the fabulous four succumbed to spin bowling from Murali and Mendis. Bowled through the gate and bat-pad on front foot; these are not the modes of dismissal one associates with great players of spin. All of them were completely at sea against the rookie Mendis. Perhaps they were in over-confidence and will surely need to watch and re-watch tapes of Mendis’ bowling.

These are great players and it is just a matter of time before they strike gold. Captain Kumble would do better not to shuffle them and must look to play Dravid at three. Sachin will look to play positively while Dravid will probably drop anchor. Dravid hasn’t ever been vocal on or off the field and is probably the biggest under-sung hero of cricket. As always he will let his bat do the talking and is still the favorite to come up with the goods.

The person who is under the severest of pressures is Sourav Ganguly but he probably has learnt to live life the tougher way. He doesn’t have the best of technique against the fast bowlers and the fact that he is not much impressive against the spinners either has remained under-observed due to his big hitting against slow left arm bowlers.

Wicket Keeper

Dinesh Karthik had an pathetic outing both behind and in front of the wickets. He failed to stop the ball in either role. Every player has bad days but Karthik must be shown the door at least for the next test match not because of the poor performance but for his attitude while batting. A kid in cricketing circles, he was trying to lift Murali out of park on every ball. What on hell was up his grey matter only he can tell.

People have voiced about giving an emergency call to Dhoni but the man needs some rest and it would be foolish to think that he would have scored against a bowling which toppled the likes of Tendulkar and Dravid.

Pacers

There was absolutely nothing in the pitch for the faster men. In fact Zaheer and Ishant did a great job picking up four wickets. If the pitch at Galle offers the fast bowlers any help they are the two Indians most likely to make full use of it.

Spinners

Kumble and Harbhajan were disappointing to say the least. They failed to bowl enough wicket taking deliveries. Both of them will need to show more character and hit the right areas consistently. Adding to their poor form they had to bowl on placid day two and three pitches and the Sri Lankan batsmen handled them extremely efficiently.

© IPL Cricket Forum

Tags: 2008, india, Series, Sri lanka

The newest innovation on trial in international cricket is the “Umpire decision review system”. It would be foolish to make the final call so early but whatever has happened thus far has received big thumbs up from all cricketing corners. Anil Kumble became the first cricketer to officially hold his two hands in a “T” manner to ask for a review. It was on the fourth ball of the forty sixth over of the test match on day two when Malinda Warnapura was struck on the pad of a Harbhajan Singh delivery. The bowler and the fielders appealed but to no avail. Captain Kumble then in consultation with the bowler and wicket keeper Dinesh Karthik decided to ask for a review. The on field umpires after consultation with Rudi Koertzen - the third umpire, ruled it in the favor of the batsman.

After that in a Zaheer Khan over when Dilshan was given out caught behind, he decided to ask for a review and when the replays were found inconclusive, umpire Mark Benson reversed his decision. Anil Kumble exhausted his team’s quota when he made two more unsuccessful appeals, one against Dilshan on a Harbhajan ball and another against Vaas on a Zaheer Khan delivery. Sri Lankan captain too had one of his appeals exhausted soon when he asked for a review against Ganguly of an Ajantha Mendis delivery.

Of whatever we have seen, this seems to be a very practical solution to the obvious bad decisions. There have been matches that have been lost due to a couple of bad decisions and this system could definitely make the crucial difference in such situations. The three unsuccessful reviews limit seems to be a “not too much, not too less”. The limit also keeps a check on the number of times a team goes upstairs and prevents uncalled for time wastage. If the decision is reversed is a team’s favor, the review is not exhausted and the limit of three also gives teams to use the rule with fair liberty.

This system could go far in preventing situations such as one which transpired last winter at Sydney between India and Australia. The bowlers who had earlier felt hard done by the umpires will have the chance to appeal and the frustration levels will come down considerably. There is long time still before we have a final say over it but it seems to be a move along the right direction.

Mohit Goyal © IPL Cricket Forum
http://goyalmohit.blogspot.com

Tags: appeal, challenge, cricket, decision, reverse, review, system, umpire