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by Raja Baradwaj
With the Irani Trophy slated for tomorrow and the selection for the Australia Test series to follow, we would have a busy week ahead. All we bored cricket fans would be busy arguing, justifying and as usual accusing & abusing the wise men and their marshal.
To lead us into the debate here are some numbers and also a few pointers, my interpretation of what these numbers mean. To start, these numbers are from cricinfo.
What do we see here?
1. These are statistics taken from the last 25 test matches these guys have played
2. It becomes the last 23 test matches for Yuvraj and the last 21 for Dinesh Kartick
3. We can see the Runs scored, the number of completed innings played for scoring the runs (not outs and didn't bat not included)
4. Also there are the average number of runs scored – In total, in the first innings and in the second innings
5. Another assumption here is that Sachin would be ready and fit for selection by the time the wise men sit
1. If at all someone from the middle order needs to go, it looks like Tendulkar, he has the leanest scorecard at present. And also a very poor second innings track record
2. Kumble scores more runs in his first innings than what Tendulkar makes in his second
3. No difference between the two wicketkeepers analyzed. The max difference we see is that one is called DHONI!!
4. We have a solution for Yuvraj, to be part of the test team. Go learn to keep wickets in tests. Otherwise his average seems lots better when you compare it to the two wicketkeepers. That seems to be the only way he can force his way into the test team.
5. Tendulkar should be given special permission to bat only in the first innings. Kumble could bat for him in the second, he would score more because that innings would be his first and his first innings average is better than Sachin's second
6. We should get the rules changed a bit to play 2 wicketkeepers in a match. Dinesh Kartick should be played in the first and Dhoni should play the second innings
7. Ganguly should be in the team, the numbers say that he is the best middle order batsman we have at present
13 comments:
You've made good points RB
But the thoughts are radical or revolutionary (I can't say ahead of their times);
So it's another thing whether they can garner the much needed support; but keep on writing your mind RB :)
I see you have the knife out for Tendulkar.:)
Brace yourself for some serious flaming.:)
Thanks guys.
On Ottayan's point...
Seems like Tendulkar doesn't need my knife this time. It might be the familiar Doc's again.
I am sure he would get fit when Zimbabwe are back into test cricket and are touring India or may be Bangladesh !!
welcome on bored RB!!
OTT is ready do care for your health...i have attempted similar thing before and had 'great' experience...
more than his average his timing and frequency of injuries puzzles me...and the fact that till what time india can afford to have a player warming bench for him...
oops...i did it again ;-)
oh, i meant OTT is right...never mind :)
I'm wondering how many players from the last Irani played test cricket subsequently.
Most of the points listed here are illogical and cynical. Point 5 esp. Ok alright figures point to something, but then such a thing is faesible ?? Emotions like anger n disgust r fine, but then they should not overpower the sanity esp which calls for "persmissions" and all that.
And why should karthik play ? One more fan of this good for nothing batsman keeper. Did you forget his keeping n batting in Lankan 2 tests ?
Ok kick Tendulkar out. Whom do you get in ? And dude do you forget he scored 500 runs in 4 tests down under last series earlier THIS YEAR.
Kick Dravid out. And whom do you get ? A youngster ? Lets do it. But do we want to loose 0-4 ? Your ego might be satisfied, but then team would loose. and that wud be catastrophe. We need team efforts and collective efforts. Even if everybody scores runs 10-14 less than his avg, but enables team to win, i would take that.
You decide, perhaps you d be disgrunted asking for some stupid changes in laws of cricket.
Boredom leads to cynicism!!
Soulberry, Irani Trophy is not the breeding ground of talent as we presume it to be.
You made a good point, if we actually check the number of people who played international cricket because they did well in Irani then the answer would be near zero.
Even if they proceeded to play for India, they actually didn't play. They simply warmed the bench for a couple of tours and disappeared.
Case points being VB Chandrasekar, TE Srinivasan etc.
Welcome RB at bored's adda.
It seems your target is Tendulkar which seems to be perfect. He is great no doubt but greatness remains till he is in form.
It will be better for Yuvraj to enjoy parties and take part in "Ek Hasina aur ek Khiladi".
Your last suggestions for changing batting order seems to be comedy rather then seriousness.
What need to be change is mentality and not the order.
RB,
You point on VB and TE. It had more to do with them being players from TN.
The same fate awaits Badri.
Ottayan... I only partly agree that it was more the state factor than the other things in both these cases I had pointed...
TE's fall was caused more by his own mouth than anyother things... And VB, I used to love the way he played but I thought he was more a Sujit Somasundar / Vikram Rathore -Part I...
Domestic giants but international flops.
But I do agree that the state factor also works in favor of or against a player. The case point being Praveen Amre etc.
But that keeps happening, the best TN example would be the Westindies tour of 1987-88. Sriraman was the head of the board and I think Venkat was the chairman of selectors (if I am not wrong). I think we had some 4-5 players in the team from TN.
So it's like a BCCI policy more than anything else...
Welcome, RB. Good post, interesting suggestions, esp with having Yuvraj learn how to keep (though I'm not really for Yuvraj).
However, I'm with Buzz here - we need to use the best when they're available. Team selections can be very easy if we ask one quesetion - is this our best team? That's all it takes.
Raja - that was funny.
Take it the scrapping of super-sub rained on yr cricket parade!
methinks Uthappa, when not bowling, should keep wickets too.
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