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Cricket’s own 'squad player'.....

by Rohit

Now, 'squad player' is the sort of terminology expected in a sport like football which necessitates its presence. It’s a sport where injuries are more frequent due to the physical nature and also team selection and formation tends to be very flexible and depends on a lot of external factors like where the game is being played (home, away), quality of opposition, negation of certain threats etc. A squad player in football is usually a guy who is versatile enough to play in a lot of positions competently but unfortunately not good enough to hold down a first team place in any of them. Their job is to fill in when a player is injured or better still when any of two or three is. To those who follow the EPL, Eboue and Zhirkov easily come to mind.

But could it be possible that we have squad players in Cricket as well? After a lot of deliberation, one name comes to mind. Dinesh Karthik. He has played as opener, in the middle and the lower middle order of both the ODI and Test squads. And befitting his squad player status, he has been unable to hold onto any of the slots. It’s not for lack of talent or effort either. In any other Indian team he would have been a first choice keeper with his handy batting ability.

It’s just that he has for competition, none less than the greatest wicket keeping batsman in India’s history. Dhoni, only the second batsman in ODI history to hold onto an average of 50+ for more than 150 ODI’s is that sort of rare player who, if ahead of you makes you want to give up cricket altogether. Not that Karthik hasn’t tried his best. He’s also put in some exceptional performances with the high undoubtedly being that away series in England when he topped the batting charts as opener, a traditional Indian weakness away from home.

In some ways, he’s like a Macgill behind a Warne. He certainly has been shuffled more than any of Warne’s poker sets. The emergence of Uthappa as a wicket keeping option will probably eventually shunt him out of the ODI squad. With Murali Vijay being anointed as third opener in tests, the last possible slot has just removed the neon ‘Vacant’ sign as well. I personally believe he is as good as, if not better, a bat as Dhoni in tests. It doesn't matters in the least. You don’t drop the captain for a possibly slightly better squad player, silly!

I get an intense feeling of frustration and lost opportunity when someone jumps into the loo just in front of me on an airplane. Karthik probably has that feeling 24*7. Magnified a few hundred times, of course!

Few remember that he was on all three squads for the last test series in NZ. A squad player, through and through.

Actually if one goes for a direct analogy, would he be a Goalie in football? Maybe a Toldo or Cudicini behind the indomitable Buffon? Ah, whatever…….you get the point.

27 comments:

Mahek said...

It doesn't help when you get your chance and perform so badly with bat and gloves that you're replaced by Parthiv Patel.

Rohit said...

Point. However, you have to give him some leeway. You can't call a three match series a proper run. And if he had pulled of five stunners and hit a triple century, I wouldn't be typing this, would I? He's a squad player and meant to stay one. Wish he was born a decade earlier, though. We wouldn't have had to go through the likes of Ratra, Dahiya, Dasgupta, Karim etc etc

Mahek said...

It could have been worse for him had he been a spinner. He would've been behind someone less deserving.

It wasn't just those three tests though, he lost his place after a bad series against Pakistan in 2007, a series in which even Wasim Jaffer looked like he could bat.

straight point said...

very articulated post rohit...

even when he was not squad player he was shunted around the batting order and was never allowed to settle in any position... he is far better player than he is today... give him assurity of couple of series and he will show his true mettle...

when he played some good fighting innings in sa and later when nobody was willing to open at england and still performed... and was important factor in india winning series in england after many years... he was dropped at first instance of failure against pakistan... to create a spot for much glamorous yuvraj...

tho i still prefer him over yuvraj in middle order anyday... coz for all the talks of test being the best medium he just does not seem interested in longer format...

Anonymous said...

straight point, unfortunately, the world is obsessed with glamour. You can see people here remembering his failures against Pak and SL. How many test failures Yuvraj has - he flopped against Aus in India, and he cost us a series against Aus in Aus. In short, when the going gets tough, Yuvraj gets going...to the comfortable confines of the dressing room. Cant play good spinners, cant play seam and swing, cantt handle bounce. You drop a player who did the job for you in England for this glamorous peacock. And you still have people throwing invective at Karthik. Infact, I am sure that Mohd Kaif would have done much better with the kind of backing Yuvraj got - and he doesnt even have 5% of Yuvraj's talent.

Rohit said...

@ Mahek...

I shall brook no further insult to Bhajji, lord of loop and Sheik of....ahum...well...a little tweak. Seriously, Mishra and Ojha have a loo-oo-oong way to go before they are worthy of lacing his boots(My god! He's probably making Sreesanth do that right now!)


@Straight Point...

I do agree that a lot of players give us that 'Tests are the best' bullshit just to make us like them, Adrian Barath being the latest...

And watching Yuvraj goad fate by defending spinners on his backfoot makes me want to stuff an elbow pad down his throat...

The fact remains that Kaarthick ca change his name to 'Caarthyeekh' if he likes, MSD's here to stay...

Rohit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rohit said...

@ Anonymous...

So let me get this straight. Yuvraj can't play good spinners, can't play seam, can't play swing but still has 2000 percent the talent of Mohd. Kaif? Disregarding the fact that you've haven't left too much for Yuvraj TO play, it doesn't seem like the case for Kaif is too strong...

straight point said...

The fact remains that Kaarthick ca change his name to 'Caarthyeekh' if he likes, MSD's here to stay...

rohit why you feel that dk being wicket keeper should be held against him to be selected purely as batsman...?

Anonymous said...

You know that it is not all about talent - Yes, Yuvraj is immensely talented because his pure hitting is awesome - what he hasnt done is to hone his defensive technique. He can make an awe-inspiring stroke against even Muralitharan but the problem with him is he doesnt have the technique to survive and play a tough session in tests. So, yes, he does have loads of talent(attacking) but without a sufficient(defensive)talent, which can be acquired by application unlike attacking ability, he remais a dunce.

As for Kaif, he would surely have done better than Yuvraj, especially in Australia because he has loads of application. That is not saying much because Yuvraj's average is what in Australia? 16?17?

Mahek said...

What's with all the Yuvraj bashing? He's not my favourite player but to say he cost us the series Down Under is ridiculous. You don't lose a series because your number 6 batsman fails. If you're making the argument that Dravid had to open because they wanted to accommodate Yuvraj then I'd like to point out that he wasn't exactly doing well at number 3.

The glamorous peacock you're talking about played brilliant lone hands on seaming tracks in Pakistan while your stalwarts fell like ninepins. He also scored 169 in less than a day after coming in with his side in trouble. Not to mention his 80-odd in partnership with Tendulkar in Chennai. More recently, he helped bail us out in the first test of this series. Didn't make a hundred but that was a pretty crucial innings. He hasn't done anything to indicate he doesn't value test cricket. If anything he played through the sore knee on that Australian tour.

Mahek said...

Coming to Karthik, he did a great job in England and that one test in South Africa (SP, there was just one good innings. I wouldn't call it a fighting one when it comes on a flat first day track). Unfortunately, he isn't better than Yuvraj. For all the talk of Yuvraj being arrogant, you cannot fault him for lack of commitment. The guy is as competitive as anyone else in the side. It's unfortunate that Karthik has to miss out, but then Badrinath has been waiting for much longer.

Another thing working for Yuvraj is that he's left handed. There is only one other left-handed batsman in the lineup and he opens the batting. Even if Karthik were as good as Yuvraj, I'd still go for the leftie because I don't want the opposition bowlers to settle into bowling a more or less same line.

Mahek said...

Anon, you don't look at a guy's average over just two tests. That's utterly ridiculous. It's because of things like these that people don't take stats seriously.

Rohit, I can bag Harbhajan for ages and rightly so. The only loop he has is the one in his patka. I know you want to make an impression but there's better ways of doing that than saying Ojha and Mishra are nowhere near Harbhajan. If you're basing that opinion on 2001 then we might as well bring back Bedi and Prasanna for their exploits in the 60s and 70s. If not, I'd like to know if you have an rational explanation for your love of Harbhajan. Actually, I wouldn't. Talking about him ticks me off because I know I'm gonna have to see him play the next time India plays.

straight point said...

i think mahek you should revisit sa series again and check his fourth innings on i think last test which made even harsha gushing on air "indian cricket will have to find place for this guy somehow..."

we are talking about guy who has seen enough cricket more closely than you and me... for gushing to be taken seriously... :)

Mahek said...

I don't value Harsha's opinion any more than my own. He's been known to indulge in a bit of hyperbole too.

The innings you're talking about was in the second innings of the third test at Newlands. It was a good innings, but not nearly as good as his 95 against Pakistan at Kolkata. Like I said earlier, I would pick Yuvraj over Karthik even if both were equally good batsmen, which they're not.

Rohit said...

@ Straight Point...

I must admit...I don't see Karthik being picked as a pure batsman unless our GenNext implodes.

@ Mahek...

Why do you think Bishan Bedi and Prasanna were so so good? They bowled on actual dustbowls created just for them and took almost all their wickets at home. I'll read out their averages as well..

Erapalli Prasanna: 189 @ 30.38
Chandrasekhar: 242 @ 29.74
Bishan Bedi: 266 @ 28.71

This was an era when Garner and Marshall averaged about 20.
Compare that to
Bhajji's 337 @ 30.80
in a much more batting friendly era with a lot more cricket, video analysis and player burnout. The best bowler to debut after 2000 for comparison is probably Dale Steyn who averages 23.7.
The stats show that Bhajji is just as good, if not better than the famous trio.
I don't see why everyone bags him so much. I am not saying he's been at his best for the last 1-2 years. But do you see anyone banging the door down? There is no brilliant talent like Bhajji was at 21 to replace him now. Amit Mishra has played but a few tests. I doubt any player could go 8 years in international cricket without suffering a dip in form. This is Mishra at his best that we see now vs a jaded Bhajji. I would rather back Bhajji who will get his mojo back as compared to Mishra who is not a proven performer.
As for Ojha, I've been following him since his under 19 days and the adjectives you find associated with him are 'accurate' and 'consistent' which is not very promising for a test bowler. If Chawla finds a ripper of a leg break in him somewhere, give him a chance. Don't compare Bhajji to these two who, simply put, do not merit comparison

Rohit said...

@ Mahek...

And while I AM a fan of Yuvraj, I have to admit that he hasn't done enough yet to prove that he will be our no.6 for the next decade. I hope he does so soon because we're going to have enough headaches in batting as it is..

Mahek said...
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Mahek said...

FYI, both Bedi and Prasanna have a better average than Harbhajan home as well as away. I didn't know the Aussies and Poms were producing wickets tailor-made for them. It's shameful that people even think of comparing Harbhajan to those guys.

You want to talk about the advantages they had? How about modern bowlers, especially spinners getting more LBWs in their favour? A close stumping decision would've gone against the fielding side a few years ago but you have the third umpire to make those calls now.

Mishra has played domestic cricket for ages and he has an incredibly good record. If you think that's not enough then nothing will be.

The adjectives YOU associate with Ojha are the same as the ones associated with a certain Glenn McGrath. I didn't know it was a crime to be consistent and accurate. Or maybe you'd like a bowler who sprays all over like an 80-year old. If you really followed him you'd know he is a brilliant bowler. Just because he doesn't chuck to turn the ball the other way doesn't make him any less of a bowler.

It's really pathetic how people keep harping on about the "talent" of guys like Nohit Sharma and Harbhajan Singh when there are guys who give what really matters: Runs and Wickets. No wonder this team has been mired in mediocrity for decades.

Mahek said...

He's only just got that number 6 spot, hasn't he? Hasn't scored a hundred since Ganguly retired but has played some good hands. It's only fair that he gets a chance ahead of the others.

People were saying the same things about Gambhir last year, talking about how he'd failed away from home when he'd played hardly any test cricket abroad. Look where he is now.

Rohit said...

These guys played twenty+ years ago. A few tests home or away makes no difference. Runmaking was much much more difficult and the only reasons they've gained fame is that they were good players in an ordinary side.
You must remember that the Indian teams of the 80's were pushovers and had a pathetic record. These players stood out as good. I think you, like many, others see through the eyes of the Indian media which portrays them as geniuses when they were good at best.
The team today is the among the top three and Bhajji is the second best finger spinner in the world.

I Repeat. Bhajji is as good as if not BETTER than any of them.

Rohit said...

Are you aware of the average no of runs scored per test match now as compared to the 80's? They have no business averaging this close to Bhajji in spite of everything, LBW, stumping, etc etc. Records are the ultimate proof and they show that those bowlers are massively over rated today. Ya they also batted like shit if that makes any difference

Rohit said...

And what's wrong with comparing averages with fast bowlers. I doubt the fast bowler avg/spin bowler avg has changed drastically over time. If anything,quickies find it much tougher today so the stats should be skewed against Bhajji.
Look, Bhajji is being allowed to bowl himself back into form because he has earned that sort of respect by being India's premier spinner. He doesn't have any lobby and he wasn't born with a BCCI tattoo on his butt. He has got where he has because of sheer talent and performances. Mishra, in spite of being just 2 years younger, never figured in the selectors plans till the first IPL. Don't tell me that's because he's from Haryana because Bhajji is not from Mumbai either.
And you tell me about comparing fast vs spin and go on about McGrath?!!
When Bhajji doesn't spin it, he's worthless, but Ojha barely turning it is just fine? I repeat, I have no problems with dropping bhajji for an outstanding talent, not for Ojha who is reasonably good at best.

Mahek said...

Good for you if you think Harbhajan is as good as those greats. If you think my perception of them is based on what's written in the Indian media then so be it. As for Harbhajan's lobby, there's a really big one in the form of Sachin Tendulkar. They don't come much bigger than him.

Haryana is a much lesser team than Punjab. How many international cricketers have come out of the two states in the last few years? I can think of a few from Punjab - Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Sarandeep Singh, Pankaj Dharmani, Vikram Rathore, Ashish Kapoor. How many from Haryana? If a first class average of 26 over 87 games isn't prrof of Mishra's ability and longevity then maybe he needs to start sucking up to Tendulkar, or act aggressive so that people think he's good.

You keep talking about talent as if you're some kind of scout. So why don't you describe how "talented" Harbhajan is and how Ojha and Mishra lack that "talent"?

Mahek said...

Looks like the umpires are doing their bit for Harbhajan. There was daylight between bat and pad there and the jackass still thought the ball came off the bat. Second time this series.

raj said...

Mahek, now we are stuck with Durby Singh for 2 years :-)
( I am waiting for the interviews to news channels on how he spits at people who doubted him etc now)
BTW, after that interview in IPL-2 blaming the captain of Mumbai Indians, I wonder if Sachin still supports Durbhajan Singh. If he does, then what can I say
(basically, Durby refused to take blame for his poor performance in IPL-2 and started blaming the captain instead!)

Mahek said...

With Harbhajan it's never his bowling. First it was the Kookaburra ball, then short boundaries, of course there's Ponting and the Aussies, and now the captain.