From MI to MIK - Mumbai Indians (Keepers) #IPL7PervView

Why Dinesh Karthik was not retained by the Indians is a mystery – he could have been the standby wicketkeeper for the other five in the squad.

Ben Dunk(26), CM Gautam(27), Ambati Rayudu (28), Aditya Tare(26), Sushant Marathe (28) are the five keepers on board.

At 28, Karthik also falls into the favoured age grouping of MI keepers, 26-28.

But Karthik was picked by his old team, the Delhi Daredevils, who prefer buying their discards (Ross Taylor’s in too) just so that they remember why they didn’t retain them in the first place.

But this is not about Delhi and Mumbai, this is Mumbai vs. Mumbai.

As always, Mumbai’s dugout outclasses those off the bench – SRT, Kumble, John Wright, Anita Ambani and the numerous kids she will pose with.

What does MI have other than their five wicketkeepers?

Rohit Sharma. Captain. Defending Champion. Pout-face. Dot balls on top will be vital in playing out the power play without taking undue risks. Followed by a brainfade in over 6.2, batting on an accomplished 28 (26), 1 6, 3 4s. Is best suited for four, but will open. But he’s captain, should bat at four, this is not Team India.  

There’s Pragyan Ojha, who is now resigned to not playing for India again, yet again.

Ojha has played 6 T20Is – how he squeezed those many can only be attributed to Bhajji taking off for his recording duties.

He played these games between June 2009 – June 2010.

The rise of Ravindra (a.k.a Jadeja) ended whatever faint hopes Ojha might have had; and unless he can quickly acquire a tag as flash as Sir, say Menial, this could be it.

Also, ever since VVS retired, Ojha has lacked the same deranged motivation in his running.

Ojha, who should be MI’s strongest spinning link, could go missing this season.

Which leaves us with Harbhajan Singh. Yes, he’s still playing cricket.

Michael Hussey will open the batting, and I envisage, the Mathew Hayden of old (make that very old) in his last season making a guest appearance – he could also be possessed by Ponting’s last Waltz last year.

There’s Malinga, who if he’s not captaining, and not taking orders from others, will not be able to dish out Yorker-Fries outside off that even The Greatest IPL Player Of All Time, Dhoni, was unable to counter. To err is Divine.

Zaks, if he’s back from the French Riviera again, will look leaner yet again. He will play initially, and half way through the season he won’t.

Corey Anderson and Keiron Pollard of reputations so great, the IPL will bow before them.

How Corey Anderson goes will decide MI’s season, or maybe it won’t, but I think it could. He should bat no lower than four, ideally at three.

MI though, has in the past been reluctant to bat Pollard anyway higher than eight, though I recall he did come in at seven once, but had to return for a photo-shoot.

Hell, Santokie may not get a game. But Bumrah could, and with that mad-hatter action, will be the best thing for MI this season.

The Playing XI: (batting order)

1 Michael Hussey

2 Rohit Sharma

3 Corey Anderson

4 Ambati Rayudu

5 Pollard

6 Tare / Gautam / Marathe*

7 Wankhade*

8 Zaks / Bumrah / Shreyas Gopal

9 Bhajji

10 Malinga

11 Ojha

*Could play away games too. 

MI won't win this season. They don't have a reason.

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Heated Bhajji vs Ojha Debate on NDTV

Why was Pragyan Ojha dropped for the Chennai Test? Why was Bhajji picked - to play his 100th Test? Join Bored Member Gaurav Sethi talking Naked Cricket on NDTV. And the rap in the end.

view on NDTV

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What else can Ravindra Jadeja do?

He bats, bowls, fields-throws-runs batsmen out, grows hair, cuts hair, how about Test cricket for Jadeja? Ashwin needs a kid brother (who can teach him how to run 2)

Watch White Bored (9), shot on location at the Bored Room, Yawn T Roads.

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Watch the first episode of THE WHITE BORED - why has India lost it

Produced by Yash Chawla, NDTV. Rambling by Bored Member NC.
Shot on location at The Bored Room, Yawn T Roads. 

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ojha and mishra think alike...

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The WTF T20 Series

If you knew there was a T20 game today, before today, then you are some piece of work. The mobile phone sponsors are doing a great disservice to mobile phone credibility with their advertising, top that, they sponsor a deferred T20 Cup – how can it be telecast Live when both teams are dead. India was all along, now even Zim is. They lost the toss.

Initially I took the solitary T20 game to constitute a cup, but there’s a second game tomorrow. It’s bad enough Yusuf Pathan was the match man of today, denying an anonymous left-armer who went for under three runs-per-over. Clear case of wrong guy getting the award, could have been worse, the wrong Ojha.

Then little man Chawla descended from somewhere; the selectors keen to make up for Chawla’s World T20 invisibility, played him for an entire T20 game – though at one point I did see him walk away.

The openers continued in the rich vein of Tamil Nadu batsmen that make the highest level their lowest level – and before you say, Naman Oja is from MP, I did hear him say, “Areh ho sambar”.

On an unrelated note, isn’t Mpofu a fascinating name, and it makes me wanna sing that Prince song, you sexy Mpofu…how bad can tomorrow’s game be, there is always the football world cup. Same time as your T20 game.

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t20 is a batsman's game...

not that i had any doubts about it... neither do i envy murali vijay...

but when vijay got a century cheeka jumped up and down in ecstasy and then settled down to sigh on national tv... that had it not been for the icc rule to select t20 world cup team a month in advance... he would have picked murali vijay... without a hint of guilt...

by the same token, why not a single word for two bowlers... ojha and mishra... who are the highest wicket takers this season...?

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purple slap on selector's face....

next purple slap... ojha...

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One more batsman please

At the team selections there was just one question that clinched it for the bowlers – does he bat? No, does he really bat? If India needs 9 runs of the 20th over in the semi finals, can he hit two boundaries under pressure?

Yes, I’ve seen him hit two fours under pressure.

Pick him, nothing more to ask.

Ok, and what about exhibit No. 2 – in addition to bowling how many runs has he scored in the IPL?

I remember, on one occasion he hit Ishant Sharma for 2-3 fours in an over.

In the IPL?

Yes, yes, in the IPL.

So, that means if India needs even 12 runs in the finals, and he’s in – he can do it.

Yes, yes. In fact there’s another batsman, even he hit Ishant Sharma for a lotta runs in one over.

Pick him also.

Problem, he’s retired from T20 internationals.

But he hit Ishant, yaar – convince him.

He’s a very big player.

Ok, pick the other one, the boy who bowls – even he can hit Ishant.

No one asked about his bowling form, his IPL run, when he last played for India, why he was dropped.

You can’t blame Piyush Chawla for making it the Caribbean. He’s just in the right team at the wrong time. As for Mishra and Ojha, there’s the IPL, and the odd ODI they play, the occasional test.

And they must work on their batting to be picked as the second choice spinners. Or is it third, fourth? Does Angad Bedi bowl, bring him on while you’re at it. Areh yaar, uske baap ko...

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Harbhajan's Sister(s)

Harbhajan's sister(s)

[Cartoon Idea Raj, Cartoon by A Bisht]

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Doubt Bhajji would be half as good playing for Haryana

It’s taken some time, like a few dog years to unleash poor Amit Mishra on to cricket again. Trouble is, he was arguably the best drinks’ boy going – his Virgin Mary, bloody good.

Amit Mishra warmed the benches through the Aussie one-day series. Before that he replaced an ineffective Bhajji in the Champions Trophy, and did more than a fair job. I cannot tire of saying this, because soon his replacement Ojha too will be relegated to the spinners’ graveyard. Murali Kartik’s India career tombstone is particularly impressive. Just that there is no date of demise; appears his career was buried even before it began.

So too with Amit Mishra. And anyone else who claims to spin the ball or bowl slow. This is one of the reasons Ganguly refused to bowl much in spite of Toronto. Or why both Sehwag and Sachin are reluctant to turn their arm around, or for that matter, over the wicket. Why, even MS Dhoni, who jags them back like a boomerang, raised his hands, and kept to himself.

Back to now: Amit Mishra finally bowled outside of the nets, grabbed 3 for 16 of 6, and knocked Kerala for 93.

Mishra, look at it this way, you may not be playing for India, but you are for Haryana. And don’t we all know, that Bhajji isn’t even good enough for that.

Aside: During the Mumbai test, Jimmy Amarnath quizzed Ravi Shastri on Bhajji’s bowling – Shastri did not reply. Let us not allow Bhajji to get away this time. A slap on a cricketer’s face was bad enough. A slap on cricket, NO WAY. Ask more of Indian cricket. More than No. 1.

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Who will sit out?

What if M Vijay is the most valuable player in the Mumbai test knocking off heaps of runs and records, everything that Indian cricket doesn’t expect of him. What will the selectors do then – tell him to sit out or pick him for the next test? If so, who sits out?

What if VVS scores runs but Yuvraj doesn’t – who sits out?

Even if the possibilities of M Vijay making a career out of Mumbai are slim, it will be more than welcome. Imagine, how it can shake Indian cricket out of its comfort zone; a rookie test cricketer who invents himself overnight.

More than M Vijay’s success, I’m interested in how the selectors will react – one way is to announce an injury, last time to Australia it was Gambhir, this time who will it be?

And what if all the batsmen are fit, will India play seven batsmen + MSD + 2 quicks + Bhajji. That’s the easy way, Bhajji is an allrounder, and Jatman can double up as Sehwag the spinner, and Yuvi picks himself as an all-rounder too.

I have a strange feeling that’s the way it will be. After all, all rounders are such a rare breed, especially guys who can bat and spin it a little, and those that can spin even less and bat a little. If it weren’t for the bat and ball in front of players, where would we be now?

Another thought, what if Ojha outbowls Bhajji – who sits out? Ojha of course, what was I thinking?

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Silly questions: why was Amit Mishra dropped

His bowling average shot from less than 30 (29 point something) to 37.90 in just one innings. The selectors locked Mishra in a panic room, safe from any more test cricket. If he plays more, even Agarkar’s test bowling average of 47.32 will be threatened.

And as Shastri will tell you, Agarkar may go for a few, but he has the knack of taking wickets.

Mishra has already played 6 tests, Ojha hasn’t even played one, to quote a selector, “everyone should get a fair chance”

Mishra is shorter than both Bhajji and Ojha. Also Bhajji and Ojha smile more than Mishra.

Sachin Tendulkar is closing in on another milestone, 13k runs. Everything must be just so, and that so and so Bhajji must play.

In Motera, Mishra’s 58 overs cost 203 runs; Bhajji’s 48 cost only 189. Anything over 200 runs even at a lesser run rate is not acceptable. This is test cricket. Wickets and not run rates count.

Bhajji’s 2 wickets were impressive; one wasn’t even out while the other was a freebie. Mishra only had one freebie to his name, that too the tired double centurion.

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Is it Ohja? Or is it Ojha?

If you ran past the headline, bet you didn't know the difference. They both read the same, and that makes Ojha, or is it Ohja a somewhat predictable bowler. It's time we went to Ojha Anonymous, and said it aloud, "I have a problem with Ojha! I can't spell his name" Tell you what, I have a problem with Ojha, or is it Ohja, and I can't spell his name.

Not a day goes past when I have to refer to the spelling Bible, cricinfo for the Ohja, (or is it Ojha?) spelling.

Today I have decided, enough is enough. Ohja ho yaan Ojha, I don't want Bheja fry! So here's my prescrpition - remember two sets of two letters instead of the whole name spelling, which anyway never works - OJ + Ha or Orange Juice + Last Laugh. Q.E.D.

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Pragyan Ojha Picked...

A wicket of his first delivery ever in T20 international cricket.

and 2 wickets in his first ever over in T20 international cricket.

That is some sort of a record I believe.

And the commentators decided to totally ignore it.

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Spin.

Want to fix New Zealand? Import David Hussey as a part time spin option. The Kiwis never came to grips with Hussey or for that matter any Aussie who bowled slow. If Ojha is in town, and not sightseeing, India could use four overs from him in the next T20.

Unlike India’s trump spin card, he may even think of flight, attack, offstump lines. It’s tough at times telling if Pathan’s slower one was faster or Bhajji’s faster one was slower.

And while we're at it, why does Amit Mishra not play limited overs' cricket? Too much of a threat to Bhajji, oye?!

for the Kiwi mouthpieces: It's Ishant Sharma and not Ishant Patel. Ishant was Patel-ed for every ball he bowled, and he did bowl quite a few no-balls. Appears the Patels have got to the Kiwis, no wonder they don't play Jeetan Patel that often.

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