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Showing posts with label Yuvraj. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yuvraj. Show all posts
The Ins & Outs of India’s ODI selection Continued
You read about the Outs here, now how about the Ins
Jatman is in. And he brings with him his various avatars of Viru and Sehwag and Virender, there’s more to both the cricketer and the individual. In a few days he will be 31, wonder what that means to him?
Yuvraj is in, so much for bowling all-rounders like Yusuf Pathan. It’s an ODI series, naturally Yuvi will bowl and bat high up, but I’m more interested where and how he will field?
Munaf Patel. He has his moments, then he has brainless ones too. In the Challenger he bowled a madcap over to last man, Dinda. Two nothing short balls, 2 and 4 runs. He lost it, his team lost it too. Then when Dinda wanted to shake hands, he walked past, lifting shirt high enough to wipe brow sweat. It wasn’t a pretty sight. Then Munna returned the following day, and blew MSD’s India Blue apart. If there’s one lesson here, don’t save Munna for the slog overs. Better still, don’t save him. Spend all ten of him on the trot. Otherwise he gets the trots.
More than Munna the bowler, I like Munna the batsman – frankly he’s the only exciting batsman in the team. I’ve said so before, here – even against Mendis when the team was clueless, he swept with élan. The other day he played an ugly one handed sweep, it was breathtaking. He has it in him to the ugliest, most effective lower order slogger. Way uglier than Bhajji.
Ravindra Jadeja: Hope he gets his share of chances and converts. Hope, like him, another kid from Saurashtra gets a break too – where are you Che? Jadeja is only twenty, don’t hold that aginst him – give him as many chances as Yusuf, if not more – Jadeja bowls left arm spin, bats middle order and plays for the Rajasthan Royals. Who’s next, Warne?
Sudeep Tyagi – like the look of this 22 year old kid, esp. when he sends it down those 22 yards. Hope fitness isn’t a Catch 22 for him, and the Challenger is a pointer to bigger things to come. Be good to see a new quick like Tyagi make it, make the likes of RP, Ishant think more about their bowling now in their 20s. Can’t have everyone realising potential when they’re 30 plus. Jitu and Zaks are enough.
Conseqences of hitting Chris Broad for six
A Ponting dismissal or Broad hit for a 6, how can I even start to express the feeling – I walk in mid-over, detached, and yeah, clueless of Clark's earlier 6 – and Broad tries to bounce Clark, who pulls and six! Can Clark hit Broad for 6 6s – if only everyone hit him for 6 6s. What does Broad think every time someone hits him for 6 – ‘it’s ok the worst is over, he’s not gonna hit me for 6 6s’ I think, he thinks about Yuvraj. Just that look, it’s fraught with an unbearable heaviness of being. Like some crazy Jat, stepped on it, and him, and somewhere there, he lost his innocence. Think they should refer him to his daddy.
News from the Caribbean
Thus spake the Fake One down Player...
"I know knifes were out, but I was confident the might of my cricketing abilities and aptitude would win them over.
Let me give you guys a lowdown on the list of master stokes (I am sorry to mention) I had to my credit yesterday.
I won the toss and elected to bat
I played Karthik, most importantly I gave him enough confidence that he agreed to open the innings (reluctantly though)
I decided I would send Yuvraj one down today. I know what you guys are saying, but you are wrong. I knew Rohit would be no-hit yesterday too, that is why I didn’t count him as the one down player
When I came in the ball was doing many things, we had to see through those many things. And keep the scoreboard ticking. That is precisely what I did. I scored my runs at 89.13 coming in a difficult position, where the objective normally is consolidation
And look at how Harbajan played today, it was me who gave him tips how to hit and coached him at the nets
While we bowled…
I wanted to test Nehra’s fitness to the fullest. I still remember what he said then, I would never forget. But he responded well. He understood his responsibilities and most importantly has mellowed down too. And see how he foxed Gayle ? I suggested he bowl that ball.
I decided I would keep Harbajan for the end, see how Ravi bowled a maiden and Pathan gave only 4. And did you see my field setting ?
Before the 49th over you might have seen a mini conference before Ashish Nehra was handed the ball. I had decided even before the first ball of the innings was bowled that Nehra is the one who would bowl the 49th.
I just wanted to make it look like it was a collective decision, just in case. To ensure we take collective responsibilities in case of any eventuality
All this said, did you guys see how I won a thrilling match for India.
For all those who took their knifes out, let me sing a Eagles song I am hearing right now, “Stab it with their steely knifes, but they just can’t kill the beast”
See you later !!"
Real IPL Player: DC vs KXIP match
Winter is setting in here but the giant IPL billboards across the city scream ‘Heat Is On’. Two hours in the hospitality area of the Wanderers Stadium and I know what they meant.
It was a Sunny day, even if Gavaskar wasn’t in the vicinity. There was a cushion on the chair but the sun was beating down on my thinning thatch, resulting in a dilemma, whether to pamper the bum or protect the head.
“All depends on what part of your body you love more,” volunteered my next-chair neighbour from left.
Turning right, I suddenly realised I was in august company, that too in May! Two ladies, including the head-turner just next to me, separate me from Banjo Casssim, the man in the eye of the 2000 match-fixing storm!
A journalist colleague of mine identify him and try to remind him of an old interview he had done with him. Banjo doesn’t really jump in joy after being traced, even though he does force a smile. Seconds later, he leaves in a huff.
Worse, with both the ladies in tow.
I hope the incident irrefutably establishes the sad fact that journalism remains essentially a dog-eats-dog world.
The match was okay but I actually was more eager for the strategy break. I was dying to know what the players do in the first five minutes of the seven-and-half-minute break that make them unwatchable on television for that period of time and has to be replaced by commercials.
To my relief, they don’t do anything obscene. Trust me, Yuvraj Singh doesn’t molest any cheeleader, spank Sreesanth or abuse Preity Zinta.
During the strategy break, the roller buzzes into action, smoothening the track. Seconds later, Ramesh Powar charges in warming-up.
Now, had they requested Powar to do the loosening up on the 22-yard track, that would have surely saved the organisers of rolling out that petrol-guzzling monster. But then few really care about energy conservation.
Not the 7 wonders
by Naked Cricket
They’re not the 7 wonders
More like the 7 blunders
They’re not O-2-Die-4
They’re not O-2-Lie-4
They’re another 7 ODIs, hihi!
But I’ll watch anyway, mymy!
At least till Viru’s there
At least till Viru’s there
OK, bye, bye, c u, tata, Viru's gone
Tho not quite like Michael Vaughan!
He didn't go with a whimper
He didn't go with a whimper
But again
They’re not the 7 wonders
More like the 7 blunders
They’re not O-2-Die-4
They’re not O-2-Lie-4
They’re another 7 ODIs, hihi!
But I’ll watch anyway, mymy!
At least till Yuvi’s there
At least till Yuvi’s there
Who needs a kick on the butt?
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
What do the numbers say?
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
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
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