The Night Before - the must-win game

The Indian team squats around Kirsten's room, as Suresh Raina readies himself for a speech. Raina smiles around, clears his throat and shoots...

RAINA

Thing is, we gotta get the Bonus Point tomorrow, more important than winning we gotta get the bonus point...because if we get the Bonus Point tomorrow then we can forget about not getting the Bonus Point against Sri Lanka...ok, understand, Bonus Point mangta, ok? Any questions?

Raina moves to sit down when all the players raise their hands

RAINA

Ok, BossDK, you first

BossDK stands up to ask his question, trips himself, lands in Naman Ojha's lap

RAINA

Well caught Ojha...Garry, wadaya say?? Khila deyn?

PRAGYAN OJHA

If both Naman Ojha and I play, I want to be called Ojha and he can be called Naman..

KIRSTEN

That's unfair on Ojha, you can be called O1 and he can be called O2

PRAGYAN OJHA

No, no...I breathe life into the team, I wanna be called O2

VIJAY

If I'm not playing tomorrow, can I go to Victoria Falls?

YUSUF PATHAN

Look, Lalit Modi is wishing us best of luck on twitter from Florence Nightinglae

ROHIT SHARMA

Has Sachin said anything? His good luck helps, always...

KOHLI

Sehwag sounds like a sadhu on twitter...always giving gyaan from some quotations book...

BOSSDK

I feel we all gotta open twitter accounts and talk to our fans and all...

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Last and final call for Amit Mishra

Is Mishra fast going the Bhajji way?

He’s gone beyond the customary designer stubble and grown a beard. He also seems angrier, good for him, there’s that leader of the pack vibe too, he’s just not taking wickets. It’s been two games, he has one wicket against Zimbabwe. And for that wicket, nobody knows what he bowled, not the batsman, not the commentators, not Mishra? Either way, he didn’t bowl it again. It would’ve been wrong on many counts.

What’s also wrong are Mishra’s lines, going the Bhajji way, down middle and leg – his analysis are starting to resemble Bhajji’s too – none for forty of ten; the most economical bowler, no wickets. And where is that sharp spinning leg-break – in a safe house for the test matches? Could we have the ripping googly back please? You are Amit Mishra – and not some imposter?

There’s something wrong and I don’t know what it is – the wrist? The arm? The mind? Playing second fiddle to Bhajji for too long can be devastating. Not playing at all, can be worse. And when you do, in the IPL, your team asks you to bowl leg stump lines to Gayle and Ganguly.

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"Don't call me Nohit Sharma"

You can call me The Artist formerly known as Nohit. That has a swagger to it, I can almost see myself breaking into song, a Bollywood ballad. Anyway, it’s just a matter of time before they start calling me Prince or Nawab of Nagpur.

Did you notice how I pulled and hooked the Lankans, and I’m Indian. I will speak with Garry and ask if I can help the captain and the other seniors back home with their pulling.

I’d like to thank someone, I don’t remember who really, someone who said, in passing, just play like it’s the IPL, and you will score tons of runs. Now you see what has happened, even in my dreams I’m scoring runs. Earlier my dream runs were few, I won’t even call them dream runs. What else?

I hope my good India form doesn’t affect my IPL form – there is always a chance that playing too much for India, can leave you with little time to recover for the IPL season. That is where the 20s and 30s for India were crucial, finally the selectors had to drop me. But now after these two hundreds it will be up to me to drop the selectors. Cheeka, watch out! (languid laugh)

Don’t you think I was really cool today, I’ve really worked on my easy-going look. That makes everything look even easier than it is. Deep down I’m tough as nails, but with this look, I look, you know what…whatever…gotta go, sign some autographs (yawns)

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RDX: Fly on the wall

It’s not because I don’t bowl myself, but I don’t care much for batsman who make the team on the strength of their bits and pieces bowling. Allow me to continue on Yusuf Pathan, who bats at No. 7 and bowls a few overs (2-3 in both one-dayers and T20). In my opinion that is not on.

A part-timer like Yusuf makes the team at the cost of a more accomplished bowler or batsman. It may be argued that without Yusuf at 7 the balance of the team is hurt – I don’t think so. Yusuf only adds to the team on paper.

If only Greg Chappell had a chance to work on Yusuf Pathan instead of his brother, Irfan, Indian cricket would’ve been well served.

Even today, in the game against Sri Lanka, Yusuf is yet to bowl, and we’re at over number 45, with the batting power play on. If he hasn’t bowled so far, I doubt he will bowl at all. It’s time to ask the question, is Yusuf being protected – and if so, by whom?

Personally, I’m working on my bowling in the nets. It is clear to me, that batting alone cannot earn me a spot in the World Cup. Watching Dinesh Karthik keep in the last few games, I feel he still has a long way to go, to even consider himself the second choice keeper.

Even though keeping was a thankless job, I’m not averse to keeping wickets again, if the team feels they need my services. In addition, I can also be the 3rd or 4th choice opener if one of the regular openers is unavailable. And even though opening did not come naturally to me, Viru and I have shared a 400 plus partnership opening where we nearly overhauled the world-record. If need be, I can also bat at my regular No. 3 position, but then again, this is up to the selectors. They know best.

by RDX
This is the second in a series of posts by RDX, exclusively for Bored Cricket Crazy Indians.

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compaq cup: tri-series preview

win the toss... win the cup...

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