Sandy Storm blows Viru away

As a batsman, Sandeep Patil has a modest test record - an average in the mid thirties from 29 tests - and  two remarkable innings... one in his debut series in Australia where he smashed Lilee & Co. for a blistering 174 and another two years later in England - where he smashed 24 runs of a Bob Willis over. He was a member of the squad that won the World Cup in 1983.  Patil has been the manager for the Indian team, a rebel ICL team and the Director at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.  And then six months ago, he was made Chairman of Selectors - the wise men who pick the squad, on whose shoulders rest the hopes of a billion people.

Today he's done something that I wouldn't normally associate with him,  or for that matter  any Indian selector. He's dropped Virender Sehwag. There I said it... DROPPED Virender Sehwag!

This comes after the exit of Gautam Gambhir - who was dropped at the start of this series. So India will search for opening 'nirvana' in  the next two tests  (and may be a few after that) with untested batsmen - Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane.

Gambhir and Sehwag are the only Indians to aggregate more than 4000 partnership runs in Tests - and that at average of over 52 in the last 8 years. They have gone where even the exhalted Mr Gavaskar hadn't ventured (Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan -3010 runs at 53.75) - becoming one of just five pairs in test cricket to achieve this feat.

Admittedly, there was a huge gap between  their exploits home and away but consider these staggerring stats... In Viru,  we have a batsmen who holds the record for the top three test scores by an Indian - a man with 8500 test runs at an average that had fallen in a past 12 months just a tad under 50. A man who has played over 100 tests and has 23 centuries including two triple tons. Of the 26 batsmen to debut for India in the past 12 years, he just one of the two to have  scored a century on debut - and that was against South Africa, in South Africa. 

His partner, the dour Gauti, has played 54 tests for his 4000 runs, making 9 centuries on the way.

And we've just put them back on the drawing board -- consigned them to play Ranji Trophy for Delhi -- ostensibly in a bid to regain some form.  (Note to self: Must go to Kotla if  they're playing for Delhi)

It is a brave new world that Indian cricket must venture into when the team travels to South Africa later this year. So let me throw in my two bits for anyone who's listening -  bring back  Wasim Jaffer. The Mumbai run machine has had a phenomenal domestic season - his team Mumbai won everything in sight... And he has played 20 of his 31 tests abroad - for 5 centuries and almost 2000 runs at an average of 34 is better that most Indian batsmen overseas.

CRICKET from a Couch: Knock yourself out on India

India has made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup… One Hindi TV channel sports anchor could barely remain in his char – the expert rambled on about how this was a great achievement, and I sat there baffled.

Baffled -  because I was at my in-laws in Lucknow, a city where Holi seems to have combined with cricket to make for a very heady mix… bat-shaped pichkaris,  gulaal packets branded ‘Howzat’ (presumably,  the this colour intended to shock and ask questions of people playing with it!)… I understand all the gimmicks work if India keep winning – so it makes for good business, but this general euphoria about India in the knock out stages is inexplicable… The last edition where India were sent home early couldn’t have scarred the nation so, could it?

Baffled – because had anyone in their wildest dreams imagined India not making it to the knock out stages.  In one breath Dhoni and his men are talked about the favourites to win the cup (apart from patriotism, I’d like to know the cricketing sense behind that rating) – and the next moment such joy because they’ve made it to the quarter finals.

Nevertheless, India has made it to the quarterfinals and now plays Australia… so what next?

Borrowing a tentacle from the great oracle of Octopus Paul fame, I hereby predict an exit… I’d love to be proved wrong, but I just feel that Ponting’s Punters aren’t going to lose twice in a row… Pakistan beat them comfortably, the first time an Australian side has lost in a World Cup match in 12 years, but that’s all there is to it. The men from down under are a fine one-day side, and though they may not be as dominant as the side 7-8 years ago, they are still are force to reckon with especially in the limited overs game.


If the men bleed blue (Sachin seems ready to bleed anything, as long as the cup is his) and get past Australia, then Pakistan may be the team next in line…  There’s been little international cricket played across the LoC, but their ‘Love of Cricket’ is undiminished. So is the erratic- yet-brilliant nature of the team. I must confess I am thoroughly enjoying watching them – especially their bowling – with Afridi and Umar Gul in fine form…   India has never lost to Pakistan in the World Cup – but I have a feeling, they just might start this time…


So why am I so skeptical about our chances? And before questions are raised about my patriotism, may I just  reiterate that I’d love to be proved wrong just this once and see India raise the cup.  But here are 5 reasons why I think India hasn’t got what it takes to win the cup….

1.     Inconsistent Batting – India hasn’t chased at all in this World Cup barring a match or two against minor teams. And when it has the famed batting line-up has struggled… Batting first India has set up decent totals, but not huge ones. England got to 325-odd to tie the match, South Africa chased down almost 300. Remember,  in the match against south Africa, after the start India got, there was talk of a 400-plus score but from about 260 -1 , the batsmen collapsed.

2.    Sachin, Sehwag and then? – Only the openers seem to be clicking for India in this World Cup… Gambhir has played well in streaks and so has Yuvraj with two 50s. But the rationale for dropping Virat Kohli to number 4, or sometimes even 5 is something beyond me… It is like tampering with the only player in the batting line-up who has performed consistently well in that spot over the last 12 months.

3.    Yusuf Pathan – Clearing the boundary on large South African grounds seems to have created an impression in the minds of people and selectors alike – this man is a match-winner… On his day, so is may be the young rookie , who has one or two 1st class matches under his belt, but that is not the point. Is Pathan a consistent performer, and the answer, as statistics would bear it, is NO . Strike rates are a good thing – you cannot  win matches on strike rates alone , you  need to bother the scorer ever so often and put runs on the board.  And Pathan bowls a bit – ‘a bit’ being the operative phrase here… in 5 matches he has just 1 wicket, an average of about 150 and an economy that around 5 runs an over… The batting fairy seems to have deserted his and taken her little glass-bat – Pathan the Mighty now has a very mortal 63 runs from his 5 innings,  some of them batting at number 4…

4.    Bowlers required, please apply to Team India – So you put up a score of 300 you need bowlers to defend it… you also need bowlers to restrict other teams to manageable par-scores should you be chasing… Even Bangladesh got over 280 against our bowling attack – so what can we defend? Let’s face it, apart from Zaheer, we haven’t got a glass act. Munaf tries, Nehra (especially after South Africa) is a No-No, Sreesanth , just scary… In the twist-and-turns department, Harbhajan is the only act that seems to be on the stage, Chawla hit out of the park,  and fill-ins like Yuvraj getting some stick and some laughs… And when it comes to getting 13-14 runs of the last over, teams have started fancying themselves against India – we have no bowler who knows how to keep it tight at ‘ the death’.

5.    Batting power plays – There is something about power plays that gets India all tied  up in knots. Our team doesn’t bleed blue – it just bleeds and gives us the blues – wickets tumble in a heap, everyone scramble for the pavilion – and the commentators and experts, for cover, revising their analysis ball-by-ball… In the match against South Africa, India lost 4 wickets in the crucial power play for just 30 runs… starting a collapse in which 9 wickets fell for just 29 runs- and India couldn’t even bat out its full quota of overs… Perhaps team India is too predictable in its use of the power play – why can’t we take it  in, may be,  the 25th over and ask a few questions of the opposition skipper which force him to make strategy changes. Taking it anywhere after 38 is expected- between 40 and 45 is anticipated and therefore bowling combinations, etc are worked out far-far in advance… I am willing to concede that the batting Powerplay has proved a puzzle for most teams, not knowing whether to take it when the going is good or when they need to find a way out of a mess. But at least teams from outside the subcontinent seem to be experimenting with the mix…


So feast your eyes on India and knock yourself out, before Dhoni and his boys manage to knock themselves out…

CRICKET from the couch: Why India should play a second spinner

I saw India beat the living hell out of a Kiwi team that hadn’t a clue what hit them. Sure, it was a practice match and there wasn’t much at stake – but Dhoni’s men in blue served notice again – this World Cup could well be India’s. It is in the sub-continent, India has the hopes of a billion people riding on their shoulders, the team has struck form in the last year or so and most batsmen in the team seem to have hit a purple patch.

India has an embarrassment of riches in the batting department. Sehwag and Sachin are any one-day side’s dream opening combination – between the two of them, they have over 70 one-day centuries and over 25 thousand runs.  Then at number 3, there is Gautam Gambhir – who has been batting well, can open and seems to have a wise head on young shoulder. He served notice by a run-a ball 89 at Chepauk’s warm up game, consolidating when needed and accelerating at the right time.

Let’s not forget, the top contender for the number 3 spot is Virat Kohli. He’s  also from Delhi and  has had  a year to kill for – almost 1400 runs since January 2009, at a 50-esque average and a strike rate touching 90. He has scored 4 centuries and has made the crucial No 3 spot his own with some sensible, yet scintillating batting. So clearly then this is a toss-up… not just for who gets into the final playing eleven, but also for who bats where.

The other big face-off for a slot is between Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina – both are southpaws, bowl a bit of spin and are certified partnership wreckers. So who gets in? Raina has had a disastrous series in South Africa… true he did get to fifty in just 25 balls against the Kiwis, but is that good enough for him to be picked over Yuvi? Solely on recent form, I’d pick Yuvi any day of the week and twice on Sundays. There is little to choose from between Raina and Yuvraj as batsmen. Yuvraj is also a useful left-arm spinner and has played more-than-double the number of matches  (265 to Raina’s 111). Add to that his previous experience in the World cup and he is your go-to-guy in that ‘hallowed’ middle order.

Captain MS Dhoni picks himself – after all he’s also the wicket keeper of the team – so barring any mishaps he slots in at No 5 or 6. With an unbeaten 62-ball century  in the warm up against New Zealand , Dhoni looks like he could lead the team by example with the bat – in the middle overs and at the death. And after his marauding performance against South Africa in the ODIs there, I’d say Yusuf Pathan is also a shoo-in.

So in the batting department, India has a problem of plenty – that’s both good and bad… Good - because bench strength is required to get through long tournaments and some amount of healthy competition within the team helps raise the bar. Bad – because it makes selecting the playing-eleven difficult.

And with such names in your side, there is a great urge to play all of them – so you could end up with a team that has 7 batsmen then Yusuf Pathan as an all rounder and just 3 specialist bowlers. The other day, I heard, Sunny Gavaskar say India should play 7 batsmen – pitches in the subcontinent are batsmen-friendly and the team must put up 300-plus scores or chase them down.

I read an op-ed which suggested Dhoni should come in at number 7 – and Yusuf Pathan should follow at 8. I have one question – if 6 batsmen can’t score, what makes you think the 7th or 8th can? Also on Indian pitches, having scored 350, you’d still need to defend it or if the opposition bats first, you need a bowling line-up which can give your batsmen a shot at a ‘chase-able’ total – whatever that may be.

So, with my cricket-fan common sense and perspective from the couch, here’s what the Indian playing 11 should look like.

Gambhir and Sehwag open and set it up with a right-left combination. Virat Kohli follows at number 3 – a spot that he’s made his own. Sachin, the man with the 51 centuries and nearly 450 ODIs, should come in at number 4 – good if we lose a few quick wickets and he needs to bat with the lower order, almost an anchor for the side.

Follow that up with a Raina or Yuvi (yeah, one of them should be 12th man) at 5, the skipper MSD at 6 and a Yusuf Pathan at 7. If you need quick runs, promote Pathan up the order – he’ll hit irrespective of his place in the batting line-up.

And then the bowlers, Bhajji – he’s no mug with the bat and can slog a few, a Piyush Chawla or a Ravichandran Ashwin, both handy with the bat and then Zaheer with either Nehra or Sreesanth.

What this would allow India to have is 4 specialist bowlers – who’d in an ideal world (and I know there are aberrations) will bowl 40 overs. Then Dhoni would need to rely on Yusuf Pathan, Sehwag and Yuvraj or Raina for just 10 overs. Of one of the bowlers has an off-day, use your part-timers for more. Under the lights on low, slow tracks, an Ashwin will be extremely restrictive and a Piyush Chawla wicket-taking as the warm-up match against Australia proved.

But this is what I want – what are the odds of it happening?

Well, there are indications that Raina may have to sit out and wait for Yuvi to goof–up, so that’s one on the checklist. Ashwin getting the nod is a long shot – conventional wisom suggests that with Bhajji in they won’t play another off-spinner. Of course, proponents say the part-time bowlers Sehwag and Yusuf also bowl off-spin, so there are enough options. I’d like to see Ashwin play because he’s a very different kind of bowler – flat and straight – ideal for keeping runs down. Piyush Chawla  is one googly even the team management may be foxed about. Chawla  has clearly proven his wicket-taking abilities, but a leg-spinner in a one-dayer is always a bit of a risk, especially when the bowler has the tendency to bowl a 4-ball each over…

India’s first match against Bangladesh may give some indications, but I think the final shape of the playing (and, I hope, winning) eleven, will be seen in the match against England on the 27th – India will be keen to pull out all stops to win against one of the strongest sides in their group.