Much have been told about India's debacle in the ICC World Twenty20. Be it media, former players, Indian cricket board or the team management, all have their own set of stories regarding the blame game.
Barely three days later, India will fly to West Indies to play four One-day Internationals. But all seem to have forgotten if Dhoni's men will be able to regain the glory in the Caribbean.
While coach Gary Kirsten blames IPL for the players' fatigue and niggles, captain Dhoni says it's not fatigue but 'lack of playing as a unit for long' is responsible for the Twenty20 debacle. Dhoni admits India failed to perform as a unit and were "not up to international standards" in England and confessed the fall in India's standard in the game.
Fatigue, injury or lack of playing as a unit, the tiring six-week Indian Premier League schedule before the World Cup is to blame only. And, the Indian cricket board is supposed to protect the national team from any activity that spoils India's chances. But the huge money involved with the IPL2 silenced everybody.
While Mr Pawar and his men were busy with the general elections to protect their political fiefdom, Modi & Co went ahead with organising the IPL in South Africa. And the only gain of the BCCI was it got richer by close to US $ 1.75 billion, solely from the sale of TV rights.
Dhoni, after the defeat to South Africa, made clear even the 10 days in the Caribbean might also be hard to stay in the present and not think about what you would be doing afterwards. However, the long break after the series till the Champions Trophy in South Africa in September will come good for the side.
Let's hope for the same and pray "good sense prevails in the wise men of the BCCI" who seem to have one point agenda of making money, come what may. Or else, I won't be surprised to see the Board forcing the players to go for ad shoots and or, generate revenue in some other way than using the break to regain form.
Showing posts with label harbhajan Singh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label harbhajan Singh. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
India Back to Home
LONDON: Defending champions India bowed out of the World Twenty20 after losing to hosts England by three runs in a key Super Eights match at a packed Lord's here on Sunday.India restricted England to 153-7 after electing to field in good batting conditions, but then fumbled their reply to be stopped at 150-5 despite scoring 56 runs in the last five overs.Needing 15 off the last three deliveries, Yusuf Pathan smashed Ryan Sidebottom straight for six off the first, but managed only a single of the next before skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit the last ball for four.Dhoni (30 not out) and Yusuf (33 not out) added 63 for the unbroken sixth wicket after half the side was back in the pavilion by the 14th over with only 87 on the board.India paid dearly for conceding 16 extras in England's innings, including 14 wides as two deliveries from off-spinner Harbhajan Singh went for boundaries behind the wicketkeeper.England, who also lost their first match to South Africa, now face the West Indies at the Oval on Monday in a match that will almost certainly take the winner into the semi-finals along with the Proteas.India slipped to 24-2 by the fourth over as Sidebottom, who replaced leg-spinner Adil Rashid in the England team, removed Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina.Gautam Gambhir and Ravindra Jadeja took the total to 62-2 in the 11th over when Dmitri Mascarenhas broke through by having Gambhir caught at fine-leg by Stuart Broad.Off-spinner Graeme Swann grabbed two wickets in four balls to reduce India to 87-5 by the 14th over.Swann had Jadeja caught in the deep after the batsman, playing his first match in the tournament, plodded for 35 balls to make 25.Yuvraj Singh, who hit the first ball he faced for a six, was stumped by James Foster in the same over after making 17 off nine balls.Earlier, Kevin Pietersen top-scored for England with 46 off 27 balls, with three fours and a six, after sharing a second-wicket stand of 71 with opener Ravi Bopara (37).Harbhajan picked up three wickets, but England's lower order retrieved the situation by adding 53 runs in the last five overs
Friday, June 12, 2009
Bravo 's Rescue
An under-tested India ran into a red-hot West Indies, who didn't even need a significant contribution from Chris Gayle during a tense chase. Dwayne Bravo was his usual top-dawg self today, taking four wickets to keep India down and then resurrecting the chase after a subdued Gayle had got out early, with an innings that was both aesthetic and cruel.
By the time Bravo came out to bat, India had made a smart start to their defence of a fighting 151. After Zaheer Khan went for two boundaries in the first over, MS Dhoni chose to give Gayle no pace. Three of the Powerplay overs were bowled by spinners, and two by Irfan Pathan who didn't come on to the bat either. Harbhajan Singh, especially, fast-tracked Gayle's downfall, bowling a maiden to him to finish the Powerplays. Gayle had reached 20 off 23, after which frustration got the better of him, and he top-edged Yusuf Pathan, who had done well to keep him quiet in his first two overs.
Quietly, though, No. 3 Lendl Simmons, who had earlier taken a blinder, had quietly played himself in. And just when it seemed West Indies were out of it, having got off to a slow start, Bravo changed the pace of the game. With Bravo came more intent in the running and odd boundaries that kept West Indies with the rate. His batting was a treat for the eye. He often went inside-out to the spinners, stepping out and clearing extra cover in one fluid motion.
Pragyan Ojha, who was kept back until Gayle got out, got the treatment in the ninth over, and Yusuf was late-cut just as effectively in the 10th. There was nothing frenetic about this partnership, no undue risks or big hitting, even as the required run-rate stayed around nine and 10. It was almost as if they knew something that others didn't. When Bravo drove Harbhajan over extra cover in the 12th over, followed by more good running, West Indies had reached 80, and the target looked within reach.
When Dhoni brought back his fast bowlers, it was Simmons' turn to pick up the pace, as boundaries in the next two overs kept West Indies abreast. With the second four, a vicious pull off Ishant Sharma, Simmons moved into the 40s, almost unnoticed. When Ojha got Simmons for 43 in the next over, West Indies still needed 54 off 33. But it was also the time Bravo found another gear. The next ball he lofted for a six down the ground, ensuring there was no break in the momentum. Harbhajan bowled a tight next over, after which West Indies were left needing 39 off 24.
Even that couldn't get anything rash out of Bravo, who kept hitting straight, or over extra cover. With Shivnarine Chanderpaul joining in and hitting unorthodox shots like only he can, it became a stroll towards the end. Quite fittingly, Bravo ended it with a six off Zaheer Khan, over extra cover, elbow high for the pose.
Prime Numbers
7The number of overs in which India scored 5 or less. West Indies had only three such overs
48The number of runs scored off Indian spinners by Bravo
37The number of balls sent to the boundary in the match, the third highest tally in the tournament.
13Number of dot-balls faced by Dhoni in the match. He faced a total of 23 balls in the match.
81Harbhajan Singh's bowling average in the tournament. Even though the economy rate of 6.75 is good, the inability to take wickets has caused his average to rise.
West Indies shouldn't have been chasing 154 in the first place. Like the one against Australia, even this win was originally set up by fast bowlers relishing the lively conditions. But unlike then, their bowling was backed up by solid fielding today, but for just one lapse. It was that dropped chance off Yuvraj Singh, when he was 32 off 27, that made the game close.
This time it was Jerome Taylor's opening partner, Edwards, who put West Indies ahead. The tone, though, was set by Taylor in the first over, troubling Gautam Gambhir with the bouncers. Edwards took the cue, and removed his Deccan Chargers team-mate, Rohit Sharma, with a bouncer. He troubled Suresh Raina too with the short-pitched stuff until the latter played back to a full delivery and edged it to Denesh Ramdin.
It was now time for the fielders to stand up, as Simmons took a superb running-back-and-diving catch to send Gambhir back. It was a short delivery again, the first Gambhir faced from Bravo - 29 for 3 in the fifth over.
Yuvraj and Dhoni had no choice but to consolidate. Gayle and Kieron Pollard slipped in five overs for just 20 runs. Under pressure to get going, Dhoni cut Bravo straight to sweeper-cover. Two balls later, Yuvraj picked the same fielder out, but was dropped by Andre Fletcher. India would have been 71 for 5, but for the drop. Whereupon, Yuvraj played a little gem to pull India out of all sorts of trouble, but it would stay the second-best effort of the night.
His hitting was clean, there was no need to be cute as he and Yusuf threatened to run away with the game. But Edwards finished off what he started, taking Yuvraj with a bouncer in the 18th over, after which India got only 23 off the last 14 balls.
By the time Bravo came out to bat, India had made a smart start to their defence of a fighting 151. After Zaheer Khan went for two boundaries in the first over, MS Dhoni chose to give Gayle no pace. Three of the Powerplay overs were bowled by spinners, and two by Irfan Pathan who didn't come on to the bat either. Harbhajan Singh, especially, fast-tracked Gayle's downfall, bowling a maiden to him to finish the Powerplays. Gayle had reached 20 off 23, after which frustration got the better of him, and he top-edged Yusuf Pathan, who had done well to keep him quiet in his first two overs.
Quietly, though, No. 3 Lendl Simmons, who had earlier taken a blinder, had quietly played himself in. And just when it seemed West Indies were out of it, having got off to a slow start, Bravo changed the pace of the game. With Bravo came more intent in the running and odd boundaries that kept West Indies with the rate. His batting was a treat for the eye. He often went inside-out to the spinners, stepping out and clearing extra cover in one fluid motion.
Pragyan Ojha, who was kept back until Gayle got out, got the treatment in the ninth over, and Yusuf was late-cut just as effectively in the 10th. There was nothing frenetic about this partnership, no undue risks or big hitting, even as the required run-rate stayed around nine and 10. It was almost as if they knew something that others didn't. When Bravo drove Harbhajan over extra cover in the 12th over, followed by more good running, West Indies had reached 80, and the target looked within reach.
When Dhoni brought back his fast bowlers, it was Simmons' turn to pick up the pace, as boundaries in the next two overs kept West Indies abreast. With the second four, a vicious pull off Ishant Sharma, Simmons moved into the 40s, almost unnoticed. When Ojha got Simmons for 43 in the next over, West Indies still needed 54 off 33. But it was also the time Bravo found another gear. The next ball he lofted for a six down the ground, ensuring there was no break in the momentum. Harbhajan bowled a tight next over, after which West Indies were left needing 39 off 24.
Even that couldn't get anything rash out of Bravo, who kept hitting straight, or over extra cover. With Shivnarine Chanderpaul joining in and hitting unorthodox shots like only he can, it became a stroll towards the end. Quite fittingly, Bravo ended it with a six off Zaheer Khan, over extra cover, elbow high for the pose.
Prime Numbers
7The number of overs in which India scored 5 or less. West Indies had only three such overs
48The number of runs scored off Indian spinners by Bravo
37The number of balls sent to the boundary in the match, the third highest tally in the tournament.
13Number of dot-balls faced by Dhoni in the match. He faced a total of 23 balls in the match.
81Harbhajan Singh's bowling average in the tournament. Even though the economy rate of 6.75 is good, the inability to take wickets has caused his average to rise.
West Indies shouldn't have been chasing 154 in the first place. Like the one against Australia, even this win was originally set up by fast bowlers relishing the lively conditions. But unlike then, their bowling was backed up by solid fielding today, but for just one lapse. It was that dropped chance off Yuvraj Singh, when he was 32 off 27, that made the game close.
This time it was Jerome Taylor's opening partner, Edwards, who put West Indies ahead. The tone, though, was set by Taylor in the first over, troubling Gautam Gambhir with the bouncers. Edwards took the cue, and removed his Deccan Chargers team-mate, Rohit Sharma, with a bouncer. He troubled Suresh Raina too with the short-pitched stuff until the latter played back to a full delivery and edged it to Denesh Ramdin.
It was now time for the fielders to stand up, as Simmons took a superb running-back-and-diving catch to send Gambhir back. It was a short delivery again, the first Gambhir faced from Bravo - 29 for 3 in the fifth over.
Yuvraj and Dhoni had no choice but to consolidate. Gayle and Kieron Pollard slipped in five overs for just 20 runs. Under pressure to get going, Dhoni cut Bravo straight to sweeper-cover. Two balls later, Yuvraj picked the same fielder out, but was dropped by Andre Fletcher. India would have been 71 for 5, but for the drop. Whereupon, Yuvraj played a little gem to pull India out of all sorts of trouble, but it would stay the second-best effort of the night.
His hitting was clean, there was no need to be cute as he and Yusuf threatened to run away with the game. But Edwards finished off what he started, taking Yuvraj with a bouncer in the 18th over, after which India got only 23 off the last 14 balls.
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