Wow, number one spot for the first time in history, that is simply amazing... deserved though!!!
There are many reasons for these success, first of all is the downfall of the might Australians , Amazing luck Dhoni brings to the team as a captain or probably he is all inspiring and an amazing captain or may be both, Then we have a staaaar studded batting line up, every one is a superstar in this batting line up. it can't get better with every one suiting perfectly for the role offered.
The most important thing as Dhoni admits is that, it is easy to go to the number one spot, ut very tough to stay there. We need to put up consistent performances, which India astonishingly fail to do, despite the star studded batting line up. Indian plainly dominated the last to tests by winning both of them by an Innings, maked Srilanka look absolutely silly.
The other crucial factor , which helped us rise meteorically in this series was that Srilanka came into the test as a number 2 side, which is definitely over rated helped us pick more points per win.
India is surely going to stay on top for atleast two weeks now and for S.A or Australia to topple us, they need a 2-0 series wins. looks like W.I are doing a good job against Australia an over take is probably not around the corner from the kangaroos...
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
NO MATCH FIXING
No match fixing , that is evident from the turn of the events.
The reasons for the poor showing of the IPL teams, is just that these guys are not an ideal team, they do not gel with each other so well, unlike the other teams. You really do not get to see that fact in IPL because all the teams are like that. You need a lot of motivation and determination to win. That only comes with ideal preparation. Darren Ganga says his team has been preparing for the tournament since july, that is reflecting in their success. Looking at that team on paper, you wouldn't have predicted t's success. Rajasthan Royals have already shown during IPL first season, what it needs to be champions, a true team spirit and motivation and an ideal preparation
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Back after a long time !!!
SO finally I find some time to get on with the blog, and it has been a while since I watched cricket.
The Champions T20 is on, the format is exciting. The teams which has come are the really teams.. they play cricket all round the year and not the seasonal like our star studded teams and the result was evident all the Indian teams lost their first match.
This gave rise to an very exciting situation, exciting for me.. if their is any match fixing find of stuff, It can be seen now. Lost of money at stake and with Indian teams out of race, who would buy tickets what about TRP ratings, so the big guys out their would probably make sure Indian teams stay in contention for sure. If the Indian teams are out of the tournament one thing will become ever clear, NO MATCH-FIXING , if all three of the teams qualify, the uncertainity remains, and it boils down to finer details, like how the game was played and which players underperformed by a margin and seemed to have done it on purpose!!!!!, exciting right..
Modi, the honourable IPL chairman and the man behind all this, certainly has drawn lots of inspiration from the football Champions league tournament, and he would have made the mistake of comparing the IPL teams with the English football teams, where since the last two years 3 of the 4 semifinalist are English teams and the fourth teams loosing in semifinal to another English team itself, so a complete dominance. Lalit Modi would have expected that to happen when the tournament was planned, he must now be thinking there could have been more matches in the initial stages, so that the IPL teams get their team bonding right and have better chances. There were no warm up matches so you can't really blame the IPL teams for loosing, because they came up against oppositions, which know their strengths and weaknesses and have played well to their strengths.
If the Indians teams are out the tournament is a flop, The crowd though pays for both the matches has seldom turned up for an non IPL team match, stadium did look empty, and I am sure the people haven't bought tickets in a hurry for the next stage. It would not be the revenue from ticket sales that would really bother these guys but the revenue from television rights advertisements, they will take a big dip.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
OZ out of the tournament!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Australians have been knocked out of the T20 tournament in the first round, does any one still have doubts about the downfall of the once mighty Australians????
I guess with this all the doubts are cleared, they were in the toughest group , I agree...But still the world champions should have made it at the cost of Windies of the Lankans if their claims of worlds strongest team are to be true. But things can happen to you, like it happened to India in the '07 World cup, they were out in the first round because a loss to minnows Bangladesh. OZ going out of the tournament isn't definitely as bad as that, but at least their domination in the last ten years is to be remembered this is a very shameful exit and thus the those days are gone. The young team needs a lot of International exposure before they start to show their worth, but the most important thing is they should not be under extra pressure of high expectation.
but why were the groups so unbalanced I did not understand . I guess ODI rankings were used or may be some criterion was used which obviously looks weird. The thing would have been balanced swapping West Indies for Bangladesh.
I guess with this all the doubts are cleared, they were in the toughest group , I agree...But still the world champions should have made it at the cost of Windies of the Lankans if their claims of worlds strongest team are to be true. But things can happen to you, like it happened to India in the '07 World cup, they were out in the first round because a loss to minnows Bangladesh. OZ going out of the tournament isn't definitely as bad as that, but at least their domination in the last ten years is to be remembered this is a very shameful exit and thus the those days are gone. The young team needs a lot of International exposure before they start to show their worth, but the most important thing is they should not be under extra pressure of high expectation.
but why were the groups so unbalanced I did not understand . I guess ODI rankings were used or may be some criterion was used which obviously looks weird. The thing would have been balanced swapping West Indies for Bangladesh.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The scores are not enough......
power plays are going for big runs while chasing, getting 80+ in 6 overs is not a big deal at oval, we have seen the teams do it today Aussie even though lost 3 wickets as early as four overs made 170 at the end but the score this point does not look enough, as West Indies has already made 83 in 6 overs, without loosing a wicket. The other day India has won over Pakistan with 3 overs to spare, clearly the scores are not enough the picthes being conducive for batting and the chasing teams have a lot of advantage, because I see teams do not so what a good total would be to defend.. may be their targets are less, I say to win make 200, for a 50-50 chances make 180-190.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
India Vs Pakistan ... Isn't it just a warm up match?
Ask the crowds at the oval yesterday, surely the answer would be no!!!!!! both the teams knew it was quite a match and were serious about getting a result in their favour. It would be such a confidence booster winning over arch rivals.
Younnis won the toss and decided to bat, and at the crease were a 17yr old and a 19yr old. Pakistan's inconsistency with the opening par forced them to try new combinations. At this stage I thought their inexperience will come into play and I expected two quick wickets for India, Shahzaib Hasan the 19yr old was bowled out by Praveen Kumar, and Ahmed Shehzad the 17yr old was almost out thanks to harbhajan for dropping a sitter. Never drop a catch when you are put in that fielding position to take it, It distracts the bowler and the batsman becomes more focused. That was clearly seen yesterday. Shehzad hit 5 fours racing to 25 in just 13 balls on the other side was the inform Kamran akmal, who joined Shehzad and put Praveen Kumar, RP and Irfan all over the park. Indians were sloppy in the field too, Yuvraj's misfield went for a four. Indians received a wake up call when Pakistan were already 45-1 in 4 overs, I started getting mad by the way they got those runs. Bowlers gave batsmen width, balls were short of length. Now Dhoni introduced Ishant into the attack and Shehzad was to face him, after a couple of dot balls he thought of giving strike to Kamram which resulted in a run out and superb fielding from Suresh Raina. That started a fall and they started loosing quick wickets they were down to 45-4, this has certainly balanced the flamboyant start, they also lost shoaib malik who looked good. That brought my favourite batsman in Pakistan team Misbah to the crease, on the other end was younnis I was sure they would take Pakistan to a good score. The track was flat, It had no visible swing and no turn for spinners all they had was some bounce. Misbah and Arafat batted well at the end and Pakistan made 158 in the allotted 20 overs.
On Indias bowling performance the problem with the combination still persists, RP failed to find his length in this match too. Irfan and praveen are too slow, If their is no swing then these guys will struggle. Then who should bowl the power play overs, Ishant is one we need two more at least should be praveen. Rp train in the nets man, get your rhythm back, using Irfan in power play could be dangerous in these pitches as he has got no pace. Other problem is if sehwag is back where will Rohit play. It would be interesting to see.
Indians should guard themselves from complacency, It will cost them matches and this T20 matches can turn big time in a couple of overs.
With the target of 159 I was sure with the Indias batting line up and with Yuvi back in the squad they would reach it, but how easily was the question. Rohit and Gambir batted superb and at the end of power plays made more runs than Pakistan did without loss of a wicket, I said to myself Imagine what a Pakistan fan would be feeling at this moment, he would have gone mad. I enjoyed Rohit and Gambir batting thoroughly. The only problem they looked like having was running between the wickets. Gambir survived a close run out and was sent back in couple of other occasions too, all those things are to be taken into account when deciding the opening pair, because there are good fielding sides which will surely take the advantage of misunderstanding.
16 overs gone India needed 18 from 24 balls, I thought for a moment that something was different about this bowling attack today they did not bowl no balls, and to start of in the next over went for 17 runs which included two wide balls, a leg nob, a height nob for bowling the second bouncer and an over throw four. Winning runs came with a wide ball in the next over.
India are looking good this is certainly a crushing victory, It is to be watched out who the playing XI be, It is getting difficult for me to make a combination as I'm not getting the clear picture of the Injuries to the side and also, If RP finds his rhythm in the net, he should be taken or else Irfan should be played with two spinners.
There is going to be a cracker of a contest this world cup for sure all we fans will have a great time, hope Indian team lives up to the expectations
Younnis won the toss and decided to bat, and at the crease were a 17yr old and a 19yr old. Pakistan's inconsistency with the opening par forced them to try new combinations. At this stage I thought their inexperience will come into play and I expected two quick wickets for India, Shahzaib Hasan the 19yr old was bowled out by Praveen Kumar, and Ahmed Shehzad the 17yr old was almost out thanks to harbhajan for dropping a sitter. Never drop a catch when you are put in that fielding position to take it, It distracts the bowler and the batsman becomes more focused. That was clearly seen yesterday. Shehzad hit 5 fours racing to 25 in just 13 balls on the other side was the inform Kamran akmal, who joined Shehzad and put Praveen Kumar, RP and Irfan all over the park. Indians were sloppy in the field too, Yuvraj's misfield went for a four. Indians received a wake up call when Pakistan were already 45-1 in 4 overs, I started getting mad by the way they got those runs. Bowlers gave batsmen width, balls were short of length. Now Dhoni introduced Ishant into the attack and Shehzad was to face him, after a couple of dot balls he thought of giving strike to Kamram which resulted in a run out and superb fielding from Suresh Raina. That started a fall and they started loosing quick wickets they were down to 45-4, this has certainly balanced the flamboyant start, they also lost shoaib malik who looked good. That brought my favourite batsman in Pakistan team Misbah to the crease, on the other end was younnis I was sure they would take Pakistan to a good score. The track was flat, It had no visible swing and no turn for spinners all they had was some bounce. Misbah and Arafat batted well at the end and Pakistan made 158 in the allotted 20 overs.
On Indias bowling performance the problem with the combination still persists, RP failed to find his length in this match too. Irfan and praveen are too slow, If their is no swing then these guys will struggle. Then who should bowl the power play overs, Ishant is one we need two more at least should be praveen. Rp train in the nets man, get your rhythm back, using Irfan in power play could be dangerous in these pitches as he has got no pace. Other problem is if sehwag is back where will Rohit play. It would be interesting to see.
Indians should guard themselves from complacency, It will cost them matches and this T20 matches can turn big time in a couple of overs.
With the target of 159 I was sure with the Indias batting line up and with Yuvi back in the squad they would reach it, but how easily was the question. Rohit and Gambir batted superb and at the end of power plays made more runs than Pakistan did without loss of a wicket, I said to myself Imagine what a Pakistan fan would be feeling at this moment, he would have gone mad. I enjoyed Rohit and Gambir batting thoroughly. The only problem they looked like having was running between the wickets. Gambir survived a close run out and was sent back in couple of other occasions too, all those things are to be taken into account when deciding the opening pair, because there are good fielding sides which will surely take the advantage of misunderstanding.
16 overs gone India needed 18 from 24 balls, I thought for a moment that something was different about this bowling attack today they did not bowl no balls, and to start of in the next over went for 17 runs which included two wide balls, a leg nob, a height nob for bowling the second bouncer and an over throw four. Winning runs came with a wide ball in the next over.
India are looking good this is certainly a crushing victory, It is to be watched out who the playing XI be, It is getting difficult for me to make a combination as I'm not getting the clear picture of the Injuries to the side and also, If RP finds his rhythm in the net, he should be taken or else Irfan should be played with two spinners.
There is going to be a cracker of a contest this world cup for sure all we fans will have a great time, hope Indian team lives up to the expectations
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Favourites for the T20 world cup?
Who will be the favourites for the T20 world cup, many have already opined the defending champions are the favourites. It can be argued that the defending champions are the best team on paper and there should be no question about that. More importantly it is the experience playing in the IPL is also said to be a positive for the Indian team.
But the last time India started as favourites was the 2007 world cup, where we were out in the first round itself. But things have changed a lot since then. The influential captaincy of Dhoni is with us, and I hope we reach at least the semis of the tournament and may be retain the cup itself, but before predicting I would like to see more matches, and see how India will play as a team. The players should be sharp in the field and while batting they should defend themselves from complacency.
For me the biggest figure while chasing down is the middle overs, where India can make it a no contest for the opposite team, instead they play too slow and the opposition is right back in the game. Last over heroics can save the game else we loose thus making the chances 50:50 or even less in our favour, we have seen that happen in the warm up match, until the 17th over was bowled we would have won the match easily. two good overs 17th and 18th together with just 5runs and a wk saw the match, much to the kiwis delight, we had 21 runs from the last over, but the batsman was neither Rohit nor was he playing for the Deccan chargers, that is why I say Rohit down the order will be a great asset while chasing. he will be great batting in the final overs and Sehwag I hope he gets fit in time and also back to his smashing form.
So others teams which are strong are South Africa and Newzealand neither of them have ever won a world cup ever, but my predictions are they would make to the semis with India.
But the last time India started as favourites was the 2007 world cup, where we were out in the first round itself. But things have changed a lot since then. The influential captaincy of Dhoni is with us, and I hope we reach at least the semis of the tournament and may be retain the cup itself, but before predicting I would like to see more matches, and see how India will play as a team. The players should be sharp in the field and while batting they should defend themselves from complacency.
For me the biggest figure while chasing down is the middle overs, where India can make it a no contest for the opposite team, instead they play too slow and the opposition is right back in the game. Last over heroics can save the game else we loose thus making the chances 50:50 or even less in our favour, we have seen that happen in the warm up match, until the 17th over was bowled we would have won the match easily. two good overs 17th and 18th together with just 5runs and a wk saw the match, much to the kiwis delight, we had 21 runs from the last over, but the batsman was neither Rohit nor was he playing for the Deccan chargers, that is why I say Rohit down the order will be a great asset while chasing. he will be great batting in the final overs and Sehwag I hope he gets fit in time and also back to his smashing form.
So others teams which are strong are South Africa and Newzealand neither of them have ever won a world cup ever, but my predictions are they would make to the semis with India.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Warm up match against New Zealand
The performance of many of the Indians in the match was very disappointing, especially when they could not restrict them well even after playing 6 main line bowlers was a far cry. Only three players played exceptionally well Rohit , Raina and Ishant. My predictions about Rohit and Raina were right, but Ishant bowled exceptionally well, I thought he was out of form but was very focused, RP never got his line correct not even for a single ball, was very disappointing. But yesterdays match is an answer for who should sit out, the majorly out form Yusuf Pathan, Irfan can take his place. When Zaheer is back he can probably replace RP is he does not find his line still or Irfan, who looks mediocre with both bat and ball.
So the line up should be:
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Ghambir
Suresh Raina
Yuvraj Singh
Rohit Sharma
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Irfan Pathan
Harbhajan Singh
Praveen Kumar
Ishant Sharma
RP singh
Ravindra jadeja though made 41 is not a match winner as he took equal number of balls to do it, I opine any one pacing his innings like that will be able to make that score and especially in the 15th over both he and Irafan were humiliated with full toss balls and both of them failed to clear the boundary. Jacob oram put Jadeja under control going for just 3 runs in the crucial 18th over. So this man I doubt his capabilities of raising to the ocassion and especially when there are match winners like the six batsmen in the team I have written above, he stands no where.
So the line up should be:
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Ghambir
Suresh Raina
Yuvraj Singh
Rohit Sharma
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Irfan Pathan
Harbhajan Singh
Praveen Kumar
Ishant Sharma
RP singh
Ravindra jadeja though made 41 is not a match winner as he took equal number of balls to do it, I opine any one pacing his innings like that will be able to make that score and especially in the 15th over both he and Irafan were humiliated with full toss balls and both of them failed to clear the boundary. Jacob oram put Jadeja under control going for just 3 runs in the crucial 18th over. So this man I doubt his capabilities of raising to the ocassion and especially when there are match winners like the six batsmen in the team I have written above, he stands no where.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Who should be the Playing XI in england.....
The T20 world cup squad has been announced a month ago and the players who made the cut are:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C,Wk)
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Gambhir
Suresh Raina
Yuvraj Singh
Yusuf Pathan
Rohit Sharma
Harbhajan Singh
Zaheer Khan
Ishant Sharma
Praveen Kumar
Rudra Pratap Singh
Ravindra Jadeja
Pragyan Ojha
Irfan Pathan
The selection of the squad has been as expected and their are no surprises. The guys who will not make to the playing XI would be(considering all players fit) all rounder Ravindra Jadeja , from the bowling department should be the young left arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. Now we have 13 guys left and to put two guys out of this is quite a task. Zaheer Khan and Ishant will lead the pace attack and the in form RP cannot be denied a place at all, so if it were to choose between Irfan and Praveen, I guess the captain prefers the former thanks to his batting skills, and it is more important to have a guy see us through the middle overs rather than at the start which I'm sure Irfan is the better guy than praveen. praveen would be deadly with the new ball, so is RP.
RP should be the choice for opening the attack than giving it to Zaheer and Ishant, because they are not great wicket takers and early break through are so important, we have all seen that in IPL. I would prefer Ishant sitting out than Praveen considering each ones recent performance in IPL.
If considering Zaheer not fit, then the rest will play. RP and Praveen to open. Ishant two bowl two overs in the power play. Irfan and praveen should complete their 4 overs by the 16th over, then RP and Ishant should be used at the death.
If Zaheer is fit let him replace Ishant, every thing would be fine and in place.
This time we are with no Sreeshant who is very inconsistent, at days he is tereffic with the ball and the next day itself he can go for big runs, so thats a positive and no joginder sharma !!!!! so the bowling attack is far more superior than teh 2007 world cup.
Finally there only one bottom liner India should be careful with their selection of their bowling attack and any mistake would cost them dearly.
The part timers will play crucial role too, it is to be watched who will Dhoni use, we have seen spectacular performances from our part timers in IPL, with Yuvraj taking two hat-tricks !!!!!! , Rohit with one !!!!!! simply Incredible.
even suresh Raina bowled fantastic, and do not forget Yusuf with the ball.
Coming to batting.... We have to choose six guys, viru and gauti will open for sure
then suresh or rohit on one down, yuvi at number 4, Dhoni at 5 and yusuf at 6.
now to choose between rohit and suresh the task is so tough, no one can be counted down I think they both should play. We can well sacrifice a bowler, these guys showed they can bowl, and the four overs can be shared easily. so then we can sacrifice Irfan Pathan as the batting is strong enough. but then where should rohit come. If he comes at four then Yuvi is at 5, no not acceptable rohit is good at the final overs, he should back that ability of his, so he should be after dhoni in the order at 6. So depending on the pitches one of the Patan brothers must be played, playing both may not be feasible and odds favour the elder more than the younger on this case.
so the team would likely be
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Gambir
Suresh Raina
Yuvraj Singh
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Rohit Sharma
Yusuf Pathan*
Harbhajan Singh
Zaheer Khan**
Praveen Kumar
RP Singh
* can be sacrificed if the top order is constantly performing well infavour of his younger brother Irfan Pathan
** can be sacrificed in favour of Ishant Sharma if not fit.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C,Wk)
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Gambhir
Suresh Raina
Yuvraj Singh
Yusuf Pathan
Rohit Sharma
Harbhajan Singh
Zaheer Khan
Ishant Sharma
Praveen Kumar
Rudra Pratap Singh
Ravindra Jadeja
Pragyan Ojha
Irfan Pathan
The selection of the squad has been as expected and their are no surprises. The guys who will not make to the playing XI would be(considering all players fit) all rounder Ravindra Jadeja , from the bowling department should be the young left arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. Now we have 13 guys left and to put two guys out of this is quite a task. Zaheer Khan and Ishant will lead the pace attack and the in form RP cannot be denied a place at all, so if it were to choose between Irfan and Praveen, I guess the captain prefers the former thanks to his batting skills, and it is more important to have a guy see us through the middle overs rather than at the start which I'm sure Irfan is the better guy than praveen. praveen would be deadly with the new ball, so is RP.
RP should be the choice for opening the attack than giving it to Zaheer and Ishant, because they are not great wicket takers and early break through are so important, we have all seen that in IPL. I would prefer Ishant sitting out than Praveen considering each ones recent performance in IPL.
If considering Zaheer not fit, then the rest will play. RP and Praveen to open. Ishant two bowl two overs in the power play. Irfan and praveen should complete their 4 overs by the 16th over, then RP and Ishant should be used at the death.
If Zaheer is fit let him replace Ishant, every thing would be fine and in place.
This time we are with no Sreeshant who is very inconsistent, at days he is tereffic with the ball and the next day itself he can go for big runs, so thats a positive and no joginder sharma !!!!! so the bowling attack is far more superior than teh 2007 world cup.
Finally there only one bottom liner India should be careful with their selection of their bowling attack and any mistake would cost them dearly.
The part timers will play crucial role too, it is to be watched who will Dhoni use, we have seen spectacular performances from our part timers in IPL, with Yuvraj taking two hat-tricks !!!!!! , Rohit with one !!!!!! simply Incredible.
even suresh Raina bowled fantastic, and do not forget Yusuf with the ball.
Coming to batting.... We have to choose six guys, viru and gauti will open for sure
then suresh or rohit on one down, yuvi at number 4, Dhoni at 5 and yusuf at 6.
now to choose between rohit and suresh the task is so tough, no one can be counted down I think they both should play. We can well sacrifice a bowler, these guys showed they can bowl, and the four overs can be shared easily. so then we can sacrifice Irfan Pathan as the batting is strong enough. but then where should rohit come. If he comes at four then Yuvi is at 5, no not acceptable rohit is good at the final overs, he should back that ability of his, so he should be after dhoni in the order at 6. So depending on the pitches one of the Patan brothers must be played, playing both may not be feasible and odds favour the elder more than the younger on this case.
so the team would likely be
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Gambir
Suresh Raina
Yuvraj Singh
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Rohit Sharma
Yusuf Pathan*
Harbhajan Singh
Zaheer Khan**
Praveen Kumar
RP Singh
* can be sacrificed if the top order is constantly performing well infavour of his younger brother Irfan Pathan
** can be sacrificed in favour of Ishant Sharma if not fit.
Friday, May 29, 2009
The new IPL Cricindya's XI
Let me first congratulate all the players who made it to the Cricindya's XI the list is just adjacent. Let me now justify the selection, what I was looking for was a combination of 5 batsmen, 1 a very prominent all rounder, 1 wicket keeper batsman and 4 bowlers. I majorly choose the match winners in all categories based on their performances in the second edition of the IPL.
It was very tough to decide the players so I started of with the orange cap and purple cap winners Hayden & R.P.Singh. What a tournament they had, so without any question they deserve a place in the list. R.P.Singh always came up with early break through and tight last overs and comes from the team which won the title the Deccan Chargers. Hayden with his firing at the top always helped his team hit big scores.
Then it was time to decide the genuine all-rounder, I had to choose between Jacques Kallis and Andrew Symmonds.I choose Jacques Kallis for his wonderful batting throughout the tournament and for a very handy medium pace bowling. Andrew was not at his smashing best and struggled couple of time to get his big boundaries who would otherwise do it with ease, he was stumped once and caught in the deep twice, so Andrew miss was very close. for wicket keeper batsmen there were a lot of people, leading the pack Adam Gilchrist, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Brendon Mc cullum, Kumara sangakara, Dinesh Karthik & Parthiv Patel. Of course Gilly is the winner, but I could not ignore the batting form and performance of the Indian captain Dhoni and the Ex-wicket keeper Dinesh Karthik. They too were in the team for their batting. They would come low done the order, Dhoni can finish the match even if you loose wickets early and not to forget his big shots which can come very hand putting up a big total. Dinesh Karthik had an amazing tournament, he was so destructive in those final overs, I could not leave him out.
Then finish the remaining batsmen spaces are Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma. Watch out for these young guns in the upcoming T20 world cup. I am sure no one would argue on the selection of these two guys. These are highly talented boys and are big time match winners. Just to remind the 26 runs Rohit score in the last over against Kolkatta Knight Riders to take his team past the finish line. These two guys can be handy with ball big time. they bowled in almost every match and took wickets, not to forget rohits hatrick.
In the bowlers department the purple cap holder is already their, the other the ex-Indian Captain (hell no its not Ganguly) Anil Kumble, who has rediscovered himself and came up with a new strategy to bowl in T20. He bowled slower with a bit more flight. Kudos to the veteran and he is my captain too, he took the wearing Royal challenger to 8 wins in 10 matches as captain to reach the final.
Next bowler is Lasith Malinga the only player to be chosen from a non semi finalist team for his exquisite yorkers and amazing economy rates.
The last slot was difficult to choose between Praveen Kumar and the 30 year old ex paceman Ashish Nehra. Nehra after joining his home boys this year had a very good tournament. but he would miss out to praveen kumar who will be a better guy to bowl the middle overs, since RP and malinga would bowl during the power play and at the death.
others who were very close to miss out are Yuvraj in spite of his two hatricks with the bowl he had a forgettable time with the bat, Ab devillers though he was superb, the other foreign players be even better ( remember 4 foreign players only rule), The injured bowler Yusuf Abdulla whom the Kings XI Punjab missed a lot in the later part of the tournament, The new star Manish Pandey with the first centuary by an Indian @ IPL which would have been Suresh Raina if the scorers hadnot slept while doing their job and the two Indian openers Sehwag and Ghambir. The ex-Australian duo
Gilchrist and Hayden were at their devastating best and out shone the Indian pair easily for the honours this year.
It was very tough to decide the players so I started of with the orange cap and purple cap winners Hayden & R.P.Singh. What a tournament they had, so without any question they deserve a place in the list. R.P.Singh always came up with early break through and tight last overs and comes from the team which won the title the Deccan Chargers. Hayden with his firing at the top always helped his team hit big scores.
Then it was time to decide the genuine all-rounder, I had to choose between Jacques Kallis and Andrew Symmonds.I choose Jacques Kallis for his wonderful batting throughout the tournament and for a very handy medium pace bowling. Andrew was not at his smashing best and struggled couple of time to get his big boundaries who would otherwise do it with ease, he was stumped once and caught in the deep twice, so Andrew miss was very close. for wicket keeper batsmen there were a lot of people, leading the pack Adam Gilchrist, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Brendon Mc cullum, Kumara sangakara, Dinesh Karthik & Parthiv Patel. Of course Gilly is the winner, but I could not ignore the batting form and performance of the Indian captain Dhoni and the Ex-wicket keeper Dinesh Karthik. They too were in the team for their batting. They would come low done the order, Dhoni can finish the match even if you loose wickets early and not to forget his big shots which can come very hand putting up a big total. Dinesh Karthik had an amazing tournament, he was so destructive in those final overs, I could not leave him out.
Then finish the remaining batsmen spaces are Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma. Watch out for these young guns in the upcoming T20 world cup. I am sure no one would argue on the selection of these two guys. These are highly talented boys and are big time match winners. Just to remind the 26 runs Rohit score in the last over against Kolkatta Knight Riders to take his team past the finish line. These two guys can be handy with ball big time. they bowled in almost every match and took wickets, not to forget rohits hatrick.
In the bowlers department the purple cap holder is already their, the other the ex-Indian Captain (hell no its not Ganguly) Anil Kumble, who has rediscovered himself and came up with a new strategy to bowl in T20. He bowled slower with a bit more flight. Kudos to the veteran and he is my captain too, he took the wearing Royal challenger to 8 wins in 10 matches as captain to reach the final.
Next bowler is Lasith Malinga the only player to be chosen from a non semi finalist team for his exquisite yorkers and amazing economy rates.
The last slot was difficult to choose between Praveen Kumar and the 30 year old ex paceman Ashish Nehra. Nehra after joining his home boys this year had a very good tournament. but he would miss out to praveen kumar who will be a better guy to bowl the middle overs, since RP and malinga would bowl during the power play and at the death.
others who were very close to miss out are Yuvraj in spite of his two hatricks with the bowl he had a forgettable time with the bat, Ab devillers though he was superb, the other foreign players be even better ( remember 4 foreign players only rule), The injured bowler Yusuf Abdulla whom the Kings XI Punjab missed a lot in the later part of the tournament, The new star Manish Pandey with the first centuary by an Indian @ IPL which would have been Suresh Raina if the scorers hadnot slept while doing their job and the two Indian openers Sehwag and Ghambir. The ex-Australian duo
Gilchrist and Hayden were at their devastating best and out shone the Indian pair easily for the honours this year.
IPL season 2
LALIT MODI
What a season it was, kudos to Lalit Modi IPL commissioner for such an entertaining tournament. Ipl was moved to south Africa and the decision was taken just weeks before the tournament was scheduled to begin, the organizing inspite of that was flawless, any one would say that is an amazing job done. The finances kept raining in, the trp ratings were sky high and even the corporates couldn't let this oppurtunity go even during the recession times.... wow! Lalit modi made mention in his speach during closing ceremony where he asked people did they enjoy the tournament, he at once named this whole thing as entertainment and my goodness he is talking about trp ratings in his speech.... this man is different , I thought for a second and appreciated him because he did mask this and make statements which would make ipl sound a soley like a sport and what he is doing is a service to the sport...
What a season it was, kudos to Lalit Modi IPL commissioner for such an entertaining tournament. Ipl was moved to south Africa and the decision was taken just weeks before the tournament was scheduled to begin, the organizing inspite of that was flawless, any one would say that is an amazing job done. The finances kept raining in, the trp ratings were sky high and even the corporates couldn't let this oppurtunity go even during the recession times.... wow! Lalit modi made mention in his speach during closing ceremony where he asked people did they enjoy the tournament, he at once named this whole thing as entertainment and my goodness he is talking about trp ratings in his speech.... this man is different , I thought for a second and appreciated him because he did mask this and make statements which would make ipl sound a soley like a sport and what he is doing is a service to the sport...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
