Sunday, March 30, 2008

Kaif to replace Sachin

Sachin Tendulkar has been ruled out of the second Test against South Africa after aggravating a groin injury. As I said earlier, he should have been rested for this series in the first place. I mean, how hard could it have been for the selectors to pull up Sachin and say - "Sachin, you have been terrific all through this tour of Australia, and as a reward, you get a paid time off until after the series against South Africa. No, don't worry about the team, we are going to pull in Yuvraj to replace you and he along with his teammates should be able to cover for you. And, if they cannot, well, someone will get fired! So, now go on, relax, recuperate and enjoy your time off.". I hope it is not a serious issue and that they would give him an extended break and keep him out of the third Test as well.

In a surprising move, the selectors have announced Mohammad Kaif to replace Sachin. He probably deserves his place based on his performances in domestic cricket, but again, why wasn't Karthik considered? As I said before the start of this series, he deserves another chance. Plus, picking him opens the possibility of resting Dhoni, who is possibly the most overworked player in the team. Anyway, it doesn't matter much as realistically, Sachin's replacement is not going to make it to the playing XI.

It is now almost certain that Yuvraj would get to play; But, considering how the bowlers struggled in Chennai and that we are not going to see bowler friendly pitches,  it is not a bad idea to pick a fifth bowler instead. Piyush Chawla or Irfan Pathan could be picked up, although Irfan might get in anyway to replace the off-color RP Singh.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Scintillating triple ton from Sehwag!

Virender Sehwag treated the crowd to some scintillating batting,  scoring the fastest triple century in Test history, at the M.A. Chidambram Stadium in Chennai yesterday. What an exhilarating joy ride it was - stroke after scorching stroke flowed from his bat all day long as he scored more than 250 runs in a single day! And, nothing could stop him really, not even Paul Harris' tactic of bowling well outside leg. He either stepped out and drove inside out or reverse swept - one almost going for a six - never once slowing down. This innings will be remembered as much for the simplicity of his 'I see ball, I hit ball' temperament as the audaciousness of his stroke play for a very long time!

It's hard to pick out a couple of shots as the best when his whole innings - filled with 41 fours and five sixes - was like a highlights package! But, a couple of moments stood out for me. One was when he just stood in the crease and cut a good length ball on the off stump behind point for four and Arun Lal in the commentary box exclaimed -  "Coaches tell you to get to the pitch of the ball; if you did that, you could never put that ball away for four!".  That shot summarized Sehwag's game - his talent lies not in sound technique, but in backing his blessed hand-eye coordination with good shot selection. He rarely moves his feet, but, when in form, stays beautifully balanced.

The other was the last over before tea. Most batsmen would be content to play safe the last couple of overs before a break, especially if they had just scored a double century in blistering hot conditions, but not Sehwag - he clobbered Ntini for 15 runs in the over, including a smashing four off the last ball and nonchalantly walked back to the pavilion. That attitude showcased his simple approach to batting - playing every ball on its merit, without worrying too much about what had happened before or what is going to happen next.

With good support from Jaffer and Dravid, he has turned the match around and put India in a position of strength. With two more days of play left, the Indians can force a win from here, but, will they?

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Squad for South Africa Test series

The Indians have announced their squad for the first two Tests of the series against South Africa. Unlike the last time when they made some bold changes to the ODI team, this time the selectors decided to stick with the tried and tested. Though nothing different was expected, three players could consider themselves unlucky.

Gautam Gambhir - After an exceptional outing in the Twenty20 world cup and an outstanding run in the recent CB series, he is knocking on the doors of Test cricket. More than the amount of runs, the way he has scored them is impressive. He has a good technique, handles both pace and spin with aplomb, and seems an ideal fit at number three.

But, with two strong contenders for the number three spot - Dravid and Laxman - already in the team, he has to miss out. Another option might be to pick him as an opener; but, there again Sehwag is in good form and though Jaffer did not fare as well in Australia, it's just wrong to drop him after just one mediocre series, especially considering the valuable contributions he made all through 2007. It's just truly unfortunate for Gambhir that he cannot make it to the team when in such a good form!

Yuvraj Singh - Though he has been included in the squad of 14, realistically, he stands no chance of breaking in to the playing XI barring injuries. Agreed, he failed to use his opportunity in Australia to seal a place in the side, but one more chance for such a talented player is not such a bad idea. If the selectors really believe that he is the future of Indian batting, then he needs to be picked more regularly in the team now - when he has a chance to flourish without the burden of pressure - than later.

But, the question is who does he replace? I think Tendulkar could have been rested for this series. Obviously not because of lack of form, but because he truly needs to rest. As much as  I would love to see Tendulkar bat in every match, I would rather see him take some deserved breaks in an effort to prolong his career. While he is too important a player to be rested for an away series this could have been the perfect opportunity to give him a break.

Dinesh Karthik - Well, he has not done anything spectacular to present his case, but he hasn't done anything wrong either. After losing his place as a wicket-keeper to Dhoni a couple of years ago, he forced his way back in to the team as a specialist middle-order batsman and adjusted reasonably well as an opener. After a mediocre series against Pakistan and not making it to the playing XI in Australia, he now finds himself being cast away! If Yuvraj deserves a place after his debacle in Australia,  then Karthik too deserves another chance. 

With Sehwag back in form, it is that much difficult for Karthik to get back as an opener. So, what should he do now? Should he go back and try to work his way in as a middle-order batsman or should he continue to hope for a spot as an opener? Will he work his way back in the team or just fade away like those other short-term openers like Sanjay Bangar, Sadagopan Ramesh, SS Das and Akash Chopra? Only time will tell.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Madras Filter Coffee

There is nothing better than a good cup of coffee to kick start your day. And, as a South Indian, when I say coffee I mean the traditional Madras filter coffee!

While the taste for filter coffee is easy to acquire, mastering the art of making one is not so easy. Working the traditional filter to make the decoction needs a lot of practice and plenty of patience. And, of course you cannot use a coffee maker as  it is intended for use with coarse ground coffee, while the traditional filter coffee is made with fine ground coffee.

Then, one day while sipping a café latte at Starbucks, I realized how similar it was to the filter coffee; I mean, both are made with concentrated coffee (espresso for the latte and decoction for filter coffee), milk and a little foam on top! A little research and $200 later, I ended with a shiny new espresso machine that makes perfect decoction (or rather, espresso)  every time within minutes and without the hassle!

So, now I enjoy my Leo coffee every morning - Italian style! Truly, 'kaalathai vendra rasanai idhuvae'!

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Team India - The Next Generation

By winning the CB series, India's next generation of cricketers have proved that they have the technique and temperament to compete with the best. Here is my review of the players in batting order -

Robin Uthappa - Showcased his hard-hitting capabilities while chasing 318 for a victory against Australia in the league phase, but otherwise had an average series. He seems ideal at number 6, but in a Team packed with low order hitters, he will miss out if the team goes in with five bowlers unless he is willing to adjust his game as an opener. He proved that he has the temperament to be an opener when he curbed his aggressive style and gave India a solid start along with Tendulkar in the final. Remains to be seen if he can develop in to a solid opener who can mix caution with aggression and provide the team with consistent good starts.

Virender Sehwag - I strongly believe that though he should be a sure pick  for opening in Tests, he has been too inconsistent in recent times to be considered an automatic pick in one dayers. After the first few games in the league phase, Dhoni quickly recognized him as the extra batsman in the team and rightly kept him out for the rest of the series. Robin Uthappa should be given an extended run as first choice opener, with Sehwag as cover for the openers in case of injury. If the pitch conditions demand an extra batsman instead of the fifth bowler, then Sehwag is an ideal pick as he can also bowl off breaks.

Sachin Tendulkar - The fact that at 35, after 18 years of cricket, he is even in this next generation team tells a story doesn't it? Clearly his experience at the top of the order adds stability to the team. He started the series with a string of fluent 30s followed by  single digit scores in three games and just when the critics were getting ready to slaughter him, roared back to form with a cracking 63 in the must win game against Sri Lanka. He then took charge in the finals and led the team to victory. If his sublime innings of 117* in the first final was a perfect example of a well paced chase, his 91 in the second final was another magnificent innings grafted patiently against tight bowling and extremely good fielding. Who can ever forget those beautiful upper cuts he executed off Mitchell Johnson's bouncers! Irrespective of age, he still is India's best ODI batsman and in fact ended the series rated as the no.1 batsman in the ICC ODI rankings.

Gautam Gambhir - Was the most consistent batsman for India through the series; topped the batting charts for the series with 440 runs at an average of 55.00 and a strike rate of 82.70; and his beautifully paced 113 against Australia that almost took India to victory was the best innings by an Indian in the tournament! Ferocious cuts and pulls are his trademark shots, but he also showed nimble footwork against Murali's off spin. He sure has grabbed the number three spot for himself. He, more than Yuvraj deserves a place in the Test XI.

Rohit Sharma - Impressed everyone with his compact technique and athletic fielding abilities. Seemed capable of playing both in aggressive mode and in accumulation mode, but fell several times to casual strokes. Surely talented, but, needs to be seen if he has the mental strength to develop in a to consistent middle order batsman.

Yuvraj Singh - He was touted as India's best bat and expected to marshal the inexperienced middle order, but his horrid run continued in the one day series as well. Except for the delightful 76 against Sri Lanka wherein he showed how devastating a batsman he can be, and a quick 38 in the final he had a very ordinary series.

MS Dhoni - Known for his outrageous shots and hard-hitting capabilities, he never really got a chance to showcase his firebrand style of cricket. Instead, with the top order failing too many times, he found himself in situations where he needed to rebuild the innings and accumulate runs. By suitably adjusting his game, he has proved that he is a versatile batsman. Particularly,  the 88 he accumulated in the washed out match against Sri Lanka and the 50* he made, also against the Sri Lanka, without hitting a single boundary were well crafted innings. But more than his batting, he impressed everyone with this captaincy. Having gotten the team he wanted, he marshaled the players very well. If I were to pick one decision that highlighted his captaincy, its the one he made regarding Sehwag. With the batting collapsing a few times, he dropped Sehwag and instead brought in the extra bowler. By reinforcing the bowling, he took pressure off the batting and this five bowler strategy, I think was crucial in India eventually winning the tournament.

Irfan Pathan - Pathan, the batsman never got  going - it did not help that the captain sent him in at number three a several times - except for that 31 in the must win match against Sri Lanka; Pathan, the bowler started the series well, but lost his edge as the series wore on. He is a decent swing bowler who can be very good if conditions suit him and a capable number seven batsman and when in form allows the team to go in confidently with a five bowler attack. I never understood the ploy of using him at number three - in good batting conditions, there is no point in sending him ahead of specialist batsmen, and in difficult batting conditions, he doesn't have the technique to cope! Dhoni should use him wisely and make sure that he is not over worked.

Harbhajan Singh - He overcame controversies and crowd hostility to consistently choke the runs in the middle overs and picked up some important wickets as well.

Ishant Sharma - The find of the series, no question about it! Bowled beautifully in the test series and emerged as India's strike bowler in the one dayers. He bowls fast, extracts good bounce, swings both ways and has the stamina to bowl long spells - what more can you ask for! We can only hope that he doesn't fades away like many other Indian bowlers (think Balaji, Nehra and even Pathan & Munaf who aren't nearly as lethal as they once promised - at least not consistently) in recent times.

Praveen Kumar - The surprise package of the tournament, he was the man of the match in both the must win game against Sri Lanka and the final! To say that he played a major role in India winning the series is an understatement - another wonderful prospect for Team India.

Munaf Patel, Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla - Each played their part in one match or the other. But, Sreesanth has a tendency to blow hot & cold, and Munaf is injury prone & a poor fielder. It's to Dhoni credit that he managed them well all through the series. Unless they step up their game to justify their talent, they are sure to lose their spots to Zaheer and RP Singh when they return.

Zaheer Khan, RP Singh - These two were expected to be India's front line bowlers, but both were out to injury.

Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwary - Not too long ago Dinesh Karthik and Suresh Raina were touted to be the future of India's middle order, but Rohit Sharma and Uthappa have beaten them to the team. Though they did not get a game in the series, whenever they came on the field as substitute fielders, one could feel the enthusiasm they brought to the team. The fact that these guys are waiting in the bench should drive those in the team to always be at their best, and that is good for Indian cricket!