Archive for ‘Cricket India’

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Dec18

INDIANS TAKE ON THE AUSSIES

by wasim on December 18th, 2007 at 12:35 am
Posted In: Cricket, Cricket India

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This tour will be a huge test for the Indian team for a variety of reasons. We all know that Australia are a tough, almost impossible team to beat (especially in Tests) and therefore this tour will be a test of resilience for the Indian players. It has been a strange year for the Indians. Right from a pathetic World Cup campaign to the victory in the Twenty20 Cup and then again a largely unsuccessful series against Australia, to the recently concluded successful series versus Pakistan. The other reason why this tour stands as a test for the Indians is because they have now a new Test captain who has shown himself to be astute and proactive although he was too defensive against Pakistan. My guess is that Kumble will be more aggressive against Australia- in fact I think he has no option but to be aggressive because the Australians will not be as generous with their wickets as Pakistanis were. India has also seen the rise of Dhoni and Yuvraj who are now demanding more respect as their performance has been exemplary of late. These players will also be tested as a lot will rest on their capable shoulders. However as with everything I think the onus will still be on the seniors (Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman) to see that their team musters a respectable score, because they have tonnes of experience and it is experienced players who usually emerge victorious in tough situations.

Although experience and overall class of the Indian batsmen is to be applauded, it must also be stressed that generally pitches in Australia feature a higher bounce (compared to India) and hence batsmen have to play on the up. The first few overs of the match provide an excellent opportunity for the Aussies to exploit this weakness of the Indian batsmen. Ganguly’s weakness against the short ball is certain to be exploited. Dravid has also suffered from inconsistent form recently. His confidence has taking a beating following his exclusion from the ODI series against Pakistan. He wasn’t at his best in the Test series and his confidence will be challenged by the charged up and mentally aggressive Aussie pacers. Yuvraj and Dhoni do not have much experience playing overseas Tests and they have a point to prove, but on the other hand playing a Test match overseas against such a competent team will test their wits and it will be a new arena for them.

It is difficult to predict the exact nature of Australian pitches. Arguably Australian pitches are unique worldwide in that they offer everything in almost equal proportions to everyone- the pacers, the spinners and the batsmen. Recently pitches throughout Australia have become flattened to facilitate the batsmen. Traditionally the Sydney and Melbourne pitches have also assisted the spinners considerably. This is a positive for Indians because Kumble and Harbhajan are in good form.

For those who are unaware of the Test squad, it is: Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Anil Kumble (capt), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Pankaj Singh.

This appears to be a balanced Indian side as India are going with five specialist pacers. Ishant Sharma was effective in some spells against Pakistan whereas Pankaj Singh is yet to make his debut. The latter seems to have a decent reputation in the domestic circuit and the Indian selectors speak highly of him. Although it is balanced in terms of quantity, with five specialist pacers, in terms of quality this squad weighs heavily in favour of batsmen because two of the pacers have almost no international experience. This comes as no surprise because the Indian batting is always stronger than the bowling. Although the Australian pitches have something for everyone India will struggle generally to acclimatise to the conditions because in this recent series against Pakistan the pitches were completely flat.

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Dec25

SHOWDOWN AT MELBOURNE

by wasim on December 25th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Posted In: Cricket, Cricket India

This is the preview for the first match starting on Boxing Day between Australia and India. Cricketfiles is pleased to cover in depth analyses of this series. We hope you will enjoy reading this preview just as much as we enjoyed writing it!

Also, Cricketfiles would like to wish its readers a merry Christmas!

 

The atmosphere in tomorrow’s first encounter between Australia and India is expected to be electric. Cricket fans all around the world hope with bated breath that this will be a competitive series.

It does have reason to be competitive. India in the past three or four years have transformed into an admirable Test side, sharing the opposite fate really to their arch rivals Pakistan. It is a wonder how India since 2003 until 2007 were considered to be an average ODI side whereas Pakistan were considered more competent in the international arena. However, this year has seen India catapult to a respectable ODI status and the Indian team has never looked more confident in Tests. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s performance in both ODI’s and Tests has plummeted this year.

Coming back to tomorrow’s match, India have reason to be confident. In the last 3 series the teams have played, India have won 4 matches and Australia have won 4 matches too. This is something the Indians can take with them in the first Test.

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Jan01

CAN WE HAVE SOME COMPETITIVE CRICKET AT SYDNEY??!!

by wasim on January 1st, 2008 at 10:55 am
Posted In: Cricket, Cricket India

This is the preview for the 2nd Test between Australia and India starting on the 2nd at Sydney. Australia are 1-0 ahead and fans of competitive cricket will be hoping India have done some hard work. Cricketfiles’ previous preview and bulletins exposed many weaknesses of India and unless they address them, they are likely to suffer a similar result at Sydney.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

The Sydney pitch is being rumoured to have something for everyone. On the first couple of days it seems to suit the pacers more and then as the pitch cracks up it will suit spinners accordingly. There is a fair amount of grass on the pitch at the moment, perhaps intentional on the part of the Australian groundsmen to assist Australia’s pacers. Both Ponting and Kumble have pointed out that their teams will benefit from this pitch.

A VENUE RELISHED BY INDIAN BATSMEN

Sydney like many other Australian grounds finds favour with the Indians. Tendulkar averages 249, Laxman 117, Sehwag 60 and Dravid 53 on this ground. India will feel slightly disturbed that their best batsmen in 2007, Ganguly, averages only 14 at this ground. India have a reasonable record at this ground- one win and three defeats in eight Tests, which is a better record for India than at any other Australian venue.

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Jan07

BENSON & BUCKNOR ARE INJURIOUS TO CRICKET

by wasim on January 7th, 2008 at 3:15 am
Posted In: Cricket, Cricket India

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A match that will be remembered more for umpiring blunders than for the performance of the players. At least seven decisions went against India which sealed the fate of the match, Australia were clearly playing with 13 players.

Although Ricky pontings Australia were able to match the record of Steve Waugh’s run of 16 consecutive wins but during this match at SCG the spirit of cricket was lost. With  only six minutes to spare MJ Clarke picked 3 wickets of 5 balls and finished the game but before his brilliant spell it was some pathetic and shady umpiring which helped Australia to come near a victory they all so desperately wanted. In all fairness even if half of these decisions had gone India’s way Australia would have lost this match. The first decision which went in favor of Symonds when he was at 30 only a blind and deaf man could have judged it wrong, he went on to score 162, I am surprised even the third Umpire gave him not out with all the technology and time at his disposal this cannot be an error of judgement and if it is then my question to ICC is why they are putting people with such impaired judgement on the field to officiate such a high profile series.

In the first innings a total of 4 decisions went Australia’s way, In India’s second innings when everybody thought that the match was heading for a draw first Wasim Jaffer was given out on a No ball then Rahul dravid who was batting quite comfortably was given caught behind when the bat was no way near the ball and was completely hidden behind the pads, then came the decision which disgusted me the most Saurav Ganguly edged one to third slip which was taken by Rick Ponting on the bounce the Australians made a vociferous appeal but umpire Benson was not sure it was only after Ricky Ponting signalled him by raising his finger and suggested him to give the decision against the batsman only then Mark Benson lifted his finger he didnt even bothered to consult Steve Bucknor which is a normal practice in such circumstances and chose to obey the command of the fourth umpire Ricky Ponting.

After this match Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor have joined the ranks of Darrell Hair for controversial and biased umpiring. Australians have no reson to celebrate this victory in fact they should bow their heads in shame as they have killed the spirit of the game.

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Jan07

Farcical-ism or Racism in Cricket?

by wasim on January 7th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Posted In: Cricket, Cricket India

Harbhajan the latest victim

The word “racism” seems to be creeping into this so-called noble game of cricket, which has a boundary for scoring runs and limits for number of balls to be bowled in one over, or the number of overs per match or number of days are limited. But, for entertainment there are no boundaries and no limits to which kind of people, race, community or country should play this game or enjoy it. Therefore, cricket lovers from all over the globe need to discuss this important issue which is hurting this game and setting the boundaries for the crowd behaviour and the supporters reactions, and are limiting their joy and the pleasure or the entertainment they get by watching this game. The ICC are making stupid rules and the cricket grounds are becoming more like the Fort Knox.Therefore, it is important that people should express their views here on this blog to raise a voice against this silly rules. Especially in view of the recent ban of three matches imposed on the Indian cricket player Harbhajan Singh by the ICC because of the complaint lodged by the Australian captain Ricky Ponting.

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Jan16

INDIA VS AUSTRALIA, 3RD TEST, PREVIEW

by wasim on January 16th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Posted In: Cricket, Cricket India

Australia are 2-0 up which means India cannot win the series. India will be desperately looking to win this Test whereas Australia are chasing a record 17th consecutive win.

A PITCH FAVOURING AUSTRALIA

The Perth track has received much media attention owing to its fiery nature and sharp bounce. Pundits claim that it is the fastest pitch in the world which means it is one of the most difficult batting tracks. Lately Perth has shown a tendency to favour spinners towards the last couple of days of the match but pacers still steal the show. This can be illustrated by the simple fact that bowling average and strike rate for pacers is 36 and 64 respectively whereas for spinners it is 42 and 78.

A LIKELY VICTORY FOR AUSTRALIA

Anything that happen in cricket and owing to India’s recent Test form it can’t be underestimated, but as far as probabilities go, Australia appear clear favourites to win. In 17 Tests at Perth since 1990, Australia have won 12 and lost only 2. India have only played 2 Tests previously at Perth and have lost both. Subcontinental teams have struggled at Perth traditionally and it seems getting a draw would be an achievement for India in this match.

MAKING PEACE WITH THE ENEMY

This series will be remembered more for the controversy on and off the field rather than for the actual quality of cricket. It was a blessing for all cricket lovers to know that Ponting and Kumble have made peace and the players have buried their recent past. It is also strange that the two players against whom accusations were made, Harbhajan and Hogg, are unlikely to play in this match because of the pace friendly conditions.

THE PLAYING XI

Hayden is injured and Rogers who has been in encouraging form looks to take his place. Rogers will be playing in front of his home crowd so there are many expectations from him. Hogg is likely to miss out as Australia will strive to bolster their pace by including Tait. Hence, a likely playing XI for Australia is:

1 Chris Rogers, 2 Phil Jaques, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Brett Lee, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Stuart Clark, 11 Shaun Tait.

Meanwhile, India are likely to give Sehwag a chance owing to his recent performance in the warm up game. Jaffer despite repeated failures looks likely to play as the Indians want him to be the permanent opener in the team for now although there were whispers Karthik might get a chance. Since India are likely to try 2 specialist openers, Yuvraj Singh who has had a pathetic series is likely to miss out. Harbhajan as mentioned earlier looks to be sidelined for this match, whereas Pathan is likely to take his place. Hence, India’s line up will probably be:

1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Wasim Jaffer, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Sourav Ganguly, 6 VVS Laxman, 7 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Anil Kumble (capt), 10 RP Singh, 11 Ishant Sharma.

 

India need to do some serious thinking and they must have a gameplan now. Even if India dominate in a session or two they still lack the mental strength to keep it going. This is where Australia excel. What fans of competitive cricket want from India is to perform extraordinarily. Even though the going seems tough, India does have some extraordinary players like Tendulkar and Dravid who can succeed in dominating the opposition and now India needs its seniors more than ever to perform. As far as Australia are concerned, they need to keep on doing what they have done for the past 16 matches they have played, which is……………..win!

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Jan20

INDIAN SQUAD FOR THE ODI SERIES

by wasim on January 20th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Posted In: Cricket, Cricket India

India has seen its fortunes changed in 2007 and this recent victory against Australia has been of historic proportions. India now has a smart Test captain who has been one of the greatest servants to Indian cricket. The ODI captain Dhoni is also smart, savvy and passionate.

The recent announcement of Ganguly being dropped has stunned many. Already the Indian media and much of the public is fuming over this action by the Selection Committee. Ganguly was the country’s most prolific scorer in 2007 and his form gained much more prominence because of the fact that he made a return to international cricket after being dropped for poor form.

The CF management would like your views on whether dropping Ganguly was a good move. An experienced player is always handy against a quality opposition, but Ganguly does not have the best record against Australia, as his fellow seniors Tendulkar and Dravid do. Is it time to depend on the youth to carry India’s ambitions forward, youth that stirred a worldwide frenzy following the victory in the Twenty20 Cup and much of India’s glory post World Cup 2007?

What are your views on this squad?

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla

Sehwag’s return as opener following a decent show at Perth, Karthik being retained despite lacklustre form and Raina being included? Also Sreesanth is in the squad now which will be a bonus provided he keeps his cool. Chawla may be another youngster to look out for, as he has been impressive for whatever little we have seen of him.

I fully support Gambhir’s selection because I feel he is India’s best opener for now, ahead of Sehwag, Jaffer or Karthik. The fact that he is left handed also helps. Should India opt for a left-right hand opening combination?

I have the feeling this ODI series may be more competitive than Test series. This means there is plenty of good cricket to look forward to.

8 Comments
Jan29

Harbhajan cleared of racism charge

by wasim on January 29th, 2008 at 8:12 am
Posted In: Cricket, Cricket India

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Breaking news……….

THE International Cricket Council has cleared Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh of racial abuse, reports from India say.

Harbhajan was originally suspended for three matches after being found guilty of racially abusing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds during the second Test at the SCG.

The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) told Reuters the more serious charge of racial abuse had been downgraded to a lesser charge of using abusive language at today’s appeal hearing.

“The racial abuse charges have been dropped,” BCCI board secretary Niranjan Shah said.

“It is finished. The punishment is only for using obscene language.”

Shah said Harbhajan would be fined 50 per cent of his match fees as punishment for the obscene language charge.

The decision means threats by the BCCI to cancel the rest of the Indian tour of Australia will no longer threaten the one-day international tri-series involving Sri Lanka and the hosts.

ICC appeals commissioner Justice John Hansen, of New Zealand, heard the appeal from Harbhajan and Indian hierarchy against the spinner’s ban for allegedly calling Symonds a “monkey” during the second Test.

Justice Hansen heard about five hours of evidence at the Federal Court in Adelaide from key figures in the controversy including Harbhajan, his teammate Sachin Tendulkar, Symonds and Australian captain Ricky Ponting.

Board of Control for Cricket in India vice-president Lalit Modi today told reporters in New Delhi today that India’s tour would be abandoned if Harbhajan was found guilty.

“If a clean chit is not given to Harbhajan, the Indian board’s decision is to call the team home,” Modi said.

India, who completed a four-Test series yesterday in Adelaide, are due to play a Twenty20 international against Australia in Melbourne on Friday.

Harbhajan was handed a three-Test ban by match referee Mike Procter after being found guilty of racially abusing Symonds during the acrimonious Sydney Test earlier this month.

India, who completed a four-Test series yesterday, are due to play a Twenty20 international against Australia in Melbourne on Friday before starting a one day international tri-series on Sunday that also features Sri Lanka.

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Feb02

T/20 champs got run over by Australia

by wasim on February 2nd, 2008 at 4:20 am
Posted In: Cricket, Cricket India

INDIAN captain Mahendra Dhoni last night attempted to justify his team’s embarrassing nine-wicket mauling by Australia as a mere “practice match”, India fielded a Young team and were playing without their Big Four who performed so well in the tests their young players failed to match the intensity of the Aussies.

The match was played in front of a packed house the crowd was extremely disappointed when the T20 champ India was fired out for a paltry 74 in just 17.3 overs and 73 minutes.In reply, the Australians scorched to victory with 52 balls remaining to end a week of anger and frustration and claim the upper-hand in wake of Harbhajan Singh’s lucky escape for racial abuse.Harbhajan was widely heckled by spectators when he batted and bowled, and he was given a raspberry when he and Irfan Pathan collided while going for a catch to hand Michael Clarke a life.Australia was brilliantly led in the field and with the bat by Clarke, who was given the captaincy when Ricky Ponting failed a fitness test on his chronic back injury.Its been a demoralizing defeat for the Indian’s just a head of CB series, India might have to rethink their strategy of resting the big Four in the shorter version of the game as Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni are out of form and the relatively new recruits Uthappa, Gambhir, Karthik and Sharma failed to live up to the expectations if India has to fancy their chances in CB series they will have to play at least three out of the big four if they want to compete with Australia and Sri lanka.

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Feb19

8th Odi India V Sri Lanka

by wasim on February 19th, 2008 at 5:17 am
Posted In: Cricket, Cricket India

Sri lanka won the toss and elected to bat and after 20 overs are 62/2 both teams are struggling to find help from their bench and are suffering from similar problems. I was a bit surprised at the Indian selection they again persisted with Uthappa who is completely out of sorts, both India and Srilanka are suffering from sudden batting collapses and both have a hole in their line up in the lower middle order.

Srilanka after losing its openers are trying to grind out the middle overs and are trying to preserve wickets for the slog overs, Sangakara is in top form but he is not getting much help from other Srilankan batsmen. This match is important for both the teams although they will face each other one more time but both are desperate to earn additional point to reach the finals. India made a mistake by not playing Sehwag he should have been given preference over Uthappa.

India clinched a thriller from Srilanka who again failed to capitalize on the platform laid by Sangakara, Yuvraj finally scored and came out of his bad patch he played a fantastic innings of 76 Yuvraj got out with India still requiring 81 runs to win but Captain Dhoni saw them home in a tense finish with two wickets to spare.

Earlier India were reeling at 35/3 and the match was slipping away from India that Yuvraj came to crease and batted fluently he struck 10 fours and 1 six in his 76 and Dhoni played a very sensible innings identifying his role and played according to the situation and took no risk he played an uncharacteristic knock of 50  with no boundaries.

Srilanka still have a chance to reach the finals but they will have to win most of their remaining games.

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