Mitchell Johnson for Zaheer Khan

A week before, I had written a post regarding Zaheer Khan's inclusion for the four match test series against Australia starting next month hanging in a balance owing to injuries. And, now an Australian counterpart has seemed to have joined the party with Mitchell Johnson following suit after the Australian pacer has decided to get a surgery on his foot. In the same post, I had cited various absences of key players during crucial stages of a serious tour, who make a difference between a win and a loss. Now, it looks that my prayers are answered when another key player has joined the list.

Mitchell Johnson, though has been a noted bowler in the Australia test squad, was found to dominate with the bat during the recently concluded two test series against South Africa where he scored an impressive 40 runs to see Australia not only win the Johannesburg test by 2 wickets but also retain the trophy which they had regained on their last tour to South Africa three years back. Johnson scored those runs at a strike rate of 85.10 which speaks of his ability to step in at crucial situations. Without Johnson's knock, Australia could have never leveled the test series against the Proteas.

Johnson is one of those players in the current Australian squad who can keep up the hopes of Australian dominance live in days to come though after the retirement of Glenn McGrath - Shane Warne, the Australian team is on an all time low. Currently, Johnson has seemed to have hit a bad patch with him returning with a bowling average of 45.71 something which should have been a batsman's batting average. Whatsoever, players like Mitchell Johnson will surely make a comeback especially in crucial games like the Border - Gavaskar trophy. Johnson is a bowler with a class which is permanent.

Though form can be considered to be temporary, class of a player has been proved to be permanent which has seen many players making a comeback despite going through a bad patch several times in their career. With lack of good players (unlike what it was the case some four years down the lane for Australia) the form and fitness of Johnson should be taken seriously if at all Australian cricket has to flourish. Australia's hopes on key players like Ryan Harris, Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson still hangs in a balance and the reason for this can be none other than injury.

Is dropping Harbhajan Singh justified?

Well the news we hear at the moment is that India's star off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is dropped from the Indian squad that would be facing the Aussies in the Border - Gavaskar trophy scheduled next month. The reason for the same is thought to be his lack of form in the four tests against England where he was instrumental in taking just two wickets from the two games he played before an abdominal-muscle injury got the better off him. Since then, Harbhajan Singh was not even considered for the tests against West Indies though the series was held at home and not away.

With such an injury taking a toll on any player, nothing different can be expected by the selectors whatsoever. However, taking into consideration his form, dropping Harbhajan Singh should be a good decision to some extent. But, the other side of the coin suggests something different. Harbhajan Singh is the lone and the most successful spinner in the current India squad especially in tests. There are the likes of Pragyan Ojha and Ravindra Jadeja who have been successful but, without an experienced spinner top support from the other end, nothing special can be expected from the above mentioned spinners in this tour.

And, off-late there is the inclusion of Ravichandran Ashwin who was awarded the man of the series in the recently concluded test series against West Indies at home. That definitely deserves a lot of recognition but, things cannot be expected to be the same this time as well. The series is not played at home unlike what it was against the West Indies. Moreover, Australia is a much better outfit compared to West Indies who are not placed just above Bangladesh in the ICC points table for test cricket. In such circumstances, burdening Ashwin with such responsibility can be crucial.

It is an undisputed fact that India have so far never won a test series against Australia on Australian soil in its 63 years of test cricket history and at the same time, India have beaten them on their home tour to Australia in the previous two occasions. India still hold the upper-hand in the Border - Gavaskar trophy with Australia having lost most of its matches on home soil and with Indian team being on an all time high in confidence though their memories of a 4-0 loss to England is still afresh. Lastly, the exclusion of Harbhajan Singh might prove costly to the spin wing.

A big blow to the Ind-Aus series

Well it was the Sydney test in late 2007 that evoked the world's attention and bought into scene the umpire referral system wherein a captain can object to the on field umpires and force three of the many wrong decisions to the third umpire in case they are not convinced with the onfield umpires' decision. That particular test at Sydney had a record eight wrong decisions which was finally condemned by one and all. I still remember Sunil Gavaskar shouting at the onfield umpires Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor as though he was an avid Indian cricket fan sitting out there.

Following this debacle, one fine day, the umpire referral system was suggested by a brain which happened to exist but with limited success. I personally feel that the UDRS should have been bought into existence long back with every human being aware of the fact that people make errors and umpires are no exception. The world had to wait for the Sydney test to happen and Australia snatching their 16th consecutive test win in a grand style which will always be remembered for the wrong reasons as long as the earth exists. Well, everything is fair in love and war.

Australians can plead innocence with one out of the eight decisions going in favor of the Indians though the remaining 7 happened to be cashed out by the Aussies. Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor were found batting for Australia without bats while the Australian captain Ricky Ponting was found to do the role of an umpire when he declared Sourav Ganguly out caught. To be part of such a test match is indeed a glory for anyone both as a spectator and as a player. Now, in the same India - Australia series, the UDRS is rumored to be scrapped off.

Will the Australians once again make hay in this time's sunshine? Now, Australia are not chasing any major record like they were chasing their 16th test win at Sydney. In case Sachin Tendulkar fails to make it to the squad, there would be no reason for Australia to act stupid for, a victory is all the most guaranteed. However, had this been a test series, the implication of the scrapping of the UDRS would have had a serious impact on the dignity of the game and Aussies in particular. Oh! This time, the series is held in India and not in Australia for the Aussies to act cunning.

Mitchell Johnson too much worried about India

Well for the past two times in 2007 and 2009, Australia have managed to take home the 7 match one day series in India and against India. That was the time in 2007 when the Australian team, though fresh from its bad memories of losing to India in the semi finals for the world T20 at South Africa, were well fresh from their world cup win early that year. Australia were able to cross the 300 run mark on four occasions out of which one went in vain when in the 1st one dayer at Bangalore Australia scored 316 runs powered by Michael Clarke's 130 only to be washed away by rain.

In that edition of the bilateral series, Australia scored a 4-2 win, with India winning two matches out of fluke and not by hardwork as suggested by the scorecard where in the first match India won by 8 runs and the other one by 2 wickets chasing a mere total of 193 on the board. the case was a lot better in last year's series where India though managed just two wins never were let down by giving the Aussies a run for their money. India managed to cross the 300 run mark on two occasions and on one occasion came close to chasing down 351 empowered by Sachin Tendulkar's 172 which saw India fall short by 3 runs.

In that match, Sachin Tendulkar made news for scoring the maximum number of 150+ scores in ODIs jointly with Sanath Jayasurya. That was Sachin Tendulkar's second score above 170 which was till then enjoyed by only Vivian Richards. The series saw contributions from Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh along with Sachin and Sehwag. Team work was evident like never before in team India. But still, that was not enough for India fell short by 2 matches to take home the series. Now, team India once again is bound to face Australia like last year but without Sachin Tendulkar which has to be thought about seriously.

And, with so many drawbacks in team India, Mitchell Johnson's idea to strike India with the SG cricket ball is foolish. He could not hurt the already dead Pakistan with his fast moving deliveries despite Pakistan being desperate to lose. So was the case in the bilateral series involving England which Australia lost by a 2-3 margin. Now, with Australia's chances being high in the series against India, is Mitchell Johnson trying to make room for himself and take credit for something not happening because of him? Well, India is now short of bowlers and batsmen are in the que to take honors Mitchell!

Is India Lucky or Australia?

Well since last night when the match between India and Australia was abandoned owing to rain, most of the tongues are wagging in either of the team's favor. Some say that it was India who was lucky to have escaped yet another defeat at the hands of the Aussies and keep their fingers crossed when it comes to predicting the semi final spot atleast as far as India is concerned. So is Australia. Needless to be said, India had lost their first match to arch rivals Pakistan by 54 runs at Centurion. Had India lost the one to Australia, their hopes of making it to the semi finals would have surely been shattered.

And, when it comes to Australia, one has to recall the way the Aussies entered the finals of a tri nation tournament way back in 2004 that involved Pakistan and India by not even bowling a single delivery. India had lost their first match to Pakistan and then the match against Australia was forced to be abandoned after being hit by rain (like in the ongoing Champions Trophy). Finally, Australia won the match by 17 runs in a low scoring encounter where Australia successfully defended 192 runs. And this time also, Australia are bound to enjoy the same luck which can see them through to the semis.

Anyway coming to the match between India and Australia, one has to really appreciate the Aussies who were comfortable at 234/4 at the end of the 40^th over despite at one point of time being at 7/1 at the end of the fifth over. Hardly anyone would have expected the Australians to come back so strongly after their initial debacle. The Indian players seemed not to have learnt any lessons from their first defeat to Pakistan when they allowed a 202 run partnership. The match was more towards Australia that that when India is considered. The Australian batsmen got decent and important partnerships whenever they needed.

There was Ishanth Sharma whose bowling is compared by Australian greats to that of Glenn McGrath. And then there was Harbhajan Singh as well along with Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar. No doubt that Ashish Nehra was comparitively impressive with the ball in both the games that India played. Its a wonder as to why someone like Virat Kohli is still making it to the playing eleven when the place of whom can be replaced by a decent all rounder? There was Yousuf Pathan whose luck could well balance between batting and bowling. It looks like India is more desperate to lose matches and get back home as soon as possible.

At Times Luck Favours South Africa

Well as I would love to call it, the South African cricket team is a mixture of good and bad lucks. This was after all of us saw them as to how they were found to make a mess of their own game in the world cups from 1992 to 2003.And then in the inaugural edition of the world T20 Championship at home,which South Africa lost after losing to India, which was their first ever defeat in that tournament.Well I don't intend in going to the details of the same.At times, despite their wonderful performance, South Africa are found to make a mess of their own game, like it happened in the world cup 2003, where South Africa got itself omitted itself from the tournament, citing a calculation mistake as a reason.

Well, despite all these at times, there are silver linings in South Africa's cloud.On two occasions, South Africa emerged as the top team in the ICC one day rankings, and this time South Africa have regained the second position in the latest ICC test rankings, overtaking India.In the year 2007, just prior to the world cup at the caribbean,South Africa topped the ICC one day rankings, courtesy-Australia's consecutive five match loss to England and New Zealand just before the world cup.And earlier, when South Africa beat teams like West Indies and Bangladesh to be on par with the Aussies-who were still at their peak in March earlier this year. All because of the Australia's loss of the Commonwealth Bank series to India.

And imagine how! South Africa beat Bangladesh in the two test series, both of them by an innings.And this was enough for the Proteas to get on the top of the ICC test rankings after Australia.Well if India beat a no 1 team in Australia to move up the rankings in the ICC test points table, South Africa beat the weakest team in the game to surpass the same India. Howzaat!This hapens as long as there are teams like Bangladesh and West Indies playing test cricket out there.

Drop Yuvraj Singh For the Series Against England

With India beating Australia 2-0 in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar trophy, several questions were being raised about India's would be dominance in the all three formats game of cricket.But,as I've stated in most of my earlier posts regarding Border-Gavaskar trophy,it was partly due to the depletement of the Australian test team that landed in India,and partly for some superb performances from the likes of Ishanth Sharma and Zaheer Khan-who bowled splendidly in the series,and some blistering fireworks from the blades of V V S Laxman, M S Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir-who made most out of the flat tracks that suited the Indian style of batting.No marks to the spinners what-so-ever.

Now,team India is found to overwhelm England-the starters of cricket in the 18th century.Now,with the recent past of England cricket team's performance taken into consideration,they had defeated South Africa 4-0 in the one day series that were held in September after being defeated 2-1 against the same in the test series.And before that, there was New Zealand's tour of England,in which England won the test series and lost the one day series.But,these defeats were not that embarrassing as they are in the current tour of India.For,atleast team England were found giving a tight reply to the visitors.No matter..the England were hosting these teams,which is not the case here.With England being hosts,when the results are so horrible,one can imagine the fate when England is hosted and that too in a sub continent nation?

Irreective of the match result,what matters is the way the teams out there play the game of cricket with full spirit and never-say-die attitude.But,England was never found doing it.In the first ODI,England captain won the toss and chose to put India into bat,thinking that the pitch would be a batting heaven (which it was) and chasing any total would not be difficult.The decision was right although, but,things were not made use of by the England batsmen.When India made a score of 387,a score of atleast 300+ would have made the viewers take to guessing.But,a score of just 229 in just 37 overs is something that a non-test playing nation would be found doing.And in the 2nd ODI,despite having India reeling at 29/3 in 7.3 overs,England not only allowing India put up a big total,but lost wickets in quick succession to someone like Yuvraj Singh-who is not a bowler by anymeans.I wouldn't even give him the tag of part-time-bowler.

Whether England wins or loses the series is a different issue altogether,but,if there is to be some enthusiasm for viewers to go and watch the match in the stadium,I wish there should be atleast some restriction from the opposite team,which would make the match interesting.With the Australian team that toured India not being able to take none other than a man of the match award in the last test,I feel the die hard fans in India would be thinking twice before going out to watch a cricket match if this continues.Just imagine the fate of the sponsorers who have invested millions of dollars in IPL & ICL (keeping in mind the craze for cricket in the country),if the fans-who give their life for cricket, get bored of cricket and give up watching.

It never looks as though the England team will atleast now wake up to put up a though fight against an in-form Indian team.A solution to this would be to reduce the strength of the current Indian team to be in par with the opposition it is facing,so that the matches would be a bit more interesting with lesser one sided games.Else,be prepared for empty stands.

India A No 1 Test Team! Really?

Well after the 2-0 series win over Australia in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar trophy its all talks from most of the Indian cricket stalwarts about team India becoming the number 21 team in the ICC test rankings.But,to what extent is this statement really valid? Starting from Kris Shrikanth and up to Amarnath,all have hinted that India would go on from here onwards to become the number 1 test team in the world.Well how foolish a statement would that be? Some thinking by Gavaskar taking reality into consideration and dismissing such claims.No doubt that India has in it the potential to demolish any of the present bowling attacks and bowlers who can become nightmares to most of the batsman.

As Sunil Gavaskar was found saying, India still needs to improve its performance overseas.Like they lost the test series 2-1 to Sri Lanka in August.Even the victories in the recent past were not convincing either.A 1-0 win against Pakistan,a 1-1 against the Proteas, before a 2-1 series loss to Sri Lanka unlike the Australian team that whitewashed alomost each and every team that it came across one-sidedly.The three test series which India won against England last year 1-0 was owing to rains, which played a spoilsport,by drawing the first test at Lord's with England needing just one wicket to win when India were reeling at 282/9 chasing a target of 380,with four hours of day's play still to go.In the past one year or so, India has had as many as three captains for test matches,which is not desired for a team contending for a top spot in the test rankings.

My question is can India whitewash any team be it at home or outside,excluding Bangladesh?Does India have a perfect replacement for top players like V V S Laxman, Sachin and others in case of injury and still be able to outperform the opposition? Does India have the consistency to play such tough cricket similar to the way the world cricket powers like the West Indies of the 70s and the recent Oz team did?Does India have the guts ond courage to stand up against any odds like the way Steve Waugh and Clive lloyd did during their rule?

Well Australia could do all these for all the days they dominated world test cricket.A defeat to Australia was as good as a minnow team like Bangladesh winning a test match against a noted opposition.Their Ashes loss in 2005 raised millions of eye- brows all over the world in frustration.From then onwards,the Australian team maintained their winning streak until the Perth test which they eventually lost by 72 runs.They had were unbeaten 22 consecutive tests which included 16 straight victories.Are you Indian cricket buffs listening?

India has always relied on only a couple of players for a test victory,with the rest of them just filling the vacancies..Needless to say that India cannot even think of such things what-so-ever.A victory in the current series may end up in a crushing defeat in the next tour under schedule.

Only time will tell as to whether India can be in par with top teams like the Windies of the 70s or the Australian team until Ashes 2007.Until then, we have no other choice but to wait and watch team India's performances in test cricket.

Indian Ghost Continues To Haunt The Aussies

Atlast, the inevitable happens.Australia lose the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2-0,thanks to an under par Australian team that toured India this time and some luck whenever Mahendra Singh Dhoni takes on the Indian cap.After a long time,India have won a series 2-0 compared to 1-0 series victories against teams viz Pakistan (late last year) and England (in mid 2007).A delight being that Australia won the Nagpur test in 2004 to regain the Border Gavaskar trophy,a win on Indian soil after 34 years,only to lose the same at the same venue,4 years later.The man who lost the Ashes after 19 years in 2005,now can boast of having done the same in the Border-Gavaskar trophy as well.

I bet that there is some ghost that haunts the Australian cricket team everytime whenever they play India.For,even a batsman like Virender Sehwag comes up with a 5 wicket haul and bowlers like Irfan Pathan,Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan of late have proved something with the bat as well.Rarely does things like this happens.With someone like V V S Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar always being there when it comes to the big stage,this time for a change,instead of Rahul Dravid,there is Gautam Gambhir who unexpectedly became the top scorer of the series,including a double hundred at his home ground at Firoz Shah Kotla in Delhi.A series that would have been 2-1 favoring India ended at 2-0.

Despite a 70 run lead in the first innings at Bangalore,the Aussies made a mess of their own game by allowing Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh,after batting for nearly three days to post a so called respectable total.It looks like the Aussies are now feeling the pinch of losing star cricketers like McGrath,Damien Martyn,Langer and others at a stretch.I never expected someone like Mike Hussey to be a part of a test team,who can belt the ball like a T20 game.And KUDOS to Matt for atlast putting up a big score of 77 after a lot of over aggresive knocks.I feel it was primarily because of Matt that the ussies have had to face such a humiliation and second comes Ricky Ponting,followed by Brett Lee.

All that the Aussies could take from this series was a man of the match that was awarded to Kreza in the Nagpur encounter,despite losing the match and with it the series.A little planning would have seen the Aussies settle for a level.With 382 runs needed to win and a win being a compulsion,the Aussies just went after each and every ball.Someone like a Shahid Afridi would be seen doing.None of the Australian players, be it bowling or in the batting department have taken this series as a challenge,like it was taken by India four years back.Some fightback by the Australian team would have made the series an interesting one with both the teams not willing to give up.This was last seen only in the Border-Gavaskar series 2003 when India toured Australia.

India Win The Border-Gavaskar Series

All cheers for team India for taking a 1-0 lead in the second test atMohali.But, winning the series 3-0 or even 2-0 would be a good result I believe.Looks like that is not bound to happen as long as there are curators of the likes of Radhey Shyam Sharma,who prepares the pitches taking into consideration only the Indian aspect of the game.With India being 1-0 up in the series,it looks like the pitch curators will adapt all sorts of unfair means to see that the opponents do not come back in the series.Is this the sportsmanship that is expected from the Indian sides?When Indian cricket fans can condemn the Sydney test episode,isn't there anything that is to be said regarding these kind of tests which happen in India only when India takes an initial lead in the series?

This is not the first time that team India has undergone through such tests at home after taking a lead in the initial stages.In the recent past,this type of gimmicks.In the recent past,every series has such kind of a pitch which assists the batsmen owing to which the match ends in a pale draw.In the India-Pakistan series late last year,which India won 1-0 too,the second and third games were high scoring,which eventually ended in a draw.Such type of pitches suit the likes of Gautam Gambhir and Wassim Jaffer,who can only prove their myths on a belter like those.If such is the case,why go in for a three match series and why not a one match series?

The cunning face never ends there.Take for example the series against South Africa earlier this year.India had gone one down in the second test,after drawing the first. And for their fortune,all the pitch for third test just did was to turn the ball even for the likes of Virender Sehwag.This aided a team like India who are a good spinning side.(In the sense spinning the ball and not the match).Harbhajan Singh made full use of such a turning track to level the series 1-1.The last time any opponent has bounced back after being down in the series is in 2006 during England's tour of India ,where England levelled the series 1-1,thrshing India by a whooping 300 runs.

Since then,Indian pitch curators have taken to this idea to save India from the jaws of defeat.Is this the reason as to why team India gets punished on tours abroad despite a series win at home against the same opposition?The last time India have won a series abroad is against the West Indies 1-0,after the then West Indies team led by Brian Lara,shattered Rahul Dravid's team India from taking home a 3-0 series victory. Remember the tour of India to South Africa in late 2006,which South Africa won 2-1 after being 1-1.Time will tell even if teams like Australia and England follow the same, when England won the Ashes in 2005,after being 1-1 with the third match drawn.And Australia after being 2-1 up against India in early this year,drew the fourth test.

At the end,such issues cannot be dealt with,with each one finding an unfair means to tackle the opposition.After all,even the ICC is governed by humans.Ha ha ha..

A Deserving Farwell,But Not A Deserving Treatment

Well a shocking decision by Anil Kumble to call it a day from the longest version of the game is a lot discussed thing since yesterday.But,without a word or two about this great gentleman would be an insult not only for Anil Kumble but for me also for being a cricket blogger and not writing anything about this great chap who has served cricket with all heart and soul for the past 18 years.In addition to whatever that has been discussed about Anil Kumble since he announced his retirement from test cricket,there is something that I share with Jumbo apart from being from the same state where he made his mark as a cricketer.But,that is a top secret.

I bet that there cannot be any other member in the team who had to undergo so much humiliation undeservingly.Not even Sourav Ganguly for that matter.I wonder as to why people didn't stand up against Anil Kumble when he had to go through the odds he never deserved?When Ganguly came in for all sympathy from his team mates and his fans back at Kolkata, in what way was Kumble's issue different from that of Dada? Despite all these odds,Jumbo has crossed all of them to become the highest wicket taker in all forms of the game.No doubt,he got the farewell what he deserved.But, atleast if one could have a glimpse of what Kumble would have underwent through all these years.

I wonder what made Sourav Ganguly to go in for Dinesh Mongia and Mohd Kaif with Kumble being made to warm the benches in the 2003 world cup?This despite his 4 wicket haul against Holland and the run out of Inzamam in the famous Indo-Pak encounter.If Ganguly feels humiliated for being dropped for the Irani Trophy, so would be Kumble for the same since Ganguly took charge as captain.Even in the 2007 World Cup, Kumble played just one ODI against Bermuda and given a ticket in the matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.If this is the case, why the hell do the selectors go in for Kumble to be included in the 15 member squad?

Since his re-entry into the national squad in Adelaide test after being ignored by Ganguly in the Brisbane test (which delayed his 400th test wicket), Anil Kumble has missed only two occasions owing to injury.The one against South Africa and the other in the recent Mohali test.Isn't this lovely when copmpared to someone like Zaheer Khan, Ishanth Sharma and our hero Sreesanth, who are most of the time in garages getting some of their parts repaired? One can never forget the way he bought up a victory against Australia in Bangalore in Titan cup 1996,after a series of controversial decisions involving Mohd. Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja along with his Karnataka team mate Javagal Srinath.

Both Srinath and Kumble share something,for both of them announced their retirements all of a sudden and shockingly.Of course not much was expected from their aging bodies and minds.But, I guess there was some fuel still left in their tank. Srinath announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 11Th November 2003 and Anil Kumble on 2ND November 2008.The difference being close to 5 years.And one fascinating achievement about Anil Kumble that could be compared with nothing is his 10 wicket haul against Pakistan at Delhi.This I call is the most undisputed record for even the 400* scored by Lara could be achieved with sheer determination and hard work,while Kumble's perfect ten could have been averted by some unfair means by the opposition batsman getting run-out or throwing his wicket to any other bowler,like it happened to Murali against England and Zimbabwe.

Whether someone can replace Anil Kumble or not being out of question,but,the post insists that a person of the caliber of Anil Kumble gets his reward for the hard work and dedication that he has shown in the game of cricket for almost two decades.Last but not the least,Cricketahead salutes this great hearted bowler with all cheers throughout his off-field life.

A Defeat Before Losing

Well..at last, the inevitable happens.India beats Australia an the second test at Mohali by 320 runs. Thanks to some awesome batting display from the blades of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly and others. Also some splendid bowling from the likes of Ishanth Sharma who has been the favorite of Ricky Ponting and Zaheer Khan.Not to forget spin duo of Amit Mishra and Harbhajan Singh.At the end of the day,thank you team India for putting up a splendid all round performance.Each and every part of the game had dominance over the Australian counterparts.This was however expected.But, was the match against Australia or Zimbabwe?

I had to think twice before looking at the scorecard of the Australian second innings, when the scoreboard read 58/5 in the second innings of the Australian batting and towards the end of the fourth day.All the most fascinating was the way the Australian openers started their batting in the second innings.I wish someone like Glenn McGrath would have put up a better and more responsible show,no matter what the asking rate was.I wish one has to take a look at the way the Australian openers started their second innings.The slog shot of Matthew Hayden for Zaheer Khan in the first ball of the innings was just stupid.

A run rate of above 9.0 until the first wicket fell at a score of 50?Were they playing test cricket or a T20 match or were they batting at the fag end of the 50 over match? Well.. this was not something that has been expected for the Australian team given their dominance in all forms of the game.With a win out of question,atleast they could have put up a tough fight making India earn each and every wicket for their victory.I feel one has to remind Australia about the way test cricket has to be played. Though the Australian team lost the Ashes in 2005, the performance they put up was far above par compared to the English.It was only destiny that had different plans which favoured the England team.

It was just frustrating to see the Australian team succumb so easily to the pressure created by team India.None of us thought that this bad would be the game plan of the Aussies whatsoever.There was absolutely no attempt to save their face on the Australian side.True that they were underdogs,but,atleast had they made use of their talent to some extent,the match would have been worth the wait.But,not anymore. Even in the first test,the Australian side never aimed to pull out a victory from the Indians,for they batted for almost two days before putting up a total of 490, and then allowing Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan to take the control.

If at all the spirit of an India-Australia test has to be saved,its inevitable for both the teams to put up a stiff fight.Else,the test would be no different from a Bangladesh -India test.

Attention grabbers Everywhere..

The trend in today's world saying hats off to who ever makes a history or decides to call it a day, is something funny I feel. Well..first it was Saurav Ganguly who attracted all but most of the attention when he decided to bid aideu to all forms of international cricket. Then came the most in news Sachin Tendulkar-who surpassed Brian Lara's world record of the highesh runs in test cricket. No doubt,this is of course a great feat,that would not be possible for anyone to overtake atleast in the near future.This really needs a pat on the back.And now,after much fuss,the table has now turned towards Amit Mishra who took a maiden five wicket haul and that too in his debut match against the world's best side in Australia.

All these achievements are no mean.But,the issue should not be blown out of proportion I believe.When there are wonders happening every now and then,I feel the media should stop its attention being concentrated only on a few issues that are not worth the praise.If not for Sachin Tendulkar's feat,the remaining two were just a formality.How come the maiden T20 hundred by Alok Kapali in the Indian Cricket League match against DASH didn't make it to the headlines?Was it just because it was from the blades of a Bangladeshi,whom are known to be underdogs most of the time and wwhat ever they achieve is a fluke?

Sourav Ganguly,who made news for retiring from international cricket,took as many as four years to make a comeback into international cricket after he was chosen for the series against Australia way back in 1992 (where he was not chosen in the playing eleven).If much fuss was being made for dropping this Kolkata Prince,none of them felt the same when Anil Kumble was given the same treatment despite being the highest wicket taker for India in both forms of the game.And what should someone like Lance Klusner or Heath Streak would have been going through when they were chuked out without giving them another chance?With his age crossing 36,how long further would have he played if it ws not this time his last?

And when it came to Tendulkar,rather than calling him "the best batsman in world cricket",one of the best would make sense.Sachin took 152 tests compared to Brian Lara's 131.One should not forget the respect what Lara took home when he announced his retirement.He was given the charge of such a West Indies team that had nothing in it.Something like Bangladesh or Zimbabwe.Sachin had no such tasks in his career.And so far,Sachin has not been able to make a triple hundred in tests. And why is Amit Mishra made a king when he could not make it to the international arena for five years after a guest appearence in the tri series in Bangladesh in 2003?

Bangladesh Is No Australia!

Hmm..Australia banned Andrew Symonds from the tour of India and Bangladesh earlier,for opting to fish rather than attend the meeting with the board officials. Though the Australian team misses this lad,they have not got anything to repent with the decision taken by the committee members,for there are remaining eleven players in the squad ready to put in an extra effort in order to fill the void created by Andrew Symonds. The decision of leaving Symonds out of the Australian squad is equivalent to drawing a bucket of water from a sea.And Australia need not pay a heavy price for ommitting Symonds from the squad.With star batsmen like Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin and Ricky ponting,the Australian batting line up is quite safe I suppose.

On the other hand,Bangladesh Cricket Board bans players who join the rebel Indian Cricket League for 10 yrs.Joking!When the Bangladesh Cricket Board is not sure about the present scenario in the team,I wonder as to how it managed to take a decision for ten years altogether?The team which I wrote about previously is the strongest team in the world,but,the team which is now under consideration is placed at the bottom of the ICC points table.Isn't the Bangladesh Cricket Board unaware of this?Can Bangladesh afford to do such a blunder?Well..if the Bangladesh thinks it won the first game against New Zealand at Dhaka,it is mistaken!It was New Zealand who lost rather than Bangladesh winning.

When cricket is just rising in Bangladesh,giving the players some liberty would have been much more sensible rather than taking drastic steps and imposing harsh rules upon its national players. Is Bangladesh ready for a mass boycott of its players from the national squad,given the money that the ICL offers?If this happens,what about the status of cricket in Bangladesh and test cricket in particular?The number of question marks in this post is equal to those being faced by the cricket board of Bangladesh.I feel it is the players delight that they have been recognized by the ICL and offered big bucks.

Finally the Bangladesh Cricket authorities know their limits and then take such steps, steps,for,it is not Indioa who can boast of big money in its cricketing board,nor Australia who have a sea of talent in cricket.

Aussies Indeed Underdogs!

Well..the first test between India and Australia at Bangalore might have ended in a draw according to the record books.But,we feel that it was India who had an upper hand in most parts of the game.Not only because of the presence of quality spin bowlers,but due to the presence of some genuine pace bowling from Ishanth Sharma and Zaheer Khan.The worry that was found to haunt the Aussies before they started with the tour was the tracks that were thought to favor the spinners.But,neither Anil Kumble nor Harbhajan Singh proved to be a threat to the Aussie bowling.A bad decision in the first innings gifted Harbhajan his only wicket in the innings.Courtesy A M Saheba-who raised his finger for a delivery that was found to miss the leg stump.

But,what do the Aussie batsmen have to say about Ishanth Sharma and Zaheer Khan who troubled them regularly?With both innings proving to be lucky for Zaheer to have got Matthew Hayden.And Ishanth Sharma getting Ricky ponting.A mixture of good and bad luck when it came to the Aussie batting.But,their bowling had absolutely nothing to complain about.A decent squad of Brett Lee, Shane Watson, Mitchell Jhonson and Stuart Clarke.And now don't say this was an inexperienced side altogether.Cameroon White was above expectations as he had the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar in the second innings.He was not given the ball for most part of the first innings.He bowled only 13 overs which was the least bowled by any bowler in the first innings.

It was just funny to watch the balls roll over the ropes from the bat of Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan.The culprits in the game were not the India's fab five.Anil Kumble not being able to take a single wicket,VVS Laxman out for a duck in the first innings,only Dravid and Ganguly had some decent knocks and not to forget Tendulkar's 49 in the second.All mistimed shots of Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan crossing the boundary!I wonder how come the Aussie bowlers couldn't contain theses tail enders when they were in a commanding position after getting the top six out quickly?It looked like the Aussies got carried away with the initial success.

Can any one believe that it was Zaheer Khan the top scorer for India in the first innings and Harbhajan the second?This is the second time in succession that Australia has not been able to snatch a test victory against India with Ricky Ponting scoring a hundred.Its really a joke that the worlds best test team could not contain tailenders who are left to bat it out there without any batsman to support them.No variation in neither line,length or pace from the Aussie bowlers was another notable point.Wish the present Aussie bowlers learn some tips from Glenn McGrath who had a variety in his line and length.Some proper game planning by the Australian team and Ricky Ponting in particular would have bought a result to the first test I suppose.

Referral System-The Need Of The Hour

Well the umpire referral system which was put into trial in the recently concluded India-Sri Lanka series was thought to bring about some relief to cricket fans, players and also prove a more accurate means of providing justice to the teams and the game of cricket.But,its really sad that the system never got scaled up to a bigger level despite some ugly decisions, especially the one in the Sydney test between India and Australia that is still afresh in people's minds.Its really confusing to guess as to what the ICC is upto.What does the ICC want?When things like a super sup were in place for almost a year or so,and the rule of an extended power play , a free hit that was derived from the T20 cricket and the match being reduced to 20 over to declare a team as a winner (previously 25 overs) which was not a necessity is still ruling cricket.

Are the umpires the heart and soul of a cricket match?Aren't umpires bound to make any mistakes in decisions?The ICC bought some smiles on the faces of the players atleast after so much fuss that went on for decades altogether,that the ICC introduced the referral system.But,god knows what on earth stopped them from continuing the same.If not all,atleast some decisions like the caught behind, lbw and run outs could have been given a second chance.For these decisions are more likely to be misread by umpires.I wish theses referral system had been introduced long back by taking umpires to be humans and not gods altogether.

The very first test series involving India and Australia-the Border Gavaskar Trophy has seen as many as four wrong decisions.A caught and bowled off Kumble to Ponting,a leg before turned down by Pakistani umpire A M Saheba, the leg before of Ponting that was found missing the leg stumps and Matthew Hayden's caught behind.Does the ICC consider even these many decisions that took place in a single day as a human error?

With all these happening in the very first day of play, it would be fantastic to watch out for what all miracles would happen in the remaining four days.An amazing feat being that these things happen mostly in an Australia-India series, and most in test matches involving Australia.If the referral system is not re-introduced into test matches (not to forget the other forms of cricket also), the game of cricket will not be between 22 players divided between two teams,but between only two umpires.Then, would be similar to boxing or any other 1:1 game.Ha ha ha..

Trains Are Always Late In India....

Well with all of us cricket fans and bloggers in particular having a bad day infact a bad minth to be precise,finally there is some cheer for all of us cricket bloggers as the first test between India and Australia of the Border-Gavaskar trophy has already started and day 1 has left us with a lot of issues to move our hands on the keyboard.The recent test match in the Irany trophy was all but boring.However,its not justice for there was a month and a half without any test,one day or a T20 game.So bad?A little bit of concern and thinking would have brought smiles on the faces of cricket fans that even the ICC Champions Trophy wouldn't have.

Another episode of the IPL would not have been a bad idea with all of the world's players on a halt.Had this been the case,the series would have been even more thrilling compared to the first edition,wherein,players like Symonds,Hayden, McCullum etc were forced to opt out owing to their national commitments.This time had it been,there would have not been any such problems as most of them were just putting on some weight. But,thanks to Lalith Modi and BCCI for lack of thinking.

This reminds me of the trains in India,which are late on most occasions.But,this train was so late that the journey had to be absolutely cancelled.Though the ICC Champions Trophy was cancelled on 24th August 2008,there was all possibilities to conduct another mega event.But...?Alas!Almost a month and a half was just wasted for nothing which would have been made a lot spectacular.Is the BCCI listning?

When Is The Next Match?

The last international cricket match that I've witnessed is the fifth one day international between South Africa and England and after that its all been politics in cricket boards regarding which cricketing nation is really safe to play and bla bla bla.Alas!The ICC Champions Trophy had to be eventually postponed to October 2009.And until then...?

The tour that a cricket fan like me is looking forward is the home tour involving Australia.But,with most of the top players in the Australian side (viz Adam Gilchrist,Shane Warne,Glenn McGrath,Brad Hogg) calling it a day,some of them missing the tour owing to injuries (not sure about the names) and finally someone like Andrew Symonds who has made a fool of himself by opting to fish rather than attend the meeting with the board officials and end up losing his spot,it looks like this tour will be a disappointing one even though the chances of India regaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy is looking like a certainity.

As an Indian fan,Ah!Awesome.But,as a cricket fan..?Thumbs down.After the Ashes 2005,this would be the one to watch out for Aussie haters.And ifffff..India lose their plot even then,I wish they go home and have a clean shave on their heads.On the other part of cricketing world,there is the series between Bangladesh and New Zealand.Well McCullum..its your day...ha ha ha..Another 28 ball 80* hah?

All sports channels and Star Cricket in particular telecast either past cricket matches,which would be a treat for action lovers and a curse for colour expectations.A boring colourless ROI vs Delhi (currently) and some County championship.For the next international action,I'll have to wait until 9th of October to watch the first test between India and Australia or the first ODI between Bangladesh and New Zealand.Thanks to the insecure situation in Pakistan that forced the ICC to postpone the mega event a year ahead.Thanks to the imbalance in Australian team that has landed in India to return the B-G trophy.And finally a one sided series between Bangladesh and New Zealand.

Atleast lets hope for some thrill in the next edition of the Indian Cricket Legue,for which,the BCCI has to make up its mind and compromise.Else,it would be colourless cricket here and there.

Adding Fuel To Fire?

Oh! no..not again..The talks until last week or a month contained most about fears about travelling to Pakistan with major teams like Australia,England,New Zealand and South Africa off late threatening to pull back from the tournament had the CT not been shifted,which forced the ICC to cancel the tournament this year and postpone it to 2009.And now,after a series of blasts in Delhi off late,which was preceded by such blasts in Jaipur,Bangalore,Ahmedabad and Surat,the issue is now getting shifted to whether Australia will continue their tour to India which is scheduled this October.Coincidence being that Bangalore and Delhi are the venues for the first and the third test match.

Cricket Ahead had in the earlier post had dismissed South Africa's pull out from the ICC Champions Trophy from Pakistan saying it was all rubbish.But,now I feel that the security concern more than travelling to Pakistan,the major threat lies in travelling to India.In the last two years or so,I doubt whether there is any Indian city yet to be bombed?The number is countless.It all started in Pakistan somewhere in late December with the return of Benazir Bhutto.By the time 2009 October arrives, the situation can be hoped to have cooled down to a major extent.But,regarding India,I'm really sorry whatsoever..

Being an Indian,I should never be saying this.But,the situation is demanding it I believe.Its frustrating that so many lives are lost back to back in all major cities.With this being the case,I don't find any team (be it Australia alone) who would cite security concerns in travelling to India.Traveling to India is equivalent to travelling to Iraq or Afghanistan for that matter.Even the situation there is much better I guess compared to India.Well..the hopes of the situation getting better is however out of question.It isb the fate of some ill fated Indians to fall prey to such attacks,atleast, people who have the option can think before travelling to India.

It would not be a wrong decision by Australia if they decide not to travel to India citing security reasons.

35...And Counting...

It is not an unknown fact to not only cricket fans,but also to non cricket crazy people that April 24th is the day when a revolution was thought to begin in Indian cricket batting.Still it would be one's pleasure to cite that today is the 35th birth day of master batsman Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.The man who is still playing cricket since his debut in 1989.Exactly ten years down the lane,is the most special day not only for Sachin Tendulkar,but also his fans,who were treated by his mind blowing batting to score 134 at Sharjah,is still fresh in people's minds.

Well..the recently launched T20 format of cricket is too late for Sachin Tendulkar to make a mark even in this format.Some unknown fact about include his aggregate of 435 runs-in the triangular series involving New Zealand & Australia in Sharjah,which is the best by an Indian batsman in a triangular series(may be the best in the world-not so sure).And if this man makes up his mind for the up coming world cup in the sub continent in 2011,he would become the second player after Javed Miandad to have played six world cups.Also the only Indian to have played five world cups.

With most of the batting records under his name,it would be better to cite those which are yet to be performed by this chap.Breaking Saeed Anwar's record of 194 to become the highest individual run getter in ODIs,Lara's 400*(wish that never gets broken-for the sake that even Lara enjoys the same distinction as that of Sachin),Don Bradman's record of scoring two triple hundreds and 12 double hundreds,maximum number of sixes in ODIs(currently held by Sanath Jayasuriya at 249),fastest hundred in ODIs-to break Shahid Afridi's record in 37 balls.

The day this chap retires,all leading bowlers of the world would heave a sigh of relief.