Archive for the ‘Australia’ Category
- In: Australia | Cricket and Sports | Cricket League | India | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match | Tests | Virat Kohli
- Leave a Comment
On Day 3 of this on going Test match after India had conceded 445 to the opposition, India found themselves 6/2 in their first dig. Out walked India’s most celebrated and revered cricketer over the past 2 decades to the crease to join a solid looking KL Rahul. The day so far had been marred by rain and it was certain that India wouldn’t have to face too many overs. You would expect a batter of the caliber of Virat Kohli to try and help India to salvage something to probably try to end the day with no further loss of wickets.
There were only 17 overs possible on the rain affected day for India to bat and India promptly found themselves are 51/4 on the back of yet another top order collapse. Virat Kohli as he so often does nicks one behind the wicket to get out for yet another low score. The fans of the great player might point out to the Perth innings but again at the moment it does seem an anomaly rather than a sign of a player getting back to his best. Rohit Sharma who had a great chance to redeem himself in partnership with KL Rahul on the fourth morning gets out once again to a lose shot leaving India reeling at 74/5.
I have nothing but respect for both Virat and Rohit for everything they have done for the Indian Test team over the past decade but there comes a time when all good things should come to an end. Virat at the end of the day/night Test against Bangladesh on the 24th November 2019 was on top of the world. In 84 Tests at the time, Virat had 7202 runs at an impressive average of 54.97 with 27 Test hundreds. He was on the path to Test greatness and no one doubted that it was going to happen. After that series though Virat has been in a slump which can only be described as something unprecedented. In 37 Tests after that game against Bangladesh, Virat has 1964 runs at an average of 31.67 with only 3 further hundreds. His overall career average has now dropped to 47.49 and unless he has a brilliant last 5 innings in this series, he might not get an opportunity to get to 10,000 Test runs.
Rohit on the other hand isn’t in the same class as Virat in Tests. He established himself in Tests way later than Virat did but again for few years did exceedingly well at the top of the batting order. In 26 Tests since 2019 as an opener Rohit scored 2097 at an average of 51 with 7 hundreds. His batting especially at home against spin was brilliant and he also scored a crucial hundred in India’s Test win in England. Rohit’s slump in comparison to Virat hasn’t been for too long but again it does feel that it will be hard for both these players to get out of this and actually have a career in this format.
Test cricket is a thankless format and which even someone as great as Sachin Tendulkar found during the last 2 years of his career. India are going through a transition of sorts not to dissimilar to the one which they went through under MS Dhoni in 2013-2015. After the retirement of the greats a new crop of cricketers went through 2 years where except for one Test win at Lord’s lost all overseas games but ended up forming a core for years to come. The team under Virat from 2015 was unbeatable at home and also was good enough to win overseas. The Indian team is at the similar crossroads at the moment and it is time to move forward with the young team to build for the future.
The initial results might not be the best but India need to look ahead to the future and build a team which may equal what Virat’s team did for over 5 years. Jasprit Bumrah showed that he is capable of leading the team well and India should probably let him do the same. Rohit has been a very good white ball captain but Test cricket does not seem to be his cup of tea. Over the past few months the one thing which is noticeable with his captaincy is that he runs out of ideas when things don’t go his way which is not that different from what MS Dhoni was criticised for as a Test captain.
India have enough talent at their disposal to build for the future. The future of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin is also under question as both are in the wrong side of 30’s and do not have too many years ahead of them. Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are waiting in the wings and I am sure with enough game time they can do a great great job. The team management need to make some tough calls and should have honest conversations with all the senior players. No player is bigger than the game itself and the longer the management waits to make the changes the difficult it becomes. India as a team is still one of the best in the world and this is the time to ring in the changes in Tests.
The fans are extremely grateful and love the legends of the game but again there comes a time when the team’s needs has to be put first. Thanks to Virat, Rohit, Ashwin and Jadeja for their incredible services to the Indian Team but we need to look to the next phase of Test team. I feel the Australian series would be the right time to bid farewell to the greats. India aren’t going to make it to the WTC final next year which means it would be a fresh start for the team under a new captain and young players.
- In: Australia | Australia | Batting | BCCI | Cricket | Cricket and Sports | Cricket League | cricket world cup | England | India | New Zealand | ODI | Sachin tendulkar | Sports | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match | Tests
- Leave a Comment
Indian cricket team has always been known for its batting over the years. Even during India’s not so lucrative years as a Test team, India always produced great batters. The bowling was a struggle but again the two things India always excelled in was spin and good batters. The last few years though hasn’t been the same for India in terms of batting. In 2012/13 when Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman retired from the game there were lots of expectations from the next crop of Indian Test hopefuls. Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli were the torch bearers for the future of Indian batting and initially it did seem that they would carry it forward effortlessly.
Despite not having great careers like their predecessors they did keep India’s batting legacy going forward for the next decade. In the recent times though with Virat losing his form and India missing the services of Rahane & Pujara, the batting has become a struggle for India. The one thing even in 80’s and 90’s India were good at was playing at home. The ability to play spin and having exceptional spinners in their side meant India were a hard team to defeat at home. That legacy is fast disappearing as well which was evident in the recent whitewash at home against New Zealand.
When we look at the batting statistics for Indian batters over the past 5 years we can spot a trend. None of the batters barring Yashasvi Jaiswal average over 50 (min qualification: 10 Tests) during that period. The senior batters have struggled and have an average of under 40. This shows a pattern which is hard to disregard. The reason for Indian struggles both at home and overseas and not being able to be consistently good in a format which the team takes so seriously is due to the same fact. When we look at the average of the same batters at home only Pant & Jaiswal shine. India’s best batter Virat Kohli averages just 29 at home and Rohit Sharma is only slightly better at 35. The overall average of Indian top 6 over the same time has been a respectable 36 but again the heavy lifting mostly has been done by middle order along with Jaiswal. If we look at the stats for the 5 years before that for the top 6 it reads 53. When you look at the change in those numbers you can see how badly the batting has suffered over the past 5 years. Virat Kohli during those 5 years before his slump was marching towards Test greatness, Pujara was having a dream run and Rohit who had just made a comeback also was looking in good touch at least in India.
Something suddenly flipped in 2019 which turned the golden period into a slump which is hardly seen with Indian batting for a long time. India before Jaiswal made his debut, went through couple of years without a single batter in top 6 averaging 50 in Tests. I can’t remember when the last time it was? May be after Sunil Gavaskar retired and before Sachin found his feet? We know that every team has a phase where great players retire and there is a period of lull but India have always found someone to take over. Virat Kohli was that person for India for majority of his career until he fell into the biggest slump seen from a top batter in the world. Sachin’s last 2 years of slump was thought of as being disastrous but that has been upstaged for sure. The batting decline over the years finally culminated in that 3-0 drubbing at home, India’s first in 12 years.
When everyone thought that India probably have reversed the trend with their batting in the second innings of the first Test, the second Test proved that innings to be an anomaly . While fast bowling resources have improved enormously for India the batting at the same time has seen a major decline. If we were to look at the history of the sport, the only two teams which dominated Test cricket for a period of time had both the aspects clicking together at the same time for a significant amount of time. India have struggled to do that over the past few years. The inability of the batters to learn from their mistakes and improve on their flaws is completely missing from this era of batters. Virat for example took great effort in improving his technique against the moving ball after the disastrous 2014 series in England but has fallen back to his old habits once again. His will to improve doesn’t seem to exist anymore and his falling Test average is a testament to that. Rohit Sharma, I feel wasn’t the best Test player even when he started off but again with waning reflexes, he does not have anything to fallback on. Pujara and Rahane suffered a slump so big that they are no longer in the scheme of things. Gill is 30 Tests old but he hasn’t been consistent enough and also hasn’t had the luxury of playing in a settled firing batting line up. Only batter who has been consistent and has been performing brilliantly over the last 5 years has been Rishabh Pant. He was India’s best Test batter before his injury and after returning he still has been India’s hope with the bat in hand. The pressure is finally showing on the little man as it is hard to be a lone warrior in the toughest format of the game.
India will go into the 3rd Test at Brisbane with lots of questions. The biggest one is their batting. While Jaiswal and Gill are the future of Indian Test batting, the management would be thinking about who else can make it to the top 6. The batting has to improve for India if they are to consistently challenge teams around the world and also win that elusive World Test Championship. The 3-0 loss against New Zealand at home has almost put paid to their hopes of making yet another finals baring miracle. India need to seriously think about the future of the two senior batters in the line up and also think about who they want to back in the Test format. Virat Kohli is a great of Indian cricket but even his most ardent fan would agree that his method of getting out has become too repetitive to keep defending anymore. Rohit Sharma has been struggling in all formats and has been using carefree cricket to mask his struggles.
India are still a very good Test team and have very talented players waiting to break into the Test team, the question though is if the management has a vision. I never had any major hope on Gautam Gambhir and so far his tenure as a coach has been poor. The team selections, the backing of players in Tests have all been confusing and inconsistent. The only format where India have got things right is in T20Is and we can see the results showing in the recent months. India need to do something quickly if they want to continue to be a force in Tests in the coming years. Identifying the core of Indian batting take India forward for the next decade is a challenge and I hope that the management can think ahead. India fell off the wagon in this WTC cycle suddenly after being at the top for the most of it but again things aren’t that dire at the moment but again selection of the right personnel is important.
The next few years is crucial for the Indian Test team and players like Sai Sudharshan, Jaiswal, Sundar, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill should be part of Indian top 6 in coming years and we also have players like Jurel, Sarfaraz and few others who need to be given consistent chances. If India need to arrest this batting slump, they need to make some tough calls and hope this management is strong enough to make those calls.
- In: Australia | Batting | BCCI | Cricket | Cricket and Sports | India | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match | Tests
- Leave a Comment
So finally the moment has arrived, the Border Gavaskar Trophy begins with the first Test at Nagpur tomorrow. The series also has an extra incentive for India as a win here would give them an opportunity to fight for the World Test championship title once again and also will make the home team number 1 in the rankings. There is a lot at stake for India. The Indian team though over the past 12 months hasn’t had the greatest of time in Tests but again their home dominance cannot be questioned. The pitch at Nagpur has been the talking point over the past few days but again it should not be a surprise as to what sort of surface awaits the visiting Australian team. India who have Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel & Kuldeep Yadav in the squad for sure would be wishing for a track which would aid their strength. The Australian team though know what they would be facing but again apart for Nathan Lyon they don’t have much experience in the spin department.
The Test is all set to begin tomorrow and lets look at the possible XI India might field in the first Test.
Openers:
Rohit Sharma (C) is all set to return at the top of the order after missing quite a lot of cricket over the past 12 months. He has been India’s best batter at the top over the past 2 years in Tests. Rohit averages 45 in the last 13 Tests with 2 hundreds and being the captain his batting will be crucial for India in this series.
KL Rahul (VC) in all probability will return to the top along with Rohit Sharma. KL Rahul has not been in greatest forms over the past year and his career at the top of the order in Tests has been in question for a while now. His Test average is 35 after 45 Tests and with Shubman Gill breathing down his neck he for sure would want to get back to scoring some runs in this series. Being the vice-captain of the side him scoring runs will be a huge boost for the team and for Rahul himself.
Middle Order:
Cheteshwar Pujara will return to the number 3 spot in the batting order after being briefly dropped from the side. Pujara though seemed to have regained some sort of form and had a good time in Bangladesh. His ability to play spin will be crucial for India as the pitches are expected to turn.
Virat Kohli will come in at number four behind Pujara but their returns in Tests cannot be more contrasting. While Pujara seems to have regained some sort of form with the bat, Virat has largely struggled in this format. The series in Bangladesh saw him struggling against spin once again and there is a huge question mark over his career in Tests ahead of this series. Virat scoring runs will be a huge boost for India and his record against Australia will give hope for the fans and the team alike.
Shubman Gill might actually pip Surya Kumar Yadav in the middle order in the first Test in the absence of Shreyas Iyer. The kind of form Shubman Gill is in right now, it will be hard to keep him out of the playing XI. Even though Gill hasn’t played in the middle order for India in Tests yet, he might still get the nod ahead of SKY.
Wicket Keeper:
Few months ago there wouldn’t have been any discussions about this spot in Tests for India but again with Rishabh Pant missing the team need to pick a keeper between KS Bharat and Ishan Kishen. Bharat has been in the Indian squad as an understudy for Pant for a while and he might get the nod ahead of Ishan Kishen who hasn’t been in greatest of forms recently. In terms of their FC records there is hardly anything to separate them but again Bharat has more experience with keeping being crucial on these tracks he mostly will get the nod ahead of Kishen.
Spin Bowling/All-rounders
The return of Ravindra Jadeja will be a huge plus for India. Jadeja is not only one of the best spinners in the world, he also is one of the best all-rounders in the game. Jadeja missing has been a huge hole in the Test side and his return means that India will get back the balance which they had been missing in Tests.
Ravichandran Ashwin is all set to return as India’s premier spinner. While Ashwin’s ability in Asia cannot be questioned with the ball, his batting in Bangladesh is something which will give India some much needed cushion lower down the order.
The third spinner spot is something which will be fought out between Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. Kuldeep Yadav has been in red hot form recently in all formats and does give India some variety as both the premier spinners for India are finger spinners as well but again you cannot fault Axar Patel’s Test record with the ball which is nothing short of extraordinary. But again there is a chance that India might pick Kuldeep just for a wrist spin option. This is probably the only position in the XI which might go either way.
Fast Bowlers:
With three spinners in the XI there is space only for 2 fast bowlers and it will surely be Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami. Shami is India’s most experienced pacer and Siraj has been in such a great form recently that it is hard to keep him out from any playing XI. Umesh Yadav in the squad will unfortunately miss out.
So that is my playing XI. On a Nagpur pitch which is supposed to be a dry surface aiding spin the above playing XI will probably offer India the best chance of putting one past the Aussies and get to a winning start. The absence of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer would be a big loss for India but I think they just might have enough firepower to challenge Australia at home.
My Indian Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), C Pujara, V Kohli, S Gill, R Jadeja, KS Bharat, R Ashwin, K Yadav/A Patel, M Shami, M Siraj
Australian Likely X1: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey (WK), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (C), Nathan Lyon, M Starc, J Hazlewood
- In: Australia | Australia | Cricket and Sports | Cricket League | cricket world cup | India | ODI | Test | Virat Kohli
- Leave a Comment
Australia early in the 90’s was going through a transition of sorts. Allan Border, Dean Jones, Geoff Marsh, Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes, Mike Whitney and David Boon were all in their last legs. While rest of the world might be worried losing so many established all together at the same time, Australia weren’t. Australia’s talent in the 90’s is something which the entire world was envious about. They had Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Paul Reiffel, Jason Gillespie, Justin Langer etc were waiting in the wings. They were so strong that they could actually assemble two international quality teams at the same time and still challenge any team in the world.
Australia for a while at home actually played Tri-Series with Australia and Australia A competing with an international team at home where the two home teams ended up playing the finals. Such was the talent Australia possessed at that time. While so much talent is exciting, the way you use the talent at your disposal is important. While Australia were forced to make wholesale changes with the team with the Waugh brothers and Mark Taylor being the anchors, the way Australia used the talent they at that time is something to be marvelled about. They always picked the right people needed and backed the right talent which meant they were at the top for the next 2 decades.
When you have such a vast talent at your disposal, not everyone is going to get a chance to play for the National side. Even for example for Australia bowlers like Damien Fleming, Michael Kasprowicz, Paul Reiffel etc ended up playing way lesser games than they should have but again they filled the team needs when needed during their dominance.
The Indian team right now are in a similar phase like the Australian team of the early 90’s. India are in an enviable position with abundance of talent at their disposal. When you have so many amazing players to choose from the selectors and the team management need to make sure they are doing the right thing and select the right players for the right format. The biggest success of Australia was their cut throat selections. They never shied away from dropping players who were not performing or for selecting players with talent irrespective of their age. For example Matthew Hayden made a comeback at the age of 29 and became one of the best openers for Australia for the next decade. Michael Hussey made his debut at 30 and became one of the best players in the world.
When you have lots of talent to pick from the one thing you need to do is to shut the outside noise and think what will be best for the team. This is something the Indian selectors and the team management have failed to do over the past few years. It is all good having the richest league in the world and having best young players in the world but again if you don’t pick the right candidates in the squad it will amount to nothing. Not every talented player is going to make the national side but again the right people should always play. This is something which the Indian management need to realise. Just because you have lots of players to pick from the team cannot keep changing every series.
The clarity in selection and picking the right combination is what kept Australia on top for 2 decades which I don’t see from the Indian management. The confusion of picking experience versus young talent is what the Indian think tank are going through over the past few years. The reason for India not doing well in world tournaments can be attributed to picking wrong combination for the conditions they were going to play in. India have a great chance to dominate world cricket like Australia did for a long time but they haven’t been able to do so due to the selection blunders. This is not a phase which will last for long like Australia found out over the last decade or so. There will be time when you will struggle to get good talent coming through. There will be a phase when you might find it difficult to find replacements but before that happens you need to make most of the situation.
India right now are right now at the cusp of greatness and with some clarity in selection they can actually achieve that. The last couple of series have shown some promise and the hope is only that it is not a false dawn. This is the year of World Test Championship and the 50 over World Cup. India have a chance to win both and stamp their authority on World Cricket. No other team possesses the kind of talent India does and it will be shame if the team does not make full use of it.
- In: Australia | Cricket | Cricket and Sports | cricket world cup | England | India | Pakistan | South Africa | Twenty20 | World T20
- Leave a Comment
The win against Afghanistan in the final game and Virat Kohli’s hundred after 3 years should not mask what a disastrous Asia Cup campaign this was for the Indian T20 team. India entered into the tournament as clear favorites with Pakistan being their competition but their performances were inconsistent to put it politely. The biggest issue for India was the lack of clarity in selection of the playing XI. While the team composition for the first 2 games looked right, some injuries and management succumbing to pressures of including some players in the XI caused some confusion with the playing combination.
The biggest issue with the previous leadership was the same that they lacked clarity with the team selection. While most often the top 3 remained same the rest of the batting order constantly kept changing which meant that India went into major tournaments without a settled batting order. The current leadership group seem to be following the same patter ahead of an important tournament. India is the number 1 T20 team in the world by a comfortable margin but again you wouldn’t be able to guess that by their performance in the Asia Cup.
The batting order was muddled. While the top 3 were okay, the rest of the batting kept changing. The first 2 games had the 2 all-rounders in the middle which gave the captain 6 bowling options, which wasn’t the case in the second stage of the tournament. India had to bowl just the 5 bowlers as it seemed like the captain did not have confidence in the bowling of Deepak Hooda. One has to question the selection of Hooda in the XI if he wasn’t going to bowl. India did have the option of Axar Patel in the absence of Jadeja which the management for some reason failed to make use of. For example Dinesh Karthik was chosen in the squad for his finishing abilities but again he wasn’t there for the two crucial super 4 games where a good finish might have given India those extra 10-15 runs.
The World T20 is just over a month away and India as usual are struggling to figure out what their ideal combination for the tournament would be. This is exactly what happened in the 2019 WC and the 2021 T20 WC last year. The team keeps experimenting till the last minute and manage to include players who haven’t played much in the squad leading up to an imbalanced playing XI in crucial games. I agree that the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel left a big hole in the bowling line up but again there were no excuses in the batting.
If India want to seriously win a world tournament they need to identify and stick to a playing XI for at least a few games to let them settle. India have announced their T20 WC squad and except for the return of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, there isn’t many surprises in the 15. The good thing is that India have picked the same squad for the series against Australia and South Africa which gives them ample opportunities to figure out their right playing combination for the World Cup. I understand that the playing conditions are completely different but again India for sure need to try and play the best team composition which they think will work irrespective of the surface they play on. If they continue to experiment too much leading up to the WC, they might end up with an unbalanced playing XI in the World Cup which might come back to haunt them in crucial games.
World T20 Squad:
Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.
Standby Players: Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar
- In: Australia | Australia | BCCI | Cricket | Cricket and Sports | cricket world cup | India | Test | test cricket | Test match | Tests
- Leave a Comment
I have been following Indian cricket since early 90’s and never have I seen such an injury ravaged touring in my life time. When India landed in Australia on 12th November 2020, they already were missing Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma and knew that their captain Virat Kohli will be leaving the team after the first Test. The tour started off with the ODI series for India and by the first T20, India had already lost Jadeja to injury. This meant that the genial all-rounder had to miss the first Test at Adelaide.
Despite that one could argue that the Indian team that played the Adelaide Test was almost at full strength and was only missing the services of Ishant Sharma. Rohit Sharma isn’t a regular in Tests yet and India seldom play Jadeja and Ashwin together overseas. But again when the first Test was completed under bizarre circumstances with the tourist getting bowled out for just 36 the lost further two personnel. While Virat’s exit was already known the injury to Mohammad Shami was a body blow for an already depleted Indian attack.
While India had to pick themselves up from the disaster of Adelaide they also had to dig deep into their reserves to get a good XI on the field. The failure of Prithvi Shaw meant Shubman Gill made his debut. Mayank Agarwal who was a main stay of Indian top order was struggling with his unusually high backlift which he probably picked up during his IPL stint. The Indian team fought hard and beat the confident hosts proving all comers wrong with their resilience and courage.
while things were looking good for the tourists finally injury to Umesh Yadav further dented the Indian team which was already missing 3 of their first choice players. A confident Indian team landed in Sydney knowing that Rohit Sharma will be available to open the batting along with Gill in the 3rd Test. The Sydney Test began with Jasprit Bumrah leading the attack. While Bumrah is extremely talented and has been the spearhead for India in all formats, we need to remember that he has just played 16 Tests himself. He had Mohammad Siraj who had made his debut in Melbourne and Navdeep Saini making his debut as his bowling partners. The Test was remarkable for more than one reason. While the Indian team did pull out one of the most brilliant and resilient batting performances in recent times they also lost Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Hanuma Vihari in the process.
Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul who would have been the next choice of players to make the XI got themselves injured in the nets. While Agarwal awaits scan reports, KL Rahul is probably sipping a cup of team at home watching the game on TV. The Indian team has been hit with unprecedented bout of injuries which was least expected at the start of the series but the one heartening thing though is the fight shown by the players. The credit should be given to the team management on the tour and the unassuming yet strong leadership of Ajinkya Rahane. This series will be memorable for more than one reason but the nothing can be bigger than the courage the team has shown despite adversities.
The Indian team might struggle to put together a good solid playing XI for their toughest game of the series but again you wouldn’t bet against them giving a tough time to the Aussies. The Australia team at full strength at home has struggled to dominate a injury hit Indian team at home. This shows the bench strength of the Indian side and also the mental strength of the team to keep fighting no matter what the situation is.
The Indian team may not be able to put together a strong XI for the final Test but the Aussies will know that this touring team surely has one last fight left in them to make it hard for the hosts. With the Border-Gavaskar trophy on the line the hosts are under more pressure than the tourists who have nothing to lose going into the final Test.
- In: Australia | Cricket and Sports | India | IPL | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match | Tests
- Leave a Comment
Wicket-Keeping is a crucial component in a Test team. There is a reason why teams don’t compromise on quality of keeping in Tests as opposed to the shorter formats. While all Test teams have decent to good wicket-Keeping batsmen, India have struggled to find one since the retirement of the legendary MS Dhoni.
The Test keeping spot for India has been quite a game of musical chairs between Wriddhiman Saha amd Rishabh Pant. While Saha is the better keeper of the two his batting has been less than inspiring and hasn’t been of Test quality. Gone are the days when Test teams select a wicket keeper for just their good glove work. Almost every Test side in the world now has a wicket keeper who can bat really well. For India it has been a dilemma at least in the Test arena as while Rishabh Pant is an exciting bat his keeping against especially spin is lot left to be desired.
Pant has already dropped 4 chances in the Test and a half he has kept wickets in the ongoing series and things haven’t changed much since the last time he was dropped. Saha on the the other hand is known for his excellent glove work but again age isn’t on his side and his batting has dipped to a level of not being of international standard. The Indian team though over the last 5 years since the retirement of MS Dhoni from this format haven’t tried any other options which makes it very difficult to come up with a replacement immediately.
The Indian management and the selection committee need to dig deeper into the domestic system to bring out a good wicket-keeping batter for Tests. Indian domestic system has 30+ FC teams and it is hard to believe that they cannot find one wicket-keeper who can keep better than Pant and can score runs as well. While Pant is a good batter his glove work needs lots of work and international cricket isn’t the place to learn your trade. Parthiv Patel another youngster who had a brilliant Test series down under in 2003/04 was dropped because of his poor keeping which cost India a series win. Rishabh Pant despite his mouthwatering stroke play needs to spend more time in domestic cricket and work with coaches to improve his glove work if he wants to represent India has a Test wicket keeper.
The problem for India is that even when we look at the IPL squads except for Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan there aren’t many promising young keepers in any of the franchises. Most teams have an overseas wicket-keeper which isn’t helping much with unearthing talent for Indian team. While I am not suggesting we pick a Test wicket keeper based on IPL performance, we at least would have some idea about their skills with the glove in a high pressure tournament.
Right now in the ongoing series India do not have many options but in the future though the selectors need to think about giving opportunities to other young keepers in the domestic system. India will soon be playing at home where keeping against Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja will be crucial and they cannot have Rishabh Pant in the current form to be doing that. Going back to Saha will be a step back as well. If India wants to be a force in Test cricket they need a keeper who makes less mistakes and is reliable behind the wicket and at the moment Rishabh Pant is not that.
Every time an Indian national squad is announced there is always controversy. Fans and experts alike question selections, express disappointment over someone missing out and there is conspiracy theories always floating around. The three squads announced for the Australian tour wasn’t immune to that either. But again the T20I squad garnered the most criticism. Lets look at the T20 squad and analyse the “Controversial”
picks in more detail.
Team India T20I squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (vice-captain and wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy
The T20I squad garnered the most criticism and critique from the fans and experts alike. The biggest controversy or mystery is the omission of Rohit Sharma. Rohit has been absent from the Mumbai Indians playing XI for the past 3 games and also I am sure BCCI would have consulted the franchise medical staff before making the call. There is no way BCCI would omit their star limited overs player with hearsay or half baked information. There is a reason why Rohit hasn’t been picked for the tour. The fact that MI posted on social media about Rohit practicing after squad announcement is highly unprofessional as despite that he did not partake in an important clash against RCB last night. Considering there isn’t much time between the end of IPL and the beginning of the Australian tour, I feel the call was right.
The next controversy was with the omission of Rishabh Pant from the T20I side. I am a big fan of Rishabh but again I need to be objective about a player. Yes he is brilliant and yes he is very talented but lets look at his numbers just to stay little fair on the players picked. Pant has played 28 T20Is for India and has an average of 20 at a SR of 121. Not earth shattering numbers by any means. His IPL season this year so far has been mixed bag. He hasn’t been his belligerent best and has shown lack of form over the last year or so. Sanju Samson got a lot of criticism from experts for his lack of good FC scores but again we are talking about T20 games. Yes Sanju himself isn’t the most consistent or reliable but when Pant was given 28 games to prove himself, I feel we can at least give Samson 3 more games to show his mettle.
The other contentious spot in the squad was the selection of Varun Chakravarthy. Yes Varun is a reasonably unknown commodity and not many people rate him as a spinner. He has had a great season so far for KKR but again the argument is that there are better spinners available than Varun in India. Fair enough, the only other player who I thought could have been picked is Kuldeep Yadav as he has brilliant T20 numbers but again his bowling has been on the decline in LO formats over the last 18 months. Yes there is Ravi Bishnoi and Rahul Chahar but again I don’t see selection of a young spinner is that bad as it is made to be. It does seem like the selectors have picked him based on his IPL2020 performance but again that’s fine as both spinners I mentioned above is a future star and will be picked soon in the Indian XI. Yes Varun might not be the best spinner in India but again his selection isn’t as bad as it is made out to be. Krunal Pandya and Axar Patel compete directly with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. They both are bowling all-rounders and Varun has been picked as a specialist bowler. Sundar and Jadeja have been very good in shorter formats and their bowling this IPL has been brilliant as well. Jadeja especially has been batting brilliantly for CSK. So I don’t see any controversy in their selection.
The one player who even I though should have been in the T20I squad is Suryakumar Yadav. He has been brilliant in IPL for years and it is strange that he does not get picked for the national side. He once again proved last night how amazing he is in this format and I hope that the selectors give him a chance soon in both the LO format. He is a deserving player and should have been part of this squad to Australia.
This is just a 16 member squad and not everyone can get into the XI. There have been few people preferred over the other and while we can argue the merit of others who haven’t been picked, we cannot deny the talent of the people who are in the squad. The rest of the squad is on the expected lines except for the return of Shikhar Dhawan at the top and the addition of Mayank Agarwal in T20 after his brilliant season for KXIP this year so far.
Overall I feel that even though the T20I squad hasn’t impressed everyone, the selectors haven’t done a horrible job as it is made out to be. They have picked the best available players on merit and I don’t see this as a disaster. Everyone might feel someone someone else would have been a better choice in the squad but again that would be in the hindsight.
Indian Squad for Australia – Rohit’s absence stirs controversy as Siraj gets Test chance
Posted on: October 27, 2020
- In: Australia | Australia | BCCI | Cricket | Cricket and Sports | India | ODI | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match | Tests | Twenty20
- Leave a Comment
The T20I and Test squads were announced by BCCI yesterday and while majority of the personnel were as expected there are some interesting selections in both formats. The biggest controversy though is the absence of Rohit Sharma. Rohit who has been missing in the last few games for Mumbai Indians has been left out sparking some speculation regarding the seriousness of his injury. MI management posting that Rohit is back in the nets and is getting ready to play the rest of the games has created some confusion regarding the the star batsman’s current condition.
BCCI though have mentioned that they will monitor his status and will take a call regarding his inclusion. The rest of the squad though had some interesting choices. Varun Chakravarthy who has had a brilliant IPL for KKR has been chosen as the spinner in the T20I squad in place of Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep hasn’t been at his best in shorter format for over a year now and him not getting enough chances for his franchise also might have played a part. The T20 squad already has Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Hardik Pandya returns to the Indian squad after missing in action due to injury for a while. The rest of the pace attack for the shorter format remains on the expected lines with Navdeep Saini retaining his spot.
Mayank Agarwal gets a go in the T20 team after a stellar IPL2020 and Sanju Samson gets another chance ahead of Rishabh Pant as the lone wicketkeeper in the squad. While Rohit Sharma’s absence does leave a huge void in the squad Shikhar Dhawan returning to the top gives the team the much needed experience in the batting department. BCCI have gone with the performers from the ongoing IPL but again it will be interesting to see how they will perform in a tough Australian tour.
T20I Squad to Australia: Virat Kohli (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (VC & WK), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy
The ODI squad though is very similar to the T20 one. The biggest surprise though is KL Rahul being the lone wicket-keeper in the squad. Shubman Gill is back in the ODI squad and Mayank Agarwal retains his spot in the team. Prithvi Shaw who was part of the Indian ODI squad to New Zealand does not find a place this time and Kuldeep Yadav returns after being dropped from the T20 team. Shardul Thakur is back in the ODI team and this series also marks the return of Hardik Pandya in all three formats. Ravindra Jadeja retains his all-rounder spot and Yuzvendra Chahal is the other spinner in the ODI team. In the absence of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul doubles up as the deputy to Virat Kohli in the shorter formats on the tour to Australia.
India’s ODI squad to Australia:Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (vice-captain & wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur
The Test team though has very less surprises. Rohit Sharma once again is absent from the squad which means that KL Rahul makes a come back as an opener. There is Pritvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal as well who mostly will be the first choice openers at the start. Shubman Gill also has been retained in the squad to provide another opening option. The spin department has the regular 3 spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Ishant Sharma’s injury means Mohammad Siraj gets another opportunity in the Test team and Navdeep Saini retains his spot in the squad.
Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah round of a varied and good pace attack. India for sure will miss Ishant Sharma as he has been India’s best bowler over the last couple of years and has helped maintain pressure from one end consistently. Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane retain their middle order spots along with Hanuma Vihari who might play based on the team composition. Hardik Pandya also makes a return as a pace bowling all-rounder after missing in action due to injury.
While there are some controversial selections in the T20 and ODI squads the Test team except for the absence of Rohit Sharma probably is the best they could have done. Mohammad Siraj who has been one of the best domestic bowlers for India over the last few years gets another deserved chance and I hope he gets to play in the XI. The Australian series is scheduled immediately after the IPL and the Indian team will be short of practice in the longer format. It will be interesting how the team cope with this new normal and against a team which will be very tough to beat at home.
Test Squad for Australia: Virat Kohli (c), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohd. Siraj
- In: Australia | Cricket | Cricket and Sports | cricket world cup | England | India | IPL | ODI | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match | Tests | Twenty20
- Leave a Comment
Just about a year or so ago, Jasprit Bumrah was bowling like a dream in all formats of the game. The thing which has always been unique about Bumrah is his control in all formats and the way he adapts to different formats easily unlike few other bowlers around the world. He had a brilliant tour to South Africa followed by another brilliant one in England and Australia. All this culminated into that dream series against West Indies where he absolutely demolished the hosts in the 2 Tests he played. He was swinging the ball both ways and caught the host batters napping in both the Tests.
Right after the series the stress fracture happened. The fracture was minor and luckily did not involve surgery. He had a break for few months and was back for the series against Australia in January of 2020. Bumrah struggled in that series for rhythm. He not only was expensive but was also unable to take wickets. While that series may be attributed to him being rusty for missing in action for few months the following series in New Zealand followed similar pattern.
He struggled in the first couple of T20Is but did pull it back with some good spells later in the series. The following ODI series was disastrous for India and Bumrah as the latter struggled for control and wickets once again. Even in the Test series which followed Bumrah’s lack of wickets was one of the reasons India struggled against New Zealand batting. Bumrah finished with 6 wickets at an average of 31 which was below par for his standards. Even though there hasn’t been much cricket played this year due to COVID19, it has been probably the worst year for Bumrah in terms of returns.
In 6 ODIs he played this year he averaged 287 with just 1 wicket. In T20Is he did well with 8 wickets at 20 but in Tests he took 6 wickets in 4 inning for 32. While IPL isn’t the standard we normally would want to measure a player, Bumrah has been a stalwart in this tournament and his start to the season further proves that he is still struggling for rhythm. He has gone for runs in all games he has played and has struggled to bowl yorkers like he used to do before the injury.
His lengths has been all over the place and the way he fed short deliveries to AB De Villiers to be hit for sixes is something you don’t see with Bumrah ever. India tour Australia later this year and Bumrah is a crucial bowler for for the former if they want to repeat their 2018 success. The only reason India won in 2018 was because of the sustained pressure created by the pace bowlers. Bumrah was brilliant in that series bowling at high pace and accuracy. This year Australia will be stronger with the return of Steven Smith and David Warner and the Indian pace attack will have their task cut out.
Ishant Sharma has just returned from an injury and Jasprit Bumrah is still searching for his rhythm. Mohammad Shami has been the only Indian pacer who has looked in fine form in this IPL. Jasprit Bumrah is once in a generation talent and is a bowler who will be winning India lots of games in the future but again the team management should make sure he is in the right headspace. He is being captained by Rohit Sharma and I hope he and MI camp are doing everything to get his confidence back. As an Indian fan I will be watching all the games MI play just to see Bumrah’s bowling as I know that his form is crucial for India in the Test championship and also for the T20 WC next year.
girisopinion
My Thoughts 