Awesome Twosome, but who after?

Scene 1 – Lord’s, 2002. ODI - India were struggling chasing a record 300 plus target. A great English player of the past who was commenting then said – ‘If I had to pick two batsmen in the world who can do this, it would be these two and no one else’.

Scene 2 – Lord’s, 2011, Test – India were struggling again under overcast swinging conditions, arguably facing the most potent bowling attack. Same two at the crease, and a famous site quoted – ‘This is what cricket is all about, folks’. How true?

On both these occasions, these two have only provided glimpses of their true might, but on most occasions, there was no one else that India could look up to. I write this, days after these two have become the most successful batting partnerships in test match history passing the great West Indian pair of Greenidge and Haynes. They already hold the record for the most hundred partnerships by a pair in test cricket. Some numbers for the statistics lovers – these two have contributed close to 57000 of their country’s international run count in the last 20 odd years. And, a staggering 10600 runs have come while batting with each other.

No points for guessing, Rahul Sharad Dravid, and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar are easily the best batting partnerships of the past 15-20 years. Some of the few pairs who come very close are - Mahela and Sanga, Hayden and Ponting, Inzamam and Yousuf, Hayden and Langer, and Dravid again with Laxman. But Sachin and Rahul have done it all. They have held their own against the best of the attacks – Wasim and Waqar, McGrath and Warne, Murali and Vaas, Pollock and Donald and to some extent, Ambrose and Walsh. For most part of their careers, they have played under enormous scoreboard pressure (India two down for nothing, after the opposition amassing a huge score). And these two complement their games enormously well even though the foundation for both is solid technique.

One cannot imagine an Indian batting line-up without these two. No one would have proven the old cliché ‘Form is temporary but class is permanent’ more than these two gentlemen. Dravid’s glorious revival has meant that true batting lovers will have at least a year more to watch these two together in whites.

But, the burning question is - Who after? Not just in Indian cricket, but also in the international arena. Sadly, there is not much on the canvas. In this era of T20 free-lancers, who can showcase true batting for years to come? Very few current pairs come to mind – Bell and Trott for England, de Villiers and Amla for SA, and Sehwag and Gambhir for India to name a few. And especially in case of India, it would be foolish to expect someone to replace the golden era, but I firmly believe two of Pujara, Rahane and Kohli would keep the Indian batting flag flying high. As for other nations, Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja can go long for the Aussies.

Flatter pitches, weaker bowling attacks and lesser test cricket would do no good to offer quality batting. To sum it up, if someone questions my era, I would say I grew up watching cricket in the Sachin-Rahul era, but I wonder what the younger lot has to say.

Test Team of the decade

Oh well, my turn to pick my best test eleven of this decade.

Openers:

Contenders: Hayden, Smith, Sehwag.

Haydos is an automatic choice, but difficult to choose between Viru and Smith. Viru scored 6248 runs @ 52.50 and Smith 6451 runs @ 49.62. But Viru’s ability to turn a match on its head(his strike rate is 80.44) gets him my vote.

Picks: Hayden & Sehwag.

Middle-order: (3, 4 and 5)

Contenders: Ponting, Dravid, Tendulkar, Lara, Jayawardene and Yousuf.

Number 4 is an automatic choice. Sachin takes it.

Now, the all important 3, and it is between Dravid and Ponting. Dravid scored 8558 runs @ 55, and Ponting 9458 @ 58. But, Dravid averages 56.03 abroad, compared to Ponting’s 49.77. And, Ponting had the luxury of a great opening pair, whereas Dravid was in at India 1 down for nothing (for most part of the decade). So, I would go in with Dravid at 3. Perfect player to follow Haydos/Viru.

Ah, the tough bit now. Number 5. For me, Mahela and Yousuf never proved their worth outside the sub-continent. That leaves with Lara. Lara scored an impressive 6380 runs this decade. But he retired in 2006. Lara would surely make it to my all-time test eleven, but this decade, it is really hard to ignore Ponting. For my convenience, I will play Punter at 5.

Picks: Dravid, Tendulkar and Ponting.


All-rounder: (6)

Contenders: Flintoff, Kallis and Pollock.

Both Flintoff and Pollock are less reliable as batsmen for number 6. In fact, Pollock’s batting blossomed only towards the end of his career. Flintoff has the charisma, but amazing consistency (and thereby his unbelievable stats of 8630 runs and 205 wickets) of Kallis gives him the all-rounder spot.

Pick: Kallis


Wicket-keeper Batsman: (7)

Contenders: Gilchrist and Sangakkara.

Sanga has an astonishing 7549 runs @ 55.10, and Gilly 5130 runs @ 46.63. But, Sangakkara for me is in the Dravid-Kallis mould and this team doesn’t need a third batsman in the same type. Even though Sanga is a better keeper against spinners, Gilly was rarely at fault for most part of his keeping career. So, Gilly is my pick.

Pick: Gilchrist

Bowlers: (8, 9, 10 and 11)

Contenders: McGrath, Muralitharan, Warney, Ntini, Pollock, Lee, Pollock and Kumble.

Well, Warney and Murali for sure. Now, for the two pacers. McGrath has 2197 at a superb average of 20.53 (best of the decade). Surely he would be part of my team. Tempted to have a real speedster in Lee, but Pollock’s consistency would make him my number 8.

Yes, there is a disappointment in having no real fast bowler, but Pidge, Polly, Warney and Murali (with Kallis to support) is not a bad bet to get 20 wickets.

Picks: Pollock, Warne, McGrath and Murali.

Final Eleven:

Hayden, Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ponting, Kallis, Gilchrist, Pollock, Warne, Muralitharan and McGrath.


Captain: Oh well, Warney? I wish. But, his lack of experience as an international captain, and lack of no other real contender, I will choose Ponting.

The Curious case of Mahendra Singh Dhoni

How good is Dhoni as an ODI batsman? ICC say he is the world's best currently. And, Gavaskar has gone a step ahead in saying he is on his way to become an all-time great in ODIs (on one of the reputed national news channels in India). What more, he compared Dhoni's latest innings of 124 in Nagpur to Kapil Dev's 175 not out against Zimbabwe in the famous 1983 World Cup(http://www.cricinfo.com/wc1983/engine/match/65083.html). Wow, that is something! This is what ONE innings can do in Indian cricket. For someone of Sunny's stature, the comparison is appalling to say the least. This is a normal money spinning bi-lateral series, and that, a World Cup on a big stage. India were a disastrous 17/5 then on a typical English wicket, and here a slightly dicey 97/3 on a batting beauty in Nagpur. Putting aside the meaningless comparison, the word "great" is so easily used in Indian sport. Every channel now discusses whether Dhoni is already a great or not. Ridiculous! Even Ricky Ponting's 140 in the 2003 World Cup final against a decent, in-form Indian bowling attack wouldn't have created this hoopla in Australia. Come on, give our players a break. Lot of hype ruins one's career. I think Rohit Sharma is already a victim of this, and we have seen many players fade away. Having said this, there is no question that Dhoni played a fantastic innings, and I can say this was his best ODI knock in more than a year. But, a great? Please, judge him towards the end of his career.

Now, coming to ICC rankings. Rankings and Statistics tell you a lot, but not everything. No ranking is perfect, and the best way to look at them is, say a top 20 in general, but not in any particular order. At the moment, Hussey is above Ponting, Chanderpaul is above Gayle. Any day, any moment, Ponting and Gayle are better ODI batsmen. Similarly, Dhoni is above Sachin, Sehwag and Yuvraj, and by a large margin, but it is obvious who the best batsmen are. Lot of things do matter here. Players missing out matches, players not having enough unbeaten innings, players not getting enough chances up the order, and what not.

The stats, the undisputable in this case. Averaging 50+ over a span of 5 seasons, in about 150 matches, at a strike rate of 90 is just phenomenal. How does/did he manage that? I say "manage" because players like this(at least my first impression of him was a destructive batsman) do not usually have this kind of stats. Be it Gilchrist(although I hate to compare Dhoni with Gilly, like many others), who at a similar stage in his career averaged about 35 which is also his career average. Or even a Sehwag, for that matter who averages mid thirties. Dhoni is not the same as he was under Ganguly or Dravid. Now, he tends to play the nudger more often than the destroyer (last innings being an exception where he paced his innings beautifully). At many times, be it 90/4 or 190/2, he still preferred a grafty innings over a destructive one, strangely. Honestly, we do not need that. We have enough "proper" batsmen who can play responsibly and bat through. Again, I say "proper" because Dhoni is not of the conventional mould. Neither he has class nor does he have flair. But, he has been damn effective, so far.

He is one of a kind. I doubt if Dhoni's knocks would be part of great batting archives for purists. And, you would also not see a coach teaching a youngster the helicopter shot (a forehand wristy flick to a ball in yorker length) that MSD plays.

But, at the end of the day what matters is his overall impact on Indian cricket (captaincy being Dhoni's biggest asset) which is immense.

In a 'Royal' Mess

I am not talking about Big Sister's Rajasthan Royals, but the other royale team from down south. Yeah, it is a team which has played 4 matches already(a match every alternate day), as their owner(the 'King' fisher boss) wanted to play as many matches as possible before their charismatic(?) leader leaves. Well, now he might very well hope that this man who was appalling both as a leader and a batsman leaves as soon as possible. The other big English guy is already on the flight back. No, not to play the first test at Lord's, but to undergo 'yet' another surgery. This year IPL's two big auctions who are paid a bomb have contributed nothing to their teams. Oh no, in fact they have contributed, to their defeats that is.

After watching yesterday's defeat of Bangalore to Punjab, I was so disappointed(No, I am not a Bangalorean). But, I will continue to support this lackluster outfit for another 3 or 4 matches for just one man, the great Rahul Dravid. He has been outstanding so far, and looked by far their best player.

I see a lot of problems with this side even this year despite a good first match. Firstly, the ownership. It is inevitable to compare with EPL here. How many know Manchester United as Malcom Glazer's team? Not many, Manchester United is known more for its players and manager rather than the owner. Vijay Mallya needs to learn from his other owners in IPL, who are more than happy to be out of the limelight, and be patient owners. Classic example would be Deccan owners who never out spoke in the public, and let the results speak this year. Secondly, Kevin Pietersen. In the match against Punjab, during toss, he had no idea what his team was. That is unpardonable. It shows lack of interest, lack of commitment on his part, and his only motto seems to milk his owner as much as possible before he leaves. Look at Warney, look at Gilly. They have been marvellous leaders so far. No wonder, England got rid of him from the captaincy. He seemed to have no clue about Indian players in the team. Why was Vinay Kumar taken out after bowling just one over? He persisted with the poor Kallis who has given 51 in this 4, while Vinay Kumar has given just 4 runs in his over. He should have learnt a lesson or two from his Hampshire captain who inspired a 18 year old unknown like Kamran Khan to bowl as well as he did against the likes of Gayle and Ganguly. Thirdly, the think-tank. It is so disappointing to see no Indians at the helm of affairs in this team. After all, it is the Bangalore team, and you have KP, Kallis, Ray Jennings and other unknown foreigners leading the way. Ridiculous. Not once in the field I saw KP or Kallis consulting either Dravid or Kumble. It is these two who have handed their only win so far .Lastly, the spirit in the team. No one including some of our big players did not look motivated and spirited while defending a decent 168 against Punjab.

They need some immediate changes. Otherwise, they might very well set a IPL record of losing 13 games in a row. They need to pull up their socks big time to avoid yet another embarassment. If I was part of the think-tank, some changes I would like to see 1 ) Kohli to open with Ryder, and Uthappa warming the bench. 2) Have Steyn play all matches. 3) Play Shreevats Goswami as the Keeper. 4) Kallis bowl as less as he can. 5) Rotate Roelof van der Merwe/Taylor/White.

Who's Next?

Captain of India in its worst ever World Cup performance, controversy leading to his resignation as captain(after leading India to its first series win on English soil after more than 25 years), flak for being the leader of a non-performing city based 20-20 side(despite being the only performer), struggling for his best form in Test matches, then made to open in Australia when he is desperately out of form to accommodate Yuvraj(when the ideal thing would have been to allow him to bat at 6), an average of about 25 in SL series, just 2 hundreds in over 2 years(one against a lowly Bangladesh) , averaging 32 in last 2 years, career batting average dropping from a bradmanesque 59.38 (best in the world then) two years back to a mere 53.3 now, an average of 23 in the ongoing series, and now being out of Top 20 test batsmen for the first time in 11 years, Can anything go this disastrously wrong for any player? Well, it can, as it is proven here. And so who’s next to quit? Rather, who next for the media to target? Well, this is not even a 1 dollar question and the answer is obvious.

“The Wall cracking brick by brick”, “The Wall crumbling”,”He feeling the pinch”, “He is the only one of fab 4 who has not fired” and so on. Lot is written about him, lot is being discussed about him, and I am pretty sure LOT is going through that man. Otherwise, you don’t see him miss a straight ball and get castled (2nd innings, Delhi). And as experts say, it is tough to score when not in a relaxed frame of mind. So, will he be back in runs in a new stadium, a new pitch, and significantly in his wife’s city where he averages 65+? I don’t know. But, all I can say is he is one big innings away from finding his touch. When I say big, I mean a 100+ score.

The upcoming Nagpur test will be remembered for events like Dada’s last test, Laxman’s 100th test, Dhoni’s first as official captain, India regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Harbhajan’s 300th test wicket(on 299 now), Fab four playing together for one last time and Kumble being with the team for the last time(may be to lift the trophy). But, this could also be a last for the man I am talking about it. Will he call it quits if he fails twice in the next test? Should he? Does he still have something to offer for Indian cricket? Here is what I feel. He himself knows the best when to call it a day, and I would be glad if he takes the decision rather being forced by external entities.

But, here is what I think should happen. If he fails in the Nagpur test, OR if he performs well in Nagpur but fails again against England, he should call it quits after the 2-test England series.

This was posted in cricinfo blogs.
http://blogs.cricinfo.com/inbox/archives/2008/11/whos_next.php
Very interesting comments there...

Time to go, Jumbo.

I was skeptical about MSD taking over India in tests.But from what I saw today(4th day, first 30 odd overs of Aussie 2nd innings), I feel it is time for him. I have to say Kumble's captaincy was uninspiring and bowling lackluster(It has been for quite some time now).From the moment he stepped on to the field today, there was a drop in pressure, and from the moment he took over the ball, there was a rise in the scoring rate too. India, who fought back splendidly through Zaheer,Bhajji and Ishant were sorely let down by Kumble.All the bowlers looked pumped up when MSD was in-charge, and they gave that extra 10%. Frankly, I am not a big fan of MSD, but I have to accept this guy has some charm, and has the ability to spur people(Perhaps, a true leader?).

Kumble, sometime back said he is targeting 700 test wickets, and with his current form/fitness, he would need to play 2 more years to achieve this target.If I were to advise him, I would say " Jumbo, You have done a lot to indian cricket and you are arguably India's best test match-winner and this is the time to say adieu".

Changes I would like to see for the Mohali test.
-> MSD taking over from Kumble
-> Munaf/RP in the 11 as the 3rd seamer(Mohali, early in the season assists seamers, and I prefer Munaf over RP)