Revenge of the Blue Brigade; Well done with some minor hiccups !
Sehwag: Has never minced words. From Ordinary Test side to Revenge match, he talks like he bats and bats like he talks. Absolute Sehwagging ! Looks and sounds great when it works. Now he wants to bat longer and perhaps through the innings. Some serious stuff but augurs well for Team India.
Sachin: What was he thinking when he started that run ? He was shaping up better than Viru at that stage. Well, little big man, save your best for the big matches.
Gambhir: Looked good till he was undone by one that kept a shade lower. He will have to bat longer when the big two have an off day.
Virat: Century on World Cup Debut was waiting to happen for the most competent batsman to arrive since Dravid. Amidst all the Sehwagging, Virat completed a century in lesser balls than Sehwag.
Pathan: Had very little scope to go ballistic. Fielded as if this was the final. Got rid of Bangladesh Captain when he was going great guns.
Yuveraj: Pulled off a brilliant catch to dismiss Tamim and kept the bowling tight. Is he going the 'Up the Anti [e] - Ravi Shastri' way ? Shastri arrived as a bowler but retired as a tired and rusted Opener. Yuveraj arrived as a batsmen second only to Sachin in talent and will probably retire as a tired and frustrated left arm pie chucker.
Dhoni: The way he slaughtered New Zealand bowling must have given Sehwag the kick. Viru must have thought, "WTF, even Dhoni is hitting like this, so why not me ?". Kept his tryst with toss. We wouldn't mind a bit if he loses 9 out of 9 as long as India win matches.
Bhajji: He was by far the best bowler tonight. Don't look at the score card. He kept things water tight after the Sreesanth nightmare.
Zaheer: Yellow hair and some flair. Even when his partner was getting caned, the Khan kept things under check. Experience helps. Remember it was his first over that sunk India in 2003.
Munaf: Munaf is Enough. I eat my words. He was really good, damn good. If he keeps things like this most of the times, I am ready to suffer his fielding and all else.
Sreesanth: The eternal bad boy was chosen ahead of Ashish because of his speed. Faster he bowled, faster he was thumped to boundaries. Let us not be too critical. He was swinging the ball well. It just wasn't his day perhaps. But it is almost certain that Dhoni will go back to his trusted Nehra and I wouldn't fault him if he does so.
S-Pun Doctor
Govind, Nehra was ruled out of this game due to sore back or something. So, the three pacers became automatic selections.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, Dhaka Dhamaka it certainly was! Sehwag's batting... and then talking... both were extremely entertaining (though the latter lasted for just a few minutes). And well done to Kohli too! Now he must maintain his level of performance against the stronger teams as well.
Bhajji bowled great, but for me, Zak was the bowler of the day. Bhajji was a spinner, so it was easier for him to slow the pace down and frustrate the batsmen. Zak, as a pacer, had to rely on his other skills... and they were magnificent today!
Though conceding 283 is a bit of a headache, I don't think it'll be a problem later on. What do you think about the combo... do you think Dhoni will go in with 2+2 later on or persist with 3+1?
On these pitches with mostly night matches, India may have to stick to 3+1. Spinners will not find it easy. Especially wrist spinners in the winter and dew soaked outfields.
ReplyDeleteWe have to live with Nehra or Sree I am afraid. But as the cup progresses, the spinners will come into play and may be Piyush or Ashwin will have a role.
Ganguly was right when he said 2 + 2 will make Indian bowling look like Bangladesh attack. Sree can be mediocre one day and stupendous the other. I hope he will be the later through the rest of the cup.
But Govind, the winter in India is over. There might still be a bit of due at the northern venues like Mohali and New Delhi, but I don't think dew will trouble the bowlers as much at southern venues like Chennai and Bangalore.
ReplyDeleteSince we play 3 matches at these 2 venues, and the warm up games have shown that the wicket there will take turn, I think 2+2 will be a good idea there. Plus, I don't recall any dew troubles during the warm ups.
The reason why I am insisting on 2+2 is this:-
The Indian seamers, barring Zaheer Khan, don't inspire a lot of confidence. Invariably, Dhoni turns to his spinners for run control and as a result, we get the wickets. Our part timers do a fair job of run control, but our full-time spinners do a good job of picking up wickets (as we saw during the warm ups). Trading Sreesanth/Nehra for Ashwin/Chawla means lesser runs and more wickets against opponents who are not very comfortable against spin, especially in India!
That is a fair assessment I can't deny. But may be after the second match, we will know. Nehra will have recovered by then. Even I believe 2 + 2 will be desirable by Quarter final.
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