***Official*** Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series 2007-08

[JBMAC]

Okay peace

I'm glad of that SJS...I was just going to suggest that you were wasting your breath and knowledge.

 

[SJS]

I'm glad of that SJS...I was just going to suggest that you were wasting your breath and knowledge.

Bad form ... from me that is.

I try to avoid such situations but once in a while ...
I just went out for a walk with my dogs and came back calmer

 

[biased indian]

Dont want to reingnite any of this...but there is one picture that hurt me yesterday..

Dhoni walking too far infront of Sharma...even if it was sharmas mistake...which in this case was it wa snot and was 90% dhoni's own...he should never have done...

 

[sideshowtim]

Dont want to reingnite any of this...but there is one picture that hurt me yesterday..

Dhoni walking too far infront of Sharma...even if it was sharmas mistake...which in this case was it wa snot and was 90% dhoni's own...he should never have done...

Dhoni calling Sharma out for it in front of the entire world was far worse. That's something you have a chat about in the change rooms, you don't bring it up and put your own troop down in front of everyone.

 

[honestbharani]

You are right there is no way to say whether he is right. He is a senior former cricketer and one tends to treat his comments with respect.

But you have to see Dhoni's comments on the match and its a bit funny.

- He criticised the batting saying "The batsmen should have taken the initiative and been more careful about their shot selection,"

But when asked about individual batsmen he gives at least three of them a clean chit.

Yuvraj :- Dhoni, however, didn't blame the batsman for taking the risk. "The shot was on," Dhoni said, adding that the execution had been faulty. So no problem with the shot selection in Yuvi's case.

Irfan : rfan Pathan was pushed up to No. 3, but the move failed yet again, as it had at the MCG in India's previous match against Australia, when Pathan managed a 30-ball 18. Dhoni, though, defended the move. "Sending Irfan up balances the batting order and keep it stable. And Irfan at 8 or 3 doesn't make too much of a difference."

So Irfan wasn't expected to do more at number three than he does at number eight. No problems with him too.

Uthappa :- "..it was difficult for Robin [Uthappa] to lead the rearguard with the tail."

So no issues with Uthappa. Add Dhoni to these three and that leaves only Sachin, Rohit and Gambhir. He lets go a bit more of what he thinks when he says "The first 12 overs with the Kookaburra ball is important and without Brett Lee it was important to keep wickets because it gets easier with the ball getting old and if you have the batsmen then it's an advantage."

Does sound like the earlier batsmen failed to play the first dozen or so overs after which the others could have had an easier time.

How many players got out in the first twelve overs, only one actually? Is that really so bad ? Why should Dhoni talk of keeping wickets in tact for the first 1 overs? Makes it sound as if India lost quite a few in those dozen overs. The only batsman that got out in that time was Tendulkar in the 5th over.

Reading too much into it... maybe... then again...

Lets keep a watch and hope there is nothing seriously amiss.

There is a lot to like about how Dhoni captains India but there is a lot that leaves a bad taste in the mouth too....


I still don't understand what outstanding stuff Uthappa has done to inspire so much confidence in the side... As I have said in the past, regardless of his talent when it comes to scoring quickly and his fearlessness and perhaps fine temperament (based on a couple of games only, mind), I will never feel comfortable with him as one of the batsmen if we are only going in with 5 specialist bats... He is just too hit or miss. Both him and Sehwag are definite no-nos for me if we are playing 5 bats... Play Raina or Karthik or the man I would actually prefer to see in the side batting at 5, Badrinath... But not Uthappa... He is not a #5... And he is not one you can push up and expect to deal well with the moving ball... He is basically a quick scorer but not sure if he can fill any other role in the side.


And why the hell is Irfan always batting at 3? The media made fun of Chappell for doing that and yet when Dhoni does that, it is somehow good????

 

[adharcric]

Yeah, I'd have to agree with most of that. Sehwag shouldn't be there and without him we need five bowlers, so you pick one of Munaf and Sreesanth and play either Kumar or Chawla, based on the conditions. Munaf's a **** fielder but it seems like Sreesanth always bowls crap against SL and especially Jayasuriya - it's not just the last time either, he just seems to get owned by Sanath time and again, but maybe I'm completely wrong there.

Gambhir, Tendulkar, Sharma, Yuvraj, Raina, Dhoni, Pathan, Kumar/Chawla, Bhajji, Sreesanth/Munaf, Ishant

 

[SJS]

Sandeep Patil in cricketnext

The absence of a coach was very evident as India went down to Australia at Adelaide. There was no devil in the pitch; neither were Australia at their best. The problem was within the Indian camp and it resulted mainly from some very poor shot selection.

The bowlers did well but the batsmen faltered. And here I thought the team missed a coach in the dressing room. To begin with, a coach would have ensured there were no needless experiments in the batting line up. For some time, India has embarked upon a course that does not suit the character of the team.

It is difficult to understand why the team management is persisting with Irfan Pathan at number three? And what is Robin Uthappa doing at number seven or eight? Strange decisions. Why are we taking Pathan for granted that he would deliver at number three. Pathan's elevation in the batting order is justified if the situation demands some robust hitting at the top. But there was no provocation for the team management to slot Pathan at number three when the target was a mere 204.

Uthappa is a front-line batsman and it is time he is entrusted the responsibility to be like one. It is unacceptable that he has to bat so down the order.

The decision to play five overs was great but not the decision to push Pathan. This mistake has put the team under a grave threat in the remaining part of the tournament, and quite needlessly. The captain of a team cannot afford to have strong likes and dislikes. He should take care when he makes public statements like "Yuvraj will play every match."

India made some basic errors when planning the chase. Gautam Gambhir looked in superb touch and he seemed to have been leading from the front in keeping with his splendid form. I was surprised when Gambhir failed to notice the fielder who had been placed precisely for that slash. Here, Gambhir failed in his responsibility. So did Yuvraj. In both cases, it was poor shot selection and it is one area that the Indians need to work hard upon.

To me, Mahendra Singh Dhoni made a big mistake by asking Rohit Sharma to come as a runner. If he had put a little thought, the best man would have been Sachin Tendulkar. Imagine a situation where one can use Tendulkar's experience on the field even after he has got out. I would have sent Tendulkar because his presence and guidance would have made the difference. By asking for Rohit, I am afraid Dhoni did not consider the state of the mind that the youngster must have been. He had got out playing a bad shot and I am sure that must have weighed heavily on his mind when he returned to the field as a runner for Dhoni. I am sure a good coach would have taken this decision.

I have been repeatedly saying that the team must learn from mistakes. Pathan can't be a cushion for anyone because there is no need. The bowlers have done an exceptional job by taming a strong batting line up like Australia. For the first time I am seeing a rare fear of failure on the faces of the Australian batsmen. All credit to the Indian bowlers for dominating the series with their enthusiasm. They have managed to put the Australians under tremendous pressure.

Australia too can pat their bowlers and it was indeed creditable that they won the match without Brett Lee. I know our lads well and I am sure they would take all criticism in the right spirit and look to improve in the coming matches. I still believe that this Indian team has the potential of stopping Australia from winning this tri-series. Each member has his role defined. Only they need to stick to their jobs because time is running out. One-day cricket is harsh and leaves little room for recovery if you keep repeating mistakes.​

 

[jeevan]

Prefacing this with my own opinion that a stable top order is very important (not just #3, but 1-2-3) and that this meant Tendulkat-Ganguly-Gambhir / Sehwag (which presently would be Gambhir).

However when people say the Irfan at #3 is a failed experiment, I dont get it. In two totals of 160 and 153 that he has played, he came in with the scoreboard at 18,20 and left at 54,55. Ie he failed far less than most others and more importantly played to the best of his ability (which is not of a top order bat yet). In both cases this was for shielding the middle order from coming on too early and in both cases he did that.

I would personally keep Pathan at #7 or 8, but that is absolutely to prevent a meltdown like he had before. Because he is doing well enough to be picked as a fourth bowler (for 4 bowler team) and doing fantastically to be picked as the all rounder (in a 5 person bowling team). If another bowler (Praveen? Chawla? Harbhajan?) bats a little consistently then we can always play with a 5-bowler unit because of Pathan, and we've seen that this yields good dividends. Asking way too much of him to make up for fragility of Yuvraj & co by coming in at 3.

 

[SJS]

Prefacing this with my own opinion that a stable top order is very important (not just #3, but 1-2-3) and that this meant Tendulkat-Ganguly-Gambhir / Sehwag (which presently would be Gambhir).

However when people say the Irfan at #3 is a failed experiment, I dont get it. In two totals of 160 and 153 that he has played, he came in with the scoreboard at 18,20 and left at 54,55. Ie he failed far less than most others and more importantly played to the best of his ability (which is not of a top order bat yet). In both cases this was for shielding the middle order from coming on too early and in both cases he did that.

I would personally keep Pathan at #7 or 8, but that is absolutely to prevent a meltdown like he had before. Because he is doing well enough to be picked as a fourth bowler (for 4 bowler team) and doing fantastically to be picked as the all rounder (in a 5 person bowling team). If another bowler (Praveen? Chawla? Harbhajan?) bats a little consistently then we can always play with a 5-bowler unit because of Pathan, and we've seen that this yields good dividends. Asking way too much of him to make up for fragility of Yuvraj & co by coming in at 3.

Well said.

 

[JBH001]

Dhoni calling Sharma out for it in front of the entire world was far worse. That's something you have a chat about in the change rooms, you don't bring it up and put your own troop down in front of everyone.

Yeah. Bad form, very bad form. Hopefully it was all heat of the moment stuff and he later apologised to Sharma.

 

[Mister Wright]

Won't worry me because I jam Tuesday nights (and because I have Foxtel), but Channel 9 aren't showing the game tonight, instead giving it to FoxSports. Would have been shown on 9, but SACA wanted a night game because they get more people. But The Sarah Connor Chronicles are more important than the likely finals deciding match between India and Sri Lanka. Hope it goes down to the last ball tbh.

 

[Top_Cat]

Prefacing this with my own opinion that a stable top order is very important (not just #3, but 1-2-3) and that this meant Tendulkat-Ganguly-Gambhir / Sehwag (which presently would be Gambhir).

However when people say the Irfan at #3 is a failed experiment, I dont get it. In two totals of 160 and 153 that he has played, he came in with the scoreboard at 18,20 and left at 54,55. Ie he failed far less than most others and more importantly played to the best of his ability (which is not of a top order bat yet). In both cases this was for shielding the middle order from coming on too early and in both cases he did that.

I would personally keep Pathan at #7 or 8, but that is absolutely to prevent a meltdown like he had before. Because he is doing well enough to be picked as a fourth bowler (for 4 bowler team) and doing fantastically to be picked as the all rounder (in a 5 person bowling team). If another bowler (Praveen? Chawla? Harbhajan?) bats a little consistently then we can always play with a 5-bowler unit because of Pathan, and we've seen that this yields good dividends. Asking way too much of him to make up for fragility of Yuvraj & co by coming in at 3.

Yep exactly, it's a negative tactic. When your batting order is decided to take into account a player whos sole job is to prop it up in case of a top-order collapse, in ODI cricket, that's not good enough. If guys aren't performing, re-jig the order a bit or lose them. Pathan should not be relied upon for runs; they should be looked upon as a nice bonus. Respective to his ability with the bat, he's done really well but it just looks negative to see him come out at 3 to provide a gap between collapses.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Won't worry me because I jam Tuesday nights (and because I have Foxtel), but Channel 9 aren't showing the game tonight, instead giving it to FoxSports. Would have been shown on 9, but SACA wanted a night game because they get more people. But The Sarah Connor Chronicles are more important than the likely finals deciding match between India and Sri Lanka. Hope it goes down to the last ball tbh.

Pathetic. Might head down to the pub.

 

[Sanz]

I dont know mate. Whats the basis of what he is saying. Could be pure gut feel.

By the way, he is a very well known cricketer who played for India with distinction.

I dont buy it too but its still a queasy feeling.

Sunil Manohar Gavaskar ??...

Let's see how many people get this joke.

 

[Sanz]

Oh okay I get it, Dhoni is the new devil of Indian cricket. I'll keep the eye out for that.

Unfortunately this is what is being displayed in the Indian media (Television). It is just so painful to watch any cricket related news these days. When we win, Wow Dhoni, when we lose, Dhoni sucks, he is playing Yuvraj because of his friendship, He went against the team management blah blah blah. It is just so painful to follow cricket these days.

And SJS, the less we said about him and his 'Cricketer' friend the better it is. Hypocrisy personified.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Sri Lanka batting first.

 

[jeevan]

Sreesanth out (probably for the best vs SL) and Praveen Kumar in.

Cricinfo is showing the team to be
Tendulkar-Gambhir-Uthappa-Yuvraj-Rohit-Dhoni-Irfan-Praveen-Harbhajan-Ishant-Munaf.

During Irfan's exile, was hoping Praveen Kumar could be the replacement. Could be great for the ODI squad for both to play well as bowling all rounders.

 

[Sanz]

Why so much fuss in the media about exclusion of Sehwag in last couple of games ?

It isn't as if he was scoring centuries after centuries in ODIs and still being left out. 6, 33, 11, 14 is what he has made so far in this series, pretty poor and deserves to be left out.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Dilshan gorn to Munaf.

 

[howardj]

haha not shown on Channel Nine.

Spineless from CA - they should make them show it.