Less said (and seen) of Kartik the better. No match is complete without the batting side hitting three sixes off Kartik, and that's set back the Indian team in many a match- especially when they lack striking power, are bowled out cheaply or play a low-scoring match.
Who that? Can't be Dilhara he still injured.
Much rather have Praveen Kumar in my side Arjun. My ideal test lineup would probably be:
Mumbai Indians' three consecutive defeats is shocking, especially when you know they're owned by a very shrewd Indian businessman and coached by someone who's won a lot. The team dynamics are quite bad, and injuries to key players (notably Malinga, Dilhara and now Tendulkar) have set them back severely. Their replacements (Musavir, Vikrant and Bravo) have not been up to the mark, save Dhaval Kulkarni- and he too is not a safe pick. It is time Lalu and Mukesh come together and decide on some match-winning plans with this bunch, rather than bank on star power to bail them out- because it hasn't.
What about his 5 wicket hauls in Tests and ODIs against Australia?
What is the status of Dilhara and Malinga? Seemed prize selections when picked by Reliance...and they are, for this team.
with Arjun, it seems he is biased against the name "kartik" and its various spellings...
Malinga out for whole series and was replaced by Bravo. It is hoped that Dilhara will be fit once Bravo leaves and if not they will have to draft in another bowler or play Thornley as the 4th overseas player. It is unlikely Dilhara will be fit for this series and I hope he doesn't play personally. But he is still 50/50 and might be ok in a week or two. Should have really been withdrawn, but after Malinga pulled out they were just hoping he could plat 2-3 games at the end and maybe the semis. With their semi chances gone, they really should just bring in another bowler.
Hopefully, the IPL also discovers some Indian fast bowling talent who can be groomed for future places. Two talented bowlers who I have spotted are Ashok Dinda and Manpreet Gony. The former seems to be a generally good swing bowler whereas Gony has some pace and bounce about him as well as a good List A record.
That's a very weak, under-manned bowling attack. They can't take 20 Test wickets. Either you go in with Harbhajan (with over 250), or play a fifth bowler. If you still wish to stretch your batting, pick someone like Joginder or Bhatia, both of whom are recognised batsmen for their teams, and both of whom have bowled very well in IPL so far.
Oh absolutely, Irfan would be in the mix as the fifth bowler. I didn't include Irfan as I tend to classify him as a bowling all rounder rather than a front line bowler. A pace attack of Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma would take more wickets than an attack comprising of Munaf, Sreesanth and RP Singh. Just take the recent test series against South Africa, Sreesanth and RP had absolutely shocking matches.
Agreed, both are impressive. Will be interesting to see how they fare in the rest of this tournament as well as in first class cricket.
One five-wicket haul and he's the next Murali or Warne? From what I've seen of him (I often supported his selection, until he became a big liability), he's a highly temperamental spinner, who never bowls to his field. In low-scoring matches, he's been pounced upon and the Indian team, rolled over. He's a nightmare for his own team on flat pitches, and misses his step way too often for a spinner.
The IPL has thrown up some interesting prospects for India-
Maybe take more wickets, but not enough to win matches. These attacks don't have the power that even Srinath, Prasad and Kumble had in the past. Man for man, none of them match any of these strikers, so a four-bowler team is under-manned. They need a fifth bowler who'll rest the arms of the main four, and also take a wicket or two. If you can't play five bowlers, play a batsman as one of the bowlers until you get the right choice of player.
India cap? Not a bad idea. A good IPL showing will have him in SL.
I never said he would be the next Warne. Arjun you are taking that to an extreme there. He's done pretty well in my estimation due to the irregular chances that he's gotten. He never once had the support of Sourav Ganguly when he was captain, being in and out of the side constantly and only getting in if Harbhajan or Kumble were injured.
Gony and Sharma forming a bowling partnership for India together sounds pretty good, with the likes of Praveen Kumar and Irfan Pathan backing them up.