***Official*** Asia Cup

[godofcricket]

From what i think indian bowlers were never really tested in these few recent matches between india and pakistan, untill today. The strategy of malik (or whose ever it was) to keep wickets in hand and not take any risk at all was a very very defensive one. On flat wickets you just cant afford to be soo defensive becuase you never know if a couple of wickets fall then your in a much bigger hole since if your run rate is low and wickets are down then theres much more pressure for the next batsman coming in. Flat wickets are an advantage for the batsman (not bowlers) so you have try to keep the bowlers under pressure not the other way around. They attacked the indian bowlers today and thats the only reason they achieved the target soo easily. India's position today at 91/3 is also a good example.

 

[Mard]

its surprsing pakistan didn't play Nasser Jamshed before this match. He looks like a very good striker. some of his shots reminded me of saeed anwar. Hopefully him and Salman Butt can become the new opening pair

 

[honestbharani]

Good to see Pakistan playing well. Cricket needs a strong Pakistan and there is nothing like a good few wins on the trot against India to get them going again. Younis is so gun.



Good for India too that they are getting a bit of a reality check after the highs of the CB series and the IPL. We really need to sort out our bowling stocks and that, soon. Time for Ojha maybe to come in..

 

[SJS]

I remember when pakistan gave india a total of 299, they too should have scored atleast 325+. So its not like they didnt try, thats impossible, hes the captain and if dhoni wouldnt care about the target then who would?

I never said he doesn't care about the target. He just got it horribly wrong.

Dhoni hit just four boundaries in almost 100 balls he faced. He got out with 8 balls left in the match and yet till the very end there was no desperation to set a bigger target. It was understandable earlier when hen Rohit were trying to resurrect the innings after three wickets fell in a heap after the fabulous start by the openers followed by Yuvraj's dismissal sometime later but after the 40th over, and even more so, after the 45th, with first five and then four wickets in hand with Irfan at the other end, he should have gone for a few big hits.

As for Pakistan's capability to have chased even a bigger target, whats that got to do with India not setting a bigger one than they did. If anything, if this hindsight was available, they had all the more reason to score faster in those death overs.

The fact remains that in a match where, thanks in large parts to a great batting surface, the average run rate in the innings was around 6.5 over the 95 overs the match lasted and Dhoni and Sharma, who played 28 of those overs scored at about 4.8 runs per over.

The fact that Pakistan, even though they were not chasing then, had scored 299 in the first game against India, should have made it clear that a total around 300 was not going to be enough.

Rohit Sharma was battling with poor form so he has that to speak for him but the skipper was amongst the runs.

Yes. Dhoni was right in thinking that he needed to stay till the end, particularly once Yuvraj was gone and Rohit was not in great form, but that still does not explain why the final assault did not come from him at any stage even as the overs were dying on them.

 

[duffer]

It's ridiculous how much Dhoni has reeled himself in these days. I know back in the day we all wished for a more mature cerebral Dhoni when he bats but I can't say I've seen any real explosiveness from him ODI's for a long time. Miss it big tbh.

 

[Jonty Lathwal]

Ishant Sharma - was flop once again......
He was looking very promising in Australia...

What has happened to him now????????

 

[Dissector]

I never said he doesn't care about the target. He just got it horribly wrong.

.

Yeah, it sounds like Dhoni completely misread the pitch and thought that 300 would be enough and played accordingly. This is one of the pitfalls of batting first of course. I remember back in the 80's this was the conventional wisdom; teams should chase so that they knew exactly what to score. Then in the 90's India went through a long period when it could barely chase anything. In recent years that flipped again when India went through that world-record run of successful chases.

 

[SJS]

Ishant Sharma - was flop once again......
He was looking very promising in Australia...

What has happened to him now????????

Its one thing to bowl well on wickets that suit your type of bowling and quite another to bowl on those that don't. Bowling is tough work for purveyors of different levels of pace in the sub-continent and you need to learn how to do it. Hope he will too. If only the media will stop telling him he is the greatest thing since Cointreau laden chocklate

I was shocked when some one told me yesterday that after Dhoni, Ishant is the highest valued (money terms) cricketing property in India (keep Tendulkar out for he has now transcended cricket itself). If true, I pity the chap.

 

[Jonty Lathwal]

Its one thing to bowl well on wickets that suit your type of bowling and quite another to bowl on those that don't. Bowling is tough work for purveyors of different levels of pace in the sub-continent and you need to learn how to do it. Hope he will too. If only the media will stop telling him he is the greatest thing since Cointreau laden chocklate

I was shocked when some one told me yesterday that after Dhoni, Ishant is the highest valued (money terms) cricketing property in India (keep Tendulkar out for he has now transcended cricket itself). If true, I pity the chap.

yeah,that's why India don't perform well regularly like Australia.........STAR VALUE

 

[Arjun]

Ishant Sharma - was flop once again......
He was looking very promising in Australia...

What has happened to him now????????

Too...much...cricket...

First the CB series, then the IPL (where his form dipped), then that nonsensical series in Bangladesh, now this.

I'm all for stability and continuity, but if it comes to a point where it wears out your best players to the level of losing them to poor form, then this needs a re-thnk. They may be in danger of having a weak starting lineup without competent reserves if this 'stability and continuity' policy continues.

 

[Arjun]

The Indians have to play five bowlers in this match. That's the best they can do here. The Lankans have two titans in Sanath and Sanga, and the seamers need to bowl a proper line and length- no more on the pads or outside off. Their short deliveries were not working (luckily they came in the time the game was given away) so they know what to avoid. A recall for RP Singh should happen, as he's filled in nicely for the main bowlers every time he's been brought on, while Ishant may be hidden from the Lankans before the finals. Beyond the openers, they have to attack the batting lineup and give nothing away, because that's their chance.

One more mediocre performance from Sehwag with the ball. Strangely, he will get away with it again. Why does he have to make a mockery of himself by bowling at all? He's useless, especially on flat pitches, and shouldn't have been brought on. Rubbish bowling sure undid the good work with the bat.

And you have to feel for Yusuf Pathan. This is another match where he had next to nothing to do. He was brought in at a time which is just too wrong for a frontline batsman. He did what was necessary, but it didn't come off- yes, bad shot selection, but he had to do it, with Dhoni going slow at that end. Then, on a flat pitch, his bowling was likely to be a lot less useful, but when he only got four overs and rubbish from Sehwag got five, and they couldn't even add up to ten overs, you realise he's not been given much to do. That's no way to treat a fresh, young player.

 

[SJS]

Too...much...cricket...

First the CB series, then the IPL (where his form dipped), then that nonsensical series in Bangladesh, now this.
.

Its not that the form dipped but rather that the ball refused to. Or swerve or swing rather than dip.

On the sub-continent, the new ball doesn't move for long and to move the old, you need to know how to reverse and for young Ishant thats a skill not yet acquired.

If this much of cricket is too much for our young cricketers then Gawdhelpus

 

[Arjun]

Its not that the form dipped but rather that the ball refused to. Or swerve or swing rather than dip.

On the sub-continent, the new ball doesn't move for long and to move the old, you need to know how to reverse and for young Ishant thats a skill not yet acquired.

If this much of cricket is too much for our young cricketers then Gawdhelpus

They've played the CB series, then the home series against SA, then IPL, then that silly tournament in Bangladesh, and now this. Hardly a break and they're off for the next match. And they have a double-header here. Fresh after this is a (needless, pointless) tournament in Sri Lanka.

They don't even have time to take a break and work on what's missing. Since there is emphasis on 'stability and continuity', they have to play as the first XI and there will be matches where they will struggle, but they can't do anything about it, and the best lineup you've found is no good, and has to be changed. That's what happened to Irfan Pathan, during a very dark phase for the Indian team.

You can't lose your best players this way.

 

[Manee]

India lost - oh well. It is a very flat pitch and as far as the tournament is concerned, it won't likely affect the final result. India lost a few silly wickets and this can be devastating on flat pitches where every ball not hit for a four is a disaster.

 

[SJS]

India lost - oh well. It is a very flat pitch and as far as the tournament is concerned, it won't likely affect the final result. India lost a few silly wickets and this can be devastating on flat pitches where every ball not hit for a four is a disaster.

 

[sanga1337]

Sri Lanka bats first. And why the hell did they take out Mendis

 

[Mahindinho]

Sri Lanka bats first. And why the hell did they take out Mendis

To hide him from the Indian batsmen? By all accounts, he's got plenty of options but is short on disguise.

 

[Arjun]

Look at this dropped catch and misfield list-

• Raina
• Yuvraj
• Ojha
• Kumar

They're not mediocre fielders by any stretch of imagination. Yet we've seen some dismal fielding by them. It's no surprise that the Indian bowlers are struggling. Not surprisingly, question marks are raised by a few about fielding coach Robin Singh.

Anyway, they've got back the two titans at the top, so they have a chance. Time to bulldoze the batting lineup.

 

[Manee]

Sri Lanka have slowed down. However, although the other bowlers have bowled well, Pathan again is a liability with the ball, going 52 off 6 overs. I'm afraid that without his hoop swing and with no sort of pace or bounce - he has no Plan B to a batsman's attack and cannot remain in the ODI team with such a lack of bowling ability.

 

[Manee]

Look at this dropped catch and misfield list-

• Raina
• Yuvraj
• Ojha
• Kumar

They're not mediocre fielders by any stretch of imagination. Yet we've seen some dismal fielding by them. It's no surprise that the Indian bowlers are struggling. Not surprisingly, question marks are raised by a few about fielding coach Robin Singh.

Anyway, they've got back the two titans at the top, so they have a chance. Time to bulldoze the batting lineup.

Yuvraj is a poor fielder, now. He needs knee surgery/rest and has become a poor fielder without it.