***Official*** India in Sri Lanka

[duffer]

Agree with you two above. This scattergun, sink or swim approach is not a viable long term way of handling talent. Yes you might luck out with a freak like Sachin but International cricket is played cerebrally more than it is technically and young players are nowehre near well enough equipped to take on the big boys and win.

Need a far more scientific and transparent system of developing and selecting talent through all levels. I know these things take time but the BCCI with the resources it has available to them must surely be compelled to start the processes and develop the habit of success that a country like Australia has got down to a fine art. It's in their best interests going forward to make this happen too.

 

[Uppercut]

Agree with you two above. This scattergun, sink or swim approach is not a viable long term way of handling talent. Yes you might luck out with a freak like Sachin but International cricket is played cerebrally more than it is technically and young players are nowehre near well enough equipped to take on the big boys and win.

Need a far more scientific and transparent system of developing and selecting talent through all levels. I know these things take time but the BCCI with the resources it has available to them must surely be compelled to start the processes and develop the habit of success that a country like Australia has got down to a fine art. It's in their best interests going forward to make this happen too.

Yeah, i read a very interesting interview with Martin Crowe on the topic not so long ago. He says he was thrust into international cricket long before he was ready mentally, and as a result had to endure a torrid first few years. The problem is, every selector and scout wants to be the man who found the next Tendulkar.

 

[Sanz]

Yeah, i read a very interesting interview with Martin Crowe on the topic not so long ago. He says he was thrust into international cricket long before he was ready mentally, and as a result had to endure a torrid first few years. The problem is, every selector and scout wants to be the man who found the next Tendulkar.

I dont believe that is a correct assumption. In the subcontinent, in general, In any field people start their career earlier than they do in western countries, by the time they are 25-27 they want to have a settled career and it is true with cricketers as well. Very rarely do you see 27+ year olds toiling away in domestic cricket and doing well in comparison to the younger lot.

Not to forget the genetic aspects as well, Subcontinent people aren't physically as strong as the Aussies, English etc. You rarely see a 30+ year old cricket performing at his best. Even someone like Kapil, who was so fit, struggled so much once he was past 30.

 

[Uppercut]

I dont believe that is a correct assumption. In the subcontinent, in general, In any field people start their career earlier than they do in western countries, by the time they are 25-27 they want to have a settled career and it is true with cricketers as well. Very rarely do you see 27+ year olds toiling away in domestic cricket and doing well in comparison to the younger lot.

Not to forget the genetic aspects as well, Subcontinent people aren't physically as strong as the Aussies, English etc. You rarely see a 30+ year old cricket performing at his best. Even someone like Kapil, who was so fit, struggled so much once he was past 30.

Hmm, interesting points there too. I wouldn't say I agree with Crowe, I'm not qualified to say, I was just giving his opinion. What about Anil Kumble, still playing at 38? Is it different because Kumble is a spinner? And if so, why was an undercooked Chawla picked for test cricket aged 21?

 

[masterblaster]

Picking an Indian team for the third match will be tough going. I'm not convinced in opening with Irfan Pathan, Virat Kohli or Praveen Kumar. Although Kohli will get the nod again due to his knock the other day. I'll have a go at trying to pick a team.

Gambhir
Kohli
Raina
Yuvraj
Dhoni
Badrinath
Pathan
Kumar
Harbhajan
Zaheer
Munaf

I've always believed in the 5 bowler side for India and I definitely still do. Rohit Sharma should be dropped from the side for now and Badrinath should be persisted with after a top showing the other day. Just hoping that Gambhir will be fit and ready to play.

 

[pup11]

Picking an Indian team for the third match will be tough going. I'm not convinced in opening with Irfan Pathan, Virat Kohli or Praveen Kumar. Although Kohli will get the nod again due to his knock the other day. I'll have a go at trying to pick a team.

Gambhir
Kohli
Raina
Yuvraj
Dhoni
Badrinath
Pathan
Kumar
Harbhajan
Zaheer
Munaf

I've always believed in the 5 bowler side for India and I definitely still do. Rohit Sharma should be dropped from the side for now and Badrinath should be persisted with after a top showing the other day. Just hoping that Gambhir will be fit and ready to play.

Badrinath should bat at 3, Raina is talented but he too much of a loose technique, on flat tracks he might get away with that, but on helpful tracks his technique surely would let him down.

 

[Salamuddin]

Picking an Indian team for the third match will be tough going. I'm not convinced in opening with Irfan Pathan, Virat Kohli or Praveen Kumar. Although Kohli will get the nod again due to his knock the other day. I'll have a go at trying to pick a team.

Gambhir
Kohli
Raina
Yuvraj
Dhoni
Badrinath
Pathan
Kumar
Harbhajan
Zaheer
Munaf

I've always believed in the 5 bowler side for India and I definitely still do. Rohit Sharma should be dropped from the side for now and Badrinath should be persisted with after a top showing the other day. Just hoping that Gambhir will be fit and ready to play.

I think Ojha may play at the Premadasa. The pitch will definitely turn here and India likely will need that 2nd specialist spinner.
The big question is who they leave out ?
Pathan's bowling hasn't been impressive but he does offer extra batting at 7.

Munaf and Praveen both have been bowling well and Zaheer and Harby are India's most experienced bowlers.

 

[SJS]

Badrinath has to bat higher up the order. At three, preferably, and anchor the side.

 

[Faceless void]

"A team then has one player who they can bat around and it gives the late middle-order a chance to attack. It is a foundation on which to build a huge score."
-sangakkara

But has SL got a player in their late middle order who can take the attack to the opposition?

 

[Uppercut]

"A team then has one player who they can bat around and it gives the late middle-order a chance to attack. It is a foundation on which to build a huge score."
-sangakkara

But has SL got a player in their late middle order who can take the attack to the opposition?

Dilshan? Isn't that what he's there for?

 

[Faceless void]

Dilshan can score at a strike rate of 150 or so for reasonably long. But can he destroy the bowling side like UV,Symo or Mccullum ?
IMO he is the utility player who is there to rescue the side when the top batters fall on top of one another, and to get his eye in quickly and score run a ball when top order has done its job.
Judging by his performance at the VB series (one before the last) Kapugedara is certainly capable, but SL is in such dire need for a proper batsmen they cannot afford to mould Kapu into a batsman who comes up with such an occational cameo.
P'haps thay need to include someone like Angelo mathews (Is he too young to enter the arena only time<or fellow CWers> will tell) and drop the fifth bowler.
Nuwan kulasekara batting @ no.7 goes on to show how ridiculously poor the batting line up is.
Anyway thats jus my opinion criticism is morethan welcome

 

[Uppercut]

Dilshan can score at a strike rate of 150 or so for reasonably long. But can he destroy the bowling side like UV,Symo or Mccullum ?
IMO he is the utility player who is there to rescue the side when the top batters fall on top of one another, and to get his eye in quickly and score run a ball when top order has done its job.
Judging by his performance at the VB series (one before the last) Kapugedara is certainly capable, but SL is in such dire need for a proper batsmen they cannot afford to mould Kapu into a batsman who comes up with such an occational cameo.
P'haps thay need to include someone like Angelo mathews (Is he too young to enter the arena only time<or fellow CWers> will tell) and drop the fifth bowler.
Nuwan kulasekara batting @ no.7 goes on to show how ridiculously poor the batting line up is.
Anyway thats jus my opinion criticism is morethan welcome

How often does anyone "score at a strike rate of 150 or so (nine runs an over not including extras) for reasonably long"? Maharoof can do a slogging job late on too. Personally i think Dilshan's a very useful player to have around the team, asking for a Symonds really is a bit much. You might as well say "our test batting lineup could really use a Bradman...".

 

[Faceless void]

It could!

 

[Faceless void]

Anyway the I seriously dont see the logic behind Playing five bowlers. Especially as the fifth is so very crappy.

 

[Migara]

"A team then has one player who they can bat around and it gives the late middle-order a chance to attack. It is a foundation on which to build a huge score."
-sangakkara

But has SL got a player in their late middle order who can take the attack to the opposition?

Maharoof is the man for it. good enough for a run a ball 30, but he has more potential to be a very effective big htting batsman.

 

[SJS]

It is wrongly assumed that a team needs maximum of five bowlers in a match. Actually, a team needs MINIMUM five players to bowl for them in a game,

But in actual fact, you need six (sometimes more) to bowl. Its rare that five players bowl so well that the captain does not feel the need to bowl one or more of them for less than ten overs.

The question is only whether in the six (or more) players who can bowl, how many will be pure bowlers.

Quality of the track as well as quality of the bowling abilities of non-regular bowlers dictates that.

Again there is a fallacy amongst fans that on good batting tracks we scould get away with playing fewer pure bowlers. Its actually the other way around.

 

[adharcric]

Good to see Pathan dropped, it's about time given his recent bowling form and sends a message to someone who can really be valuable for India at his best. Hopefully Dhoni doesn't stick to just Yuvraj, as Badrinath and to an extent Raina and Sharma are also capable part-time options. Speaking of Raina and Sharma, they're just barely hanging on and really need to produce something here.

 

[Prince EWS]

Good to see Pathan dropped, it's about time given his recent bowling form and sends a message to someone who can really be valuable for India at his best. Hopefully Dhoni doesn't stick to just Yuvraj, as Badrinath and to an extent Raina and Sharma are also capable part-time options. Speaking of Raina and Sharma, they're just barely hanging on and really need to produce something here.

The main question for mine is where Badrinath will bat. Hopefully it's 3 or 4 and not 7.

 

[adharcric]

****. Kohli throws it away like an idiot and Gambhir gets robbed by the umpire.

 

[dinu23]

How often does anyone "score at a strike rate of 150 or so (nine runs an over not including extras) for reasonably long"? Maharoof can do a slogging job late on too. Personally i think Dilshan's a very useful player to have around the team, asking for a Symonds really is a bit much. You might as well say "our test batting lineup could really use a Bradman...".

maharoof is the player for that job