*Official* Sri Lanka in India

[Migara]

For those who still aren't convinced of Dhoni's keeping skills.
Ball keeping low, ball bouncing, batsmen clueless.
Number of byes conceded = zero.

That is because the ball came at him slow. put Steyn / Malinga / Roach on that and ask Dhoni to do the same.

 

[Migara]

Thusara, Malinga and Prasad in full flow = lots of byes and wides on that pitch, I would think..


Yeah, they can bowl 140+.. Doesn't make them deadly.. 134+ with accuracy on that pitch is much more dangerous than stuff that flies over your head at 140+...


Let's not get carried away and label them in terms of dangerous in the same sentence as the Windies foursome..

Thuhsara is a quite accurate. Malinga and Prasad are some times. But with that uncertain bounce anything approaching batsmen at 90mph is much deadly than anything coming in mid to low 80s.

 

[G.I.Joe]

That is because the ball came at him slow. put Steyn / Malinga / Roach on that and ask Dhoni to do the same.

If the ball came at him slow, why call off the match ?

 

[Uppercut]

For those who still aren't convinced of Dhoni's keeping skills.
Ball keeping low, ball bouncing, batsmen clueless.
Number of byes conceded = zero.

Dhoni's issues aren't with conceding too many byes or keeping to fast (or fast-medium) bowlers, they're with taking nicks when standing up to the stumps.

 

[Migara]

If the ball came at him slow, why call off the match ?

Relatively slower than what batsman receives, and relatively slower than when a true fast man bowled. And the speed has a vertical tangent as well as a horizontal one. Problem was with the vertical one

 

[Manee]

That is because the ball came at him slow. put Steyn / Malinga / Roach on that and ask Dhoni to do the same.

Just accept that Dhoni's keeping against fast bowlers is top notch - your denial makes you appear foolish, heaven forbid.

 

[Cruxdude]

Dhoni's issues aren't with conceding too many byes or keeping to fast (or fast-medium) bowlers, they're with taking nicks when standing up to the stumps.

True

 

[Sir Alex]

Dhoni's issues aren't with conceding too many byes or keeping to fast (or fast-medium) bowlers, they're with taking nicks when standing up to the stumps.

A fact common for almost all wicketkeepers these days. Dhoni's seems protracted because he has to face such bowlers more often in the subcontinent. Prasanna Jayawardene, considered to be the best wicketkeeper going around dropped more chances than Dhoni in the last series.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Relatively slower than what batsman receives, and relatively slower than when a true fast man bowled. And the speed has a vertical tangent as well as a horizontal one. Problem was with the vertical one

Surely if the vertical vector was what was testing the batsmen, extrapolating that vector beyond the batsman would imply that the keeper faced an even sterner test.

 

[Cruxdude]

A fact common for almost all wicketkeepers these days. Dhoni's seems protracted because he has to face such bowlers more often in the subcontinent. Prasanna Jayawardene, considered to be the best wicketkeeper going around dropped more chances than Dhoni in the last series.

Actually Prasanna's keeping wasn't all that great throughout. I hadn't seen much of him before this series and expected him to be a wall behind the stumps after hearing all the praise from each and every corner.

Was bitterly disappointed. I have come to think that him being called the world's best keeper is more a case of everybody repeating the same thing whether it is true or not.

 

[G.I.Joe]

I have come to think that him being called the world's best keeper is more a case of everybody repeating the same thing whether it is true or not.

Badrinath, the next big thing, is a case in study.

 

[Cruxdude]

Badrinath, the next big thing, is a case in study.

Badrinath is gone and dusted. We will never come to know if he was good enough. Even this year he has been pretty prolific in run scoring but sadly he was born 10 years early.

 

[Sir Alex]

Actually Prasanna's keeping wasn't all that great throughout. I hadn't seen much of him before this series and expected him to be a wall behind the stumps after hearing all the praise from each and every corner.

Was bitterly disappointed. I have come to think that him being called the world's best keeper is more a case of everybody repeating the same thing whether it is true or not.

He is not as great as made out to be but I am sure he had an off series in India. The way he kept with ease to Mendis and Murali who were bamboozling Indian batsmen back in 2008 was a masterclass in keeping upto the stumps. But yes, I think he has a problem when the pitch is of uneven bouce and had he kept to someone like Kumble he would have struggled more. Still I am prepared to give him another chance and believe he is the best in the world.

 

[Sir Alex]

Badrinath, the next big thing, is a case in study.

I don't agree fully. He has the talent to be a better performer than Yuvraj any day even now but somehow Yuvraj got the kid glove treatment from selectors. Yuvraj is indeed exciting when he gets going and I like watching him but there is no way he could survived in a slighlty more bowler oriented era say early 90s. The problem with Badri was that he could perhaps have "replaced" a player like Dravid but could not necessarily "complement" him. Yuvraj brought in that element of dash and rapid scoring in the lower order and hence he is beneficial when the "overall team balance" is considered.

Badrinath is gone and dusted. We will never come to know if he was good enough. Even this year he has been pretty prolific in run scoring but sadly he was born 10 years early.

I hoped he would get his call in the coming series to Bangladesh. However with Tendulkar being focussed on keeping his record intact and his rivalry with Ponting, his chances of a debut look seriously slim.

 

[Cruxdude]

I hoped he would get his call in the coming series to Bangladesh. However with Tendulkar being focussed on keeping his record intact and his rivalry with Ponting, his chances of a debut look seriously slim.

Saying that Tendulkar is playing just to maintain his records is being pretty stupid. That he is motivated enough to play for India after 20 years itself is a marvel. Since when has a player good enough to get into any team at the moment deciding to take rest from a ODI series and play in the test series mean playing to keep his record intact?

 

[Sir Alex]

Saying that Tendulkar is playing just to maintain his records is being pretty stupid. That he is motivated enough to play for India after 20 years itself is a marvel. Since when has a player good enough to get into any team at the moment deciding to take rest from a ODI series and play in the test series mean playing to keep his record intact?

Perhaps you got me wrong there. I used "playing for maintaining his records" in a positive fashion. That is he is so motivated to keep on playing that he won't miss even Bangaldesh test matches. Records are indeed a major factor in any player's motivation to continue playing at even this age after so many years. I think his next target is 100 hundreds in International matches.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Interesting piece in the TOI a couple of days back. Apparently India played just 69 tests in the 90's, compared to 109 in the 00's. I'd never have guessed, what with the entire world vilifying the BCCI as T20 and ODI hungry monsters. What I'm getting at is, supposing India played those 40 more tests in the 90's instead of all those pointless ODIs, and Tendulkar kept at the rate of a century once every 4 tests, he'd have been on 200 tests and 55 centuries or so by now.

 

[Sir Alex]

Interesting piece in the TOI a couple of days back. Apparently India played just 69 tests in the 90's, compared to 109 in the 00's. I'd never have guessed, what with the entire world vilifying the BCCI as T20 and ODI hungry monsters. What I'm getting at is, supposing India played those 40 more tests in the 90's instead of all those pointless ODIs, and Tendulkar kept at the rate of a century once every 4 tests, he'd have been on 200 tests and 55 centuries or so by now.

Good spot GI Joe.

In fact since 2007 when T20 cricket really took off, India has played 31 matches and is second only to England's 37. Team records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | Cricinfo.com

 

[Cruxdude]

Perhaps you got me wrong there. I used "playing for maintaining his records" in a positive fashion. That is he is so motivated to keep on playing that he won't miss even Bangaldesh test matches. Records are indeed a major factor in any player's motivation to continue playing at even this age after so many years. I think his next target is 100 hundreds in International matches.

My bad

 

[Uppercut]

Actually Prasanna's keeping wasn't all that great throughout. I hadn't seen much of him before this series and expected him to be a wall behind the stumps after hearing all the praise from each and every corner.

Was bitterly disappointed. I have come to think that him being called the world's best keeper is more a case of everybody repeating the same thing whether it is true or not.

It was by far his worst-ever series as a keeper though.

And yeah, keepers do seem rather weak standing up to the stumps these days. Matt Prior is one of the better ones, somewhat bizarrely, and that's how you know it's a problem. It's difficult of course, but when your side is so spin-heavy you pick a keeper who can do it. It's one area where I feel Gilchrist never got enough credit for his ability.