Build-up to Indian Domestic Season 2009-10

[Manee]

4 wickets for Balaji, proving once more that he is one of our top bowlers on flat, slow pitches, which by all accounts, was what it was. It is a shame that he'll be picked for New Zealand, where it is clearly the more dynamic bowlers that succeed, and will not be in India, where it is (among pacers) the steady bowlers who move it around a bit but keep it accurately who succeed. It is surely a fallacy of the primacy given to speed to think that the 140kph bowlers (Sreesanth) whose pace will be negated by the slow Indian pitches are the ones who will succeed in India.

Interesting to see Ablish, Harmeet and Gony do so well for Punjab. Gony needs to churn out some strong domestic performances, as anyone can see the visible talent (tall, strong, seams it) but we all know that performances speak louder than (bowling) actions. Wondering if anyone has seen Ablish bowl in the ICL, as he is doing well this year. I did see Harmeet Singh bowl in the IPL and think he is a solid bowler, perhaps a shade below international level, but I think he can serve Punjab well, in the absence of VRV Singh and Gagandeep Singh (selection ought to be interesting when those two come back).

Main other news is runs (43) and wickets (2/43 out of 102/3) for IK Pathan. Now that he is completely out of the international scene, I think he could have a valuable season, where he can get overs under his belt, learn how to pry wickets on flat pitches and score plenty of runs.

 

[Manee]

Parthiv completed his 150 but there was little support.

Parthiv has become a run scoring machine, should surely be one of the many vying for the reserve middle order batsman's spot.

An interesting phase was when Timil Patel kept bowling to Arun Karthik repeatedly way outside leg- on one instance, Arun stood way out towards leg and then walked back, turned around and pulled behind the keeper for four, almost knocking Parthiv Patel down!

Many say that such a tactic is anti-cricket, but I think that that sort of play is fascinating and it is good to see Arun combat it successfully.

There's action in Mohali, with as many as thirteen wickets down, and Punjab getting the lead. The Baroda/Bengal match, featuring the Pathans and a returning Ganguly, wasn't that impressive, bar Pinal's 63. There are wickets still falling at Kotla, with Karnataka at 260 all out in reply to Delhi's 154, and wickets still fell as Delhi finished the second innings at 93/2. The Central teams seem to be crushing the opposition with big scores- Railways have 419 against HP while UP have 395 against Saurashtra. Predictably, there was no play at Brabourne, and all three cricket matches (the ODI, the practice match vs SL and the Ranji match) were rained out.

Good to see a few result orientated matches, but it would seem that many will be settled by the first innings lead. I am thinking that perhaps they should make the Ranji Trophy a five day competition and reduce the advantage of a first innings lead, as to more accurately prepare players for Test cricket and the result orientated nature of such.

 

[Arjun]

The TN/Guj match is interrupted by bad light. Timil Patel continued with that obnoxious leg-side barrage, and Karthik repeatedly tried to send it flying, often missing. All of Vijay, both Karthiks and Badri (just about) got their 50s. TN now have the lead.

 

[Arjun]

One name to watch- Laxmiratan Shukla from Bengal. He's got just what's needed for the ODI XI right now- fantastic fielder, hard hitter of the ball (yet smart with the bat) and a very handy seam-up bowler. He's done fine in the last two seasons in List-A, with a healthy average of 48, and though his bowling isn't so spectacular with 12 scalps in 17, it has picked up in the last season, and can just about match some of the current seam-up bowlers. Surely a good replacement for liabilities on the field such as Munaf and Praveen, and his selection can get in two proper spinners in the XI. Again, he's at best an interim option, but his fielding should keep him in the hunt.

 

[Manee]

One name to watch- Laxmiratan Shukla from Bengal. He's got just what's needed for the ODI XI right now- fantastic fielder, hard hitter of the ball (yet smart with the bat) and a very handy seam-up bowler. He's done fine in the last two seasons in List-A, with a healthy average of 48, and though his bowling isn't so spectacular with 12 scalps in 17, it has picked up in the last season, and can just about match some of the current seam-up bowlers. Surely a good replacement for liabilities on the field such as Munaf and Praveen, and his selection can get in two proper spinners in the XI. Again, he's at best an interim option, but his fielding should keep him in the hunt.

Yes, I brought him up earlier as a possible number 7 in ODIs. I feel that Jadeja does not have the batting experience to bat at 7 whereas Shukla has 2211 OD runs under his belt and had a good last year. Shukla's bowling is pretty reasonable too, judging from the IPL.

 

[Arjun]

Yes, I brought him up earlier as a possible number 7 in ODIs. I feel that Jadeja does not have the batting experience to bat at 7 whereas Shukla has 2211 OD runs under his belt and had a good last year. Shukla's bowling is pretty reasonable too, judging from the IPL.

The real problem, however, is that Dhoni seems to vision some players as regulars in the ODI team and the others, not good enough, and appropriately uses them. Less-fancied players get few opportunities, at inopportune times, and lose their places. I'm not sure if he's in Dhoni's best books or inner circle, right now.

There's a lot that Shukla has going for himself here-

• He's very effective on the field- a lot more than some seam bowlers.
• He's a leading batsman for his state team, so he's a lot more reliable than some other Number Sevens tried earlier.
• He's capable of building rapid partnerships with frontline batsmen.
• Hitting a rush of boundaries isn't beyond him.
• On form, he can rival most of the current Indian seamers, especially as a change bowler.
• With him as a third seamer, two spinners can play for India- the spinners are often their best bowlers.
• Sehwag, Yuvraj and Raina can rest easy and concentrate on scoring runs.
• While he's again stereotyped as an IPL find, he's also done well over the years in first-class cricket, and has very good 50-over stats, and is in good form over the last two seasons.

I don't buy the age argument at all- cricketers often get better with age, and with age and consequently experience, you'll get a more reliable, intelligent cricketer.

 

[Arjun]

The TN/Gujarat match is now heading for a yawn-worthy draw. Balaji scored 30 rapid runs at the bottom, forging a partnership with Ganapathy, but his shots were a tad agricultural. The TN seamers bowled a lot better now, with the new ball, with a Ganapathy delivery moving away and getting an edge to first-slip, but the pitch is now a flat, lifeless one.

We already have a result- Tripura have defeated Jharkhand by one wicket, by lunch today.

 

[Manee]

From what you've seen, do you think Balaji could make a Test comeback?

 

[Arjun]

I guess he can make a comeback by default, at least on Indian pitches. He's not one who will run through a batting lineup- more like one who will keep on bowling and keep it tight, and then somehow eke out enough wickets at the end of the innings. He's getting good movement, though at a reduced pace. His fielding has been good, for a seam/swing bowler, and he can even score a chunk at the bottom of the batting order. A good season with ball and bat, and on the field, can get him a place in the Test XI. Strangely, if you dissect his ODI stats, he bowls a lot better with an older ball than with one fresh and new. To sum it up, he's only 120k most of the time, but does a very good job with it, and contributes in every department in the game, so a recall isn't out of the question.

 

[Arjun]

Young left-arm spinner Srinivas has lokoed very impressive here. He's got a lot of turn, and though he's been used rather sparingly, he's done well so far, as against Ashwin, who's got worn out and bowled like he was truly worn out. In one delivery, there was an apparent edge, which didn't seem to carry. Srinivas appealed seven times quickly, with appeals all around to support, to no avail. Dinesh Karthik was unimpressed, and it showed. He seems to be doing a great deal of PR work, repeatedly giving tips to the opposition captain, the match ref and the umpires!

 

[Manee]

I guess he can make a comeback by default, at least on Indian pitches. He's not one who will run through a batting lineup- more like one who will keep on bowling and keep it tight, and then somehow eke out enough wickets at the end of the innings. He's getting good movement, though at a reduced pace. His fielding has been good, for a seam/swing bowler, and he can even score a chunk at the bottom of the batting order. A good season with ball and bat, and on the field, can get him a place in the Test XI. Strangely, if you dissect his ODI stats, he bowls a lot better with an older ball than with one fresh and new. To sum it up, he's only 120k most of the time, but does a very good job with it, and contributes in every department in the game, so a recall isn't out of the question.

Moreover, if there was a track with a bit of pace in it, I'm sure he could increase his pace 10kph or so. It is not as if 120kph and 130kph are of much difference on such a slow track, it is just that one saves a lot more energy than the other.

 

[Arjun]

Here's a more descriptive report of the second round, beyond the scoresheets.

Moreover, if there was a track with a bit of pace in it, I'm sure he could increase his pace 10kph or so. It is not as if 120kph and 130kph are of much difference on such a slow track, it is just that one saves a lot more energy than the other.

I'm not sure how much more pace he'll add if he just goes flat out- he might just compromise on accuracy and ball movement. He'll need a change in action, so that he can add a few more yards of pace. An action consultant will come useful- the current team needs one sooner than later. That said, he's very useful on slow and flat decks for Tests, and will make a very useful change bowler.

 

[Manee]

I'm not sure how much more pace he'll add if he just goes flat out- he might just compromise on accuracy and ball movement. He'll need a change in action, so that he can add a few more yards of pace. An action consultant will come useful- the current team needs one sooner than later. That said, he's very useful on slow and flat decks for Tests, and will make a very useful change bowler.

It is not really how much pace he'll gain by going flat out, I'm sure he can bowl 130kph, I saw him do it in the IPL, he just chooses to conserve energy when confronted by a long spell and a very slow track.

 

[Arjun]

It is not really how much pace he'll gain by going flat out, I'm sure he can bowl 130kph, I saw him do it in the IPL, he just chooses to conserve energy when confronted by a long spell and a very slow track.

A whole lot of pacers seem to bowl faster in limited-overs games than in FC. What I am hinting at is the near-permanent loss of pace in most Indian bowlers, who come with (or gain) pace initially. Consequently, they either struggle or are replaced by less accurate and productive bowlers, who only get picked on the sole promise of pace- such as Sreesanth Munaf, VRV and Dinda, ahead of Gagandeep, Paul, Bose, RP, Balaji and other list-toppers.

Ideally, they should pick the best pacers in the country on their domestic and A-team performance, then work out means of adding pace through scientific means so that they can achieve at least a decent pace.

If pace is an objective, the selectors should pick those pacers who are capable of doing well on the field, and are very athletic. Look at all the tearaway or express pacers of today- every one of them is a very good fielder. Shoaib Akhtar and less so Shane Bond and Shaun Tait may be exceptions, but the faster bowlers in action are very good on the field. The link is quite clear- faster and neater on the field, faster and sharper throws, may also indicate faster deliveries.

 

[Manee]

I'm not 100% sure that I understand you. However, Balaji's loss of pace can hardly be attributed to natural causes which happens to all Indian bowlers. He had multiple stress fractures and they will take the edge of almost any bowler, if only temporarily. Moreover, even though I know that obviously bowlers bowl quicker in shorter games (Mohammad Aamir, as an example), I still think that Balaji could bowl 130kph if the situation demanded. I recall watching him bowl a spell last year at 125-130kph with the second new ball, it is obvious that he looks to conserve energy for long spells and because the tracks are slow.

Your theory of picking domestic bowlers and looking to add speed is a good one. It is not hard to add a yard of pace, if the correct gym work and fitness work is completed. However, it would seem that this is simply not happening. Perhaps it is much more difficult to add speed to established bowlers than you or I think.

 

[Arjun]

Bring on Round Three:

Hyderabad vs Gujarat: Both teams have weak bowling attacks, with steady batsmen who can stick around for long on a flat deck. Each team has a potential national reserve spinner, who is looking to impress. It is essentially a clash between Ojha and Parmar. Gujarat's batting is slightly stronger, while Hyderabad will be boosted by the recalled ICL players.

Mumbai vs Himachal: Missing Sachin and Zaheer, Mumbai will still be stronger, with the presence of Jaffer, Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Nayar and Kulkarni, all vying for places in and around the national team. The unfancied Himachal, with no remarkable names, will have their task cut out. This team lacks balance, which is a weakness, though they have a decent batting and bowling lineup. Will the sum be greater than the parts? It's anybody's guess.

Punjab vs TN: The benched players Vijay and Badri will play here. That's bad news for the Punjab team, who couldn't stamp the advantage against Hyderabad, although weather was also a factor then. Punjab is a team with few big names, missing Yuvraj and Harbhajan, so a lot depends on Gony, Gagandeep and (if fit) VRV Singh. The batting is reasonably strong with Goel, Kohli and Sohal, not outstanding, but enough here. TN is surely a stronger side, and look the favourites.

Maharashtra vs Saurashtra: Boring match. Nothing to observe here, except possibly Pujara and Jadeja. Maharashtra have, possibly, nobody, unless you look at Dheeraj Jadhav, another ICL returnee. Ironically, this (possible) bore-fest is the only game to be shown on television.

Karnataka vs Bengal: Closer observers of the Indian domestic scene have heard of Mithun, a new pacer who made an explosive debut. His more experienced partner, Vinay Kumar, did better in the next game. Vinay has stats in his favour, but is very underpowered, though he's also multi-skilled. Youngsters Uthappa and Pandey are in good touch, which is good news for them. Bengal, on the other hand, will depend heavily on individual brilliance of Ganguly, Shukla, Bose, Dinda and Saha. Ganguly still hasn't lost it, and his smashing innings against Baroda took them close to the lead. Shukla has done well all round, and consistent (or match-winning) performances will help his team. This match should be shown, as there's a lot more to watch here.

Baroda vs UP: Two teams stacked with multi-skilled players clash in Ghaziabad. Baroda have the Pathans, Pinal and Ketan Panchal. UP have Praveen Kumar, Bhuvan Kumar, Piyush Chawla, Amir Khan and Praveen Gupta. Discarded seamer RP Singh will be one to watch, and his game has improved since the dismal first round. With Kaif and Raina not playing Tests, they can strengthen the batting for UP, while Baroda will depend on their ageing batting stalwarts Parab, Connor and Martin. Will the so-called chuckers Veragi and Pawar get a game? It's anybody's guess. A pity this game won't be shown on television instead of the boring Maharashtra/Saurashtra clash.

Orissa vs Railways: Railways are the obvious favourites, with an ageing but very steady lineup. Another team with multi-skilled players, they have a deep batting lineup, although their bowling will depend on spinner Murali Kartik. This team has another so-called chucker, longtime offie Parida. There's nobody to watch in the Orissa team, except Shib Sunder Das and Debashish Mohanty.

 

[Arjun]

I'm not 100% sure that I understand you. However, Balaji's loss of pace can hardly be attributed to natural causes which happens to all Indian bowlers. He had multiple stress fractures and they will take the edge of almost any bowler, if only temporarily. Moreover, even though I know that obviously bowlers bowl quicker in shorter games (Mohammad Aamir, as an example), I still think that Balaji could bowl 130kph if the situation demanded. I recall watching him bowl a spell last year at 125-130kph with the second new ball, it is obvious that he looks to conserve energy for long spells and because the tracks are slow.

Your theory of picking domestic bowlers and looking to add speed is a good one. It is not hard to add a yard of pace, if the correct gym work and fitness work is completed. However, it would seem that this is simply not happening. Perhaps it is much more difficult to add speed to established bowlers than you or I think.

I've noticed that most bowlers from other teams sustain or regain their pace, but the Indians seem to lose it permanently. We see some Australian bowlers who have barely played international cricket (such as Bollinger and Siddle) bowl at serious pace, and even a medium-pacer like Stuart Clark bowl at 130k. Even their so-called bits-and-pieces players are capable of hitting 130k often- Watson even hits 140k occasionally. South Africa's pacers have also got back their pace- Kallis was often bowling in the 110ks for some time, but now has got back to the 130k bracket, and Pollock, in his final years, was steadily getting back his pace. Even the erratic Lankan pacer Dilhara Fernando can regularly pass 140k. The list can go on, but Indian seamers, notably Sreesanth, RP, Munaf, Irfan and now even Ishant have lost their pace and haven't got it back.

The Aussies have world class training facilities. This may include a biomechanics department and possibly even a facility dealing in the little-known science of kinesiology. Basically, a lot of scientific (and maybe strategic) methods are used to enhance the bowlers. I don't see that happening with India. We see talented pacers cast by the wayside when they lack or lose pace. Greg Chappell, when he coached India, tried to get some of this element into the Indian team, but it wasn't well-received and all of them eventually left the setup.

 

[Manee]

I've noticed that most bowlers from other teams sustain or regain their pace, but the Indians seem to lose it permanently. We see some Australian bowlers who have barely played international cricket (such as Bollinger and Siddle) bowl at serious pace, and even a medium-pacer like Stuart Clark bowl at 130k. Even their so-called bits-and-pieces players are capable of hitting 130k often- Watson even hits 140k occasionally. South Africa's pacers have also got back their pace- Kallis was often bowling in the 110ks for some time, but now has got back to the 130k bracket, and Pollock, in his final years, was steadily getting back his pace. Even the erratic Lankan pacer Dilhara Fernando can regularly pass 140k. The list can go on, but Indian seamers, notably Sreesanth, RP, Munaf, Irfan and now even Ishant have lost their pace and haven't got it back.

The Aussies have world class training facilities. This may include a biomechanics department and possibly even a facility dealing in the little-known science of kinesiology. Basically, a lot of scientific (and maybe strategic) methods are used to enhance the bowlers. I don't see that happening with India. We see talented pacers cast by the wayside when they lack or lose pace. Greg Chappell, when he coached India, tried to get some of this element into the Indian team, but it wasn't well-received and all of them eventually left the setup.

Few things here.

I think that a major difference is that cricketers from other countries are built stronger and more athletic. Whether this is natural athleticism or how much gym work is preferred, I'm not sure. Look at Peter Siddle or Shane Watson, they are pretty well put together, you must admit. This will give them the capability to bowl quickly. I don't wish to form any dogmatic judgements, but the evidence is there. Even someone like Jacques Kallis, who is hardly built like a sprinter, is visibly very big and strong and so can power the ball down at 140kph when he is in the mood. Dilhara Fernando too shows clear signs of physical strength.

On to Indian bowlers; Indians tend to have a more slight build. This does not prohibit us from bowling quickly, we have gym resources to gain strength and as numerous fast bowlers, such as Dale Steyn have shown, you do not have to be built like a tank to bowl fast. However, several points can be raised. I would doubt that any Indian bowler has the cardiac fitness of a Dale Steyn to run in at full pelt every delivery. Ishant Sharma's rapid run up has been shown to decrease in speed over the years and this is likely due to fatigue and lack of the cardiac fitness levels of a Steyn, as well as his very slight build.

Bowling actions is an interesting thing to look at. Obviously, a good action will help you bowl fast. All the genuinely quick bowlers have a good action, whether one precedes the other is a chicken-and-egg debate. The extent to which bowling actions are coached at the professional level is a mystery to me. It has only been recently that the study of fast bowling has become a scientific phenomenon with tangible results - before that, it had been largely empirical. However, in modern times, it is evident that a Stuart Broad has a coached action to bowl quickly - his action is extremely textbook and generates pace that was not there for him a few years back. Perhaps we are a few years behind with bowling actions, but the impact that they have had (not could have had, but actually have had) can be disputed. Some well informed biomechanical work would be ideal though, I think we can both agree on that.

On to the Indian fast bowlers. I have recently come to the conclusion that the drop in pace by Indian fast bowlers has been overestimated in recent times (there has been some, but not that much). Munaf Patel is the perfect example - he topped at 145kph in his first Test against England and he can still reach those speeds in Tests, perhaps not 145kph but he is often up at 140kph during a good spell. He was never the quickest ODI bowler as he chooses to concentrate on accuracy in that form of the game. Sreesanth came into the scene as a 130kph bowler, he had one or two series at 140kph but no more than that. He currently bowls at around 135kph and so there has not been a massive change there. RP Singh also came onto the scne as a 130kph bowler and that is what he is now. He went through the T20 World Cup in SA at over 145kph at times, but the atmospheric conditions of SA would assist that. Moreover, I have the games on my PC and he did not even reach over 140kph in all of India's matches. A few games at high speeds in SA in T20 (where bowlers tend to be much faster than otherwise, for obvious reasons) is not that remarkable.

Irfan is the exception and a remarkable case as he is simply no longer the same bowler that he once was - he now delivers with a totally different action and trajectory - it is just all different and ****ed up. However, his speed has not changed too much, if you look at his hattrick against Pakistan, the balls were around 120-130kph. It was his hoop swing, rather than his speed, that got him on to the map. In the Test series in Australia, he was at 135kph and he can climb up to 135kph on occasions, so his numerical speed has remained constantish.

Ishant's drop in pace has been a sign of fatigue, which does affect alot of fast bowlers, tbh. Other than that series in Australia, where speed gun readings can be high, he timed at 140kph in his primed period and is now 130kph which is a drop of 10kph, can be attributed to fatigue. He could theoretically get his pace back, but I won't pass too much judgement on him yet.

 

[Furball]

Question for the Indians:

From what I can gather, the Duleep Trophy consists of 5 zones - North, South, East, West and Central - what states feed into what zones?

 

[Arjun]

Question for the Indians:

From what I can gather, the Duleep Trophy consists of 5 zones - North, South, East, West and Central - what states feed into what zones?

1. West Zone- Mumbai, Baroda, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Saurashtra
2. South Zone- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Hyderabad, Andhra, Kerala, Goa
3. North Zone- Delhi, Punjab, HP, Haryana, J&K, Services
4. East Zone- Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Assam, Tripura
5. Central Zone- Railways, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Vidarbha

Other associations are not recognised, so their players vie for selections in the closest recognised centres.