Indian domestic season 2005-06

[ramkumar_gr]

That's all he needs to do. You don't need him to get a hundred or fifty in every innings- leave that to the Tendulkars, Dravids and Kaifs. His real problem is his scratchy wicketkeeping. They talk of getting Parthiv Patel back, but what have Vinayak Samant and Ajay Ratra done wrong? They're both more seasoned and better than all three options available, and even UP's Amir Khan is worth a try. If these are the options for a wicketkeeper-batsman, then it's time the selectors look for their best specialist keeper.

I dont agree with you on whatever i have seen of Ajay Ratra. He might be a good keeper,
but on batting abilities, he is a zero. Ask Boycott for better comments.

Kaarthick is the best option available and he has made it to the indian team on sheer performance with consecutive hundreds in both the semi-final and final of the Ranji edition 2003. He has done little wrong after picked in the test side. His crucial 93 ensured a draw against Pakistan. Even after Dhoni's 183, i dont see any threat to Kaarthick's place as Test cricket is a different ball game.

I have not seen much of Vinayak Samant to comment.

However i feel N Ojha is above Ratra and Samanth in the pecking order.

 

[ramkumar_gr]

Already Balaji has a problem here in the match between South and Central- he's got two for 98 at the end of the second day. Central have posted a huge total of 473 with Amit Pagnis scoring 142, with support from Jyoti Yadav (87), Piyush Chawla (60) and Harvinder Singh (50), but a draw can't be rled out, given South are at 127 for 3, with Bangar getting one wicket for 6 runs in six overs. Not again..............but dinesh Karthik made a quick 50 in 57 deliveries, with a few big hits. Or is this a small ground?

"Karthik made a quick 50 in 57 deliveries, with a few big hits. Or is this a small ground?"

What do you mean? Your comments make very bad reading.

Dont you think you are unfair on Kaarthick. What is that you have against Kaarthick.
He is the best option available without any doubt. He is a class act when comes to batting.
I am sure if Dhoni gets selected for tests, India will stand to lose all the tests against Srilanka as he has dropped a catch as well as a stumping in all the matches he had played with alarming consistency.

The forum would be better served if comments are passed with some merit.

 

[ramkumar_gr]

Already Balaji has a problem here in the match between South and Central- he's got two for 98 at the end of the second day. Central have posted a huge total of 473 with Amit Pagnis scoring 142, with support from Jyoti Yadav (87), Piyush Chawla (60) and Harvinder Singh (50), but a draw can't be rled out, given South are at 127 for 3, with Bangar getting one wicket for 6 runs in six overs. Not again..............but dinesh Karthik made a quick 50 in 57 deliveries, with a few big hits. Or is this a small ground?

I have always seen you are so unfair to Balaji. He has bowled exceeding well in his first game, taking 6 wickets very cheaply.

The selectors have been very unfair to the TN players ignoring the claims of Badani,Sriram,Balaji etc.

Sriram last ODI innings was a 57, and Badani , he is a very committed player, good fielder and a reliable batsman. Balaji time and again proved he is a match winner just to be ignored. Dont you remember his 9 wicket haul against Pakistan in the 1st test on Pakistan's tour to India.

These kind of comments are difficult to digest. You are most welcome to post your comments of Balaji during his non-performance or bad performance, not during when he is performing well.

 

[honestbharani]

That's all he needs to do. You don't need him to get a hundred or fifty in every innings- leave that to the Tendulkars, Dravids and Kaifs. His real problem is his scratchy wicketkeeping. They talk of getting Parthiv Patel back, but what have Vinayak Samant and Ajay Ratra done wrong? They're both more seasoned and better than all three options available, and even UP's Amir Khan is worth a try. If these are the options for a wicketkeeper-batsman, then it's time the selectors look for their best specialist keeper.

I agree. Even though that 183 was such a class knock, I still think his role in the side should be as a hitter, because India lacks that option. When batting first, he should go in around the 40th over (if India bat well and keep wickets in hand) so that he can go in with a free licence to attack. IN a chase, it might be a good idea to promote him up the order from time to time. Not sure how he will do if he comes in a situation where INdia needs 70 off 15 overs with just 3 wickets in hand. Might be better to send him in early, again with a licence to attack. That said, I am still worried about his keeping and that is the reason I don't see him as a real test match option.

 

[honestbharani]

I have always seen you are so unfair to Balaji. He has bowled exceeding well in his first game, taking 6 wickets very cheaply.

The selectors have been very unfair to the TN players ignoring the claims of Badani,Sriram,Balaji etc.

Sriram last ODI innings was a 57, and Badani , he is a very committed player, good fielder and a reliable batsman. Balaji time and again proved he is a match winner just to be ignored. Dont you remember his 9 wicket haul against Pakistan in the 1st test on Pakistan's tour to India.

These kind of comments are difficult to digest. You are most welcome to post your comments of Balaji during his non-performance or bad performance, not during when he is performing well.

Balaji is a test match bowler, though, IMHO. He struggles to control the new white ball and also bowls too many wide half volleys in ODIs. IN tests, he seems to have better control (maybe because of the red ball) and his half volleys often bring him wickets because he gets good outswing and with 3 slips ready to pouch, it is always a risky option to drive him.

 

[SJS]

Even though that 183 was such a class knock, I still think his role in the side should be as a hitter, because India lacks that option.

Sure.

I dont think he will bat higher than six for India with JP and Pathan to follow.

The first five are almost fixed except Yuvraj who seems in danger (high time ???) of losing his place at 5 but that may go to one of the youngsters or to Ganguly(what an irony) some time later.

Kaif will come in at three once he is back and the experimentation may be only once in a while.

It will be intersting to see if the think tank would consider bringing in a regular opener , say Gambhir, and put Sehwag at three or five. That should be interesting.

 

[honestbharani]

I am pretty sure Sachin will be rested at some point in this series. That will be Gambhir's opportunity, I think.

 

[ramkumar_gr]

Balaji is a test match bowler, though, IMHO. He struggles to control the new white ball and also bowls too many wide half volleys in ODIs. IN tests, he seems to have better control (maybe because of the red ball) and his half volleys often bring him wickets because he gets good outswing and with 3 slips ready to pouch, it is always a risky option to drive him.

You are right and if Balaji is fit, he should open the bowling with Irfan Pathan in tests. I would say , rather , the statistics say Balaji is far better a bowler when compared to Irfan Pathan in tests, as Pathan averages in the high 40s if you exclude the Zim and Bangladesh tests.

 

[ramkumar_gr]

and what do you guys feel about Karthick vs Dhoni contest for the test spot.

I feel the selectors should persist with Karthick still as he is a better wicketkeeper than Dhoni and i am sure he is due for a big knock in tests.

 

[SJS]

Balaji is a test match bowler, though, IMHO. He struggles to control the new white ball and also bowls too many wide half volleys in ODIs. IN tests, he seems to have better control (maybe because of the red ball) and his half volleys often bring him wickets because he gets good outswing and with 3 slips ready to pouch, it is always a risky option to drive him.

Yes one would agree with what you say. Bowling out swingers in ODI's is a bit of a problem due to the way the game is played and fields are placed. Every bowler doesnt have MacGrath's luxury of three slips in odi's.

Having said that, Balaji's sudden departure from the scene is a bit perplexing. He was clearly a gifted bowler and , what is missing in Indian medium pacers from srinath downwards, appeared to be thinking too. I would have expected him to give at least Agarkar a run for his money with Nehra out of contention. He is also as likely as Agarkar (I suspect more) to bring some welcome runs in the slog over/s.

I doubt it is regionalism as Ram is suggesting but there could be more to Balaji's loss of a place in the side than merely how good or bad he is. Does anyone know if he has discipline issues ? One hasnt heard that. He is injury prone which is going against Nehra already. He also left his swing behind mysteriously in Pakistan as did Pathan and I dont know if it has been sent back from across the border

 

[honestbharani]

lol, Balaji swung the ball very consistently during the India Pak series earlier this year. He hasn't played much since then, so it is tough to say whether he lost his swing or not. I don't think he has any discipline issues. I have heard reports that it was his attitude that kept him in the side after his non-performances against NZ in those two tests at home. Maybe the selectors really did want to try out youngsters and have, like me, decided that he is only a test match option. The same seems to be the case with Zaheer as well.

 

[ramkumar_gr]

Yes one would agree with what you say. Bowling out swingers in ODI's is a bit of a problem due to the way the game is played and fields are placed. Every bowler doesnt have MacGrath's luxury of three slips in odi's.

Having said that, Balaji's sudden departure from the scene is a bit perplexing. He was clearly a gifted bowler and , what is missing in Indian medium pacers from srinath downwards, appeared to be thinking too. I would have expected him to give at least Agarkar a run for his money with Nehra out of contention. He is also as likely as Agarkar (I suspect more) to bring some welcome runs in the slog over/s.

I doubt it is regionalism as Ram is suggesting but there could be more to Balaji's loss of a place in the side than merely how good or bad he is. Does anyone know if he has discipline issues ? One hasnt heard that. He is injury prone which is going against Nehra already. He also left his swing behind mysteriously in Pakistan as did Pathan and I dont know if it has been sent back from across the border

You are right, but Balaji was highly instrumental in the series win against Pak and also in the home series against Pak. Not only that he took wickets, but the way he bowled against the likes of Inzi and youhana with that refreshing abandon was good to watch.
He was also the stand-out bowler in the duleep trophy game picking up 6 wickets in the 1st game. I am keeping my fingers crossed. We will have to wait till the test team gets announced.

 

[Arjun]

Has anyone noticed that Balaji's best bowling figures came when he bowled first-change? It's clearer in his ODI figures- he averages close to 40 when the ball is fresh and new, but a little over 25 when it's old. Ditto Ashish Nehra. In comparison, Zaheer, Irfan and Joginder bowl well with the new ball but struggle when it gets old. Yet, we often find baffling combinations where Balaji bowls with a new ball and Zaheer gets it first-change. Are the Indians missing Nehra in the final overs?

I dont agree with you on whatever i have seen of Ajay Ratra. He might be a good keeper,
but on batting abilities, he is a zero. Ask Boycott for better comments.

If you have been watching recent episodes of Follow Through, you would know that Boycott's opinion should be taken with a pinch of salt- he grouped the Lankans (second-best ODI side) with minnow teams and called England the World Champions! Besides, is it really that hard for him to score a rapid 20-30 runs? Not at this stage!

 

[Arjun]

I doubt it is regionalism as Ram is suggesting but there could be more to Balaji's loss of a place in the side than merely how good or bad he is. Does anyone know if he has discipline issues ? One hasnt heard that. He is injury prone which is going against Nehra already. He also left his swing behind mysteriously in Pakistan as did Pathan and I dont know if it has been sent back from across the border

I can only think of one reason- rotation. Or do they want someone faster? Or are they just looking at his average of 38 in ODI's? If he had as much luck as little Agarkar, HE would have been preferred for ODI's.

 

[ramkumar_gr]

Has anyone noticed that Balaji's best bowling figures came when he bowled first-change? It's clearer in his ODI figures- he averages close to 40 when the ball is fresh and new, but a little over 25 when it's old. Ditto Ashish Nehra. In comparison, Zaheer, Irfan and Joginder bowl well with the new ball but struggle when it gets old. Yet, we often find baffling combinations where Balaji bowls with a new ball and Zaheer gets it first-change. Are the Indians missing Nehra in the final overs?If you have been watching recent episodes of Follow Through, you would know that Boycott's opinion should be taken with a pinch of salt- he grouped the Lankans (second-best ODI side) with minnow teams and called England the World Champions! Besides, is it really that hard for him to score a rapid 20-30 runs? Not at this stage!

You may be right in your comments about Boycs but the pecking order on merit for the wicketkeeper slot for India is as follows:
Dinesh Kaarthick
MS Dhoni
P Patel
N Ohja
M Bisla
A Khan
A Ratra
V Samant

I dont think P Dharmani is in the scheme of things.

 

[Arjun]

The selectors can avoid Bisla- he's an opening batsman who shifted to another team and started keeping wickets- a younger Vikram Rathour. Parthiv's wicketkeeping is average and error-prone, while his batting is no great shakes. Naman Ojha seems to be in the plans because of his batting, but he needs to score more against stronger domestic sides, and bat the way a wicketkeeper should- the same can be said of Ajay Ratra and Amir Khan.

 

[ramkumar_gr]

The selectors can avoid Bisla- he's an opening batsman who shifted to another team and started keeping wickets- a younger Vikram Rathour. Parthiv's wicketkeeping is average and error-prone, while his batting is no great shakes. Naman Ojha seems to be in the plans because of his batting, but he needs to score more against stronger domestic sides, and bat the way a wicketkeeper should- the same can be said of Ajay Ratra and Amir Khan.

I saw Ojha bat in a twenty twenty cup recently, and his technique is very unique and unorthodox and he bagged the MOM award in one of those. But he has to come up with big scores.

 

[Pratters]

A zonal under 19 tournament is going to be held in Calcutta ahead of the Afro-Asian under 19 tournament.

http://www.hindu.com/2005/11/04/stories/2005110409681900.htm

And of course we have Duleep Trophy action today. Hopefully one of the matches will come on t.v.

 

[Arjun]

First two sessions of Duleep are really sleepy. Why the BCCI invited the Zimbok reserves is beyond understanding- they've looked as bad as some of the weaker East Zone sides. Even the more competitive Central v/s West match is a bit disappointing.

 

[Arjun]

Finally, some action. Zimbabwe Presidesnt's XI are no opposition, as Ranadeb Bose got five wickets and Paul, three. Bose seems to be getting better with every match, using his huge frame to good effect, and getting movement off even the least responsive of pitches, here in Mumbai. OTherwise, there's not much to write home about. Sleep well......until 'Boomer' Bose returns.

In Aurangabad, Zaheer is in top form, getting ten wickets so far in this match. After getting 6/54 to skittle out Central for 210, he's got four to have them at 81/6, and that's as good as a final berth for his team, West. Kaif got 56 in the first innings for Central and opener Pagnis got scores of over 30 in both innings, but it's just not been their day, as even Bangar's 5-wicket haul seems to have gone in vain. Wonder how well Zaheer is fielding, since he's been bowling very well since being dropped from the ODI side, and if he's more productive on the field, he could find himself opening the bowling once again.