Indian ODI team discussion thread

[honestbharani]

What about the advisability of having Harbhajan bowl some overs in the death? Warne, Kumble and Murali and Saqlain all have done it with a reasonable degree of success. All of India's medium pacers bowl crap at the death anyway, so why not try out Harbhajan? He did okay yesterday.

 

[Arjun]

That's a very good point you've made, since Bhajji's performance opens up a new option. However, he must be given more chances at that stage. They should try out someone other than Agarkar and Irfan, who are targets at those stages. While Agarkar and Irfan had bowled well till then and then messed up, Nehra struggled in the early overs and then came back well. The bowling plans need a reshuffle.

 

[Arjun]

Lot of talk on Ganguly's inclusion has been going on in the media and in cricket forums. Now here is an article that says its time we did away with out senior players. This is something I fail to understand, is one bad match or series means that the players are buried six feet under the ground. I feel no team can sack its experienced players in one go. After all the new players like Dhoni, Kaif and Yuvraj need the presence of senior players like Dravid to guide them. What do you all feel?

First of all, that article came on Indiatimes, who rubbished Dravid's selection in ODI's, snickered at Chappell's comments on the media and then painted a gloomy picture of the Indian team's prospects in SL. Take what they say with a pinch of salt.

Still, except for Tendulkar, Dravid and maybe Nehra, NONE of the others are really important in the side. The same team (virtually) has played in nine tournaments. And lost all nine of them (more or less), and these are only 2+ team events- they've lost a few round-robins too. What does that tell you? Star value counts for nothing if it doesn't serve a purpose. Nothing, if they don't combine well. Nothing, if they don't win as a team.

 

[Arjun]

If anything, gradually phase them out.

But. Ganguly is required for his captaincy. If nothing else. India could not possibly get a better captain then him.

Ganguly's captaincy can be summed up in four words- big outcry, little outcome. They don't need captaincy that can't win tournaments. Rather, his style of captaincy, similar to Nasser Hussain's, won't win enough tournaments to get the team on top. Come to think of it, Ganguly shouldn't even be in the ODI side- Test opener Gautam Gambhir is a neat fit in ODI's.

Dravid's the wall who will always save India's "house of cards" batting order. Just need him there in case. A bit like insurance.

He needs support. The likes of Yuvraj and Kaif have to help him, give him most of the strike, then run lots of singles and help build a substantial partnership.

Kumble - No. The guy's a champ.

In ODI's, he's looked out of sorts.

I think the selectors thought of this. That's the reason Laxman's gone. The new team's also pretty young.

Laxman is one big name to replace. Let's just hope the man they've got is more than just a replacement.

India are (intelligently) priming their young guns. Hopefully for the next world cup. Good on em..

If you really want to get the best out of them, stretch them hard. Don't give them a safety net. That's what got the best out of Yuvraj and Kaif now.

 

[Arjun]

What do you have to say about the selectors persisting with just three spinners, particularly Murali Karthik? It's obvious, Karthik's nothing more than just a replacement for Kumble and Harbhajan, since his performances in ODI's don't make him a frontrunner. When he's a defensive bowler (which the team doesn't need in a specialist bowler), he shouldn't get hit for as many fours and sixes as he does. Not to mention, one no-ball too many can cost the team a match. His batting can't make much of an impact in a match and his fielding, though a bit better than Kumble's, won't save too many runs. Clearly, the selectors are not willing to get out of their comfort zone.

 

[honestbharani]

I think he is better in tests than in ODIs. But unfortunately our selectors often overlook such facts. I was shocked when they finally realized that Balaji is the better bet in tests and Agarkar in ODIs.

 

[Arjun]

The selectors can afford to take a risk and pick one fast bowler and play him as a power player, like Harmison/Ntini. They have VR Singh and Abid Nabi, but even an in-form and fiery Zaheer would be good enough.