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***Official*** Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series 2007-08
- Thread starter JASON
- Start date
chaminda_00
Hall of Fame Member
Shouldn't have gone down to last over, but seriously what a dire way to finish. Should have given the bowl to Jayasuriya IMO.
Days of Grace
International Captain
o.m.g. SKY sports!!!
ha ha, gotta laugh really.
But, if this was New Zealand involved and the match was tighter then this one, I would have deadset smashed the tv set.
ha ha, gotta laugh really.
But, if this was New Zealand involved and the match was tighter then this one, I would have deadset smashed the tv set.
Jamee999
Hall of Fame Member
Don't think I've ever sworn that loudly for reasons other than physical pain
Jono
Virat Kohli (c)
That was tight, but good to get a win.
I was so certain Yuvraj would score today. Sent around 4 smses once Sachin was bowled to my mates saying "watch Yuvraj lead India to win."
He wasn't there at the finish, but he played a huge part in the win.
And Dhoni has matured so much as a ODI batsman. Never looks like going out. The fact that he scored a 50 without a boundary is amazing, would have been impossible 6-12 months ago.
I was so certain Yuvraj would score today. Sent around 4 smses once Sachin was bowled to my mates saying "watch Yuvraj lead India to win."
He wasn't there at the finish, but he played a huge part in the win.
And Dhoni has matured so much as a ODI batsman. Never looks like going out. The fact that he scored a 50 without a boundary is amazing, would have been impossible 6-12 months ago.
Jono
Virat Kohli (c)
Haha it almost did go down to the last ball.
masterblaster
International Captain
Me too. I was absolutely convinced that tonight would be Yuvraj's night and I'm glad that he proved me right. Was talking to a few mates before the game and placed a little wager with them that Yuvraj would come good tonight. So I was pretty happy with my call!
Overall our top order looks pretty fragile but I'm not too fussed about Tendulkar. Everybody has an off night sometimes. As for Dhoni, the man just grows in stature every time he leads India and then bats them out of trouble. Good win, although the top order needs some work.
Good rally by SL at the end, but we had no right to get that close.
I can't help but think, if Maharoof/Jayasuriya/Dilshan had gone for a reasonable amount of runs in their overs, it would have been an even tighter result. We were always about 20 runs short, but seriously, the 5th bowling option killed us.
Tough choices for SL going forward. Kapugedera hasn't produced anything all series. Maharoof either. Both are players that I've stood up for in the past, but I can't really defend their performances throughout this series. I think we're going to have to take a chance on selections against Australia, because the sensible money says we're no hope of beating them anway.
Perera for Kapugedera.
Welegedera for Maharoof.
I can't help but think, if Maharoof/Jayasuriya/Dilshan had gone for a reasonable amount of runs in their overs, it would have been an even tighter result. We were always about 20 runs short, but seriously, the 5th bowling option killed us.
Tough choices for SL going forward. Kapugedera hasn't produced anything all series. Maharoof either. Both are players that I've stood up for in the past, but I can't really defend their performances throughout this series. I think we're going to have to take a chance on selections against Australia, because the sensible money says we're no hope of beating them anway.
Perera for Kapugedera.
Welegedera for Maharoof.
Arjun
Cricketer Of The Year
A must win for India, but that wasn't enough. Repeated calls came in for restoration of the old order. They said, experience was lacking. They said, youth didn't have it in them to win. They said, there's no point leaving out folks with averages over 40 and with over 20000ODI runs between them. Clearly, this young Indian team had a lot to play for. Not just points to reach the final, but also to prove a point to all those hundreds of thousands of (how much ever, too many) cynical Indian fans.
To begin with, let's look at Dhoni the superhero. He was injured in the last match here at Adelaide. He couldn't even take a runner. Throughout his innings, he was tiring, struggling, fatigued, and didn't quite look like he could run a single, let alone the distance. Yet, despite no boundaries hit in this innings, he ran, fast and hard, to take the team home. He handled the batsmen at the other end well, managing partners even as he ran out of them. Clearly, a far better man-of-the-match choice than the one chosen, and said he wasn't fatigued at all, and even challenged reporter Gautam Bhimani to a race.
The cynics, having said that Yuvraj's Test career may be over, even called for his exit from the ODI team. He too had a point to prove. He hit the ball hard, ran hard and played an innings like a perfect ODI player. As is often the case, when he scores a 50, the Indians win. He built vital partnerships, first with Rohit Sharma, then Dhoni. Dhoni backed him, expecting a return to form, on the back of 44 Indian chasing wins, where he's averaged over 64 with a strike rate over 80. When he's on song, the Indians are a different team. With 200 ODI's after now, he's definitely 'experienced' enough to stay in this Indian team.
The running between the wickets, often an ignored aspect of this team, was significantly good. This has made the difference here, which was missing in the last few years. Everyone, from Dhoni and Yuvraj to non-specialists like Irfan and newcomers like Gambhir and Sharma. The fielding, far better than that of the Lankans, was also a factor, as they blocked several singles and took three wickets when the bowlers couldn't. A special mention should go to the five-man bowling unit, which left the Indians chasing a manageable total here, and the batsmen in turn, succeeded in chasing this total, though not without hiccups.
Dhoni's captaincy was also noteworthy. Staying with five regular bowlers (with one change) was criticised heavily, often for conservative reasons. Yet, he backed that selection, and it was appropriate, given that they had to field first. He backed Yuvraj, even as the conservative cynics expressed concern about whether he would last the whole series. Even as he has a reputation of a dasher, hitting several sixes and fours in every innings, he has, as captain, changed his approach. He's scored a lot slower (strike rate of a little under 79, as against 96 before), but coming in at pressure situations, often with the responsibility of finishing the game, was averaging over 51. Given a choice, Ravi Shastri said he'd choose the slower but heavier record as captain over the faster but lighter non-captain record.
Negatives still exist. While the bowling did well here, despite that massive partnership, the batting still looks unsteady. Tendulkar at the top is still a problem. Robin Uthappa still can't get bat to ball. Sehwag, critical for good starts, is benched. Rohit Sharma, twice in two matches, got out playing a needless, extravagant, all-show-no-go shot, and likewise Gautam Gambhir. Against the Aussies, Dhoni may be tempted to go in with an extra batsman, but that would be an unnecessary sacrifice on the bowling front, which the Indians can't afford.
So where does India go from here? A change in this lineup may be on the cards, with the team losing a match they should have won and almost ended up losing another, due to reckless batting. While conservatives would suggest reverting to the seven-batsman plan, the team cannot afford it, as that combination cannot win matches. A replacement for Uthappa, either Sehwag (to open) or Tewary or Raina, is likely. After two silly shots, Sharma and Gambhir may also be benched, but both have been in form and need to be persisted with, so that they can eventually convert (Gambhir already did once) the starts to big scores. The basic aspects of this young team such as fielding, running between wickets and keeping extras down, are very strong, so the raw material, the building blocks, are just right. They need a long run, and support, to eventually finish as the complete team.
A lot of this may seem a little far-fetched, but so were the critical anti-youth, conservative comments coming after two matches.
To begin with, let's look at Dhoni the superhero. He was injured in the last match here at Adelaide. He couldn't even take a runner. Throughout his innings, he was tiring, struggling, fatigued, and didn't quite look like he could run a single, let alone the distance. Yet, despite no boundaries hit in this innings, he ran, fast and hard, to take the team home. He handled the batsmen at the other end well, managing partners even as he ran out of them. Clearly, a far better man-of-the-match choice than the one chosen, and said he wasn't fatigued at all, and even challenged reporter Gautam Bhimani to a race.
The cynics, having said that Yuvraj's Test career may be over, even called for his exit from the ODI team. He too had a point to prove. He hit the ball hard, ran hard and played an innings like a perfect ODI player. As is often the case, when he scores a 50, the Indians win. He built vital partnerships, first with Rohit Sharma, then Dhoni. Dhoni backed him, expecting a return to form, on the back of 44 Indian chasing wins, where he's averaged over 64 with a strike rate over 80. When he's on song, the Indians are a different team. With 200 ODI's after now, he's definitely 'experienced' enough to stay in this Indian team.
The running between the wickets, often an ignored aspect of this team, was significantly good. This has made the difference here, which was missing in the last few years. Everyone, from Dhoni and Yuvraj to non-specialists like Irfan and newcomers like Gambhir and Sharma. The fielding, far better than that of the Lankans, was also a factor, as they blocked several singles and took three wickets when the bowlers couldn't. A special mention should go to the five-man bowling unit, which left the Indians chasing a manageable total here, and the batsmen in turn, succeeded in chasing this total, though not without hiccups.
Dhoni's captaincy was also noteworthy. Staying with five regular bowlers (with one change) was criticised heavily, often for conservative reasons. Yet, he backed that selection, and it was appropriate, given that they had to field first. He backed Yuvraj, even as the conservative cynics expressed concern about whether he would last the whole series. Even as he has a reputation of a dasher, hitting several sixes and fours in every innings, he has, as captain, changed his approach. He's scored a lot slower (strike rate of a little under 79, as against 96 before), but coming in at pressure situations, often with the responsibility of finishing the game, was averaging over 51. Given a choice, Ravi Shastri said he'd choose the slower but heavier record as captain over the faster but lighter non-captain record.
Negatives still exist. While the bowling did well here, despite that massive partnership, the batting still looks unsteady. Tendulkar at the top is still a problem. Robin Uthappa still can't get bat to ball. Sehwag, critical for good starts, is benched. Rohit Sharma, twice in two matches, got out playing a needless, extravagant, all-show-no-go shot, and likewise Gautam Gambhir. Against the Aussies, Dhoni may be tempted to go in with an extra batsman, but that would be an unnecessary sacrifice on the bowling front, which the Indians can't afford.
So where does India go from here? A change in this lineup may be on the cards, with the team losing a match they should have won and almost ended up losing another, due to reckless batting. While conservatives would suggest reverting to the seven-batsman plan, the team cannot afford it, as that combination cannot win matches. A replacement for Uthappa, either Sehwag (to open) or Tewary or Raina, is likely. After two silly shots, Sharma and Gambhir may also be benched, but both have been in form and need to be persisted with, so that they can eventually convert (Gambhir already did once) the starts to big scores. The basic aspects of this young team such as fielding, running between wickets and keeping extras down, are very strong, so the raw material, the building blocks, are just right. They need a long run, and support, to eventually finish as the complete team.
A lot of this may seem a little far-fetched, but so were the critical anti-youth, conservative comments coming after two matches.
Mister Wright
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Close enough imo.
PhoenixFire
International Coach
Wow Sangakkara, what a gun.
I seriously reckon that people should be starting to look at Sangakkara alongside Gilchrist, comparing, on batting performances alone.
I seriously reckon that people should be starting to look at Sangakkara alongside Gilchrist, comparing, on batting performances alone.
dontcloseyoureyes
BARNES OUT
Sangakkara does his best work when he isn't keeping.
Point table math for the final?
Seems to me that for SL, the one remaining match with India is a must-win. Else they are out.
India can afford to lose the last one to SL, but then more or less must either win against Australia, or hope that SL loses both their encounters. So more options.
Australia are in the final. There appears to be a mathematical possibility otherwise involving them losing every match left (and the one to India badly conceding bonus point). And of SL beating India, but just narrowly but beating Australia twice, handily. But it defies too many immediate past realities.
Seems to me that for SL, the one remaining match with India is a must-win. Else they are out.
India can afford to lose the last one to SL, but then more or less must either win against Australia, or hope that SL loses both their encounters. So more options.
Australia are in the final. There appears to be a mathematical possibility otherwise involving them losing every match left (and the one to India badly conceding bonus point). And of SL beating India, but just narrowly but beating Australia twice, handily. But it defies too many immediate past realities.
honestbharani
Whatever it takes!!!
would have Sharma at 3 than Raina, tbh.