*Official* Indian Domestic Season 2004/2005

[Arjun]

The change bowlers have got hammered, so Bhandari was brought back to stem the run flow. Joginder definitely has had his problems in the limited overs game, particularly this phase- this is the first time he has bowled with the white ball under lights.

 

[Arjun]

What's the matter with the pitch? Looks a belter. If this is what they're preparing for an important tournament, don't expect any ODI victories for the Indians.

 

[Arjun]

Dhoni gets his century, as expected, making up for the mistakes in the last match. Hopefully Powar and Sharma know what they have done wrong and look to improve in the next match- it could be their last.

 

[amokk1]

Thanks for the coms Arjun. I think Ganguly is performed really poorly even though he was not even under pressure.

MS Dhoni looks very promising. I think Laxman played a good knock thus showing again that he is a good player. Shewag is disappointing a usual with his HIT and MISS innings, expect more from a player of his calibre.

Apart from that, I think there are few promising players coming through. Btw, do they show the domestic season cricket on TV in India ?

 

[Arjun]

Thanks for the coms Arjun. I think Ganguly is performed really poorly even though he was not even under pressure.

MS Dhoni looks very promising. I think Laxman played a good knock thus showing again that he is a good player. Shewag is disappointing a usual with his HIT and MISS innings, expect more from a player of his calibre.

Apart from that, I think there are few promising players coming through. Btw, do they show the domestic season cricket on TV in India ?

Commentary- I seem to be the only person running this thread, which is disappointing. On SportNetwork's ICF, you have long, serious discussions about anything related to Indian cricket, and heavy threads about domestic matches. Here, someone would ask- Who's Gaurav Dhiman? Why Joginder Sharma? That's sad.

Ganguly- He's not godo enough for ODI's anyomre. He's worse on the field than Laxman and even Nehra, he doesn't even run, nor does he hit boundaries thick and fast. He can stay on a little longer in Tests, but he's had it in ODI's.

Laxman, Dhoni, Sehwag- Sehwag has disappointed so far with the bat, but he's bowled very well. It's surprising to know he doesn't like bowling so much- that can solve a MAJOR problem plaguing the Indian team for a long time. He's had his injuries, but he can run through 7 or 8 overs quickly, so it's not bad at all. Dhoni's ODI material- enough said. Laxman is a class act.

Promising players- Their performances in the challenger Trophy should not be used to gauge them- this is too small a sample space. Rather, the tournament should serve as a learning experience for Joginder, Gagandeep, Bose and Yusuf Pathan. They know what's worked for them and what went wrong, so they can improve.

 

[Arjun]

Anybody who thinks Satyajit Parab or Niraj Patel will even get into an India A side will be mistaken. Does the team need more batsmen? You have as many as 7 who can make the national team and 7 reserves, so you don't need more batsmen. What's the point in preparing pitches so heavily in favour of the batsmen?

 

[amokk1]

Here, someone would ask- Who's Gaurav Dhiman? Why Joginder Sharma? That's sad.

Haha, Something I would ask, but that's because I live In Fiji. Rugby is the countries national sport. I have no chance of watching domestic cricket matches on TV...and I can't be bothered reading online comms all the time.

 

[Arjun]

Haha, Something I would ask, but that's because I live In Fiji. Rugby is the countries national sport. I have no chance of watching domestic cricket matches on TV...and I can't be bothered reading online comms all the time.

Why Fiji or the United States, even in India, they don't show domestic cricket matches! They may not have enough market value, but nor do the old athletics and gymnastics reruns that DD Sports show. It would cost the BCCI NOTHING to get the matches shown on DD Sports, and it would also boost the channel's viewership. Besides, DD Sports have enough support to improve the coverage of cricket in India- they way they do it, they're the subject of jokes!

 

[Pratters]

Is S.Raina ignored for the Challenger series after excellent performance in the Zonal ODIs?

 

[Arjun]

Is S.Raina ignored for the Challenger series after excellent performance in the Zonal ODIs?

No, he got both matches, but had contributed little in one, and had little to do in the other. He's a top contender for a spot in the Indian ODI side, with Ganguly and Yuvraj not in good form. Still, it does not matter how much he scores in this series, but the experience he gets when he's playing the top ODI players in India.

Besides, they don't need just another batsman- the pool is overflowing. They need all-rounders. That said, Sehwag bowled 10 overs and sneaked in a maiden, conceding just 27 runs without a wicket and then took two wickets in today's match, for 59 runs in 9 overs. He should be considered a regular bowler in ODI's. Then again, it's the pitches that are terrible. Why complain about the lack of quality fast bowlers or all-rounders when the OD pitches favour batsmen and nobody else?

 

[Pratters]

Ganguly- He's not godo enough for ODI's anyomre. He's worse on the field than Laxman and even Nehra, he doesn't even run, nor does he hit boundaries thick and fast. He can stay on a little longer in Tests, but he's had it in ODI's.

And why was Ganguly not playing the Zonal ODI competition when star players like Sehwag were? It was a quality competition no doubt but one would imagine the Indian captain would have done better than attend felicitation and dance in his bar at Ganguly's had he played the competition and thought about improving fitness.

 

[Arjun]

Then there are diabolical plans of making a batsman out of every wicketkeeper in every FC side. This involves batting these keepers at positions higher than what benefits them and the team, and often has disastrous results. A certain Ibrahim Khaleel opened the innings for South Zone, only to get out for zero. They're forced to be good keepers ad batsmen, and end up being neither. Rather than put unnecessary pressure on wicketkeepers, the bowlers should be encouraged to improve their batting, particularly their six-hitting and four-hitting.

 

[Arjun]

Now Dinesh Mongia gets another wicket. How wil that help the Indian ODI side? This should have been used to test the strike bowlers and give them the full ten overs, with attacking fields, so that you have a pace attack ready for ODI's. But vested interests result in the recurrence of such obnoxious plans.

 

[adharcric]

Now Dinesh Mongia gets another wicket. How wil that help the Indian ODI side? This should have been used to test the strike bowlers and give them the full ten overs, with attacking fields, so that you have a pace attack ready for ODI's. But vested interests result in the recurrence of such obnoxious plans.

Hmm yeah that's true, maybe Mongia can bowl a few useful overs if he gets selected? As far as the pace attack goes, I think Pathan/Khan/Nehra/Bhandari/Balaji/Agarkar are the contenders now, in that particular order. I would've liked to see a batting bowler like AA or Sharma, but they both have been poor with the ball recently. I think we might have a 3-pronged left-arm pace attack along with Harbhajan in the ODIs, unless Balaji is impressive in the Challenger final.

 

[honestbharani]

I think the bowlers performance in the upcoming Duleep Trophy would mean more than their performance on such flat tracks.

 

[Arjun]

Hmm yeah that's true, maybe Mongia can bowl a few useful overs if he gets selected?

The team does NOT need such bowlers- bowl three overs today, ten the next, nothing on the third. They get little practice and are highly inconsistent. If you put together 10 overs from such bowlers, your bowling attack has a VERY weak link. Pakistan's batsmen have exploited this weakness repeatedly in the recent past. They need someone who can bowl 10 overs regularly, and Sehwag is good enough for that. In the last two matches, he bowled 19 overs.

would've liked to see a batting bowler like AA or Sharma, but they both have been poor with the ball recently.

Agarkar may never change, nor will his build improve drastically, but it was not fair to expect so much of Sharma. He's just played 3 matches with a white ball and he's young, raw and has had little experience. This tournament should be a learning curve for him, for he will now know what he should do with the white ball. However, this is the only white-ball OD series played in India- the Ranji OD's and Deodhar series are still played through the day with red balls, mostly on club grounds. Sharma has performed well with the ball in the other OD tournaments he has played.

 

[Arjun]

India Seniors are in deep trouble, at 111/5. They still have Ganguly on 50 and Niraj Patel on 13. The leading wicket-taker for India A is RP Singh, with 3/28 (the same bowler just bowled 5 overs last time), while Zaheer and Paul have one each.

 

[amokk1]

By the way MS Dhoni's series has been, he looks like another Shewag. Hit and Miss.

As for Ganguly, I think he should be in the ODI Squad, and not the test series. Why on earth is Laxman being dropped before ganguly ?

 

[Arjun]

By the way MS Dhoni's series has been, he looks like another Shewag. Hit and Miss.

As for Ganguly, I think he should be in the ODI Squad, and not the test series. Why on earth is Laxman being dropped before ganguly ?

The other way round. He has been averaging over 50 in his last 11 Tests (not that it makes much of a difference), so he can stay a little longer there, but he's not right for ODI's- he plays out too many dot balls and scratches a lot, and can't field.

Dhoni is different from the rest of the Indian batting side, since he attacks a lot. It pays off, since it can win a match when it succeeds. Moreover, he too has a second skill to fall back on.

 

[amokk1]

I guess he looks more promising then Karthik and Patel. Everyone now wants a Wicketkeeper who bats.