***Official*** Sri Lanka in India

[Jono]

Well Ganguly didn't make the cut!

 

[cricketboy29]

Aint it great?, im hoping that this emphasis on performance, rather than, reputation will last for a long time, and that the indian selector's stick by it. Please let them stick by it


BTW, nice stuff, arjun, couldnt agree with you more, mate, and this rejuventation is just so so thrilling to hear, i dont believe it.

 

[adharcric]

Now I know Indiatimes' slide shows are nothing but trash. Their latest offering ridicules the selectors for 'picking the 31-year-old JP Yadav over the 33-year-old Ganguly', like it's the biggest mistake they could ever make!

So what if he's so old? What do they want? A team full of teenagers? No please! Not more Parthiv Patels!

Then they do a skill-for-skill comparison with Ganguly. Sure, Ganguly may have far better ODI figures, but they're primarily because of his glory days in the late 90's. He now struggles like a one-day misfit, so much that JP can't be far worse than him. Not to mention, his running between wickets is absolutely chaotic, often nonexistent.

Then they compare their bowling abilities. If Ganguly was really as good as JP Yadav as a bowler, why doesn't he bowl as many overs as the strikers? Why does he just come on for an over or two? And why would the selectors actually look for all-rounders when they have him? Because Ganguly NEVER took his bowling seriously- he now bowls in the 110's, with an action of a three-year-old child, and no-balls countless times. Even as captain, he never took it upon himself to bowl his full quota of ten overs a match. And in Tests? He rarely or never bowled!

As for JP, he has not only bowled the bulk of his State/Zone team's overs, but he's also often bowled with the new ball. He now bowls extended spells, with a rather good action, and has got more pace, even if it's only in the 120's. His fielding may not be of the same standard as Sodhi or Sharma, but he does little wrong. There's a reason why he was picked. He serves a purpose. And the selectors should be complimented for that.

Bad show, Indiatimes.

I read the same trash on TOI and had the exact same reaction. They claim that Ganguly can match Yadav's wicket-to-wicket economical bowling, that's ********. Ganguly's fielding, running between the wickets and bad attitude are also against him in comparison to Yadav. Besides, the fact that they were so desperate that they had to compare Ganguly (a specialist batsman) with an all-rounder to prove his merit says enough.

 

[Sanz]

SL absolutely at sea against the rejuvenated Indian Team led by Sachin, the Dravid/Chappell leadership Team and the brilliance of Pathan .

This is heading for the worst drubbing SL have ever had in India.

Some of the over-inflated SL batsman who show off their best against the might of Bangla and Zim and keep their best for home grounds , don't seem to be able to do the same against India in Indian pitches or are badly out of touch , and are trying to find excuses for their poor batting .

Some of the old men at the top of the order are particularly noticeably struggling .

Or may be this SL team isn't as good as it is made out to be. Earlier they had great players like Desilva and Ranatunga whose performance would mask the weakness of other batsmen. TBF, except for Sangakkara, I am not impressed by any SL newcomer (batsman..that is) and it is showing up in their performance.

Same goes for India, I think we are looking too much into this performance. SRT & RD are fine(they almost always have been against SL), but other than that I dont think any of our newcomer has been tested yet. I hope that SL show some good performance so that we can truly evaluate our young talents. So far Rao, Raina, Yadav, Santh etc have not shown anything to me.

 

[Sanz]

Well, it is too early to say, but if what happened over the last week keeps happening (as I hope it does), I think he will have an easy job proving those guys wrong.

Exactly...that's what happens when you use one or two games to prove your point.

 

[Pratters]

Exactly...that's what happens when you use one or two games to prove your point.

And you are referring to what exactly.

 

[aussie]

so what is this it for Ganguly or what?

 

[Pratters]

so what is this it for Ganguly or what?

I would not say this is it for Ganguly. Come backs from more unlikely positions have occured in Indian cricket.

Ganguly has been a quality one day batsman. The road is tough for him but I wont venture out and say its impossible.

 

[honestbharani]

Ganguly does not find a place in the current side because many in this side haven't even had a chance to be tested yet. I don't think we should read too much into this at the moment. The selectors have stuck with a winning team, that is all.

 

[Jono]

How can you not read much into this? Its not the end of Ganguly, but in the space of a few months he's gone from being the captain... to not even being selected in the team whilst 100% fit. Even if he does come back into the team, that's still a big statement.

 

[honestbharani]

I think Sourav would have come in had guys like Rao been tested and found wanting in the first two ODIs. I still think that the doors are not shut on him permanently. Anyways, it would be hard to understand if he doesn't find a place in the ODI side and yet plays in the test series.

 

[lionheart]

SL absolutely at sea against the rejuvenated Indian Team led by Sachin, the Dravid/Chappell leadership Team and the brilliance of Pathan .

This is heading for the worst drubbing SL have ever had in India.

Some of the over-inflated SL batsman who show off their best against the might of Bangla and Zim and keep their best for home grounds , don't seem to be able to do the same against India in Indian pitches or are badly out of touch , and are trying to find excuses for their poor batting .

Some of the old men at the top of the order are particularly noticeably struggling .

Yeah I completely agree, I was finally thinking over the last 8 or so months maybe the SL side was back to being a quality outfit, but clearly I was mistaken. I was totally speechless and shamed as I listened to the match on radio.

I think everyone has always known our batting was unstable any time a few wickets went in quick succession since the departure of De Silva and Ranatunga and Gurasingha from the middle order, but what is going on with the bowling? We need to make some changes, Zoysa is a joke, why is he in the team, he rarely puts in a good performances at home, let alone one overseas. Bring Malinga into the one day squad. He will worry the Indians with his unorthodox style and pace and more importantly will get wickets. Who cares if he does at times struggle with his line and length? You have to throw him into the deep end sometime if he is going to learn to swim. Maybe it is time to try out Bandara.

Back onto the batting, in theory batting against the Indian bowling attack should be a veritable cakewalk. I've always been on the opinion that both Jayawardene and Arnold have had way too many chances. They continue to screw up far more often than they deliver, at least Arnold has been in and out the squad, but Jayawardene has been left to his own devises, and Dilshan seems to be going down a similar path. I’m also really starting to question Atapattu as well, he is a great captain but his batting is so hit and miss, even against poor sides. There are a number of really good prospects that haven't been tried out at the top level, I mean one would think that’s the least that the selectors could do right? But they seem to be of the opinion that it’s better to stick with the failure that is widely recognized, rather than the possible failure that remains unconfirmed. And for crying out loud, put Tharanga back into the team! I don't even understand why he was dropped; he was in great form before the start of the Indian series.

 

[SJS]

There is an article today by Trevor Chesterfield in which he suggests resting Jayasuriya for a few games till his shoulder heals and he is able to bowl as well as field (proving he is fit I presume) as well as Murali.

He has suggested Sangakara to open with Thiranga with Samaraweera at three and Atapattu at four or five. He also suggests that Jayasuriya when he comes back after the prescribed rest should bat at number six. That gives a top order like
1. Sangakarra
2. Thiranga
3. Samaraweera
4. Jayawardane (I guess)
5. Atapattu
6. Jayasuriya

One hasnt much of an idea about Thiranga and Samaraweera. What do Sri Lankan fans like Jason think of this suggestion.

Here is the complete article

Interestingly, there is an article on the same page suggesting the Indian batting has a settled look about it with
1. Tendulkar
2. Sehwag
3. Kaif (when he is back)
4. Dravid
5. Yuvraj
6. Dhoni

with JP Yadav, Pathan and Agarkar to follow and then two more bowlers.

Not too much off the target really.

Of course those on the bench could threaten for places like Raina for JP Yadav's, Venu for Kaif or Yuvraj's etc.

The complete article

 

[Prince EWS]

He has suggested Sangakara to open with Thiranga with Samaraweera at three and Atapattu at four or five. He also suggests that Jayasuriya when he comes back after the prescribed rest should bat at number six. That gives a top order like
1. Sangakarra
2. Thiranga
3. Samaraweera
4. Jayawardane (I guess)
5. Atapattu
6. Jayasuriya

I quite like that order, actually. Not really sure about Samaraweera though - although he has improved in this area of late, he really doesnt take enough singles to be considered a number 3 for ODIs. He heavily relies on boundaries and could easily become bogged down in an ODI.

 

[honestbharani]

I quite like that order, actually. Not really sure about Samaraweera though - although he has improved in this area of late, he really doesnt take enough singles to be considered a number 3 for ODIs. He heavily relies on boundaries and could easily become bogged down in an ODI.

A bit like Laxman, I guess.

 

[Prince EWS]

A bit like Laxman, I guess.

Laxman-like, but much more exaggerated.

His bowling could be quite useful in ODIs I guess, but with the likes of Dilshan, Jayasuirya, Chandana etc, does one really need another batsman who can bowl spin?

 

[honestbharani]

Laxman-like, but much more exaggerated.

His bowling could be quite useful in ODIs I guess, but with the likes of Dilshan, Jayasuirya, Chandana etc, does one really need another batsman who can bowl spin?

esp. on our flat ODI tracks and smallish grounds. These spinners can easily get slaughtered unless they have something special up their sleeves.

 

[Jono]

There is an article today by Trevor Chesterfield in which he suggests resting Jayasuriya for a few games till his shoulder heals and he is able to bowl as well as field (proving he is fit I presume) as well as Murali.

He has suggested Sangakara to open with Thiranga with Samaraweera at three and Atapattu at four or five. He also suggests that Jayasuriya when he comes back after the prescribed rest should bat at number six. That gives a top order like
1. Sangakarra
2. Thiranga
3. Samaraweera
4. Jayawardane (I guess)
5. Atapattu
6. Jayasuriya
The complete article

Yeah I was listening to Chesterfield on the audio commentary at Cricbuzz.com (Man he has an irritating voice though, very screechy like there's a spanner stuck in his throat) during the 2nd ODI and he was suggesting this. I definitely think they need to rest Jayasuriya. That batting order looks alright, I reckon Sangakkara must become a permanent opener from now on because Atapattu and Jayasuriya don't have many years left.

 

[lionheart]

There is an article today by Trevor Chesterfield in which he suggests resting Jayasuriya for a few games till his shoulder heals and he is able to bowl as well as field (proving he is fit I presume) as well as Murali.

He has suggested Sangakara to open with Thiranga with Samaraweera at three and Atapattu at four or five. He also suggests that Jayasuriya when he comes back after the prescribed rest should bat at number six. That gives a top order like
1. Sangakarra
2. Thiranga
3. Samaraweera
4. Jayawardane (I guess)
5. Atapattu
6. Jayasuriya

One hasnt much of an idea about Thiranga and Samaraweera. What do Sri Lankan fans like Jason think of this suggestion.

Samaraweera is a good option in theory. Forget about his bowling ability, he is handy, but he is a better batsman than a bowler. He would definately put some structure into that batting line up, but the thing is, he has never delivered in one day matches, look at his average in test cricket (50.41) and then his one day average (17.54).
Moving Marv down the order is a good move, there is no point in his current form to put him at the top of the oder and gift the Indians an extra early wicket, and the same could be said of Jayasuriya (if he isn't rested, which i doubt will happen considering the current state of the series, as too Murali).

 

[Woody_cloudofsm]

Sanga is not an opener he should play at 3

Attapati and Jayasuriya are stalwarts they will come good give them another chance at the top with sanga at 3 samaraweera at 4 jaywardne dilshan whoever else to follow.