Team India...where are we heading
17-Dec-2012 a day when India looks like being defeated in the series by England, 2-1 probably.
It was hyped up to be a revenge series after Team India was thrashed in England previous year. That loss was attributed to not having a fit team with series of injuries to main players. But Team India had no answers to Australia where they were thrashed again by same margin 4-0.
In previous times this would have surely recalled for a wholesale changes to the team with captain being sacked, couple of major players being ignored for coming series & all other types of changes but this was year after World Cup win & selectors shown great faith in the same team. With Dravid, Laxman calling it a day, it was barely a matter of time before restructuring should have happened. Its still has not.
Everybody was waiting for Team India to be in home conditions & then things would go back to normal. With India's awesome record at home, it was easy to expect they will do well. They did against West Indies & New Zealand. Then the real test arrived & what a great start to series. A rank turner welcomed England in Ahmedabad, where Team India racked up a huge score & applied pressure on England. They did succumbed to the pressure but the signs were very healthy in their second innings. Cook was already batting like a man possessed. Man who had blunted Aussie attack in their own den was back to his best which was scoring heavily & wearing the opposition down.
What followed in Mumbai & Kolkata was just a result for a determined team willing to apply themselves like their life depended on it. England played exceptionally well in both the tests. Batted superbly around Cook with KP & Matt Prior playing major support with others chipping in at appropriate times & spinners spun the web around the batsmen who were known to be the best against spin. They crumbled. Partly because the pressure from the bowlers & partly from their own inability to scrap it out in the middle. The openers were struggling big time, Pujara was unlucky & impatient at time. Tendulkar was overanxious, overcautious & at times playing the bowler & not the ball. Kohli, the blue eyed boy of Team India was too desperate to show his skills & was struggling to spend time at crease. Dhoni , Yuvraj with their own techniques were not effective at all. Pace bowlers were struggling to get the breakthroughs. Ashwin was neatly handled by England , Ojha was alone carrying the attack.
My analysis of the whole series was batsmen failed miserably to score huge runs & did not set up matches for bowlers to go for the kill. It was hard work for bowlers who are also to be blamed if not equally.
Not sure if change in leadership would help at this stage, as everybody is playing for their place in the side. Not many in the domestic cricket are pushing too hard. Those who have been given chances to prove themselves at highest level have not been able to grasp it. But thinking ahead, some of the changes are must. There has to be a team built around Pujara & Kohli. New openers must be tried alternatively against the Aussies in coming series, middle order has to be planned after the great man at No. 4 calls it a day, or even him being there. A bowling all rounder who can score few runs at No. 7 & takes slip catches, not Kallis exactly, but someone who can offer the team the balance. I still believe we have a good attacking spinner in Ojha. Ashwin must find ways to get more wickets as he is being now analyzed & handled lot better. Pace bowling must be built around one express bowler & one swing , seam bowler. May be Yadav.... too young to take charge but this is the time to stand up. Also the captaincy must be handled delicately as it might destroy the soul of young batsmen. The coaching staff must also share the blame along with team. They have been too much behind the scenes & appear clueless at times. Selectors as well as the board are also the guilty party. How come a man sitting atop of BCCI can own one of the IPL team. The role has to be separated. There is no question about it.
Its too much to expect Argus review kind of thing. But at least, tough questions must be asked to the accountable people. They must be held responsible for the actions & results in the field.
It was 2007 after first round exit in the world cup, the wholesale changes were done, we were lucky to see the result in 2011. Its long long road ahead we might not see the same heights in Test cricket. But the intent should be there.
Desperate times call for desperate changes. Time is really here.
In short, I am reacting like an Indian fan. But I have every right to ask it from a team & why not I am a Team India fan & will remain so.
It was hyped up to be a revenge series after Team India was thrashed in England previous year. That loss was attributed to not having a fit team with series of injuries to main players. But Team India had no answers to Australia where they were thrashed again by same margin 4-0.
In previous times this would have surely recalled for a wholesale changes to the team with captain being sacked, couple of major players being ignored for coming series & all other types of changes but this was year after World Cup win & selectors shown great faith in the same team. With Dravid, Laxman calling it a day, it was barely a matter of time before restructuring should have happened. Its still has not.
Everybody was waiting for Team India to be in home conditions & then things would go back to normal. With India's awesome record at home, it was easy to expect they will do well. They did against West Indies & New Zealand. Then the real test arrived & what a great start to series. A rank turner welcomed England in Ahmedabad, where Team India racked up a huge score & applied pressure on England. They did succumbed to the pressure but the signs were very healthy in their second innings. Cook was already batting like a man possessed. Man who had blunted Aussie attack in their own den was back to his best which was scoring heavily & wearing the opposition down.
What followed in Mumbai & Kolkata was just a result for a determined team willing to apply themselves like their life depended on it. England played exceptionally well in both the tests. Batted superbly around Cook with KP & Matt Prior playing major support with others chipping in at appropriate times & spinners spun the web around the batsmen who were known to be the best against spin. They crumbled. Partly because the pressure from the bowlers & partly from their own inability to scrap it out in the middle. The openers were struggling big time, Pujara was unlucky & impatient at time. Tendulkar was overanxious, overcautious & at times playing the bowler & not the ball. Kohli, the blue eyed boy of Team India was too desperate to show his skills & was struggling to spend time at crease. Dhoni , Yuvraj with their own techniques were not effective at all. Pace bowlers were struggling to get the breakthroughs. Ashwin was neatly handled by England , Ojha was alone carrying the attack.
My analysis of the whole series was batsmen failed miserably to score huge runs & did not set up matches for bowlers to go for the kill. It was hard work for bowlers who are also to be blamed if not equally.
Not sure if change in leadership would help at this stage, as everybody is playing for their place in the side. Not many in the domestic cricket are pushing too hard. Those who have been given chances to prove themselves at highest level have not been able to grasp it. But thinking ahead, some of the changes are must. There has to be a team built around Pujara & Kohli. New openers must be tried alternatively against the Aussies in coming series, middle order has to be planned after the great man at No. 4 calls it a day, or even him being there. A bowling all rounder who can score few runs at No. 7 & takes slip catches, not Kallis exactly, but someone who can offer the team the balance. I still believe we have a good attacking spinner in Ojha. Ashwin must find ways to get more wickets as he is being now analyzed & handled lot better. Pace bowling must be built around one express bowler & one swing , seam bowler. May be Yadav.... too young to take charge but this is the time to stand up. Also the captaincy must be handled delicately as it might destroy the soul of young batsmen. The coaching staff must also share the blame along with team. They have been too much behind the scenes & appear clueless at times. Selectors as well as the board are also the guilty party. How come a man sitting atop of BCCI can own one of the IPL team. The role has to be separated. There is no question about it.
Its too much to expect Argus review kind of thing. But at least, tough questions must be asked to the accountable people. They must be held responsible for the actions & results in the field.
It was 2007 after first round exit in the world cup, the wholesale changes were done, we were lucky to see the result in 2011. Its long long road ahead we might not see the same heights in Test cricket. But the intent should be there.
Desperate times call for desperate changes. Time is really here.
In short, I am reacting like an Indian fan. But I have every right to ask it from a team & why not I am a Team India fan & will remain so.
posted by Yogesh Mahajan's Blog | 9:51 PM
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