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October 12, 2007

Virender Sehwag will lead the India Blue team

India's top three cricketers - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid - will not take part in the upcoming NKP Salve Challenger Trophy with the selectors deciding to rest them in view of the busy schedule ahead. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan have also been rested from the tournament to be held in Ahmedabad from October 25 to 28.

Virender Sehwag, who was not part of India's one-day team, will lead the India Blue team while Mohammad Kaif was named captain of India Red. Wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel will captain India Green.

All the players who have joined the Indian Cricket League were not named in any of the three teams announced by BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah through a press release. Although the release did not specify why the senior players were left out, a BCCI source said it was done only to give them some rest ahead of the series against Pakistan and Australia.

Pakistan were scheduled to visit India in November and December for three Tests and five one-dayers which would be followed by India's tour of Australia.

The tournament will provide a chance for Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina and others who are looking to cement their place in the Indian team. Murali Kartik, who got a surprise recall to the senior side after a long gap midway through the ongoing series against Australia, has found a place in the Green team.

Each team will play once against each other to decide the finalists.

Teams:

India Red: Mohammad Kaif (capt), Karan Goel, Gautam Gambhir, Subramaniam Badrinath, Virat Kohli, Ravneet Ricky, Praveen Kumar, Mahesh Rawat (wk), Pragyan Ojha, Sidharth Trivedi, Ishant Sharma, Pinal Shah, Srikant Munde, Paresh Patel.

India Blue: Virender Sehwag (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Suresh Raina, Neeraj Patel, Arjun Yadav, Joginder Sharma, Ramesh Powar, Amit Mishra, Yo Mahesh, Randeb Bose, Swapnil Asnodkar, Rakesh V Dhruv, Saurav Bandekar

India Green: Parthiv Patel (capt/wk), Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Murali Kartik, Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Nayar, Niranjan Behra, Iqbal Abdullah, Pankaj Singh, Munaf Patel, Gagandeep Singh, Anirudh Srikant, Satyajeet Parab.

November 28, 2005

Inzamam-ul-Haq has often talked of the need to handle pressure as being the key to succeeding in international cricket. His best innings, as detailed below, have been compiled when the pressure has been at its greatest, and Inzamam at his most unflappable.

Inzamam-ul Haq's best innings: leading Pakistan to victory in the World Cup semi-final

60 v New Zealand, Auckland, 1992 World Cup semi-final. Pakistan won by four wickets.
The innings that catapulted Inzamam onto the international map helped Pakistan win the World Cup, and encapsulated what he means to Pakistan. He came in at 140 for 4, with 123 runs still needed at more than eight an over. Guided by the wily Javed Miandad in a partnership of 87 and abetted by some clean hitting, he departed 37 balls later with Pakistan on the verge of a famous victory. He rates it as his best innings "for the pressure I was playing under".

138* v Bangladesh, Multan, 2003. Pakistan won by one wicket
In his home town for a comeback series after a disastrous World Cup and an embarrassing defeat against newcomers - pressure, what pressure? Inzamam farmed the strike superbly, mixing defiance with aggression as Pakistan chased 261 on a seaming wicket. He then ran out Umar Gul and teetered precariously between villain and hero as the debutant rabbit Yasir Ali came out to bat with four still needed. Inzi got the strike, flicked behind square for his 20th boundary, and ensured he became a hero. "I just kept thinking there was no way we could lose this Test," he said.

Inzamam-ul-Haq lashes out during his matchwinning innings against Bangladesh

329 v New Zealand, Lahore, 2002. Pakistan won by an innings and 324 runs
A masterly knock in searing heat, and one in which the last 108 runs came mostly in boundaries as Inzamam battled severe cramps. He batted for nearly 10 hours, hit 38 boundaries, and dispelled doubts over his fitness. It was Pakistan's most comprehensive Test victory. "I was trying to break the world record by hitting boundaries - I only had Danish [Kaneria] left." Inzamam hit three of his nine sixes off Brooke Walker in one over before perishing chasing a fourth.

122 v India, Karachi, 2004. India won by five runs
Inzamam out-batted the world's best batting line-up and did it with a nonchalance that bordered on the psychotic given the target (350). He flicked, cut, swept, drove and ran hard to a majestic century, taking Pakistan to within five runs of victory. The shot of the day? A lazy flick off a good-length ball from a bewildered Ashish Nehra through square leg for four. An innings not likely to be forgotten by those who saw it.

Chasing 350: Inzamam-ul-Haq made a valiant 122 against India

201* for United Bank Limited v Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, 1989. UBL won by six wickets
The innings that propelled him into the national limelight. After a young speedster by the name of Waqar Younis had ripped through PNSC in the first innings with 6 for 33, Inzamam came in at one down on a seaming wicket and proceeded to dominate a line-up that included the Test bowler Azeem Hafeez and Amin Lakhani, a veteran left-arm spinner, for 249 minutes. Haroon Rasheed believes it to be the best innings he has seen. "It was a difficult track - and he was only 19 at the time, but he destroyed them."

184 v India, Bangalore, March 2005. Pakistan won by 168 runs
One down in the series and a second series loss to India in one year beckoned. The entrance was much as usual; Pakistan in trouble at 7 for 2, Inzamam looking distinctly unworried. He carried on much the same way from the moment he hit his first boundary, a hunched push with a little hop for afters through cover. Thereafter, he varied only in tempo not temperament; till 50 you barely noticed him, but after it, right after lunch, he detonated. By the time he approached his 21st century, he had settled down again, methodical in his singles and easy in his boundaries. He departed to his first ball on the second morning, but by then with Younis Khan, had put Pakistan well on their way to a series-leveling win. It was the 16th time out of 21 that his century had led to a win.

Scourging England: Inzamam-ul-Haq equals and goes past Javed Miandad

86 v India, Mohali, March 2005 Match drawn
Inzamam's angriest innings, and thus one of his best. In a huff he walked out after, improbably on another flat pitch, Pakistan's top order contributed three horrendous dismissals to the first ten runs of the second innings. Soon after he began, he poached three boundaries in an over from Balaji. The last one, no more than a crouched defensive push to the right of mid-off, warned of his mood and form. Anil Kumble, a traditional tormentor, was bludgeoned back over his head in signature Inzamam style. When he departed 105 balls later, for the second time in a year, he had sparkled brightest among the most celebrated modern day batting line-up, and more importantly, given Kamran Akmal and Abdul Razzaq a base from which to save the match the next day.

109 & 100* v England, Faisalabad, November 2005 Match drawn
Only in comparison to what he had been doing for the past year, do these innings pale slightly. They seemed inevitable, given how composed and untroubled he had appeared through the series. He steadied the ship in the first, only to be dismissed in contention, but for the second, on the final morning, he saved his best. He resumed on 41, with only the tail, albeit stodgy, for company. Refusing to farm the strike conventionally, he allowed his partners to take away time, while he took the target further away from England. He scored 59 off the 85 runs Pakistan made that morning, six of them from a thunderous slog off Harmison over the back over his head. The two innings prompted Michael Vaughan to call him the only difference between the two sides throughout the match. Oh, and he also equalled and then broke Javed Miandad's long-standing record as the highest century-maker for Pakistan.

'Inzamam is Pakistan's best batting talent'

October 7, 2007

Rameez Raja: "Inzamam had this ability to score runs when it mattered the most, under pressure"

Rameez Raja: Inzamam-ul-Haq is all set to retire from international cricket after the second Test against South Africa and the world will miss a genius, so here's wishing him all the luck.

I first heard of Inzamam from my brother Wasim Raja, who had taken him with the Pakistan U-19 team to the West Indies in 1988. Traditionally the U-19 set-up would throw up names of fast bowlers, but to hear a batsman being spoken about as a genius was a pleasant surprise.

Later, at the end of the year, Inzamam attended a nets session of the Pakistan team for a try out and the rest, as they say, is history. He had to wait for all of us to finish our session, and I distinctly remember, in the dying light at the Gadaffi stadium in Lahore, he hit the Pakistani bowlers into the stands, pulling so ferociously that almost all the balls were lost. He had presence, power, a great eye, and time to play fast bowling. We had surely unearthed Pakistan's best-ever batting talent.

Inzy turned out to be a dressing-room delight as well. He had a very dry sense of humour. His fans and friends were once pestering him to describe the best way of playing [Muttiah] Muralitharan and his reply was, "The best way to play Murali is not to play him at all."

He was always in control of his emotions, which allowed him to think clearly through difficult cricketing situations. I would rate him as Pakistan's best player under pressure because some 19-odd centuries of the 25 that he scored were match-winning efforts. He had a Zen-like calmness, especially when he was batting with the tail, and that spurred everyone around him to play above their best. He never believed too much in practising, but he had this great ability to score runs when it mattered the most, under pressure.

As an individual, he weathered many regime changes to have an uninterrupted run as a Pakistani cricketer.

He has been great for Pakistan cricket. He was the ayatollah of the team and he will surely be missed.

For the better part of two decades Inzamam-ul-Haq has earned the respect of bowlers the world over. Cricinfo asked five men who went head to head with the man for their impressions of him.

Kumble has been among the very few bowlers who has had consistent success against Inzamam

Anil Kumble
He was one of the top five batsmen I bowled to in international cricket and I was fortunate enough to get him on more than a few occasions. He always had a lot of time, knew when to take the risk and when just to push along. He was very good at planning an innings.

Inzy could hang in there and control the game and guide the Pakistan batting, but at the same time he could occasionally become impatient.

I always felt that he was more vulnerable if he first faced spin when he came in than the fast bowlers, because against fast bowlers he could move his feet easily. I trapped him quite a few times in front of the stumps - not just because of his late foot movement, but also because I tended to bowl quicker since he was a bit suspect in front of the wicket.

If you weren't successful, he could be a challenge. As he proved against India, in his second-last Test here, in Bangalore during the 2005 series, where he just went on and on to pile up 184. My other favourite Inzy innings was the one against Bangladesh at Multan in 2003.

He was not someone who was aggressive in his body language; he was always self-contained. I don't think one could play mental games with him.

Favorite Inzamam shot The back-foot punch.

Allan Donald
Bowling to Inzy was almost like bowling to a brick wall. Everything about him was unfazed, nothing could rattle him - he was so solid. He was very calm of nature, and even as captain you felt he never got angry. The only time I saw him angry was when Pakistan were called off the field at The Oval last year.

As a batsman he was a very, very difficult guy to bowl to. He was not the most elegant batsman ever seen, but he was very effective in his own way - a bit like Steve Waugh; and I'm not comparing him to Steve Waugh, just comparing their natures. Inzi was very resilient and put a very high price on his wicket.

When he was playing really well he had all the time in the world and all the shots to go with it. He played from quite deep in the crease and that gave him more time. The minute you started coming a bit fuller, thinking you might get him through the gate, the timing of his shots was incredible. He had such good balance for a big guy.

Our strategy was to bowl a little bit fuller and make sure that it was on the off stump, and not middle and off, because he was very good working the ball off the stumps. In the first 15-20 balls he didn't really look to get into the ball or at the ball on the front foot, so we concentrated on bowling fuller and finishing on the off stump. Then we would try peppering in the short one from time to time, because the bounce had been his undoing here in South Africa sometimes.

You can't compare Inzy to any of his team-mates, or even former Pakistan batsmen. This guy, to me, was the one batsman who showed a bit more real guts: to get out there, apply himself, get over the hot period and get himself in Allan Donald

But over a period of time we realised we were wasting our time trying to bounce him early on because he almost wanted us to do that. What made our job difficult was he was very patient, and that was because he was very disciplined: He left a lot of balls and was a good judge of pitches and how to leave balls on the bounce or lack of bounce. He was good at wearing bowlers down. Sometimes it felt as though if anything was going to get him out it was him getting bored and playing a rash shot or running himself out. Mentally you couldn't upset him. It didn't matter what you said. In that respect he is like Jacques Kallis.

You can't compare Inzy to any of his team-mates, or even former Pakistan batsmen. This guy, to me, was the one batsman who showed a bit more real guts: to get out there, apply himself, get over the hot period and get himself in.

He was no doubt a great batsman and he would be in my top five: Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Steve Waugh, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mike Atherton.

Favourite Inzamam shot My favourite Inzy shot was the straight drive. He didn't really look to hit through the line to a ball that was full: he would always hit it down the ground past the bowler, the hallmark of a top-class player.

Damien Fleming
During the 1994 tour of Pakistan, in the game before my Test debut, at Karachi I was the twelfth man and I was asked to put the champagne on ice when the ninth wicket for Pakistan went down. But by the end of it Inzamam and Mushy [Mushtaq Ahmed] put on 60-odd to win the game. Inzamam showed a lot of maturity, a lot of class, putting faith in his partner not to panic even if he was a No. 11. He was an intelligent cricketer.

I did get Inzamam a few times early in his innings. Being a swing bowler I backed myself to get a nick or to trap him lbw early, as he was never a great starter, but once he got going he covered all types of bowling, playing with no obvious weakness. Like all great batsmen, once he got in the zone he didn't throw his wicket away - he went on to get big scores.

For a big man he didn't try and over-hit the ball. And he didn't need to, because he had wonderful timing and immense power.

Hoggard thinks he has his man, at Multan in 2005

Yes, he could be quite slow on his bat swing and on getting his front foot down at times, and so a couple of times I hit his pad before the bat came down. But over the years his defences couldn't be breached and the only way out then was to build the pressure and make him run hard between the wickets without giving him any cheap singles or doubles.

I still remember his great hundred against us in Hobart in 1999-00. At one point I was pretty flattened out and out of ideas. So I came round the wicket and bowled a couple of dot-balls and pushed him back. Then I thought I would bowl him the slower one, the offspinner, which used to get a lot of batsmen driving on the up. It came out perfectly but he picked it up, waited for it to land and just smashed it through the covers for four. Normally the weight of the batsman is on the back foot and the loopy one brings them forward, and if they are not to the pitch of the ball it goes in the air. But Inzy adjusted his shot and his timing - and this was during the second innings when it was real difficult. Only great players can do that.

One of my lasting memories of Inzy was during his last trip to Australia [2004-05]. The Australian press asked him what he felt about Glenn McGrath targetting him during the series. Inzy's response was, "Isn't that what bowlers do?" Always made his point in his own way without saying too much.

Favorite Inzamam shot I like batsmen who hook and pull and Inzi was always a good one to watch in that regard.

Chaminda Vaas
It was always a challenge to bowl to Inzamam, one of the greats of international cricket in both forms of the game. It was not difficult to bowl at him as such, but his was never a cheap wicket - he always was among runs. You had to bowl in good areas; the margin of error against him was very, very limited.

As a left-armer my natural delivery to him was the inswinger and that seemed to put him in trouble often, but if it was not pitched properly he would dominate soon. What I mean by good areas is: good line and length, around eight inches up always, and keep hitting particular spots the pitch which would get him.

For him it came naturally: he was very relaxed, just like Mark Waugh and Carl Hooper. Without a doubt he is among my top five batsmen Chaminda Vaas

Inzamam was as strong in defence as he was in attack. He had good eyes and was a good timer of the ball. He always made many runs on subcontinental wickets against both pace and spin.

I have seen very few cricketers in international cricket who have so much time to play their shots. For him it came naturally: he was very relaxed, just like Mark Waugh and Carl Hooper. Without a doubt he is among my top five batsmen.

Matthew Hoggard
Inzamam is one of the greatest batsmen that has ever lived. And one of his greatest virtues was that he had so much time for his shots. That was because he always hung back; he didn't lunge at the ball and get forward mentally - like all great batsmen in history.

He was very much an accumulator of runs but, having said that, you didn't know what mode he would come out in to bat. He could switch from defence to attack without any trouble. And he always looked to bat for long time.

Part of his success was that he played himself in - just looked to stay in till he got the pace of the wicket and the bounce. He would try and make sure he was still there when the bowlers were in their third or fourth spells, because that's when he scored the majority of his runs.

My strategy to get him was simple. He was susceptible to the lbw early on, with the ball nipping backwards, as he didn't move his feet that much. And he was too good to get easily riled mentally. Having said that, he could surprise you with his aggression on occasions. I remember in my second Test, at Old Trafford, I hit him on the head and the next ball he tried to hit me out of the ground. Thankfully he didn't connect properly.

Favorite Inzamam shot The hook and pull were his best shots - he just had so much time to play them.

October 12, 2007

'Against pace, on his day, he was the equal of any and the same reflexes made him probably the best slip Pakistan has had'

This is my Inzamam moment. At Mohali in 2005, Pakistan's top order had imploded tragic-comically against an imposing deficit. 10 for 3 in the fifth and heavy defeat read the scoreboard when Inzamam walked out. If his mood has ever been dark at the crease, it was here.

Laxmipathy Balaji bowled the innings' sixth over; Inzamam struck three boundaries off the first three balls, none of them deserving their fate. The last I will remember till I remember nothing else: from the back, the contours of his love handles visible, he gently hunched forward. As the left heel landed, bat met ball, a forward push, no more, but mid-off never had a chance. His 86 was unusually hurried, and though men below him saved the Test, without Inzamam they had nothing.

Others will remember other shots, other days: a World Cup semi-final six; the last-ball poke past point in Ahmedabad; the triple; a Karachi hundred against India; the Multan escape. But they all speak only one truth, that when Pakistan absolutely needed him, he pulled through. Not always, because he was needed most days and he wasn't one for the nine-to-five life. But much more often than not, he did and that is precious.

The environment, the personality, didn't exist for him to become a glam lone ranger like Lara. Javed Miandad, Salim Malik, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan all helped ease the burden, not always equally. Neither was he as driven, as ruthless as Tendulkar, Kallis or Ponting. A louder media might have helped, but that hunger would've done so more. Against pace, on his day, he was the equal of any and the same reflexes made him probably the best slip Pakistan has had.

A touch distasteful maybe to recall what he wasn't - because what he was, was special enough - but in a time of such batting excess, it is important to situate him. The first time his average reached 50 was in his 92nd Test. Only from his 100th, marked with a century and win, did he sustain it. Tragedy is, it fell below the milestone in his final Test.

'He was a caricature before captaincy: aloo, overweight, loves a nap, (and his food even more)'

Aamir Sohail, never one to call a spade by any other name, got to the core of the batsman Inzamam: a great player, a rare blend of force and delicacy yes, but could he have done even more? Ten hundreds in 378 ODIs says maybe, as do ordinary records against South Africa and Australia, the best bowling attacks of his time.

Two of his finest came against the best: an unbeaten fifty against Australia to chase Pakistan's highest Test target and a 92 the equal of any century at Port Elizabeth. Seventeen match-winning hundreds out of 25, among the best rates ever, also settles many debates. Batting so far down the ODI order hurt his conversion rate, but in a stiff chase, the heat on, Inzamam was the sharpest tack, capable of innings chiseled from ice.

This is all to nitpick, of course, especially as Pakistan has less batting heroes than it should. Much more convenient to say that alongside Javed Miandad he is the greatest Pakistani batsman and undoubtedly, one of the best, most compelling of modern batsmen.

Captaincy brought out the human in Inzamam, despite his reluctance for the post. He was a caricature before: aloo, overweight, loves a nap, (and his food even more), comedy runner, loses runs when he loses pounds, hits fans. He probably didn't mind it, because nobody minds goodwill, sympathy and endearment the world over.

His dry, sharp wit, already known to teammates, emerged when he had to address press conferences. He was also honest: asked to assess an under-utilised bowler's performance once, he replied, "If he had performed I could've told you."

The Bangalore win, on the last afternoon to level the series, was the making of Inzamam as leader. The allsorts attack he used then would today be good, honest Twenty20 material. Yet somehow he tricked Mohammad Sami, Arshad Khan, Shahid Afridi and Danish Kaneria into believing they could dismiss the most frightening batsmen in the world. And they did. On the field, Inzamam was never more alert, more harassed, more proactive and under greater strain.

A reassuring presence

That sparked a 15-month period in which Pakistan prospered under Inzamam and Bob Woolmer. Suddenly Pakistan calmed down, came together. With the bat, Inzamam touched his peak; five hundreds in 11 Tests at over 80, as Pakistan beat England, India and Sri Lanka.

But subsequently decay set in. Inzamam's calm became inertia, he drifted from Woolmer and religion, glue one year, became distraction the next. That most human of all maxims, that power corrupts, afflicted him. As Pakistan stumbled out of the World Cup in an ugly daze, Inzamam was famously accused of being a dictator, haughty and a maulvi (preacher).

In truth, he did things this last year which he shouldn't be remembered by, notably a cranky, emotional, accusatory press conference. His last dismissal was strange, but in a career that long a blemish or two (an uneasy, indirect entanglement in matchfixing was another) is human.

With Inzamam departs the last of 1992, when Pakistan cricket was a different world. Not that it was stable before, but that world has since come undone. Inzamam didn't keep it all together; he couldn't for no one person could, but he was there through all of it, the highs, the lows, the thick, the thin: a reassurance. In that alone, there is greatness.

October 11, 2007

A hefty fine and a 13-match ban for Shoaib

Shoaib Akhtar has been handed a 13-match ban and a fine of approximately US$57,000 for a number of breaches of discipline, including his spat with Mohammad Asif in South Africa. He has also been placed on a two-year probationary period during which any disciplinary breaches could result in a life ban.

A three-man disciplinary committee of the board announced the results of their investigations in to four separate charges against Shoaib. The most serious of the charges was the fight with Asif, but others included playing a charity match without authorisation, making statements to the press about last year's doping case and holding an unauthorised press conference in Pakistan about the incident with Asif, which saw him sent back from Johannesburg.

The ban, however, includes the seven matches already played at the ICC World Twenty20 and the two Tests against South Africa. Effectively, it means he will be available for the last ODI against South Africa but more realistically, the tour to India.

"We have decided to ban Shoaib for 13 international matches," said Shafqat Naghmi, the Pakistan board's chief operating officer. "These include Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 matches. We have upheld the five-match ban given to him by Talat Ali in South Africa [for hitting Asif] and given him an eight-match ban on top of that. We have also fined him Rs3.4 million. The match-ban will run consecutively."

As well as deducting disciplinary points [a component in deciding central contracts] Naghmi added that Shoaib is now on probation and any breach of contract or disciplinary issues could result in a life ban over the next two years.

Shoaib, who was present at the press conference, has the right to appeal but said he was eager to put the matter behind him now. "I have apologised to Asif, my team-mates, the country. It was a nightmare for me and something that happened in the heat of the moment. I have suffered enough in the last four weeks.

"I want to put this matter behind me now and focus on cricket. I want to thank the board for considering this matter carefully. I will pay what penalties I have to but I want to get ready for India now."

The decision to select Shoaib for the India tour, to begin from November 1, or the final ODI against South Africa, will be left to the selectors now.

Fast bowler wants to play four-day game before return

October 11, 2007

Shoaib Akhtar: "I just want to repeat what I've achieved there, [like] getting Sachin [Tendulkar] out off the first ball"

Shoaib Akhtar, handed a 13-match ban and a fine for various disciplinary breaches, has said he is looking forward to the series against India in November, a tour he will be available for after serving out his ban.

"I want to go to India as it will probably be my last tour," Shoaib told a television channel in Lahore. "I'm 32 now and I don't think I'll have an opportunity to go back in four years' time. I just want to repeat what I've achieved there, [like] getting Sachin [Tendulkar] out off the first ball. I want to recall those moments."

Shoaib's ban includes the seven matches of the ICC World Twenty20, the two Tests and the first four one-dayers against South Africa. Shoaib said he was not looking to play the fifth ODI against South Africa in Karachi as he wanted to get some match practice before returning to international cricket. "I'm match-fit but I don't know about my match-bowling", he said.

"I want to play a four-day game at least before getting back. [I'd like to] bowl about 30-odd overs in a four-day game. I don't want to stretch myself to the limit before starting to bowl again."

Shoaib was also optimistic about his career ahead. "If I play another 80-odd ODIs in the next four years I can end with 400 wickets. That's my goal. The same with Tests - if I play another 35-40 Tests I could get 300-plus wickets.

"It would be nice to look back and say I have done something for my country and maximised my talent."

India v Australia, 5th ODI, Vadodara

'Our preparation was excellent' - Ponting

Anand Vasu in Vadodara

October 11, 2007

'I'm not sure if we outsmarted India but we certainly outperformed them' - Ponting

Ricky Ponting thought he had India under pressure from the very first ball and Mahendra Singh Dhoni conceded that India were "never really in the game," as the two rival captains addressed contrasting press conferences soon after Australia took an unassailable 3-1 lead in this seven-match series. While Ponting was detailed and articulate in his responses, Dhoni understandably had less to say, and though he was jovial and doing his best to keep his humour, clearly did not enjoy the way things had gone.

"I'm not sure if we outsmarted India but we certainly outperformed them, especially the way Mitchell [Johnson] and Brett [Lee] bowled with the new ball. We assessed our last performance [in Chandigarh] and even when we lost I didn't think we did that much wrong," said Ponting. "We tightened up on a lot of areas that we felt we needed to. I always say that we play better cricket in a tournament or series as the games proceed. We certainly played our best game today. We did everything right with the bowling and fielding and then to chase the target down with only one wicket down on a wicket that was tough to bat on against spin was really good. It's almost as good as any one-day win we've had I think."

When asked what went wrong for India, Dhoni began by popping the question right back at the journalist. "What went wrong? Apart from the toss everything went wrong. We lost early wickets and never came back into the game," said Dhoni. "Then when we bowled we didn't get the breakthroughs. Their batsmen were beaten early on but didn't nick any. We were never really in the game."

The one thing the two captains agreed wholeheartedly on was Sachin Tendulkar's batting in his 400th ODI. While other batsmen scratched around or perished before they had the chance to do so, Tendulkar was in sublime touch, scoring 47 and looked good for a lot more. "Sachin was the only one who was dominating, apart from the ball that got him," said Dhoni. "It was like he was batting on one wicket and the rest of us were struggling on some other wicket." And Ponting did not hold back when talking about Tendulkar's innings. "Sachin looked very good today. For someone like him he struggled a bit in the last game. Today he drove the ball beautifully," he said. "Some of the drives off Brett early on were as good as anything you'd see. He was obviously up for it in his 400 th match."

What went wrong? Apart from the toss everything went wrong Mahendra Singh Dhoni

While Dhoni refused to use being tired - either mentally or physically - as an excuse for the loss, he conceded that the non-stop cricket was making things difficult. "It's quite tough on the guys. The conditions are difficult, hot and humid here. It's tough on the players but they don't really have an option when playing for the country," he said. "You have to be tough and give your 100%, but when you play four months in a row it does get tough."

Ponting put down his team's overwhelmingly-strong performance to the kind of preparation that went into this game, beginning with the loss in the last one ain Chandigarh. "You end up assessing things a lot more when you lose. It's pretty simple when you win. Quite often you end up talking about the same things when you're winning," he said. "We had a couple of really good meetings yesterday - first a bowling meeting, then a batting meeting and a team meeting. We spoke of our deficiencies - too many extras, not enough wickets with the new ball, losing wickets at crucial times - we didn't do any of those things today.

"You try and prepare as best as you can for every game. On that wicket I thought I was going to be facing some left-arm spin at some stage so I worked on that in the nets yesterday. Overall our preparation for this game was excellent. We knew it was going to be really hot. We had a light session yesterday and worked on our skills."

Ponting also sought to downplay the issue of on-field chatter that has clouded this series. "I don't think we were doing the talking at the start of the series. Some of the banter stemmed from our encounter in the Twenty20 game. Some of that spilled over to the early games here," he said. "The Indians obviously came back feeling very happy about what they achieved at the Twenty20, as they should. There's been way too much made of this. There hasn't been any chit-chat since game two and here after game five, we're still talking about it."

After a performance of this kind, though, there's really not much need for chatter. The ball, bat and gloves spoke more than enough for the Australians.

October 10, 2007

Sachin Tendulkar says his 400th ODI is just another match

Sachin Tendulkar endured a prickly moment on the eve of his 400th one-day international when a television journalist asked him if his career had more lows than highs. "Go and check up the records," he shot back. "I think you are watching a different game." And Tendulkar, of course, is right.

His has been a career of consistent overachievement, from the age of 16. In fact, if anything, it's hard to keep track of the records set and broken, and the milestones reached. Tendulkar is the second cricketer, after Sanath Jayasuriya, to play 400 ODIs.

"For Sachin every day is a big day," said Murali Kartik in the lead-up to the fifth ODI at Vadodara. "We're all playing for India so each day is a big one. He's achieved so many milestones that playing the 400th one-dayer is a small dot in his list of achievements."

Tendulkar, for his part, chose to play down the milestone. "I am feeling good that it's my 400th one-dayer but for me it's just going to be another match; that's how I look at it. My approach will be the same as for any other normal one-day match."

The team is likely to have a small, private celebration to mark the milestone, but the first thought is on winning the forthcoming match and keeping the series alive. "Always the effort will be to score runs and contribute in the team's win. It won't be any different this time and any batsman who walks into bat will be thinking on the same lines," said Tendulkar. "Yes, I have scored runs on this ground and it's been good to me. So I am hoping to do well again and contribute to the team's success."

Scanning the list of 399 ODIs that he has played till now, Tendulkar picked out a few moments that stuck in his memory. "There have been lots of one-dayers that have been quite memorable. Like the Hero Cup semi-final against South Africa in 1993 when I bowled the last over. That's very strong in my memory. Then there were matches in Sharjah and the World Cup (2003) match against Pakistan. There have been quite a few like this and it's been a wonderful experience."

When asked if it was particularly memorable that the 400th game came against Australia, the world champions, Tendulkar again chose not to dwell on the issue too much. "400 just happens to be a number and just coincidence that it happens to be against Australia. It could have been against any other country. I treat all the games in the same way and my preparations are the same. For me it's just another match. It will be a competitive series and we have prepared well for it and just hope to well execute whatever our plans are tomorrow."

Phasing Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid out

October 11, 2007

Perhaps playing just two of the Big Three in each one-day match is the way forward

Australia are so damn good that they can make cricket boring. It took a below-par performance from them in Chandigarh - 16 wides were bad enough but that they cost 15 further runs would point to a wretched day for Adam Gilchrist behind the wicket - to bring the series, which was fast becoming a contest only in terms of bad behaviour, alive.

Till then, the Indian supporters, who had only a week to savour the Twenty20 glory, were growing increasingly restless. With each defeat, the cry got more shrill: how long can India carry the Big Three?

Carry? How short the public memory is. In the last one-day series India played, Sachin Tendulkar was their best batsman, playing strokes that seemed to belong to his glorious past; he had two 100-plus partnerships with Sourav Ganguly, who has batted as well in the last few months as he has ever done in his career; and Rahul Dravid shook off his indifferent Test form to play a couple of sublime innings down the order.

Yes, Tendulkar has looked shaky against Brett Lee, Ganguly ponderous, and Dravid is yet to hit his straps. And it's also true that one-day cricket requires energy, sharp reflexes, lightness of feet, and strong throwing arms. Yet the manner in which Australia resumed normal service in the 50-over game should have been evidence enough that this form requires different skills than Twenty20. In comparison to the shortest form, one-day cricket allows bowlers proper spells and captains to keep men in catching positions. In conditions that are kind to bowlers, it calls for batsmen to buckle down and survive a few overs. In more simplistic terms, there is a greater premium on wickets early on: it's far easier to recover from 30 for 4 in the 20-over game than in the 50-over one.

It wasn't pretty watching Tendulkar struggle against Lee in Chandigarh, but without his battling innings India were unlikely to have got to 291. In fact, there was a chance they would have been bowled out for under 200, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is yet lose his innocence and candour at press conferences, admitted as much. It was easier for a fellow cricketer to see the value in an innings like that.

Yet, India need to start building for the future. There are no two ways about it. They were fortunate in the last decade to be blessed with abundance. Tendulkar is a batsman of a lifetime and Dravid isn't far behind. And that they had VVS Laxman and Ganguly to back those two up was a rare stroke of luck. It has been a worry for the last couple of years that their departure will leave Indian cricket hollow. Losing them together would be a blow too severe to bear and logic dictates that their departures are phased out.

One-day cricket would be the natural place to start. Laxman and Anil Kumble, another giant who belongs to the same era, are already out of the ODI equation. It can be argued that India can afford to blood younger players in a form that puts less of a premium on traditional cricket skills than Test cricket. Also, one-day cricket provides a natural evolutionary cycle in the form of the World Cup. Countries can plan building their teams around the game's premier tournament. India need to ask themselves how many of their senior players will be around for the next edition in 2011, and whether the team will not be better served by starting to groom players who will be.

But, as always, the real issues are in danger of being overlooked by a nation heady with the unexpected success in the World Twenty20, one that has begun to chant the anthem of youth with an impatience that has a near-vulgar edge to it. This clamour for youth is based not entirely on cold logic and cricket sense but rather on sentiment. Building for the future should not necessarily mean disregarding the present, and nor should age be the overriding factor in the selection of the team. If Tendulkar must be replaced, he must be replaced by a man worthy of his shoes - he remains a considerable batsman even in his obvious decline.

Nor is it any use picking a team that is unable to compete in the most challenging of arenas. It is true India must be willing to absorb some pain for long-term gain, but just as winning is a habit, so is defeat. The challenge for the Indian selectors is to balance the need for building for the future with the immediate imperative of winning.

Building for the future should not necessarily mean disregarding the present, and nor should age be the overriding factor in the selection of the team. If Tendulkar must be replaced, he must be replaced by a man worthy of his shoes - he remains a considerable batsman even in his obvious decline

Ultimately a cricket team is about the right mix. The ideal blend is a combination of energy and spirit of youth and pedigree, experience and knowledge. India can't win in one-day cricket consistently without being sharp in the field and between the wickets, but neither can they win if they fail to ride out tough conditions and to bat out 50 overs. One-day cricket is not merely about hustling, it also allows for consolidation and construction, and every now then it requires rescue missions - particularly outside the subcontinent, where pitches offer more movement and bounce.

It is true that India can't afford too many plodders who need to be hidden in the field. It's nothing to do with age. Not all of India's young players are natural athletes; some are, in fact, decidedly clumsy. But that said, having Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Zaheer Khan in the playing XI is to perhaps concede far too many easy runs in the field. Indian selectors have to weigh that, and the runs they lose out on by their lack of spring between the wickets, with the value they offer in terms of pure skills.

In the wake of a comment from Dilip Vengsarkar, the chief national selector, that seemed to put his senior colleagues on notice, Dhoni has described them as "indispensable". Apart what they add on the field, he has spoken about the learnings they can offer the young players by just being around in the dressing room. Dhoni's defence was perhaps partly motivated by the need to keeping the dressing room healthy, but there was also ring of truth to it.

But Indian cricket will need to take decisions, and that process mustn't be clouded by what they do or don't achieve in the series against Australia and the one against Pakistan. Those decisions must be based on sound principles, an eye on the future, and the balance in team composition. Whether this is to be achieved through a rotation of policy or by a gradual phasing-out is a decision the selectors must ponder. And all of this must be accomplished without intrigue, without bowing to popular sentiments, and with transparency and a clear vision. Players, particularly those who have served Indian cricket with distinction, must be taken into confidence and told where they stand.

It's not a lot to ask for. But the way Indian cricket runs, it will be stretching optimism to expect it.

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Publish Post

October 3, 2007

Marvan Atapattu will have a chat with the selectors regarding his availability © Getty Images

Sri Lanka are likely to recall Marvan Atapattu for the forthcoming tour of Australia. Ashantha de Mel, the chairman of selectors, said the team would require experienced players like him, and that the selectors were mindful of the fact that Sri Lanka are yet to win a Test in Australia.

"We need his experience in Australia," de Mel told AFP. "He has the technique and temperament to stay at the crease.It will be very important for the two Tests against Australia. I will talk to him about his availability."

Atapattu did not play a single game in the World Cup in the West Indies, despite being in the squd, and was overlooked for the subsequent one-day series in Abu Dhabi against Pakistan. He then announced his unavailability for the home series against Bangladesh citing personal reasons and asked to be released from his central contract, sparking speculation that he might be linked to the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Earlier, captain Mahela Jayawardene too supported Atapattu's inclusion and called on the selectors to find out whether he would be willing to commit to a tough series.

"We love to have him around," said Jayawardene. "He is a top class performer. For a fact I know that he still wants to continue to play cricket for Sri Lanka. He wanted to be released from his contract purely because he wanted to see other avenues in his career. The best thing would be to have a dialogue with him and find out what he wants to do."

October 3, 2007

Will he? Won't he? Reports are yet to confirm whether Inzamam will quit

Speculation over the future of Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain, is mounting with some reports claiming he is set to retire from Test cricket after playing in the second Test in Lahore against South Africa.

Geo TV and Jang, the Urdu-language daily, both reported that Inzamam had reached an agreement with the Pakistan Cricket Board which would see the batsman play one last Test at home before bowing out - unlike many ex-cricketers in Pakistan - with some grace and dignity.

None of these reports, however, have quoted Inzamam directly. The only newspaper to quote him on the topic, the Daily Express, another Urdu daily, has him denying any such plans. "I have no plans to retire at the moment. I am available for the second Test and have told the selectors of my desire," Inzamam said. However, to add to the confusion, the same newspaper's front page has also carried the retirement story. The Daily Express has also quoted Inzamam claiming he has cancelled his trip to London where he was expected to be present for hearings in the Darrell Hair case.

Inzamam stepped down from the captaincy and retired from ODIs after Pakistan's early exit at the World Cup earlier this year. He was initially keen to play on in Tests, but the board and selectors have, unofficially, been equally keen for him to step away and didn't award him a central contract.

To complicate matters further, Inzamam was also one of four players to sign up for the Indian Cricket League (ICL), a move which meant, according to the PCB's stance, that he would not be considered for Pakistan selection.

Yet Inzamam was, according to the selection committee, considered for the first Test squad against South Africa. He wasn't picked because he made himself unavailable. If he does play one last Test, Inzamam has an opportunity to surpass Javed Miandad as the leading Test run-scorer for Pakistan as he needs 20 runs to go past Miandad's haul of 8832.

October 1, 2007

Chappell on Dhoni - 'I had foreseen a great future for Dhoni. He has proved his potential and as a leader he has been most impressive'

Former India coach Greg Chappell has praised Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy and said the Indian team is shaping up well under him. Chappell quit as coach after the World Cup earlier this year, ending a two-year tenure with the team.

Though his stint was mired in controversy, Dhoni was one of the successes and Chappell said he had seen a lot of potential in him. Dhoni led an inexperienced team to victory in the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, his debut series as captain.

"I had foreseen a great future for Dhoni," Chappell told PTI. "He has proved his potential and has been most impressive as a leader. The Indians are lucky to have a leader like him."

Chappell, currently in India as a consultant for the Future Cricket Academy of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, based in Jaipur, acknowledged India's recent success.

"The Indian team is now doing well," he said. "When I was the coach, whatever I did stood them in good stead. It is up to the others to judge. They have a few exciting players and have already won the ICC World Twenty20.

"The good thing about Indian cricket is that it has a varied environment in which players are groomed differently. The players, like those from far-flung areas, are an example of that."

The current one-day series between India and Australia, Chappell said, would be a close contest, despite a few senior Australian players retiring from the game in recent months.

"The Australian team is in a transition phase. There is no [Glenn] McGrath or Shane Warne. But they are well prepared for the series. They have been working hard and they have to keep intact their supremacy. I believe it will be a hard fought series."

His work at the academy, Chappell said, would not necessarily replicate training methods used at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane. He inaugurated the academy with Ian Frazer, the bio-mechanics expert who also assisted him when Chappell was with the Indian team.

"It is not right to compare it to Centre of Excellence because that has been running for years now. People like Allan Border [the former Australian captain] work and evolve new techniques for the trainees there. But I assure you that it will be different. We wish to make it one of the most reputed training centres of the world."

Twenty20's growing popularity, Chappell felt, would be a challenge for coaches in adapting to different forms of the game. He did not, though, believe it would ruin a batsman's technique. "There is no question of spoiling the technique. It has brought about a few changes which 50-over cricket too brought along. Now players use heavy bats, footwork is changing and they are hitting much harder than in my day."