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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."

September 30, 2007

Munaf Patel: "What is this intensity? Talk to me, try to understand me."

Munaf Patel, left out of the Twenty20 team and dropped from the one-day squad, has said he was hurt by the constant questioning of his fitness and lack of intensity.

"I am not upset that I was dropped, because another player has got a chance. That's fine. I am just so angry with people who are saying the wrong things about me," Munaf told the Sunday Express. "Let somebody tell me to my face that my attitude is not right.

"After earning a lot of money, you feel a bit numb about it, inside. That's when you realise that what's really important is your izzat, the respect. You don't get that with money, any amount of money. Cricket has given me the money, and the respect. But now, with all this talk of lack of fitness and intensity, it's a question of my izzat. And that's really hurting."

Munaf was injured after the second one-dayer in South Africa and took no further part in the tour until the final Test, where he bowled at less than full capacity. He then missed the four-ODI series against West Indies but returned in time for the World Cup before breaking down with a back injury in Bangladesh. He missed the Test series against England because of a back strain but was included in the one-day squad as a replacement for Sreesanth. Venkatesh Prasad, India's bowling coach, said he was "pretty happy" with Munaf's fitness but suggested that he wasn't bowling with the same intensity as earlier.

Munaf said that he was reticent by nature and was a misunderstood man "What is this intensity? Talk to me, try to understand me ... The problem with me is that I speak very less. I speak only when I want to, and when I feel the need to. But what I say is straight from the heart. That's how I grew up in my village. That's my nature, what can I do about it?

Munaf also sought to squash speculations about his reputation for dubious fitness. "See, the injury [in South Africa] was on the bone, and obviously, not visible. Who will understand that? The physio knows it, ask him. He has the X-rays, the MRI scans. I can't go around showing my X-rays to everybody who asks me. I know what that injury was all about, when I should play, when I shouldn't. Only me, nobody else. I never lie."

© Cricinfo

September 30, 2007

Sourav Ganguly is expected to be fit for the rest of the series

Sourav Ganguly, who pulled his right hamstring while fielding in the first one-dayer against Australia in Bangalore, has been rested for the second game in Kochi as a precautionary measure.

The team management has informed that the injury is not serious, and that Ganguly should be available for the remainder of the series.

"An MRI scan was performed on Sourav's right hamstring this morning and it has determined no injury to the region," Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, said in a statement.

"Based on the findings, a vigorous rehab approach will be commencing immediately. On the report of team physio John Gloster and other analysis, the team management feels that Sourav will progress quickly and hence it was decided to rest him for a game."

The second one-dayer gets underway on October 2 while the third, at Hyderabad, is scheduled for October 5.

India's bowling at the ICC World Twenty20 was remarkable for its accuracy and consistency. Sadly, India failed to replicate those attributes during the opening game of the Future Cup against Australia in Bangalore, their first match since becoming world champions in international cricket's shortest format.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in his first game as ODI captain, didn't hide from that, or from India's inability to finish off matches. "We have a problem, just a bit of a problem, when the ball doesn't do too much," Dhoni said. "The white Kookaburra [ball] doesn't do anything after 15-odd overs and we need to work hard on that."

Dhoni felt the problem was not with the bowlers but with Indian conditions. "Most of the Indian wickets are batsman-friendly and our bowlers have done well whenever the wickets have anything in them, whether in English conditions or in South Africa."

India, Dhoni felt, lost the momentum between overs 32 and 42. "That ten-over spell was not good for us," he said. "If we could have got one wicket it would have benefited us".

Recent examples show India's tendency to let opponents off the hook. At the DLF Cup in Kuala Lumpur a year ago, Australia were on the ropes at 97 for 5 but went on to make 213 and win the match by 18 runs. More recently at The Oval, India allowed Owais Shah and Luke Wright to post 316 and even though India hit back with a two-wicket victory, they knew there was work to be done. And the game today once again supported that fact.

Two of the matchwinners in England, Zaheer Khan and RP Singh, lacked consistency today and were easy pickings for Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin. Both walked out nonchalantly to dispatch the fast bowlers over the off side. Zaheer's rusty display might be explained by his suffering a heel injury on the England trip but RP Singh had no excuses for bowling either too full or too wide. Dhoni, though, was not harsh on his bowlers saying, "there are days when the odd bowler goes for runs."

India conceded 71 runs between overs 32 and 42, when Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke consolidated the innings

Dhoni felt the Chinnaswamy pitch was one of grassiest in the country, but failed to live up to the expectations as the ball lost its shine. "It was a good spell from our new-ball pair. It seemed like a wicket which would do a lot but it was not doing as much later."

He had better news about Sourav Ganguly, who had to leave the field as he suffered a hamstring injury in his right leg. "He is fine and will have an MRI scan tomorrow."

Jamie Alter in Bangalore

September 29, 2007

India v Australia, 1st ODI, Bangalore

Two familiar trends gained momentum at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday as Michael Clarke's second hundred here bailed Australia out of danger and India failed to kill off a faltering opposition. In the absence of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, and with the dangerous opening pair not quite coming off, Clarke played a classy innings that showed off the depth in Australian cricket.

Clarke had managed three runs in two innings at the World Twenty20 but he was his natural self once back in the one-day format. As with Shaun Pollock on this same ground in the Afro-Asia Cup opener earlier this year, Clarke stuck to the basics and delighted the purists with some old-fashioned shots and good, simple cricket.

"I'd definitely say I'm at home here," Clarke said when asked which form of the game he preferred. "I faced four balls in the Twenty20 tournament. The advantage for me was that I had time to bat out a lot of overs; actually I had no choice. I had to spend as much time out there as possible because I hadn't had much time in the centre."

Time was indeed something he had plenty of today. Adam Gilchrist fell cheaply, Brad Hodge went for a duck and Matthew Hayden didn't convert his start. Walking in at 18 for 2, Clarke took time to settle. The first delivery he received was clocked at 147kph and he did well to leave it alone. There were more leaves mixed with tight defence - he middled the ball very well early on - as Sreesanth's threat was seen off, at least at one end.

He then had two lives, both in the 22nd over; the first was a very close shout for leg before, the second when Mahendra Singh Dhoni couldn't hit the stumps after he called for the single and was well out of the crease.

"I certainly had a bit of luck and things went my way and I enjoyed it out there," he said. "I think I faced 140 balls [it was 132] so that was certainly something I thought I needed."

Those lives didn't go to waste as Clarke, nimble-footed, chipped deliveries into the gaps and pushed the field, gnawing away at India's Sreesanth-induced advantage. He worked the singles with the feisty Brad Haddin - who he said played "brilliantly" - and kept the run rate at above five all through their fifth-wicket stand of 144. And it all came without a chancy stroke or a whiff of frustration.

He reached his century with a pull over deep midwicket off a Ramesh Powar lollypop, then raised his arms and soaked in the moment. He'd been here, done this in Test cricket. "It's obviously a great place to come back to after making my debut in Test cricket. It's disappointing we didn't get a result tonight but good to score a hundred."

All this while India watched the advantage - gained with four early wickets - slipping away from them. It was a familiar one-day trend for India - failing to go for the kill.

Sreesanth, after his very impressive first spell, couldn't deliver at the death, while RP Singh and Irfan Pathan looked pedestrian, pitching the ball all over the place. There was no semblance of the discipline that marked their bowling in the Twenty20. Powar, back in the side after missing out on the Twenty20 tournament, served up too many full tosses.

Perhaps India simply hadn't switched gears from the Twenty20 game but they had no excuse. Dhoni's life to Clarke aside, the fielding wasn't as sharp as it was in South Africa, testament to the fact that the longer the format, the more the demands.

At the Rose Bowl this summer, India had England at 43 for 1 but let Ian Bell and Alastair Cook cut loose and add 178. India only managed two wickets in 50 overs. At The Oval, they allowed England to recover from 83 for 4 to 316, taking just two wickets in the process, at 137 and 243.

Rain robbed this match of a result but there was still time for Clarke, possibly a future leader of the team, to deliver a statement of intent. India will need to find one of their own in Kochi.

September 29, 2007

India and Australia have decided to implement the ICC's proposed one-day international rule changes for their seven-match series, starting with today's ODI in Bangalore. The modifications, which were supposed to come into effect from October 1, have been advanced to avoid a mid-series adjustment.

In June, the ICC had ruled the following changes in ODI playing conditions:

An additional fielder will be allowed outside the fielding circle during the second or third Powerplays. If an ODI innings is reduced, the numbers of overs making up each of the three Powerplays shall be reduced proportionately. If a bowler bowls a front foot no-ball, the following delivery will be deemed a free hit and the batsman cannot be dismissed by the bowler from that delivery. He can only be run out. There will be a mandatory change of the ball at the start of the 35th over of each innings; the replacement will be a clean used ball. The ICC had also increased the stipulated minimum boundary sizes for all international matches, with the square boundary measuring at least 150 yards from one side of the ground to the other [minimum 65 yards on one side; previous total minimum size was 140 yards]; and the straight boundaries 70 yards at both ends [previous minimum was 65 yards]; maximum boundaries to be used allowing for three yards between boundary rope and advertising boards up to a maximum of 90 yards from the centre of the pitch.

Misbah in full flow during last week's World Twenty20

Misbah-ul-Haq's impressive performances in the World Twenty20 have earned him a recall to Pakistan's squad for the first Test against South Africa in Karachi on Monday. But there was no place in the 15-man lineup for either Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former captain, or Shoaib Akhtar.

Misbah was the third-highest run-scorer in South Africa, helping Pakistan reach the final and was also the highest run-scorer in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan's premier first-class tournament. He played the last of his five Tests four years ago against Bangladesh. Joining him in the middle order is Mohammad Yousuf, who yesterday agreed to represent Pakistan, after having initially signed up for the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

But there was no place in the squad for Inzamam, another ICL signatory. Inzamam has retired from ODIs, though insists he wants to play Test cricket. Salahuddin Ahmed, Pakistan's chief selector, said that Inzamam had been considered for the squad but had declared himself unavailable for the first Test.

"I spoke to Inzamam and though he didn't specify the reasons, he said he was unavailable for the first Test," said Salahuddin. "If he is available for the second Test [in Lahore], he will be considered."

Shoaib's exclusion was also expected, as he is currently the subject of a disciplinary inquiry into his altercation with Mohammad Asif in South Africa. "Shoaib's is a policy decision," said Salahuddin. "The disciplinary inquiry is ongoing and only when their decision has come will we take a decision."

Rao Iftikhar Anjum took the third fast bowler's spot, edging out Sohail Tanvir, the left-arm, wrong-foot bowler who did so well in the Twenty20 World Cup. "Sohail is a very talented all-rounder but we feel he still has some time before he is ready for the longer version of the game," added Salahuddin.

Pakistan will field yet another new opening pair when the first Test begins from October 1. One of Taufeeq Umar, who averages 74 in four Tests against South Africa, or Mohammad Hafeez will partner Salman Butt, the vice-captain.

Pakistan squad: Shoaib Malik (capt), Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Danish Kaneria, Faisal Iqbal, Yasir Hameed, Taufeeq Umar, Abdur Rehman