demanding high standards is one thing but totally over reacting on the basis of one test match is too much. yes india's over dependence on sehwag is true but how about the 2nd test?? we have a skipper out of form and VVS who these days comes up with a 50 only when his place in the team is threatened. got to bring kaif and yuvi in. Sachin too shud be on notice...when was the last time he scored a matchwinning century except for the one against Bangladesh??
India infact lost the game on day 4 with spreadout field. They should have never gone on defensive.India should have gone for the victory. Chasing 350 odd runs in one day is not immpossible these days specially if you have batsmen like Sehwag, Tendulker and Laxman. Ganguly should have shuffled the batting order as he had done in Australia. Cricket is all innovative game. I think Ganguly should have used his innovative skills. SP Bagga
1. If Laxman has to be persisted - make him come at No. 3 2. Make Dravid come at no. 5. Avoid Dravid, if Sachin is at the crease. Sachin gets in the mold of proving he is better at defense than Rahul Dravid! 3. Sack Gavaskar if he is still the batting coach. He has done enough damage to Sachin's batting by telling him to stay at the crease and the runs will come - witness Australia tour, Pakistan tour (Rahul Dravid did right by declaring!) & the current series where we lost Mohali and Bangalore where we should have won - the major blame rests with Sachin not playing his natural game. 4. Make Srikanth the coach of the team if Wright is leaving the Indian team as coach - we will get belligerence and attack back - remember he did not lose the series to Pakistan in Pakistan and Kapil Dev immediately replace on return to India because it was World Cup time in 1987! 5. Fire Ganguly from the time - he has done a great job till now but he is woefully out of touch both as batsman and captain 6. Make Kumble the captain and Sehwag his deputy (prepare him for the future). Dravid is too dull as a captain - he has to improve his fielding now - check Mohali! 7. Get Yuvraj / Kaif / Mongia in
RE
by mohammed ali on Mar 30, 2005 05:21 PM
Dravid the best batsman in the side should be the captain with Sehwag as his deputy. Kumble will not be there till the next world cup. Kumble is good only on Indian turning wickets. We all are blaming India for losing the match. I think Pakis should also be appreciated for playing better than us. Led from front by their Captain. Let us not make wholesale changes. The pace bowling is good. Rest Laxman and Ganguly and get Yuvraj and Kaif. It will not only help in batting but also in the fielding.
Unless the captain leads from the front these things are bound to happen.If Kumble could put up such a gallant performance,there is no reason why all the others could nt perform.And three of the batsmen figure in the top ten in the world ratings.Sachin had his own target and he was satisfied with it.Rahul was nervous infront of his home crowd.It was left to the skipper to play a captain's innings.He failed miserably.He should step down on his own to give others a chance.The selectors do not have the guts to remove him.
You are bang on right pal.Indian team it seems is going back to the days when it used to be a one man team with only one difference and that is that this time around it is Sehwag instead of Sachin.
Inida lost the match before a ball was bowled or at the end of second test match the team had no change where as harbhajan singh should ve been replaces with Murali Karthik, Harbhajan does not ve a good record against the Pakis & also they ve sorted this bowler out, In the 2nd test he was reduced to a spectator, the major damage was done by Kumble & Balaji, Bhajji got the wickets of the tailenders, he is good bowler but u ve to admit the fact or the past record of this bowler with the Pakis &the Proteas they ve sorted him out, again when we ve a bowler who in his last match got the man of the match should ve been kept in the tweleve, but he finds himself out of reckoning, even the Australians in their last tour had sorted this surd he picked up wickets after conceding a lot of runs, he always looks for help from the pitch ie a mineyard he is not a batsman as is shown by the skipper by the faith which he showed by sending him higher up the order for batting ahead of Balaji & Kumble when the need of the hour in the final test was not to score quick runs but to stay along with VVS Laxman.The other reason is Ganguly he should ve tried Viru in the series for the break but did nottry
Sympathies with the Indian Team and the author of this article. I guess besides the length of the article, it is well written and shows the Homework done.
Also that it really hurt the author not winning the series...I guess it hurt every Indian...but its Cricket.
I am sure India needs to learn a lot from this and that there should be a team strategy. Each player entering the field should have the same plan,,,after all,,,that is called Teamwork!!!
India managed to win just one match .... the one with a brilliant batting display from Dravid ...Yes ..India has become a one man army is tests .... but maybe that one man is Rahul Dravid !!
