India won the compaq cup and lost only the ct and sl losing both the compaq cup and ct but then India losing 8 points and sl only 5 points how is this calculated
Contd… 6).coming to bowling, Ishant sharma is priority no.1 and needs maximum attention and to be used judiciously with strategic practicing breaks.RPSing should be relegated to domestic circuit and other new fast bowlers who have done well recently should be given place in the 20 squad. One more thing, don’t be too obsessed with Zaheer Khan because he is more a media hype than a consistent bowler.7).Regarding ‘spin’ deptt. overdepenance on Bhajji is to be reduced by giving him suitable breaks with new replacements.8).Last but not the least is the ‘fielding’ of the team which needs to be improved by several notches. Possibly new fielding coach needs to be appointed who can improve agility and atheleticism(no, not commando training of Greg Chappel). Once that is taken care of the fielding will improve automatically.9).Captaincy ? Stick to Dhoni unless he ‘itches’ for any change.
Contd…Then how do we go about it ? 1).Do not try to fly for 2011 team.2).Select a pool of not more than 20(not 30) best cricketers and rotate them based on performance &fitness while crossing each milestone ---aussi tri-series followed by other such series etc.3).Sachin is OK as a mentor and as an emergency ‘filler’ opener and not as the main openr4).Forget Dravid for One dayers because his slow batting is increasing the ‘asking’ rate putting pressure on the following batsmen. There are plenty of batsmen who can fit the bill provided Dhoni wants to try them honestly.5).Regarding Dhoni’s two favourites---Yusuf Pathan & Ravindra Jadeja , while the former doesn’t merit selection in One dayers, the latter can be among the 20s as ‘filler’ in emergencies but not straight away in the playing XI for at least one more year
It is good feeling to find India at No.2 or No.1 position but why is it that India can't go beyond the 1st round consistently in the ICC tournaments? Injuries ? Explanation doesn't wash, because at least they should have made it to the Semis in the T20& One day mini WC. Undoubtedly it is leadership failure of Dhoni on all fronts. First, he arrogantly invented the no3. position problem where none existed and then, the selectors compounded the problem further by recalling Dravid, a step backward. It seems now Dhoni is outsmarting the selectors also by playing Bhajji at no.3 position in the challenger trophy, with India Blue folding for just 78 runs and losing the Challenger trophy also! Another achievement for Dhoni after the two ICC fiascos ? Is this how India is preparing for 2011WC ?
Do we really need all this number crunching and decimals obsession to reveal to us that the Aussies are number one? Aussies were virtually unbeatable for the past 8 years, a run matched by Clive Loyd's invincible Windies of the mid 70's and early 80's. Number one doesnt mean just decimal points alone. It is also the sheer confidence and domination of a cricketing side that no matter what happens, we will beat you. That's why I was amused at all these reports of India and South Africa playing musical chairs at the number 1 slot while the Aussies had a few losses in the past few months. When was the last time SA crushed all opposition mercilessly for a prolonged period of time or for that matter, even India, Pak or any one else? Compare this to the Aussie domination of the WC from 99 to the last WC. The Aussies will stay number one for the cricket world irrespective of all this obsession with statistics until a team comes along that can win on a consistent prolonged basis.
If i had to choose between 2nd or 3rd or bottom ranked with 3 world cups and 2 champions trophy vs. 1st ranking with no cup but for T20.. i would definitely take the former.
It is time we think bigger.. Being 1st in a group of 8 is no big deal...
