Am picking a New Zealand - India final!!

I could start this either way - by boasting that I had picked three of the semi-finalists much before the World Cup began (which any Jack or Jill with not half a clue on Cricket could have done), or by admitting that I had not an idea about the impending turnaround in the way, the Men in Blue would play. Going by the build-up to the tournament, I was in fact, categorical in my prediction that India would not go past the quarters. I got that woefully wrong.  

The result of a majority of the matches up until the first round of knockouts could have been predicted soon after the first half had been played, if not before. But given the quality of their performances so far, the last four teams should give us exciting contests.

Have heard some past cricketers pick a South Africa – Australia final, going by their strength on paper. But am going to stick my neck out and pick a New Zealand – India final. These teams have had more all-round performances and have momentum seriously going their way. With Adam Milne ruled out of the World Cup, New Zealand could find it difficult in the bowling department, but Boult, Southee and Vettori have been right on the money, backed by McCullum’s aggressive captaincy. And if South African batting gets into trouble, the tail does not have a particularly great reputation to hang around, that could work against them. 

India, on the other hand seem to have almost everyone in form, except for Ravindra Jadeja, though he too has bowled some useful spells. In the spinner friendly track that SCG is expected to be, he could well justify the reasons for being backed all along. After the way Aussies played against Pakistan last week, am expecting some short stuff from the Indian pacers, we’ll have to wait and see if India decide to exploit that recently exposed chink.

Can’t wait for the match to begin tomorrow and see if I got 'em right this time. 

Pool B has had some interesting activity in the World Cup

Every World Cup comes packed with its set of surprises and disappointments. My personal disappointments from this edition have been the way the West Indies and Pakistan have played, two teams that I love watching when they’re in form. Though neither of them have reasons to give their fans very high expectations, West Indies have improved leaps and bounds from the last decade and Pakistan move around with an ‘unpredictable’ tag attached to them all the time.

West Indies are not as bad a team as their performance in the tournament seems to indicate – with Gayle, Smith, Samuels, Sammy and the unpredictable Russell, they have a reasonable batting line-up. Their bowling is not the strongest in the competition but they have some good quicks in Taylor, Roach and Holder. The bowling options beyond the top three has been a problem but what seems to have affected this flamboyant set of players the most is the morale. The players and the board have had an uncomfortable relationship for years but it touched a low-point at an inconvenient time last year when the touring team in India decided to head back in the middle of the series under the captaincy of Dwayne Bravo. That probably prompted the selectors to drop Bravo and Pollard from the World Cup squad. Dropping Bravo has had a huge impact to the team’s chances and their belief, he makes his presence felt in every aspect of the game – batting, bowling and fielding. Some players including Chris Gayle decided to go public on their disappointment with the decision. Their body language just does not seem to suggest a positive intent at the moment. They are likely to be fighting against Ireland for the last spot in the Quarters from Pool B. 

Pakistan, in the meantime, after having started poorly in the World Cup, have managed to regain some confidence with back to back wins against the UAE, Zimbabwe and South Africa, the last of which was a big upset. Bowling has always been their strength and despite the absence of Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan, is starting to come good. The batting has been struggling, there has been nothing much to cheer about other than skipper Misbal-ul-Haq’s form. Their moves in dropping Younis Khan down the order and getting Sarfraz to open the batting could do the trick for them. If they continue to pick up momentum as they have in the last week, that could hike up the spice content in the knockout stages.  

The Dhoni Dilemma

The season of 2011-12 has probably been the toughest in Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s career till date. Coming as they did after the high of the World Cup victory early in 2011, the tours to England and Australia marked an ebb in India’s performance in Test cricket and in Dhoni’s ability to rein in the fortunes of the team when travelling abroad. India had a blank to show in their report card, as they were humiliated with a 0-8 score in any many test matches played in the two countries. 

The pressure of International cricket, Test cricket in specific and the toughest of them all, playing outside the subcontinent started to crack one of the toughest nuts that Indian cricket has produced. Dhoni, in an interaction with the media during the series Down Under, announced that he might have to quit one form of the cricket if he had to continue playing till the World Cup in 2015. There was ample buzz generated in the media and cricketing circles that Dhoni would soon quit Test cricket and if not soon, it would be the first format to be left out of his plans. It was obvious that this was the format of cricket, he enjoyed the least.

Dhoni performs a triple role in matches, that of a captain, a wicketkeeper and a batsman - physically arduous and mentally exhausting at the best of times. Performing this over a period of four to five days in Test matches can drain the fittest of sportsmen and the most astute of brains. But this also throws up the all-important question - is Dhoni able to do justice to the three jobs or are there areas where the performances are less than optimal?

While he is one of the best finishers of the game in world cricket in the shorter format at the moment, a look at his Test batting numbers and manner of dismissals in the last few years do not offer anything comforting to the Indian supporters. He averages an abysmal 17.05 in 13 test matches played outside the subcontinent in the last 3 years. His flashy and sometimes walking cover drives have become something to dread, the keeper and the catching positions behind the wicket getting on their toes, waiting for one that would soon come their way. It is difficult to understand why the man who musters up patience at will to settle down gradually in every innings in limited overs cricket does not derive the same support from his temperament in the five day format.

Ask Dilip Vengsarkar, a former top order batsman for India and former Chairman of selectors about this and he dismisses it outright, “He has looked good, whatever I’ve seen of him in New Zealand. I hope he gets runs. With time, he’ll do well in the series.” And he has this to offer in support of his argument, “(The) thing is, you have to see how he plays the game. It’s not merely statistics. If we go merely by statistics, the guy who writes statistics can become a selector”.

His former India mate, wicket-keeper and predecessor in the Selection Committee, Kiran More echoes with his own assertion, “For me, he’s a match-winner, I still have a lot of time for him. There is a lot of pressure that he takes on himself, especially in situations that he bats at No. 6 or No. 7 in all forms of cricket. We have a long tail and he has to bat with the tail. He’s carrying the pressure all the time (as a batsman)”.

If numbers are what let Dhoni down on batting, viewers might be convinced that the technical aspect tends to be the Achilles heel in his keeping. With his lightning-speed stumping dismissals and flexibility, he has proved to be an extremely good keeper to spinners and is second to none in that area. The problems arise with his positioning to fast bowlers. We have heard experts mention about Dhoni’s tendency to stand too far behind to pace bowlers that there have been many occasions when catches have gone begging, falling short of himself as the keeper or of the slip cordon which takes its position based on the keeper’s position. As I am posting this, there are 2 that went down this way in the first two overs of the first test in New Zealand. 

Kiran More again begs to differ, “I don’t think there is any flaw in his wicket-keeping. He’s not a stylish wicket-keeper but he has got a different knack of catching the ball”. He adds on, “To me, he’s got the best temperament when it comes to tight situations for Test cricket or ODI or T20.  Under situations of pressure where we need wickets, he’s the best wicket-keeper. He doesn’t miss much – stumping, catches or run-outs”.

       

On captaincy, there is a view that Dhoni has managed as a successful captain in Tests purely by the number of matches played in the subcontinent in the last few years. Take the case of the last 10 matches played outside the subcontinent, India have lost in 9 of them and in a rare opportunity of winning a match in Wanderers last month, Dhoni’s persistence with Zaheer Khan in the second session and failure to bring in Mohd. Shami in time, the best Indian bowler of the match by far, failed to impress many. Back in Dec-Jan 2012, Dhoni’s inertia in not altering anything in the batting composition or the order despite the batting failures in almost 15 out of 16 innings through England and Australia had a profound impact on the team’s performances. There seemed an inability or an unwillingness to bring in change even when both the series scorecard and pride were at stake.

Here again, Dhoni finds his backing. Vengsarkar thinks the problem with the team’s performance overseas is with the absence of tour matches played before the main series starts, “Practice matches before ODI series and Test series are important, to get acclimatised to the conditions and the wickets. If you see today, that has not happened - in South Africa or New Zealand”. He defends the performances with, “It takes time to adjust to the pace, bounce and movement of the wicket for batsmen and bowlers”.

More blames it more on the bowling department, “For me, the team’s performance in South Africa was outstanding except for two sessions (in batting). We have a big issue in the bowling department, when the team gives them 450 runs to defend and in that kind of a pitch (Wanderers), the bowlers cannot do anything on the wicket. At home we are able to do it, but not Internationally. When we travel, we need bowlers who can take 10, 7 or 5 wickets in a match to win a test match for you. (On the) Last day, when the ball turns, keeps low, there’s differing (varying) bounce, we’re not capitalising on that”.

While Dhoni does seem to have the endorsement of former players and administrators, the performances just do not seem to add up. Even if we choose to ignore Dhoni's shortcomings, it might not be imprudent to look beyond him for Test matches, reduce the heavy workload and the toll that it takes on him in the process. We might just be better-served with a longer tenure in two formats of the game which he excels in.

R Ashwin's form abroad - a sign of worry

It is a New Year and a week since the tour to South Africa ended on a disappointing note. 2014 would mark a touring spree for the Indian cricket team with bulk of the matches scheduled to be played outside the subcontinent. After a string of series played at home, India would be playing 7 Test Matches in the bouncy and seaming pitches of New Zealand and England this year. The maxim goes, “the shorter format is a batsman’s game and the longer format is won by bowlers” – 20 wickets of the other team need to be felled to secure a victory in Tests.

For a team like India who lack a genuine all-rounder (though ICC’s test rankings might pronounce Ashwin to be the No. 1 All-rounder at the moment) and hence forced to go with just four regular bowlers for most Test matches, the spinner’s ability to contribute with wickets becomes crucial in matches played outside the subcontinent. R Ashwin made his way into the team two years back supplanting another established offie, Harbhajan Singh and raised expectations with his ability to deceive the batsmen on a consistent basis and with a large bucket of variations that was put out on display every time.

But while Ashwin’s statistics after playing 19 Test matches look impressive with 104 wickets at an average of 24.13, a break-up of the numbers must be sending worrying signs for the management. 95 of his scalps are from matches played at home at an average of 24.13, but his away record for wickets and average in 4 matches read as 9 and 74.78. It is not just the number that must be causing the headache, Ashwin’s tendency to keep going around the wicket is equally baffling. The angle, hugely popular with leg-spinners to get some rip out of bowlers’ footmarks in the third and fourth innings of a test match in particular, hardly poses any danger from an off-spinner and is restrictive at best on the run-rate. It is often seen as a negative tactic when bowled to right handers and is employed when the team finds itself in the doldrums or taken as a sign of a lack of confidence in a bowler. To add to it, he has not been able to offer much flight and deceive the batsmen in the air, which becomes a spinner’s key weapon in seamer-friendly pitches.

The young Indian team which toured South Africa last month did not instil much confidence in experts and fans prior to the series. The performance in the One-dayers only corrected the expectations further. Four days into the first test match at the Wanderers, news sites and experts were celebrating a famous victory that was yet to be. With eight wickets to be taken on a Day 5 pitch and a huge score to defend, the presumption of victory was headed only one way. While Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers deserve all the compliments that came their way in saving the match and getting the team to within breathing distance of a victory, the Indian bowling was more than disappointing, not in the least in the way their spinner bowled. Ashwin bowled 21 overs on the last day and 36 overs in all in the last innings and was not able to account for a single victim. Importantly enough, he did not seem to trouble any of the South African batsmen and that really hurt India’s ability to go aggressive and press for a win.

It is to the credit of the team management that the writing on the wall was quickly spotted and Ashwin was replaced by a more opportunistic player in Ravindra Jadeja for the second match in Durban. Jadeja’s inclusion ahead of Ohja provoked many raised eyebrows but he rationalised the decision with a six wicket haul forcing the South African batsmen into false shots in the first innings.

The team’s performance in South Africa has given enough indications that they would like to be competitors and not be known as mere tourists. Ashwin has retained his place in the squad for the New Zealand series as the lead or the second spinner (we do not know that yet), but if he were to expect to find himself more regularly in the playing eleven, he would need to look at developing himself into an improved bowler, capable of taking wickets on unresponsive pitches. This is a crippling deficiency that the team would want corrected at the earliest.

The work behind the Australian revival

It’s payback time!! The preparation and execution of the Aussies against the English bowlers have come together smooth as a jelly that the 2-0 lead and the margin of victories after two matches have taken everyone by surprise. That for a team that has lost six of their last eight test matches prior to The Ashes. 

The series is a long one, there are the three more matches that would determine the winner and who gets to keep the Ashes. But the Australians have taken a giant stride and it would require more than just the days on the field to prevent the stride from marching further. The body language of the English are all ground-facing at the moment, Andy Flower and Alistair Cook have had work to do in the days leading up to the remainder of the series.

The Australian performance on the other hand has been sublime. While Mitchell Johnson has been the rattler-in-chief so far, the trio of selectors, coach and captain which had been taking flak for some listless performances in the past and off-the-field incidents have come together to deliver a fantastic punch upfront setting up a seemingly insurmountable challenge to the visitors.

On the squad front, a couple of batsmen in Phil Hughes and Ed Cowan occupying the top order needed to be given a break from the team and Nathan Lyon’s performance in the recent past, begged for some backing. The selectors delivered them. Not to mention, the decision to bring back an inspired Mitchell Johnson earlier in the year and not hurrying it before he looked ready to take the role of the lead bowler again.

The move towards Darren Lehmann as the head coach seems to have worked wonders in the minds of the players. Players have talked openly about the healthy change in the mood of the dressing room and the coach’s attitude has among others, resulted in the revival of aggression that is so easily identified with the Aussies. That they have over-stepped it on a couple of occasions is a topic that warrants a separate discussion.

On the field, there was a plan evident for every English batsman though the common nemesis has worked in the form of an accurate short pitched ball aimed between the ribs and the throat. While the batsmen got themselves into good positions at times to play the pull shot, they played straight into the hands of Michael Clarke and the bowlers who had their men prowling between Square and Fine Leg to grab the catches.

The Australian skipper’s innovative field placements have been spot on ranging from the dual short mid-wicket for Kevin Pietersen to the combination of short cover and short extra-cover for Ian Bell which forced a mishit of a full toss from Steven Smith’s leg-spin in the 2^nd innings of the second test.

The Englishmen currently have the Australian team walking all over them. Alistair cook’s face said it all about the morale of the team when he came out to congratulate the Australian team at the end of the second test. The collected eyebrows in the centre indicated some serious work and strength of character required ahead to avoid an annihilation. The hill just seems a bit too high at the moment.

                                                                                                                                 

Leander - a supreme athlete!

The physical appearance betrays the fitness and sharp thinking that accompanies him on to the court. Leander Paes, the oldest man to win a Grand Slam, a feat he accomplished last week when he won the Men's Doubles US Open Title, is still a wild cat on the hunt on court, the speed of the hands and the suppleness of the torso working in tandem and placing the tennis ball exactly as the mind had demanded.

For those who had seen the young boy in his teens who went on to win the Junior Wimbledon and US Open titles at the age of 17, there might be little to differentiate in the on-court aggression and swiftness of the racket that he has managed to carry on to this day.

Pairing up with Radek Stepanek, the win in the US Open Finals was taken as a forgone conclusion once the duo had beaten the current best in business, the Bryan brothers of Bob and Mike in the semis much to the disappointment of the partisan crowd gathered at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Indeed, the Finals proved to be so, with the eventual winners pocketing 8 of the first 9 games and breaking the opponents right in the beginning of the second set after taking the first set 6-1. Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares were struggling to make themselves counted much before Peya’s back started giving him trouble in the middle of the second set and they lost in straight sets to the Indo-Czech pair.

Lot of what we see of Paes – his speed, reflexes, net game and drop shots complement his partner’s game who finds comfort playing from the baseline and looks untroubled with long rallies. 

What made Leander to stick with Stepanek when the latter had had a spinal surgery earlier in the year -  was it Lee’s practical reading of his phase in his career, understanding the time and energy involved in working out the chemistry with another partner right from scratch; or a genuine friend cum partner who believed as much as Stepanek did that he would soon be fit enough to play and compete at the highest level; or a mix of both, we would not know.

But what we do know in retrospect is that Leander made the right choice and the two seem to have forged a partnership based on trust and friendship, patience and backing.  Their on-court antics during the US Open, an involuntary invention as they seemed to indicate was as much fun to them as was flavour to the game, in this less popular cousin of the singles competition.

Paes has been on the tennis circuit for more than two decades and seems impregnable to the degeneration that accompanies age. Whether he would be playing Olympics in Rio or not is not a decision that would ride on Leander alone, there would be a lot of younger players and veterans fighting to capture the attention of the AITA (All India Tennis Association) but the old warhorse refuses to surrender.  

The Olympics are still a few years away and the legs might not be as strong as they were a few years back but with a mind and game as strong as his, a ticket to Brazil in 2016 might just be beckoning for this ageless wonder. The Indian fans would be watching keenly. 

Saina seated comfortably on the throne

Happy smiles could be seen all around after the conclusion of Season 1 of the Indian Badminton League. After a long merry-go-round of ‘will happen - might not happen – likely to happen later’, the league finally took off and the quality of the games lived up to its billing. Sold-out stadiums and presence of celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sanjay Manjrekar among the audience only added to its value and spectator interest in this 19-day spectacle.

While the presence of top ranked International players in singles and doubles provided the meat that this inaugural season needed for a successful kick-off, the clash of the tournament was seen to be the match between the top two Women’s players of the host country – Saina Nehwal from Hyderabad Hotshots and P.V Sindhu from Awadhe Warriors. The tournament organisers had planned for the inaugural day to carry this contest but the players and their teams helped to set the climax too with a similar duel.

After the two matches that were played against each other, the senior pro settled much debate on who is hotter on court at the moment. If Sindhu entertained glimpses of hope after the battle started, it ended in the first few minutes of the first game of the first match. Saina seemed to be measuring up her opponent initially while Sindhu attacked the net and delivered smashes beyond the more experienced player’s reach.

Pitched next to Sindhu and some of the South Asian players, Saina could come across a few pounds heavier for her frame but she would not allow it to come in the way of her nimble-footedness, powerful smashes, reach and coverage of the court. 

It did not take long for her to get into the groove and soon she was all over the court and Sindhu. Her body smashes on her opponent seemed well rehearsed in the mind especially in the Finals.  

Much to a badminton fan’s delight, the backline was used as much as the net and the centre of the court by both players to not allow the match to slip into a one-dimensional contest as some of the other matches were.

While Sindhu showed her class and her Icon status in the league by beating the recently retired and two-time All-England Champion, Tine Baun twice and the No. 3 ranked Juliane Schenk, it was against Saina Nehwal and in front of the split crowd support that she found it difficult to regroup herself quickly.  Crowd support can work either ways – provide energy or pile on pressure. Sindhu probably let the pressure overwhelm her as could be seen in her body language.

She has much catch up to do to further her BWF rankings but this teenager has a lot of positives to take back from the first Indian Badminton league.

Saina Nehwal could heave a sigh of relief in the meantime, her claim to the throne in Indian Badminton does not seem to be under any immediate threat.