Bobji, Author at Cricket Critique

Ravichandran Ashwin retires two

Posted on 20 December 202420 December 2024 by Bobji

The BCCI and the selectors have blundered by not making Ashwin the captain. Once Kohli relinquished his position, Rohit by default became the captain. I for one, would have made Ashwin the captain. Critics will argue that he wasn’t a regular in SENA nations and hence, he cannot be made the captain. It will say that that is hogwash. Agreed that Ashwin did not have a great record outside of Asia and West Indies during the initial years. His figures were lopsided.

The perfectionist that he was, in an effort to achieve perfection, he kept on making technical adjustments throughout his career. The statistics bear out that he was able to accomplish and achieve brilliance between 2015 and 2021. He averaged 27 in England and 27.50 in Australia. The anomalies were South Africa and New Zealand but the sample size is too low. Two Tests in South Africa and just one in New Zealand. Hardly enough number of games to judge anybody, leave alone Ashwin.

Ashwin’s thinking and the captain India missed

One of his decision that showcased the ever-thinking mind was during a game between Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. During the game, Ashwin placed unconventional and unorthodox fields which drew attention. He had a fielder in a straight line to that of the umpire. Years later, MS Dhoni adopted this strategy to contain a certain Kieran Pollard’s big hitting. In due course of time, everyone adopted it to contain Pollard. One can only wonder what heights could India have reached if only Ashwin had become the captain.

The point is that him not being a regular is just balderdash. Australia never made Shane Warne, the best brain in that Australian team, the captain but the reasons were completely different. I will say that that was a huge blunder. BCCI made the same mistake with Ashwin. Leave alone making him the captain, they did not even make him the captain of the 2^nd string team that went to Sri Lanka and played other games when the main team were in England. Dinesh Karthik, wanted Ashwin to be the captain of the team that went to the Asian Games. That did not happen either. BCCI did a great disservice to Ashwin in this regard.

The constantly churning mind

Ashwin keeps thinking about the game all the time. In his younger days, when he could not play the game on the streets, he wanted to be involved even if that meant scoring. The game and Ashwin are made for each other. Critics, including me, have often pointed out that he experiments a lot with his bowling. The straighter runup, the angled runup, legspin, carrom ball and so many others. He was even told that there was a risk of him losing his stock delivery if he continued with his experiments. However, Ashwin wasn’t afraid to experiment with his methods in the middle of a Test. It never deterred in him landing the ball where he wanted to.

That he has been India’s greatest match winner can clearly be seen in statistic. 11 Test Player-of-the-Series awards, the joint-highest in world cricket, and 10 match awards, the third-highest for an Indian and joint-highest for an Indian bowler.

Sundar was not the reason

It is now slowly emerging that this wasn’t a rash decision. It wasn’t a decision taken because he was unhappy over something. Anirudh Srikkanth, with whom Ashwin has played quite a lot of cricket during their formative years, revealed on his show “Cheeky Cheeka” that Ashwin told him that he may retire even before going to Australia. As Rohit Sharma said, he was made to wait till Perth before announcing his decision. There is a section of the media that has involved in conspiracy theory that the selection of Sundar ahead of him at Perth irked him. I do not think that this is true. Ashwin is not a vindictive person. On the contrary, he encourages fellow spinners and if it is Sundar, he will be much more pleased than Ashwin himself.

Batting ability

The real reason Ashwin wasn’t part of the team whenever India played abroad is not because of his bowling but it was because of his batting. It is now an open secret that Ashwin started his career as an opening batsman. How many of us know that it was his mother, through a casual remark, made him think of bowling offspin? The Ashwin in full flow, is a treat to watch. He has the silken grace of a left-hander and art of placing the ball in the gaps. The only thing that he lacked was brute power. He just cannot bludgeon the ball to all corners of the ground.

Otherwise, his batting was technically solid. He averaged a healthy 33 during the initial part of his career. As he concentrated more on becoming a better bowler in all conditions, he neglected his batting ability. As a result, a healthy average went down to 25 before creeping back to 27 when he retired.

His declining numbers with the bat, coincided with the better batting ability of Jadeja. India preferred four seamers and one spinner and that spinner must be capable of contributing runs. This was where Ashwin missed out. If only he could have focussed on his batting and maintained the average in the 30s, whilst improving his bowling, it would have been impossble to drop him from the team.

Wrapping up Ravichandran Ashwin retires two

The timing may not have been perfect but the final outing was still eventful. On an Adelaide track that favoured the seamers greatly, where Nathan Lyon bowled just one over, Ashwin on the otherhand, bowled when Australia were dominating the game. He alongwith Bumrah were the only bowlers to average under 3 in that innings. He got the wicket of Mitchell Marsh and almost got Travis Head but it fell short. The guile, the skill and the drift were all on display one last time.

Post retirement, joining the commentary team will probably be a good fit for him. It is so boring to listen to the likes of Bhogle, Shastri and Gavaskar for more than 3 decades. It will be refreshing to hear Ashwin speak. A few years down the line, if he is willing, he will make a great coach of the Indian team. His vastly popular YouTube channel, with more 1.6 million subscribers, is already a huge hit with the public. Perhaps, he will have a lot of “Kutti Stories”.

The best tribute for Ashwin came from MSK Prasad who felt the player deserved a better farewell. “While retirement decisions are personal, a legendary farewell would certainly have been a fitting tribute to his illustrious career. It would not only celebrate his achievements but also allow fans, teammates, and the cricketing fraternity to express their gratitude for his immense contribution. His legacy as one of India’s greatest cricketers is forever etched in history,” the former chief selector of India said.

Other Ashwin blogs

https://icricketcritique.com/ashwin-and-the-opening/
https://icricketcritique.com/it-was-all-on-the-streets/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-heartbreak-and-the-elation/
https://icricketcritique.com/ashwin-and-his-early-games/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-ashwin-autobiography-continuation/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-ashwin-autobiography-final-chapter
https://icricketcritique.com/ravichandran-ashwin-retires-one/

Ravichandran Ashwin retires one

Posted on 20 December 202420 December 2024 by Bobji

It came out of the blue and it was over within a couple of minutes. Ravichandran Ashwin, announced his international retirement from all forms of the game with immediate effect. The memories of the last 14 years, right from the time when he bowled Shane Watson in the 2011 World Cup, came flooding back. Ofcourse, he made his debut before that but it was in the World Cup that everyone saw Ashwin who will go onto achieve what he achieved over the next 14 years. He was a champion cricketer, make no mistake about it. I have been critical of Ashwin in the past but it wasn’t without any reason. However, today, it is not about that, rather, it is about Ravichandran Ashwin, the champion cricketer in Ravichandra Ashwin retires one.

“last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level”.

“I do feel that there is a bit of punch left in me as a cricketer but I would like to showcase that in club level cricket,” Ashwin said.

“I’ve had a lot of fun; I’ve created a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my other teammates.

A retirement shone of any fanfare

First of all, a massive thank you to Ashwin for his services to the game and particularly, to the nation. It is sad that the announcement had to come on a faraway land, during a game where he wasn’t even part of and away from his beloved Chennai or as he would like to call it, Madras crowd. The recent trend of a retiring player inviting his family to the final game and making a spectacle of it, Ashwin wanted none of it. I am sure there are some heartburns within the dressing room that forced him to take the decision. Infact, Rohit made a shocking comment.

Rohit said that, Ashwin told him that if he wasn’t needed in the series, he would be better off by retiring. It talks of some kind of insecurity. It remains to be seen whether Ashwin will write a tell-all book in which he pours all the frustrations that he experienced during his career. I doubt he will.

Ashwin has been a fierce cricketer. He does not tolerate nonsense. Anyone who has read his book, I have the Streets, will know what sort of personality Ashwin is. He is someone who is straight and extremely frank. If he feels that he has been wronged, he will not leave the matter until he comes to know the reason. To that extent, he does not mind confronting the mighty and powerful if he feels that unfair means were meted out to him.

It was always coming

Listening to the comments made by Rohit Sharma after the Brisbane Test, it seemed clear that Ashwin made up his mind of retiring from the game even before he landed in Australia. He knew that his chances of playing in Australia is limited. He could have announced his retirement after the New Zealand series considering the fact that India will not play another home Test until October 2025. It is a shame that a champion cricketer, who had been responsible for India winning so many games, had to bow out with four consecutive defeats.

Ofcourse, he will not realise that. It is not that this announcement wasn’t completely unexpected. He is 37 years old. He was jettisoned from whiteball cricket a longtime ago with a short appearance during the T20 World Cup in the West Indies. By the time, India play another Test in India, he will be older by a year. So, this was expected but it was expected at the end of the series and not in the middle of the series. Certainly not when he wasn’t even playing.

Ashwin and India’s dominance at home

The reason India remained so dominant at home over the last several years was purely due to the ability and skill of Ashwin. The opposition was terrified of fronting upto Ashwin on the Indian pitches. No amount of preparation before setting foot on these shores, proved enough to the threat of Ashwin. Alongwith Jadeja, he formed a potent spin combination.

In the olden days, there was a saying in Australia. If Lillee doesn’t get you, Thommo will. Much the same could be said about Ashwin and Jadeja. It is not a mere coincidence that the two series India lost at home, 2012 against England and 2024 against New Zealand were the two series during which Ashwin did not have any substantial impact at all. He dominated every touring squad during the intervening period. It shows the quality of the bowler.

Wrapping up Ravichandran Ashwin retires one

Ashwin will be remembered forever by those who had the fortune of seeing him perform for his team. Be it the nation or some local club. He never took a backfoot and was always ready for a scrap. He goes into the sunset, with his head held high and a man content in what he has achieved. The lawns across the cricketing world will forever remember that hero who walked on them. Did he have a couple of years of cricket left in him? He may have had but as Gavaskar used to say, it is better to retire when you are asked why rather than why not.

The Ashwin autobiography final chapter

Posted on 20 December 202420 December 2024 by Bobji

Ashwin starts off this chapter with his efforts to impress Dhoni, the Indian captain at that time. In the Challenger Trophy Ashwin managed to keep Dhoni quiet but wasn’t able to pick up his wicket. In a shortwhile, Ashwin as picked in the Indian squad for a couple of T20s against Sri Lanka. He is new to the Indian players and on the team bus, he picks the last seat to sit. He does not get to play in any of the T20s. Harbhajan comes back for the ODIs. Later in the season, he was picked in the ODI squad. Again, he doesn’t get to play in the game.

Trying to impress Dhoni

2010 and Ashwin is quietly confident that this year, Dhoni will pick him in the playing eleven. Fleming retired and became the coach of CSK. Fleming had different ideas. He wanted all the eleven players on the field to be involved all the time. If a ball is hit towards deep cover, the fielder running towards the ball must have a backup running with him. Mid-off should move to the bowler’s end to collec the throw. All the players must move throughout the innings. Ashwin is part of the playing eleven for a couple of games and dropped for the rest despite bowling reasonably well.

He could not understand the reason and kept on prodding VB Chandrasekhar who was the director of cricket in CSK. VB did not like his constant questioning and complains about Ashwin to his cousin who informs Ashwin’s parents.

Later, someone from the CSK setup, calls Ashwin and asks him to rejoin the squad. Ashwin replied that he expected the coach Fleming to call instead of someone from the franchise. Well, this was bad attitude on the part of Ashwin. Soon, Fleming meets him and Ashwin complains that he expected Fleming to have informed him the reason for being dropped. Anyway, now that he was back in the team, he gets a couple of games where he bowled pretty well. That season, CSK end up winning the title with Ashwin being among the important contributors.

The Tamil Nadu team

By now Ashwin had become a regular in the Indian team though he doesn’t get to play in games. At those times, he missed being part of the Tamil Nadu dressing room, mainly because the Tamil Nadu team were winning and everyone knows everyone else. During his time with the Indian team, Gary Kirsten tells him that there was a genuine possibility that Ashwin will be part of the ODI World Cup in 2011. He asked Ashwin to work on his fielding drills and also to work with Paddy Upton. He trains with Paddy Upton and was quite keen on improving his overall fitness.

Then he goes onto describe about the Champions League in 2010 where he was declared the player of the tournament. On his return back to the Indian side for the ODI series against New Zealand, most of the main choice players left for South Africa, Gambhir becomes the captain. He encouraged Ashwin to bowl the way he wanted. At the end of the game, Gambhir makes it a point to mention Ashwin for the win. At the end of the series, with India winning 5-0, Gambhir told Ashwin that he was the reason for the win and not Gambhir himself, who got the player of the series award.

If not for Ashwin willing to bowl in the powerplay and all the difficult phases of the game, the team would not have won. Ashwin was elated. Ashwin then gets selected in the full strength team for the ODI series in South Africa. For the first time, he believed that he could be part of the World Cup squad.

Ashwin and fielding

Ashwin also insists that he is not a poor fielder as he is perceived to be. He is a safe fielder. Poor fielder is one who misfields often, drops catches and in general is slow around the ground. Ashwin at that stage, dropped both the catches that came his way at the highest level. The Ashwin we have seen so far, is pretty slow around the ground though he does not misfield as often.

World Cup 2011. India starts off with a win against Bangladesh. After 4 games, he finally gets to play against the West Indies. Lo behold, he also holds onto his very first catch at international cricket. He goes onto play a pivotal role in the quarterfinals against Australia but wasn’t required for the semifinals and the finals. With the trophy won and the team celebrating, Gary Kirsten finds time to pull Ashwin aside and tell him,

“Boy, I’m telling you, you’re a really, really special cricketer. The kind of strides you made from 2009 to 2011 is every aspect of your game… See, everyone comes in here with what they’re god at and also their weaknesses. They continue to play to their strengths and they try to hide their weaknesses but very few come in with their strengths, evolve with their strengths, know what their weaknesses are and work on those weaknesses. And I haven’t seen another cricketer who has come into the team as a youngster and within the first two years, spotted their weaknesses and kept ironing them out. You’ve got a great career ahead of you. You must retain this attribute.”

With this, I come to the end of the book.

The Ashwin autobiography continuation

Posted on 20 December 202420 December 2024 by Bobji

It was the start of the IPL. Ashwin shared the dressing room with international stars like Hayden, Dhoni, Hussey, Murali, Fleming, Oram and Raina. He remembers Hayden’s confidence while speaking before the eve of the game. How he said he will deal with Sreesanth, Brett Lee and Shaun Pollock and did exactly the same. Hayden’s knowledge of the game inpresses Ashwin. He told Ashwin how he would prepare and read Harbhajan Singh. Hayden tells Ashwin that Harbhajan does not like bowling around the wicket. Hence, when he bowls over he wicket, he employs to sweep to good effect knowing fully well that it is almost impossible to get him LBW. Ashwin just like so many Tamil Brahmin boys is averse to late-night party. He can launch into a full blown analysis of the game but is scared to talk to anyone outside of the game.

WV Raman and the bond with Ashwin

Back to another Ranji season where he was reunited with Raman. Raman’s mantra is that an offspinner must not be cut and must not be driven through the covers. What he means is that a spinner must not bowl too full and too short. A captain will not be able to set fields on both sides of the pitch. The classic off-spin bowling is to bowl the ball wide, drift it away beautifully, create a gap between the bat and pad, then either go through the gap or get the bat-pad catch. It is easier said than done. He narrates an incident while being the captain of the Tamil Nadu white-ball team. A reporter tells him about a player who can open the innings and bowl too.

Abhinav Mukund, the TN opener was struggling at that time. Ashwin tells the reporter that Abhinav will be dropped if he doesn’t perform in the next game. As this news gets out, Raman calls him and tell him that such statements must not be made in public. It will affect the confidence of the player. Ashwin talks to Abhinav and work things out. Abhinav repaid that faith by scoring a hundred in the final with TN emerging the winner. Raman encouraged Ashwin during his formative years. He was at the sametime, harsh and quite strict with him. Ashwin asked him about this to which Raman replied that Badrinath, the captain of TN has played enough and he respected him but Ashwin was just starting and has lots of ability, he would not like a wall to separate them.

Appreciated by Dhoni

IPL in 2009 was moved to South Africa because of the general elections. Ashwin also became part of the inner circle as CSK that he was in one of the advertisements to promote a brand where he met his future wife, Prithi. Ashwin then goes on about how he tried to impress her and I do not want to get into it. In South Africa, Ashwin bowls the sodakku delivery which is now christened as the carrom ball, to Dhoni in the nets. Dhoni was impressed and asked Ashwin about the field that he will set for such a delivery.

The team that Ashwin preferred

Back in India, he describes about the team that he loves the most. RUCA, Ramakrishnapuram Underarm Cricket Association. They are players of tennis ball cricket and it was time to move them to cricket ball. He talks about some of the players of that team. Raju, the one who was sure that he will play for India. Bhuvesh, the king of street cricket. He wasn’t fast nor was he agile on the pitch. Hence, he became the wicket-keeper. He was gifted Dhoni’s old gloves and pads which he wears for all the games. He even changed his Facebook profile to MS Bhuvesh. Bhuvesh likes to throw the ball to the slip nonchalantly like the international wicket keepers do. He was a showman. Shyam for whom attack is the best form of defence but this was out of fear for the ball. He whacks every delivery that came his way.

Sai Kumar, a corporate employee with neatly worn whites and a Gray Nicholls bat. He always lied about his cricketing credentials. Vicky, younger brother of Bhuvnesh, a good committed cricketer. Fields well and was decent batsman. Sriram, Ashwin’s cousin who wasn’t allowed to play with the leather ball. Aravind Srinivas, the “slow” fast bowler who eventually turns into a spinner and goes onto play in league games. Vivek who played for Jolly Rovers in Chennai Division 1. Rama a reasonably talented right-arm seamer. Manu, a decent legspinner with lots of variations. Venkat, whose residence was in Trichy but because he worked in Chennai, he spent a lot of time at Ashwin’s home. Ashwin and Venkat became good friends. Venkat looked after Ashwin as a brother would.

The expected Adelaide debacle 2

Posted on 20 December 202420 December 2024 by Bobji

Shubman Gill is another who continues to frustrate. In close to 40 Tests, his average is less than 40. This is not the hallmark of a batsman who is touted as Kohli’s replacement. At Adelaide, he looked good but once again, he could not make either of the innings count. Australia where he announced his arrival as an international batsman of repute, is expected once again to launch Gill. Like Rohit, he is pleasing to the eye but what use it is does not translate into runs?

One man attack

If the state of the batsmen has been abysmal, the bowlers are not far off either. The bowling has become a one-man show. Bumrah needs to pick up wickets. Bumrah needs to stem the flow of runs and Bumrah needs to scare the opposition. What are the other bowlers doing? It was because of Bumrah, India won at Perth. He broke the top and middle order and the other bowlers mopped up the rest. Australia are extremely scared of Bumrah and that much is evident. They also know that if Bumrah is watchfully, kept out, the rest of the Indian bowling is harmless. This gives them tremendous confidence. Siraj and Harshit Rana are not only incapable of building on the gains but they are prolific too. It makes the job of Bumrah that much more harder.

The average speed of Harshit Rana is in the early 130s. If it is not combined with sufficient movement and seam, international batsmen will not be worried. Scott Boland bowls at this speed but his height and subtle movements is what makes him dangerous on Australian pitches. If Rana lacks these, why is he on the tour? He is young and built pretty well. He can learn on the job but on an important tour, when you have just three seamers with only one expected to take wickets, it is a luxury India cannot afford.

Siraj and his conduct

With Shami injured, the selectors may argue that they do not have much choice but whose fault was it to not groom a seamer, be it Rana or someone else? Rana must consider himself blessed to make his debut on those hard and bouncy Australian pitches. If he fails to make use of this opportunity, he can only blame himself.

To make matters worse, Siraj has been fined for his poor conduct. As Gavaskar rightly mentiond, Siraj’s outburst against Head was completely insane. Here was a batsman who had just scored 140 bludgeoning runs against whom you did not have any answer, you send him off with an expletive? By the time Head was dismissed Australia was in a commanding position. It is not new. Siraj has been doing this for a very longtime despite his dreadful record which makes him look all the more foolish. Perhaps, Siraj finally feels the heat upon himself but this is not the way to release the pressure. He must let his bowling answer the critics. Get wickets, run through sides, complement Bumrah.

Without any of these, the more he indulges in such behaviour, the more he looks ridiculous. He needs to learn from Bumrah who despite his phenomenal performances, goes about the business of making the batsmen uncomfortable without indulging in any histrionics. Yes, Bumrah does scream after he picks up a wicket but it is never directed at the batsman. Siraj does not differ from offering an advise or two even if he as much as beats the bat. Siraj averages below 3 wickets per Test which is unpardonable even for someone from Asia.

Head the tormentor

In this day and age, where every aspect of a cricketer is available for analysis, it is baffling to see that India have not been able to dislodge Head. He has hurt them in multiple formats. The hundred in the WTC Finals followed by the hundred in the ODI World Cup.

Yet, he continues to plunder runs against us. Head is a suspect against the short-ball but that aspect of his batting has not been consistently examined. If India entertain any thought of surprising Australia in this series, they will have to find a way to see the back of Head sooner rather than later. Any significant length of time he bats, he would have already batted Australia into a position of strength. One of Siraj or Rana or if included, Krishna or Akash Deep will have to become the Neil Wagner of this team. Consistently and predominantly bowl at the head of Head.

Wrapping up the expected Adelaide debacle 2

The series itself is being fought by two mediocre teams. Make no mistake about that. Both India and Australia lack quality in their ranks. The batsmen struggle on pitches that aid seamers and the bowlers, with the exception of Bumrah, struggle when there isn’t much assistance. It is confounding to learn that these are the top two teams in the world. It goes onto show how much the standards have fallen in international cricket. An overwhelming majority of the Indian supporters expected a 0-5 result. Having won at Perth, one can say that they have already exceeded expectations. However, looking at Australia, winning the series must be considered par for the course.

The expected Adelaide debacle 1

Posted on 20 December 202420 December 2024 by Bobji

The Adelaide debacle was more or less expected. It is tough to bat against the pink-ball which swings a touch more than the red-ball. The mission is extremely challenging if the batsmen attempt to do it without proper practice. Just 50 overs of practice session with the Australian Prime Minister’s XI will not prepare any team for bigger challenges ahead. Having said that, the Indian team, particularly the batsmen, cannot escape blame. Agreed that they have not practiced much with the pink-ball. Infact, they would not even have seen the pink-ball until they landed in Australia. However, the lack of backbone shown by the batsmen is what is worrying for every Indian fan. The expected Adelaide debacle continues a chastening trend of batsmen failing when the conditions are tough.

Ideally, the Adelaide Test must have been the first of the series. Prior to that, India must have played atleast a couple of practice games with the pink-ball. It would have meant that the team was not only prepared against the pink-ball but is also prepared for the whole tour ahead. The BCCI as is their wont, does not really care about Indian cricket or the reputation of the team.

They are intend on making money in every possible way that they do not mind scheduling games right until the night the team is supposed to depart. The BCCI must also remember that every board and every cricket team, wants to see the Indian team defeated because they are unable to challenge the might of the BCCI. Hence, they satisfy their ego by defeating the Indian team.

The players too, have increasingly become averse to playing preparatory games ahead of such important tours. They indulge themselves in what they call, selective preparation. It involves preparing the pitches that resemble the actual Test pitches. It can never replace the traditional practice games even if the pitche seldom resemble the actual Test pitches.

Deteriorating batting performance

None of these absolves the players from their own failure. In the 3 Tests against New Zealand and in the 2 Test against Australia, the batting has completely floundered. Except for a couple of innings in 10, the batsmen have failed to go past 250. You do not get to win games by scoring less than 250 unless you have Marshall, Holding, Garner and Roberts in the bowling attack. Even among the two, one innings must be discounted because it was predominantly a two-men show. Pant and Sarfaraz made full use of a docile Bangalore pitch when the conditions were bright and ideal for batting. It was only in the 2^nd innings at Perth, the batsmen as a whole, contributed.

Otherwise, it has been a dismal couple of months for the batsmen. The only exception is Jaiswal who could be excused for his lack of experience and having contributed enough runs since his debut. It does not mean that he can afford a miserable series in Australia.

Where is the middle order?

What is frustrating is that the chances of a couple of wickets going down early on pitches that aid fast bowling, is part and parcel of the game against the shiny red cherry. However, the middle and lower order is expected to arrest the slide and post a total for the bowlers to defend. In the 2^nd Test against New Zealand, Harry Brook and Joe Root pulled England towards dominance from a precarious position. Nowadays, it is safe to assume that if India is 20/3, they will be invariably bowled out for less than 100. The middle order has become lacklustre. Kohli is the big elephant in the room. No one wants to state the obvious. Rohit will not because his own spot is under threat.

Gambhir must show the mirror to Kohli and tell him, you carried the team for 5 years and the rest have carried you for 5 years. Enough is enough. Your spot will be under consideration. Lack of runs at Brisbane, you can consider yourself dropped for the reminder of the series. The problem with that is the fact that Gambhir and Kohli have a history of animosity towards each other. If Kohli is dropped purely based on cricketing reasons, there will be section who will assign ulterior motives to the move.

Rohit’s comments

Rohit said, “We were 30-40 runs short with the bat in the first innings. And then there were opportunities when Australia was batting and we failed to take those chances [Travis Head was dropped on 78; he made 140]. And obviously when you miss those chances, it is never easy and it’s not going to be easy. The opposition will always make you pay for it and that’s what happened. And then in the second innings as well, we thought the conditions were better. Again, we were not good enough with the bat.”

It is all well and good to say that we were not good enough but when will the tide be arrested and when will it be reversed? This has gone on for too long. Against England, in March 2024, the batting wasn’t that spectacular either. It was adequate. Jaiwal alone towered above the rest with Rohit and Gill chipping in a couple of times. Otherwise, the batting wasn’t solid against an England team that lacked decent spinners.

An alarming statistic is that there has been just one score of above 100 in the first innings this season by an individual batsman. It wasn’t by a batsman but by Ashwin. More tellingly, 16 ducks in the first innings. Teams cannot hope to post any threat with such batting performances. Unfortunately, Rohit does not consider this statistic frightening and that defeat in seven sessions of cricket, terrifying.

Wrapping up the expected Adelaide debacle 1

Rohit himself lacks serious consistency. It is tough to score runs in Australia for any Asian batsman. More so for a batsman who missed the first Test, to bat against the pink-ball under lights. It is not Rohit has lost form but it is much more serious than that. At 37, with slowing reflex and skill, he has reached the end of his career. A top score of only 62 in Australia, despite multiple tours will only make the Australians wait with glee for they know that it is just a matter of few deliveries. Rohit is not in a position to suddenly reverse his fortune in Australia and score lots of runs in the remaining games.

His batting maybe pleasing to the eye but is of no value if the same pleasing batting does not result in runs. His captaincy was also extremely poor. Rohit has been an overrated batsman in Test cricket right from the time he made his debut. He had a stellar 3 years in the middle but apart from that, his returns have been mediocre at the best. It really is a wonder how much fame he has gained over the years despite the poor returns. Perhaps, it is purely because of his exploits in white-ball cricket.

BGT 2024

Ashwin and his early games

Posted on 20 December 202420 December 2024 by Bobji

Ashwin’s parents insists on good academics to make up for failure to achieve anything substantial in cricket. His mother wanted him to take medicine whereas he wanted to pursue Commerce so that he can concentrate on cricket. His father was on the fence. As a compromise, he chose engineering, cleared the entrace exam and got a seat in Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College though his scores were less. Marks were awarded if you are an outstanding in sports. Having played for Indian U-17, he got some merit points which helped his case. Ashwin had a tough time managing studies and cricket. He then goes onto describe how he and his friends prepared for the exam.

Ashwin then reminisces about a young Tamil Nadu who went by the name of Dinesh Karthik. I have always said that Karthik had all the ability and the skill to flourish at the highest level. He never really had any weakness. For the talent that he possessed, he must have been a permanent picture in the Indian team. Unfortunately, Karthik never achieved the heights that his talent demanded. Here, Ashwin describes how he used to visit the games where Karthik played because of the sheer pleasure of watching him bat. He was fascinated so much by Karthik that he had dedicated a couple of pages to him. Just goes to show how much of a talent Karthik was.

Initial games

By 2006, Ashwin was expecting to be selected in the Ranji Trophy squad for Tamil Nadu. He gets into the probables camp but was not selected in the squad. The spot goes to Ashish Kapoor. Tamil Nadu lose the first couple of games and Ashwin was called up to make his debut during the 3^rd game. He picks up 5 wickets in the game but TN still lose the game. At the end of the season,TN did very badly but Ashwin’s performance was encouraging with 31 wickets at 16.93. He goes onto describe one particular session against UP with UP needing just 129 to win.

Raina and Kaif opened the innings and reached a healthy 67 for 1. Ashwin asked the captain Badrinath to give him the ball and asked for a field that was predominantly off-side oriented. He kept bowling well wide of the offstump. The UP batsmen did not have space to score and hence, tried to hit on the leg. In doing so, he kept losing wickets and were 89 for 7 at one stage but held onto a draw. From a definite loss to draw for TN because of Ashwin’s thinking.

Another incident, this time, he bowled to the international players from India and the West Indies at the Chepauk nets. He was perplexed because none of them acknowledged his bowling, be it when he got them out or when he beat their bats repeatedly. Ashwin was annoyed and informed the groundsman that he will not be going to the nets from the next day onwards. He vowed not to be a nets bowler only ever again.

The Carrom ball

Ashwin goes to Sri Lanka to play in the MJ Gopalan Trophy, which was played between TN and Sri Lanka but has since been stopped. There he find Rangana Herath bowl with a peculiar grip. It is called the Sodukku ball in Madras street cricket parlance. However, to do the same with a leather ball is difficult. Ashwin decides to practice it when he gets back home. In the Tamil Nadu nets, he tries this but it mostly fell short. Vijay get annoyed and starts to hit with one hand. Badri was annoyed too but didn’t reveal anything.

Ashwin protests that why should the batsmen always be the one to dominate? The bowler too has an equal say. The bowler can bowl without the batsman but the batsman cannot bat without a bowler. Ashwin was only trying to improve. He also wonders why should the bowler apologise to the batsman for a bad delivery whereas the batsman does not when plays a fault shot?

Raman and his contribution

WV Raman, the Tamil Nadu coach gives him a separate net to practice his new delivery so that he does not disturb the nets session. With every game, his relationship with Raman increases and they became good friends. Raman teaches him about alignment and angular run-up.

Raman helps Ashwin in establishing control. He says for a spinner, length, line and revolutions are the key. Revolutions are involuntary. If the line is correct, length can wary. Raman tells Ashwin that the second season of Ranji will decide whether Ashwin can go onto become an Indian cricketer. Raman sometimes tells Ashwin to run a bit slower and some other times, a bit faster. Ashwin follows those instructions and to his amazement, saw how the ball behaved everytime.

While playing in the Duleep Trophy, BCCI launches the IPL. Franchise owners were announced and they start picking players. CSK owned by Indian Cements picks Muralitharan but Ashwin wasn’t. He calls other teams but to of no avail. Finally, it happened while he turned up for Jolly Rovers against Vijay Cricket Club in the final of the first division. It is a team owned by Srinivasan.

Ashwin picks up 5 and was awarded the man of the match. Srikkanth who presides the presentation says loudly that he is looking for to work with Ashwin within the CSK setup without realising that he wasn’t picked. The next day, Ashwin receives a call from VB Chandrasekhar to meet him and sign the contract.

Other blogs in the Ashwin series

https://icricketcritique.com/ashwin-and-the-opening/
https://icricketcritique.com/it-was-all-on-the-streets/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-heartbreak-and-the-elation/

The Adelaide Test

Posted on 6 December 20246 December 2024 by Bobji

India goes into the Adelaide Test chasing one more history. Australia have never lost a day-night game at The Adelaide. The only day-night Test that they lost to the West Indies, was at the Gabba. At Adelaide, however, they have been nearly unbeatable. Many a teams, including India, have found Adelaide tough to crack. Adelaide used to be a batting track where the games would last all the 5 days but eversince the introduction of the pink-ball and day-night cricket, it has been anything but. Tests have finished inside 4 days and in the last series, India was bowled out for a paltry 36 which saw the game complete in 3 days. The task for India is quite straightforward. They will be chasing one more history.

A couple of weeks ago, India overcame poor confidence, loss of form and humiliation to create history at Perth, becoming the first team to defeat Australia at The Optus stadium. Back in 2021, the team created another history by becoming the first team to defeat Australia at The Gabba in 36 years and thereby win the series. It was followed by a history making win at The Centurion. Does this Indian team have it in them to create one more history?

With the arrival of Rohit Sharma and the recovery of Shubman Gill, India will be bolstered in their batting. Both of them will replace Padikkal and Jurel in the squad. Jurel is unfortunate because he was the one batsman who looked solid against Australia A but Rohti being the captain, cannot be made to sit out. Especially, after Jurel’s twin low scores at Perth. Nonetheless, he does have a bright future. Perhaps, he could be the captain after Rohit retires?

Who starts as the favourite?

Just based on their record, Australia starts this game as the favourites. Whenever talk of Adelaide and day-night Test is in the air, Australia always show up for the contest. The Australian bowlers gain an extra step of potency at Adelaide and they are full of confidence. There are reports of nervousness within the Australian camp but be that as it may, they are at their best when such things are in the dressing room. Shane Warne and Steve Waugh, Shane Warne and Gilchrist. That never stopped them from giving more than 100% on the field. This Australian outfit is not different. Moreover, a wounded Australian side is even more dangerous.

Hazlewood is out with an injury but that does not make their attack less potent. Scott Boland will bolster the attack and he has a stellar record at Adelaide. India will do well to consider him as dangerous as Hazlewood. Just beause Hazlewood is not part of the game, they cannot afford to take the Test less lightly. Boland is equally if not more, dangerous. Having said that, India must not be too much perturbed with Boland’s record. Records are meant to be broken. Let him do his best, Indian batsmen must show that they are up for the task.

Apart from this change, I don’t see Australia making any other change. There are clouds over Mitchell Marsh’s fitness and the debut of McSweeney. Reports have emerged that Marsh will be bowling a lot more than he did at Perth. With the next Test at the Gabba starting within 4 days, his adaptability and perseverance will be severely tested.

The Indian composition

Rohit Sharma will probably drop down to the middle order. Though he batted at number 4 in the pink ball practice game, Kohli is unlikely to be shifted from his position. Ideally, with his experience of handling the new ball, Rohit will be better suited to bat at number 6 after Pant. He will be in a position to handle the second new ball but India will hope that Rohit is not at the wicket at the introduction of the second new ball and that he is yet to come in. If that is the case, it only means that India are in a decent position.

With Rohit down the order, it leaves the opening pair of Jaiswal and Rahul undisturbed. It will also give the Indians a psychological edge because Australia will be wary of the opening pair, particularly, Jaiswal. He showed his calibre in the first Test. He definitely would want to continue with that. If he could negotiate the first 10-15 overs, it will be his day. Rahul on the otherhand, adjusted pretty well to the demands of Australian conditions. It makes sense to keep them opening.

The spinner

I think the only point of contention will be the role of the spinner. Will it be Ashwin or will it be Jadeja? Or will the Indian team management be happy to continue with Sundar? Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana have secured their spots. I do not think that Prasidh Krishna or Akash Deep are in contention. As for the spinner, I would like to reiterate that Sundar is a batsman who can bowl if required. Jadeja’s meagre returns with the bat over the last year goes against him and Ashwin reliability as a batsman is to be questioned because of his inconsistency. I am sure post retirement, Ashwin will ponder the missed opportunity as a batsman. How much he could have contributed with the bat. That is a story for another day.

India will be advised to continue with Sundar because he is a better batsman than Jadeja and Ashwin and he could also pick up some wickets. The only reason for Ashwin to play is because the last time around, he bowled beautifully at Adelaide. Perhaps, the best he has bowled in Australia. However, given his inconsistency with the bat, India cannot afford a pure bowler at number 7 or 8.

Wrapping up the Adelaide Test

A win at Adelaide will increase the confidence of the Indians manifold that they can dream of a series win. Something that seemed impossible 4 weeks ago. They must ensure that Australians are not given any sort of confidence.

BGT blogs

Some interesting pointers

Posted on 6 December 20246 December 2024 by Bobji

The pink ball practise game against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI, is not something that needs to be seriously looked at. The first day was washed out and the next day was treated an an exhibition game. Both the teams were allowed to play 14 members with any set of 11 players while batting or bowling. Something Indian team is notorious during most of the tours. India does not take these games seriously. Sarfaraz Khan was the wicket keeper, an indication how serious or the lack thereof was the team towards the game. If not for the fact that the Adelaide Test will be with the pink ball, I am more than certain that the team would not have approved even this game. Nevertheless, some interesting pointers were there during the game. Let me discuss about those here.

Rohit’s position

Rohit Sharma, the captain, missed the first Test because of the birth of his 2^nd child. He is widely expected to take his spot at the top of the order. There is a school of thought that after the success of Rahul at the top at Perth, it will be insane to break that partnership and implant Rohit at the top. Agreed that Rohit has been the designated opener but it will not be wise to break the Jaiswal / Rahul pairing at the moment when they are on a high. Rohit himself seems to have reconciled to the fact and he batted in the middle order during the game.

It is a clear indication that Rohit will be batting in the middle order at Adelaide. As to where, we still do not know. Now, Kohli did not play in the game, will Rohit replace Pant at number 5 or will he be graceful enough to bat at number 6?

Now, I am not going to say that how Rohit unselfishly demoted himself to the middle order. His performance in Australia is pretty bad. An average of just 22 is not something an opener would like to have on a tough tour of Australia. Morever, Rohit of late, has been playing one shot too many. Perhaps, he does not feel that his defensive game is good enough for the conditions. It is better for someone who is low in confidence to bat in the middle.

Shubman Gill is fit

Just like Rohit, Gill too missed the first Test at Perth because of a fractured finger. Gill has a game that will suit the bounce of Australia. His inconsistency is what worries most of us the supporters of the Indian cricket team. He batted fluently for a 50 of just 62 deliveries. If there are any doubts about his availability for Adelaide, he still have 5 more days to get himself perfectly ready. Even his spot has been decided in the game. He will replace Devdutt Padikkal at number 3.

That is all well and good but Gill’s biggest enemy is Gill himself. He has more often than not, belied expectations. It was during the last tour of Australia, Gill made a decent debut. He followed it with a brilliant 91 at The Gabba to enable India to not only win the Test but the series with it. India need the best of Gill over the next 4 Tests. Number 3 is a pivotal position. Is Gill good enough to make the spot his own?

Ashwin will have to wait

Ashwin will probably have to wait till Sydney to make any contribution in the series. Both Sundar and Jadeja bowled and batted whereas Ashwin alongwith Kohli and Bumrah, did not have anything to do with the game. It really is a pity because after a couple of tours, Ashwin finally understood the line and length to bowl on Australian surfaces. The 2020 tour of Australia was the best he has ever bowled outside of India, Sri Lanka and West Indies. However, his batting goes against him. With Sundar’s decent runs at Perth and Jadeja waiting, Ashwin will be lucky to find atleast one game on this tour.

Boland was wicketless

Let us not read too much into it. Boland’s record in pink-ball Tests is amazing. He averages 13.71 though it is a very small sample. A game that was not taken seriously by anyone, Boland would not have given his everything. He is expected to replace Hazlewood at Adelaide. However, Jaiswal, Rahul and Gill played him quite well as per reports. This is a good news for us the Indian supporters. If Boland is nullified and Lyon negotiated, the enormous load that will leave on the shoulders of Starc and Cummins will most probably reduce their energy for the rest of the series. This is where India must have to make it count.

As for Australia, with McSweeney’s struggle at Adelaide, it has opened to doors to open the batting with Khwaja. Konstas’s hundred could not have come at a better time. He may not open at Adelaide but if Australia sees themselves behind once again at the end of Adelaide, Konstas can come into the picture at The Gabba.

Wrapping up some interesting pointers

I wish that India takes such games seriously. It will only help in their preparation. There is no point in worrying about injuries all the time.

What happened at Kingsmeade?

Posted on 29 November 202429 November 2024 by Bobji

Sri Lanka were just bowled out for 42. What happened at Kingsmeade? For a very longtime, South African pitches overly favour the fast bowlers. A year ago, when India toured South Africa for a couple of Tests, the 2^nd Test was completed in just 2 days. Now, at Kingsmeade, the Test may not finish in 2 days but it will definitely finish on the 3^rd day. South Africa have a genuine chance of qualifying for the WTC finals in 2025. Including the one at Durban, they need to win 3 of the 4 Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. This is pretty easy because neither Sri Lanka nor Pakistan will offer any resistance on those pitches that have extreme pace. Pitches with normal bounce would have sufficed but South Africa have taken it to the extreme and have prepared a pitch with excessive pace.

There is nothing wrong in doing so. Every team tries to maximise home advantage. Asian teams prepare pitches with lots of turn whereas England and New Zealand leave enough grass for their swing bowlers to extract the most out of the surface. With WTC points at stake and in the aim of winning games at home, the host nation prepare pitches that may not suit them but that definitely does not suit the touring sides. The ICC pitches committee will have a long and hard look at the pitch unless the game goes onto atleast the 4^th day.

Anyway, South Africa definitely starts as the favourites against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Sri Lanka does not have fast bowlers of repute and as such, they are unlikely to post any threat to South Africa. Pakistan, though they have fast bowlers, their bowlers have not performed at the highest level.

Not pushing for green top

Firdose Monda, the celebrated and brilliant South African writer, wrote an article on ESPNCRICINFO.COM that South Africa are not pushing for greentops for the home season. Temba Bavuma, the captain said, “We’re not at liberty to instruct the groundsmen to prepare what we’d like. We just try to play on whatever has been prepared,” Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s captain said in Pretoria. The coach echoed the same. “We just want good cricketing wickets,” he said. “That’s all I can ask for.”

However, judging by the scoreline, it seems that the pitch has a high bounce to trouble any batsman. It is possible that Sri Lanka was bowled out for a low score because of their inability to handle pace and bounce. They can also be blamed for jumping straight into a Test match without any practise, afterall, they just travelled from the low bouncing pitches of Sri Lanka to the bouncy South African wickets. However, what can explain South Africa’s abject surrender in the first innings if not for the pitch having excessive bounce?

Sri Lankan series

Ironically, Sri Lanka is the only Asian nation to have won a series in South Africa. They won at Durban and Gqeberha in 2019 though they lost the very next series without any win. South Africa will be stupid to handover any advantage in terms of pitch to the visiting team. They have never qualified for the WTC finals. This year offers a golden opportunity to do that. Win all the 4, they are guaranteed a spot in the final. Win 3, they can still qualify but hope that other results go their way.

South Africa have always prepared pitches with excessive bounce for Asian teams. In 2017, against India, it was taken to the extreme by the then coach, Otis Gibson. He wanted pitches with lots of bounce so that the likes of Steyn, Rabadda, Philander and Morkel could take advantage of. It is another matter that they still ended up losing one.

However, Sri Lanka is not as strong as India or as versatile as India. Hence, they are bound to struggle in this series irrespective of the fact that they are the only Asian nation so far to win a series there.

Onto the Pakistan series

Pakistan possess bowlers who could bowl at 145KMPH. They always had the reputation of possessing fast bowlers that can make the opposition shiver. The reputation of their fast bowlers, right from the days of Imran Khan through Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis to the current lot of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah far exceeded their capacity to delivery. How else can we say? Pakistan never managed to win a series in the West Indies until they became so poor that anyone had a chance. They never could defeat Australia in Australia. South Africa is no different.

Anyway, in South Africa, their batsmen must be capable of handling Rabadda and the others. That will be their main challenge. South African pitches will help fast bowlers quite a lot that mediocre bowlers can come good. If the batsmen are unable to adjust to the pace and bounce, things could get really tough.

South Africa with their superior bowlers will certainly fancy their chances winning both the Tests.

Wrapping up what happened at Kingsmeade?

Sri Lanka bowled out for 42, which is not completely unexpected. South African pitches with their pace and bounce is tough to handle for Asian teams with the honourable exception of the Indians. Both Sri Lanka and Pakistan have unhill task on their hands.