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Review of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022

Posted on 4 June 202230 December 2023 by Bobji

Gujarat Titans became only the 2^nd team in the history of IPL to have won the tournament on the year they were introduced. The previous winner was their finals counterpart, Rajasthan Royals. Ofcourse, there weren’t many teams that were introduced during the last 14 years. The number of teams was restricted for the most part except for 2 years when CSK and Rajasthan were banned in 2017. Anyway, it was a commendable performance on the part of Gujarat Titans. This is a review of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022.

Hardik Pandya showed that he has another side

I had previously, criticised Hardik Pandya for batting at an important position of number 4. I really thought that he does not have the game that suits that crucial position. Nevertheless, it was because of his steady innings and the partnership with Gill that ensured that Gujarat did not panic after the initial wickets. Ofcourse, the target wasn’t that huge but in the finals, nerves takes over and a few tight overs, especially if Chahal had taken that sitter of Gill, you never know. The small target would have been seen as a mountain. Hardik, because of his experience at the highest level, guided Gill toward the target. 487 runs at a decent enough strike rate of 131, is commendable from someone who was seen as a lower order blaster and a steady bowler.

Shubnam Gill and the art of batting

Most of Gujarat’s wins were quite comfortable. They always seem to have had the time to either chase a tall score or set one. Shubnam Gill was quite flamboyant during the initial stages of the tournament but faltered a little towards the end. I have always believed that Gill’s game suits the longest format rather than the limited overs version. He has all the shots and is not afraid of fast bowling and he seems to have more time to play his shots than say a Prithvi Shaw or Padikkal. He is in the mould of Rohit Sharma.

India really has found a gem in Gill but his talent is wasted in white ball cricket. The Indian supporter can only hope that his Test Match technique is not compromised because of the need to play shots all the time in T20. Gill is someone who has the talent and the ability to play for India for 10 years. There is no way BCCI will allow him to skip IPL every year and one can only hope that he retains the hunger for the highest form of the game.

Shami the powerhouse

Another major reason for Gujarat’s win was the bowling of Shami. He picked up 12 wickets during the powerplay. The highest for any team. He literally ensured that the opposition does not get off to a flying start and is always checked. He averaged 24, which was an incredible achievement on the batting decks. No one else came close. The consistency of Shami and the pace at which he bowled, was a major factor. Another important factor was the death bowling. Gujarat averaged less than 10 in the death overs.

Rashid Khan

It helped Gujarat that they are the new to the tournament and that Hyderabad thought it fit to release Rashid Khan. With an open field, Gujarat plumped for Rashid for about 15 CR. It proved to be a master stroke. None of the teams were confident of playing Rashid. An economy rate of 6.59 from 16 games was an awesome achievement. It literally means that his four overs, Gujarat can keep the opposition in control. In a game of 20 overs, that is like gold. Even during the final, Rashid kept the most dangerous batsman in Rajasthan Royals, Jos Buttler, in check.

Never once was he able to free his arms. It played a major part in the scoring ability of Buttler. He was more intent on batting safely against Rashid and take on the others. However, it eventually cost him his wicket because he simply had to accelerate at a faster clip than what he would have liked. Here, Pandya must be credited for his bold decision to bring Rashid on for Buttler. He really had Buttler under a tight leash.

Tewatia and Miller

Tewatia did not score too many runs. You can say that he didn’t get that many overs to score too many runs but he did score them, rather heavily, in the end at a wonderful strike rate of 147. That swung the game Gujarat’s way. Miller on the otherhand not only scored at a strike rate of 142 but he ended the tournament with close to 500 runs. This super combination ensured that Pandya is not left alone and Miller can always be counted. In the qualifier, it was Miller’s blitzkrieg in the end that sealed the spot in the finals.

Gujarat statistics

It is incredible to see three Gujarat batsmen among the top 10 run getters and two Gujarat bowlers among the top 10 wicket-takers. No wonder, they absolutely dominated the tournament. This goes onto to show how superior they were when compared to the other teams.

Conclusion to review of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022

In the end, Gujarat Titans were the deserved winners. They dominated the tournament right from the beginning and never let go. As far as I can remember, they were always ranked as the top team which clearly shows how superior were they when compared to the other teams.

This Gujarat win has thrown up a rather surprise captaincy option for India. Hardik Pandya. He now wants to win the World Cup for India. This augurs well for the team. I am among the ones who had given up on Hardik Pandya but if he is fit and raring to go, he is an absolute treat to watch.

“Playing for India has always been a kind of dream come true no matter how many games I have played. It has always been a pleasure for me to represent the country. The kind of love and support I have got it is only from the Indian team’s point of view. Long term, short term, I want to win the World Cup no matter what happens.”

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Review of Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022

Posted on 4 June 202230 December 2023 by Bobji

RCB, probably the name is the biggest problem. Challengers. The players must have taken it literally in that they always want to be the challengers rather than the winners. The eternal bridesmaid of IPL, RCB is just clueless about what is required for them to go onto the next level. Change of captain too did not help the franchise either. This is a review of Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022.

The franchise finished 3^rd in the competition which is a slight improvement from last year. In that sense, it was progress but a title win remains elusive. For some reason, they start the season really well and endure a mid-season slump and a surge in the later stages. This template, the team followed last year and the previous one. Either they become complacent after winning initially and then panic later or they are plain stupid. What else can explain this continued dilly dallying in their performance?

It truly is unbelievable that RCB, which was served by 2 of the most destructive batsman of their time, Virat Kohli and De Villiers, for a significant part, is yet to win a single IPL trophy. I do agree that 2 batsmen do not make a team but then, these batsmen were expected to transcend ordinariness into oblivion but they failed at the most inopportune moment. It really is a shame that despite 14 attempts, RCB is yet to win a single title. The wait endures. No one really knows how long is this wait going to last.

A Change of guard at the top was expected to bring a change in fortunes for the RCB but things remained the same.

The failure of the big three

The big three is made up of Faf Plessis, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell. None of them had a great tournament. Virat Kohli especially, endured a horrendous run. Thrice he was out for a golden duck. He is completely out of form. It will be better for him and for the Indian team if he takes a break from all forms of cricket. It is unfortunate that these players choose to skip when playing for India but not when they play for their respective franchises. Also, it is unfortunate that these franchises want the box office players to play in all the games irrespective of the fact whether they prove themselves to be useful or otherwise. Sometimes I do really wonder whether the franchises do really care about winning.

Du Plessis, the captain and opening bat, found wanting

Faf Plessis on the otherhand had a wretched tournament. He just wasn’t the same player that terrorised bowling attacks in last year’s IPL playing for CSK. Except for one game, he either failed to go onto a substantial score or score quickly to upset the rhythm of the opposing bowlers. With Anuj Rawat at the other end, RCB never really got any momentum going in the initial phase. Kohli replaced Rawat but found the going to be tough.

Maxwell was nowhere to be seen

Glenn Maxwell was the third of the big trio who had a wretched run. Back in the day, when RCB signed him, there were suggestions that except for one season, Maxwell never really justified his selection. The trend seems to continue. He had a decent first season with RCB but did not have a good one the next time around. Perhaps, the number 4 position was a couple of positions too high for him. He is a destroyer in the mould of Karthik and probably his ideal position could have been at 6. Nonetheless, being a senior with loads of experience behind him, he must have taken more responsibility and must have played a stellar role. Alas, it wasn’t to be.

These top players were quite inept during the eliminator and the 2^nd qualifier and thereby placing an enormous amount of pressure on the shoulders of Patidar, Karthik & Lomror. Patidar came out with flying colours and Karthik was alright for the most part though he failed in the crucial knock-out game.

The less said about the bowlers

Here is a group of bowlers who weren’t able to pick up early wickets whereas their counterparts from other teams, regularly took RCB’s openers easily. RCB’s average while bowling was 46. That was the highest among all the teams. It is a telling statistic. This was one particular passage of play that virtually ensured their elimination in the 2^nd eliminator. Jos Buttler who has otherwise taken few deliveries to get going, launched himself on the RCB bowlers and alongwith Jaiswal, sealed the game in those 6 overs.

Mohammed Siraj may have been good last year but this year, he proved to be the least effective. Yet, RCB persisted with him including in the all important eliminator. He conceded 31 sixes, the most for a single IPL season, not to mention his economy rate of over 10. Across the history of IPL, this was the highest economy rate in any season. Another important statistic is that he is the only one to have taken 5 wickets during the powerplay. It shows how the rest of the bowlers fared.

Therein lies the essence of RCB’s season. It makes one wonder whether RCB were really lucky to have even qualified for the knock-out. Thrice they were saved by the belligerence of Karthik. If it falls on the wicket-keeper to rescue the team often, there is something fundamentally wrong within the team.

Shabhaz Ahmed was one other bowler who except for one innings with the bat, failed to slow down the scoring or pick up regular wickets.

Wanindu was the lone torch bearer

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for RCB. Hasaranga repaid the faith that was placed on him completely. He finished as the 2^nd highest wicket taker. Without his contribution with the ball, RCB may have slipped further into the abyss. Nonetheless, he will have to improve his fielding which is quite basic at the moment.

What is RCB missing?

They are missing a lot of parts. For starters, they need a couple of good solid openers. Padikkal was exceptional last year but what was the wisdom behind not bidding for him. Faf is really struggling and I do see that his days at the top level is all but over. Kohli and Maxwell aren’t amongst the runs either and the bowling cupboard looks threadbare.

With the rules of IPL as it is, RCB is stuck with these players for the next couple of years. They must form a strategy right now and try to invest in solid openers, three good middle order batsmen and 3 very good fast bowlers.

Conclusion to review of Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022

I do not see a way out for RCB until the next auction unless they can find some players to trade.

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Review of Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022

Posted on 27 May 202230 December 2023 by Bobji

Lucknow Super Giants, for the most part, was tussling with Gujarat Titans for the coveted number one position which only requires one win to qualify for the finals. However, they weren’t able to topple Gujarat from the top position. Having said that, they still could have finished as the second best team in the competition if not for their untimely losses at inopportune moments. Nevertheless, they qualified to the playoffs on their very first IPL outing is something that they can cherish forever. This is a review of Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022.

Why was Lucknow knocked out in the eliminator?

I have often said this and will continue to say the samething again and again and again. Rahul, for all his ability and class, is not an opening batsman. His ideal position in white ball cricket is number 5. He really is at his best when there are only a few overs left. Whenever he opens the innings, he is unclear as to what is required. He is not able to decide between attack and defence and as a result, he goes into a shell and refuses to come out until it is quite late. Something bothers him when he opens and is unable to shake that disbelief off of his shoulders. That has held the destructive player in him at bay. The same cricketer, when he bats with just a few overs left, unleashes a destructive beast that he is almost unstoppable.

Unfortunately for Lucknow, the first Rahul turned up for them in the eliminator and that spelled their doom. Chasing over 200, there is no time to play oneself in. Rahul failed to assess the situation properly and carried on in his usual self. He adopted a poor strategy that backfired enormously. Twitter was set ablaze with criticism of Rahul that bordered on the ridiculous.

Rahul is too good a batsman to waste his abilities. He is not getting any younger and has only a few years left at the top level. Franchise may not want to direct him but the Indian selectors and the board must act now. Enough of Rahul as the opener nonsense. Knock some sense into him and tell him that he must consider himself to be a middle order batsman in all formats. He can contribute to Indian cricket much better.

Management and franchise must share the blame

Ofcourse, the team management and the franchise itself must share the blame for this exit. Rahul should not have been the captain in the first place. For someone who is not able to handle pressure, as can be clearly seen from his struggles while opening the innings, how did they decide that he must be the captain? Were there any criteria that were followed? Didn’t they not see how he failed so miserably in South Africa? Unable to win a single game in 4 attempts despite playing against an inexperienced South African side. Yet, the franchise thought in their wisdom that he was their best choice to lead the side.

Mistake one was made but mistake number two was even more glaring. Why didn’t the management tell him to be at his aggressive best? If he was reluctant to be that at the top, the management must have told him to bat down the order. This could have panned out better for Lucknow. Who knows, they may even have finished at the top.

The game has changed beyond recognition yet Rahul finds himself in the 90s mould. The problem is that his approach will filter onto the Indian team which will be much more disastrous.

The makeup of the team

Ofcourse, not everything is because of Rahul, though it is a major reason, the makeup of the team itself leaves a lot of questions to be answered. There were far too many allrounders for anyone’s liking. Allrounders are good to have but they cannot be the answer to a strong opposition total. There is a different between a proper batting or bowling allrounder when compared to an allrounder. The player is good in one aspect and alright in the other. You just cannot have Karan Sharma, Marcus Stoinis or Krunal Pandya in the top 5 or 6. Certainly not all of them in the same game. It clearly shows that Lucknow stuffed during the auctions. Who advised them to plunge for, improper allrounders rather than specialists will never be known.

Perhaps, just perhaps, though it cannot be the reason, Rahul felt the need to bat through the innings because of a lack of batting support. If that is the case, it is all the more reason for him to come down the order and provide the much needed finish for the team.

Just like Mumbai Indians, Lucknow does not have a single representative in the top 10 wicket takers. Avesh Khan is at 12^th position but they have done well in the batting front with 3 representations. Mohsin Khan for all his excellent economy rate, was amongst the wickets. Krunal Pandya is at best a steady bowler and he probably was alright with the ball.

Conclusion to review of Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022

It was really a surprise that Lucknow Super Giants managed to win the games that they did despite not having a good side. Moreover, they finished as the 3^rd best side in the competition with such meagre resources. Does it show the real quality of the opponents? Does it show that the quality of cricket being played in the IPL is not of the highest quality despite players from diverse backgrounds?

Anyway, Lucknow is out of the reckoning. The franchise may do well to trade certain players for good solid batsmen. If they can arrange for that, Lucknow will be a much feared opponents next time around. For now, they will do well to reflect on how best to accommodate Rahul the next time around. My recommendation is that he must come down the order. In this case, perhaps, Rahul Dravid, the Indian coach will have to take the lead. If he demotes Rahul to the middle order for India, the franchise will follow suit.

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Review of Mumbai Indians in IPL 2022

Posted on 27 May 202230 December 2023 by Bobji

Mumbai Indians, the five time champions, it is mindboggling to even think how their world came crashing down this time around. No one in their wildest imagination would have thought that of all the teams, Mumbai Indians will find themselves without a single victory in the first several games. Whatever that could go wrong, did go wrong for them. This is a review of Mumbai Indians in IPl 2022.

The rot probably set in right at the auction table. Mumbai chose to retain Rohit, Pollard, Bumrah and Surya. By the looks of it, they may have done alright. Rohit afterall, is their captain, Surya has been an excellent performer and so is Bumrah. Their hands were tied because if given an option, they would have retained a few other players too. They had to let go of some of the performers like Ishan, Quinton, Pandyas and a few others but what they did not comprehend is the amount that they had to spend on one player, i.e., Ishan Kishan.

Upwards of 15CR for one player is far too high. It left with a small purse to be spent on others. For most of the time, when Mumbai won, they had firepower at the top, in the middle and in the lower middle order. All of that was missing and the team was very much imbalanced.

Jofra Archer

There was one more blunder, though Mumbai would like to call it a tactical move, of wasting resources for a bowler who will not be playing any part in the IPL. Jofra Archer. Mumbai claim that he is an investment for the future. Reports have revealed that he will not be playing any form of cricket for the entire year. How effective will he be when he returns is open to question. This further reduced the purse of the franchise.

Ishan Kishan seemed to want to justify the high price tag

Poor Ishan Kishan, that fellow must have been under enormous pressure to justify the high price tag. It certainly played a part in his performance or the lack of it. Even the seasoned cricketers weren’t paid this high a price and for someone who has hardly played 10 games for the country is fetched for an incredibly huge sum, it will start to prick the psyche. When you know that you were hired for 15CR, there will be a constant thought nagging you about whether you are really worth that much. This can be avoided if the performance was good but if the performance starts to falter, that is when negative thoughts will creep up on the mind. Ishan must have fallen victim to such thoughts.

We have seen this before when Chris Morris, Jamieson, Gowtham etc when they went for way higher than what they can truly command, they weren’t able to justify that. Jamieson infact, did not play the entire Dubai leg of the 2021 IPL for RCB. It looks like there is a direct relation between the cost of purchase and the soul of the player. Franchise will do well to remember this simple logic the next time they plan before the auction. I wonder how Ishan Kishan or Jofra Archer will be able to look at the owner of their franchise in the eye. It certainly wasn’t their fault. It was the result of poor strategy.

Rohit Sharma’s disastrous form

Ishan Kishan’s poor form could have been offset if Rohit had been his usual self. Unfortunately, for Mumbai, Rohit’s below par returns coincided directly with Ishan’s lean run. Not only Rohit wasn’t able to go onto a big score frequently but he also wasn’t able to get the ball off the square and thereby utilising valuable deliveries. Just because of the inability of the openers to launch the innings, the pressure fell on the middle and lower order to stabilise the innings and provide impetus. Without the power hitting capability of Hardik and Krunal, this wasn’t always possible.

Kieran Pollard

I honestly do not know what Mumbai sees in Pollard. He is a destroyer. He can take apart any bowling attack. All that is fine, but has he really been a destroyer all these years? I honestly, do not know. He may have won some games with his batting but it is his consistency that needs to be questioned. Left to me, I would not have retained Pollard in the first place. Whether I will pick him up in the auction is another matter.

Surya’s untimely injury

Surya was the only one who was in good nick but his untimely injury put paid to any hopes Mumbai might have had of qualifying for the playoffs. The unfortunate thing is that his injury has ruled him out of the Indian team against South Africa. He is not that young and to miss games for the nation when you are above 30, it is something Surya should avoid. Afterall, his international career is likely to be a short one for about 6-7 years only.

Jasprit Bumrah was off-colour

15 wickets in 14 games at an economy rate of 7.18, this is not the Bumrah that we know. Let us also remember that 5 of them, came in just one game. Perhaps, Bumrah is really tired after constant cricket over the last several years. Perhaps, he missed Trent Boult at the other end. Boult was incredible for Mumbai during the last few years. Why didn’t they rehire him is beyond any reasonable reason. Bumrah is usually at his best when he has support at the other end. It can be said just about any bowler. Bumrah is no different.

Statistics reveals the whole sad story

The IPL statistics must raise alarm in the Mumbai Indians ranks. It reveals the entire story. In the list for most runs scored and most wickets taken, there isn’t a single batsman or bowler from Mumbai in the top 10. Bumrah is at the 18^th position amongst bowlers and Ishan is at the 13^th position amongst the batsmen. No wonder, they lost more than half of their games.

Conclusion to review of Mumbai Indians in IPL 2022

It is anybody’s guess whether MI will be able to raise from this debacle. Archer, eventhough he may play next year, may not be that effective. Perhaps, ECB will want him to skip IPL to prepare for Ashes. All of this is only if he is fit. The rest of the team will be the same until the next auction when MI will hope to pick up wisely.

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Review Chennai Super Kings

Posted on 24 May 202230 December 2023 by Bobji

The winner of 4 IPL trophies and the finalists in 5 others in 13 editions, CSK was banned for 2 editions, CSK is the most consistent team in the competition. Not even Mumbai Indians can match their consistency. The longevity of the players, the coach and the trust the management had on the players all played a part. However, this year, proved to be completely different for CSK. I would like to review Chennai Super Kings.

Their downfall started right at the beginning of the season. We now know that Jadeja was informed last year that he will assume captaincy during this season. The point is that was he told that he will be taking over at the beginning itself or during the later stages? It seems that there was a clear communication gap. Dhoni handed over the captaincy just a day before the first game. Jadeja was all at sea without adequate preparation time. It showed in his performance which faltered. Now, it has resulted in a rift between the CSK management and Jadeja. Ofcourse, he will play for them the next year and the year after too but a fissure has erupted. It goes to the credit of Jadeja that he had the magnanimity to relinquish the captaincy having realised that he will be better off without the pressures of it.

This was their first mistake and the franchise itself was unable to come out of it.

The openers

Without Faf to guide him at the other end, Ruturaj was just a shadow of himself. He struggled to get going right from the first game. Perhaps, the opposition learned how to bowl to him but just 3 fifties from the player of the season last year is a bit too less to make any opponent shudder. Faf’s replacement, Devon Conway, struggled as well making the job of the middle order much tougher. Much was expected of him but he failed to deceive.

The middle order

The middle order was another huge problem. With the openers failing regularly, the middle order was in pressure to not only stabilise the innings but to provide an impetus to the innings. However, Robin Uthappa, another impressive batsman from last year, was found wanting. With Moeen Ali not joining during the first few games, Uthappa wasn’t able to raise to the challenge. Ambati Rayudu, who alongwith Suresh Raina formed the backbone for CSK for a number of years, suddenly wasn’t able to make significant contributions. It wasn’t a surprise when he announced his retirement towards the end of the tournament. Why was he made to retract that statement is beyond belief. He clearly thinks that he does not have in him, the ability to contribute any further and wanted to retire.

The only reason for CSK asking him to retract is because they will have to wait for a couple of years to pick his replacement in the next auction.

Shivam Dube played one magnificent innings but was otherwise largely unsuccessful. It was clear as a crystal even when he was part of RCB that he does not have the game to succeed at the high level. Why did CSK pick him up in the auction, only their management can explain.

The Jadeja problem

With captaincy weighing him down, Jadeja clearly felt the going to be tough. He wasn’t at his usual flamboyant best, either with the bat or with the ball. The Jadeja who ripped apart Harshal Patel to the tune of 37 runs in the last over was nowhere to be seen. Injury put paid to his hopes of reviving the team.

The Dhoni conundrum

Dhoni is 40 years old and clearly, his best day is behind him. He is struggling and it is painfully clear. His harrowing time against the spinners of any variety has become legendary. He takes far too many deliveries to get going. His supporters will claim that at the end, he has slightly more than a run a ball as strike rate but it puts an enormous amount of duress on his partners to score quickly. The other batsmen are also grappling with their form and as a result, CSK either ends up posting below par totals are fails to chase a par or above par score. Perhaps, it is time for Dhoni to bid adieu to CSK and become sort of a mentor.

The bowlers

The absence of Deepak Chahar for the entire tournament and the poor auction strategy of not picking an important cog in the wheel last year, Hazlewood, CSK were really short of good fast medium bowlers. They never really had good spinners with Jadeja doing the honours. As a result, rookies were given the responsibility of restricting the opposition. Mukesh Choudhary had a good year but apart from him, the rest did not inspire much confidence.

Finally, Stephen Fleming

It has been more than 10 years since Fleming became the coach. CSK must be lauded for their trust and continuity but this is taking it to the extreme. No coach worth his salt will have anything to contribute after being in that role for so many years. The coach, the captain all have a shelf-life and beyond that, it is time for them to be moved on. This is so prevalent in sports. Perhaps, CSK will be better off if they find a new coach. Ofcourse, they can point to the same fact that CSK qualified for the finals 9 times out of 13 but is Fleming the correct person to carry the team forward?

Conclusion to review Chennai Super Kings

CSK was in a similar situation in 2020 when they were relegated in the league phase. They stormed back to claim the title the very next year but this time, the rot has set in. It probably is time to let go off of some of the seniors and get young blood into the team. Will the management feel the need to renovate or will they choose to remain stagnant, only time can reveal?

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Indian squad for SA and England

Posted on 24 May 202230 December 2023 by Bobji

The Indian team for the South African T20 series and the England test was announced. As expected, some of the leading figures chose to skip the T20 series. I had written earlier that some of them should not be allowed to skip, especially, Jadeja, Rohit and Bumrah because their franchise never really had a chance to progress and hence they must have opted to sit out of the remaining games. Jadeja can be excused if he is still injured. Anyway, I pretty well know that it is not going to happen. Let me analyse the Indian squad for SA and England.

Let me start with the squad for the T20 series

Umran Malik, as expected, has been selected into the squad. It makes sense because instead of directly selecting him for the T20 World Cup, it will be better to blood him in these games to gauge how he measures against international opposition. Dinesh Karthik makes yet another comeback and this time, he will have to justify his selection. After his exploits for RCB, it is only expected that he will be in the squad but what is the point in selecting 3 wicket-keepers is beyond me. Ishan is likely to open the batting with Rahul or Ruturaj. Ideally, Rahul must bat in the middle order because that is his natural spot. Again, I repeat that he is not an opener though he may have opened for Karnataka as well as for India. It is in the middle order where he will be able to realise his complete potential.

Why is Pant playing in this series is not clear? He is actually occupying one slot which could have been utilised by another batsman. Moreover, to make him the vice-captain is taking the role for granted. We have all seen his captaincy skills for Delhi. He has a longway to go. With both Kumar and Pandya in the team, one of them must have been the vice-captain. My vote goes to Kumar. He certainly deserves that.

The real concern is the batting

The bowling with Kumar, Malik, Harshal and the spin twins looks strong but it is the batting that is of concern. Ruturaj, Pant, Venkatesh and Ishan are not in the best of form. Shreyas Iyer has a really dislike for the short ball. With Rabadda, Nortje and the rest, South Africa is likely to serve him a lot of the short stuff. He will virtually be a sitting duck for the South African quicks. A lot depends on the kind of start Rahul gives and how Karthik is able to finish, assuming that he will be in the playing eleven. The task against the redoubtable South Africans is really tough.

The team for England

What first struck me was the sheer size of the squad. 17 players for just one test. It is safe to assume that atleast 3-4 players will not even be in the reckoning. What is the need to take such a large squad? Covid measures are there and injury to players must be accommodated too but 17 is a bit far-fetched. The squad should have been trimmed to not more than 14 or at the maximum 15.

As expected, Pujara is back on the team. I think he will certainly be part of the playing eleven too because of his recent exploits for Sussex. The only thing I do not want to see is that he takes his place at the expense of Vihari. That will be a real injustice. In the short time he has played international cricket, Vihari has done everything to be considered as the first choice replacement for either Pujara or Rahane. Now that Rahane is not in the team anyway, I hope the tour selectors do not go in for Shreyas Iyer because Pujara is anyway in the team.

It is good that Ishant Sharma is finally shown the door. It took him more than 10 years to learn the game. He is not getting any younger and has lost a lot of venom, whatever he had. I like the fact that the selectors have picked Bharat. He is young and will be able to learn from his first international outing. Pant must be in a position to guide him properly based on his experience.

Prasidh Krishna & Gill

I really want to see both Prasidh Krishna and Gill in the eleven. Ofcourse, with India playing just 5 proper batsmen with Pant and Jadeja as backup, the top 5 are more or less taken. His only chance is if he could replace Rahul at the top but that is not going to happen. Krishna has got more pace and bounce and he can replace Siraj. He will be particularly useful if the pitch has lot of grass on it.

Umran Malik in the team

I do realise that it is far too early for Umran to be considered for Test cricket but I would have selected him in the team and would have constantly propped that he is a certain starter in the test. It would have made the English groundsmen not to leave too much grass on the wicket which would have worked to our advantage. Let us face it. If there is grass on the pitch, Indians are not that good. Anderson will be keen to exploit such conditions. Afterall, he has a lot of points to prove after being left out of the squad for the West Indies tour.

Conclusion to Indian squad for SA and England

The team for the South African series is short of experience and of recent form. Hence, the series is likely to be keenly contested, whereas, the team for England is the same from last year but the form of Pujara and the promise of Vihari is an added bonus. Whether Pujara will retain the same intensity and will be intent to score runs remains to be seen. With him coming back after being dropped, he does not have anything to lose. He will as well bat the way like how he has batted for Sussex. Good aggressive cricket. If he scores, he may well be in the team for another couple of years.

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Indian team for the South African series

Posted on 21 May 202230 December 2023 by Bobji

India will be playing a series of T20s against South Africa in the month of June. Well, what is the need for such a series? What do the board aim to gain from this tour for a world cup that will be held in Australia? Well, not much. Why would South Africa agree to travel such a longway just for some T20s? Anyway, now that the tour is already scheduled, what the Indian team for the South African series will be?

Some players do not deserve a break

First of all, it is safe to understand that some of India’s regulars will take a break from this series. This includes Rohit Sharma, Bumrah, Kohli, Jadeja and Shami. Personally, I will not want to see some of these players take a break from an important series. Rohit Sharma, Bumrah and Jadeja. Why do I want these players to play? I do understand that they are all tired and have been playing almost non-stop cricket. 2.5 months of IPL must have taken a huge toll. They are also human and will look forward to a break from cricket for a few weeks. However, my point is that why would these players be given a break when playing for India when the same players were not given a break during the IPL?

It would have been understandable if their teams had a chance to proceed to the playoff. However, for Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, their chances of a spot in the playoffs were sealed by the time they played their 10^th game. Why then did Bumrah & Rohit continue to play in the remaining games? It is safe to assume that Jadeja would have played for CSK if he weren’t injured. I can understand if Kohli or Shami or anyone who is not part of either Mumbai or Chennai teams to take a break for a shortwhile because their teams had a chance to qualify for playoffs but not players from Mumbai and Chennai.

Playing for the country must always take precedence over franchise anyday. Nonetheless, I do not think that the board will care and will certainly rest these players. Hence, let me analyse the players who are likely to play in the series.

The batsmen

Shikhar Dhawan, I know that he is not part of the Indian T20 team any longer but this is the 2^nd Indian team and hence, Dhawan will very much be part of the team. Moreover, he is the leading Indian batsman in the ongoing IPL and he certainly walks-in easily. His opening partner will be either Ishan or Gill. Ishan has already played for India but his current form is woeful. It probably is because of the enormous pressure he found himself in after the record bid and the need for him to justify such a huge sum but he deserves a few more chances. Moreover, I do think that Gill is a Test match player and he must be properly groomed for the longer version of the game.

The middle order will be manned by Shreyas Iyer, Surya, Ruturaj and Dinesh Karthik. With the exception of Ruturaj, the other three batsmen are in good form. Karthik is in his belligerent best and instead of taking a chance in the World Cup, it will be better to test him against South Africa. Now that Karthik is hitting sixes out of will, there isn’t any room for Sanju Samson. He will have to wait for his time.

The allrounder

Hardik Pandya will be the lone all-rounder now that he has begun to bowl and has taken more responsibilities for Gujarat. Tough luck Venkatesh Iyer but he still has a longway to go. He had a fabulous first IPL season but has been found wanting this year. It is always the case. A player who has a good first season will struggle in their next because by then the opponents would have studied his game.

The bowlers

Though I think it is too early for him, Umran Malik will certainly be in the squad. If not for anything, the selectors would like to see how fares against an international side rather than at the IPL. If he can give a good account of himself in the games, he will be in the reckoning for the World Cup. He is likely to be assisted by Kumar who is still a good bowler with the white ball and the impressive Harshal Patel. Ashwin’s exploits with the bat and the ball are expected him to catapult him into one of the spinner’s role but I will certainly resist the urge to select him. White ball is not for him. Shastri and Kohli were quite categorical in that. Kuldeep & Chahal will come into the picture because they are in good form.

Conclusion to the Indian team for the South African series

Whatever team the selectors select, they must ensure that the games are not treated as preparation for the World Cup. Every international win is tough and hence, the best possible squad must play in the series. No one must be given a chance just because they are due. International cricket is a serious business and the board will do well to remember that.

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Ian Chappell and Indian bench strength

Posted on 21 May 202221 May 2022 by Bobji

In a recent article on www.espncricinfo.com, Ian Chappell, the former Australia captain, has credited the IPL for India having excellent bench strength. He is probably correct in his assessment. If not anything, IPL has certainly unearthed quite a few Indian fast bowlers. Hopefully, these bowlers will go onto represent the nation and perform creditably. Let me analyse Chappell’s comments on Ian Chappell and Indian bench strength.

Let me start with Indian pace bowling stock

Ian writes, “Nowadays India’s enormous depth in pace bowling is the envy of most countries. The development of star quick bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj has been instrumental in India’s improved overseas reputation. There is also a depth below that group, in the successful Ishant Sharma, the underrated Umesh Yadav, and handy back-up in Shardul Thakur.

India’s pace-bowling revolution shows no sign of abating, and the name on IPL watchers’ lips is currently that of the pacy Umran Malik.”

It is true that the IPL has given birth to Indian fast bowling talent. Umran Malik is a highly regarded pacer. Apart from him, there is Kuldeep Sen, Prasidh Krishna, Saini, Akash Deep etc are among the fastest bowlers in the 2022 IPL. Most of the franchise conducts fast bowling mela where anyone with the ability to hurl the ball at a great speed is given a chance to showcase their talent. This is purely down to their willingness to harness the potential in the country. Ofcourse, there is also a hint of selfishness in that if they are satisfied with a bowler, he is offered a contract rightaway and they ensure that that cricketer plays for the franchise. This also gives the particular cricketer financial security and he is free to concentrate on his game.

The case of Bumrah and Kumar

A Bumrah would have definitely played for India but his debut may have been delayed if not for his exploits with Mumbai Indians. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was a decent new-ball bowler when he made his debut. Once the ball gets old, Kumar lost his ability and potency. He was still a restrictive bowler but was unable to pick up wickets. IPL rejuvenated Kumar and now he is capable of bowling magnificent yorkers towards the end of the innings. He has become much more confident and is a mainstay in the Indian bowling attack in white-ball cricket.

Indian batting

The Indian batting is now blessed with a lot of depth. Surya, Shreyas, Ishan, Venkatesh and a few others are virtually breaking the door. They are demanding to be included in the playing eleven where, unfortunately, the slots are open only for 5. Kohli and Rohit themselves would have benefitted a lot in their formative years by playing in the highly competitive IPL. Playing against the likes of Steyn, Warne during their initial years enabled them to withstand the pressures of high quality bowling.

The captaincy

Chappell further writes that, thoughtful captaincy isn’t easy to uncover, but India seem to be doing a good job in this regard too, thanks again to the extremely competitive IPL.”

This is where I have to differ. I do not think that the IPL played any part in uncovering good captain candidates. Sure, Rohit Sharma who captained Mumbai Indians for a longtime has now become the Indian captain. However, it was expected as it was the natural progression. Once Rohit establishes himself in the test team and the time has come for Kohli to relinquish the captaincy, Rohit is the natural successor. Sure, other Indians are also captaining various teams. We have seen Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Karthik do not have the skills. Rahul despite the fact that he failed to win a single IPL with Punjab was still made the captain of Lucknow. This is one point that I will not agree with Ian. I firmly believe that a captain or a leader is born and cannot be made.

Elsewhere, Laxman takes over for a shortwhile

Laxman will takeover from Dravid during the Indian tour of Ireland. Dravid will be travelling to England to prepare for the final test which will decide whether India wins the series. There are likely to be 2 separate teams for the tours just like last year when Shikhar Dhawan led a squad to Sri Lanka and Kohli led another team in England.

Too short a tour

The point here is, why only 2 T20s? Ideally, it must have been a set of 8 games with 5 ODIs and 3 T20s. Agreed, that it will be India’s second strongest squad and Ireland may have an issue with that but even that team is likely to be stronger than Ireland’s squad. Moreover, Irish Cricket must be thrilled that India will be playing that many games because it does not really matter which team it is that India fields or the opponent, we Indians will watch an Indian team any Indian team to support them. Hence, there is no basis for them to feel insulted.

Another point is that with Ireland being so close to England, incase of an injury to the team in England, someone from here can be easily flown to England on short notice. The added advantage is that that player would have already acclimatised himself and will be ready.

As I had written earlier, BCCI has found a genuine model. With the money at their disposal, they can easily afford to maintain a couple of teams. This will give a lot of exposure to a lot of players. The players will also feel satisfied that they were able to play for the nation. A second team will also help the nation to maintain quality at all times. Will the BCCI realise this?

Conclusion to Ian Chappell and Indian bench strength

It is true that the IPL has helped Indian cricket but to credit IPL for everything is good will not correct. There are also some cons because of the IPL and that is perhaps not noticed. Probably I will write one article about the cons of IPL.

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Brendan McCullum and England coaching

Posted on 18 May 202230 December 2023 by Bobji

Brendan McCullum, the former New Zealand captain has been appointed as the new England coach. It was a rather unexpected decision because his name was never mentioned as being in the reckoning. Everyone was talking about Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Mahela Jayawardene and there was even news going rounds that Ravi Shastri would be interested though he later clarified that he wasn’t interested. One can only assume that Robert Key had thoroughly analysed the candidates and then appointed McCullum as the coach. This is not to state that McCullum is not a good coach. Having spent some time with McCullum, in commentary, perhaps Key saw some good things about him and hence decided to appoint him. Brendan McCullum and England coaching.

Experienced in coaching various franchises

McCullum has coaching experience though not in the red-ball format. He has coached KKR for a very longtime. A position from which he has recently resigned because of his commitment to English cricket. He had also coached the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League. Coaching the white ball team is completely different from coaching the red-ball team. More so, in English cricket because their limited overs team is among the best in the world. The players know what is expected of them and are a well-oiled machine, whereas, the England test match team is far from where their counterparts are.

The public must have lost confidence

McCullum’s task is quite clearly defined. Lift the test team from their current mediocrity to great heights. If that is not possible, atleast to the mid-level. That is the least that will be expected of the new coach. England is coming off a disastrous Ashes and an underwhelming experience in the Caribbean. This is on top of their series loss in India and is currently trailing in the return series against the same opponents. The England public is quite disheartened by their team’s performance. For them, Ashes is the only series that matter and to have lost that one so miserably, quite a few would have stopped following the game.

Ashes is not the be-all and by-all

The task in front of McCullum is enormous. More than anything, the new coach must somehow convince the spectators that all series are important and that Ashes is not the only cricket being played. This is easier said than done. This is an uphill task. How can he convince the spectators? By talking less about Ashes and more about other cricket. That is a start. He must dilute the importance of Ashes. Yes, the next one is about 15 months away and that too in England but this was the exact mistake his predecessor did. Silverwood tried to prepare the team for 2 years and it sort of increased the expectations and when those were shattered beyond repair, it would have been hard for the England supporters to digest. McCullum will have to divert the infatuation of the supporters from Ashes to other cricket.

I guess McCullum will know that cricket is not restricted to Ashes alone. He was afterall, the captain of a very successful New Zealand team. He was quite instrumental in uplifting the performance of the middling team into a solid one. This precisely is the attitude that he must instil in his wards. Unfortunately, he will have to start this process against his own country. If England manages to win that series, McCullum will make a bright start but New Zealand proved last year how tough they are. It will certainly not be a cake walk for England though they are playing in their own country.

He will join the team just in time

McCullum is expected to reach England just before the first test. With KKR definitely not progressing beyond the first round, he will finish his stint in a couple of days and will perhaps fly directly to England.

“I’d like to say how pleased I am to be given this opportunity to positively contribute to England’s Test cricket set-up and move the team forward into a more successful era. In taking this role on, I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the team faces at present, and I strongly believe in my ability to help the team emerge as a stronger force once we’ve confronted them head-on.” McCullum said in a press release.

Stokes as his brother-in-arms

McCullum will work with a fellow Kiwi in Ben Stokes, the new England captain. Hence, there is bound to be a good working relationship between the two. Stokes himself is coming off of a prolonged health problem. He failed in both the Ashes and in West Indies and will be raring to go to prove himself. Being the premier all-rounder, it will be interesting to see how McCullum utilises Stokes’s value to the team. Stokes had already decided to come one slot down the order which I think is the ideal spot for him. It is while bowling where Stokes may need have support. It will fall on the coach to inform his captain not to under or over-bowl himself.

How will the coach handle the bowlers?

One major point is that the new coach will also have to plan for the future. Stokes has said that Broad and Anderson will come back into contention but let us face it. They, especially Anderson, are old and a succession plan must be put forward sooner rather than later. How will McCullum handle the raw pace of Archer, Stone & Wood? England is blessed to have 3 bowlers capable of bowling at 95MPH but they are often injury prone. When all of them are fit and play in the same game, the opponents better beware.

Surely Stokes and McCullum will want them to play in all the important games but at the sametime, their workload must be managed.

Batting is the main concern

England lacks quality openers. That is a fact. There is no escaping that. Root will go back to number 4 which means the coach must find not one, not two but three top-order batsmen. Batsmen who are capable of not only withering the initial assault but to build a solid platform for Root & later Stokes. Except Root, the top 5 looks rather shaky.

Conclusion to Brendan McCullum and England coaching

The honeymoon period for the new coach will not be too long. He will have to hit the ground running. Far too many solutions is required in less time. England supporters will not take lightly an Ashes loss at home.

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