Author: Bobji

Is Kohli’s time running out?

Posted on by Bobji

Virat Kohli as we all know is one of the premier batsman of the current era. He is rated among the fab-4, a marketing gimmick that is aimed towards increased viewership and nothing else, consistently. The quality of innings that Kohli has played will make jaws drop in sheer awe. His exploits, be it in red-ball cricket or white-ball cricket are legendary. No wonder, the fans are crazy about him and the very name, sends shivers down the spine of the opponent bowlers. However, his numbers of late, especially in Test cricket, is worrying. He is aged 35 and at that age, the eyesight and reflex will begin to slow down. Is Kohli’s time running out?

Kohli had an extraordinary slump for close to 4 years. Save for a few cameos, he wasn’t the usual Kohli whom the bowlers dreaded. He more or less became a walking wicket. Every cricketer is stuck by bad form atleast once or twice during their career but Kohli’s slump was much more drastic. He couldn’t score those hundreds that he used to at will during his halcyon years. Some of his innings during that period, the 74 at Adelaide and another 50 at Chennai rank turner reminded everyone what they were missing.

Was he playing too much cricket? Was he tired and need a lengthy break from the game? The expectations upon Kohli was and will always be very high. He has shown every Indian supporter that you can always trust him to pull the team out of any bother or make an impregnable score even more solid.

Slump across formats

The form slump would not have be glaring if he had continued with his usual flamboyance in ODI and T20. For someone who scored so fluently, to find himself without a hundred in 4 years, suddenly, the pressure grew to dangerous proportions. It is not a joke to be average in excess of 50 in both ODI and T20. It showed the calibre of the man. Everything went into a tailspin from where Kohli just did not know how to come out. Though he has regained reasonable amount of form in ODI, he had a stellar 2023 ODI World Cup campaign with several hundreds, his Test form is still a worry. After his broke the drought of lack of hundreds against Australia at Ahmedabad, his returns have been decent but is it enough? That is the question that rankles every Indian supporter.

What is further surprising is the fact that every type of bowler is now troubling Kohli. Spinners whom he used to eat for breakfast, come into bowl as soon as Kohli is on the wicket. He starts off too slowly Kohli hardly has a year or two left in the game. Kohli seems to think that the entire weight of the world rests on his shoulder. He will have to come out of that. With youngsters surrounding Kohli and without the experience of either Pujara or Rahane, Kohli needs to step up but unfortunately, he is falling way short.

Towards the end of the career

It is safe to assume that Kohli is towards the end of his career given his performances off late. There is far much inconsistency from someone of his experience. The opposition is no longer worried about Kohli. They know that he is not going to hurt them. At the most, he will score in the 30s and 40s but will not go onto those massive daddy hundreds as Graham Gooch used to call it. India is going through a transition period during which Kohli not only needs to guide the youngsters like Gill or Jaiswal but will also have to be the fulcrum around whom the batting evolves until the youngsters find their feet.

Unfortunately, this is not happening. The ongoing Test at Chennai against Bangladesh is a case in point. Two low scores after being at the wicket for quite sometime during the 2nd innings, frustrates everyone. Does Kohli care? Ofcourse he does. Does he still have that passion to succeed? Ofcourse, he does. Will he be able to succeed? That is a big question mark. He is still exceptionally fit and he is still wanting to make a difference but the skills seems to have deserted him.

The crucial year

India is slated to play 10 Tests in about 6 months. It involves 5 Tests in Australia in some of the toughest circumstances. The entire batting depends upon Kohli not only to guide them but to score those big hundreds that he has often made in Australia. His career and his legacy depends on these games. Already, against Bangladesh in the Test at Chennai, he could not make it count. Assuming that barring any injury, he will play in all the Tests. He must make these games count. If spin troubles him in India, pace is sure to trouble him in Australia. Kohli himself will be disappointed if he fails to score more than 1500 runs during the next 6 months.

Wrapping up is Kohli’s time running out?

It will be a shame if Kohli whose average has already dwindled down to 48 after the twin failures against Bangladesh, retires with an average of less than 50. He is very much following his Delhi mate, Sehwag, who too had a fabulous Test career only for his average to down below 50 towards the end of his career. Will Kohli be able to dust the cobweb and emerge as the giant that he once was?

Other blogs about Kohli

https://icricketcritique.com/invasion-of-kohlis-privacy/
https://icricketcritique.com/kohlis-ego-is-costing-india/
https://icricketcritique.com/shastris-advise-to-kohli/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-form-of-virat-kohli-is-worrying/
https://icricketcritique.com/should-kohli-must-have-toured-zimbabwe/
https://icricketcritique.com/14-years-of-virat-kohli/
https://icricketcritique.com/will-kohli-be-able-to-replicate-his-form/
https://icricketcritique.com/virat-kohli-is-amongst-the-runs-and-it-is-refreshing/
https://icricketcritique.com/kohli-is-it-time-to-ask-the-question/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-virat-kohli-test-hundred/

The Indian bowling attack

Posted on by Bobji

Just about a month ago, a series that would not have registered in the minds of Indian fans, has suddenly gained prominence. Ever since the series win in Bangladesh, interest in the series against India has grown manifold. India will resume red-ball cricket after a gap of 6 months except for the WTC finals. Not to mention a rare month off. Onething is for sure, India cannot take the new and confident Bangladesh lightly. The extent to which the Indian team is taking this series in all seriousness can be gauged from the fact they have invited a 6.5 tall bowler from Punjab to practice for the Bangladesh’s quick who is of similar height. The main decision will be the Indian batting attack.

The top 4 batsmen select themselves. There isn’t any change expected unless injury forces a change. Rohit Sharma and Jaiswal will open the innings. They will expect to continue from where they left of against England about 6 months ago. Gill will follow at number 3 with Kohli slotted at number 4.

Number 5 conundrum

The next position boils down between 2 batsmen, one of whom can get going immediately and the other who takes his own time to set himself before moving on with the game. Sarfaraz Khan had a good debut series against England in the absence of Rahul. He has got everyone excited with his strokeplay. There is a school of thought that Sarfaraz must supersede Rahul and will have to take the spot at number 5.

On the otherhand, Rahul, is bit of an enigma. Despite being in the team for more than 10 years, he just couldn’t nail a place for himself. The format does not matter. He has opened the innings and he has batted in the middle-order but for some reason, he just could not show the consistency that is required for a player of his experience. Considering the fact that both Pujara and Rahane are not likely to be on that plane to Australia, India needs someone with experience not only in Australia but also at the international level, would it make sense to have Rahul in the middle so that he gets enough game time? Or would it be better to go to Australia with a batsman who will not be afraid to bat aggressively against the Aussie bowlers who does not like that?

Sarfaraz maybe?

That is for the team management to decide. Personally, I will have Sarfaraz for the Tests against Bangladesh. With a further 3 Tests against New Zealand, Rahul or someone else could be given an opportunity. There is no doubt about who the keeper will be. It is Rishab Pant. We need him in Australia and he must be given as much time as possible in red-ball cricket. It means that he will have to play in all the 5 Tests. He may not have played red-ball cricket for 2 years but has been involved in international cricket for awhile. He needs game time desperately.

The Indian bowling attack

This is one aspect that must be watched. Will India want 3 spinners and 2 fast bowlers or 4 spinners and 1 fast bowler or will they look for a combination that is completely unexpected? The pitches at Chennai and at Kanpur, do not favour the faster bowlers. Chepauk used to have a bit of bounce all those years ago but not so much anymore. Added to that, red-soil has been chosen for the pitch. It will aid bounce but the burning temperature in Chennai will ensure that the bounce will not last that long. It may not even last for more than a day. Hence, I think that India will go into the game with 3 spinners. This has been the mode of attack for the last several seasons. There is no evidence to the contrary to change the combination.

The main point of contention will be who will be the 3rd spinner. Ashwin walks into the side without any problem. Kuldeep Yadav’s whose reputation grew during the England series, will be the next spinner in the ranks. His left-arm means a different angle with a googly to boot. Rohit Sharma identified Kuldeep as being one of the main difference between the sides during the England series. With Australia looming where wrist-spinners will get more purchase than the finger spinners, Lyon is an exception, Kuldeep will need as much exposure to Test cricket as possible.

The left-arm spinner

The final spinner position is a toss up between Jadeja and Axar. It is amazing to even say that. Jadeja not till long ago, was a mainstay in the team but the development of Axar Patel, has put him under a little bit of pressure. In terms of bowling, there isn’t any difference between them but when it comes to batting, that is where Axar seems to have stolen a march. Jadeja for some reason puts himself under tremendous pressure. He is intent at staying at the wicket but does not show any urgency to score. This is where Axar scores over Jadeja. Axar is a free-flowing batsman and has already played quite a few cameos. Jadeja has proved himself with decent batting outside of India whereas Axar bides his time. What will Gambhir and Rohit Sharma decide?

As for the medium pacers, it will be Bumrah and Siraj who will start with. I expect Akash Deep and a couple of other bowlers will be given a chance during the next 5 Tests to prepare them for Australia where the fast bowlers will have to do all the running.

Wrapping up the Indian bowling attack

Bangladesh will look to give a good account of themselves so that they can get more games in India. As for India, they will have to be at their best.

Other blogs

https://icricketcritique.com/india-deserve-to-lose-the-series/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-wisdom-of-indian-selectors/
https://icricketcritique.com/indian-openers-for-world-t20/
https://icricketcritique.com/indian-team-for-world-t20/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-world-cup-win/

What has gotten into Vaughan?

Posted on by Bobji

Michael Vaughan, the former England skipper and a successful commentator, is often known to comment or tweet things that are more often than not, did not merit any serious discussion. He often tries to provoke the Indians by tweeting something about Kohli or Rohit or some of the star cricketers. Other times, he will praise the Indians. Both of them will not only get likes but will also polarise the people who are reading and responding to his comments. This is alright. India and Indians runs and sells the game and he like everyone else, wants to get into the bandwagon. I am going to get into whether he is paid or not paid for such tweets. He has something to say and he says without any fear or favour. However, what has gotten into Vaughan? His latest defies all cricketing logic.

Let us remember that Vaughan does not mince his words when it comes to England either. It is unfair to criticise him on the basis of his colour. His recent criticism of England when they lost the final Test to Sri Lanka is a case in point. He says it as he sees it.

“I felt that they disrespected Test cricket, and disrespected Sri Lanka in the third Test by being overly aggressive with the bat and in their field placings. England have made a habit of becoming a bit complacent after a good period – I think of the start of the Ashes, or earlier this year in Rajkot – and I hope it serves as a wake-up call for the tougher Tests that lie in wait in 2025. There is no way they will get away with playing like this against India or Australia.”

These are indeed, strong words. However, his latest is ridiculous.

Joe Root and Sachin Tendulkar

This is about Joe Root crossing Tendulkar in the tally of runs in Test cricket. Root has about 12,400 runs. He is behind Tendulkar by 3000 runs. Root has got another 3-4 years of cricket and if he could maintain his form, he could very well go past Tendulkar in the tally. The number of 100s will be a bit tough but not unachievable.

Speaking on the Club Prairie Fire podcast last week, Vaughan had said “there’s no way” BCCI would want an England player lead the list over an Indian.

“If Joe goes past Sachin, it will be the best thing that ever happens to cricket, because there’s no way BCCI would want an England player at the top of the list. They’ll want an Indian at the top so that will secure Test match cricket because it’ll take forever for someone to get past him.”

This sounds so ridiculous. I just cannot imagine BCCI not wanting someone to cross Tendulkar. Vaughan has questioned a board which does not care about the game, the players or about the spectators. Whether Root goes past Sachin or otherwise, I am damn sure the board is not worried about that. They have far bigger things to worry about than a simple statistic. The board is intent on making money from anywhere and everywhere. There is a reason BCCI arranges for games with Australia and England only and not with the other nations like Sri Lanka or West Indies away from the mandatory games that India need to play as part of the WTC calendar. It is simple economics. These games do not fetch any sort of high return that the BCCI expects.

Therefore, for Vaughan to even suggest that the BCCI will not allow Root to cross Sachin is ignorance.

Gavaskar has rebutted

Vaughan also says that Root going past Sachin is the best thing to happen to cricket. This is utterly and completely nonsense. Gavaskar has rightly asked,

“Please tell us what’s wrong with Test cricket presently when Tendulkar is owning the record and how will Test cricket be better if (and that’s a huge if) an Englishman goes on to hold it. In what way will it be better? Kindly enlighten us.”

Again, we can safely conclude that Vaughan does all these for sheer publicity and nothing else.

England preparing for Australia

Posted on by Bobji

The Ashes is a year and two months away. A lot of things could change between then and now. England have not held the Ashes in 10 years. They have not won in Australia in 13 years with the last 3 series being absolute drubbing. 0-5, 0-4, 0-4  in Australia shows disaster threadbare. It can never make for a more depressing reading for an England fan than this scoreline. In those series, the lack of bowlers who can propel the ball at over 90MPH was felt. Australian pitches are hard and anyone who can really bend his back, will be rewarded. England went into the series with bowlers who can hardly bowl at 140KMPH. Now, the thinking has changed. They want to induct as many fast bowlers as possible in the teams that lead upto the Ashes. England preparing for Australia.

The first salvo was fired by the coach Brendan McCullum. It was his intervention that terminated the career of England’s all-time highest wicket-taker, James Anderson. Anderson was 42 when he retired. Towards the end of his career, Anderson lost most of his guile and pace. In about 1.3 years time, he would have become even more slower and as a result, would have been a huge liability. During the last series down under, Anderson was dropped from the first Test. England told everyone that he was rested to keep him fresh for the reminder of the series. Everyone knew that this wasn’t that case. ECB did not have the nerve to drop him from the series so they opted for such tactics.

The optics will not be pleasant to see the highest wicket-taker among the reserves throughout the series. It was a good call on the part of McCullum. Anderson himself must have made himself unavailable but he didn’t.

Multiple fast bowlers selected

England are determined to give chances to bowlers who can hurl the ball at 145KMPH. The ECB selected Gus Atkinson with that aim in mind. Atkinson is not just an express fast bowler but he is quite handy with the bat. The hundred in the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka, his first in any first class game, showed that he can contribute in multiple ways. Oliver Stone, another bowler who was sidelined for 3 years because of a stress fracture, has been brought back. He has not at all lost his pace after recovering. He was recalled so that by the time the Ashes becomes the topic of discussion, he would have had miles under his leg and he would have been thoroughly analysed by Stokes and McCullum.

It is with this intention, the ECB has called upon one more bowler, Brydon Carse for the tour of Pakistan. He will join the likes of Atkinson and Stone. Earlier this year, Carse was suspended from cricket for 16 months after pleading guilty. He placed bets to the tune of 303 bets on cricket matches, including Durham games in which he was not playing. Yet, he has been selected just because of his pace. Mark Wood another express bowler, though he is out of the game till the end of this year, will return early next year. He was the difference in the last Ashes in England between an Australian series win and a draw.

The pace that he generated alongwith accuracy not oly brought him wickets but sent shivers down the throats of the Australian batsmen. Thus giving England the luxury of unleashing not one, not two but four bowlers, all capable of bowling at 145KMPH and above.

Jofra Archer

Still, it is not clear whether Jofra Archer will be fit before the series. It has been 4 years since Archer played Test cricket. I do not know whether ECB has covered him in cotton so that he can be ready for the Ashes but if he is fit and if he is capable of bowling at the same pace that had the world sit back and take notice of him, Australian batsmen are in for a shock of their lifetime. Archer had Smith ducking and weaving the last time they faced each other.

Now that Smith is not the same old and Marnus Labuschagne too, not among the runs, England, if all the fast bowlers are fit and in form, will probably return the medicine given to them by Mitchell Johnson in 2015. Ofcourse, things will change. Smith may find the old himself as soon as he sights the English. Labuschagne may find form but at the current juncture, England is salivating at the prospect of unleashing terror in Australia. Australia may even resort to reducing the pitches bereft of bounce.

Having said that, England in trying to build an attack based on pace and on tall burly bowlers, must not lose the sight of struggling batsmen. Michael Vaughan is quite critical of the batsmen whom he says are not capable of posting a huge enough score without a substantial contribution from Root. Zak Crawley with his height and range of shots, will be an asset in Australia. I am not sure Duckett can survive. So, England will also have to think about their batting.

Wrapping up England preparing for Australia

More of the Ashes as we approach the fag end of 2025. Now, it is the turn of Pakistan to bear the brunt of England’s fast bowlers. Atkinson, Stone and Carse. It will be sort of a curtain raiser for the main event. Pakistan who are already under tremendous pressure following the loss to Bangladesh, will likely find themselves in serious problem at the end of the tour. The last time around, England won 3-0 without the help of quick bowlers.

Other Ashes blogs

https://icricketcritique.com/questions-for-cummins-ahead-of-old-trafford/
https://icricketcritique.com/questions-for-england-ahead-of-old-trafford/
https://icricketcritique.com/it-is-hard-to-wait-for-the-4th-ashes-test/
https://icricketcritique.com/a-tale-of-two-contrasting-series/
https://icricketcritique.com/are-we-witnessing-history/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-ashes-australian-perspective/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-ashes-england-perspective/

Sri Lanka embarrassed England

Posted on by Bobji

Is this the correct word to use? Well, it may not be ethically correct but it is nothing wrong to say that Sri Lanka embarrassed England. Sri Lanka is just like every other Asian team who struggles against the swinging ball. They were thoroughly outplayed in the first and second Tests. So much so that they needed miracle to leave alone winning but to even draw a Test. It was a magnificent performance by all means but at the same time, a much unexpected result. England will have to blame only themselves for not sweeping the summer with 6 wins. This England side could have repeated what Vaughan’s team did 20 years ago when they won 7 out of 7.

“Of course, we want to be a team that wins every game, as everyone does, and it’s been 20 years since we’ve done it,” Pope said at the close. “That was an extra bit of motivation this week, so there’s that slight bit of frustration that we’ve not done that. But at the same time, at the start of the summer, had someone said we’re going to win five out of six Test matches, you probably would have taken it as well.”

England were certainly complacent. They might say anything to the contrary but the fact of the matter is that they thought that all they have to do is to turn up at The Oval and they can win the game. Well, cricket is not that simple a game. Michael Vaughan, was quite critical of the way England batted in the second innings. He wondered whether England would have done the same against India or Australia.

Better win

This was Sri Lanka’s 4th Test win in England. A creditable achievement considering that they have played less than 30 Tests in England. India despite playing for almost 100 years, have been able to win only 10 Tests. The 1998 win, on the back of a bludgeoning double hundred by Jayasurya and 16 wickets by Muralitharan was achieved on a much drier surface whereas this win was on a lively surface. Jayasurya, the interim coach, feels that his was a much better win than the 1998 one.

“But these guys played in different conditions altogether. It was tough conditions, with the grass, the weather, and everything was cloudy and cold. All credit to these boys. The fielders fielded well and the batsmen took responsibility in the second innings.”

There were quite a few bright spots for Sri Lanka. The performances of the youngsters, Nissanka and Mendis means that they can build a side around them. The Kusal Mendis experiment seems to have been stopped. The emergence of the fast bowler, Fernando is another welcome addition.

Change in strategy

During the course of the summer, England seems to have deviated from their much touted game, Bazball. Insofar as not completely dismantling it, they were definitely slower than they were during the Bazball era. Perhaps, there are a couple of reasons for that. First, the heavy defeats in India prompted a rethink of the all-out aggression. It was epitomised by the ill-advised ramp shot by Root. To good a batsman to be dismissed in such a fashion. The wheels simply came off during that series for England. Now, it seems that they have decided on controlled aggression rather than all-out aggression. Ofcourse, in the second innings at The Oval, they went back to their earlier version but it came unstuck.

Second, the absence of their star aggressors, Zak Crawley and Johnny Bairstow has prompted a change in strategy. Johnny Bairstow was dropped on form. A series of low scores over the last couple of years, has put him out of contention whereas I do not have an idea about Crawley. Surely, he wasn’t dropped because he was their best batsman in India.

Root in top form

Root has been a glorious form over the last 4 years. His consistency, particularly at home, is amazing. He is head and shoulders above the next top batsman during this period. An average of 55 puts him 2 points above his closest rival, Khawaja. During the course of the series, he displaced Alastair Cook from the top for most centuries by an English batsman. He is also within touching distance of Cook’s tally of runs. Opinions are being aired that Tendulkar’s record for most runs is within the striking distance of Root. He is 34 with another 3 years left in him. If he can continue in this fashion, it could become a reality.

However, the one glaring omission from his resume will be the lack of 100s in Australia. He has toured Australia for more than a couple of series and hasn’t got a hundred to show for. He will get one final chance in 2025. If he misses that, his career will have a permanent blot because before 2029, he will not be playing anymore.

Wrapping up Sri Lanka embarrassed England

This loss has ruled England out of the WTC finals once again. This is the 3rd straight instance they will not be part of the showpiece event in their own country. It surely must rankle them. Sri Lanka on the otherhand, need to win all the 6 remaining Tests. With a majority of them being played in Sri Lanka, it could be possible.

Some blogs about England

https://icricketcritique.com/dont-discard-bazball-england/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-series-from-englands-perspective/
https://icricketcritique.com/englands-series-against-india/
https://icricketcritique.com/mathew-motts-sacking/
https://icricketcritique.com/mccullums-role-and-lyon/

The Indian team for Bangladesh

Posted on by Bobji

The Indian team for the Bangladesh series has been announced. There are some familiar faces and rather some surprises. Some of them have not played a proper 5-day format for awhile and they are back in the team. In the case of Rohit and Kohli, it is understandable but what about Jadeja? Why is he not involved in the Duleep Trophy? Is he injured? Atleast I do not recall reading any news item about his injury. If he has been given a break, why has he been? I for one would have wanted both Rohit and Kohli to have played in the Duleep Trophy but it wasn’t to be. In the case of Shami, who is still recovering from the ankle surgery, one can only hope that he is fit for the Australian series.

Shami is a vital cog in the bowling attack. Ofcourse, his performances, he averages just above 3.5 wickets per Test but at a healthy average of 27. Seldom has he run through sides but has provided vital breakthroughs every now and then. Far too often, has he beaten the bat. A genuine delivery just misses the outside of the bat. This has been his perennial problem. Ofcourse, being a primary bowler, much more is expected from him but at almost 35, his good days are more or less behind him. He hardly has a year or two at the highest level during which time, he must make every day count.

The Batsmen

Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan & Ravindra Jadeja

The Bowlers

Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah and Yash Dayal.

Wicket Keepers

Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel.

On the face of it, this is the side that was most expected. Almost everyone walks into the team by virtue of their performances. The inclusion of Rishabh Pant, though it is a given, is heartening. With the Australian tour coming up, the Australians will be concerned about what Pant can do towards the end of the year. It is better for Pant to get that red-ball feeling before he steps onto the Perth turf. Five Tests before that first Test at Perth will, hopefully, get him into his best batting. India definitely need his batting in Test cricket. For someone who wanted to play T20 only, he has metamorphosed into a brilliant Test batsman. His exploits in the Test arena is legendary. He has accomplished tasks that has eluded the likes of Rohit and Kohli.

Of winning Test matches in the final innings. He went one step further and won the series as well. India needs that Pant once again to step into the arena. These five Tests will be a good stepping stone for Pant.

The players who are in the team for experience

As for Yash Dayal, Akash Deep and Dhruv Jurel, I do not see them playing in any of the Tests unless someone is injured or Bumrah is rested. It has been more than 2 months since Bumrah played his last game and hence, it will be better for him to play in all the 5 Tests. At the most, he could be rested from the final Test against New Zealand. India needs him in good rhythm and form going into Australia. The last time around, Bumrah was injured for a couple of Tests and hence missed out on the series win. This time, probably his last tour of Australia, he will have to ensure that his best is reserved for Australia and help another series win.

The top 5 batsmen is decided already with Sarfaraz Khan expected to remain in the sideline. Gill had a decent series against England and he must continue from there if he does not want to be eclipsed by Sarfaraz. He is a good batsmen who has not fulfilled his talent. Gill himself has acknowledged in one of the interview that he hasn’t met his own expectations.

“It is a bit tough (living up to his own expectations). When people from outside talk about all those things, it did not make much difference to me. But the expectations that I kept on myself made me a bit disappointed. You will definitely have some expectations on you as to how you want to play for the team, the country. But I don’t think that has changed my mindset. I still have the same set of expectations for myself.”

Lack of red-ball cricket

The last time Bangladesh toured India, Eden Gardens provided a pace friendly pitch. The Indian fast bowlers were all over Bangladesh in that game. I do not think that the pitches at Chennai and at Kanpur will offer anything to the pace bowlers. Hence, the Indian spinners, led by Ashwin will have to do the bulk of the bowling. The only thing to note will be whether India will go in with 2 fast bowlers or just the one and allow all the 4 spinners to play.

Having said that, with the exception of Axar Patel, albeit with the bat, none of the other have made the Duleep Trophy count though Pant had a reasonable outing. They are all back after a much deserved break and hence a little bit of rustiness is expected. Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja did not even participate in the event. They will jump into Test cricket without a proper game though with their experience and the ability, they are expected to sail through. Kohli especially is in a kind of rut. His white-ball numbers are excellent but red-ball, he is not the same Kohli of old.

Wrapping up the Indian team for Bangladesh

This is a good enough side but India cannot afford to be complacent against Bangladesh who confidence is at an all-time high.

McCullum’s role and Lyon

Posted on by Bobji

Brendan McCullum, the man who is credited with creating a whole new philosophy of playing Test cricket, has been handed over the white-ball coaching as well by the ECB. On the other side, Nathan Lyon, wants a 3-match Test series to decide the WTC winner. Let me pass my two cents about McCullum’s role and Lyon wanting a 3-match series.

McCullum has enjoyed stellar success since he took over as the coach of the England Test side. ECB have this habit of having two different coaches for red-ball and white-ball cricket. It makes sense because just like the all format players, a coach too would feel the pressure and will be exhausted if he is on the road constantly. By having separate coaches, it keeps them fresh which will only help the players. It is only England who used to go by this logic.

The other nations, including Australia, have always had one coach for all the formats. As for India, you cannot even think of having separate coaches because it is frowned upon. It is only now, the BCCI have atleast considered one captain for Tests and ODI and another for T20. Be that as it may, England have also decided to appoint one coach for all the formats.

Why the delay?

What I am not able to understand is that why did it took so long? Afterall, it has been a couple of years McCullum took over the Test coaching role. Since then, he has been a grand success. The term Bazball is added to the Oxford dictionary because of McCullum or rather McCullum’s approach. Ofcourse, England did not win two important series. The Ashes and in India. Yet, the ECB in their own wisdom decided to keep the appointment in abeyance. Anyway, now that he is the coach for all the formats, his task is really cut-out.

Eversince the retirement of Eoin Morgan, England’s white-ball cricket has digressed a little bit. Ofcourse, they still won the T20 World Cup in Australia but the overall result hasn’t been that positive. Jos Buttler who took over from Morgan has found the going pretty tough. Matthew Mott did not have much idea to correct the downward flow. The ODI World Cup in India and the T20 World Cup in the West Indies were disastrous for England. Rightly, Mott was let go of. What the England team needs is a reset of their white-ball methods. The need to go back to the Morgan era and understand what worked for them. McCullum could be the perfect fit for turning the clock back by about 4 years. 

As Ben Stokes speaks about the change inculcated by McCullum,

As Ben Stokes, his Test captain, said: “He is all about making everyone feel, in his words, 10 feet tall.”

He sees his role as being to challenge orthodoxies. Why should training sessions be compulsory? Why can’t a Test team score at five an over? Why should our opening batter have the same approach as all the other opening batters? More than anything, why does everyone take everything so seriously?

Nathan Lyon wants a 3-match series

At the end of the last WTC Finals, Rohit Sharma opined that the WTC Finals must be a 3-match affair rather than a one-off. His opposite number, Pat Cummins ridiculed Rohit by saying that eve Olympic medals are given based on one game. Now, his own teammate, has called for a 3 match series.

“One thing I would like to see, I’d like to see the World Test Championship Final potentially in a three-match series. That may become a little bit better because you potentially can lose a Test match in one session where [in a three-match series] it may allow teams to bounce back and show their dominance and win 3-0. We’re pretty time-poor anyway and that’s going to be a challenge but that’s one thing I would change.”

I think that it must be a one off game and only the toughest will survive.

Wrapping up McCullum’s role and Lyon

It remains to be seen whether McCullum will be able to revive English white-ball cricket. Going by the Tests, it is very much possible. Eoin Morgan once said that England would like to touch 500 in ODI. Under McCullum it may even happen.

A Bangladesh miracle

Posted on by Bobji

Yes, it was a Bangladesh miracle. I must admit that I never really rated Bangladesh as a cricketing nation. Infact, I am among those who wanted Bangladesh to stop playing Tests altogether and concentrate on white-ball cricket alone. To be fair, I didn’t come to that conclusion with evidence. Bangladesh despite being drafted into playing Test cricket in 1996, almost 30 years down the line, has not shown the kind of consistency that is required at this level. There were far too many losses including against lesser experienced sides like Afghanistan.

The Bangladesh past

Every time they threatened to turn a corner, they have gone back several steps. One can only imagine the frustration level of the Bangladesh supporters. In white-ball cricket, the rot is even deeper. Bangladesh is a cricket crazy nation. Just look at the number of spectators who turn up to watch the game, albeit, ODI or T20, one will know that there is potential in that country. However, for some reason, they just couldn’t make it count at the highest level. One can only hope that the series win in Pakistan will propel them towards higher levels of performance.

The series win against Pakistan in Pakistan is something Bangladesh will cherish for a very longtime. This is their first series win outside of their soil against a decent opponent. Yes, there was the series win in the West Indies about 15 years ago but the West Indies side of that series was so poor that even a league team in Tamil Nadu could have defeated them. Bangladesh must not consider that as their first series win outside of home. This win will certainly rank among the best they have achieved although, the win at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand is on a slightly higher pedestal because New Zealand is a far tougher opponent than Pakistan.

The standout performers for Bangladesh

Having said that, a series win will always be special. Especially, if it is away from home though it is still within Asia. There were a lot of good things to say about the performance of Bangladesh in this series as there were nothing to say about Pakistan. If the innings of Mushfiqur Rahim in the first Test was brilliant, the innings of Litton Das in the second Test was sublime. It will be difficult to place one above the other because both of them were match-winning hundreds. These two are the most dependable batsmen in Afghanistan though Shakib Hassan has played a few good innings. Litton Das, after years of promise is finally starting to fulfil his promise. He is got immense potential. His potential is so rich that he can easily walk into any of the higher ranked teams without any problem.

Mehidy Hassan Miraz, another cricketer who is busy rewriting records. In the company of Litton Das, he went about resurrecting the Bangladeshi first innings and followed it up with an impressive haul of 5 wickets. He is well and truly a replacement for Shakib Hassan. Bangladesh has also witnessed the emergence of a genuine fast bowler in Nahid Rana. Capable of bowling at 150KMPH, he hustled the Pakistan batsmen who were stunned by the pace he generated. They would not have expected this from a Bangladesh bowler and probably was caught off-guard. Others chipped in with vital contributions every now and then thus making this a complete team effort.

No standout performer in Pakistan

The same cannot be said about Pakistan. Not even a single player stood up to be counted. The bowlers threatened for a brief while in the 2nd Test but couldn’t finish the job. The batsmen, the less said the better. Rizwan scored a find hundred but could not do much in the next 4 innings. Pakistan also made the blunder of declaring when they were below 450 with 4 wickets in hand. Call it arrogance or lack of confidence on the ability of the lower order, they must have carried on with the innings. It was a needless declaration. Shan Masood, the captain, must take the blame for it. During the last Ashes, Ben Stokes made a similar blunder and ended up losing the Test. It was arrogance then and it was arrogance now.

“In the batting department, and not just in this series, we need to improve in the second innings,” Masood said. “We tend to collapse quite frequently,” said Shan Masood.           

As for Babar Azam, it really is shocking to think that this is the same Babar who was compared to Virat Kohli. Kohli who has scored runs everywhere in the world against Babar who hasn’t. Usually, Babar scores tons of runs against the likes of Bangladesh but this time around, he was found wanting. His fanatic fans will admit that Babar is not a match for Kohli. His record against the major nations is pretty weak to be considered among the greats of the game.

Wrapping up a Bangladesh miracle

Rameez Raja, who was extremely critical after Pakistan lost the first Test, I wonder whether he would have experienced a complete meltdown after the surrender of the series. Not just Rameez, every former Pakistan cricketer, will be aghast at the performance. Credit where credit is due but Pakistan wasn’t expected to lose both the Tests and at home at that.

The Border Gavaskar trophy

Posted on by Bobji

The Border Gavaskar trophy. The series is another 2 months away. India have a series against Bangladesh and New Zealand whereas Australia have a short series in England. Yet, the series is already in focus for several Australian cricketers. Indian cricketers, except for Shastri and Gavaskar, hasn’t reacted to any of the statement made by the Australian players. What is the hurry? A lot of things might change in the intervening period. There could be injuries or loss of form. The Australians will have none of it. They have already started their mind games. It is what they specialise in before any important series. The players, mainly the former players, they talk up about the series and how the Australians will destroy their opponents.

Glenn McGrath who is often made to look like a fool because all he says is Australia 5, opponents, whoever it maybe, 0, has not said anything so far but you bet he will in the next few weeks. This is not a preview of the series but rather, let us take a pause till the beginning of November.

Who starts as the favourites? Australia ofcourse. Not just because they are playing at home but they won the last Test between the two teams in England during the WTC finals. It was a comprehensive victory. Does it mean that India are ripe for the taking? Not really. We still have the nucleus of the side that won in 2020. Jaiswal is an exciting youngster and Gill must find himself at home on Australian surfaces where the ball comes onto the bat. More of that in another blog closer to the series.

Rare domination

The Indian team finds itself in a position that is quite rare in the history of the game. 10 years of not surrendering a single series. I do not think that any other nation could claim this. Not even South Africa who during their purple patch of about 8 years, still lost to Australia in their own country but won in Australia.

Nathan Lyon starts off

Nathan Lyon is away in England playing in the English County Championship. He will be playing for Lancashire where he will pair with Tom Hartley, the English bowler, who came to India in February 2024 to play in a 5-Test series. Hartley has bowled to the likes of Jaiswal against whom Lyon hasn’t it. Hence, Lyon hopes to gain some insights into the batting of Jaiswal from Hartley. This is professional cricket and in the age of digital, the weaknesses of players can never really be hidden. You have video analysis of every game that can be scrutinised to study a player.

Yet, the traditional method of relying on someone who has played against a particular opponent can never be wished away. There is always that little bit extra that can be gauged from him. That is what Lyon intends to do because according to him, Ausralia have some unfinished business against India.

“It’s been ten years of unfinished business, it’s been a long time, and I know we’re extremely hungry to turn things around especially here at home,” Lyon said. “Don’t get me wrong, India is an absolute superstar side and extremely challenging but I’m extremely hungry to turn things around and make sure we get that trophy back.”

Lyon has been around for a very longtime. He has been part of wins against India. Yet, he feels that there is an unfinished business which goes onto show how highly does Australia value this series. Lyon is an excellent bowler and there is no doubt about that. With so much experience, he still wants to learn from a fellow cricketer which is fantastic.

Ricky Ponting’s prediction

Ricky Ponting has predicted that Australia will win the series 3-1.

“I’m obviously going to tip Australia to win and I’m never going to tip against Australia. There will be a draw somewhere and there will be some bad weather somewhere, so I’m going to say 3-1 to Australia.”

Indians, Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar have gone the other way around and have predicted India to win 3-1. None of these players will ever say that their team will lose. It is understandable.

No reaction so far

The one good thing so far is that neither the current Indian players nor the team management has said anything about the series. It is actually sane. Let the Aussies indulge in the mind games and let us not get caught in the web. The Aussies have always been cocky. Remember the 4-0 jibe by Mark Waugh and the rest after the Adelaide loss? They eventually looked like stupid at the end of the series. That is what India must concentrate. We have a couple of series coming up against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Let us concentrate on winning every game rather than worry about a series in November.

I am not saying that we must not plan anything for the BG Trophy. Ofcourse, the series must be analysed and how to get each batsman out and how to bat against their bowlers must be planned right now. Just keep it inhouse. Do not mention anything to the outside world. Indians are experienced enough in Australian conditions except for Jaiswal. One worrying aspect is the lack of practice games ahead of the first Test. No one can deny the benefit of a couple of first class games. In 2020, we went there well in advance, played a couple of first class games which helped in the eventual series win.

Wrapping up the Border Gavaskar Trophy

The five Tests against India will also be key in shaping the race for the WTC final at Lord’s in June 2025 with Australia aiming to defend their title. India only needs to win the 5 Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand to confirm the spot in the final. That does not mean that the Australian series in meaningless. It needs to be won to prove a point.

Other blogshttps://icricketcritique.com/australian-tour-part-two-how-to-win/https://icricketcritique.com/a-youngsters-dream-finally-fulfilled-3/ https://icricketcritique.com/a-youngsters-dream-finally-fulfilled-2/ https://icricketcritique.com/a-youngsters-dream-finally-fulfilled-1/

Thank you Shikhar Dhawan

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Compared to his entry into the international arena, his exit was rather quiet. The swashbuckling 100 against Australia was treat to watch. He threatened to rewrite the record books on that day at Mohali. It was the highest score by an Indian in Test cricket and the eighth-highest overall. The hundred was brought up of just 87 deliveries. After the retirement of Virender Sehwag, India could not find anyone to set the pace at the top. With the advent of Dhawan, that problem was resolved. Or was it? That was the irony of Dhawan. For someone with so much ability to hit the cover off the ball, to someone who slowed tremendously, it was a huge transformation. Nevertheless, Shikhar Dhawan had a fulfilling career and was one of the mainstays of the Indian World Cup teams. Thank you Shikhar Dhawan. Tributes poured as soon as he announced his retirement.

Ever since that breathtaking debut against Australia, Dhawan the Test cricketer somewhat went missing. His shortcomings and technique was brutally exposed on the away tours to England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It more or less sealed his fate as a Test batsman. He was first replaced by Prithvi Shaw and later by Shubman Gill. With a whole host of youngsters waiting in the wings, Dhawan’s career in Test cricket was decided. Once he was replaced, he could not come back into the Test squad.

The white-ball behemoth

It was in white-ball cricket where Dhawan was his self. He found his calling in ODIs and T20s. An average of 44.11 at a strike rate of 91.35. Among the 19 India batters who have scored 3000 or more ODI runs, only four – Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar – have higher averages. More importantly, it was in ODI World Cup and Champions Trophy, in multi-nation events he excelled. It seemed that he reserved his best only for such events. The consistency, the pitch or the bowler did not matter, he showed in the world events was remarkable, to say the least. In 20 innings he crossed 100 a staggering six times and 50 in 10 innings.

An average of more than 65 was brilliant by any standards. Till date, he has the highest average among all the batsmen who have scored more than 1000 runs in world events. For someone with such consistency and a good strike rate, he became painfully slow during the later stages of his career. It seemed like he was stuck in a time warp and stayed in the 1980s and 1990s when the game was much slower.

He simply refused to change according to the change times. It could be the fault of the management. He could have been asked to bat in a certain way. Watching the Indian openers of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan about 5 years ago was a real tragedy. Neither of them showed any aggression and were content to play the waiting game. First 10 overs just about 40 runs without the loss of wickets was the norm. Dhawan got stuck in that rot and never managed to wriggle himself out of the rut. Perhaps, he was satisfied with his contribution.

The next generation

His last game was in Chattogram where he scored 3 of 8 but one will not able to remember that he played in that game because Ishan Kishan at the other end rollicked to a mammoth 210. Dhawan was further left behind after Gill had a wonderful year in ODI cricket.

Rewind back to 2013 when Dhawan was recalled into the ODI side. 1162 runs at 50.72 and a strike rate close to 100. In just 28 games, he brought up his 5th ODI hundred. It was a stellar year for Dhawan. From then till the end of the 2019 World Cup, he stood toe-to-toe with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in terms of run making. There were so many games where the top 3 used to either setup imposing total or chase one effortlessly. Dhawan and Rohit formed a formidable combination at the top albeit one suited to the mode of batting of that era. They were playing different roles that happened to suit their strengths; each was in his own way equally valuable to India’s cause.

His highest point

The highlight of his career will undoubtedly be the fact when he became the captain of the Indian ODI team. Yes, the regular team was away in England when India were supposed to play in Sri Lanka. I personally felt that Bhuvenshwar Kumar would have been the ideal candidate but Dhawan pipped him to the post. In hindsight, perhaps, it wasn’t a bad decision because he deserved to be the captain when neither Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli were around. He did a decent job with virtually Indian C team. It was during this series in Sri Lanka where Dhawan increasingly became slower with the bat. If only he had adapted to the modern day batting by about 50%, he would have played for few more years.

Wrapping up thank you Shikhar Dhawan

I will wrap up with Dhawan’s thinking during his interview with ESPNCRICINFO.COM when asked about Process and Mindset.

Absolutely. Suppose, I am only focusing on the result, then I am creating an expectation ki yaar mere ko achieve karna hi karna hai [that I have to achieve it no matter what]. But then what happens is that if I am doing well, I will feel really good, but if I am not, there will be a heaviness, that desperation. That will make you feel under pressure and you won’t be able to perform at your peak, no matter who the individual is. Whereas, when you are at ease, you are creative, you make the most impact in whatever you are doing. That’s the mantra I use. That is the process part.

As for mindset, it is about being positive, because life puts everybody down on their knees. Suddenly you will be confronted with situations you did not imagine. In those situations, champions are those who get up very quickly. Suppose I get out on 0 – I will analyse the situation. Did I get out out of fear? Did I get out due to strategy? Or was it because of bad shot selection? After analysing, I’ll know I should not be repeating that mistake, but I won’t be sad. I will be doing the affirmation strategy, telling myself that I’m playing much better than my capacity, I am being consistent. When I go with such a mindset, I’m already creating a lot of positivity around me.