Ramesh and Badani
A test recall for them two?
Picture by Karthik
(for more on this read article below)

Time to look ahead , Rebuild the fortress

India have slipped to a massive defeat at the hands of the Aussies, and I wait with expectation and disgust, disgust not because of the performance of the team, but at the remarks the cricket team is going to get, not just from the general public, but from some parts of the media as well. Heads are going to be called for, some may even want a change of leadership,Laxman is not going to be special anymore, doubts will be raised over the quality of the Indian team.I totally disagree with all these people.

True india have performed way below par and have disappointed their millions of fans. We are not the only team to whom this happens. Australia were beaten very convincingly indeed in the Delhi test of 1996 and in the first 2 tests of the 1998 series.South Africa, for long considered as the rivals on par with the Aussies were given a thrashing both home and away in what was considered the world championship.Since then Southafrica have never been the same. I'm confident though,that India will not suffer the same fate. Lack of effort has not been the reason for our loss.Australia have been thoroughly professional and have come very well prepared indeed. This is India's 2nd loss in a home series for the past 18 years,come on guys give them a break.All good teams go through bad phases.A team with batsmen of the quality that we have cannot underperform for long, and the way this series has gone for us, we can only improve.



While one doesn't need a rocket scientist to figure out that India haven't been at their best in this series, if you think carefully, a series of events have worked against Team India. Most of you might say these are just excuses, but they simply aren't , these are valid points.At the end of the day what matters is that we lost the series, but then again it is wise to analyse the performance rather than just go bezerk with adjectives against the Indian team.

The absence of Sachin Tendulkar, definitely had an impact on the Indian team in the first 2 games. Tendulkar did fail in the Nagpur test, but the little maestro was one of the few Indian batsman who were in form during the onedayers, and there wasn't a solid look to the batting order as there usually is in his presence. In the first test in Bangalore, India were outplayed by Australia but there were several umpiring decisons which went against India. In Chennai, India came back very well and were all set to square the series with a win which would have given them much confidence when the rain came down to spoil the final day of a fascinating test match. India went into the nagpur test boosted by the return of Tendulkar,only to find on the morning of the game that their captain was injured, and that Harbhajan Singh wouldn't be playing too. Right from the time Dravid lost the toss (Australia have won all 3 tosses in this series so far), it went downhill for India.

This brings us to the issue of the pitch! Saurav Ganguly must be feeling furious right now. Will any curator, in his right sense of mind, provide the Aussies with a pitch which has seam and bounce, conditions they thrive on? When we play at home, it is only fair that we have the home advantage. If the home team ask for a pitch which will assist spin, THEN YOU GIVE THEM a pitch which will assist spin. This, more than anything else, contributed to India's downfall in the test.The last thing batsman not in form want is the ball seaming and swinging in all directions. True McGrath and Co bowled a simply superb spells with some unplayable balls but giving them the pitch they got was to shoot ourselves in our own foot.

We now have to look ahead, there is still a test match left, and although it is a dead rubber, India have a lot to play for. Some changes will have to be made though. Parthiv Patel, although his batting has been resourceful, must be asked to play domestic cricket to improve his wicketkeeping spells. In my opinion, Dinesh Kaarthick, has looked the best amongst the keepers (considering the wicket keeping ability alone) and should be given a chance.



Akash Chopra and Yuvraj Singh haven't looked in any sort of form, and India should ideally replace them without an opening bat and another middle order batsman. For the opening spot,I would like to see Sadagopan Ramesh, who did not do much wrong before he was dropped, given a recall. Ramesh is a fluent batsman who loves a battle and will definitely be a wise choice. As for the middle order spot, I say we need to include another batsman only because Saurav is injured and Tendulkar is just back from an injury. On the morning of the match we don't want to be a batsman short. Hemang Badani is another player who has been waiting in the wings and should be included in the squad as a standby in case of an injury to a middle order bat.Badani is a player who does the basics right,is a very good runner between the wickets and fields brilliantly.


Ramesh and Badani
A test recall for them two?
Picture by Karthik



The bowlers have done splendidly in this series, with Harbhajan and Kumble having some outstanding performances yet again. Pathan and Khan ,have at different stages in the series, bowled with plenty of fire. The Lack of runs is definitely the reason for the series loss, bowlers might be the ones to win you games, but you need the runs on the board for that.
We need to remain positive, and I for one will keep my faith in this team. It is a team going through a bad phase, and doesn't have Lady luck on its side and needs all the support that can be given.
Karthik

Return of Sachin Tendulkar!

Click on the same title in Archives to view picture (picture too big to be displayed here)

When it was confirmed that Sachin Tendulkar was fit enough to return to the Indian team, I thought to myself, as to what my header should be for this article.Return of the Genuis,Prodigy,Superman,Hercules(for bearing the weight of India) ,Champion,Master Blaster,Little Master,God of Indian cricket? In the end, words failed me, there were just too many words which fit him perfectly. Of course he is a genius, a prodigy, a champion, the little master,the God of Indian Cricket. I decided to go with his own name, a name which means so much to the whole of India, a name,which when seen on tomorrow's scoresheet will provide relief for many a soul, a name which is immortalised in India-Sachin Tendulkar.

Sachin Tendulkar's return will inspire the entire Indian team into playing better, as much as it will demoralise the Aussies. Glenn Mcgrath might say Tendulkar plays him out carefully, Gilchrist could say they have lots of plans for Tendulka,. Hayden could indirectly criticise him saying subcontinental batsman are selfish, Ponting could say Tendulkar will be rusty. The fact is, when he walks in at the fall of the second wicket, the Australians will have a sense of fear in them. Whatever said and done, they know the effect he has had on India-Australia tests earlier and will know that they can take him lightly at their own peril. He will definitely get the biggest cheers in Nagpur. People have been missing Tendulkar very badly indeed. I, for one find it ironic, that a nation which had started mumbiling,cribbing that Tendulkar had changed the way he played, that he wasn't as effective as the Tendulkar of old, had started to virtually beg for the maestro to return. This illustrates the points that the finer things in life, Tendulkar's genius definitely one of them, are appreciated most only in their absence.

It is hoped that Tendulkar will score a 100 in a ground where he has hardly failed, it is hoped that he would take a few wickets with his ripping leg breaks. He too is human, he might make a 100, might make much less than that, but for me, the name itself spells magic, and the return of that name to the Indian scorecard is inspiration enough for Team India to conquer the Kangaroos.
Karthik



Tendulkar Batting. Rest of India vs Mumbai (Chennai 2003)
Pic by Karthik

What a test match

The 2nd test in Chennai has seen both sides wresting a slight advantage only to watch their opponents get it back through some gutsy displays. Hayden and Langer started off very well for the Aussies when Kumble brought India right back in the game with a fabulous spell. Virendar Sehwag Helped India build on the advantage when Shane Warne struck and left the match evenly poised. Mohammad Kaif and Parthiv Patel stretched India's lead to 141 under trying conditions and India seemed set to square the series on day 4. Damien Martyn though had other ideas! With the rock solid presence of Jason Gillespie for company. Martyn Scriped a new chapter in this test match with a wonderful 100. Bhajji brought India back in the game with his double blow and Kumble finished with 6 wickets which meant India had to get 229 to square the series. The Indian openers survived the day, with Sehwag looking good touch , India needing 210 runs more to win the test match.

We are in for an absolute cracker of a day tomorrow. The pitch, rather strangely hasn't shown any alarming signs of deterioration and with Dravid, Laxman and Saurav still to come, not to forget Kaif and India's new found strength in their tail 210 should not be too tough tomorrow. Sehwag will make India's task very easy if he fires tomorrow and scores at around a run ball, letting the others to play around him. Australia will need something special from their bowlers and fielders if they are to win the test match. However, unless India themselves gift a few easy wickets to Australia, I can't see India not winning this match.
Karthik

Kaif and Kumble make it advantage India

Mohammad Kaif and Parthiv Patel put an invaluable 102 run partnership for the 7th wicket and helped India get a lead of 141, a match winning one on a pitch which is fast becoming a spinners paradise. It was a very tight first session with no quarter asked for and none given, India clearly coming out on top. Parthiv Patel has looked much better in front of the wickets than behind, and while that must be a worrying sign for India, his knock today was a superb one given the pressure on both the teams. Kumble played a usefull hand with the bat and when Hayden and Langer came out to bat, they had a huge task in hand.

Zaheer almost provided the perfect start when Hayden edged one to Patel in the first over but Patel botched up the offering. Australia had gone onto 53/0 when Kumble struck a crucial blow breaking the first wicket partnership.Adam Gilchrist walked out at number 3, a move which paid off clearly, unlike in the past series when his magnificent hundred was followed with scores of 0,0,1 and 1. Just when it seemed like Australia were getting back into the game, Khan struck with a beauty of a ball to dismiss Martyn and when Gilchrist was bowled around his leg trying to sweep Kumble, India were clearly the team on top.

Australia are just 9 runs ahead with 6 wickets in hand, though 4 of those are tail enders who will struggle against the guiles of the spinners. If India can get through 2 of the remaining 3 specialist batsman early tomorrow morning, then we could have an early finish. India have to keep the pressure on and can't afford to relax even a single moment as even a score of 150 could prove to be very tricky on this surface.

India desparately need this win to inspire them for the rest of the series and one can sense the hunger in Team India, a hunger which should help them beat the aussies tomorrow

Fight back on the cards

Australia were definitely the better team in the Bangalore test, there are no doubts about that but I'm certain Saurav's India are going to come back strongly in Chennai. The absence of a player as great as Tendulkar will affect any cricket team in the world, but it should be kept in mind that we need to think long term and that Sachin's injury should be allowed to heal properly even if it means that he misses the whole series. It might sound ridiculous, am sure many of you will feel he can't miss the remaining tests, but if the injury doesn't heal properly and occurs again it could even shorten his career!

A better batting performance can be expected in the Chennai test.Sehwag looked in good touch in the first innings before receiving a shocker in the second. VVS laxman too looked in superb touch before being bowled by a beauty from Warne.Kumble and Harbhajan bowled very well and Australia will not find it easy in Chennai.

One encouraging sign in the first test was that India refused to go down without fighting. Few teams recover from 19/4 to post a score of of 239. Irfan Pathan is showing maturity beyond his years and is looking good to be classed as a genuine all rounder. At last, the search for a Kapil Dev might have ended!

India should persist with the Chopra-Sehwag combination as they have done very well against Australia earlier which was the key to India's success down under. However i would seriously consider replacing an out of form Yuvraj Singh with either Kaif or Sridharan Sriram for the Chennai test. It would be a perfect place for Sriram to make his debut, given that his home ground is Chennai.

India came back to win the series after being walloped by 10 wickets in 2001 (Mumbai) and its definitely not beyond them to do it again.

Karthik

Destined for greatness

This morning, when the India Australia test began, one of the most awaited test debuts in a long long time was made when Michael Clarke got his baggy green cap. He has been to India before for a one day tournament and handled the spinners with ease on that trip.He came in today when Australia were in a tough spot and not just the runs he made, but the style and remarkable ease with which he made them gives one the feeling that this guy is destined for greatness.Facing Kumble and Harbhajan on a turning Indian wicket is never easy for the most experienced batsman even but Clarke used his feet superbly and played some cracking shots to finish the day unbeaten on 75 not out. A hundred on debut is on the cards here and if he goes on to get one tomorrow i'd rank it along with Saurav Ganguly's 131 at Lords in the summer if 1996, an innings which was full of elegance and such beauty that it brought tears to the eye.
Karthik

Saluting a stupendous achievement

When Simon Katich was bolwed by Anil Kumble after lunch today the crowd at Bangalore erupted. Their applause could be heard all around the ground as they all rose to salute a hero, a champion who has been such a great match winner for indian cricket.
Anil Kumble took his 400 wicket to join an exclusive club of great spinners and fast bowlers. He is just the 3rd spinner in the History of the game, the other two being Warne and that great wizard from Lanka, Muralitharan.Although less celebrated in the international circuit in comparison to Warne, his performance for India has been absolutely exceptional. His strength is his accuracy and many a batsman have succumbed while trying to take a chance too many against him. Although Kumble is a perfect gentleman off the field, on the field on can see the fire in his eyes as he plots the downfall of opposition batsman. Well done Anil Kumble, the whole country salutes you!
Karthik

Mind Games

Looks like the mind games have begun! Few months earlier Hayden accused subcontinental batsman of being selfish and that they were more interested in personal landmarks than the team's cause.His remarks caused a furore around India but the Indian players, rather cleverly,chose not to add fuel to the fire. Saurav has now said that the Australians wont be too comfortable playing the Indians as India are the only team to have trouble Australia in the recent past.

John Buchanan , the Aussie coach, seems to be quite troubled by the pitch for the first test at Bangalore and has described it as ''terrible''. Come on John, when visiting teams tour down under dont you choose 3 fast men on the quickest wicket in the world,Perth and have almost everyone at slip? Its only natural that when you come to India we will have fielders all around the bat and expect our spin twins to wreck havoc. If good batsman will make runs on the quickest of pitches, then the best of batsman will also make runs on treacherous turners.
Karthik