Tag: Cricket

India lose Test and series

Cricket, India
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On 15/1/2012 India lost Perth Test by an Innings and 37 runs and consequently the series 0-3. The Test was over within three days. India scored 161 in the first Innings. In the second Innings India fell from 171/6 to 171 all out. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was banned for one Test for slow over-rate. He lost 40% of his match fee. Other players lost 20% of their match fees.

Krishnamachari Srikant said it was collective failure. It was more a failure of batting, fielding and captaincy. The bowlers did well in Melbourne and Perth. They should have bowled many bouncers. In that way Australian batsmen would have scored less runs. With bouncers, if India had not won Sydney and Perth Tests they would not have lost by Innings either. Australian bowlers got many wickets by bowing bouncers.

Dhoni’s captaincy has come under criticism. His captaincy of Tests is like that of ODIs. When he began as Test captain the Tests were in India. The grounds were spinner-friendly and suited batsmen. In one case he gave money, call it gift or tips or whatever you want, to a groundsman who prepared the ground to suit India. Dhoni’s batting in Australia has not been good. However there is no replacement for Dhoni in sight. Other players have not done anything outstanding to stake claim to captaincy.

Duncan Fletcher is also under criticism. There is demand to sack him as coach. Many Test players have been in the team for a long time. They do not need a coach to tell them what to do or what not to do. India did well against England and West Indies at home. When the team does well the coach gets credit and when he does badly he gets the blame, whatever may be his contribution or lack of it.

No Indian scored a century in Australia. Australians scored four centuries; two remained not out, one of them on a triple century. It is said Virender Sehwag has not done well in England, South Africa and Australia. Rahul Dravid’s poor form has perplexed people. Some months back he scored three centuries in England. May be age has caught up with him. At 39 he is the oldest Test cricketer playing and his reflexes may have slowed down.

IPL is blamed for Tests debacles abroad. Young cricketers dream of playing in IPL. Playing Tests is not a priority. There is lot of money and glamour in IPL. The matches are over in three hours. Bowlers have to bowl four overs at the most. Batsmen have to just hit without caring for the consequences. However how long IPL will last is another question. TRPs have gone down. One IPL team folded up in its first season. The owner of another team is facing bankruptcy. No team owner has made a profit.

Adelaide Test is left. India can play for pride and to retain No. 2 Test ranking.

Downfall Down Under

Cricket, India
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India lost Melbourne Test by 122 runs and Sydney Test by an Innings and 68 runs after Australia had declared 659/4. Both Tests ended in four days. In Melbourne Indian batsmen had to score 292 runs to win and they were all out for 169. Indian bowlers took 20 wickets.
Someone said this is the greatest bowling attack India ever had. That attack could take only four wickets in Sydney. Umesh Yadav and R. Ashwin conceded 123 and 157 runs respectively and went wicketless. India were 191 and 400.

Some say Indians are lions at home, lambs abroad. India did well against England and West Indies at home. India did well against West Indies in West Indies. India did badly against England in England and have now lost two Tests in succession in Australia.

No Indian scored a century in Australia. In Sydney, Michael Clarke remained 329 not out, Michael Hussey remained 150 not out and Ricky Ponting scored 134. India’s batting failed in both Tests. India’s bowling failed in second Test.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy is under question. Some say his tactics are negative, he allowed tailenders to score runs. His supporters say he has done well, he won T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup and attained No. 1 Test ranking. A captain is as good as his team and should not be blamed for failure.

Dhoni won T20 World Cup in 2007, did not win in 2009 and 2010. No. 1 Test ranking was partly due to him and mainly due to his predecessors. If he is as good as his team and should not be blamed for failure he should not get credit for success.

Some spectators uttered expletives against Virat Kohli. When it became unbearable he showed them middle finger for which he was fined. There should have been action against spectators. They do not have the right to utter expletives. They should have been thrown out of the stadium. In football, action is taken against troublemakers.

Australian bowlers did well. One view is that to win matches abroad India should have three fast bowlers who can consistently bowl at 90 miles per hour. India has seen many fast bowlers come and go. Some feel Anil Kumble would have made a difference. He has retired. Someone said Harbhajan Singh should have been there. Selectors did not pick him.

Two more Tests to go. The best India can hope is to win them and level the series. In 1977-78 India lost first two Tests and won next two Tests. That was a five Tests series. India lost the fifth Test and series. Bishen Singh Bedi was India’s Captain. Bobby Simpson was Australia’s captain. India have not won a Test series in Australia and South Africa. When the tour began there was talk of India winning in Australia for the first time. That was not to be.

Sunil Gavaskar loses

Cricket, India
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BCCI has refused to pay Sunil Gavaskar as per his demand. Sunil Gavaskar had claimed that Sharad Pawar and Arun Jaitley had assured him that his dues will be paid. After that a news report appeared that said BCCI has rejected Sunil Gavaskar’s claim. Sunil Gavaskar said his faith in BCCI was shaken but he had no communication from BCCI. Sunil Gavaskar was with IPL in 2007-2010. Lalit Modi came in defence of Sunil Gavaskar. He said BCCI wanted Sunil Gavaskar with IPL to rival Kapil Dev who was with ICL and therefore Sharad Pawar promised Sunil Gavaskar four crores per year.

It is not clear whether four crores is inclusive of one crore by cheque or separate. Sunil Gavaskar’s loss is nine crores or twelve crores. Sunil Gavaskar did not ask the amount in writing. He said he trusted the President. Other reasons could he did not want to pay tax on that amount and did not want M. A. K. Pataudi and Ravi Shastri to know about it.

Rajeev Shukla has said that there is nothing in AGM or working committee records to show that BCCI had agreed to pay additional amount to Sunil Gavaskar and therefore there will be no payment. There the matter rests.

Sunil Gavaskar should have got his dues cleared when he was with IPL and Sharad Pawar was President. Legally there is nothing he can do to get the amount. Sharad Pawar and Arun Jaitley have not made any statements about this episode. They could be guilty of attempt to abet tax evasion and generation of black money.

BCCI is reluctant to come under RTI. It has official dealings and unofficial dealings and RTI will expose its unofficial dealings. BCCI crushed ICL through all means, fair and foul. There is cricket fatigue in the country and future IPL seasons may not be a success. Kochi Tuskers team was out after one season. BCCI cancelled Nimbus telecast contract because Nimbus defaulted on payments.