The series has assumed uncommon significance
Partab Ramchand, Wednesday, June 24, 2009There are several worrying factors for the Indian team on the eve of their four-match ODI series against the West Indies commencing on Friday. They cannot be in a confident frame of mind after their shock early exit from the ICC World Twenty20 which they entered as defending champions.
Secondly, in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Suresh Raina for various reasons they are a pretty depleted lot. As if all this is not enough, their record in the Caribbean islands in recent times is anything but encouraging. In 2006, they lost the ODI series by four matches to one and in the following year they were stunned by Bangladesh and were eliminated at the preliminary stage of the World Cup.
All this is enough to lay the morale of any side low but the charismatic captain seems to have taken all this in his stride. MS Dhoni has put the disappointments in England behind him - there were unseemly happenings off the field too with his own misunderstanding with the media and the report that as many as five players were carrying injuries into the tournament – and has preferred to look forward.
Of course, Dhoni will be encouraged from the fact that Twenty20 is different from Fifty50 as the latter is different from Test cricket and to be candid the Indian team have enjoyed an excellent run in recent times in the one day format, having notched up away series victories in New Zealand and Sri Lanka (twice) besides thrashing England 5-0 at home.
They will also be encouraged by the fact that West Indies lost both the ODI matches to England only last month. There is also a negative factor in favour of the touring team - the turmoil over the selection of the West Indian squad for the matches following the axing of Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy and the return of the controversial Runako Morton. The home team's cause is also not helped by the fact that pace spearhead Fidel Edwards will miss the first two ODIs because of injury.
From the Indian viewpoint any touring squad without four players of proven class, skill and experience is bound to be at a disadvantage and indeed there is a certain absence of quality in the team. A glance at the personnel and it is obvious that it does not look like the side which has run up an enviable record in ODIs in recent times. There are weaknesses in the batting and bowling which are obvious following the non-availability of the quartet already mentioned. Handy cricketers as M Vijay and S Badrinath are they do not inspire confidence in the average Indian cricket fan and too much really depends on Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma and the skipper. Yusuf Pathan given his swashbuckling style of play is a bit of a gamble and much would depend on where he figures in the batting order.
The bowling too presents problems. With Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan not in the starting line up experience is the first casualty. The return of Ashish Nehra is to be welcomed but the lack of form of Ishant Sharma continues to be a worry. The best bet under the circumstances would seem to be Rudra Pratap Singh. Of course against the West Indies spin might play a major role and perhaps the team management would do well in playing Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha in all the matches.
The mind games so very much part of the game these days have already started in real earnest. In a bid to put the disappointment of the ICC World Twenty20 behind him, Dhoni has said he would bring the cheer back on the face of Indian cricket fans with a victory in the ODI series. West Indian captain Chris Gayle took little time in mocking at Dhoni's statement saying "we might fly like butterflies but we can sting like a bee," paraphrasing what was said long ago of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
Normally, a lightning four-match ODI series in the West Indies should not be of any particular importance. However, given the backdrop of the debacle in England the series has assumed uncommon significance for the Indian team. Dhoni obviously wants the team to do very well and win the series. It may be only a consolation win coming as it does after the disastrous showing in the World Cup but Indian cricket in the present situation will certainly welcome it.
Ultimately this looms as a contest between two equally matched sides with limitations and one wouldn't be surprised if they wind up sharing honours.
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bulususomayajulu said on June 26, 2009, 2:16 am
the inian team is much below the internationalstandard, exceppt for yuvrajsingh,there is no fielder worth mentioning. if the bowlers hose to attack catches should beheld, unles we give 25vruns due to fieling erors ,and since the running betwen wickets is no where near the interatohenoramal way ,e lose 25 runs. thus weloose 50 runs even before aballis bowlled in the match. our wins comeas afluke for the batsmen rely more on boundaries and bowlers have to bowl semidefensively or semi atacking,these comments are aharsh reality,thouhgh i am not even agully cricketer,we shol have likes of ajayjaeja,robinsinhss,mohdazharudin,abbasalibaig, chnduborde,and shrewd captians who can thinkten steps ahed along with naturalinstincts like ravisastry,ashokmakd,pollyumrigar,.our wins are only omcein 20to 30 matches , ourwins are mostly achieved dueto non performance by other than that of or ownstrengh.for we have noear talent or clas in any dicipline of the game. iam watchin cricket from 1964 to 2009,from patudi to dhoni,the resultsnd commentsoed not substantially chage.inthe 50and70,the winninwas once in abluemoon,now the frequency of winnigha ben improved considerably ,but the fact remains thatoyrfielding and runig between wickets has to be improvd considerably sothat if opposiition scores20150 to 200,they cnbe confientofwinningandsetasatarget to 275 -30,theother ccricketing countries ar not afraid of achieving the the target. we have abattincoach,bowlinn coch,fielding coach,now we should avise borad to introduce winning coach.the staticians from209eries also recor no of dropped catches, theboar should reduce apercentage oof match fee,andfor slii runouts,that not keeping the baton ground,aconsiderable amount of match fes shold be withheld. if an outstanding innings or bowlingfeat, orbrilant fielnding,theplayers concerned shoul berewarded. since now contact system exists,the renewalof cotract for clasification of players ,the performance should only count. of late it s se n from theall the players go off the field at one timeor he other,which wasnot the practice before theyear2000.an indian coach owiil be able to deliver better results for the computers cannot perform on the field.
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bulususomayajulu said on June 26, 2009, 2:16 am
the inian team is much below the internationalstandard, exceppt for yuvrajsingh,there is no fielder worth mentioning. if the bowlers hose to attack catches should beheld, unles we give 25vruns due to fieling erors ,and since the running betwen wickets is no where near the interatohenoramal way ,e lose 25 runs. thus weloose 50 runs even before aballis bowlled in the match. our wins comeas afluke for the batsmen rely more on boundaries and bowlers have to bowl semidefensively or semi atacking,these comments are aharsh reality,thouhgh i am not even agully cricketer,we shol have likes of ajayjaeja,robinsinhss,mohdazharudin,abbasalibaig, chnduborde,and shrewd captians who can thinkten steps ahed along with naturalinstincts like ravisastry,ashokmakd,pollyumrigar,.our wins are only omcein 20to 30 matches , ourwins are mostly achieved dueto non performance by other than that of or ownstrengh.for we have noear talent or clas in any dicipline of the game. iam watchin cricket from 1964 to 2009,from patudi to dhoni,the resultsnd commentsoed not substantially chage.inthe 50and70,the winninwas once in abluemoon,now the frequency of winnigha ben improved considerably ,but the fact remains thatoyrfielding and runig between wickets has to be improvd considerably sothat if opposiition scores20150 to 200,they cnbe confientofwinningandsetasatarget to 275 -30,theother ccricketing countries ar not afraid of achieving the the target. we have abattincoach,bowlinn coch,fielding coach,now we should avise borad to introduce winning coach.the staticians from209eries also recor no of dropped catches, theboar should reduce apercentage oof match fee,andfor slii runouts,that not keeping the baton ground,aconsiderable amount of match fes shold be withheld. if an outstanding innings or bowlingfeat, orbrilant fielnding,theplayers concerned shoul berewarded. since now contact system exists,the renewalof cotract for clasification of players ,the performance should only count. of late it s se n from theall the players go off the field at one timeor he other,which wasnot the practice before theyear2000.an indian coach owiil be able to deliver better results for the computers cannot perform on the field.
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