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It’s been a long time coming.

20 Monday Oct 2014

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The story of the week, the one that required two days of recovery before this blog could be written; Virat Kohli finally scored his long awaited 20th century. He had faced more than just a slump in form during his time in England, he appeared to have lost his confidence and replaced it with a fear that kept him glued to his crease and reaching for the ball. The Kohli that played in the 4th ODI in Dharamsala was a new man, one who was calm and collected. He looked as though he had never been in a slump and appeared as though summer had never happened.

Kohli’s milestone put him at the top of the ODI rankings by percentage of centuries. He currently has the highest conversion rate of all players with 20+ centuries. 15% of Kohli’s 133 ODI innings have produced a century with a 39.2% conversion rate showing exactly how skilled he is.

What ended up being the final ODI of the series was a fantastic all round performance from India, they bowled well during the game and at the death but more importantly, their batting fell into place.

Darren Sammy was followed out to the toss by the WI team who were showing their support for the captain during the players stand-off against the WIPA. Sammy won the toss and made the right decision putting India in the bat first. Even with conditions favouring the bowlers, India started very well scoring 70 before the first wicket fell. Virat Kohli came in and even though he began slowly, he picked up singles and once he found his rhythm, there was no stopping him. He and Suresh Raina put on a 138 run partnership after a solid start from Shikhar Dhawan who scored 35 and Ajinkya Rahane who scored 68. India cruised to 330-6 with two players scoring half centuries and one scoring a hard earned century.

 

West Indies responded relatively poorly, being bowled out for 271 runs in 48.1 overs. Dwayne Smith got out for an 11 ball duck and Keiron Pollard scored a mere six runs from 31 balls. Marlon Samuels once again produced a phenomenal century, one that appeared even more brilliant considering the circumstances WI were facing but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to pull them over the line. He had very little assistance from the rest of the team except Darren Bravo and Andre Russell who both scored 40s.

It’s unfortunate that the WI series ended there just as India were finding their groove. With Rahane, Raina and now Kohli finding form, India have a real chance to defend their 2011 World Cup title.

However, it seems likely that Sri Lanka will be picking up the slack soon and India will be wanting practice against their 2011 World Cup final rivals.

India sort out death bowling but lack batting form

13 Monday Oct 2014

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India had everything going for them, they were playing at home and playing their favourite format of the game. However, during their first game, they almost looked like they were back abroad playing Test match cricket. The ODI series against West Indies should have been almost an easy win for India. Though West Indies are one of the most explosive limited-overs team, they were lacking in practice, low on morale, missing their star spinner and one of their most dangerous batsmen. They were also going up against a team who had just won an ODI series abroad.

A comprehensive 124 run win in the first ODI by WI was more than impressive considering their circumstances. They put on a fantastic all-round performance from start to finish. WI started well with Dwayne Smith scoring 46, but Marlon Samuels stole the show with his 126 not-out. With the help of Dinesh Ramdin, WI put on a huge total of 321. One that had never been chased down in Kochi before.

Though WI reached a formidable total, it wasn’t due to poor death bowling from India for once. India bowled very tightly during the final overs, something which they have always had trouble with. However most of the damage had already been done during the middle overs. Nevertheless, given the conditions and India’s reputation, there was still hope for the Indians. With Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina finding form in England during the ODIs, and MS Dhoni back in his element it was sure to be a close match.

India began strong with Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan settling well and playing some beautiful shots. A huge miscommunication during the ninth over led to both batsmen standing in the same crease and Rahane being run out leaving India 49-1. Apart from Dhawan’s 68 it was a very poor batting show from India from then on. Virat Kohli got out in an all too familiar way and no one else except the openers and Ravindra Jadeja scored above 20. India were all out for 197. It appeared that India had fixed one problem in their death bowling but found new problems in their batting.

The second ODI began in shambles again for India with Dhawan getting out for one. They recovered slowly with Rahane and Ambati Rayudu building a partnership but neither could last at the crease and India were left 74-3. Kohli and Raina added 105 for the fourth wicket and Dhoni scored a 50 to bring India to 263.

Though 263 was a decent total, India appeared to be on their way to a second loss as WI cruised to 162-2 in 35 overs. During the 36th over, something changed. Once Dwayne Smith was dismissed, the WI lineup collapsed with the next seven wickets falling for a mere 45 runs.

Even though India won, it was not convincing. The WI batsmen only required six an over when the third wicket fell and considering their lineup, it was their game to lose. India will need to pull their socks up in the eight ODIs leading up to the World Cup if they hope to defend their title as champions.

T20 cricket is going to give me grey hair…

10 Wednesday Sep 2014

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After Alastair Cook had silenced his critics in the Test series, the questions started again during England’s poor performance of the ODIs. Even Cook’s close friend Graeme Swann began questioning his ODI captaincy. Though England regained some confidence after winning the final ODI, questions still remain regarding the 2015 World Cup and England’s ability to play the shorter format.

Fortunately for Cook he got a rest from the spotlight as Eoin Morgan led England to a nail-biting win against India in the only T20 at Edgbaston.

It was a beautiful day for cricket but England set up a relatively ugly start batting first. Jason Roy and Alex Hales got off to a blinder hitting Ravi Ashwin for 17 runs in the first over but England soon lost two quick wickets with Moeen Ali getting out for a duck. The runs dried up and wickets fell just as the batsmen settled in. The ball appeared to have a homing device set to the Indian fielders with Ajinkya Rahane taking four fantastic catches and Amabati Rayudu taking another two.

The run rate was only 6.60 at the end of the 15th over with no boundaries in the previous four. With such nice weather, batting friendly conditions and short boundaries, it appeared as though England were heading for a below-par total.

However, after the 15th over, something switched on in Eoin Morgan. He hit a minimum of two boundaries an over until he got out in the 20th. Morgan struck 71 off 31 balls hitting seven sixes at an incredible strike rate of 229.03. England took 81 runs off the last five overs leaving India a mountain to climb. Ravi Bopara also played a part for England scoring 21 off nine balls to push England up to 180 and show the selectors they may have made a mistake leaving him out of the ODI squad.

India appeared to get off to an even worse start as Rahane was bowled around his legs after hitting a beautiful six behind square. Virat Kohli came in next having not reached a half century through the entire tour. Despite his lack of runs, Kohli played as though he was in the form of his life. He was moving his feet well getting to the pitch of the ball and hit Chris Woakes for three boundaries in the fourth over. Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli put on the highest partnership of the match scoring 79 runs at a rate of 8.94. They appeared to be cruising to the total even after Dhawan fell. Suresh Raina came in and alongside Kohli, they pushed the run rate over 10. Kohli got out on 66 to a short ball from Steven Finn that should have been put away but India were already at 131-4 from 14 overs even after whereas England were 130 at 17 overs.

Dhoni’s men only needed 50 from 34 balls, something they should have easily done considering England had scored 81 from the final 30 balls but everything seemed to go wrong after Kohli’s wicket fell. Suresh Raina was bowled out and Ravindra Jadeja was run out trying to take a non-existent second run. MS Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu had trouble timing the ball and ended up needing 17 from the final over.

Once again as he has done so often for India, Dhoni appeared to be finishing off the game as he hit a six off the first ball and a four off the fourth having rejected a single on the third. He brought it down to five off two balls but refused a single off the penultimate ball backing himself to hit a six off the last ball as he had done so often. It was a nerve wrecking over but Woakes who was bowling the final over pulled through for England bowling a magnificent slower ball that Dhoni could only get away for a single leaving India three runs short.

What test series?

03 Wednesday Sep 2014

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Thanks partly to Elton Chigumbura’s hat-trick against Australia, India have once again become the no.1 ranked team in ODIs. However that wasn’t the only reason, they have shown their class as a one day team easing to their third, and most convincing win to take the series.

India won the toss and elected to bowl first. Though this may have given them a slight upper hand considering the conditions, it was no excuse for England’s top three batsmen to fall for single figure scores leaving the team 23-3 from eight overs. Joe Root and Eoin Morgan did well to rebuild together but both got out to very poor shots roughly halfway through the innings exposing England’s lower order with 20 overs to go. Moeen Ali was the star of England’s innings and this time he worked his magic with the bat scoring 67 runs hitting three sixes but it was not enough and England were bowled out for 206.

India began very slowly, scoring only four runs in total off the first four overs. However they were in no rush to get moving as they were chasing a fairly low target. The openers, unlike England’s, allowed themselves time to settle in and then, let loose. Ajinkya Rahane hit four fours off Jimmy Anderson’s third over and from then on, looked like he was in it for the long haul.

At 25 overs, England were 87-3 and and India had reached 150 with Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan still at the crease. Rahane went on to score his maiden ODI century and India finished the game with Shikhar Dhawan still at the crease, nine wickets in hand and 117 balls remaining.

India’s fantastic ODI antics have once again left their frivolous test performance feeling like a distant memory. However, they have a test series coming up against West Indies and Australia soon, and with the Australia series also being played away they have a lot of work to do.

On another note, Mitchell Marsh’s phenomenal innings of 86 against South Africa sealed them a place in the Zimbabwe Tri-series final. They bowled much better in this match to restrict South Africa to 220 in 44 overs, only Faf du Plessis appeared to resist the South African collapse scoring his second consecutive ODI century.

The final will be an extremely interesting re-match between the two.

England set to win next 3 ODIs?

28 Thursday Aug 2014

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The ODI series started very much the way the test series began, with India looking strong and competitive. England should still feel like they have a chance considering their performance against India in the Test series and Virat Kohli still being out of form even in the format he thrives in.

It’s a shame that India are able to get more in one 50 over match than they are able to get in two innings during a test match. In the fifth test, India could only muster 242, scoring 62 runs less than they did in the ODI. They have some very skillful players with the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar but their attitude and mindset towards Test match cricket must change if they hope to become a competitive side.

Suresh Raina, the man who was brought out at number 11 during the warm-up game came in at number five to score his first century outside Asia, and his first since Jan 2010. Raina was left out of the Asia Cup in March so he had a lot to prove, especially outside India. His place in the ICC 2015 World Cup is still not secure though, he will have to continue to prove himself over the next few series’.

However, India were expected to do well in the one day format. A real thriller was going on in the capital of Zimbabwe, Harare. South Africa and Australia were battling it out in their first head-to-head of the Tri-series.

Australia batted first and led by Aaron Finch who scored a century, posted a decent total of 327 with Phillip Hughes and Captain George Bailey also scoring half centuries. South Africa’s bowling was relatively poor and lacking in control, Wayne Parnell in particular appeared to be out of sorts ending up with an economy rating on 9.42.

However as always, AB de Villiers was the star of the show scoring 136. Alongside childhood friend Faf du Plessis, who scored his maiden ODI hundred, the two put on a partnership of 206. Once again, as he has done so often for South Africa, de Villiers displayed real strength and grit to see the match through even though he suffered severe cramp and needed on-field treatment. Benching Nathan Lyon might have been the deciding factor in the match, with figures of 2-45, South African spinner Imran Tahir was the most economical of the game.

Of the last five ODI losses Australia have faced, including yesterday’s game, four of them have been 300+ scores. It seems Australia have a lot of work to do on their bowling.

Middlesex vs. Indians: The warm-up game.

23 Saturday Aug 2014

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It was a beautiful day at Lords on Friday 22nd August and after a traumatic Test match series, India would have been looking forward to playing some one day cricket. A warm up match against Middlesex was just what they needed to rebuild their confidence. India decided to play their whole 17 man squad to give everyone some practice.

India were only able to muster 230 runs and were all out under 45 overs. A surprisingly poor total considering India had jam packed their XI with batters. The first few wickets fell rather quickly with Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane scoring under 15 each. It seemed they were in a rush to get some runs and ended up being caught out at third man, mid-off and mid-on.

Virat Kohli, the man who’d had an awful test series came in alongside Ambati Rayudu and both went on to score 71 and 72 respectively. Kohli seemed to have some problems he’d had in the Test series with Steven Finn’s bowling, he followed the ball without much intent like he had done against Jimmy Anderson. However after surviving Finn’s spell, Kohli found his groove and played some beautiful drives down the ground and from then on, seemed to be back to his usual self. Unfortunately, Kohli got out to spinner Ravi Patel after having settled in.

In total, six of the Indian batsmen got out to spinners in this game. India’s reputation for playing spin had gotten them into trouble before, they lost a number of wickets in the Test series against spinner Moeen Ali due to poor shots.

It also seems extremely unfair that if Kohli performs very well with the bat in the ODIs as he is expected to, his spot in the Test team is likely to remain unquestioned when there are other batsman who have as good a chance as Kohli of guiding India to a Test series win.

Rayudu retired on 72 when India were 211-5 which was a very odd number to retire on and it sparked a collapse in the batting with India ending up 211-8 within one over. Ollie Rayner took the three successive wickets which included two ‘caught and bowled’ to halt the Indian innings. It was clear all the batsmen were being given a chance to prove themselves as MS Dhoni himself did not even bat but as the top order batsmen had, the lower order batsmen got out to soft dismissals. Suresh Raina was brought in at no.11 in an attempt to play out the last 5 overs however Raina appeared almost angry about being brought in at no.11. He played a few loose shots and ended up running down the pitch missing the ball and getting stumped.

Though India bowled out Middlesex for 135, it didn’t seem as though the batsmen were testing the bowlers at all. Two of the first three wickets fell to strangles down the leg side and a fair few others fell to poor shots rather than great bowling. Middlesex have only won 3 of their 8 domestic ODIs this year and some of the team playing were not first choice players. Ryan Higgins and James Harris top scored with 20 each and even though India won fairly convincingly, it might not be very telling of how the ODI series may go.

Is it still 2011?

21 Thursday Aug 2014

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Though the face of Indian cricket has changed since 2011, it appears not much else has.

What should have been a fantastic series with India’s ‘new to Test match’ team and England coming in from a slump with Alastair Cook under tremendous pressure regarding his captaincy and tactics especially after the series against Sri Lanka, turned out to be nothing more than a replay of the 2011 whitewash.

The series started well, both teams appeared evenly matched with the first test ending in a draw and India taking the second by 95 runs.

However from then on it was England’s series. Cook found form and England took complete control of the next three Tests. India lost the final Test by an innings and 244 runs, their third biggest margin ever. Joe Root and Gary Ballance scored more than 500 runs each, a feat last achieved by England in 2011 against India where Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen pummeled India.

Shikhar Dhawan and Gautam Gambhir scored a combined total of 147 in 10 innings and India’s star ‘chaser’ Virat Kohli averaged a measly 13.40, the third lowest average for a top four Indian Batsman. Kohli’s reputation was the only thing that kept him in the team for all five tests. It was very clear from the beginning he was out of nick and yet his presence appeared unquestioned. Bringing players like Rohit Sharma and Naman Ojha – who played superbly in Australia – to sit on the sidelines whilst India’s ‘wonderboy’ is caught behind by either the keeper or slips seven out of ten times seems completely unfair. Kohli needs to earn his place, especially in the Test team.

However the most perplexing outcome of the series was India’s number 3 batsman who averaged only 22.20 runs, the lowest of any Indian no.3 batsman. Bearing in mind this man had been primed for Test match cricket and kept out of some one day cricket. He had been aptly described as ‘The Wall 2.0’ yet Cheteshwar Pujara was often dismissed softly after a solid start.

Bar Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma’s performance in the first two tests, India’s bowling appeared to be no threat to then England batsmen. Unfortunately for Pankaj Singh – whose figures did not justly reflect his performance – it is unlikely he will be picked again anytime soon after he gained his new title of ‘most expensive debutant without a wicket.’ England on the other hand performed phenomenally well with the ball with Jimmy Anderson picking up 25 (Just as Stuart Broad had done in 2011). However some of the wickets, especially those taken by England’s new spinner Moeen Ali, were from poor batting.

Has the IPL and India’s record for the most number of ODI’s played in a single year by any team ruined India’s chances at ever becoming a top Test match cricket team? do India need to lose some ODIs to finally realise they are in real trouble?