At 3 for 37 there were the (now too often)signs of another batting debacle by the Indians. The little master had just departed when the most talked about Indian cricketer for the past year walked out to the middle to start a new innings not only in cricket but also in his career. He was not only stripped of his captaincy but also dumped out of the Indian team after a public spat with coach & loss of batting form. This was the opportunity he was looking for to prove his detractors wrong that he still could play at the highest level.
Today the stage was set for him to make his mark on the game. Firstly by the absolute failure of the top order batsmen to either stay at wicket, see out the new ball or score runs. Then there were Test discard Hayward & Morkel (labelled as the next great SA bowler according to Allan Donald) who by no means were easy to confront on a was the 1st day pitch offering movement & bounce. And last but not least Ganguly detractors who said that Ganguly is vulnerable to the short ball.
Ganguly played his innings with a lot of grit & determinationshowing character which was missing a lot from Indian batsmen on this tour. He didn't go into a shell like others but played his shots when the opportunity presented itself. He got hit by a vicious delivery before lunch but was unmoved & continued playing in the same manner. His fighting innings prompted a "standing ovation" from the Indian players in the dressing room when he reached 50. He was out on 83 before he could reach his century.
He was ably supported by Pathan who scored his maiden century in first class cricket. Right now his batting is not a concern but his bowling surely is. The way Pathan is playing nowadays he is gonna transform himself from a bowler-batsman to a batsman-bowler in the near future. Harbhajan also had some hits to the fence for a quickfire 47.
India's top order is continuing to wither against pace & bounce every match. Seeing off the new ball is so crucial in these conditions so the selesction of Gambhir over Akash Chopra is mistifying. Gambhir who was dropped not so long ago for not converting the 30 & 40's into big ones has been brought back.Sehwag continues to struggle wit him again being bowled. It has become a chronic problem for him recently with his lack of footwork being exposed. Gambhir is an another footworkless strokermaer like Sehwag who is bound to struggle. A grind it out player like Chopra would definitely have been a better selection for this tour. Laxman was selected to add some solidity & experience in the batting order but he again fell playing at a wide one.
At the end of the day Ganguly & also Pathan showed how to stand up & bat through in these trying conditions. The duo were neither bogged down or became afraid of the bowling & played their shots when there was opportunity, which India's batsmen have failed to do so in this tour. Maybe Wasim Akram wasn't wrong in saying that Sachin should play freely more like Lara was doing at the moment.Ganguly recently said before his recall that he was helped by the time away to work on his technique which has helped him to score some runs on domestic front (a Duleep trophy century & a 43 against Punjab at Mohali in a low scoring game against VRV & Gagandeep Singh). Today we saw hopefully a new determined Ganguly who wants to get into the team on basis on runs & not his reputation which many of his detractors are pointing too. He was lucky to have been dropped before he reached 50 but everyone who is out of form deserve some luck. Laxman was supposed to be the original "saviour" of this team but right now that title rests with Ganguly for the time being. It might have been his best innings since the 144 at Gabba 3 years ago. Falling short of a century which would have been the absolute best way to come back & making a big statement over his exclusion from the team. But an 83 might not be bad as he might be keeping the "big one" back for the bigger stage.
Thursday, December 7, 2006
Friday, December 1, 2006
No. 24 a.k.a No. 8 is back
When Kobe didn't suit up for season opener against Phoenix a lot of people were concerned regarding Kobe's knee. When he had surgery in summer the healing time was supposed to be 12 weeks. He didn't pratice in preseason & by the time regular season rolled around it was 16 weeks & he was a no go. There were whispers that playing too many minutes last year while carrying the team single handedly to the playoffs combined with him playing for 10 years in the league had taken his toll. Some said that he wouldn't be the Kobe we all came to know.
Kobe returned a couple of games later but he didn't look his old self & everyone was worried. Lamar Odom's aggressive playing , Adrew Bynum surprising good start to season & favourable home schedule helped Lakers to a good record upto Thursday's game.
Kobe was not happy with his poor shooting in the previous two games & determined to make an impact in next game.
Kobe could not have chosen a better game to make his impact. Against home on a nationally televised game against a team with best record.
He started the game well & Lakers went into the locker room at the half leading. Now the fun part started. Everyone in LA knows that 2nd half is Kobe time. He just took over the game in 3rd quarter scoring 30, yes an amazing 30 points while the whole Jazz team was able to manage 32 against him. Kobe was what you call "in the zone" & scored mind you on not easy layups but low percentage jump shots that make his scoring more amazing. He was 9-9 from field & 10-10 from free throw line. By the quarter ended the Staples Centre crowd was on it's feet & chanting "MVP" which again proved that he is the best player in the league. When he came out of the game in 4th quarter he received not only the standing ovation but also a "high-fi" from a normally reserved Phil Jackson who knew that No. 24 is well & truly back!
Kobe returned a couple of games later but he didn't look his old self & everyone was worried. Lamar Odom's aggressive playing , Adrew Bynum surprising good start to season & favourable home schedule helped Lakers to a good record upto Thursday's game.
Kobe was not happy with his poor shooting in the previous two games & determined to make an impact in next game.
Kobe could not have chosen a better game to make his impact. Against home on a nationally televised game against a team with best record.
He started the game well & Lakers went into the locker room at the half leading. Now the fun part started. Everyone in LA knows that 2nd half is Kobe time. He just took over the game in 3rd quarter scoring 30, yes an amazing 30 points while the whole Jazz team was able to manage 32 against him. Kobe was what you call "in the zone" & scored mind you on not easy layups but low percentage jump shots that make his scoring more amazing. He was 9-9 from field & 10-10 from free throw line. By the quarter ended the Staples Centre crowd was on it's feet & chanting "MVP" which again proved that he is the best player in the league. When he came out of the game in 4th quarter he received not only the standing ovation but also a "high-fi" from a normally reserved Phil Jackson who knew that No. 24 is well & truly back!
Pete Carroll's best job ever
After the Rose bowl when juniors Reggie Bush & Lendale White declared for draft most people assumed 2006 to be a rebuilding year for the Trojans. Very few programs can absorb the loss of one Heisman winners & compete at a high level & this was two Heisman winners leaving plus White who broke USC's all time rushing touchdown record held by another Heisman winner.
Apparently Pete Carroll & his staff had other ideas. With the recruited talent, the staff & favourable schedule of playing the most difficult games at home that i am explaining below i thought that a 9-3 record was a fair record. But a lot of people were skeptical about what the Trojans could achieve & so many people I talked to laughed at the idea of Trojans winning so many games. I think the Arkansas game quited them & results to date have shut them up. Even I was wrong but it was erring on side of caution.
They had the the number 1 recruiting class for 4 of the last 5 years that translates to loads of talented players. USC has some much talent that they have a large number of freshmen who are not only playing but also are starters. The amazing things is that Carroll has not only filled up the gaps created by players going to the NFL but also replacing the injured players. For eg. Josh Pinkard went down in Arkansas game . Bu his position was quickly taken over by true freshman Taylor Mays who has played brilliantly this season & was named in Pac-10 all team recently.
2nd they took adavantage of their experienced players to change their schemes to their adavantge. They have 4 experienced linebackers. It was the deepest & best line backer group in the country. They played the 4-3 defense(4 down lineman & 3 linebacker) last year & instead of benching one linebacker out of the 4 they chaned to the 3-4 defense to play all the linebackers. the 3-4 defense (made popular by Patriots & Steelers in the NFL recently) to take adavantage of their athletic ability to make plays on defense & it has reinvogarated the defense that was below par last year shutting down high powered offenses like Cal & Notre Dame . As we know very well that "offense wins games, defense wins championships".
The biggest question was with Booty who was following in steps of two Hesiman winning quaterbacks .They had a quaterback who sat behind Leinart for 3 years learning the offense. As we have seen with Philip Rivers this season that sitting on the bench for 2 years is not such a bad thing after all. Booty was supposed to have a rocket arm which would help to squeeze passes in tight spots between defenders & deep long passes. The questions around him was that if he could keep the mistakes & inteceptions down(problem with gun slinging QB's) & manage the game as Leinart used to do. To his credit he done that very well & his statistics are better than Leinart's in his first year.
Currently if the Trojans meet the Buckyees for the championship USC are supposed to be 4 point underdog. IF Carroll can upset the Buckeyes on Jan 8 he would established a dynasty at USC (3 titles in 4 years). That "D" would cement his legacy at USC alongside Howard Jones & John McKay.
Apparently Pete Carroll & his staff had other ideas. With the recruited talent, the staff & favourable schedule of playing the most difficult games at home that i am explaining below i thought that a 9-3 record was a fair record. But a lot of people were skeptical about what the Trojans could achieve & so many people I talked to laughed at the idea of Trojans winning so many games. I think the Arkansas game quited them & results to date have shut them up. Even I was wrong but it was erring on side of caution.
They had the the number 1 recruiting class for 4 of the last 5 years that translates to loads of talented players. USC has some much talent that they have a large number of freshmen who are not only playing but also are starters. The amazing things is that Carroll has not only filled up the gaps created by players going to the NFL but also replacing the injured players. For eg. Josh Pinkard went down in Arkansas game . Bu his position was quickly taken over by true freshman Taylor Mays who has played brilliantly this season & was named in Pac-10 all team recently.
2nd they took adavantage of their experienced players to change their schemes to their adavantge. They have 4 experienced linebackers. It was the deepest & best line backer group in the country. They played the 4-3 defense(4 down lineman & 3 linebacker) last year & instead of benching one linebacker out of the 4 they chaned to the 3-4 defense to play all the linebackers. the 3-4 defense (made popular by Patriots & Steelers in the NFL recently) to take adavantage of their athletic ability to make plays on defense & it has reinvogarated the defense that was below par last year shutting down high powered offenses like Cal & Notre Dame . As we know very well that "offense wins games, defense wins championships".
The biggest question was with Booty who was following in steps of two Hesiman winning quaterbacks .They had a quaterback who sat behind Leinart for 3 years learning the offense. As we have seen with Philip Rivers this season that sitting on the bench for 2 years is not such a bad thing after all. Booty was supposed to have a rocket arm which would help to squeeze passes in tight spots between defenders & deep long passes. The questions around him was that if he could keep the mistakes & inteceptions down(problem with gun slinging QB's) & manage the game as Leinart used to do. To his credit he done that very well & his statistics are better than Leinart's in his first year.
Currently if the Trojans meet the Buckyees for the championship USC are supposed to be 4 point underdog. IF Carroll can upset the Buckeyes on Jan 8 he would established a dynasty at USC (3 titles in 4 years). That "D" would cement his legacy at USC alongside Howard Jones & John McKay.
India's Twenty20 debut & rise of a new youngster
Hooray!! Finally India has won a match on the current tour to South Africa. India's Twenty20 debut or Pro20 (as they call it here in South Africa) debut went off well considering that most of the players have never played a game in this version of the game. India as they have done on this tour regularly bolwed well in the beginning to keep the SA from getting off to a flying start. Graeme Smith began the game with a single accompanied with a huge cheer from the crowd. But he soon afterwards got out to Zaheer lbw, again falling across to an incoming delivery. He is pretty soon becoming Zaheer's bunny like Mohammed Yousuf was Irfan's two years ago. One person who started his 20/20 career with a bang was Agarkar who bowled a wcket maiden which is quite remarkable given 1. 20/20 format has a lot of hitting & 2. He is Agarkar
But his day was cut shot due to injury. The preliminary reports suggest that he has torn his groin muscle. This should be a worry for Indians as they would like everyone to be fit for the 8 ODI's in India before the World Cup. Those ODI's are now doubly important considering the form the Indian team has been in over the last 6 months & would like to be on a roll before heading out to Carribean. Agarkar is one of those experienced bowlers who can bowl at the death with Zaheer. Considering the way Indians are finishing the innings he importance to the team has gone up.
Indians for a change applied the pressure right throughout the innings (for a change!) & restricted SA to 126 on a lively pitch. They must be quite glad for the match to be of 20 overs each due to the fact that they could not maintain their intensity after 30 odd overs. They were for a change able to bowl a few yorker length deliveries but certainly not enough. Anyways right now Indians will take as many yorkers the ycan bowl with much glee.
Having restricted SA to 126 chasing 127 on this lively wicket which had been freshend up by a light drizzle during SA innings wasn't going to be a piece of cake Even though SA rested all their main bowlers for this game (Pollock, Ntini, Nel & Kallis) the target was gonna be challenging considering India's batting form & conditions. Tendulkar dparted early but Sehwag kept scoring around run a ball with his signature shot backward of point including a six over third man that we have become accustomed to. On the other end Mongia at number three was also playing well before running out Sehwag. It is funny to see that how Indian cricketers who are dropped, are to be sent home (in middle of tour) or stripped of captaincy or vice captaincy start playing welll. Mongia became more adventurous as the innings progressed & even went down the wicket to belt some meaty blows to keep the required run rate in check including a six over cover boundary. At the other end Dinesh Karthik who gave him good company was in middle of a bizzare sequnece of events. Karthik hit a bump ball that was caught by keeper & umpire Jerling gave him out but Karthik refused to go back dtsnding his ground. Umpire Jerling then rescineded his decision to refer it to 3rd umpire who gave Kartik not out. Eventually the right decision was taken but i think Chris Broad is gonna fine Kartik for not respecting the umpire's decision. The match became intresting when with 19 required of last 3 overs Smith brought on Peterson. Mongia had a brain cramp & instead of picking singles tried to finish off the match in a hurry. He played 2 slog shots & made no contact with ball & on 3rd ball hit it down long on's throat. The end of the match could have gotten ugly for India with no experienced batsman left but Karthik scored a boundary of the first ball of next over & a big six of Peterson's next over (when India needed 9 of 6) to put the result of the match beyond doubt.
Indians have been waiting for Dinesh Karthik to step up to the international arena since he whipped Sri Lanka for 70 runs of 39 balls in under-19 world cup which came in for special praise from his coach Robin Singh. Selected to the national team after Parthiv Patel's horror run he didn't do much with the bat except a 93 against Pakistan & was dropped in favour of attacking Dhoni. But he has rediscovered his for m as a batsmen & forced his way into the playing eleven as a pure batsman. He has given India a legitimate backup keeper-batsman which we have not seen in Indian team (who has had so many keepers who can't bat in recent time) since the time of Kiran More & Chandrakant Pandit .
This tour may have been about India's much vaunted youngsters failing in the ODI format but today it was about a youngster cooly stepping up & delivering it when it mattered.
But his day was cut shot due to injury. The preliminary reports suggest that he has torn his groin muscle. This should be a worry for Indians as they would like everyone to be fit for the 8 ODI's in India before the World Cup. Those ODI's are now doubly important considering the form the Indian team has been in over the last 6 months & would like to be on a roll before heading out to Carribean. Agarkar is one of those experienced bowlers who can bowl at the death with Zaheer. Considering the way Indians are finishing the innings he importance to the team has gone up.
Indians for a change applied the pressure right throughout the innings (for a change!) & restricted SA to 126 on a lively pitch. They must be quite glad for the match to be of 20 overs each due to the fact that they could not maintain their intensity after 30 odd overs. They were for a change able to bowl a few yorker length deliveries but certainly not enough. Anyways right now Indians will take as many yorkers the ycan bowl with much glee.
Having restricted SA to 126 chasing 127 on this lively wicket which had been freshend up by a light drizzle during SA innings wasn't going to be a piece of cake Even though SA rested all their main bowlers for this game (Pollock, Ntini, Nel & Kallis) the target was gonna be challenging considering India's batting form & conditions. Tendulkar dparted early but Sehwag kept scoring around run a ball with his signature shot backward of point including a six over third man that we have become accustomed to. On the other end Mongia at number three was also playing well before running out Sehwag. It is funny to see that how Indian cricketers who are dropped, are to be sent home (in middle of tour) or stripped of captaincy or vice captaincy start playing welll. Mongia became more adventurous as the innings progressed & even went down the wicket to belt some meaty blows to keep the required run rate in check including a six over cover boundary. At the other end Dinesh Karthik who gave him good company was in middle of a bizzare sequnece of events. Karthik hit a bump ball that was caught by keeper & umpire Jerling gave him out but Karthik refused to go back dtsnding his ground. Umpire Jerling then rescineded his decision to refer it to 3rd umpire who gave Kartik not out. Eventually the right decision was taken but i think Chris Broad is gonna fine Kartik for not respecting the umpire's decision. The match became intresting when with 19 required of last 3 overs Smith brought on Peterson. Mongia had a brain cramp & instead of picking singles tried to finish off the match in a hurry. He played 2 slog shots & made no contact with ball & on 3rd ball hit it down long on's throat. The end of the match could have gotten ugly for India with no experienced batsman left but Karthik scored a boundary of the first ball of next over & a big six of Peterson's next over (when India needed 9 of 6) to put the result of the match beyond doubt.
Indians have been waiting for Dinesh Karthik to step up to the international arena since he whipped Sri Lanka for 70 runs of 39 balls in under-19 world cup which came in for special praise from his coach Robin Singh. Selected to the national team after Parthiv Patel's horror run he didn't do much with the bat except a 93 against Pakistan & was dropped in favour of attacking Dhoni. But he has rediscovered his for m as a batsmen & forced his way into the playing eleven as a pure batsman. He has given India a legitimate backup keeper-batsman which we have not seen in Indian team (who has had so many keepers who can't bat in recent time) since the time of Kiran More & Chandrakant Pandit .
This tour may have been about India's much vaunted youngsters failing in the ODI format but today it was about a youngster cooly stepping up & delivering it when it mattered.
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