Focus on Rohit and Robin

Whilst we have a lot of changes happening on both sides, the entire focus of the BCCI and the nation would be on Rohit Sharma and Robin Utthappa. While Rohit hit a 111 ball 141 recently which may suggest he is raring to go, Robin has batted with a lot of ease and assurance at the top for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

The added role Robin plays is of being a wicketkeeper. He may not even be half as good Wriddhiman Saha or Mahendra Singh Dhoni, but is being looked at due to his stupendous run in the shortest version of the game. While we forget that Ajinkya Rahane is still in the team, only two out of Ajinkya, Rohit and Robin get to open the innings. If Robin is purely been slotted as a backup wicketkeeper batsman at 6 or 7 where Dhoni bats, then it may not be a great option. Uthappa can be more effective at the top and not in the middle order, although when he last played for India, he was batting in the middle order. Rohit Sharma too has come of age at the top of the order, although he started his India stint in the middle order. Rohit is more suited to the middle order, as he can pace his innings well like Rahane. So the middle order berth maybe a toss between Rohit and Rahane (if both play today ofcourse). It is unlikely that Uthappa does not play today. He is assuming the wicketkeeping duties for the last two One Dayers. Ambati Rayudu and Kedhar Jadhav providing backup if need be. The Indian team management would definitely be looking at these key players before the World Cup probables are announced.

Another interesting selection is of Karn Sharma. He adds to the impressive unfolding story of exciting new talents springing up from small towns and cities. Hailing from Meerut, his rise in the ranks has been steep ever since he caught attention in the IPL for the Hyderabad Sunrisers. The leggie has bowled miserly and has shown glimpses of genius in the IPL. He is zippy like Kumble and does not turn the ball square. But he can get you the breakthroughs. Remember we also had Piyush Chawla in the last World Cup, who is pretty similar to Karn. Piyush Chawla is infact a year younger than Karn, although Piyush was a teenage prodigy and entered into the international arena much earlier. Karn has however displaced another leggie and World Cup hopeful Amit Mishra. If Karn is even half as successful as he is expected to be, then the doors for Mishra are closed for ever. My reading into the recent selections for Australia and the remaining One dayers has been that the team management is focussing on younger talent which also translates into a better fielding side. So forget about the Harbhajan Singhs and Virender Sehwags. 

India still has to find that death bowler for the medium term, and one claimant to that role was Vinay Kumar. He is accurate with his slow balls and yorkers in the death and has been pretty effective for Karnataka and his IPL franchises. He needs to be given a go ahead of Dhawal Kulkarni. Vinay can rattle a rampaging batting unit with his slower ones and back of the hand stuff. The biggest upside in the quick bowling department this series has been Umesh Yadav. He has bowled with pace and bounce in this series and can pack a punch on tracks Down Under. Along with the wayward Varun Aaron, Team India for the first time perhaps will have two frontline genuine quick bowlers capable of bowling regularly in excess of 145 kmph.

For the Lankans, ofcourse it is about restoring pride and winning the remaining matches. But it is as much about finding the right combination in both batting and bowling. The return of Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal augurs well for Srilanka, although I do not understand the logic of resting Sangakkara. Mahela should bat at 3 in his absence to anchor the innings. If Mahela is allowed to open with Dilshan, then Srilanka may also try out rookie wicketkeeper (left handed) batsman Niroshan Dickwella who can bat in the middle order with Thirimanne, Chandimal and Mathews. Dickwella is a child prodigy and displaced Dinesh Chandimal into the Test Side. He may be a perfect replacement for Sanga. If he is good, why not give him more opportunities before booking his flight to Australia. The same holds true for Ajantha Mendis. If he is fit, play him and see how he responds to a batting unit which play spin very well. That would be the test of his character.

In summary, today's match would see better competition between the sides. India needs to guard against complacency. An early exit of the openers would mean a nervous time during the middle overs. Mathews would surely want a win or two under his belt for that feel good factor in the dressing room.

Cricket Utopia: Srilanka need not worry

Cricket Utopia: Srilanka need not worry: The very fact that I did not blog on the last few matches has been proof that there has been nothing exciting in the past week. Srilanka h...

Srilanka need not worry

The very fact that I did not blog on the last few matches has been proof that there has been nothing exciting in the past week. Srilanka have surrendered meekly to India on all the three occasions and India have not just batted better, but stamped their authority in fielding and bowling departments. What is refreshing to watch from the Indian fan's perspective is the healthy competition between World Cup hopefuls. On the one side Varun Aaron, Ishant, Umesh Yadav and Dhawal Kulkarni battle it out for the third and fourth seamer (possibly owing to conditions relevant Down Under), while on the other side we have some tussle between Jadeja and Akshar Patel.

Akshar has impressed every one with his ability to pick wickets in the middle overs and derail the opposition's run up to the slog overs. On all the three locations, he has picked up wickets and ensured Srilanka do not run away to a score in excess of 270. This is a invaluable contribution which i hope does not go unnoticed. With the large Australian grounds, boundaries at will may be difficult and a dangerous proposition. So it would be difficult to overcome a constant loss of wickets just before the slog overs. But you can not just write off Jadeja yet. He is a class act and should be in the mix of things. 

Inspite of scathing self criticism from Angelo Mathews after tame losses which have become boringly repetitive, Angelo would know they still have about 14 ODI matches to play after this series. This series after all was a stop gap arrangement and with quite a few fringe players in the playing XI, the Lankans are merely in experimental mode than in disarray. Ofcourse, the batting looks rusty and the only players missing from the lineup are perhaps Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal. Dilshan has looked off-color and so has Upul Tharanga. Kusal Perera gets out even before he gets going. Tries too many shots at the beginning of his innings. Maybe he should take a cue from the openers from the opposing side - Rahane and Shikhar. Both are circumspect in the first 5 overs, perhaps the only time Srilanka look to be in control of things. Srilanka need to get some runs from their openers, fluent runs. Dilshan is 36, and Tharanga is not in his twenties anymore. Are there backups? For the Indians it looks nice and cosy with Rahane and Shikhar looking good and feeling confident after runs under their belt and a raring Rohit Sharma to join the ranks.

The biggest takeaway from the series for the Indians till now is the invaluable century from Ambati Rayudu. He was the only weak link in the batting contingent (given the amount of runs he has had and the roles he has played to win matches). With him amongst runs thanks to the selfless promotion by stand-in (and most likely future Captain) Captain Virat Kohli, the batting looks enviable. It however remains to be seen how we negotiate the bouncy Australian tracks and the humongous outfields.We will need good outfielders with quick legs and strong throwing arms.

With so many matches to go for the Lankans, it will be a matter of time before the old guns and the newbies like Perera start clicking together. Ofcourse Srilanka will need a lot of Malinga and Rangana Herath to move ahead in the World Cup. Without both these world class bowlers, Srilanka look half the bowling side they are. A Malinga over in the death, can actually cause death for the opposition !! lol.

Old Opponents

After the unfortunate departure of the Windies, Team India faces a new challenger before embarking on the tour Down Under. Both sides would be looking to give important match practice to some of their vital cogs, while India has also decided to rest their Captain. It means Virat Kohli leads the side, and Wriddhiman Saha comes as the gloveman in the side. Wriddiman being rewarded for his recent form especially in the IPL. But it would have been interesting to give a chance to Robin Uthappa who can keep wickets, something he has been doing for the Kolkata Knight Riders of late with reasonable success. His presence in the side would have meant no room for Murali Vijay, who has been a passenger in the last few series. With Rohit most likely to come back to reoccupy the opening slot vacated by him and partnering Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay looks likely to continue cooling his heels for some time.

For the Indians, its also the right time to check the fitness and form of the quicker bowlers like Varun Aaron. Varun can be an asset if he can keep up the energy and the accuracy, especially the latter which has been often lacking. He is the quickest bowler in the side, but speed is not enough to rattle international batsmen these days. You need nagging accuracy and the guile to out think the man with the willow standing on the other end of the 22 yards.

The Lankans are on a surprise tour, more or less, and would be under prepared. They would take the tour as a preparation for the larger goal. To reach the finals of another world event. The Lankans have been in more finals than most other sides since 2012 and they would know what it takes to be there. The old warhorses in the batting unit are still worth their money in gold. Between Mahela, Sangakkara and Dilshan is a mammoth experience of 1079 One Day Internationals which has yielded 32,625 runs for Srilanka with 51 tons between them !!! That looks like Guinness Book stuff !! But their stewardship will be nullified if they do not get valuable support from the younger generation. So the Tharangas, Mathews and Pereras would have to come to the party, otherwise it is going to be a one way traffic. Especially Mathews. 2014 has been a good year for Angelo, and he has amassed 700+ runs with an average of 60.25 with 6 innings of 50 or more.

In 133 career ODI matches, he has never notched up a 3 figure score, something he must be dearly wanting to have. The Indian pitches especially the one at Cuttack is a good opportunity to convert good starts into big scores.

The match is expected to be a run fest, and both teams will have to bat out of their skins. Another 27 year old, Suresh Raina, gets to play his 200th one day game for India, becoming only the 12th Indian player to be able to do so. The last Indian to achieve that feat was Harbhajan Singh. So it is no mean feat, inspite of the number of ODIs being played nowadays. Hats off to his fitness and his ability to carve a niche for himself over the years without any known Godfathers. In 171 innings, he has more often than not batted at 5 or 6 and his ODI average of under 36 is a testimony to this fact. Raina is also expected to cross another important landmark of 5000 career ODI runs during this series. He is 44 runs away, and this means only Captain Virat Kohli has more runs to his name than him in the present squad. Having already overtaken Navjot Singh Siddhu and Kapil Dev, two great stalwarts of the limited overs game, he is inching towards becoming a future legend.

Even though matches with Srilanka do not inspire the same emotion as maybe with Pakistan, Australia or England, but the Lankans are worthy opponents. They play spin well, so the usual tactics do not stand a chance. Indian quicks could be the surprise package in this series. Every speedster in the Indian side knows this is his chance to a ticket to the World Cup !