India are the favourites for the title but they need to be wary of Bangladesh

India will be massive favourites to lift the Asia Cup later today, but they need to be wary of a resurgent Bangladeshi side. The recipe for recent domination for Team India in limited overs cricket has had three ingredients. 

Firstly, red hot smoking form of the Top 3 - Rohit, Shikhar (or Rahul) and Virat. Even without Kohli, Team India has managed to shield the middle order, so much so that the middle order has been largely untested. Secondly, the wicket taking ability of Bumrah and Bhuvi at the top of the opposition innings, which takes the steam out of the batting effort. And, thirdly the rise and rise of Kul-Cha, KULdeep Yadav and Yuzvendra CHAhal. After Bhuvi and Bhumrah have done the damage in the initial overs, Kul-Cha have been effective in taking wickets in the middle overs further denting the chances of a revival and a strong finish towards the end for the opposition. I am pretty sure, that in conditions like in the UAE, any top side would have struggled against Team India. 

So Bangladesh need to attack these three ingredients to be able to hope to beat Team India. They will need to hold back Mushrafe Mortaza and Mustafizur for the middle overs. If they strike during these middle overs then it means they have less to get when batting or less to defend. Start the bowling with spinners on both sides, Mehidi  Hasan and another tweaker or maybe Mustafizur when he is fresh. If they get both Rohit and Shikhar very early, they might open up the untested Indian middle order. For their own batting, they need to push up Imrul Kayes and open the batting with him; he is looking in good touch. So Soumya Sarkar and Imrul Kayes at the top, and start in traditional ODI style batting seeing off the first 12-15 overs in a sedate fashion. Then hope, Mushfiqur and Mithun hold the fort in the middle and provide a platform for the strokeplayers like Mahmudullah, Mosaddek  and others later on. Even after this if they end up losing, they might reconcile that they lost to a world class ODI side. No shame !

India had a perfect game. TICKS galore.

Team India had a perfect game after the side had an ordinary outing yesterday against a second tier side like Hong Kong. They ticked all the boxes. Bhuvi started the day picking up both the openers, while being clinically miserly. TICK. He bowled 35 dot balls in a spell of 7 overs, i.e. 35 dots out of 42 balls. Phenomenal !

Bumrah complemented Bhuvi well too. TICK. Followed by Kul-Cha (Kuldeep and Chahal) who although their figures suggest did not do as much, but they kept things under control. TICK. Kedar Jadhav once again picked up wickets in the middle overs while not giving away too many runs, (giving away under 3 runs per over) and his spell meant Hardik Pandya was not missed. TICK. India fielded well. TICK. Then Rohit came out all guns blazing. TICK. Shikhar Dhawan played some delightful shots. TICK. He was timing the ball so well !! Indian openers negated Hasan Ali, not allowing Pakistan to get back into the game. TICK. Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik batted sensibly taking calculated risks. The Middle order did not open up. TICK. Ticks Galore !! 

India will be worried about the injury to Hardik Pandya. He has been playing non stop in the last 12 months, and while he may not be batting that much, but staying on the field and bowling takes a toll on your body eventually. Hopefully it turns out to be a manageable back spasm and he plays on Sunday in a rematch with Pakistan, the next time not being a dead rubber like today.

Expect Pakistan to come back strongly, knowing very well that the next match is not inconsequential. You can count on the Top 3 of Pakistan, who have been the reason for Pakistan's resurgence in limited overs cricket. Pakistan have done well whenever their batting has been solid. Imam ul Haq, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam are the men to watch out for. 

MS Dhoni needs to play a pivotal role in Asia Cup

Well before India begin their campaign to defend their Asia Cup title, all the focus has been on the batting slots around MS Dhoni, i.e. for No 4 and 6. This is as per the layman assumption that MS Dhoni will come out to bat at No 5., though I would like him to bat higher up at No. 4. Inspite of no focus on him and his batting, his role in the middle order shall be pivotal for Team India's success irrespective how the likes of Ambati Rayudus and Dinesh Karthiks play.

For two reasons, Dhoni should bat higher up the order. His big hitting prowess is on the wane, and going by what Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik can manage with their ability to hit the ball long and cheeky, for sure Dhoni should come ahead of the trio. Also, if the big ticket wickets of Rohit and Dhawan fall early (Pakistan's bowling attack is quite ominous), a mid innings revival is most suited to Dhoni's style of batting these days. He still is the best runner on the 22 yard strip, loves to rotate the strike, and will lend stability to the innings not giving the likes of Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan or even Rashid Khan the opportunity to run through the less tested middle order. I know Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik maybe auditioning for the No. 4 slot, but there is a tournament going on and these are no practice matches !. And, despite what critics might think of Dhoni or Rahane both have been very consistent. Look at the numbers for 2017 and 2018. I picked these numbers from Cricinfo. Apologise for the shabby graphics ;)

ODI Batting Statistics (2017/ YTD 2018): MS Dhoni stands out beyond the Top 3

While the top 3 (Kohli, Rohit and Dhawan) are way ahead of the rest, amongst the others Dhoni has been the most consistent. In the absence of Ajinkya Rahane or Yuvraj Singh (not bad numbers either, except that the columns for 50s leaves much to be desired), it would be a good ploy to send Dhoni at 4, and keep Ambati Rayudu at 3. Maybe audition Kedar, Manish and Karthik for 5 and 6. 

I feel as the tournament progresses, the wicket will get slower and the spinners of all opposition sides will be very handy. You may not get your big shots after all, and it is here that Dhoni's strike rotating abilities will come handy. Whether he bats at 4 or 5, his quick run a ball, no fireworks innings will still be worth in gold ! Ofcourse, we wont mind the odd big tonk, especially over the long on boundary ! Best of luck to him !

India will look to solve the middle order conundrum

The Asia Cup is here, and more than anything else it is an opportunity for all the sides to look at the players who would be part of their World Cup sides. For India, they would like to see the claimants to the middle order spots do well. And, in absence of Virat Kohli who has done the bulk of scoring in any form of cricket for Team India in the last few years, the middle order might get exposed more often than not. 

A lot of words have been written about the No 4. position, but it seems the entire middle order has been looking less than optimum in the run up to the World Cup next year. So, the Team Management needs to hope that some or all of Ambati Rayudu, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav and even MSD and Hardik Pandya be amongst runs ensuring Virat Kohli is not missed. But the focus will be on the No.4 spot and Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey and DK are likely to be thrust into that role (assuming KL Rahul is used at No.3)

Contenders for the No 4. spot

Ambati Rayudu has been the most consistent out of the three, whenever he has got a chance to play, and his impressive ODIs average of 50.23 screams for attention. He had a good IPL earlier in the year playing for Chennai Super Kings, and his game is well suited to the No. 4 slot. But can he play the moving ball in England next year?

Manish Pandey deserved a look-in on the back of a rich vein of form for India-A scoring 233 runs without being dismissed. He could not have timed his prolific run better. What goes in favour for Manish Pandey is his better strike rate of more than 93 compared to Rayudu (76) or DK (73). He rotates the strike very well and could be a perfect folly for MSD.

DK had an unbelievable IPL this year, the memories of which are fading now. His bat has been silent ever since and although nobody doubts his talent, he will need to improve his career average of just 25.00 and produce some match-winning knocks in the Asia Cup to remain in the scheme of things after an ordinary Test series in England. 

Whether or not Rohit Sharma makes tactical moves to win individual matches in the tournament, it is imperative that he makes good use of Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik. Conditions in UAE shall be hot and humid but nevertheless with good batting surfaces, and to win matches Team India will have to bat deep and not depend too much on the Top 3 to deliver all the time. If you ask me, it was time to blood Rishabh Pant instead of Dinesh Karthik. Time is running out for DK !

Report Card - India England Test series

Well everybody seems to have an opinion about the recent under performance of Team India in the tests series. Atleast the scoreline says so. 4-1 seems to suggest that India were outplayed in the tournament. But the fact is that England played well when it mattered. Session by session. India lost those key moments. They got rid of the top half, but allowed the lower middle order to script an escape. They batted well in patches, but fell just when England were losing the plot. It is all a story of missed chances. For the Indians, the report card wears a mixed look.

Virat Kohli 

9

Nobody can dare to give him less than a 9 for the series. He batted like he really wanted to make amends for the 2014 flop show. He played like an earnest champion and was the brightest star of Team India. His captaincy and team selection has been criticised, but then you can not blame him entirely. Remove Kohli, and you remove 40-50% weight from the side. He is that precious a wicket nowadays in any format of the game. Scored 593 runs with 2 tons and 3 half centuries at an average of 59.30, what more do you want from a batsman. 

Ishant Sharma

8.5

Ishant came of age, and believed he was the leader of the bowling unit. He got those elusive edges this time, and despite bowling a lot of overs managed to stay injury free bowling a consistent line troubling the English top order and more often than not being amongst wickets. He finished with 18 wickets, second only to Anderson's haul of 24 wickets. 

Jasprit Bumrah

8.5

Jasprit inspite of having not featured in the first two tests, left an indelible mark in the test series. He bowled at a good pace, and was perhaps the fastest bowler from both sides bowling consistently in excess of 85 mph. He has done his reputation no harm, and batsmen around the world have started taking him very seriously.

Rishabh Pant

7.5

I rate him highly here because he has been arguably the find of the series for India. He has shown that he has talent and could be the long term option Team India has been searching for after the departure of MSD. His keeping is a work in progress, and Saha should walk into the squad based on his superior keeping skills.

Ravindra Jadeja

7

Sir Jadeja impressed me during his lone outing in the last test, especially  with his batting. He has not batted like this for a very long time, so much so that his critics stopped calling him an allrounder. If he bats like the way he did during the 86* he made in the last test, he might be able to displace Ashwin from the playing eleven in Australia. His fielding is a bonus and I would like to see more wickets from him. He has the talent to stay long at the crease, and he needs to watch out for the tendency to throw away his wicket with low percentage shots.

Hanuma Vihari

7

Again, a rank outsider and nobody would have dreamt that he would make the playing XI before the start of the series, especially with India preferring the services of Hardik Pandya and with the original choice of Karun Nair being in the squad already. But then they say it is destiny. He got a 50 on debut and in difficult circumstances. Full marks for his calm and unperturbed stay at the crease. But his batting spot is keenly contested. His bowling proved useful and was able to make 3 breakthroughs for Team India. In short, he justified his selection and adjusted to the conditions well having joined the squad late.

Mohammad Shami
6.5

Shami looked out of sorts in patches and although he was not as much amongst wickets as he would have liked to, he did bowl with a lot of venom in helpful conditions. He was a tad unlucky to not get too many wickets, and I feel his inability to polish the tail inadvertently led to lower order revivals from England. Nevertheless, he remains potent and should be a great asset in Australia.








KL Rahul
6.5

Now you might argue that I am being harsh, especially after he was the only other batsman to get a century apart from Kohli, Pujara and Pant. But a lot was expected of him and despite showing what he is capable for in the last test with that wonderful 149, he needs to get more consistent. To me, he played like the quintessential No 6 batsman rather than a regular opener. He needs to watch out for the incoming deliveries which has been his undoing in this series. I am left a little disappointed after the series, especially his contributions in the tests Team India lost.



Cheteshwar Pujara
6.5

I am glad, and perhaps more than me he would be glad with himself, having found some semblance of form in trying conditions. Pujara looked a lot more assured of himself after the face saving 132* he made in the 4th Test and India ended up making 273 in the first innings after being left teetering at 195-8. Pujara leaves the English shores more relieved than when he arrived after a not so successful County stint, and KL Rahul taking his place in the first test. With limited overs cricket eluding him and no IPL contract, he needed to put up a good show here in the only form of cricket he plays for India. He is a candidate to make those big daddy hundreds and double hundreds, and his best is yet to come.


Hardik Pandya
6.5

I rate him a tad better than you would expect, as in my view he did bowl better than expected. His bowling was a real plus and his 5 wicket haul in no time was a real shot in the arm in the Nottingham test, which Team India eventually won. He is an impact player, but is better suited to bat at 7, and leave the No 6 spot to the specialist wicketkeeper-batsmen in Pant, Saha or DK whoever is in the playing XI that day. He is an interesting package and there are not many who can displace him from the side on a like to like basis.






Ajinkya Rahane
5.5

A quiet tour for Jinx, and although he looked determined but did not make much of an impact on the tour. His form has not been in top gear, and I sensed this even during the IPL. Rahane in my view is also suited to play at No.3; for one he would be faster off the blocks than Pujara, and two it would mean being able to adjust a Rohit Sharma or a Karun Nair in the side. He finished with two half centuries, but is that all he was expected to do?







Ravi Ashwin
5.5

Another superstar who disappointed his fans, but for a change let us give him space. He was carrying an injury, and whether or not it affected his batting or not, it definitely affected his bowling. He needs to be rested for the short Windies Test series and taken care of properly. He feels he needs to reinvent himself for every tour, but he needs to realise that he needs to keep things simple and batsmen will make mistakes. Test cricket is a game of patience. Even Murali had bad days, and so did Bhajji and Kumble. Like Rahane, the arrowhead had a quiet and forgettable tour.





Shikhar Dhawan
5

Although his scores would suggest he had a wretched tour, he actually batted quite well for the brief periods he was at the crease. Brief, albeit by test standards. He is a versatile batsman like Rahul, but he needs to make it count once he is set. The inability of the openers to make it count cost Team India the series. I wrote in a previous post about the contribution and importance of Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan in  Team India's ascendancy in Test arena, and the runs from their bats were sorely missed. Hope he is able to regain form sooner than later and is not dumped in a knee jerk reaction from the selectors.




Umesh Yadav
4.5

It is difficult to see him play should Bhuvi, Shami, Ishant and Bumrah be fit. He has been wayward in the past, but has improved in the last 1.5 year or so. He played only the first Test match where he did pick important wickets of Jamie Bairstow and Sam Curran but did not leave a big impact and was left under-bowled in the second innings.








Kuldeep Yadav
4

The Team was eager to play him and they did play him ahead of Jadeja and defying logic according to some. But, he was bowling so well during the limited overs leg of the tour and had that aura of intrigue around him that playing him seemed irresistible. He went wicketless on a pitch where England were mindful of him, and it was good thinking that he was sent back home to play for India-A to get valuable match practice ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup.








Murali Vijay
3

A disappointing tour for Murali Vijay, with his reputation taking serious damage. From being the default Test opener for Team India before the start of the series, to being dropped and now being perhaps on the brink of being relegated to being 4th or 5th choice. Remember Prithvi Shaw is knocking at the door, and so is Mayank Agarwal. In a previous post on openers, I eulogized his ability to leave the ball outside the off stump, a facet of his batting that has kept him safe on foreign pitches and he needs to get his concentration back. He did not score twice out of the 4 innings he played and ensured Team India was on the back foot right from the word go.

Dinesh Karthik
2.5

Had a poor tour with the bat, but his keeping was never a question mark. He broke into the Test side in absence of Saha, and a superlative performance for KKR as a batsman. But after the tour, it is clear his days are numbered and Team India might be looking at other options like Rishabh Pant or even KS Bharat should Wriddhiman Saha hang up his boots. He might be in the frame for the limited overs cricket, but his test career is virtually over.

Sir Jadeja awakens..

This is so heartening to see. The beloved Sir Jadeja rising to the occasion, and how !! The last few years he has played in the shadows of  Ashwin, and while Ashwin was in imperious form with the ball and bat in Test cricket, honestly Jadeja never got the credit despite decent performances with the ball. What is heartening perhaps for the Team management is his batting this time. He handed the same pill to the England Team which Sam Curran has been irritatingly giving all throughout the tour to Team India. Jadeja was no mean mug with the bat ever, and more often than not threw his wicket to a rash or an expansive low percentage shot. This time he batted like he should have all these years, maybe it was the situation this time. It has been so long Jadeja produced a batting gem of an innings like the one he produced yesterday, and all in quick time, that he himself acknowledged it was too long coming, and while celebrating for the half century he swung his bat like a sword in his hand and gestured to removing dust from it !! 

India will be heaving a sigh of relief for they were hoping the lower and middle order produce some runs in absence of Hardik Pandya and Ravi Ashwin. Ashwin has been a former opener and his batting style is suited to Test cricket. Needless to say he has been quite prolific batting from where he bats, with a career batting average of 29.72. Compare that to the lifetime batting average of the legendary Kapil Dev which was 31.05, and Ashwin is not far off. Jadeja is at 29.17, so not too far behind despite having not produced a meaty innings for a very long time. Jadeja's test batting average is better than Suresh Raina (18 matches, Average: 26.48) or Dinesh Karthik (26 matches, Average: 25) and even his yesteryear namesake Ajay Jadeja (15 matches, Average: 26.18). He has a triple hundred in domestic first class cricket, so the ability to bat long is certainly there. His first class average is 44+ with 8 hundreds and 23 half centuries, to suggest he may be allowed to slot in the top 6 in any side. He has always been there, but seldom proved to be an effective lower order batsman, perhaps the perfect No. 7 India need. With this innings, Jadeja has in my view booked a seat for the tour of Australia later this year in December and perhaps relegated Kuldeep Yadav to the third spinner spot. But then Kuldeep is a different animal altogether. 'Sir' Jadeja has awakened, and will be one of the few in the Indian contingent who would leave English shores with his head held high, and his reputation (and expectations) enhanced !!

India need to squeeze positives out of whats left of the England tour

So much disappointment in the air after the poignant end to the 4th Test at Southampton. It was a 'test' in which indeed Team India failed, and dare we say that the better team won. It was a classic case of 'so near yet to so far'. The team which lost was truly on top at crucial junctures of the game, and also on the last day of the test till Kohli was at the crease with that, or what could have been a series deciding partnership with Rahane. Kohli's exit meant England had a definite sniff at getting back into the game and target victory. Not taking anything from Moeen Ali and the English bowlers, but India could have shown more mettle. Especially Hardik Pandya and the lower order batsmen, who could have taken a cue out of the English lower order batsmen. Eventually, Team India lost by a not so far 60 odd runs. 

If you check the scorecards, the top order from both teams have failed. Barring Virat Kohli, none of the Top 4 from either team was amongst runs consistently in the series. The No 6, 7 and 8 have done bulk of the scoring for England. For India, once Virat Kohli was back in the pavillion, the batting wilted under pressure of good conditions for seam and swing bowling. Did we miss Rohit Sharma at 6? I guess not! We probably had a worthy option in Karun Nair and now Hanuma Vihari as well. India will do no harm by blooding Hanuma Vihari or Karun Nair. It is their batting that needs attention. I would still not axe either of KL Rahul or Shikhar Dhawan. Rahul has been excellent in the slips, and Shikhar has looked good during his brief stays at the crease. Prithvi Shaw is young and perhaps can wait. India would also do well to ask for more reassuring runs from both Hardik Pandya and Ravi Ashwin (i.e. if he plays in the next match). Hardik Himanshu Pandya in particular has not batted like a middle order batsman. The weight of expectations may mean we ask too much of him. His First Class Average is under 30, his ODI average is 29.13 and so his Test average of 31+ means he has done well for himself in the recent past (albeit in home conditions, 18 innings in all, majority of which were in Indian conditions)

But to be counted as a real Test level batsman, you have to stand up and deliver in overseas conditions like these, build partnerships, forget about the booming sixes and put a price on your wicket. He is talented for sure, but he needs to remind everyone of his talent once in a while atleast. I sense he would be edgy for a good performance with the bat in the 5th Test. His bowling has impressed one and all. He is only 24 though and this series will have an indellible effect to his learning process as a Test cricketer.

England's narrow escape also had a casualty: Alastair Cook. The run machine from England retires a tad early in his career much like the prolific Marcus Trescothik in limited overs cricket albeit for entirely different reasons. England would like to believe they have a Rory Burns ready and in-line to replace him immediately, but it is the other opener they should be more worried about. I am not an expert in English cricket, but Bairstow looks like a good option to open in all formats. The fact is that England need someone prolific at the top, and someone who is technically sound if not a specialist. They will struggle against quality bowling attacks, and I see more and more pressure on Root and the middle order in the upcoming tours. England at the moment are relying too much on their allrounders !!

India might sorely miss Virat Kohli in Asia Cup

Well although the side chosen by MSK Prasad and Co. for the Asia Cup later this month is on expected lines, and while Virat Kohli was predictably and quite rightly rested, Team India is heavily dependent on the Mr Consistent. Kohli the Captain may not be missed, as Rohit has some captaincy experience and is an impeccable reader of the game with canny match awareness (something he showcased while leading Mumbai Indians to the IPL title), but Team India will surely miss Virat Kohli the run machine. India missed a point by not selecting Mayank Agarwal who could have been an interesting choice for Virat's replacement, while also tamely rewarding Mayank's recent form.

The only logic for not selecting Mayank Agarwal and perhaps even Suresh Raina could be because the Team Management has already some blueprint ready for next years World Cup, and perhaps both Mayank and Raina may be out of the scheme of things. 

It is key that players like Kedar Jadhav and Manish Pandey find their groove sooner than later, which solves the middle order jigsaw for good. With no Kohli around, the middle order would be exposed more often than not, and a couple of players will have to put their hands up. The selectors would be mindful of this aspect of the team selection, and hence the slots of 4 and 5 is still up for grabs between a KL Rahul (also in the race when Kohli comes back to his No 3 slot, otherwise expect him to bat at 3 in the Asia Cup), Manish Pandey (he has been in prolific form in the quadrangular tournament in August against A-sides of South Africa etc), Ambati Rayudu (he missed the bus to England owing to failure to clear the infamous Yo-Yo test, which he has cleared now), Dinesh Karthik (still riding the imperial IPL form effect, time may be running out for him as the memories of IPL 2018 performances have started fading away; if he gets his chance he needs to nail it for good) and finally Kedar Jadhav. Kedar can bowl as well, and in the past got vital breakthroughs thanks to a deceptive looping bowling action and a clever mind. The next World Cup will be played in England (with small grounds) and India needs to bat deep and bat well to win matches. Not too much can be expected of bowling units in England. That means the big hitting Raina and perhaps even Shreyas Iyer may well still be in contention should the Manish Pandeys and Karthiks fail to deliver. It is going to be a close finish, I guess. Curiously, UAE suits the slower bowlers and so will the better player of spin in UAE conditions form the basis for eventual selection for the World Cup? We will have to wait and watch. 

On the other hand, the Indian bowling unit is in good hands and perhaps there is not much concern there, except that they lack the services of a left arm seamer which is even more evident after the retirement of the evergreen Nehra ji. India liked to believe for a better part of last 2 years that Jaydev Unadkat was perhaps an answer. Barinder Sran was tried as well. This time around they have given a chance to rookie Khaleel Ahmed, another player rewarded for his exploits in the India-A outfit. He has grown under the watchful eyes of Rahul Dravid during his U-19 days, and although his stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad went unnoticed, his recent wicket-taking form has grabbed the eye balls of the people who matter. But, can he be picked ahead of the other seam bowlers who may not be left armers but are ahead in the pecking order?...It would be interesting to see if he gets a game or not, knowing the nature of pitches in UAE.

So much talk about the allrounder's slot and it looked like Krunal Pandya might finally get the nod after several impressive performances in the IPL for Mumbai Indians. If he would have been selected, his Captain would again have been Rohit Sharma, and perhaps Rohit knows best how to use him. Nothing against Axar Patel, who is perhaps the better bowler, but with Dhoni switching-on the accumulator mode in recent times, it would have been a good ploy to have Krunal's slam bang skills in the squad. But, then you would say, there is the other Pandya brother, Hardik, to do the same job who has an even bigger penchant for the booming sixes he has come to be known for. India will not miss Krunal so much as Virat Kohli, which is what worries me. The middle order is going to be tested by Srilanka and Pakistan and maybe even Bangladesh.

Virat ...come back fresh for the Australian tour to India, while we keep our fingers crossed and hope Pakistan does not inflict a loss upon Team India in UAE, which has been a favourite hunting ground for them over the years.