World Cup ‘miss’ selection: Talk on Pant’s omission rages on

It has been five days since the Indian selectors led by MSK Prasad announced the squad for the forthcoming World Cup but the debate over Rishabh Pant’s non-inclusion is raging on.

The view “he should have been there in the Indian team for the World Cup” is still being discussed in public spaces. Friends are still greeting each other with “what you feel about the World Cup squad?” type of question. This also shows that the selectors may have missed a trick of not putting a genuine match-winner in the team. Is Pant being wronged here?

Someone who scored centuries in Test cricket both in England and in Australia was then sent back home in name of giving rest. Just before IPL began, he was called up for the ODI and T20 team and one believed that he was the back-up wicketkeeper for MS Dhoni. With his powerful ability to hit the ball out the park at will, Pant was also considered to be a No. 4 batsman and was judged by those five ODI matches that he played for India.

Surely, there must have been instances when Indian captain Virat Kohli may have asked Pant in the course of the IPL “Are you ready for the World Cup?” and a nod from the young cricketer would have followed this question. And then, all of a sudden, he isn’t there in the World Cup team because he doesn’t have the experience of Dinesh Karthik. Something isn’t right here because if you don’t make the right choice at the right time, you can’t get the desired result.

In the past, this Indian team has taken several wrong calls under the current management –right from dropping its vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane in the first Test match against South Africa in the 2017-18 series and eventually losing the battle to axing Cheteshwar Pujara in the opening Test match in England that saw India going down to the hosts by a 3-1 margin. Believe it or not, dropping Pant from the World Cup team is no different. It has given a negative signal within the team. Why is there so much of a trust deficiency? Why is there so much of a credibility gap?

Most certainly, Pant would be back as a regular wicket-keeper after Dhoni hangs his boots from international cricket and that day isn’t far away. But Pant is such a kind of a player who could have been used as a floater in the middle-order. Someone who can hit the ball as clean as Pant should be watching the World Cup on TV? Instead, he should be playing the World Cup as an X-factor. And this isn’t an individual speaking, it is mostly those people who really follow the game and want India to do well in England.

Are we seeing a new avatar of Captain Cool Dhoni?

How did Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni escape a match ban after charging onto the field during last week’s game against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur? Dhoni was let off with a 50 per cent fine for challenging the umpire’s call but the incident still has some under-current. It was an offence under the ICC rule book and the IPL match officials should have handed out at least a two-match ban to Dhoni. Instead, the former Indian captain, who had admitted to the Level 2 offence 2.20 of the IPL’s Code of conduct, was let off with a 50 percent penalty. Were the match officials who conducted that unfortunate game scared of losing their jobs at the cost of passing right judgment on Dhoni’s action?

Most of the former players are shocked that a cricketer of Dhoni’s stature could walk up to the umpire and challenge the decision. Some of them haven’t seen this avatar of Dhoni before and are even asking whether he will be paid a loyalty bonus for taking that walk on behalf of CSK to make his point against the umpire’s decision. Then, there are others who are asking if Dhoni is actually bigger than the game. Is Dhoni really desperate to win this year’s IPL? Is the ongoing season of IPL his last as a player?

Not to forget that this is the same Dhoni, who is ready to bat at No. 4 in the ODI matches for India right. He also indicated it strongly last year when he decided to bat at No. 4 for his franchisee and even won the championship. However, we are indeed seeing a different Dhoni this year. He is certainly proactive on the field, but off it, he is showing us a new dimension of his character. So what if he orders a doctored pitch at Chepauk and criticizes it later to shift the blame. This isn’t the Dhoni we know!

Pant, Rayudu omission is a self-goal by the MSK Prasad selection panel

The National selectors led by MSK Prasad on Monday named the Indian squad for the World Cup. Is the team good enough to win the World Cup this year? The Indians have been performing consistently well over the last few years and hence they are one of the favourites for the tournament.

However, a couple of decisions look a bit far-fetched and could cost Team India dearly. The No.4 spot is given to Tamil Nadu batting all-rounder Vijay Shankar instead of the proven Ambati Rayudu while Ravindra Jadeja is the third spinner. But the omission of dashing wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is the most intriguing.

It is learnt that a lack of ODI exposure has led to Pant’s omission from the World Cup team. The selectors opted for the experience of Dinesh Karthik over Pant’s five ODI appearances and it is understood that even captain Virat Kohli couldn’t stand up for his Delhi mate. There is a rumour floating in the BCCI corridors that a former BCCI boss could have been involved in getting Karthik included in the 15-man squad.

If Pant’s lack of ODI experience is the reason for the Delhi youngster missing the boat, then how come Shankar with just nine ODIs made it to the World Cup squad? Are the selectors applying different yardsticks for different players? It is indeed a bizarre explanation.

It is true that Pant has a long way to go as a keeper. Karthik is more experienced and has a safer pairs of hands over Pant, but where is the X factor in the team? Agreed that Pant isn’t a Virender Sehwag but he can still win the team a couple of games. He is a more dashing batsman who could unsettle the rival attack and thereby make things easy for his fellow batsmen.

The selection policy has been quite baffling. Why was the Delhi cricketer not picked for the Australian series in the shorter formats after a successful Test series Down Under? Pant was sent home and the selectors said that he was being rested. In his place, Karthik was made to play the series. Pant was then recalled for the Australian ODI & T20I tour in India and Karthik was ignored in the name of rotation. What happened in the last few weeks that Pant lost out?

Question are also being raised over Shankar and Jadeja’s selection in the team. The logic given is that the India team has created a back-up for every position in the team – be it opening, middle-order, fast bowling department, spinners to all-rounders. Shankar batting at No. 4 could be a self-goal inflicted by the selectors. It will be a tall order for the Tamil Nadu player whose highest is just 46. One wonders how the selectors could make a ‘green horn’ the first choice for this crucial spot.

The No. 4 batting position is a crucial one and Rayudu had proven himself over the last few years. The Hyderabad batsman has played 55 ODIs for the country and has three hundreds and 10 half-centuries at a healthy 47 average. A couple of months ago, Rayudu was a sure shot for the World Cup. Why did things change so quickly? What more should he have done to be in the Indian team? Rayudu’s omission from the team destroys the ‘trust factor’ from the Indian team.

Most importantly, India will need a balance of strength and of course an X factor, which Pant could have given it to the team.  

However, it is unfair to criticize the team without seeing them perform, so let’s wait and watch till the biggest tournament of the world gets underway from first week of June.

Hardik, Rahul emerge stronger after ‘Koffee with Karan’ fiasco

Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul’s much-maligned appearance at the Karan Johar show seems to have done a world of good for Indian cricket. The Indian players had come under severe fire for their sexist remark during the show and both were subsequently banned by the BCCI.

However, both of them have made a sturdy comeback and the manner in which both these cricketers are playing, performing and focusing on the game, it seems clear that they have got their mojo back. As an all-rounder, Hardik is of course very intense on the field. Whether he is batting or bowling for the Mumbai Indians, he has looked good in every game.

Pandya has worked up a few yards of pace and used the batting crease to perfection while punching the ball out of the park. His use of the crease to negate the Yorkers has almost become a trend in the IPL. Anyone trying to hit the ball is copying this style as Pandya has mastered the trick of doing it to perfection. 

When the Indian selectors meet on April 15 to pick the 15-member squad for the World Cup, Pandya’s name in the all-rounder choice will be right on the top. With England being the hosts, a batting all-rounder with the pace bowling ability of Vijay Shankar could also fit the bill.

Interestingly, Kings XI Punjab batsman KL Rahul may have just sealed his spot for the World Cup team with a scintillating century against the Mumbai Indians. He was just brilliant, played strokes to all parts of the ground and paced his innings beautifully. No wonder that his knock was acknowledged by everyone despite his team losing on Wednesday. 

The question is whether Rahul will be considered a back-up opener after Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan or will he be in the team as a middle-order batsman. Though there is a lot of speculation about who will bat at No.4, there is also a likelihood of Rahul being slotted for the No.3 spot which is captain Virat Kohli’s position. India’s head coach Ravi Shastri has hinted that Kohli could bat at No. 4 for the World Cup which means that Rahul could get the nod for the No.3 spot. The good thing is that Rahul is amongst runs and the Indian team could benefit a lot if he is able to carry this confidence into the World Cup after a memorable IPL partnership.

Are Team India bowlers being over worked in the IPL?

Jasprit Bumrah is India’s strike bowler but his form in the IPL is a bit suspect. The country’s No.1 bower has taken only six wickets from six games and if one goes by the old saying that you are as good as your last game, there are concerns over his for. He is in the 11th position in the wicket-takers list. Against Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday, he gave away 38 runs from his four overs and took only one wicket.

In the opening game against the Delhi Capitals, he gave away 40 runs with a wicket against his name. In the second game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, he produced a dream spell (4-020-3). In the game against defending champions Chennai Super Kings at home, he bowled well but went wicket-less. Even against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Bumrah was effective. In the opening game too, Bumrah survived an injury scare and there are talks if he is over-exposed before a mega event like the World Cup.

The story isn’t different in other IPL teams as well. Even Bumrah’s opening bowler in the India team Mohd Shami is over-working in this IPL and going full throttle with his bowing. He hasn’t been rested in any match and is running in with a bagful of confidence. As a bowler, he won’t mind at all if he is able to maintain his rhythm. Already, he is amongst the top bowlers, looked fit and raring to go.

But again, the fear of injury and work-load must be keeping the team management on its toes. Ditto for the other two Indian spinners – Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. They too are getting over-cooked by playing so many matches before the World Cup. The only good thing is that Chahal is amongst the top three wicket takers in the T20 competition so far, but Kuldeep is way down the order. He is in the 29th position – one slot above another Indian bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

If such is the condition of the Indian bowling unit before the World Cup, it will be a worry for the team. How will the bowlers remain fresh? Who will replace such performing assets if someone gets injured? No one has an answer. The Indian support staff have given fitness regime to all the bowlers and they are supposed to be following all that in the course of the tournament – like all professionals. There is also a counter argument that the T20 forms won’t have any impact on the bowlers when they are playing the 50-over format.

Whatever is the situation even BCCI is concerned with the lack of form of all the Indian bowlers in IPL because as a unit they are not in best of form and the last thing India would want is an injury. Let’s all believe that the likes of Bumrah, Shami, Bhuvneshwar, Kuldeep and Chahal are all fighting fit before the mega event begin in the United Kingdom.

BCCI needs neutral curators to work on ensuring ‘fair’ pitches for all IPL matches

Chennai Super Kings may have been winning games at their fortress in Chepauk but are slowly gaining a reputation of playing on the most tampered pitch in the IPL. After a very disappointing opening game, which saw the Royal Challengers Bangalore mustering 70 runs and eventually losing the tie, Tuesday’s game against the Kolkata Knight Riders was another classic case of how CSK seems to be manipulating the pitch to get maximum purchase from it.

Chennai’s own and KKR captain Dinesh Karthik’s boys could notch-up 108 at the loss of nine wickets. This was enough for Chennai to round-up the match in grand style but left the audience disappointed. There was no excitement because this is not the ideal wicket to play cricket on. This is nothing but a façade surrounding the pitch including CSK’s captain MS Dhoni’s concern over the ‘low scoring’ Chepauk pitch. 

The fall out of this charade is that this year’s IPL final could be held in Hyderabad. Even one of the qualifiers would be shared with Bangalore, which would also host the eliminator. The three locked stands in Chepauk is the main reason behind shifting the IPL final from Chennai. The BCCI management is happy that the IPL final won’t be held on a pitch that is continuously tampered by the CSK team management.

Unfortunately, CSK aren’t the only team that is tweaking the pitch. Most of the other team’s strike bowlers are spinners — right from KKR, Kings XI Punjab, Hyderabad Sunrisers, Royal Challengers Bangalore to Rajasthan Royals. Perhaps, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians are the only two teams who have a paranoid dependence on pacers. If Delhi can boast of their South Africa recruit Kagiso Rabada, the Mumbai team is proud about Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga. Otherwise, they all want to pat the spinners, make slow wickets and put pressure on the opposition. 

As per the rules, contrary to the Ranji Trophy games wherein the neutral curators are told to prepare the wickets, the venue curators are told to prepare wickets for the IPL league matches. But when the play-off begins and those are supposed to be BCCI matches, the grounds and pitches committee headed by former cricketer Daljit Singh, takes over.

In order to save this million-dollar baby called IPL it is important to  make the franchisee understand that it is not only about winning matches through crooked ways, it is about winning them in right spirit. So, it is important that these IPL pitches are looked after by the neutral curators throughout the tournament rather than only in play-off games (like in all Ranji Trophy games). Someone needs to bell the cat for the sake of Indian cricket!

After RCB’s horror run, will it be better to rest Kohli from IPL?

Royal Challengers Bangalore have had a torrid time in this season’s IPL thus far. Nothing has gone right for the team as all their efforts to stem the rot has come to nought. They have lost all six of their league matches this season and in fact their losing streak now extends to seven games. With a place in the play-offs now all but wiped out, what should be the strategy of the team?

Skipper Virat Kohli has been having a frustrating time out of the field. He has been found lacking on several counts as his teammates haven’t matched his efforts. The bowling has been one of the major areas of concern for the team and so is the fielding. The batting has been heavily dependent on Kohli and AB de Villiers. In such a bleak scenario, is it time to let Kohli take a break from the IPL?

With the 2019 World Cup scheduled to begin from the end of next month, is it a good option to keep him away from the game so that he is able to recoup his energies and be fresh for the World Cup? Or will it be better for Kohli to find a county contract for white-ball cricket and get used to English conditions rather than play meaningless cricket here?

Looking at the way things are happening at the RCB, Kohli’s involvement with the team may not be that helpful for him as a player. It seems the pressure is taking a toll of Kohli the captain, who is at his wits end. All his moves have backfired thus far and it could lead to mental fatigue, which has the potential to affect his captaincy for Team India. Of course, when the chips are down, it is the job of the captain to lift the team rather than leaving the scene. But for how long? In the larger interest of the nation, Kohli should be asked to stay away from the IPL so that he comes back fresh for the World Cup and, ideally, this is how it should be. It could also help RCB to unearth a new captain.

But will his sponsors and promoters of RCB allow Kohli to take off in the middle of the season? Is there anyone powerful enough in the BCCI to tell the franchisee to give Kohli a break? If RCB was on a winning spree, things would have been different. But the losses show that Kohli is very much a fallible human being. But if he continues to lose matches as a captain, it won’t reflect nicely upon his skill-set before the World Cup. Who knows? His poor form as a captain can also affect his batting also. There is also a school of thought that says that linking IPL captaincy with international captaincy isn’t right. True. But bad habits are contagious and one wouldn’t like Kohli to be infected with a negative mind set.

So, what should one do? Almost two years ago when Kohli showed the door to coach Anil Kumble after the 2017 Champions Trophy final loss over Pakistan, Kohli was categorically told that if he is not able to deliver as a captain in big events, he could face some serious questions in the future. The fortunate bit for Kohli is that his deputy and immediate competitor, Rohit Sharma is a great batsman but he isn’t as consistent as the Indian captain.  

Therefore, the need of the hour is to preserve Kohli’s energy for the World Cup rather than using him for inconsequential T20 matches. In other words, he doesn’t need practice for losing matches. He needs good memories of his wins before a World event and having said that India need Kohli’s good form more than Kohli needing India. Hope, the authorities are listening and Kohli is given due diligence. Hope, Kohli is spoken about taking rest and being with his family rather than just coming on the field and losing games!

BCCI needs to work on providing good wickets for IPL games

Wear and tear is resulting in the pitches playing slow and low and this has become the talking point of the IPL this season. The players are not happy with it as T20 cricket thrives on the batsmen hitting fours and sixes. Fans turn up at the stadium in the hope of getting to see a high-scoring game but this season there have been quite a few low scoring games as the wickets haven’t been up to the ‘mark’.

Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla, Chennai’s Chepauk, Jaipur’s SMS Stadium have all been in the news for the slow nature of the pitches. What has gone wrong at these centres and some others? Besides home teams trying to tweak the nature of pitch based on their strength, there is a natural slowness in these pitches.

It is because the pitches have been grossly overused through the domestic season. If a Kotla pitch had around 30 days of cricket in a year, the number of matches went up by four times this year because several states were added to the BCCI rooster. From more than 800 matches in a year, BCCI state bodies hosted over 2,000 First-class games. It was no easy task hosting so many games and that has taken a heavy toll in some centres.

Most of the state bodies are struggling with their finances as the funds from the BCCI has been stopped because of not implementing the Justice (retd) RM Lodha reforms. This has resulted in their inability to buy ground equipment and develop/maintain more grounds. The states have resorted to using the available pitches and this resulted in their ‘abuse’. After taking so much battering, the pitches are obviously ‘giving up’.

The Eden Gardens pitches are being looked after well through proper process and Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium has the luxury of red soil and good condition for the grass cover. Bangalore have nine grounds to cater for the BCCI matches and the wickets at Mohali are under BCCI’s grounds and pitches committee chairman Daljit Singh. Hence, these venues are holding up and the IPL matches played on them are relatively high scoring.

So what is the way forward? There is a consensus that the domestic games should end by February every year. At least, a month’s gap should be given to all the major venues hosting IPL matches. If BCCI doesn’t take such a step, it may become difficult to provide good wickets for IPL and thereby damage the brand. After all, the fans turn up at the stadium to see loads of runs being scored not so much of low-scoring games. Hope, BCCI is listening. Otherwise, even fans inside the stadium could disappear during IPL games in the future.

Having home games at single venue is proving to be a blessing for players

In the last few seasons, the BCCI had made an effort to hold some of the IPL matches in catchment areas so that fans from the two-tier cities got an opportunity to see the top cricketers in action. IPL matches were literally held all over the country. But this had created quite a few problems logistically for the players as well as officials.

However, this year the BCCI had decided to hold the home games of the respective franchisee at one single venue. Why did the cricket board opt for such a schedule? Was it a conscious decision or was it because of the Lok Sabha elections which get underway in the country from April 11. It is most likely because of the poll schedule but it has turned out to be a blessing for the players.

Not having games in smaller venues like Ranchi, Raipur, Lucknow, and Indore etc is helping the cricketers get a good night’s sleep. With most of these two-tier cities having connecting flight either in the first half-hour of the morning or late at night, it had made it difficult for the players to get a sound sleep. Now that the franchises are playing at home, the teams are finding it easy to travel to big cities through late morning or afternoon flights to reach their destinations. 

This arrangement has also kept the match officials happy with the scheduling, as they are getting enough time to rest. With the World Cup round the corner and all talk about players’ work-load, this is indeed great news for those Indian cricketers whose fitness is a primary concern of the team management.

This is quite different from the inaugural years of IPL when the players were also forced to attend the IPL parties and also had to board those morning flight. A senior cricketer from an IPL team also sounded happy that BCCI is able to make a perfect schedule by keeping their home games intact. And with top cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Hyderabad connected almost 24X7 through air space, the teams have also finding it convenient to manage the players after two weeks of IPL. The schedule is so nicely done that some of the players are actually taking rest at home. It is happy situation for everyone – BCCI, players and team promoters. After this purposeful scheduling if someone blames IPL for injuries to top Indians cricketers, there could be some other reason for such a casualty.

Aggressive spinners are a delight to watch

It was indeed a delightful sight to watch Rajasthan Royals’ Shreyas Gopal outfox Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli, who is the world’s No.1 batsman in all formats of the game. The Karnataka leg-spinner’s googly found the gap between bat and pad and the Indian captain was practically flummoxed.

The exciting thing about Gopal and his fellow leg-break bowlers from Yuzvendra Chahal to Imran Tahir is that all of them are aggressive and strive to take wickets. For these wrist spinners, aggression is the best form of defence. They are not the kind who will look to contain a batsman but instead try to make inroads and cause disarray in the rival camp. Take for example Afghanistan’s off-spinner Mohammad Nabi who is making rival batsmen dance to this tune. The Sunrisers Hyderabad spinner has bagged six wickets in two games – including a four against RCB.

Being defensive isn’t going to work anymore for top spinners. If a spinner wants to make a mark for himself, he has to learn to attack. This tactics isn’t new to cricket. Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar, it is learnt, would take left-arm spinner Ravi Shastri and leggie Laxman Sivaramakrishnan out for a meal and tell them that he expected them to take five wickets between the 20^th and 40^th over of the match.

So, attacking bowling was always a part of the game. Spinners who don’t go for wickets will struggle to stay relevant at the highest level. Take the case of Ravindra Jadeja. He is an outstanding fielder and perhaps the best in the India. He is also a good bowler who is known to contain runs and can be handy with the bat in the lower-middle order. But he isn’t a top spinner in the country. Why? Because he doesn’t take wickets as regularly as his competitors do.

Teams are no longer worried about playing their best bowlers and exposing them to their opponents. Instead grooming wicket-taking bowlers seems to be the mantra of teams as getting the opposition out is more important than restricting them. Don’t be surprised if IPL teams with wicket-taking spinners surge to the top four as the tournament progress. Gone are the days when a wicket-less good spell would win you games. Those spells may compliment the main bowlers, but they are not going to be game changers.

Another interesting point is that bowlers tend to hunt in pairs. Having two bowlers who complement each other goes a long way in winning games for a side. Pakistan fast bowlers Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed, bowling in tandem, had proved quite a handful to the opposition. The tactics most was to see of the dangerous Akram and Younis and score off Javed but more or less the opposition gave away wickets to Javed.

India’s Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh too shared a great partnership in the past. But after Kumble, who was an attacking bowler, left the game Harbhajan couldn’t get the same results. He was not able to strike the same balance while bowling with other colleagues.