T20 WorldCup is fast approaching and its time for us to cheer and support Team India. It will be great fun to see the same people backing their foes couple of weeks back in the IPL.
One thing is sure that its going to be exciting than the 1st edition. Australia and SouthAfrica have already made their intentions clear that they are not going to take it easy. The success of 2007 worldcup and the mega success of IPL has proved that the format is here to stay and the top teams are going to fight for the top spot.With the success of IPL, victory here means a lot in terms of domestic T20 championships and replicate IPL like formats in their respective nation. so its going to be keenly contested WorldCup.
I feel there is no clear favorites for the 2009 WorldCup and there's going to be a lot of upsets and surprise winners. There are lot of new names in most of the teams but for Team India and the success of these new talents will be the defining factor.
India has distinct advantage of having many match winners in this T20 format. Sehwag,Yuvraj,Dhoni,Raina & Y.Pathan can win matches single handedly and Gambhirs form will decide the fate our campaign. Ishant,R.P.Sighn,Praveen & Zaheer should be doing well in helpful conditions. I will never pick an inconsistent performer like Irfan but i am sure he will play a few games and can spring a few surprise in helpful conditions. Harbhajan & Ohja form a good spinning options for Dhoni.Overall we have a very well balanced team and it all depends on how well we cope with the conditions and potential is transformed to performance and most importantly how well Dhoni uses his talented side.
For cricket fanatics like us, its going to be yet another 2-3 weeks of sleepless nights after the month long IPL carnival. Most of the matches will start at 5.30 UK time which is 11 in the night for us and true cricket fans will try their best to keep them awake till the end of the match. For general public this years event will not be a discussion item as they might not watch the matches live. The Newspapers will carry only partial scores and detailed scores will be available only on the next day which will be too late as our TV News channels will break the news.
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All the best "Team India". Hope you return with laurels.
Yusuf Pathan is like a kid in a mans world. He do not know how to play swinging deliveries. He is an extra baggage.
Sriram,
Yes i agree with you on Y.Pathan, he is kind of chokes on international stage. luckily if he gets to score its a big bonus.
In fact i missed Rohit Sharma in my post, he might prove to be very important for our battle to retain the WorldCup, provided he gets a fair chance up in the order.
Vasu, Sriram : not sure what your measuring scales are, but with Yusuf Pathan being a 20/20 specialist, I dont understand words like 'baggage', 'choke'etc. India has played 13 T20 matches so far and Yusuf only 4 or 5. He has played very few ODIs, but I dont think he will find a permanent place there and cant imagine him playing tests. Please clarify if your comments were meant in the context of Yusuf as a T20 player !! And in that case, allow him some time and Vasu : provded Dhoni gives him fair chances to play :-) I am not saying he will become a genius, but trying to understand your early judgement.
BTW, Sriram, what did u call Ricky Ponting in 2001 when he scored 15 runs in 5 innings against us, his first full tour to India ?
Rajesh,
As a batsmen Y.Pathan in my view is pure hard hitter and can win matches in flat wickets where the ball does not come above the knee roll and swing much.I value players by technical correctness and the feel i get while watching him play, I see Y.Pathan a player who on his day can win matches but i will never rely on him as a batsmen in my team. I would bet on some other batsmen who has sound technique and gutsy enough to go after the bowler in this format. That's my take on Y.Pathan.
So whats your take on the playing XI and batting order :-) for the first few games.My XI will be this provided all the players are available for selection.
Sehwag
Gambhir
Raina
Yuvi
Rohit
Dhoni
Harbhajan
Zaheer
R.P.Singh // Praveen
I.Sharma
Ojha // Ravindra Jadeja
Depending on the wicket i will pick between a spinner and a fast bowler.Also depending on the match situation the batting order can be changed but before the start of the match my batting order is the above order.
Vasu, your reasoning can not be disputed. But in the T20 context, given the role of Pathan, I dont think its fair to expect him to play the swinging ball, short ball, green tops etc. All I am saying is he is a good bet to be in the team, as he has the ability to win matches on his own. He bowls and fields decently too. For guys like Dhoni, Pathan etc. we have Gambhir, Raina, Rohit Sharma etc who have solid technique. This balance helps, so dont worry ! But I will join you in your protest, if Pathan is selected to play for a test :)
I agree with this 11, but I guess Yusuf will play instead of Jadeja/Ojha. We have Harbhajan, plus decent spin options in Yuvraj (!!), Rohit, Raina, Pathan, Sehwag. So Ojha being a pure bowler will find it tough to get in.
Yes Vasu.. as Rajesh pointed out, its difficult for Ojha to get into the team as a pure bowler alone.. that too when we have so many part time bowlers who are doing well now. In that case, Yusuf Pathan will get a go ahead of Ojha..
Though Yusuf, is not a technically sound batsman and will not be suitable for swinging pitches, we shouldnt discount the fact that he played a bit better in IPL II (pitches that aided the bowlers) than what is expected of him. It can be attributed to the quality of bowling too.. still, lets wait and see how he fares.. and hope he has his day quite frequently, since he can demolish the opposition completely..
@Vasu I too vote for Y Pathan in this format of the game. When it comes to the slog overs who ever the bowler may be and how well the ball swings it doesn't matter. On his day he can win a match on his own. When you have a top order with Viru, Gauti, Raina, Yuvi and Rohit (5 specialist and technically sound batsmen) we definitely can go with Pathan instead of another technically sound batsmen. When your top order does justice to their reputation and play their role to perfection it would be a perfect platform for Dhoni & Yusuf to fire lower down.
The way he played a super over from Mystical Mendis can prove you his value. I go with Rajesh & Shankar in the selection.
Guyz,
I doubt if Yusuf Pathan will get a chance at all.Rather Irfan Pathan will play in his place.
Even in T20 you need to understand the bowling to hit it. I dont think Yusuf ever got to play swing bowling in the past.
Even if its two overs you have to judge the swing and slog accordingly. I dont think he has that ability. If he plays in the eleven, unless its a spinner or someone like Collingwood/Styris kind of bowler, he will fail miserably.
By the way Ricky had a technique. You can even quote Marvan Attapattu. But those fellas were technically sound. But seeing the way Yusuf bats, i dont get the feeling that he will be able to survive the big fellas(Steyn, Sidebottom, Malinga, Lee, Johnson etc).
If he is doubtful surviving, i dont expect him to win a match or even contribute to the win. Period.
Sriram, I agree Irfan with getting in, more due to my understanding of how Dhoni chooses his 11. He believes in Irfan.
But on the other point on Yusuf, you are mixing it up. Even if India is at 20/5 or worse, I dont think the instructions to Yusuf or his intentions will be one to survive. His role, I guess, is to hit from the first ball regardless of the situation and he will just do that. Even for others, I dont think survival is a wise tactic in T20.
Yusuf may not be a technically sound batsman, but you cant belittle the skills he has and thats the point. Also, its not like technically sound batsman always negotiate swing bowling. How often have we seen top order collapse in helpful bowling conditions.
To end the argument from my side, I dont think he is a baggage in T20 !! T20, thats important.
Yusuf is not like Sehwag. Sehwag knows how to hit the bowlers even in swinging conditions. He relies on hand eye coordination, which is his strength. Most batsmen like Rohit, Raina counter swing either using their wrist or foot movement.
Incase of Yusuf, he is kind of "see the ball hit the ball" batsman. I dont think he has the skill to counter the swing. Even if he has to play two overs against swing bowling, he needs the skill which i dont think he possess.Some cases you dont have to hit through. A four/five per over might be enough for certain situations. Say for example you are 60/5 and you have to chase another 30 runs in 5 overs. Irfan is a better bet in such scenario. In swinging conditions you need technique even if its T20.
I actually meant situations like the one above as survival. When setting a score on a seeming condition a 90-100 might be a good score. I dont think Yusuf has the skills to graft such scores. Even if you are 20/5 a captain would prefer if someone like Jadeja/Irfan can nudge singles and get a defendable score of 80-90, rather than going for 150 and getting out within 50 odd runs.
Hit and miss kind of approach can work 5/10 times in sub continent conditions , but probably 2/10 times in seaming/swinging conditions. If we are going to pick him for that 2/10 chance, then thats poor selection.
By the way i quoted Sehwag, rohit, Raina, Jadeja and Irfan to compare and contrast on why Yusuf might be ineffective in England. Owing to this ineffectiveness, i called him extra baggage.
If we were to play cricket(T20) in India/Srilanka/Pakistan the he is an asset.
Guys,
T20-WorldCup-2009 has made a great start with the biggest upset. England losing to Netherlands has opened up the group qualifiers in this group. We have a cracker of a game on Sunday England take on Pakistan.
The way Netherlands batsmen played on overcast conditions proves that there is no need for any big technique and the traditional belief of perfectness. All that matters is that one believe's that he can do it and will to win in this T20 Format.
Hope Bangladesh does not repeat what they did to Team India in 2007 WorldCup in WestIndies.
Vasu, now you are talking :-) I believe you still need technique to succeed consistently in T20, but it need not be whats said in the 'book'.
Just saw the highlights, I dont think its a big upset, the way England played. If they got at least one of those run outs the result would have been different. It was so poor !
Hoping to see some real good matches ...
Rajesh,
Yes, i agree the shots need not be in the book. The most important quality to success in this format is to believe that one can perform and win matches under pressure situations. I doubt this quality in Y.Pathan in the absence of a strong mentor and constant backing from the other end.
Yup England just blew too many chances and deserve to lose.If it was IPL i am sure you would have said that this is a sure case of match fixing !!!!!!
Well, I did not think IPL had any match fixing in its true sense, a few players taking money and throwing games. But I thought sometimes the teams tried hard to make matches so interesting by blowing up winning opportunities. Well, England, they could be out of it all as early as today !!
And Dhoni continues to surprise us by showing faith in Yusuf / Ojha last night. I am sure you would have been organizing your cribs for one more blog till the 9th over of bdesh innings :-)
I think WI can still go out of the tournament inspite of their last performance. But if aussies go, it robs off a thrilling super-8s this edition. It will be Ind-SA-Aus-Eng if these teams go thru !!
Rajesh,
I have never cribbed anything about Ohja, he is a fine bowler and i had him in my first XI. On Y.Pathan yes i know he will be tried in the early stages and that too when sehwag is not in the team he will get the nod ahead of R.Jadeja as he can win matches on his own in this format so there is no big surprise.
On the whole there was no big surprise in the playing XI, he chose to pick I.Pathan ahead of R.P.Singh and PraveenKumar. I don't have to talk about the batting order, Yuvi played a gem of an innings to save India.Again it will be debated that the captain and team management is trying out options in the early stages of the tournament to go for the kill and all that strategic bla bla.
Its not going to be easy for Australia, they have to beat Srilanka with a big margin or expect WestIndies to beat Srilanka. If Australia goes out so early, yes it robs the contest with one of the best sides out with one bad day.
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