DLF IPL - HOME TEAM

Early 2008 when talks about starting the Indian Premier League were raised. The one good reason(besides stealing the limelight from ICL) was that local talent will get a platform to play with greats of the game, international exposure and opportunity to get noticed. On those lines, the 3rd season has not been disappointing as most teams realised that besides having 4 quality intl players in the team, it is very important to have 7 talented local guys, who can steal victories for them. Some teams could not get the combination right like DD and KKR where some like RCB and MI had headache with whom to bench. But, these local guys have to be the toast of the third season of DLF IPL. Here are the xi players who well truly define the term "HOME TEAM".

• Naman Ojha
• Murali Vijay
• Tirumalasetti Suman
• Faiz Fazal
• Saurabh Tiwary
• Ambatti Rayudu
• Kedar Jadhav
• Ravichandran Ashwin
• Vinay Kumar
• Siddharth Trivedi
• Murali Kartik

No surprises for the choice of openers, both Ojha & Vijay performed 2 notches above expectations. Suman won games for DC and helped the defending champions restore pride. Fazal looked quite good in the Royals outfit. Played a very significant role in the top order. The Mumbai Indians duo of Tiwary & Rayudu probably played their best cricket together. Caused lot of problems in the opposition's game plan. Jadhav had one really good knock for the Daredevils but, there on the Double D's couldn't figure out whom to play. Ashwin opened the bowling and did some serious damage for the Chennai Super Kings. His ability to mix it up and be very unpredictable was sheer class. Dint look like a rookie was in action. Vinay Kumar bowled very well initially and later got the stick treatment. But, in parts was good. SidT also bowled within his limits but mixed it very well and reaped praise from his captain and team mates. Murali Kartik showed with his county experience and Indian conditions was very effective but, was not used all that well.

Many others impressed. Of course, there is not room for all. We pick just eleven but, here we must mention a few. Ashoke Dinda once again showed signs of a smart bowler. Old Horse, Romesh Powar was very good but lack of wickets and 2 spinners already in the list meant he was left out. Badrinath, faced lot of criticism but had few good knocks that saved CSK the blushes. Mithun Manhas, Sarabjeet Ladda, Iqbal Abdulla, M.S.Bisla, Hameet Singh showed that domestic strength is very vital for the IPL teams.

Carribean T20 - Attention Indian Fans! Vijay replaces injured Sehwag

As expected , an INDIAN player is injured. Courtesy: IPL. It is none other than the swashbuckling opener, Virender-JATMAN-Sehwag. The details of the injury is not known yet,must be the usual hamstring/ribs/shoulder injury or maybe mental disorder because of the fact that Double Ds dint make it to the semis. No prizes for guessing who flying to the Carribean to replace him, its Murali-Now you know why I scored in IPL-Vijay. Its a great oppurtunity for the guy to make a mark in T20s and thus make it to the ODIs too. The advantage for Vijay is that there are no other backup openers in the Indian Squad. So,even if he doesn't perform he still plays, but we hope it doesn't happen.Ya, we know people may say Rohit Sharma may open. Cut the Crap right now. Period. Vijay entered the test arena as a replacement for Gambhir too. Viru's loss is Vj's gain. All we can say is ALL THE BEST to VIJAY and GET WELL SOON, WE WILL NOT MISS YOU to VIRU. To show your love & affection send your best wishes directly to Viru @sehwagvirender.


P.S- Sehwag has injured his shoulder , now don't ask if its Left or Right :)

Proteas WIN but who cares now?

The Proteas went into the final of the 3 match ODI series facing a different looking Indian side they faced during the whole tour. So, with no one giving any importance to this dead-rubber game and new kids on the block playing the game, it was clear there was just one team that was going to win. Saffers helped themselves out.. First they posted a mammoth total. With their top-order running through the naïve Indian bowlers. Mithun who was the highest wkt taker in the domestic season, had a rude reality check. Bosman & Amla put on 113 for the opening stand and then AB DeVil came on and helped himself to another ton, Kallis the man-in-charge got one under his belt or tummy or whatever..

The 2nd innings was a no show, poor fight, effortless ok.. not to be too harsh as they weren full strength or even half strength but, it was an One day International fixture and no respite, for a loss is a loss! It wont be remembered that India lost a dead-rubber game at home but perhaps won the 3 match ODI series 2-1 at home against the visiting Proteas. Vijay had a short stint but looked stylish as ever. Rohit Sharma looked like he was playing a completely different game and not helping India chase 366. Capt MSD missed out when he was most needed in the absence of Sachin, Viu, Gauti, Yuvi.... So the Indians were all out for 275 losing by 90 runs. But, winning the ODI series, secured 2nd spot in the ICC ODI ratings and of course got the bling ride. Clearly then no one cared abt the Saffers pulling one back. *hahaha*

Sachin, Sehwag and other guys

After clinching the 3 match ODI series at Gwalior and safe-keeping the #2 position in ODI's India will now tease the Saffers in the 3rd ODI at Ahmedabad. They are going in well prepared to lose at the looks of it. Remember Yuvi, Gauti, Zak are injured now Sachin & Sehwag have been rested quite expectedly. But, look at their replacements.. Rohit the no-hit Sharma is back! and an opening in the team means "Tamilian" festivals yes, you guessed it Murali Vijay is also in the squad Abhishek Nayar ruined his chances by fielding well and making his presence felt 'cos he's been axed mercilessly. Mithun my boy has come in for P.K. that was the only relief. so, whether Saffers play well or not get prepared to lose either ways..

Ton & Out

The 1st test at Nagpur saw the world no.1 test team go down tamely without a fight to the no.2 team. So, what was it that they did differently here..

India started the match on the backfoot with injuries to some big names like Rahul-the-wall-Dravid, Very-very-special-Laxman, Yuvraj-cant-sing-Singh and also Rohit-no-hit-Sharma. MSD then pciked a weak team thinking I dunno what. So, Badri, VJ after having carried drinks for over a year finally playing together for the national team. WOW!! and... Wriddhiman-the-buddhiman-Saha got to make his debut due to the inauspicious circumstances. Clearly MSD missed a chance to play 5 genuine bowlers. And he needed that as he picked 2 genuine spinners (yes, Bhajji is one). So, just 2 seam bowlers playing a 5 day game is ridiculous these days. What MSD needed was a 3rd seamer or even someone like Abhishek Nayar who can do a bit of both. With Sehwag in the team he could use his bowling as well.

Now with VJ who bowls slow spinners and Badri who is the same (none with quality) and Saha who cant throw past 15 yards none of the replacements were more than 1 dimensional. Add to that Sachin-I'm-getting-Old-Tendulkar seems reluctant to bowl and Gauti cant pick a wicket even in his wildest dream. This was particularly well timed as Saffers won the toss and elected to bat and after the initial hiccup they were on the highway to victory. Credit to Amla and Kallis who negotiated the tough period with care and then never turned back. Together they help SAF put up a mammoth total. AB Devil and Boucher were handy partners.

When it came to India's chance to bat the Saf seam bowlers were spicy hot. Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn were making batsmen hop & dance. Sehwag was the lone batsmen who played confidently in the 1st innings. But, another irresponsible shot after having done all the hard work meant Sehwag walked back where he could have made the opponent sorry. Badri stuck around for a while and then Steyn cut through the line-up. During the second innings batsmen again never seemed settled and wickets continued to fall only Sachin showing what needs to be done. He brought up his 46th ton in the process and then threw it away. The shot he played was just unacceptable let alone the negative line Harris was bowling throughout the match. I'm sure Sachin would not attempt such a stroke when on "0" or on "99" then why should he try once he's reached his ton. Indian bowlers played aggressively with the bat but could not avoid the end result. Proteas going up 1-nil in the 2-match test series.

Battle resumes at Eden gardens, Kolkata for the 2nd test.

First-Aid

Due to some unpredictable circumstances the forthcoming test championship battle between the top two test playing nations South Africa and India (read in order) now seems more like a battle of chimps. Yes, first the saffers monkey around sack the coach and then the entire selection committee. Mean while self appreciating team India go to Bangladesh for a two test series, the toughest there could ever be and result in injuries. It started with captain MS Dhoni, Bhajji, and then spread like wild fire to Sreesanth, VVS, Dravid, Yuvraj and some bits of Sachin to add. Although MSD and Bhajji have recovered since and Sachin looks okay it raises the basic question whether the two teams are ready to play for the top position. The Proteas don’t seem to be bothered with Mickey and the rest of the Disney gang changing but, India need some serious replacements if they are to retain the no.1 spot in the ICC (mindless morons inc.) test ratings. So, who are capable to replace the likes of Dravid, VVS and Yuvi in such short notice let us see.

Mock’s pick:
Well, with Dravid out with the jaw fracture, I just can’t see a better replacement than S Badrinath. He has got what it takes to be a 1 down batsman. Skill, technique, good hand eye coordination etc. He has been the backbone for Tamilnadu in the Ranji Trophy for years now.
Vijay is sure to hang on to his place since Laxman isn’t playing against the Chokers... Oops Saffers. Though Vijay did not score much in this test, his technique did stand out. Confident and elegant.
An aggressor replacing another aggressor, a lefty replacing another lefty. Yes, it’s none other than the one who sends the ball screaming to the cow corner, Suresh Raina. Though he hasn’t played an Intl test yet, he has proved himself time and again in the county circuit. He has come of age and has proved he’s matured enough to play at the test level. Can be a handy part time bowler too and about his fielding…you know it .

Quite a coincidence that all the 3 replacement players are from Chennai Super Kings… HAIL CSK!

Steam’s angle:
There’s no point in pondering about who will when it’s the matter of who can. There is no question in the ability of Murali Vijay so, regardless whether Gauti plays at the crucial no.3 or opens with Sehwag, Vijay can play either ways. Considering Sachin is fully fit he bats at no.4, otherwise a whole new slot opens another debate. No.5 spot presently belongs to VVS playing his twilight years of cricket. Now that he is injured he should be replaced by Badrinath who has been in and out of the side for quite some time. But going on current form and the Pied Pipers tune I am tempted to opt the not so forgotten and lucky monkey of 2010 Md. Kaif. Kaif has the experience and the caliber to play the long game. His high bid in the IPL auctions and recent burst in the zonals have only helped him appear once again in the selector’s radar. Whether or not he is chosen is another case. (Remember he dint attract a single bid in the 1st round of auctions. But, what happened last lasts longer.) So, good for the chap. MSD will have to now bat at no.6 in place of Yuvi and someone can take his place batting with the lower order tail. Raina would be one contender but, recent form again points towards Virat Kohli. The boy is now a man so why not test him. Raina is in good form himself but, honestly Kohli looks more solid (tried and tested down under) and Raina’s history with the short pitched stuff will only bring smiles to Saffers. So, Badri and Raina could make the squad but not the playing eleven.

One’s who closely missed out: Pujara – he’s still got time till there are permanent openings. One opportunity and you don’t want to end up ruining your chances forever. Manish Pandey – good season of domestic cricket, still have time. Probably play some ‘A’ tours abroad. Rahane – all izz well! But not tested against international attacks. Rohit Sharma – no.

W.W.W.S. -While Wah were Sloshed...

• Pak lost to Aus again.


• Ind bowl out Bangers for 233.


• Saf announced their test and ODI squad for Indian tour.


• SL resume the romance with Ind.


• Pak u-19 reach u-19 WC finals.


• GG does a Viv, in search of the Don.

The second ODI between Australia and Pakistan played at Sydney, resulted in the Aussies thrashing the Stanis by a mere 140 runs margin. Opting to bowl first, Stani’s fast bowlers were not effective enough. Aussie openers, Twatto & Marshy put up a hundred run stand and set the drums rolling. The spinners though brought them back in the game. White once again played well, his fifty helped Australia post 267. Not a mighty but, a competitive total keeping both the teams interested in the match. The second innings however, faired very poorly for the Stanis. Bollinger started strongly claiming 2 early wickets, Pak – 2/7. Clint McKay continued the Aussie onslaught reducing Pak to 7/71. Peter Sizzle was sizzling as well.. Not long before Pak were all out for 127 falling short by a mere 140 runs. Aus now 2-0 up in the 5 match ODI series.

The other Pakistani team though was just proving to be unbeatable. The u-19 boys beat the Windies and moved into the finals of the u-19 world cup. Sri Lanka face Australia in the other semis match.

Saffers announced their test and ODI squad for the Indian tour starting in February. Botha gets into the test squad. Gibbs in the ODI squad. Peterson in both. Albie Morkel still missing. I hope Prince is not going to Open the batting with Smith again. It’s clearly not his game. I’d prefer to see Amla-Smith opening, followed by Kallis, AB Devil, Prince then Doominy. Let’s see wats in store for us ahead.

Sri Lankans though don’t seem to be interested in sitting idle. They got the time, they got the deal. Yet another Ind-SL tournament now featuring Kiwis. The Ind-SL romance just can’t be kept under wraps for the moment.

Gautam Gambhir who hit his 5th consecutive ton in tests against the Bangers at Cheetah-gong, was very much in line to achieve sir Don’s record of 6 consecutive test tons in the 2nd test at Dhaka before he got out on 68. Awwww… u just can stop feeling for the man. Gauti however did manage to equal sir Viv Richards record of 11 consecutive 50+ scores in as many tests. Wow!! I dint see that coming..

India earlier bowled out the Bangers for 233 in the 1st inn at Dhaka. Ishant claimed 4 wkts, Zaks took 3. Mysteriously, Mishra-ji was dropped in this test. Pragyan Ojha and Bhajji made their return. Also, Murali Vijay replaced the injured VVS Laxman. MSD resumed duty behind wickets. Mahmudullah once again played well for his 96.

OFF THE MARK!

UP TO DATE:

· Kiwis beat Pak in the final ODI by 7 runs to win series 2-1.

· Johnson & Watson ruled out of the 7th and final ODI of the Ind-Aus series to be played in Mumbai.

· Indian team for the upcoming Ind-SL test series is announced.

Steam's Shot:

o Kiwi's possibly have the most brittle batting line up today, gone are days of Stephen Fleming, Nathan Astle, Chris Cairns et al. This Kiwi side relies too heavily on McCullum, Taylor and probably Jesse. Bowling looks really good with the all-rounders in the team performing better than with the bat. But the 3rd ODI was a different tale. Pakistan failed to chase 211 after a superb bowling effort. The Pakistani batting looked painful @ 86/8 then a 100 run 10th wkt partnership by Saeed Ajmal and Md. Aamer brought the chase too close only to lose by 7 runs with 5 balls to spare. Kiwis win series 2-1.

Steam’s corner-This only raises one question in my mind. Is this Pakistan team serious about cricket that last more than 20 overs per side?

If it is to be the reason, all cheers as the team is now to face the Kiwis for 2 T20 internationals.

o Johnson & Shane Watson ruled out of the 7th ODI ! I thought the series was over... Really does it matter now if the Indians play the Aussie Women's cricket team?

o Indian side picked for the test series against Lanka at home. This was the bomber, why was Ashish Nehra dropped after so many consistent performances home as well as away. Poor lad has done nothing wrong, but won a few games for his side and picked the M.O.M as well. So is he secretly injured? Y would u pick Sreesanth who has no discipline whether bowling or otherwise and continue with Ishant who needs some rest and rehab and some re-thinking on his bowling career.

Steam’s session- Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha both feature in the race to play against Lanka. Bhajji must be very lucky to play considering his recent form.

Steam’s prediction- The two lads from T.N. Badri and Vijay are most likely to carry drinks in Ahm, K'pur & Mum. Unless, someone is nursing an injury from the set batting order. So, Tamil Nadu will miss their services in the on-going Ranji trophy games as well.

Mock’s Take:

o Kiwis,well,a team has to rely on its experienced players. Leaving aside the previous 2 matches, McCull had hardly scored any runs. Maybe the jinx of KKR just got over him :) Jesse is injured half the time. Kiwis rely mainly on their all rounders . Styris is back in the team and it has really added a new dimension to their side. Dan Vettori has definitely been an inspirational captain for the Kiwis.He has lead the team very well, be it batting, bowling or fielding. NZ may not have the strongest team on paper, but they have a real formidable attack. Pakistan, on its day can beat the world champions or can be defeated by minnows. Pakistan can play their best only for 20 overs. Its tailor made for them. They reached the finals of the 2k7 WC T20 and eventually won the 2k9 WC. They are good for playing FUN games like T20 not the other formats of the games, which are quite serious :)

Mock’s pick- I place my bet on Pakistan for the 2 T20 Intls against the Kiwis.

o Would it even matter if Aussies dont play the next ODI! India sealed the series when they were 27/5.

o I have been a Sreesanth supporter and I am happy to see him back. After his performance in the Challenger series,it was sure that it would jus be a matter of few days to get into the side. He is the one of the most spirited cricketers I have seen Ishant is really good with the red ball and is exactly opposite with the white and it would be good to watch zaheer after a decade :P I feel sorry for Nehra who dint make the cut, but 3 seamers are more than enough. Mishra, I hope gets a chance to play, It shouldn surprise me if India plays 3 spinners.

Mocks prediction- It should be a great contest against the spinners. Murali Vs Bhajji, Mendis Vs Mishra , Herath Vs Ojha. It would be great to see the spinners ripping it !

Cheers,

Mock Wah & Steam Wah