India reach finals with a convincing win

India Vs. Sri Lanka

Commonwealth Bank Series (Match 11)

For the first time in the Commonwealth Bank Series India managed to register a comfortable win to reach the finals in style.

Putting Sri Lanka to bat after winning the toss, Ishant Sharma got the first wicket when he got Perera out clean bowled. However it was Praveen Kumar who was the hero of the day. With figures of 4 for 31, he got through the Sri Lankan middle order by claiming the wickets of Sangakkara, Jaywardene and Chamara Silva between the 11th and 20th over. As a result Sri Lanka were restricted to a score of only 179. Ishant Sharma also managed to get 4 wickets with figures of 4 for 41.

The Indian batting sailed through the run chase with the Little Master coming back into form with a blistering 63 runs. His knock came off fewer deliveries than runs scored and included more than 10 boundaries. He got out playing shots with an intention of quickly reaching his century. Yuvraj also provided entertainment by scoring quickly and hitting one six an a couple of boundaries. Gambhir stayed on to complete another half century and was not out on 63.

India must be pleased with this performance and geared up to take Australia in the first finals which is on Sunday 2nd March in Sydney.

I just hope they retain the same team because constant team changes will have an effect on the performance.

India fight back after a dismal start

Australia won the toss and elected to bat. Some lose bowling and aggressive batting meant that they got off to a flying start. The first 10 overs of the match determined the result and made the difference in the end. Scoring 91 runs in the first 10 overs after losing only 1 wicket gave Australia the edge from the very beginning. After this great start India fought back well both in the bowling and batting department but this was not enough to take the result in their favour.

Ricky Ponting, Mathew Hayden and Andrew Symonds came back in form with the Australian captain scoring a century. A quick fire fifty from Symonds helped Australia to reach 317. India managed to restrict Australia after it looked that India may have to chase a score of higher than 350. Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma all went for a lot of runs whereas Harbajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag did the job of containing.

India got off to a bad start with Tendulkar getting out LBW to Brett Lee in the first over. After losing 3 more quick wickets – Sehwag (16), Rohit Sharma (1) and Yuvraj Singh (6) India were struggling at 51 for four.

Then came the fight back from the Indians. Dhoni had a good partnership with Gambhir before he got out on 36. Gambhir went on to score his second century of the series and looked convincing in his 112. Uthappa made his first half century and led the fight back towards the end. Pathan and Harbajan Singh chipped in with a few runs too. Finally India ended up at 299 runs losing by 18 runs.

India’s loss to Australia means that the match between India Vs. Sri Lanka will be like the semi final with Australia already qualifying to the finals.

IPL Schedule

Fri 18/4/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL Kolkata

Sat 19/4/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL Chennai

Sat 19/4/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL Jaipur

Sun 20/4/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL Bangalore

Sun 20/4/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL Hyderabad

Mon 21/4/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL Mohali

Tue 22/4/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL Delhi

Wed 23/4/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL Mumbai

Thu 24/4/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL Jaipur

Fri 25/4/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL Mumbai

Sat 26/4/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL Jaipur

Sat 26/4/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL Kolkata

Sun 27/4/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL Hyderabad

Sun 27/4/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL Delhi

Mon 28/4/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL Chennai

Tue 29/4/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL Mumbai

Wed 30/4/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL Bangalore

Thu 1/5/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL Mohali

Thu 1/5/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL Kolkata

Fri 2/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL Delhi

Sat 3/5/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL Bangalore

Sat 3/5/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL Kolkata

Sun 4/5/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL Delhi

Sun 4/5/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL Chennai

Mon 5/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL Mohali

Tue 6/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL Hyderabad

Wed 7/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL Jaipur

Thu 8/5/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL Chennai

Thu 8/5/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL Bangalore

Fri 9/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL Hyderabad

Sat 10/5/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL Mumbai

Sat 10/5/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL Mohali

Sun 11/5/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL Kolkata

Sun 11/5/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL Delhi

Mon 12/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL Bangalore

Tue 13/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL Delhi

Wed 14/5/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL Chennai

Wed 14/5/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL Jaipur

Thu 15/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL Hyderabad

Fri 16/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL Kolkata

Sat 17/5/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL Mohali

Sat 17/5/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL Bangalore

Sun 18/5/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL Mumbai

Sun 18/5/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL Chennai

Mon 19/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL Delhi

Tue 20/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL Jaipur

Wed 21/5/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL Mohali

Wed 21/5/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL Bangalore

Thu 22/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL Kolkata

Fri 23/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL Hyderabad

Sat 24/5/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL Mumbai

Sat 24/5/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL Jaipur

Sun 25/5/08 09:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL Hyderabad

Sun 25/5/08 14:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL Mohali

Mon 26/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL Mumbai

Tue 27/5/08 13:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL Chennai

Fri 30/5/08 1st Semi-Final

Sat 31/5/08 2nd Semi-Final

Sun 1/6/08 Final - TBC v TBC

IPL – Its going to be fun

IPL – its getting promoted and it looks to be fun. The best thing to cheer about is that Indian cricketers are going to be poised against the world’s best cricketers. And to think of it all Indian cricketers whether they are test specialist, one day specialist or Twenty 20 specialist who have played international cricket are getting an opportunity to participate for the different teams. Besides this each team will include domestic players.

We will certainly come to know of the best Indian talents in the forthcoming IPL series. Let’s hope we are introduced to certain new talents who will step into International cricket and do India proud.

IPL Icons

The 44 day IPL starts on April 18. IPL has 5 icons – Rahul Dravid (Bangalore), Virender Sehwag (Delhi), Sourav Ganguly (Kolkatta), Yuvraj Singh (Mohali) and Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai). These icons will get 15 percent more than the highest paid player in their side.

IPL –Indian Players

The list of Indian Players participating with the teams that they are representing are

Anil Kumble representing Bangalore
Zaheer Khan representing Bangalore
Wasim Jaffer representing Bangalore
Rahul Dravid representing Bangalore
Mahendra Singh Dhoni representing Chennai
Suresh Raina representing Chennai
Parthiv Patel representing Chennai
Joginder Sharma representing Chennai
Gautam Ghambir representing Delhi
Manoj Tiwary representing Delhi
Dinesh Karthik representing Delhi
Virender Sehwag representing Delhi
RP Singh representing Hyderabad
Rohit Sharma representing Hyderabad
VVS Laxman representing Hyderabad
Mohd Kaif representing Jaipur
Yusuf Pathan representing Jaipur
Munaf Patel representing Jaipur
Ishant Sharma representing Kolkatta
Murali Karthik representing Kolkatta
Sourav Ganguly representing Kolkatta
Ajit Agarkar representing Kolkatta
Irfan Pathan representing Mohali
Sreesanth representing Mohali
Piyush Chawla representing Mohali
Romesh Powar representing Mohali
Yuvraj Singh representing Mohali
Harbajan Singh representing Mumbai
Robin Uthappa representing Mumbai
Sachin Tendulkar representing Mumbai

IPL – West Indian Players

The list of West Indian Players participating with the teams that they are representing are

1) Shivnarine Chanderpaul representing Bangalore
2) Chris Gayle representing Kolkatta
3) Ramnaresh Sarwan representing Mohali

IPL – Sri Lankan Players

The list of Sri Lankan Players participating with the teams that they are representing are

1) Muthiah Muralitharan representing Chennai
2) Tilakratne Dilshan representing Delhi
3) Farveez Maharoof representing Delhi
4) Chaminda Vaas representing Hyderabad
5) Nuwan Zoysa representing Hyderabad
6) Chamara Silva representing Hyderabad
7) Kumar Sangakkara representing Mohali
8) Mahela Jaywardene representing Mohali
9) Sanath Jaysuriya representing Mumbai
10) Lasith Malinga representing Mumbai
11) Dilharo Fernando representing Mumbai

IPL – South African Players

The list of South African Players participating with the teams that they are representing are

1) Jacques Kallis representing Bangalore
2) Mark Boucher representing Bangalore
3) Dale Steyn representing Bangalore
4) Albie Morkel representing Chennai
5) Makhaya Nitni representing Chennai
6) AB DeVilliers representing Delhi
7) Herschelle Gibbs representing Hyderabad
8) Graeme Smith representing Jaipur
9) Shaun Pollock representing Mumbai
10) Loots Bosman representing Mumbai

IPL – Pakistani Players

The list of Pakistani Players participating in IPL with the teams that they are representing are

1) Mohd Asif representing Delhi
2) Shoaib Malik representing Delhi
3) Shahid Afridi representing Hyderabad
4) Younis Khan representing Jaipur
5) Kamran Akmal representing Jaipur
6) Shoaib Akthar representing Kolkatta
7) Umar Gul representing Kolkatta

IPL – New Zealand Players

The list of New Zealand Players participating in IPL with the teams that they are representing are

1) Jacob Oram representing Chennai
2) Stephen Fleming representing Chennai
3) Daniel Vettori representing Delhi
4) Scott Styris representing Hyderabad
5) Brendon Mccullum representing Kolkatta

IPL – Australian Players

The list of Australian Players participating in IPL with the teams that they are representing are

1) Cameron White representing Bangalore
2) Nathan Bracken representing Bangalore
3) Mathew Hayden representing Chennai
4) Michael Hussey representing Chennai
5) Glenn Mcgrath representing Delhi
6) Andrew Symonds representing Hyderabad
7) Adam Gilchrist representing Hyderabad
8) Shane Warne representing Jaipur
9) Justin Langer representing Jaipur
10) David Hussey representing Kolkatta
11) Ricky Ponting representing Kolkatta
12) Brett Lee representing Mohali
13) Simon Katich representing Mohali

IPL – Team Names

The team names of the various IPL participating cities are:

Delhi - Delhi Daredevils
Chennai - Chennai Superkings
Bangalore - Royal Challengers
Kolkata - Knight Riders
Mumbai - Mighty Mumbai
Mohali - Mast Mohali
Jaipur - Jumpy Jaipur
Hyderabad - Hyderabad Heroes

The Bangalore and the Kolkatta teams do not have their city names in it and look more innovative.

My favorite name is the Royal Challengers and Delhi Daredevils. What about yours?

IPL – Country Wise Total Number of Players participating

The total number of players which have been bid so far and allotted to teams are 76. Besides this each team will also have domestic players. The country wise break up of these 76 players is

Australia – 13 Players
New Zealand – 5 Players
Pakistan - 7 Players
South Africa - 10 Players
Sri Lanka - 11 Players
West Indies - 3 Players
India - 30 Players

Finally the Mumbai Team

The Mumbai Team players with the amount bid on them includes

Sanath Jaysuriya Rs. 3.9 crores
Harbajan Singh Rs. 3.4 crores
Robin Uthappa Rs. 3.2 crores
Shaun Pollock Rs. 2.2 crores
Lasith Malinga Rs. 1.4 crores
Dilharo Fernando Rs. 60 lakhs
Sachin Tendulkar
Loots Bosman

Mohali Squad

The Mohali Team players with the amount bid on them includes

Irfan Pathan Rs. 3.7 crores
Brett Lee Rs. 3.6 crores
Kumar Sangakkara Rs. 2.8 crores
Sreesanth Rs. 2.6 crores
Mahela Jaywardene Rs. 1.8 crores
Piyush Chawla Rs. 1.6 crores
Romesh Powar Rs. 68 lakhs
Yuvraj Singh
Simon Katich
Ramnaresh Sarwan

IPL – Kolkatta Team

The Kolkatta Team players with the amount bid on them includes

Ishant Sharma Rs. 3.8 crores
Chris Gayle Rs. 3.2 crores
David Hussey Rs. 2.5 crores
Shoaib Akthar Rs. 1.7 crores
Murali Karthik Rs. 1.7 crores
Ricky Ponting Rs. 1.6 crores
Umar Gul Rs. 60 lakhs
Sourav Ganguly
Ajit Agarkar
Brendon Mccullum

Jaipur Team

The Jaipur Team players with the amount bid on them includes

Mohd Kaif Rs. 2.7 crores
Yusuf Pathan Rs. 1.9 crores
Graeme Smith Rs. 1.9 crores
Shane Warne Rs. 1.8 crores
Munaf Patel Rs. 1.3 crores
Younis Khan Rs. 90 lakhs
Kamran Akmal Rs. 60 lakhs
Justin Langer

IPL – Hyderabad Team

The Hyderabad Team players with the amount bid on them includes

Andres Symonds Rs. 5.3 crores
R.P. Singh Rs. 3.5 crores
Rohit Sharma Rs. 3 crores
Adam Gilchrist Rs. 2.8 crores
Shahid Afridi Rs. 2.5 crores
VVS Laxman Rs. 1.5 crores
Chaminda Vaas Rs. 80 lakhs
Scott Styris Rs. 70 lakhs
Nuwan Zoysa Rs. 44 lakhs
Chamara Silva Rs. 40 lakhs
Herschelle Gibbs

IPL – Delhi Team

The Delhi Team players with the amount bid on them includes

Gautam Ghambir Rs. 2.9 crores
Manoj Tiwary Rs. 2.7 crores
Dinesh Karthik Rs. 2.1 crores
A.B. DeVilliers Rs. 1.2 crores
Tilakratne Dilshan Rs. 1 crore
Farveez Maharoof Rs. 90 lakhs
Mohd Asif
Glenn Mcgrath
Virender Sehwag
Shoaib Malik
Daniel Vettori

IPL – Chennai Team

The Chennai Team players with the amount bid on them includes

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Rs. 6 crores
Jacob Oram Rs. 2.7 crores
Albie Morkel Rs. 2.7 crores
Suresh Raina Rs. 2.6 crores
Muthiah Muralitharan Rs. 2.4 crores
Mathew Hayden Rs. 1.5 crores
Stephen Fleming Rs. 1.4 crores
Parthiv Patel Rs. 1.3 crores
Joginder Sharma Rs. 90 lakhs
Makhaya Nitni Rs. 80 lakhs
Michael Hussey

I will update the amount bid on Michael Hussey soon.

IPL – Bangalore Team

The Bangalore Team players with the amount bid on them includes

Jacques Kallis Rs. 3.6 crores
Cameron White Rs. 2 crores
Anil Kumble Rs. 2 crores
Zaheer Khan Rs. 1.8 crores
Mark Boucher Rs. 1.8 crores
Nathan Bracken Rs. 1.3 crores
Dale Steyn Rs. 1.3 crores
Wasim Jaffer Rs. 60 lakhs
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Rahul Dravid

I have to get the information of the amounts bid on Shivnarine Chanderpaul and will update this information soon.

Indian Premier League

The bidding on different players for the Indian Premier League which will be for 45 days was completed. The highest bid was on Mahendra Singh Dhoni which was a whopping Rs. 6 crores. There are total 8 teams which are

1) Bangalore
2) Chennai
3) Delhi
4) Hyderabad
5) Jaipur
6) Kolkatta
7) Mohali
8) Mumbai

Cricket News

1) The one day international between England and New Zealand ended in a tie with both teams scoring 340 runs of their 50 overs in an exciting encounter.

2) A bid of Rs. 6 crores has been placed on Dhoni by the Chennai team, which is the highest so far for the Indian Premier League.

India finish ahead in tense encounter

India Vs. Sri Lanka (Adelaide Oval dated 19-2-08)

Commonwealth Bank Series Game 8

We have still not seen India winning comfortably in the series. After another excellent bowling performance to restrict Sri Lanka to a score of 238, India managed to reach the target only in the last over of the match and 8 wickets down.

Indian fans had more than the victory to cheer for in this match. With Yuvraj back in form with a less than run a ball score of 77, it was a scintillating batting display filled with fours and a six. All Indians would have enjoyed his innings even if they were not able to make it in the end.

Indians once again opened with Gambhir and Tendulkar. Tendulkar was bowled for a duck by an inswinging Malinga delivery. Tendulkar is yet to score a half century in this series and knowing the high standards he sets for himself we can expect a big innings from him in the next 2 matches.

Again the Indians changed the batting order with Utthapa coming one down. After getting run out for 10 trying to go for a single which was never there and Gambhir falling for 15 India looked in trouble. That’s where Yuvraj came and within no time he was scoring freely. A couple of good partnerships with Rohit Sharma (24) and Dhoni (50 not out) meant that India had a chance of winning.

Pathan played a good knock of 31 and had a good partnership going with Dhoni, however threw his wicket when India needed it the most. This put pressure back on to the Indians. Praveen Kumar (6) and Harbajan Singh (3) did not last for long.

Malinga’s bowled the 49th over which could have been a turning point of the match. After conceding a boundary by way of leg byes due to his inswinging yorker going down the leg side, he managed to bowl another one superbly to dismiss Harbajan in the 4th ball of the over. With 2 balls and 2 wickets anything could have happened. However Ishant Sharma managed to bring his bat in front to defend the next 2 yorkers. This gave Dhoni the strike in the beginning of the last over and he managed to score the winning runs after the first ball was adjudged a wide.

In the end it was Dhoni who steered India to win. His labourious fifty which included no boundaries and sixes speaks about the maturity which he has and the desire in him to see India win. Dhoni has played a superb role in this entire series and has been very consistent. He is leading from the front and coming down the batting order gives a lot of stability to the batting line up.

Earlier in the day India bowled well with the first ten overs giving only 18 runs and getting 2 wickets. Munaf got the first wicket in the first over and Jaysuriya was unlukily run out in the 3rd over. Sanagakkara (128) and Jaywardene (71) fought back brilliantly to take Sri Lanka to a respectable score of 239. Sangakkara was adjudged the man of the match for his brilliant effort of 128.

Tough job for the Selectors

There are a number of questions which come up after this match making the job of the selectors tough.

1) Why was Ganguly dropped in the first place when Sehwag was in poor form and Ganguly in prime form before this series?

2) Will India continue to play a batsmen short or a bowler short for the remainder of the series? India lost by not playing Sehwag today and lost to Sri Lanka by playing a bowler short.

3) What is Robin Utthapa doing 6th down in the batting order? We all know him as a very good opener. He should have opened with Tendulkar since Gambhir is establishing himself as a very good one down batsmen thus strengthening the middle order.

4) Why was Yuvraj given 4 overs when India had managed to put Australia in great pressure? In the end Ishant Sharma the pick of the bowlers bowled an over short. Similarly Munaf Patel and Sreesanth bowled 1 over and 2 overs short respectively. Yuvraj’s 4th over cost India 12 runs. We could have bowled Ishant Sharma when Australia were 6 down and managed to get them all out.

5) We need an all rounder like S Badrinath in the side. Why was he not picked for this series? He was picked for the previous series but was not given a game. Further a middle order batsman who can bowl could help India to fill in the 5th bowlers gap and also strengthen the batting line up?

6) When will Suresh Raina get his first game?

7) When will the Indian batsmen be able to chase low scores without pressure? In fact they will need to put pressure on the opposition side?

8) Will Yuvraj come in form and play sensibly for the remainder of the series?

Australia fought back to win

India Vs. Australia (Adelaide Oval dated 17-2-08)

Commonwealth Bank Series Match 8

Both teams made one change. India played Munaf Patel instead of Virender Sehwag, whereas Australia played Brad Hogg instead of Brett Lee.

The Indian team bowled well and managed to restrict Australia to a low score of 203 runs. Ishant Sharma gave India the first wicket accounting for Gilchrist dismissal. Ponting and Hayden did not last long falling to Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan. Australia scored only 19 runs and lost 3 wickets between the 10 and 20 over.

At one stage of the match it looked as if the Australian team would not reach the score of even 200. However a solid innings by Michael Clarke (79 runs) and his partnership with Brad Hogg who made 32 runs meant that Australia put up a decent score for the Indian team which played one batsman short.

Indian managed to create their own pressure while going for the run chase which looked easy on paper. Tendulkar got out at the score of 5 given out to an L.B.W. decision. The hawk eye confirmed that it hit him high and would have missed the stumps.

Few batsmen got off to a start viz. Gambhir (34 runs), Pathan (14 runs), Yuvraj (26 runs), Dhoni (38 runs) and Utthapa (18 runs) but nobody could play till the end. An innings by one of the Indian batsmen like Michael Clarke would have saved India. In the end India managed only 153 runs falling short by 50 runs and thus giving Australia a bonus point.

The sad part was our batsmen managed to throw their wickets viz. Gambhir and Yuvraj trying to go for big shots which was not at all required and Dhoni run out trying to go for a quick single with the ball going straight to mid off and Matthew Hayden getting a direct hit.

Australia is leading the Points table and has surely reached the finals. India and Sri Lanka will have to battle each other out in the 2 matches they play against each other. India though a better team play a lot under pressure which gives Sri Lanka a better chance of reaching the final. Yuvraj’s form for the remainder of the series will be crucial to strenghthen India’s chances of reaching the final.

Rain, Extras and Sreesanth’s Bowling make India lose

India Vs. Sri Lanka dated 12-2-08

The match got off to a late start due to heavy rains and a wet outfield which reduced the match to 29 overs each. India got off to a good start and you could see some scintillating shots played by Sachin Tendulkar. The little master has given us this entertainment for a long time now and all Indians pray that he continues further. Gambhir and Rohit Sharma stabilized in the middle after India lost Sehwag and Tendulkar. Gambhir was looking dangerous when he threw away his wicket trying to go for a run which was never there. Dhoni and Rohit Sharma played fast and came up with a partnership of more than 50 within no time. Rohit Sharma played a superb knock and reached his highest score of 70 not out, thus proving his mettle once again. India reached 195 in 29 overs which looked like a healthy score.

However more rains meant Sri Lanka were required to make 154 runs in 21 overs. This made the match like a Twenty 20 which required that India needs to bowl tightly in order to stay in the match. However Sreesanth got off to a poor start and bowled a number of wides. In his 2nd over and the 3 rd over of the match he gave more than 20 runs and in his first 2 overs gave 34 runs. Thus having 38 runs on the scoreboard without loss in the first 3 overs meant that there would be no pressure on the Sri Lankan team. Another few extras more than 20 extras by the Indian team meant Sri Lanka had an easy chase. Thus they won the match with 8 wickets and 12 balls to spare.

The teamwork shown by the batting line up was destroyed by one bad performance in the field.

India may need to replace Sreesanth with either Munaf Patel or Praveen Kumar in the next match to see whether they can do better and have control on their line and length.

Well Done Gautam Ghambir

In the recent match against Sri Lanka on 5-2-08 India were struggling with less than 100 runs with 4 wickets down, when Dhoni and Gambhir played a sensible knock and got India to a score of 267.

However it was Gambhir, not to take away anything from Dhoni, who was the man of the match. When Gambhir started off his international career no one doubted his talent. In fact he played a couple of good knocks and his stroke play was excellent. However the difference between Gambhir now and then is the maturity and temperament he has shown in the recent past and the hunger for making a big score. In the past Gambhir would throw away his wicket by playing a rash short here and there.

One could see the change in Gambhir since the Twenty 20 World Cup. Though Pathan deserved the man of the match award it could have been shared with Gambhir since his knock in the Twenty 20 Finals meant that India reached the score of 143 runs and had something on board to bowl out the Pakistan team.

In the recent match against Sri Lanka when India were struggling Gambhir tried hard to stay at the wicket. He made sure that he did not hit any rash short and try to stabilize. He was taking the singles and was quite determined to stay till the end. Only after the 40th over he started with his stroke play which is fantastic. At this stage the pressure was back on Sri Lanka. Gambhir and Dhoni got together to score more than hundred runs in the last 10 overs and thus India had put a good score. However the runs meant that the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled in the 2nd innings.

However India can feel happy that there are some good players in the side in Gambhir and Dhoni after this match.

India Vs. Australia (MCG – Melbourne Cricket Ground dated 10-2-08)

The Indian team started off positively. It just shows that the Indian youngsters have a great attitude and some of them a great temperament specially Rohit Sharma, Gautam Ghambir, Dhoni and Ishant Sharma.

The bowling attack came good. Though it started with a wrong umpiring decision in the very first over where Gilchrist was given LBW, the rest of the wickets were great. Ishant Sharma made his point that he is going to be the front line bowler with his fast pace and quick bowling. He surely enjoys taking the wicket of Ponting. His excellent bowling accounted for Hayden and Ponting early. When Pathan came to the attack he took the wicket of Clarke quickly and the Australians were struggling with 4 wickets down. Some good and tight bowling in the middle order by Harbajan Singh meant that the Australians were going to be restricted to a low score. Finally they managed just 159 runs and were all out in the 43rd over. Hussey played a patient knock and was not out in the end at 65. This shows why he has such a great average and an ability to stay at the crease right to the end.

The Indian inning started off well. Both Sehwag and Tendulkar got off to a flying start. However Sehwag was out on 11. It was a good move to send Irfan Pathan up the order and he made a useful 18 runs at a good Strike Rate. Thus there was less pressure on the batting line up to follow and also on Tendulkar. However some tight bowling and good fielding did not let the Indian batsmen to settle down and Tendulkar (44 runs), Gambhir (21 runs) and Yuvraj (3 runs) were the next batsmen to go and India were reeling at 102 for 5. This put a lot of pressure on the young Rohit Sharma and the Indian Captain who waited patiently till Australia brought on the fifth bowler to attack. Rohit Sharma showed a lot of maturity in his excellent knock of 39 not out and was one of the contenders for the man of the match award. Finally India got to the target with 6 overs and 5 wickets to spare.

The man of the match award was given to Ishant Sharma who deserved it for his 4 wickets. This just shows that this youngster has learnt very fast and has a long career ahead with the Indian team.

Its all about Cricket - Introduction

I love the game Cricket and am a crazy follower of the Indian Cricket team. This blog will discuss all about Cricket viz. Matches, Players, Cricketing Tips, Team Selection, Great Moments in the history of cricket etc. Though it may cover all teams, players and matches in general it will have more focus on the Indian Cricket Team and their matches due to the fact that I am a great fan of the Indian Cricket Team.

I want to start my first post today with the great Victory that India had over Australia.