Cummins' Australia are here to win

 Australia don't seem to be here to complain about the pitches. It would not be entirely appropriate to count Ian Healy's comments on "fair pitches" to reflect the Australian Team's views.

Test matches in India do seem to get over sooner than they used to in years past. That trend in unlikely to change. India is keen to assert it's right to make pitches that spin from day one, even if it leads to 2 and 3 day Tests.

Australia are a proud team that has lost 2 consecutive series at home to India. They've come here to win. India on the other hand are not as strong a batting side compared to a few years ago, even at home. Pant's unfortunate injury is a big blow. He can't be replaced.

Australia will rely on pace and Lyon. They seem equipped match India's bowlers in intensity and skill. And Cummins and the fast men have the capacity to remove the pitch factor from the equation

This will be Cummins' opportunity to embrace greatness. Some contests rise above factors such as skill, techniques and conditions. Some contests go to teams that just want to win more desperately. England have shown the way on how such wins can be engineered.

The era of Root, Kohli and Williamson as captains is over. Babar's leadership is in crisis of sorts; having lost home series' to Australia and England and the inability to beat New Zealand. There is a buzz around Cummins' captaincy. He would love to start the upcoming Ashes series with a win of his own in India and Stoke's equal.

It's been a while since India have talked about the desire to win. The "we follow a process" language has crept back in. I am sticking my head out and predicting an Australia win by 2 Tests with Labuschagne doing a Damien Martyn from the 2005 series.

Show some heart

In an analysis of England's abject surrender at Adelaide, Cricinfo cited the very public loss of control. Batsman after English batsman openly showed their inability to counter Johnson and the rest of Australia's bowling. They just didn't seem to have a plan. As I watched the proceedings of both test matches, it seemed to me that England were just hoping that something would come off as opposed to a confident clear mind to pull or hook Johnson out of the attack. This attitude and batting seemed to me to be very strange, given that until recently Cook, Trott, Bell and others seemed to almost be mocking the Australian attack. They were in complete control. They would play the shots they had planned to play and block or leave everything else flung at them. How quickly did the English lose that plot? Did sheer pace do that to them? Did India's senior batsmen also succumb to sheer pace on their last trip down under? Or was it just mental fatigue? They just didn't have the reserves to stick with their plan. Did sledging and constant goading by Australia do it's part? It's very hard to say.

India's lowest moment against pace came not two or three years ago but way back in 1976 when Bedi virtually conceded a test match to the West Indies. He followed up on that act by conceding yet another game to Pakistan two years later. India's weird stance at the time was to claim a moral high ground by saying that intimidatory bowling was not cricket. That somehow it wasn't fair. The fact is that India just didn't have the leadership to cope with the pace. It had quality batsmen who eventually played pace with heart - Gavaskar, Gaekwad, Amarnath, Vishwanath and Vengsarkar. But in those two instances they didn't have the leadership or a plan to deal with what was thrown at them. Sports is also a type of battle. It's physical and it's mental. There are statements to be made, adversity to be overcome and hostility to be quelled many times.

India did very well on their last trip to South Africa. They had a superb plan for Steyn and company and executed it very well. They also unleashed Sreesanth on the South Africans. The tail-enders took some body blows and the team came back with its head held high. Gone was the crazy flailing that we routinely saw of the Azharuddin teams of the nineties against pace. As a fan of test cricket that's what we want to see. Whether the team shows heart. It may sometimes not have the ammo to fight the opposition but does it have the courage? Does it have the smarts? Does the team stay in the fight as long as it can? Sometimes it may know that it's going to lose, but does it still fight till the last ounce of energy?

In the two ODIs that we have seen so far, India's batsmen may have failed, but they didn't surrender. They are wanting in their technique but they seem have the heart. Suresh Raina ducked into a few but also executed some really good pulls. It's clear he's trying harder to counter the short stuff. He's facing up to it. Dhawan still needs some work, but both Rohit and Kohli appear to want to get in there and counter punch. Sharma especially in the first ODI was impressive. He left a lot of balls alone despite the huge total to chase. He knew he couldn't mindlessly attack and had to wait his turn. Raina did panic somewhat and unfortunately ran him out, but then he came back in ODI number 2 and hung in there. The bottom line is that these guys seem to want to improve. They seem to want to be world beaters. They seem to have a desire to succeed against all comers. There is a West Indies of the late 70s feel to this team's batting attitude. It may not yet have all the skill.

And as a fan, I like that. I want to see a fight, not a surrender. I want to see Cook, Pietersen and Bell counter Johnson. Likewise, I want to see Rohit, Kohli and Pujara blunt Steyn and Morkel. I want them to figure out Philander. India may yet lose the series because the bowlers lack experience and quality but it would be nice to see the team show heart. They are also a watchable bunch. Kohli, Sharma, Pujara, Dhawan and Dhoni are eminently watchable.

I'm hoping that the batting continues to evolve in the third ODI and gets somewhat ready by test match number 1. Give the fans a watchable performance. Where they are not insulted by the lack of heart. And that would be good news for India's test match fans. And also good footing for the future overseas tours to come in the next 8 months.

Looking forward to the Test matches in South Africa

The India v South Africa series about to get underway tomorrow is literally the crumbs BCCI has thrown at people who still care for Test Cricket.Its tough to view this series without feeling betrayed and insulted, knowing what happened before it.

One wonders what more levels India will stoop to with the power it has administratively. One wonders what the BCCI has to do for other boards and commentators to develop a voice. A Test series with the West Indies was created out of thin air to say Good Bye to Sachin Tendulkar and another with South Africa which everyone had looked forward to for almost a year was mauled for no apparent reason at all.

It is hard for me to see any positives in the way BCCI functions for the simple reason that given current market forces even a baniya on any street corner of India can run cricket in India and make money. BCCI cannot be judged by monetary yardstick alone. I would rather they be judged on what they are doing to protect the long term viability of Test cricket or say determining the role of technology in the sport or protecting the game from corruption.

On all those fronts the BCCI is failing miserably. With the Sachin Tendulkar retirement circus they showed that a Test Series can be arranged and covered as distastefully as the IPL and with the South African series they have shown they value the traditional format as much as Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar and Harsha Bhogle value expressing independent unrehearsed opinions. 

Firstly the series starts with the ODIs. The bilateral ODI model has been around since the 70s, but its stopped being exciting for me for a few years now. I would rather we reserve the ODI for ICC tournaments and make the Test phase of a tour longer. Of course this may be both wishful thinking and financially naive but honestly does any one remember the results of these ODI series?

The 2 Tests that follow will be interesting. India, after having lost all 8 away Tests by comfortable margins, none of the greats are going to be missed unless India manage to lose more Tests than scheduled.

Of immense interest to me is how India's batsmen and bowlers both young perform on the first tough assignment since their debuts. Cheteshwar Pujara has been to South Africa before and looked distinctly uncomfortable in the Tests he played. However this time he goes with the confidence of an established top order batsman.

It would be interesting to see what batting order India settle on. Something that brings relief to me is the absence of Suresh Raina from the Test Team. For some reason he seemed to be the chosen one. Marked by Greg Chappell for future greatness and leadership and then courted by Mahendra Singh Dhoni endlessly in Tests.

Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma seem quite capable of batting at #4 but asking Rohit Sharma to bat at #4 makes more sense since it is less disruptive to the batting order. The #6 slot will be contested between Ambati Rayadu and Ajinkya Rahane. India even have an option of including neither and going in with Ravindra Jadeja. With Jadeja in the side, Mahendra Singh Dhoni can bat at #6 and Jadeja can play as a genuine all rounder - bat at #7 and afford India a 5th bowler. However Jadeja might lose out since playing 2 spinners in South Africa may not be wise.

On the bowling side, Zaheer Khan is sure to play in the starting XI. He is one of those selections that are made by the selectors to be in the playing XI. Mohammed Shami after the debut he has had and with his ability to get clean bowled dismissals thanks to his pace and movement, is also an automatic choice I think. It is the third seamer that will require some thinking. .

My vote would go to Bhuvansehwar Kumar but playing Ishant Sharma would also not be a bad move. My gut feel is that Bhuvi, if selected, will do a Sreesanth. Both India's Test wins in South Africa from the last 2 tours were possible because of Sreesanth; and Bhuvi seems to have the crispness, speed and seam positioning needed to get wickets in South Africa.

India has only gains to look forward to from this series. Hence it would have been good had this been a full series. Even if India lose all Tests which I think is the most likely result, it would be looked at as progress. Unless of course the losses are so hugely embarrassing...like the one England experienced at Brisbane.

My team for the tests would be
Murali Vijay, Shikhar (twirler) Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma (#ThakYouSachin) , Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, R Ashwin, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Mohammen Shami

Can India do a Gabba? Ever?

Reading a piece by Ahmer Naqvi in Cricinfo made me chuckle. Some Pakistani critics "insulted" Bilawal Bhatti by saying that looked like an Indian quickie! But there is a deeper story guiding that thought process than meets the eye. Many an Indian fan yearns for a fast bowler with swagger that can send stumps cartwheeling and put fear into the opposition batsmen. When will India win a test match on the backs of a fast bowling performance like Mitchell Johnson delivered at the Gabba or the West Indian quicks did with regularity or Akram and Younis did in the nineties.

India's victories usually happen due to guile, cunning, skill and above all attritional batting. Very rarely has India tamed a fast bowling machine on fast pitches and dished out what it has got. There's not much disrespect in posting small totals in the face of hostile fast bowling. That's the normal outcome. What's annoying to an Indian fan is that India doesn't dish it out in kind. There was much joy when Sreesanth made Kallis hop and had him caught on the last tour to South Africa. But those feats were few and far between. Even the great Kapil Dev never terrorized batsmen. Srinath was India's best fast bowler in my time (and probably all time) and even he managed it only a couple of times.

Opposing teams and journalists only grudingly respect India's victories at home because they only project cunning, not courage. There is something to be said for bravery and courage in a sporting contest. Indians know this too. This is why they celebrate Gavaskar's thirteen hundreds against the pace battery of the West Indies. While modern Indian batsmen have got the aggression down and pretty much bat like the West Indies of the eighties or Aussies of the nineties, India has still not developed a fast bowling culture like our neighbors next door to the west. The old fashioned gladiatorial instincts still stimulate a lot of fan excitement. The experience of watching Mitchell Johnson and the Australian pace pack hunt down England at the Gabba was pulse pounding. Contrast that to Ashwin and Ojha plucking out Aussie wickets at Mohali. While victory is sweet, it's sweeter when it comes in a contest where there is a fierce exchange of blows. And such a contest can only be generated by hostile fast bowling.

Here's to Umesh Yadav. May he simply bowl fast at the rib cages and armpits of South African batsmen and terrorize them. Make them cry and wanna go home like Jonathon Trott. I have sympathy for Jonathon's illness, but it's clear that Mitchell Johnson hastened the advent of those symptoms. And let me point out that they did not show up when facing spin bowlers in India. If Yadav bowls anything like Johnson and Zaheer is truly back to his smartest, then India have a great chance to be exciting in South Africa. With Ishant Sharma to play the containment role, India can keep the pressure on South African batsmen. Accomplished as the South African batsmen are, good fast bowling tames even the best of the best.

This is wishful thinking probably. The reality is that Indian batting is inexperienced, though talented. This will probably be a repeat of the 1999 tour to Australia where India lost 3-0 and only Tendulkar and VVS Laxman emerged with some honors. A couple of daddy hundreds will be needed from Pujara, Sharma or Kohli to make a statement. India's batsmen will also need to be ready for hostile, angry and intimidating fast bowling. They can't whine or complain. They need to stand up, man up and punch back. Only then will they really win respect in the eyes of the opposition. Bring out the hooks and pulls occasionally and put the opposition bowlers on notice that India were not going to duck and weave all the time but were ready to take it on. Michael Clarke put Stuart Broad in his place early in the second innings by doing just that. Ganguly did that in Brisbane in 2003 in the first test by crashing a fantastic century that included some delightful pulls and crisp cuts.

Most of that is day dreaming.  In all honesty I see India losing 2-0.

Do the West Indies know their part in Sachin's retirement party?

I don't know if any one has made this clear to the West Indian cricket team. They are supposed to show up, go through the drills, occasionally show their skills, and generally play their parts as in the big fat Sachin Tendulkar retirement party.

In a way they are invited to the party just like one invites 2-bit magicians, tattoo artists, clowns, caricaturists and sketch artists, to a Christmas party or a child's birthday party. They are expected to be part of the noise and celebrations for a while. 

It isn't possible to play a Test match without an opposition and West Indies are invited simply to meet this very basic prerequisite that must be fulfilled to recognize a game of cricket between international teams as a Test Match so Sachin and all of India can have his 200th and then retire

As per the BCCI script, India is supposed to win the series, with Sachin getting his form back and preferably score a double hundred in his last and 200th. The West Indians are supposed to put up a spirited display and lend legitimacy to Sachin's farewell Test Series.

The ICC script had called for Sachin to visit South Africa.... enough said

If all the song and dance and made up excuses of protocols broken by the CSA and unethical behavior of Mr. Haroon Lorgat, was to get a retirement guarantee from Sachin by mutilating the South African tour, then I say its worth it. Its still hard to feel excited about it. 

West Indies however are in ominous form and the ghastly celebrations Indians are likely to indulge in, in the name of Sachin's retirement party, may just provoke the West Indians into giving their best.

India won't mind.

We have been buying the Sachin Tendulkar story for far too long and nothing suggests we won't stop buying it any time soon. 

West Indies A not long back gave an excellent account of themselves in drawing the unofficial Test Series after winning the first Test by a big margin at Bangalore. That series and the general familiarity with Indian conditions after the advent of the IPL, gives the West Indies a decent chance to give India fright.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni can be expected to help the team focus on the business of winning Tests but there is no denying that the series has already deteriorated into a circus that is Sachin's retirement. 

As for Sachin himself, I hope he finds some semblance of form and puts up decent scores. It is rather sad that he never had a voice in many of the events around him throughout his career. He has singularly focused on his performances and his pursuit of excellence as a batsman and no doubt India for a long time were a better team for that. 

Even in his retirement, with so much adulation from the fans, respect from his peers he has stood silent as BCCI severely mutilated the South African series to stage this retirement party. One will never officially know what the reasons were for that, but I cannot shrug off the feeling that Sachin has yet again let himself be used, happy to go along with his now increasingly petty bosses at the BCCI. Surely he has a thing or 2 to say about the way the series was born.

BCCI wins!

One of the most exciting administrative tussles between 2 cricket boards; one time close friends; has come to a pulsating end. 

The result?

A 2 Test and 3 ODI series when India tour South Africa in December 2013 and a 100% guarantee that Sachin will retire.

BCCI wins!! 

Highlights of the win

• Sachin Tendulkar's 200th Test will be played in India with a guarantee that he will not pile on any more misery on us after that.
• Haroon Lorgat will be sent on a long leave of absence. Heads of boards the world over now know precisely what their boundaries are if they want to keep their jobs. 

Whether it was because of the need for obscenities as a once great batsman prepares for life after cricket, or it was because Mr. Haroon Lorgat  said or did something that the BCCI did not approve of, who knows. My guess is Sachin and his retirement was just an excuse for the petty BCCI administrators to get back at CSA for disregarding their diktat over Mr. Lorgat .

Part of me says that, if it took this maneuvering to get Sachin to retire, its worth the trouble. One thing Sachin has inadvertently ended up doing, is make the life of his successor and selectors who pick that successor that much easier. One can throw darts and pic anyone who has played a bit a first class cricket in India and not go wrong. Averaging 20 odd and the ability to slow the run rate down to a trickle, is hard not to achieve. Even Maninder Singh can do it, without taking up any time batting at the nets. Plus we will be spared the tamasha of making a routine bowled appear that the ball stayed low. 

A much anticipated Test series between 2 good Test sides is now reduced to a 2 Tester.

The official line given is some misdeeds by Haroon Lorgat  who will be sent on a long leave for the series to go ahead.

I wonder sometimes. Why does the BCCI even bother to cook up some excuses to do what they want to do anyways.

For example if the BCCI wants to scrap the English tour of 2014 and extend the IPL by 10 weeks. What, who and why would anyone stop them? Is there any board, court, sponsor, government or people who can do anything if the BCCI says..."We will not tour England in 2014...because....well just because........"

What's stopping them from doing that?

That they feel the need to cook up excuses to make their decisions sound reasonable and bound by rules and protocols, shows that the BCCI is not yet willing to be an open bully.

That time will come in future

Australia In India: Questions ahead of the BIG Series

Why are we calling the India v Australia Series 'The BIG Series'?

Because...Sachin said so. There is no question that the Pope resigned so as not to miss a single ball of the BIG Series. But just because Sachin said it, and the Pope resigned, it does not really make it a BIG series. 

Once upon a time in Eden Gardens, a series between these two countries was a guaranteed blockbuster. Now its like a poor remake of poor remake of a cult movie. Its like if Roshan's Agneepath, which itself was a poor remake of Bacchan's Agneepath were to be remade with even more plastic characters...

Who will win the series?

That is tough to say...and mostly the question misses the point. The team with the fewest sustained injuries will think that they came out ahead. I mean we all know the idea is to survive the series so that IPL monies are not risked. 

IPL VI will start 34 seconds after the last Test in Delhi. Actually its a week after,

If I were to do an honest analysis, I think India will win because their players will probably go all out. The BCCI has ensured that Indian players; if injured while playing for India, will be paid their full IPL contract, were they to miss the IPL because of that injury.

There is no such incentive for Australia. At least not that has been made public.

Will India hit a new bottom in this series?

They may...but it would still not be the lowest low. That will come in 2015 in Australia. The yardstick by which India measure their low points, does not account for humiliations in Test cricket.

Who will be missed the most..Ponting, Dravid, VVS Laxman, Hussey?

This is a real easy one...Sachin Tendulkar

How many Australians were born after Sachin made his first first class 100?

6...Out of that 6, one, Ashton Agar was born after Mike Atherton first thought about Sachin's retirement

Will this series throw any new heroes?

No. 

The 2 countries obviously have a rich rivalry. Which Test really stands out among the many great contests between the 2?

The Tied Test, Of course...by a distance. In that Test Match Ravi Shastri was not allowed to speak. 

What was the lowest point of the rivalry?

Sydney 2008. It was not funny.

What was the high point of the rivalry?

The 1977/78 India tour of Australia. That was a time when the ICC was fighting commercial interests. India played a second string Australian side. Came back from 2 games down to draw level and chasing 493 in the last innings of the deciding Test, came within 47 runs of achieving the impossible. 

What kind of pitches will work in India's favor?

If we were to get into Dhoni's mind and answer the question...

"Any pitch that turns 34 degrees from the 7th over of the second session on the 2nd day if India is batting first and 56 degrees from the 4th over of the first day if India is bowling first and where the bounce is at the level of the bails for balls bowled between 60-75 mph....would be a pitch where we can win"

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, expertly has created the perception that even at home he does not get the pitches he wants.

What will a series win mean for Australia?

Australia has already started talking up Sachin, his greatness, his divinity, etc....etc...which means they want to win. And in today's landscape, any team that wants to win in India, can. Whether it will mean anything in the scheme of things overall...I don't think so. A win in India probably doesn't count for much when the Ashes start

What will a series win mean for India?

For India, there are 3 winning senarios to consider. A series win where Sachin flops, a series win where Sachin's delivers 100s, and a series loss where Sachin scores 100s. What a series win will mean for India depends on what it means to Sachin Tendulkar.

India get ready for Australia

Someone forgot to tell the BCCI that Ponting has retired. Harbhajan Singh's selection after a non-performance in this year's Ranji Trophy is surely a backward step despite his not-so-advanced age. With Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj and Dhoni, Harbhajan had once been the senior in waiting. Unfortunately, the seniors never let go until it was too late for Harbhajan to actually mature and become the senior. If you get my drift.

Needless to say, I'm not very pleased with the selections for the Australia series. The team does not get to move forward. Neither Dhawan nor Jadeja are inspired selections that will cement their places for the long term. In fact, they may fill a minor gap at best, and leave the bulk of heavy lifting to Pujara, Tendulkar and Dhoni. Since Rohit Sharma blew his chances at Irani Trophy, why not bring in Manoj Tiwary and give him a go. He recently returned from injury and scored a dogged 37. For someone that rusty, it's not a bad effort.

In addition, if moving sideways or backwards was the plan, then why not give Raina another go. The guy has expressed desire and demonstrated that he's willing to work for his test place with a good performance in the Irani Trophy. Funnily enough, no one's centuries in the Irani Trophy have counted. Jaffer would  have been a much better bench-warmer in Indian conditions than Shikhar Dhawan is going to be. And please spare me the garbage about a left-right combination. The most successful pairs - Hayden-Langer and Greenidge-Haynes both batted the same side.

While Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is a welcome addition to the team, I thought Sreesanth merited selection too. Unfortunately, the team might relegate Kumar to the role of a stock bowler instead of an attacking option, unless all three fast (sic) bowlers play. Awana might have been a good choice if the team needed someone to send down a lot of overs during the containment periods. Sorta like Morne Morkel or even Peter Siddle at times.

Ashwin is a better all-rounder than Jadeja. So if Harbhajan was picked, why was Jadeja picked. Ashwin has a test century and Jadeja has had a century of opportunities to prove himself worthy. With Ojha in as the left-armer, Jadeja shouldn't play. Or Ojha will be benched and India will struggle to take 20 wickets. Jadeja is 3-fer bowler but not a 5 or 6-fer guy. Rayudu looks like a good option for a number 6, right now given his form. Rasool's all-round abilities also offer an option to replace Jadeja with a bowling all-rounder instead of a batting one. Hopefully, for the third test some changes will be made including giving Rayudu or Tiwary a go.

All in all, the selectors and BCCI have shown no vision. Once again, Pujara and Kohli will have to score a bunch of runs to haul India to safety and Australia will be content to play for draws. Tendulkar should have retired months ago and he may score many more centuries, but it's like watching a black-and-white movie in IMAX for me. Ho-hum.

As far as the series goes, India will win it. The Australian team is in worse shape than India's in terms of batting. I think Sehwag, Kohli and Pujara can put it across the Aussie seamers in Indian conditions. I don't believe either Lyon or Doherty are good enough to trouble even Jadeja. They are not in the Panesar, Swann league, although Nathan Lyon can surprise us.

This is going to be a fun series. A few new Aussie batsmen are going to arrive. My bet is on Henriques. Neither Khawaja nor any of the others are showing much spark. But I bet Phil Hughes, Shane Watson and Clarke will be hard to bowl to in India, regardless of conditions.

Looking forward to real cricket again.

England In India: Questions ahead of a potentially ugly series

What trophy is the series played for?

The first India-England series I was aware of was in 1979. I remember vividly following the Oval Test on All India Radio, where India fell 9 runs short of chasing a mammoth fourth innings target. The match was drawn. Later, I remember Botham came to India and single handedly won a one-off Test. Ever since I have followed series’ with England keenly, without knowing that a certain Anthony De Mello’s name was associated with the series.

But now I am curious, what sort of relationship exists between the BCCI and ECB. Each board plays its own series for a different trophy? They can’t even agree on what to name the series, why were we expecting them to agree on the technology that aids LBW decisions.

Can’t these 2 boards agree over dead people at least? I mean surely Anthony De Mello and the Sr. Nawab of Pataudi can’t sort this out.

Personally, I liked the Pataudi Trohy. Border-Gavaskar, Murali-Warne, etc seem too lame. Pataudi played both for England and India evenly. Someone from the De Mello family can be invited to present the trophy. Win-Win… Isn’t it?

How much more farcical will practice matches become?

If the next time England visits India and the BCCI schedules a practice game against, say Essex 4^th XI in Chelmsford and completely avoid giving the English team any orientation to Indian conditions, I will not be surprised. Further I will be aghast if anyone raises eyebrows because what England have been given on this tour is not far from the farce I am painting.

How many times will Sachin get bowled?

Forget the technologies behind the DRS, India is yet to embrace research from the beginning of time that as man (and woman) ages, his (or her) reflexes slow down. Sachin Tendulkar is great. See I said it. But he is now truly a comic hero. I mean he triggers comedic support from his die hard fans. I would love to see Sachin getting bowled a few times, preferably early in the series. Then read all the articles on how ‘Sachin will silence his critics’. Frankly it’s the balls that he does not get bowled that bother me. A number 4 batsman struggling at a rate of 2-3 runs per over when the out of form openers (average 53) have been scoring at 5-6 an over, is painful to watch.

What does India’s dossier on English players look like?

My guess is that India’s dossier on English players would contain personal statistics of each of the Indian players against each of the England’s. So 15 by 15… Do the math. And that will be used in press conferences to defend a poor passage of play.

How many overs before Zaheer Khan breaks down?

I say by the 3^rd Test he will be out, so I say sometime after 50 overs.

Is Alastair Cook the next Sachin Tendulkar?

Yes. Get him out and India will win.

When will English players stop talking their ECB mandated line on ‘Kevin Pietersen’?

No. It’s mandatory for all to English players to say how nice it is to have Pietersen back in the ‘fold’ and how England is a better side with him in it.

Does the series matter?

No, whether India wins or loses…IPL will be the winner

If India loses what will be their excuse?

Pitches were not made to match our incompetence to fast bowling in our home conditions. Gambhir will say…we will show you in the IPL

If England loses what will be their excuse?

I think England believe they can win this series. If the going gets tough for them things might get ugly between the teams. I am sensing a very ugly series… Ugly in a good way. Like the March 2001 series against Australia. Or may be that’s what I want. Test cricket needs what I want

India v New Zealand - A Chest Thumping Opportunity

There is fury being unleashed on the poor selectors; specifically in the handling of VVS Laxman.

There is no defending India’s selection process but in that process the selectors are mere order takers, so to blame them for not trying anything bold is like blaming the waiter for an ill-prepared meal.

After accounting for star-whims, backed by multi-million dollar endorsements, BCCI gag orders that prevents them from presenting their vision for selection and thoughts for specific picks, these poor chaps are routinely second guessed. Indeed some of their picks, on the surface, are bewildering

Take Rohit Sharma.

He was on the Test team to Australia where he got no game and he is dropped because he had poor returns from ODIs but is part of the T20 team for the World Cup. This is one selection/de-selection that is wrong 3 times over.

But what has left me perplexed is why Saurav Ganguly and many fans are upset with the selectors for “the way VVS Laxman was treated”.

In 8 away Test Matches he averaged 20 odd. He is 37. If he was unwilling to go and the selectors indeed played a role in prodding him into retirement because they would rather invest in a younger batsman, what is so upsetting about it?

How many Test Matches do past glories buy? I think 8 are too many.

I can understand VVS Laxman and Ganguly being emotional and even hurt about it, but theirs is not exactly an objective view.

Meanwhile…

The New Zealanders are in town for 2 Tests and 2 T20s with no warm up games; unless some believe that the 2 Tests are the warm ups for the T20s. India is by all accounts a tough place to win for visiting teams. New Zealand has won all of 1 Test in India in the last 40 years. That Test is also the only Test match I watched between the 2 sides at the Wankhede Stadium in 1988. I was there to watch Richard Hadlee and he delivered with 10 wickets. But it was John Bracewell who clean bowled Dilip Vengsarkar for a 6 ball duck that settled the Test Match with India chasing 275+.

New Zealand was just beaten by a resurgent West Indies side. It's hard to tell if West Indies got better or if New Zealand just weren't trying hard. Sunil Narine and Doenarine spun a web around them and Best and Roach didn't let up. New Zealand's bowling too is weakened minus Vettori. Given the evidence picking Chawla is a gift for New Zealand but we should expect our batting bullies to pile up the runs and win using the time tested 90s formula. Pile up 400-500 first innings runs and unleash the spinners on the hapless foreigners.

It seems neither New Zealand is keen to give itself the best chance of competing nor is India interested ensuring a more meaningful tour. Why else would you not give this series enough time to allow New Zealand a full tour with warm up games and 3 Tests?

The BCCI has been applauded for their ‘A’ tours programs but what’s the point in sending youngsters to play other youngsters when they could have played a full fledged visiting national side at home in warm up games. It serves multiple purposes and makes for a more meaningful series. But of course the astute business men have worked out that there is no business case for warm up games.

This is a series, no one really cares about and I am sick of being thrown business talk in rationalizing the irrational behavior of all cricket boards.

Give us a proper Test series, or none at all. A series like this is what classifies as paying ‘lip service’ to Test Cricket. May be the way to preserve the format is to play less of it but play it in all earnestness.

The tests are being played at Hyderabad and Bangalore. Hyderabad isn't a top test venue and it's hard to see people show up. But rank turners should be expected at both venues though it's still the end of monsoon and there may be some rain yet. This may help the Kiwis but still it's a long shot that they would get 20 Indian wickets on turners.

As much as I want New Zealand to spring a surprise, I am not sure how it is going to happen. Like the last time around, New Zealand may win a session or two, may be a day or two over the 2 tests, but it won’t be enough for the efforts to count for wins.

The Series though is a huge one for the humiliated batting line up. When India were busy being ‘unlucky’ in England and Australia, many technically exposed stars were verbalizing the “wait till we meet you on our territory” instinct and I am sure they were aching for this series to start, so they can thump their chests again.

This series will only confirm the stereotype for India. Bullies at home and cry babies outside. For a brief period, I was genuinely smitten by India’s batting greats but ultimately the results over the last 50 years of Indian cricket don’t add up to anything really great about this set of batting stars beyond just better personal numbers.

That too… largely due to more cricket against more weak teams

Formidable England

With Australia short on talent, India counting its dollars aloud, Sri Lanka without Murali, and Pakistan never away from the ‘self destruct’ button, England and South Africa remain the top two sides in Test Cricket today.

It will be harsh to discount Pakistan given their recent record but to expect something sustainable, logical and reasonable from them; all prerequisites for success in Tests;  is asking for too much.

The last time South Africa were in England in 2008, they were a better side than England. This time the South African side looks even more strong with Philander and Imran Tahir added to the side. England however have been quite something else since regaining the Ashes; the 0-3 humiliation to PAkistan notwithstanding. The world’s best batting line up, the world’s best spinner and the world’s best wicket keeper batsman; they are all English. Well not technically but they all play for England. Add to that the bowlers who are quite capable of consistently taking 20 wickets in home conditions, and England look real formidable.

I would rate England and South Africa equal in terms of bowling but bank on England’s batting to score a win or two; although England must dread the havoc Philander, Steyn and Imran Tahir can cause. I guess South Africa’s bowling can engineer a win at least

South Africa’s worry has got to be the balance of the side and the work load of AB DeVilliers. Technically having AB keep makes their batting look strong but strength in numbers when the conditions favor the bowlers isn’t a safety net. In fact whether AB can keep as well as Boucher could have in English conditions must be a worry

Then there is Jacque Kallis’s less than satisfactory record in England. He averages less than half his career average in England.

In sum, I will continue to bank on England. Though these days, to bank with the English is criminally foolish.

Prediction: England 2 South Africa 1

In Dhoni I trust... (again)

Perhaps its the hurt from past broken promises. 1985-86 certainly. Perhaps it is cricket's adopted truism that beating Australia in Australia is tough. Perhaps it is the step motherly treatment to Tests by India's seniors. Not sure what it is. But something is preventing me from being too optimistic about India's chances in Australia this time around.

As the Tests near, I search for reasons why India will lose. 

My rational mind says that this is indeed India's best chance to beat Australia in Australia but part of being an Indian fan through the late 70s leading up to the 2000s is to know that this is also Ponting's and Hussey's best chance to revive their Test careers and who else other than India to be the willing ally? 

My rational mind tells me that barring 1985-86 this is perhaps the mightiest batting side India has sent to Australia. Winning a Test Match and drawing the rest with even a half decent pace and spin combination, should be doable and more than enough. However, part of being an Indian fan is to know that its been quite a while since India has created an overnight bowling sensation. In Australia's gravest hour, surely India will oblige.

Ashwin, Yadav Key to India's Fortunes

Australia has put their cards on the table. They are struggling to string together a team that can be called their first eleven. Retaining Ponting and Hussey was a no-brainer given the underwhelming performance of Ponting's putative replacement, Usman Khawaja. Marcus North and Steve Smith's quick fizzle means that Hussey gets some more chances to get it right.

Ed Cowan and David Warner at the top of the order may seem a juicy proposition to Zaheer. However, our feeling is that this is just what the doctor ordered for Australia. These two might be the long term answer for Australia. Ed Cowan's style (I have not watched him) based on what's described seems to be sedate. Almost creeping up on you without making waves. Warner, clearly relishes the visibility, much like Sehwag and Hayden. A couple of tests against India will be a good way to kick-off a long term partnership at the top for Australia.

India in Australia - First Thoughts

Australia has just lost a test to New Zealand by 7 runs. When a team loses by that kind of margin, it hurts not just it's pride but it's morale. Losing by a whisker often saps the spirit of teams. After Australia pulled out a tight victory against South Africa earlier this season, one would have thought that they would win this time too. Looks like Clarke and company have not quite begun the journey back up.

On the other hand, coach Wright seems to be doing the same wonders to the New Zealand side that he did with the Indian side a decade ago. Ross Taylor may not be Ganguly, but he sure is leading well. His players seem committed and he too, like Ganguly, seems to be finding his Bracewells and Brownlies. Ganguly found Harbhajan and Laxman and never looked back. New Zealand have always been the team of honest triers, but with Wright at the post and Taylor to lead, they may scale some heights here.

India v Australia - An Early Preview

India's World Cup win and easy Test matches against the West Indies, have helped mask their Test match vulnerability against quality opposition on challenging pitches. The popular sentiment has been that England was a one-off debacle, where they were unlucky with injuries.

The real Test will come in Australia.

The Numbers

Over the most recent 24 month period, India and Australia have had remarkably similar numbers. However, India has won the perception game with everyone. The general feeling is that Australia is a weakened side in trouble while largely everything is okay with India. India has walked away relatively scot free in delivering the same numbers with a far more experienced side.

Leaving head-to-head contests aside, both have not lost a series to anyone other than England. It is due to India's dominance over Australia in the head-to-head contests that allows it to enjoy a slight edge in the overall numbers.

Sachin's first Test that is one too many

There is a lot India has to do in Test cricket just to stay in the same place; both figuratively and ranking-wise; starting with the home Test series against the West Indies.

The players may say all the right things when it comes to Test Cricket, but the priorities on display by everyone directly involved with the game, tell a different story. Except England, every country is managing Test cricket as if its a demising proposition. However, The most compelling cricket in recent weeks has been in the Test matches between Sri Lanka/Pakistan, Bangladesh/West Indies and to some extent between New Zealand/Zimbabwe. That of course is a matter of opinion. A matter of dwindling opinion, I might add.

So while the administrators are busy dressing up the game with new formats, chasing new money and new audiences, traditional cricket fans are starved for meaningful, contextual cricket. Since the 1983 World cup, there have been 7 more World Cups contested. 3 of them hosted by India. In the same period, West Indies have visited India only 3 times. Its lamentable. But as a fan, I will lap up whatever is on offer.

India and West Indies Take Baby Steps

The next month will see the return of test cricket to India. India will have to make a new beginning with old batting stalwarts. With Sehwag, Tendulkar and Laxman fit and back in the side, India's batting looks impregnable at home.

We have held Kohli in high regard despite his bland entry into test cricket in the West Indies. Yuvraj may be a spent force, but his performance in the World Cup has earned him a reward, given his passion to play test cricket. This, definitely, will be his last chance to come good. The conditions are ripe with a home series against West Indies.

India are trying to re-tool their bowling attack (again). This time they are partnering Ishant with Varun Aaron or Umesh Yadav. I do believe Varun has the goods to succeed at the test level. However, it all depends on how he maintains his body and how he develops. His speed is definitely a plus and his performance in the last ODI against England was heart-warming. He seems fiery enough to justify being pitch-forked into the test team.

Its India v England's Belief

The only time, I was confident about India winning an away series was in 1986 when a strong Indian line up took on an Australia in transition. That side on form and skill was almost as strong as this Dhoni led Indian side; perhaps a bit stronger given that Virendra Sehwag will be watching the Lords Test from the sidelines. 

Gavaskar and Srikanth to open; a middle order of Mohinder Amarnath, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammed Azharuddin and Ravi Shastri; two decent spinners in Shivlal Yadav and L Sivaramakrishnan and the great Kapil Dev. 

That series ended in bitter disappointment for me when all Test matches were drawn; Adelaide because of a flat pitch; Melbourne due to rain and India's strange reluctance to get on with things and Sydney when India, in spite of the rain, almost bowled out Australia twice in day and half, but ran out of time. 26 years on, India has still not won a series in Australia. 

West Indian cricket is inconsequential

Sachin Tendulkar will be skipping India's Test tour of the West Indies and spend time with his family instead.

Of course this news is not new but it still rankles.

A few years back, this event would have been inconceivable. Today it generates a muted response. A few raised eyebrows and then a quite resignation to the times we live in. It is now acceptable for one of the greatest players of all time to play for a private franchise and rest when his country will be trying to win a Test Series at the home of a side that was once the most feared and respected side of all time.

Its a reflection on many things. The decline of the West Indies; first and foremost.

India-West Indies Preview

India embark on yet another Carribbean tour without Sachin Tendulkar. The one day squad has a deep bench. When the regulars were unavailable, it was easy to find credible replacements. It's to India's credit that it has blooded a bench that can put a game face on anytime. However, the game plan for this time is going to be very different that what the first eleven would follow.

The routine that India has gotten into is that one of the top three always drops anchor and score big fifties or hundreds. Everyone else bats around them and scores the bulk of runs. In the world cup, Yuvraj Singh played a massive role and he balanced the team big time. The new look squad is going to rely on Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma or Suresh Raina to play that role. None of them by themselves can do what Yuvraj did. However, given that the West Indies too aren't a top notch team today, maybe they can pull it off.