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India take on Australia at Motera cricket stadium in Ahmedabad on 24 March in the second quarter final of the World Cup championship. As matches from this stage onwards are held on knock out basis it is imperative that India win this tie if they are to progress further in the tournament. The performance of the side, which started as the unofficial favourites to win the title, has not inspired confidence and fans all over the country have reasons to be worried about the outcome of this match.
The reasons for the all too ordinary show of the home side have been three fold- (1) frequent collapse of the middle and lower batting (2) poor fielding which results in side starting with a deficit of 20 odd runs before a ball is bowled and (3) lack of sting in the bowling. As India have been sticking to the strategy of playing 7 batsmen who are individually in good form there is still hope that the line up would fire in the crucial matches. Nothing much can be done in fielding as the side carries players who are slow movers on the field. Bowling is the only area that team management has some flexibility and here they have been experimenting to find the right combination from the very beginning, though without much success.
Apart from Zaheer Khan, who has been in terrific form, none of the other Indian bowlers have been able to make much of an impression on the opposing batsmen. Even Harbhajan Singh, despite his guile and experience has been more of a “restrictive” than a wicket-taking bowler. Team management has given opportunities to all the bowlers in the squad but none of them have been able to make an impact so far. Munaf has played five matches while Chawla has played three, Nehra two and Aswin and Sreesanth one match each. The steady performance of Aswin against West Indies and the fact Australian batsmen are traditionally weak against off spin bowling ensures that he will take the field at Motera.
That brings one to the last slot and my suggestion is that Dhoni should take the bold step of including Sreesanth in the playing XI, keeping out Nehra and Munaf. Before dismissing this as a suggestion of a hard-core fan of Kerala speedster please consider the following factors.
Amongst all the Indian bowlers, apart from Zaheer, only Sreesanth possesses the ability for picking wickets in his initial overs. Indian bowlers have struggled to take wickets against good quality opposition and invariably this has placed more pressure on the spinners. A couple of quick wickets from Sreesanth during his initial spell would bring the opponents under pressure even if he concedes some extra runs in the process. Imran Khan successfully employed this tactic in 1992 World Cup when he persisted with Wasim Akram despite the latter proving to be expensive.
Sreesanth has an excellent track record against Australia. Aussies respect him for his skills as a bowler and as an opponent who plays the game hard, like them. He also manages to get under their skin by his ability to play the “mind games” equally well. He has demonstrated this during the T20 World cup semi final in 2007 and during the tri series cup finals in 2008. His mere presence in the XI would act as an additional stress factor for the Aussies and India should not lose this opportunity for gaining psychological upper hand over their rivals.
Sreesanth is easily the best fielder amongst all the Indian pacers and he would contribute to an improvement, even if marginal, in India’s outfield cricket.
Finally, this is a do or die match for India and any captain would love to have with players who are willing to spill blood on the field for the sake of the side. And on this score no one can beat Sreesanth who plays the game with a rare zeal and fervour. Consigning him to the doghouse permanently on account of one poor over against Bangladesh is unfair and he deserves another chance.
Indian campaign has got stuck into a rut and Dhoni would be aware that the side needs a big ticket performance, something akin to Kapil’s 175 in 1983, to get out of this. Difficult times call for bold and unconventional moves and it would be interesting to see whether Dhoni rises to this challenge or sticks with the time tested formula that has resulted only in mediocre performances so far.
Like every other Indian fan it is my fervent prayer that India defeat Australia at Motera, with or without Sreesanth. My best wishes for Dhoni and the side for this encounter.
The reasons for the all too ordinary show of the home side have been three fold- (1) frequent collapse of the middle and lower batting (2) poor fielding which results in side starting with a deficit of 20 odd runs before a ball is bowled and (3) lack of sting in the bowling. As India have been sticking to the strategy of playing 7 batsmen who are individually in good form there is still hope that the line up would fire in the crucial matches. Nothing much can be done in fielding as the side carries players who are slow movers on the field. Bowling is the only area that team management has some flexibility and here they have been experimenting to find the right combination from the very beginning, though without much success.
Apart from Zaheer Khan, who has been in terrific form, none of the other Indian bowlers have been able to make much of an impression on the opposing batsmen. Even Harbhajan Singh, despite his guile and experience has been more of a “restrictive” than a wicket-taking bowler. Team management has given opportunities to all the bowlers in the squad but none of them have been able to make an impact so far. Munaf has played five matches while Chawla has played three, Nehra two and Aswin and Sreesanth one match each. The steady performance of Aswin against West Indies and the fact Australian batsmen are traditionally weak against off spin bowling ensures that he will take the field at Motera.
That brings one to the last slot and my suggestion is that Dhoni should take the bold step of including Sreesanth in the playing XI, keeping out Nehra and Munaf. Before dismissing this as a suggestion of a hard-core fan of Kerala speedster please consider the following factors.
Amongst all the Indian bowlers, apart from Zaheer, only Sreesanth possesses the ability for picking wickets in his initial overs. Indian bowlers have struggled to take wickets against good quality opposition and invariably this has placed more pressure on the spinners. A couple of quick wickets from Sreesanth during his initial spell would bring the opponents under pressure even if he concedes some extra runs in the process. Imran Khan successfully employed this tactic in 1992 World Cup when he persisted with Wasim Akram despite the latter proving to be expensive.
Sreesanth has an excellent track record against Australia. Aussies respect him for his skills as a bowler and as an opponent who plays the game hard, like them. He also manages to get under their skin by his ability to play the “mind games” equally well. He has demonstrated this during the T20 World cup semi final in 2007 and during the tri series cup finals in 2008. His mere presence in the XI would act as an additional stress factor for the Aussies and India should not lose this opportunity for gaining psychological upper hand over their rivals.
Sreesanth is easily the best fielder amongst all the Indian pacers and he would contribute to an improvement, even if marginal, in India’s outfield cricket.
Finally, this is a do or die match for India and any captain would love to have with players who are willing to spill blood on the field for the sake of the side. And on this score no one can beat Sreesanth who plays the game with a rare zeal and fervour. Consigning him to the doghouse permanently on account of one poor over against Bangladesh is unfair and he deserves another chance.
Indian campaign has got stuck into a rut and Dhoni would be aware that the side needs a big ticket performance, something akin to Kapil’s 175 in 1983, to get out of this. Difficult times call for bold and unconventional moves and it would be interesting to see whether Dhoni rises to this challenge or sticks with the time tested formula that has resulted only in mediocre performances so far.
Like every other Indian fan it is my fervent prayer that India defeat Australia at Motera, with or without Sreesanth. My best wishes for Dhoni and the side for this encounter.