[mclaren1885]

For those of you who kept complaining about our batsmen playing out too many dot *****. Here is the perfect example to understand how it really works. Australia for almost 15 overs had a run rate of under 4, but look where they ended up. 306. The mantra here is to "keep" wickets for the final onslaught.

Once again, OZ's show why they are the champions. Inspite of loosing wickets middle & lower order come to the party unlike our team. Hopefully, today it wont rain & we will get to see how our boys bat out the 50 overs. Don't expect the openers to go blazing all out right from ball one. I suspect Sachin may have another failure. Dravid might prove to be the wall again fighting against the opposition. I think we as fans expect a lot from our players and when they don't deliver the frustration shows. There is a lesson for us all here, don't have too many expectations and we will win . Now you know the secret for India to win .

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Australia for almost 15 overs had a run rate of under 4

Australia never dipped under 4 except after the 12th over.

[rks]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

For those of you who kept complaining about our batsmen playing out too many dot *****. Here is the perfect example to understand how it really works. Australia for almost 15 overs had a run rate of under 4, but look where they ended up. 306. The mantra here is to "keep" wickets for the final onslaught.

The only reason for the low intial Aussie scoring rate is that they lost Gilchrist early and Hodge at No. 3 failed again. If Ponting were in the team, you will find him scoring at a run a ball almost from the word go. This mantra of keeping wickets for the final onslaught used to be fashionable in the past, but now most teams try to make maximum use of all scoring opportunities, whether they occur in the first 10 overs or in the last 10.

Uthappa is doing very well. I hope he grabs his chance after Ganguly's injury. I still wonder about his technique under more bowler-friendly conditions. But like Sehwag, Uthappa has the quick eye to make up for technical shortcomings. Ganguly may come back in place of Gambhir. The pressure is going to be on Tendulkar after two successive failures. Rohit Sharma is too good to be kept out of the Indian team, and eventually Karthik should be pressing to get in at Dravid's expense.

I don't know why Dhoni bowled Powar for only 5 overs. What is the point of picking 5 specialist bowlers and still giving 6 overs to the part-timers Tendulkar and Yuvraj? Powar should have been given his quota. I wonder whether Dhoni, like Dravid, is trying to make a statement to the selectors that he needs one extra batsman. There may be more to this than meets the eye. With only 6 specialist batsmen, a lot of them will be under pressure for their places and that may be behind the lobby for selecting an extra batsman. But I don't that that would be in the interests of the team.

[esteem_lover]

Uthappa is another sehwag, we should stick with him instead of dropping him for ganguly. Powar should be given another match to prove himself, if he doesn't he should be replaced by chawla if he is available. All said, even this weakened aussie side will beat us in these grounds that have been scheduled for India.

[Gordon]

Get that sreesanth out of the team. He and his bloody attitude...

Just because it kept the spirits up during one or two events, he's started doing it all the time. He's overdoing it, and I hope someone gives him a piece of ANYTHING sooner or later!

[Surprise]

Current aussies team in not a weakened side. These players dont get chance because the others kept performing & when they get their chance they are proving themselves. hence it's not at all a weakened side.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Gordon

Just because it kept the spirits up during one or two events, he's started doing it all the time. He's overdoing it, and I hope someone gives him a piece of ANYTHING sooner or later!

Sreesanth is good for this mellowed indian team. we need a few characters like him to up our ante & he does that pretty well. he took 3 wickets today, do you consider that overdoing ? If another 2 of our bowlers could replicate that, we could have had the aussies at less than 250.

[snaronikar]

Again back to square one. All hype created afer the world cup will blow out in no time. Wonder why Rohit sharma isn't playing today instead of Uthappa/Gambhir. Dravid will prove he is the wall and btw why he has been sent after 2 down. He should have come in 1st down when the team required somebody to stand there.........

[normally_crazy]

Dravid has always done well coming in at No. 5. His strike rate at No.5 is much better than when he comes in at No. 3. And he has gone on record to say that he prefers the No 5 spot but I agree, he looked totally out of sorts today.

Yuvraj at No.4 is the correct thing - he has to now step up and take up the mantle of the pivot around which this new look team will play in the very near future.

I guess Ganguly will feel the heat more now - Uttappa's innnings might have just ensured that Ganguly comes in for Gambhir in the next match.

Rohit Sharma will play the 4 th ODI only I feel and that too if the selectors decide to rotate the players after 3 matches. And if India is behind the Aussies after 3 ODI's , I don't think the rotation policy will come into play.

Lets see - how our skipper performs now. Its crunch time in the 2nd ODI.

[snaronikar]

@ Gordon: You are right. We need to throw this guy out. Its a gentleman's game and this kind of attitude will take us nowhere. This attitude of sreesanth is followed by every one in the field now....mostly youngsters. Even Bhajji got into the argument with aussies....

[mclaren1885]

John Australia were 61/2 in 15 overs. Which I think is just a tad over 4 RPO.

rks, you CANNOT come to the conclusion that IF Ponting was there he would have creamed the attack. Remember, a batsmen can't go out there every match and come out with a SR of 100. Even Ponting will have bad days. Also, I think you have got the basics wrong. 90% of the matches are still won by keeping wickets in hand till the final overs. Barring maybe the Australians. There is a link somewhere in one of my previous posts on this taking matches from 2002. It has clearly shown that with only 4 wickets lost till the 30th over or so most often than not final scores were much higher than with more wickets lost. You have just seen the OZ's twice in a row now proving this theory right. Even in this modern day cricket.

I agree with Gordon. Sreeshant thinks he can become a hero overnight by being aggressive with his mouth. What we don't understand is the fact that inspite of physical aggression Aussies still play with a calm mind (most of the times) unlike we Indian's who are known to loose temper very quickly and most often than not it plays into the hands of the opposition.

John, we need to show aggression in our batting, bowling & fielding. Not by sledging. Do remember that most often than not Aussies will walk what they talk. While we Indian's talk and ONLY talk. Its best left if we act than talk.

Nc, I think Dhoni as a captain is trying very hard to be DIFFERENT. Everyone knows for a fact that Yuvraj likes the ball coming onto the bat & particularly doesn't like pitches where the ball comes on slow. Then why was he sent ahead of Dravid? After the loss of two wickets, we needed the likes of Dravid to steady the ship. Not two attacking batsmen (Yuvi & Robin) who might get out on any ball trying to be over ambitious.

If India were to loose another game, then I am sure the rotation policy will be thrown to the winds and we will be running pillar to pillar to save the tournament.

Now, lets get back to watching Dhoni play the ball into the hands of the fielders. Saddens me deeply, that inspite of having such talent in our team it gets wasted most often than not. No wonder Dravid and the rest keep asking for 7 batsmen. Its our esteemed batting line-up that keeps falling like a pack of cards all the time.

[snaronikar]

Aah!! there we are again. We loose. It has become a habit for us now. It will be nice to see if we do something different in our next match.......

[MC Mayank]

It makes it all the more embarassing after the vulgar display of fake adulation showered on the team by the politicians. The Australian dressing room must be in splits and rightly so. But its not our players, its our media and the politicians. Feel embarassed to be in a country where leaders are so illiterate

[Steeroid]

It was sad to see both Tendulkar and Yuvraj falling for the traps that were SO obviously set up for them. Two very conspicuous fielders (you gotta be blind to not see Symonds) in two very unusual positions that they are known to have a weakness for, and both of them took the bait.

[deepakhon]

Hmmm. Looks like it was a good match to miss. When is the next match? I shall be home by 6th.