Do Dhoni's remarks indicate an underlying apprehension?

I might be getting a bit too suspicious here but the fact is that on the eve of their departure to the West Indies for the forthcoming World Cup 2010, the Indian captain did seem very mindful of the fact that most of his team members had participated in the very demanding format of the IPL3 and that this Indian squad certainly wasn't the freshest one in terms of the participating teams at the Caribbean event. What makes me believe this is that MSD himself isn't the greatest of supporters for the theory of playing non-stop cricket.

If you look at this captaincy record, there have been instances where MSD had himself sought the permission of the BCCI to take a rest between two series-something that no other Indian captain has dared to do in the past. Further, Dhoni himself has a very suscpet back that has been troubling him for the last two seasons. Further, to maintain the balance in the team, he cannot risk taking upon another specialist keeper to resolve this issue. So, there is basically no way in which Dhoni can reduce his workload and further, some critical teammates like Ashish Nehra and Yuvraj Singh are still recuperating and are yet to hit peak fitness.

In the background of such issues, it was strange to see that Dhoni went on to explain that his team was 'fresh' at the press conference held on the eve of the team's departure and went on to explain this without much prompting from the surrounding media persons? Is he being wary of something that is bothering the team management?

Is Umesh Yadav the next big bowler from India?

He can hardly speak a word in English and he has that raw, out-of-this world kind of expression on his face but Umesh Yadav can do one thing that most Indian fans have been desperately waiting for and that is, He bowls fast and I mean, consistently fast without looking as if he is really exerting himself. Playing for the Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2010, this young bowler from Bihar has been exemplary in his first stint in competitive cricket. Further, he has not even played for his state side on a consistent basis and yet, he can bowl steadily at around the 145 km/hr mark.If you are an Indian fan that much speed is perhaps the maximum that any Indian bowler has ever generated. If Yadav can put in some eye-catching performances in the domestic scene, it is just a matter of time before this lad will be seen sharing the new ball with Zaheer. Ishant Sharma must be thinking how fast can life turn around:(. However, he is still young and capable of making a comeback...at least, I hope so. There have been just too many disappointments in the past with the likes of Irfan Pathan falling apart. It is still a mystery what actually happened to the young Pathan who was supposed to be the next, Wasim Akram. However, there seems to be something more to Umesh than what meets the eye. Firstly, he doesn't really exert himself and yet, he hits the 140 Ks mark with regular ease. This does point to the potential of being quick in the league of someone like Brett Lee. But then again, these are very early days in his career and these are just the first impressions....keeping my fingers crossed. Further, his bowling action is such that he doesn't exert too much pressure on his back and lower limbs, something that has been the scourge for most of the quick bowlers over the last five years.

Orange caps for International Matches too?

One of the few things that I like about the IPL is their method of issuing orange and purple caps for the tournament's highest run-getter and best bowler, respectively. I am wondering if this can be introduced for international matches. I am not recommending this for tournaments but for every team. This mean that every team can cap and mark-out its most successful bowler, its highest run-getter for the season and may be the Most Valuable Player or MVP too. The MVP system has been used in professional basketball and many other American sports for a long time. This does not do much in terms of making the game more interesting but is just a small change that can seep into the present system and add some value-addition for the TV-watching, cricket audience.

T20 World Cup 2010: competition among the most abled or the freshest?

The next edition of the T20 world cup is upon us and a rather strange question has entered my mind. This is regarding the state of the current teams, i.e. in regard to their overall conditioning and their preparedness. As assumed, most of the test matches have been wrapped-up since the shortest format of the game will be played in the world cup in the Caribbean and it just doesn’t make sense to carry on playing for five days when the matches will last for just about 3 hours. However, it should be said that each team seems to have taken upon a totally different approach to prepare itself. While teams like India are simply overworked, there are others like the Kiwis and the Poms who seem to have it rather lightly. Matches in the Aussie domestic circuit are still going on, so these guys would be in good knick but what about the rest of the international teams that either have their players scattered around, playing in the IPL, or simply cooling their heels? The timing of IPL2010 has made it sure that none of the nations could have gone ahead with a prestigious, local T20 tournament that would have been a great help. The IPL doesn’t give chance to entire teams to hone their skills.

In that regard, the case of Pakistan seems even stranger—when was the last time any of them even played a T20 or are they now busy fighting each other in some wrestling arena? I would not bank upon India considering how overworked these guys are and nearly half the squad is carrying some form of injury.

Case of Sour Grapes in IPL3

By the time this article gets published the Kings XI Punjab would have completed a rather comprehensive victory over the Delhi Daredevils in the last of the handful of league matches in IPL2010. It was interesting to note that though the Kings XI team is totally out of contention in terms of making a claim for the last four berths, they keep on passing comments that suggest they want to beat the opposing teams black and blue in their remaining encounters. Even their coach, Tom Moody, has often said in the last few weeks that he was looking forward to spoiling the party for the remaining teams. I just could not understand this viewpoint. I mean, by spoiling some other team's chances of qualifying for the IPL3 semi-finals, is Tom Moody and his team trying to extract some sort of a sweet revenge. Why this sudden intent of not letting other teams to qualify further? I am not suggesting that the Kings XI team should lie flat on the pitch and let their opponents walk over them but why this sudden pre-occupation of 'spoiling' it for others? I simply believe this is a case of sore losers. I have always believed that it takes a real man to accept defeat in a humble manner and it is confirmed now that not many of this type can be found among the red & white uniform holders of the King's XI squad.

Chanderpaul: Contemporary Cricket’s Most Underestimated Batsman?

If you look at the career statistics of Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, it will suggest that he is among the best of batsmen who are current playing and that is across all forms of the game, i.e. the ODIs and test cricket. This might cause some of you to raise the argument that he hasn’t excelled in T20. However, it should be understood that this isn't because of his inability to adapt to the faster version of the game but simply due to lack of opportunities. For some reason, despite being the perennial saver for his team and an awesome ODI record, this guy is never counted among the current crop of batsmen who are often heralded as ‘greats’.I presume that this is due to two main factors. One, he is simply too raw in terms of handing the media part of one’s career that has become a necessity for the modern player. Even the newest of entrants in the Caribbean team can be seen making some form of a style statement by either covering themselves in oodles of gold or with some ritual-like dance after dismissing an opposition batsman. Some folks might say that this is a part of the Caribbean heritage but I would like to opine that these are simply practices stereotypes that are being done to make a splash in the media coverage of the game, ensuring that their overall marketability is sustained for money-making tournaments like the IPL or for county stints.
This is even more applicable to a West Indian player, considering that they lose so many matches that even centurions and five-wicket hauls are mentioned in a remote corner of the newspaper column. Secondly, Chanderpaul has a strange, un-classical batting stance which might be the reason that he is continuously omitted from the bracket containing stars like Sachin and Ponting. Some people might argue that the modern era of cricket is very accommodating in terms of accepting people with unconventional batting styles but I personally feel that the stance used by Chanderpaul is simply so hideous that it drives-out any form of serious praise that might be coming his way.

IPL3: The 'old' guys shining bright!

I have myself never bothered to think too much about the age factor at least when it comes to sports but it does seem that many of the players and coaches in international cricket do think that it is only youth that can survive the rawness with which T20 is played. I would like to point-out to these people that if the performances of IPL3 are closely watches, it seems that it is the older, more experienced guys who are excelling in performing consistently. Whether it is the sheer genius of the master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar or the prolific form of the very-consistent Kallis, it seems that experience does matter even when it comes to playing a game that many believe is all about batting like crazy and hit the living daylights out of the cricket ball. Yes, someone like Murali Vijay has been able to impress but what about the likes of Brave or Pollard or for that matter, the much talked-about, Rohit Sharma? These guys are supposed to be the force that is supposed to take T20 game forward, but they cannot seem to score some runs against the near, 40-yr old Kumble in a competition that isn't even being played with clear distinction in terms of representing your country.