India: World Champs, really?!!

I find it very hard to believe that India are currently listed as the number one test team considering that their batsmen cannot play even average bowlers on pitches that put forth the most minimal of swing or pace. It was utterly disgusting to see the top-order of the famed Indian batting line-up to reach scores of about 100 runs against a rather mediocre Sri Lankan attack. Further, the skipper Dhoni seems to have entered some sort of a moronic phase of thinking wherein rather than talking about his team's deficiencies, he is more concerned about highlighting the state of the practice pitches or talking about the missed-century opportunity that happened to Sehewag. What happened to the real Dhoni, who came across as a very forthcoming and honest skipper who never backed down from accepting his team's debacles. Does this

have something to do with post-marital changes in a man's psyche?? I hope not....considering the number of players in the usual squad of XV who must be contemplating marriage!!

Yes, Freidel de Wet could be Ntini’s Replacement

Shaun Pollock may sound a bit controversial when he says that the time has come for Ntini to hang-up his boots as far as test cricket is concerned but if you watched the first two test matches between South Africa and England, he couldn’t be more correct. Ntini was never a swing bowler and never had any real guile. His real weapon has been seemingly unending reserves of energy based upon which he could hit the deck so much that the ball would bounce awkwardly and make batsmen uncomfortable. Give him some swing or a bit of grass and these virtues become even more threatening.
However, age is beginning to creep upon South Africa’s workhorse and he is no longer the same bowler who could consistently run around the 90 mile/hr benchmark. I still recall how Ntini would literally run back to his bowling run-up even when between long, test bowling spells. Now, this pace is around the 135 km/hr mark and that isn't too great if you are wanting to take wickets simply by depending upon hitting the pitch hard. On the other hand, just like Pollock said, de Wet looks like the next big thing to have arrived on the international cricket scene. He is tall, built like a wrestler, runs up close to the stumps and even on a dead, second test match wicket, he bowled some hostile spells. He was the only South Africa bowler who looked like picking up a fiver or something close and actually troubling the English batsmen. There is just no room for sympathy in international sports and Ntini is faced with something that is applicable to all top-level sportsmen, across the world — you are only as good as your last performance!