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The expert fan hall of fame
The following individuals have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Will you be the next one?
 
Week 1: 2009-11-10 to 2009-11-17
Question of the Week : laxman vernekar
Sachin made 175 and we still lost the ODI. One of the reason is the risky shot he played and got out. Is it not that the responsibility of the in-form batsman on the given day and in a given match that he should carry the team through to the possible victory? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : D. SRINIVAS
Question : Cricket is very much a human game and technology shouldn't interfere too much so as to take off the human element. What do you say?

Answer : Hi Srinath, as you said, not only the cricket but almost all games are very much human games but the exception is that cricket is more complex in nature in many aspects when compared to other games. While accepting the ultimate result either win or loose, obviously one would expect that the game should be fair enough at the end. In the present days of advanced technology is concerned, it is necessary to use the available technical systems to make the Cricket more and more transparent with a condition that the same should be more accurate than human judgment. Self satisfaction of players, fans, Criticism on game etc., are the ultimate outcome of the game. It depends up on how genuine or transparent or fair the game would be. In cricket, many judgments like run ours, bat and pad, judging the clean catches, touching the boundary rope by the fielder while fielding etc., are very accurately judged by the available systems because no human can judge those things precisely. As per LBW is concerned we can’t predict either manually or mechanically 100% so the same is with umpires only many times. In my opinion, it is necessary to use the technology to eliminate the human errors, to make the game more and more transparent, not always but if the things are beyond human control. VIEW THREAD
Week 2: 2009-11-18 to 2009-11-25
Question of the Week : JATIN KAUSHIK
Pakistan cricket is in cricis and no team had visited Pak. for cricket , they play all their home matches in AbuDhabi and their performance always remain underpar there and no. of these matches are also very less. Still they perform brilliantly in ICC multination tournaments like T20 world cups and champions trophy, whats the reason for this? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Christopher Poshin David
Question : Australians cricketers are always hungry to play better every time they play a match including bench strength like Bollinger, Voges, Mckay etc.What could be the reason? Is that their players are much superior than their opponents or they have killer instinct to win more matches

Answer : I think this is because of the competitive domestic arena that Australia has. Therefore, stepping into the international arena is not such a big leap. The competitive and rigorous system grooms the players as hard opponents. Also, the Australian system of selection is that a player must have vast experience in the domestic circle. Therefore, when they arrive at the international arena, they know what to expect. The players are not more talented than others, but they definitely have a better work ethic than most and the killer instinct. The killer instinct must be culminated by a team, and this can only happen when the team wins often in challenging situations, something the Australians are successful at. I say that they do richly deserve to be at the top in the ODI rankings. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Varun Shetty
Question : Recent series between Ind-Aus showed that Odi cricket is here to stay.Now Do you still think that T20 cricket is dominating the odi cricket?

Answer : I don't think T20 cricket has ever dominated any form of world cricket,so to speak.It has just drawn in more money,more thrills,more viewership and bigger hitting.According to me,T20 was just a beneficial extension to all the great things that CRICKET offers. So,ODI cricket is still a centre of attraction. T20 is just a by-product of the great game..a VERY GLAMOUROUS by-product,at that. VIEW THREAD
Week 3: 2009-11-26 to 2009-12-3
Question of the Week : Sushant Singh
Why is it that most batsman have far better batting averages in the first innings when compared to the second innings? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Srinath H. R.
Question : If we refer the statistics for the past five years, 27 Tests have been played in Australia and only 2 matches have been drawn. In South Africa, 3 out of 29 games, in Sri Lanka, 4 out of 22 games only were drawn. But in India, recent Ahmedabad test was the 24th match in the last 5 years, and the 11th match to end in a draw. After observing these results, do you think that the BCCI is mainly responsible for the test cricket to loose its importance by making dead & useless pitches?

Answer : You have made some good statistical observations. You have considered the last five years in test cricket to make your point. But, going by statistics again, if you consider the last five decades in test cricket, only the last decade or so has been producing more results than ever before, whetever be the reason. However, more than 75% of the matches played before the last decade were ending up in draws. Even then, people flocked the stadiums for the sheer interest in the game and to see their stars play. Test cricket was the in-thing happening and not a lot of ODIs were played. Now, with the advent of T-20 and far too many ODIs being played, spectators have a lot of choices these days. We shouldn't be too much critical of Indian pitches. Last year, India were shot out for 76 against South Africa in a test match at Ahmadabad. This time, the curator of the pitch was very much cautious and 'overcompensated' for it by producing a batting beauty. As Ravi Shastri rightly said, "Even three more days of cricket here won't yield a result (at the end of the fifth day)". There are many other factors, apart from the pitch, which come into the picture, for a result to be produced. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Sailesh Akkaraju
Question : Sir Don Bradman is inarguably the greatest cricketer to have graced the game. But Sachin Tendulkar, arguably the greatest batsman of the modern era, is a much better player, considering the enormous amount of cricket he has played, the different formats he has played and the length of time he has been nurturing the aspirations of millions. What's your opinion?

Answer : There is a simple way to measure Greatness. How much superior was Don's performance to his peers and you can see even in those days, there was nobody even close. The next highest test average was nearly 40 points lower. The next highest test average was 25 points lower ( Our very own Vijay Merchant). While Sachin can take credit for his longevity, he cannot outshine his peers in that manner. Ponting or Lara with the same number of test matches would be past him. Even Dravid with a lesser number of hundreds would give him a run for his money if he ends up playing the same number of tests. No, there is only one Bradman. VIEW THREAD
Week 4: 2009-12-4 to 2009-12-11
Question of the Week : Srinath H. R.
Why do world-class spinners like Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan struggle to take wickets on the spinner-friendly tracks in India? Their embarassingly high bowling averages in India don't go well with their performances elsewhere. What could be the reasons? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : D. SRINIVAS
Question : Which fast bowler do you think is the greatest of all time, and why?

Answer : Hi Sushant, it is really very hard to judge the greatest fast bowler of all time in cricket because there are many great fast bowlers in the history of cricket. Fast bowling is thought to be the earliest form of bowling in cricket. Many think that fast bowling means only speed but in my opinion it is not at all correct because becoming a fast bowler, he requires mastering a lots of techniques and arts like swing in the air, swing off the pitch, bounce, cutter, Yorkers, variation in technique etc. In cricket's history, many bowlers terrorized and troubled batsmen with sheer speed and guile especially West Indian bowlers. So many past and current fast bowlers excelled at their craft that picking the best fast bowlers guarantees that some great bowlers are omitted. Cricket is a dynamic sport and today's best fast bowlers may not maintain that esteem. Therefore, the best fast bowlers should be the best fast bowlers of all time. If we list them by keeping the word great fast bowlers, it is very lengthy to say. If we list say Glenn McGrath, Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Harold Larwood Courtney Walsh, Michael Holding, Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, Wasim Akram, Sir Richard Hadlee, Allan Donald, Kapil Dev….. still continues. To make the subjective task of picking the best easier, one must use relevant criteria. These criteria should be both subjective and objective, with due emphasis on statistics. I categorized the bowlers based on the following statistical criteria to choose the best fast bowler of all time. They are (i) Impressive Test statistics (ii) Genuine pace (iii) A good career average say Below 25.00 (iv) Number of matches or number of wickets. I feel the best fast bowlers should have either at least 50 Tests or 300 Test wickets (v) Strike Rate. The best fast bowlers are genuine strike bowlers say maximum 55. These criteria might have ruled out good fast bowlers who played a limited number of matches and many good fast bowlers from the 19th and early 20th century. So, my choice is Glenn McGrath is the best fast bowler of all time. Because, as a leading fast bowler on the all-time Test wicket-takers list he took 563 wickets, Glenn McGrath is indisputably one of the best. Apart from fulfilling all criteria, McGrath has regularly dismissed top batsmen of his time like Mike Atherton (19 times), Brian Lara (15 times), Sachin Tendulkar (6 times). VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Sushant Singh
Question : Sehwag averages over 50 in test cricket. Once he gets to 100, he goes on to score big runs. Even though he lacks footwork, he has been able to score 6000+ test runs. There's a method in his madness. Whatever the critics say, he is easily India's most destructive batsman till date. What do you say?

Answer : When Virender Sehwag gets going, it's like you're watching a James Bond movie. He can drive a car over a cliff, dodge bullets, fight off 20 armed men bare-handed - all of it while wearing a crisp suit, which remains uncrumpled.Only that in Sehwag's case it is all for real: each of those strokes can get him out. On a more like-like for list, of contemporary top-order batsmen, Sehwag stands miles ahead. Sachin Tendulkar (12,917 runs at 54.73) has a strike-rate of 54.12, Ricky Ponting (11,400 runs at 55.88) scores at a rate of 59.41, Matthew Hayden (8625 runs at 50.73) got his at 60.10, and Brian Lara (11,953 runs at 52.88) at 60.51. Sanath Jayasuriya comes closest, with a strike-rate of 65.10, but his average is just over 40. But of course, numbers are merely the starting point. Greatness is judged by a number of other factors. Quality of opponents, versatility, the ability to score in different conditions, and most of all being able to turn up when it matters. Sehwag ticks all these boxes emphatically. VIEW THREAD
Week 5: 2009-12-12 to 2009-12-19
Question of the Week : irish verma
almost all of virender sehwags biggest test scores have come on sub-continent pitches where conditions are ordinary for bowlers,pitches flat.not taking credit away from viru but can he score 300 or big 200 plus score in england or newealand where ball moves around a fair bit and conditiosn overcast? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Amit Mahajan
Question : It's amazing how India keeps delivering the goods at home, season after season. However, a good team is a good team, no matter in which part of the world they are playing. Why does India have a dismal overseas record (sparing the last few years)? Is it due to the lack of crowd support or just the fear that they are playing in an alien place or lack of preparedness?

Answer : Mate, I dont agree with your thoughts and comments and even the answer posted by someone just prior to mine. You have written in your question that barring the past few tears we had a dismal overseas record. This 'past few years' is a very important captaion here. This is the first time in the history of cricket that India has become number 1 team in the world. This is not only due to the wins at home but also the overseas wins. We have beates pakistan in Pakistan, SL in SL. We won one test each in SA and Aus. We have beaten England in England, NZ in nZ and WI in WI. What better you are looking out for. We are not at all dismal outside India. The guys are playing to win and really get disturbed after the loss. The have all the require killer instincts and are performing their tasks beautifully. India is a good test team irrespective of the part of the world they as playing in. VIEW THREAD
Week 6: 2009-12-20 to 2009-12-27
Question of the Week : D. SRINIVAS
Harbhajan said “Spinners are losing the art of flight”. Now a days the approach towards the Test and ODI has been changed especially after T20. Do you think, still the art of flight is effective even now? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : D. SRINIVAS
Question : Why batsmen are preferred over bowlers as captains in cricket?

Answer : If any player have a good leadership skills, it does not matter whether he is a batsman or a bowler or an all rounder. His ability to lead the team should be the lone criterion. Captaincy is a full-time responsibility when he would have to plan for others as well but he can handle the pressure that comes with the job. But as far bowlers are concerned, it is rare to see successful captains who are bowlers like Imran Khan, Anil Kumble etc. Because their first job is to take wickets and they need full concentration on their bowling rather than a batsmen who doesn't have his time and thoughts occupied by bowling which means he can concentrate on captaining the side. Basically people feel that bowlers will have too much on their plate if they captain their side. Apart from that, bowlers are prone to injuries more often than the batsmen and that might be one of the other major factor for not to choose the bowlers as captains. I feel both batsmen and all-rounders actually make good captains. All-rounders obviously bat and bowl in a match which means they are used to multi-tasking in a match, so all-rounders may be able to cope with the burden of captaincy better because they are used to being occupied with different tasks on a cricket field. If we look at the successful all rounder captains say Ray Illingworth, Kapil Dev, Saurav Ganguly, Wasim Akram, Shaun Pollock, Daniel Vettori etc., fairly good all rounder captains. The successful Batsmen captains are Ponting, Dhoni, Sangakara, Graeme Smith etc. So in my opinion Batsmen and All rounder captains are fairly having an advantage than bowler captains. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Srinath H. R.
Question : Is Sehwag a more dangerous batsman in tests than in the limited over formats?

Answer : Going by the stats, it's very much true, especially in the sub-continent. In the ODI-format, all the players will be spread out for most part of the innings and when a player like Sehwag is kept quite for a while, he finds ways to get out. In test matches, the situation is totally different. For most part of the innings, there will be more close-in fielders which makes it easy for Sehwag to play the lofted shots. Moreover, when a bowler is bowling very well, he can take his time to get used to the bowler's bowling style, which seldom happens in ODIs. Whatever way you look at it, Sehwag is much better off in tests with an average of 50+ rather than ODIs where-in he averages just around 34, a below-par average for a batsman of his caliber and being an opener as well. Quite clearly, he is much more at ease donning the whites rather than the coloured clothing. VIEW THREAD
Week 7: 2009-12-28 to 2010-01-4
Question of the Week : Swaminath
Do you think ganguly can be better coach for a team? Because all the performers are not the best coaches. Do you think that ganguly will be able to coach and lead a team as coach. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Srinath H. R.
Question : Many cricketing experts believe MSD is a lucky captain because it was due to the efforts of players like Ganguly, Kumble, Dravid in the last decade or so that made things easier for MSD. Do you agree with this point?

Answer : Captaincy doesn't ride on luck most-of-the-times. It is purely a skill like batting, bowling and fielding and probably, the toughest of them all. He exhibited leadership skills very early in his career and that prompted the selectors to assign him the role of skipper. Though the contributions of Ganguly and Kumble can't be ruled out, Dhoni has continued the good work, and more importantly, he has maintained consistency and India's performance in the recent past is a true indicator of it. Luck does play it's part, but leadership skills stand out. While on the field, he rings in changes quickly when nothing much seems to be happening and pushes himself up the order when the situation demands. Well and truly, he is already on his way to become the most successful Indian captain. Way to go MSD! VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Amit Mahajan
Question : Is it fair to ban the captain for couple of matches for slow over rate in the ODIs?

Answer : We Indians do have a tendency to crib when it comes on us. This rule is an ICC regulation and I feel that the Indian Skipper has been let off very lineantly. Seeing the past punishments of 4 and 5 Odi matches suspention, I feel BCI did the right thing by not appealing against the ban. Dhoni is the leader and he has to control the things in the field and go as per the rules or else be penalized. It is absolotely fair to ban him for the slow over rate. VIEW THREAD
Week 8: 2010-01-5 to 2010-01-12
Question of the Week : D. SRINIVAS
If we look at the ODIs played over the past 3 years, Indian bowlers have the worst bowling average (35.79) and by far the worst economy rate (5.21) of all the interantional teams. Despite this the Indian team has a far superior W/L ratio which many would attribute to the strong batting lineup of the Indian team. From the above, it clearly says that India possesses the poor bowling attack in ODI cricket today? What are your comments? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : irish verma
Question : Can we say Sehwag-Gambhir opening pair is better than Tendulkar-Ganguly according to every format of game?

Answer : sehwag gambhir seems to be best opening combination in world cricket today in all format of games.sachin-ganguly never opened together in tests and t20s.but they were very successful as an opening pair in one-dayers with both batsman having capability to score big hundreds.both pairs are right left combination which always forces bowlers to adjust to his line and length.so comparisons can be made only keeping one dayers in mind and viru and sehwag will have to score more runs abroad and that too at higer consistency rate than sachin-saurav.as for now sehwag and gambhir are best but to know if they are better than sachi-saurav we will have to wait for say next 3-4 years and then decide. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Madhusudan Rao
Question : People have already started referring to Gautam Gambhir as the 'Second Wall' after the original 'Wall' legendry Rahul Dravid. He has played only in 27 Tests as against Dravid's 137. I think it is too early for such comparisons. What are your views?

Answer : Is it not our usual mannerism to highlight one's achievements as the greatest? Irfan was the next Kapil Dev and now Gambhir is the next Dravid. We should wait for players to finish their careers and then 'try' to compare them. The comparison is never a good one as there are different parameters that change between the two players (opponents, pitches, conditions, fielding skills, etc). VIEW THREAD
Week 9: 2010-01-13 to 2010-01-20
Question of the Week : Dharun Thiyagarajan
The recent win by Australia against Pakistan in the second test by defending a low score of 175 odd was a thriller. Defending Low scores in cricket have always provided more excitement and thrill than the high scoring ones. Whats your take on this. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Amit Mahajan
Question : Virat Kohli is the latest kid on our Indian block. What are the chances that he will not go the 'Robin Uthappa' or recently 'Rohit Sharma' way? Does he have the capabilities to be the long-race horse?

Answer : Hi mate. We really can not predict the future and it will be very early to judge the performance of Viraat. He has been a consistent performer in the recent times. When we compare Viraat with the likes of Uthappa and Rohit Sharma, we can see that all the three have won matches for India in their initial phase but the biggest diference lies in the TEMPRAMENT. With all due respect, Both Robin and Rohit won matches for India when they bated down the order but Viraat on the other hand marched the Team when the chips were really down and a big score was bieng chased. Both of his match winning innings carried big partnerships, one with Gautam and the other with the skipper himself. In both the cases, Viraat, though lost his wicket, but got India out of the trouble. So I feel this Delhi boy has a long way ahead. Cheers VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Amit Mahajan
Question : world cup around the corner.india needs its great men for this moment.viu,sachin,gauatam,yuvi,zaheer and bhajji.we all know that injury to viru in ipl-2 caused him to stay out for almost3 months.now all i want to ask is if similar incident happens with any of these stars,then who wil be responsible for all this?should big players reduce unnecessary risk by playing in selected matches in ipl-3 cause country,s pride is more important than this showbiz?

Answer : Come on Yaar. Why single out IPL. No one ever questioned when our players went out to play the county cricket. IPL is been questioned as it has become a very big tournament in the cricketing world. All the players are professionals and know it very well the way they have to manage theselves. An Injury can happen any time - During practice, during sessions or during the match. I dont think that singling out IPL and stopping the players from featuring in all matches is gonna help any cause. If a player is travelling with the team, staying in the team hotel, coming to the field along with the team, It will be better to make him the part of laying 11 if he deserves to be and quiet obviously nothing is better that the match practice. VIEW THREAD
Week 10: 2010-01-21 to 2010-01-28
Question of the Week : D. SRINIVAS
Why the frequency of LBW decisions has been increasing over the years in test cricket? Because, as per statistics the number of lbws in Tests in the 2000s occurred at an average of 5.36 per match. It's marginally higher than the avg. in the previous decade, 1900s (5.25), and much higher than the two earlier decades, 1980s (4.68) and 1970s (3.68). Why is it so? Do you think that the umpires are becoming very harsh while judging lbws or something else? Please share your comments. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : D. SRINIVAS
Question : Why the frequency of LBW decisions has been increasing over the years in test cricket? Because, as per statistics the number of lbws in Tests in the 2000s occurred at an average of 5.36 per match. It's marginally higher than the avg. in the previous decade, 1900s (5.25), and much higher than the two earlier decades, 1980s (4.68) and 1970s (3.68). Why is it so? Do you think that the umpires are becoming very harsh while judging lbws or something else? Please share your comments.

Answer : Well, the essence of the ‘LBW’ law has remained the same over time. So, why are we seeing an increase in the frequency of lbws over the years? Immediate question that comes in everyone’s mind is “Are the umpires not applying benefit of doubt in the same manner as before?” The answer is yes. In the early days prior to the neutral umpiring system, umpires were loathing to rule in favour of the bowlers. Neutral umpires were introduced in cricket around 1990. Have a look at these numbers. In the period since 1990 (after neutral umpires), lbw dismissals as a percentage of total dismissals have risen to 16.7% from 13% in the period 1930 to 1989. That is a 30% increase in the incidence of lbw dismissals in the last 20 years as compared to earlier years. It means, prior to 1989 (before neutral umpires), batsmen enjoyed a consistent and clear benefit of doubt on lbw with umpires. It was an unwritten rule for umpires that when a batsman played well forward, he would not be given out lbw. The one caveat about neutral umpires is that sometimes they are not able to judge the bounce as well as a local umpire would do knowing the conditions better. Another reason could be the advent of better protective devices which has helped batsmen often get in line with the ball and the stumps more regularly while playing, so that ball is hitting the pad more often. It has also brought to light some of the common errors umpires tend to make these days when adjudicating on lbws when deliveries going over the top of the stumps often fetch bowlers wickets because of misjudgment of bounce on the pitch. Sometimes, the mindset of the umpires has undergone a change with more marginal calls going in favour of the bowler also. The pressure on modern day umpires is becoming unbearable with every decision being cruelly dissected by Slo-Mo, Hawk-Eye, Snickometer, Hot Spot etc. So, it forces the umpires often benefited towards the bowlers in one or other way while deciding lbw. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Abeer Ligga
Question : Do you think that in T20 most of the shots the batsmen play are premediated or are they play on merit of the ball ?

Answer : No, it depends a lot on the situation of the game if d askin rate is high they will have to get runs fast and they will have to think hard there in the situation they premeditated shots and also if the ball is there to hit they will hit it on its merit but as t20 requirement is quick runs premeditation is also an important part of 20 over cricket.It sometimes helps in upsetting the rhythm of d bowler and helps getting balls in the areas the batsman wants by upsetting bowler's rhythm and making him ball all over the place.So t20 is a game of mental toughness and you have to work with the brain too and access the game and play accordingly VIEW THREAD
Week 11: 2010-01-29 to 2010-02-5
Question of the Week : D. SRINIVAS
When we talk about scoring centuries, which one do you think more difficult for any batsmen; Scoring an ODI Century or a test century & why? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Dharun Thiyagarajan
Question : Attendence figure has increased over 80% in KFC Big Bash T20 from last season. This simply implies that crowd is interested in T20 but our players say that they enjoy Test cricket. So according to you whose wish should be given weightage ,players who perform or audience for which they perfrom?

Answer : Will you kill the dolphin in the pool and wish to see a dolphin show. No it’s not possible. Completely eliminating test cricket will leave the game in danger. Test cricket exhibits the true strength & weakness of a player. So this format of the game must be preserved. A balance between test cricket, ODI, T20 will be the need of the hour. The game also needs the spectators to able to survive. But that’s doesn’t mean you need to concentrate on only one format of the game. Competitive teams with talented players who give their heart out to win will draw crowds for any format of the game. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Question : Local talents VS foreign coaches. Does nativity of coaches matter? If so,who do you think will be a better option? local coaches or the foreign coaches to coach a team ? What are your comments?

Answer : Answer: I agree to disagree with Mr D Srinivas's answer (not the question). The first two sentences of your answer sums up the coach's role as an advisory one and the limitations of impact on the players' technique. What is not clear here is how a coach like Gary Kirsten work with a genius like Sachin Tendulkar, What help can he be for a perfect technician such as Rahul Dravid? Then does a coach work with only the lesser mortals of the team? In my view at the highest level a coach's role with the team and the selection process of a coach needn't be as complex as you have described! I am more comfortable with the CI Editor's views a foreign coach brings with him an air of freshness and a sense of professionalism! They organise the practice sessions in a more meaningful and profitable way both to the individuals and to the team! Another significant aspect of why we always go for a foreign coach is the stars of today will not find it comfortable to be directed by our own stars of yesterera! VIEW THREAD
Week 12: 2010-02-6 to 2010-02-13
Question of the Week : D. SRINIVAS
Apart from scoring 300+ runs by the teams batting first in ODI (which is very common nowadays), teams batting second have successfully chased the scores of 300 or above 26 times out of 215 (winning percentage 12% ) in the last decade. However, in the 1990s, this was happened only four times in 61 games (winning percentage 6.5 %). Clearly, the winning percentage while chasing big totals has been doubled (Approx) in 2000’s when compared to 1990’s. It means, nowadays 300+ scores are not a winning total many times. Why is it so? My question is apart from power plays, what are the other factors do you think responsible for the chasing teams to be successful while chasing big totals? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : jagadish tulagapu
Question : We have seen number of players (batsmen) who are specialized in a particular format say test player or ODI player and are confined to a particular format only? My question is, why not all batsmen are specialized in both formats of cricket say in ODI & Test? And what makes them to be specialized in a particular format? Comments please.

Answer : Hi Srinivas, A good player can play any format whether it is a test match or an ODI/T20. A solid techique and experience plays a crucial role for any player to play in all the formats of the game, just like a singer who should be perfect in sangeet to sing all kind of songs.The best example is Rahul Dravid or a Jacues Kallis, they can play any format of the game because of their excellent footwork and technique. Whereas a player like Suresh Raina or Yusuf Pathan have some limitations when it comes to sound technique, they can be best suited for ODIs or T20s. So it all depends on the player how they approach towards test cricket or ODIs/T20s. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Question : Apart from scoring 300+ runs by the teams batting first in ODI (which is very common nowadays), teams batting second have successfully chased the scores of 300 or above 26 times out of 215 (winning percentage 12% ) in the last decade. However, in the 1990s, this was happened only four times in 61 games (winning percentage 6.5 %). Clearly, the winning percentage while chasing big totals has been doubled (Approx) in 2000’s when compared to 1990’s. It means, nowadays 300+ scores are not a winning total many times. Why is it so? My question is apart from power plays, what are the other factors do you think responsible for the chasing teams to be successful while chasing big totals?

Answer : It is the psychological factor which helps the teams batting second become successful. The moment you get a bench mark performance you start to believe you too can achieve it! For years the world didn't believe that it was humanly possible to run a mile in less than 4 minutues. However when Roger Bannister stunned the world with a 3 minutes 59.4 seconds finish time in which he ran a mile on 06.05.1954 the world did get a reference point. The following year itself so many people ran the mile well below 4 minutes around the world! Same way,Hillary and Tensing climbed mount everest for the first time on 29.05.1953, a feat never achieved till then. Today, around 150 people reach the summit each year! What the champions do is the break the psychological barriers that keep preventing ordinary people from achieving extraordinary results! Once the barrier is destroyed then everything falls into place and what was next to impossible till then becomes very much possible! This enhanced confidence increases the percentage of accomplishing higher targets. In the One day series against Srilanka we almost lost even after scoring 400+! Srilanka knew because South Africa has achieved it against the mighty Australians already, they can also do it! And that was the reason they came so close to the target! Days are not far off when teams score 400+ totals consitently. With the T20 gaining popularity, I already can see a 500+ total in a 50 over match in or before the 2011 World Cup! VIEW THREAD
Week 13: 2010-02-14 to 2010-02-21
Question of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Though Australia has neatly completed a white wash of Pakistan, it is no more an invincible force in World Cricket, same can be said about India even after acquiring the number one status in Test Cricket, we too have areas of concern and did struggle to completely dominate minnows like Bangladesh. South Africa another formidable test side did undergo a humiliating defeat in the recent series against England before it could level the series in the last test match (thanks largely to an umpiring decision which went SA's way!). Does it all mean that we have arrived at an era in cricket in which no single team can remain at the top for a prolonged time? If yes, what are the factors that have influenced such a scenario? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : D. SRINIVAS
Question : The IPL teams are only playing T20s.How will it be if they play a Test championship and ODI championship?Won’t it be interesting if the players of different nations will play ODIs and Tests together as a team?Please share your views.

Answer : Hi Girish, just recall the test match played during 2005/06 and ODI matches during 2004/05 & 2005/06 between world XI and Australia. I think your opinion is more or less similar to the same concept. But the only difference is in place of Australian team you want another world eleven team. Anyway, in my opinion, each format say T20, ODI, Test need different team composition. Reason could be each format needs different approach. So, obviously the T20 team can’t suite for 50 over game or Test match. Because, the intension of T20 players always use to score as many runs as possible. For instance, in case of ODI, if three or four wickets have fallen early in just 10 or 15 overs, then it would be a very difficult situation for the remaining batsmen to bat for the remaining overs for the T20 players duly maintaining the run rate or setting a good target for the opposition. Another point is that in T20 teams, they may not have number of quality bowlers to bowl all the 50 overs and get the wickets of opposition team. Similarly in case of test match the approach is entirely different from ODI & T20. Test cricket needs more work from bowlers apart from batsmen to get all the 20 wickets of the opposition team. So, in my opinion the idea might be crazy to guess but not practically possible due to the above reasons. In other words a test team or ODI team may be suitable for T20, but T20 teams are not suitable to play either ODI or Test cricket. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : D. SRINIVAS
Question : When most other batsman fail why gautam gambhir scores so heavily in second innings.?

Answer : Even though Gambhir played fewer innings, absolutely his second-innings performance easily the best when compared to the other batsmen. His first-innings statistics are not ordinary by any definition - he averages 54.20, but he takes it up a notch when he comes out to bat in the second innings. Gambhir has matured a lot with the experience he gained and his efforts are outstanding as he has moulded his game according to the needs of the team than most of the other players especially in the second innings. For example when Indian were battling to save the Test in Napier last year, Gambhir faced 436 balls to make 137, scoring at a strike rate of 31.42. In the next test when India was looking for quick runs he doubled that figure. Over the years, even many top batsmen have found run-scoring more difficult in the second innings than in the first due to a variety of reasons say tense match situation, deteriorated pitches, fatigue factor that sets in after spending several hours in the field etc. But none of the above factors affect Gambhir’s performance in any way. Apparently, his ability to score big scores or hundreds in second innings according to the situation i.e., to save the game or to score quick runs is especially remarkable. In my opinion the factors influence the Gambhir’s second innings success are (i) Gambhir is becoming psychologically and mentally very strong. (ii) Gambhir is in tremendous touch and his form has been excellent for the couple of years than other top players around the world. (iii) The next fore most favorable condition is his batting position as an opener which allows him more chances in the second innings than players who bat in the middle order. (iv) Perfect opening partner (Sehwag) releases him from pressure and allows him to play natural game with no pressure(v) Finally Gambhir has played and scored most of his runs on the batsmen friendly flat wickets in the subcontinent. eg: Among his five big hundreds & 97 which were scored in the second innings, except two hundreds all are scored on the batting wickets only. VIEW THREAD
Week 14: 2010-02-22 to 2010-03-1
Question of the Week : D. SRINIVAS
So much of debate has been going on around the world about the condition of pitches (batsmen friendly) in the Indian subcontinent. Dale Steyn returned his career best figure of 7-51, and became the seventh best by a visiting fast bowler on Indian soil. Despite being a ‘graveyard’ for the fast bowlers, Dale Steyn’s performance proves that there is definitely something for fast bowlers even on the flat wickets if they perfected the art. What do you say? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Dharun Thiyagarajan
Question : Will events like IPL and CLt20 and other t20 events be the downfall of the youngsters in the longer formats of the game due to aggressive attitude and not the composure to handle test cricket?Share your views on this.

Answer : You can’t dream of building a super structure without a strong foundation. Tournaments like IPL, CLT20, and other tournaments certainly affect the youngster’s game if they have little exposure to the longer version of the game. The foundation for all cricketers can be achieved only by playing the longer version of the game. Players have got all the time in the world to develop and sharpen their skills in the best possible way. The ability to build partnership, the ability to hold the innings together is not needed in T20 as it’s more of power hitting. That’s why a good Test cricketer is able to play any form of the game without much effort. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Dharun Thiyagarajan
Question : First Test between SA and India was very fascinating.But it only a 2 test match series.Is it good to organise only 2 tests between top 2 teams? What could be more fascinating than watching the race b/w No. 1 and No.2?

Answer : This is one area where the organizers are working hard to set it right. With so much cricket being played today and also new tournaments like IPL , CLT20 being included in the cricketing calendar, last minute changes have been the order of the day. I guess even this tour of South Africa to India didn’t have a test series planned before. The problem with 5 test series or 7 is that it tends to dilute the interest levels and the spectators have an overdose. Players also are not able to cope up with their fitness and they are incapable of giving their 100%.Eventually 5 match test series were reduced to three matches and now it further truncated. The ideal would be a three match test series between the top two test teams in the world. With good sportive wickets, even a five match series is palatable. VIEW THREAD
Week 15: 2010-03-2 to 2010-03-9
Question of the Week : ashan vijay
The most successful Odi teams in the world now namely australia ,india and southafrica are the ones with best opening batters.Australia top the list with win loss ratio 0f 2.52 thanks largely to watson and co followed by southafrica with 2.6 and india with 1.44 and off late really doing well courtesy viru and gauti. Do you think in odi cricket the onus is on batsmen with the higher number of power plays and teams success largely depends on how effective they are which this stats seem to indicate.Whats your take on this. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : keshav poddar
Question : is sachin ramesh tendulkar has surpassed from sir donald bradman in greatest batsman ever?

Answer : He only has those records because he has played hundreds of matches, I still get a laugh every time some batsman gets congratulated for scoring more runs than Bradman when they have played 3 times as many matches, there are 2 ways to break records... 1) Score a significantly higher number of runs per match than everyone else 2) Play more matches Even if Tendulkar's records are beaten by Ponting or Kallis or whoever they are all just doing it by playing lots of matches their achievements are nowhere near as great as Lara or Sobers or Jack Hobbs (Sobers didnt miss a match in 20 years yet he played only half as many matches as Tendulkar), Tendulkar took 21 Tests more than Lara to beat his record, by your logic anybody who plays for long enough will be the greatest ever, you're entitled to your opinion but dont expect everybody to agree with you. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Question : It seems both T20 and ODI require players who can play a better cricket rather than their experience and seniority. Despite absence of Gambhir, Yuvraj, Z. Khan, H. Bhajan etc., Indians could able to reach the destination. But when it comes to the test cricket no doubt it really needs experience. My question is in today’s cricket around the world; does the limited overs cricket (ODI & T20) really need senior & experienced cricketers? what are your comments?

Answer : Hi Srinivas, Though India went into the first ODI without the four regular ODI players they still had the other senior and experienced players to replace the missing players. As such there were no debutants for India in yesterday's match. There were young players but most of them were experienced. With Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dhoni, Nehra, Raina and Sreesanth there was no dearth of senior players as well. And as far as whether they are required in today's cricket. Yes they are very much required for cricket's survival if not for the team's performance. The common cricket fan follows the game only because his hero is playing the game. If we did a survey on why people turn up for a cricket match in huge numbers we would know the majority of them come there to watch the player who has been there for some time. This explains the fact why first class cricket doesn't attract huge crowd even if there is no entry fee. In world cup matches too we witness this lack of attendence when the clash is between minnows. Whatever be the format of cricket you still need the Sehwags, Sachins, Pontings, Muralis, Laras, Afridis and so on to bring life to the game! VIEW THREAD
Week 16: 2010-03-10 to 2010-03-17
Question of the Week :
VIEW THREAD
Week 17: 2010-03-18 to 2010-03-25
Question of the Week : Kapil Kumar B. Lomeo
One should learn how to boost the confidence of a youngster by Gilchrist. He let bowled Jaskaran Singh the final over of the the opening match. Though one might say it cost them with a loss at the end of the match but only Gilchrist and Jaskaran know what they did for each other. I pray such feeling should instill in our selectors also who count out many players through 1 or 2 performance. What do you think? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Dharun Thiyagarajan
Question : sachin has made almost every record on one dayers..when he was shifted to opening slot in 1993,he turned things around..is it possible for no.3 or no.4 to make those sort of records in onedayers,simply because opnere has chance to play maximum part in 50 overs and score more than any middle order batsman?

Answer : Just because you are promoted to the opening slot doesn’t guarantee you to score runs. Technique, temperament and attitude of the batsman are essential here. The numbers of overs under your belt is an added advantage to score more but still you will have play really well to create and break records. The batsman who can play spin and quickies well and one who can score all round the wicket with ease can make a mark as an opener. Having many shots in the kitty for a delivery and the ability to change gears at any moment are some of the traits that are required for the batsman to excel. Power plays, fielding restriction will help the opener cause and he must try to destroy the opposition bowling morale in order to give a clear advantage to the team. Openers in ODI are more likely to set records but cricket is an interesting game. You never know, anything is possible. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Question : IPL3 opened its account with a bang. KKR managed to squeeze in a narrow victory, thanks to DC batsmen who made a mess with weird shot selection. In T20 why do the batsmen go on a self destruct mode when they were in a commanding position? Is it because of spirited bowling by the fielding team or lack of application?

Answer : Hi mate, It is surprising that you asked a question like this? Isn't that the beauty of cricket? You slip down from a commanding position and cause an unexpected twist which makes the spectators sit upright! And then you catch up from behind and cause a turn-around from a hopeless situation! All these are part and parcel of the great game of cricket. Ofcourse it is the never-say-die attitude and spirited skills of all the players involved that enlivens a cricket game. In T20 especially the required run rate is almost always 6+ which makes the batting side to be under pressure even when everything seems to go their way. A few dot balls are sufficient to disturb the batsman and lure him into commiting a mistake. if it is a foregone conclusion that the team which is in a commanding would win, then will there be any life in a T20 cricket match? VIEW THREAD
Week 18: 2010-03-26 to 2010-04-2
Question of the Week : D. SRINIVAS
In T20 cricket it is an accepted fact that unconventional strokes are the norm rather than the exception. But, where have gone all the innovative strokes like switch hit, dilscoop etc., in IPL3? Instead, the lofted extra cover drives, the conventional sweep, the violent slog sweep and scoring runs in the V seem to be back in fashion. That is the reason why players like Jacques Kallis, Robin Uthappa, Saurabh Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Ravi Bopara etc., excelling in IPL3. What is your take on this? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : jagadish tulagapu
Question : Two years ago, there was a lot of criticism from people about Kallis that he couldn't play T20 cricket. But, now in IPL3 Jacques Kallis is in excellent touch and his amazing run at the IPL continued as he made 65, 89, 44, 66 and is yet to be dismissed in the tournament. What really makes him to be too good in IPL despite people called him not fit for T20? And, how often we can see consistent performers like Kallis in an uncertain format of T20?

Answer : Hi Srinivas, I think Kallis is too good a player in any format of the game, he is probably the most underrated allrounder in the world of cricket. See a good test player can play any format to perfection. Kallis has just come in to IPL from the succesful domestic T20 championship in South Africa, he won the trophy for the team over there. So he is really in good form. And even the other Royal Challengers batsmen are doing favour in allowing Kallis to play his natural game i.e controlled aggression making his life easy. It is too early to comment whether he is at the peak form in T20 format, let us wait and see. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Srinath H. R.
Question : IS the rich IPL forcing players to play and in order of doing that they get injured and are not able to represent their nation.DO you think money is getting bigger than national duties??Get in with your views.

Answer : I’m not sure why many like you think that IPL is the cause of injuries to many players. Players can get injured when they are playing in the nets, exercising or even while walking in their garden! Just because IPL is a pretty long drawn tournament doesn't mean that players keep getting injured frequently. It’s true that IPL is a big money spinner, but I think that they have taken enough care about player burn-out issues. All teams get enough rest between their matches and the rotational policies of all teams means that a majority of the players get optimum rest. Also, consider the amount of time a player spends on the field in the 195 minutes of action that occurs. Very few bat for the entire innings and each bowler can bowl a maximum of 4 overs, which, I think, is in no way a burden. T-20 format is taking rapid strides precisely due to this reason – the players wouldn’t have to spend the whole day at the stadium and even the spectators and television viewers need out sweat it out by spending their whole day at the stadium or stay glued to their television sets. The sponsoring brands get a lot of attention due to IPL’s global appeal and the team owners can rake in the moolah as well. Players earn well and it’s wholesome entertainment for the spectators and TV viewers. So it’s a win-win situation for everyone. The game of cricket always takes the centre-stage and money comes next. Playing for the nation will be the topmost priority for any cricketer and IPL is in no way trying to change that notion. VIEW THREAD
Week 19: 2010-04-3 to 2010-04-10
Question of the Week : P. ARULMANI
When people want to see innovation on the part of the bowlers to contain batsmen in the IPL, the bowlers seem to have other ideas, they are keeping it pretty straight and simple. Yes, it is back to the basics, keeping to a good line and length, cramping the batsmen for room, bowling to the field, experimenting very little were strategies employed by the leading bowlers of the tournament such as Murali, Mallinga, Tait, Vass, Pravinkumar, Vinaykumar, & Nannes. All these bowlers have come to grips with the shorter version so effectively that one gets a feeling that the contest would become more intense between the bat and the ball soon. How do you view the situation? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Dharun Thiyagarajan
Question : When people want to see innovation on the part of the bowlers to contain batsmen in the IPL, the bowlers seem to have other ideas, they are keeping it pretty straight and simple. Yes, it is back to the basics, keeping to a good line and length, cramping the batsmen for room, bowling to the field, experimenting very little were strategies employed by the leading bowlers of the tournament such as Murali, Mallinga, Tait, Vass, Pravinkumar, Vinaykumar, & Nannes. All these bowlers have come to grips with the shorter version so effectively that one gets a feeling that the contest would become more intense between the bat and the ball soon. How do you view the situation?

Answer : Truly said Arul. In the name of innovation, bowlers are only belted for more runs than those who stick to the basics. The great advantage when a bowler chooses to bowl wicket to wicket is that when a batsman misses, he is immediately rewarded with a wicket. Slow balls have been useful in T20 but one must admit the usage has been on the higher side wherein the batsman is able to get away with it. IPL3 so far, there is something for the bowlers. Scores of 170, 160 odd have been hard to reach. We saw some close encounters when team chasing 160 or 170 runs. Bowlers who have the ability to bowl more in the block hole area have troubled the batsmen more than often. If there is a good fight between bat and ball in this format of the game, it’s always an added luxury. It will make the game more interesting and it would be a treat to watch. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Srinath H. R.
Question : Bowling short seems to be the new mantra for success to control the batsmen in IPL T20. Is it a good trait to follow given that batsmen look all at sea trying to negotiate it? Will this be something we will see more in the coming World Cup happening in West Indies which is known for bouncy tracks? What do you say?

Answer : Bowling short is nothing new in cricket. In T-20 cricket, bowlers soon realized that they can’t survive the onslaught of batsmen for long as the rules are structured heavily in favour of them. They wanted to come up with something not only to restrict the batsman, but also as a weapon to take wickets. As not all bowlers have the pace to rattle batsmen, most of them went back to the classical style of bowling bouncers. Very few batsmen can play the short-pitched stuff well. Batsmen, especially in the sub-continent, find it much tougher to handle it as they are not all that used to play on bouncy tracks. The usage of short-stuff in T-20 came to the fore in last year’s T-20 World Cup when many Indian batsmen were ‘bounced-out’ by opposition bowlers. Our batsmen were found lacking in the skill of handling such stuff and they had to pay a heavy price by being knocked-out early in the tournament. Bowling short is no mean task and it requires a lot of stamina. If the bowler gets it wrong, he can be pulled or hooked by the batsman. Also, the direction of the bouncers has to be precise. It’s good to see bowlers have their say in a few matches in IPL 3. I remember the days when the West Indies pace juggernaut used to pepper the batsmen the world over with sharp bouncers and found tremendous success. Instead of blaming the batsmen-friendly rules, bowlers need to think out-of-the-box to succeed and smart bouncers are one of their potent weapons. We will certainly see more of it in the Caribbean. VIEW THREAD
Week 20: 2010-04-11 to 2010-04-18
Question of the Week : JOSE GRACIOUS
Each highly rated players were selected by each team and were given very huge amount for their contract. Considering the contribution by these players to their respective teams, it was not at all justified. Other young players were contributing much more than these players. Why can't we have a system for grading the players according to their contribution from next year onwards? The contract amount should also be fixed according to their contribution for their teams in the last three years. Won't this really help to have a realistic parameter in considering the contract amount for each and every player irrespective of their status? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Question : No doubt that the IPL is getting popular and popular each day. But is it not right that it is taking a heavy toll on the players? I suppose the affect will be evident in the coming T20 World Cup.The day is not far when the top players shall not be that interested to play for their countries than they are for their franchises. Too much of anything is bad.

Answer : Players like Kallis and Steyn have said that the need for rest for players is very minimal in the T20 format. SO the IPL is taking heavy toll of the players is an exaggerated statement. Because we have matches on a daily basis it looks as though every player is involved but the fact is there is enough off-days between matches for all the teams. Also the physical strain of actual playing lasts only for about four hours. Out of the 14 matches for each team 7 matches are played at home grounds thereby reducing the need to travel. In span of 45 days travelling within the country for 7 away matches shouldn't be that big a problem. On the whole the format is not taking a toll and professional players can take the stress and manage themselves. IPL is fun for everyone involved without a doubt! VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Aditya Venkata Ch
Question : Each highly rated players were selected by each team and were given very huge amount for their contract. Considering the contribution by these players to their respective teams, it was not at all justified. Other young players were contributing much more than these players. Why can't we have a system for grading the players according to their contribution from next year onwards? The contract amount should also be fixed according to their contribution for their teams in the last three years. Won't this really help to have a realistic parameter in considering the contract amount for each and every player irrespective of their status?

Answer : Good Question, see all the money given to a player is not for performance but also brand building, attracting sponsors, getting in crowds and other stuff matters as well. For example consider Chennai Super Kings, it has a huge fan following in all parts of the country and it can largely if not entirely be attributed to MS Dhoni leading them, if not all , many of his fans support CSK. They might buy tickets for a CSK match in their city, buy merchandise etc as well. Would CSK have such a following all over India if for example Dinesh Karthik was its captain? But when players like Ishant and Co don't perform this question seems to be valid. KKR at present is playing U19 (Unadkat and Abdulla) players ahead of him! In my opinion there should be 2 components for the player pay packages and they should be updated each year rather than same salary for 3 years, like for example if a player gets paid 1 million dollars a year for playing for a franchise in the IPL, 50% of it should be fixed and 50% based on performance of the team as well as the individual. A robust system to judge individual performance has to be put in place. The franchises can add it as a performance bonus like football clubs do for winning titles etc, In cricket it is much easier to gauge the performance by numbers etc rather than in football, the sooner this is done better for IPL and the bigger starts cannot sit on their pay packet and rest, and also to counter the problem of smaller players getting lower performance bonuses there should be a minimum limit like say 20-30 lakhs which should be paid to a player for his performance ( a benchmark has to be drawn for this), this would definitely help the domestic cricketers If the IPL Governing Council implements the system it would be transparent rather than creating more conflicts between the players and the franchises It's a long shot, but even if a part of what i said would be implemented it would be a step in the right direction! VIEW THREAD
Week 21: 2010-04-19 to 2010-04-26
Question of the Week : Varun Shetty
None of the players who were bought at high prices in the second auction have clicked this season. Do you think the talent scouts got their perceptions completely wrong? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Question : Is IPL the initiation of an era of commercialized cricket entertainment? Well i fear that a time may come when players will prefer playing for their clubs than for their nations seeing the money,glamour extravaganza involved in the IPL. Recent statement by Robin Singh, the coach of the Mumbai Indians reaffirms the same. the IPL has as well benn called the Injured premiere league, with many indian and foreign players getting injured. What are your thoughts on it?

Answer : The world moves in the direction where it can find wealth, fame and all the other material benefits easily and in plenty. When the IT Industry was on a boom everyone wanted to become a computer engineer or at least have a certificate of some kind in computer leteracy. It is only natural. One always wants one's share of the cake! I don't understand why people should fear if players prefer their clubs rather than their nations. Afterall, cricket is a spot and not a war between nations. The purpose of the game is to provide entertainment to those who play and those who watch it! If IPL can provide the same excitement and intensity that we experience from a match between Australia and India, then I think there is no reason for anybody to complain. If a match can push you to the edge of your seat with unexpected twists and suspense, makes you jump with joy and forces you to scream with excitement, what does it mater whether it is a match between South Africa Vs India or MI Vs RCB? World has shrunk mate, if cricket is going to play a role in bringing down the national barriers we should only be happy about and not fear it! VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Question : We have seen that now a days t 20 is happening too much all over. As the speed of the game is too fast. the players are getting too much stress and tournaments like ipl does not give players a time for rest. They travel one day and practice other day and play the game countinuously this will lead to injury to many players. players are of domestic or international but ultimately it creates loss to the cricket. So any rules regarding the number of matches played by each player should be fixed so that the fitness should be maintain and the game of cricket does not get loss of players?

Answer : First of all why people are trying to establish without sufficient evidence or support that players are getting too much stress and injuries, while the fact is players seem to enjoy the tournament and are excited about being involved in IPL tournament. The only people who are complaining are the players woh are rested. Look mate, a performer always wants action. And in India if you are a cricketer you want more action. You always want to be in the thick of the action. Players retired decades back want to join the IPL Mela. Such is the fun, excitement, money, fame, exposure the IPL is providing for all concerned. Even the people who hate T20 cricket (like me), do not see IPL as something negative to the cricketing community. Just take a look at the sports pages of any Newspaper today, you can see IPL-special columns by all the leading local, national and international stars. There is no need for any special rules or laws to regulate the players mate, they are professionals who know how to take good care of them. Only we the fans need to understand and accept the changes that are happening so fast in the game we love so much. VIEW THREAD
Week 22: 2010-04-27 to 2010-05-4
Question of the Week : laxman vernekar
The Orange Cap is awarded to player who scores maximum runs. But T20 is all about momentum, strike rates, fours and sixes etc. So will it not be prudent to include the factors such as strike rates, number of fours and sixes and value of the innings to the team to take into consideration while awarding The Orange CAP? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Question : The performance of Robin Uthappa is better than Murli Vijay, then why the board has selected Vijay for World Cup in the place of Sehwag?

Answer : I don't agree with you mate though I too would have preferred Uthappa ahead of M.Vijay in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup. If you are talking about their performance in IPL-3, M. Vijay's performance is slightly better than Uthappa's. While Uthappa has scored 374 in 14 innings at an average of 31.16 with a highest score of 68 not out and a strike rate of 171.55, M Vijay has scored 417 from 13 innings at an average of 37.90 with a highest score of 127 and a strike rate of 158.55. The statistical evidence clearly proves who was better. More importantly if you considered the qualitative parameters also Vijay outperforms Uthappa easily. Vijay had to open the batting in the company of Hayden who was bitterly out of form. On many occasions Vijay had to curb his tendency to play aggressively and see the side through in the company of Raina and Badrinath. Uthappa enjoyed a better and in-form batting line up that took so much of pressure off his shoulders which allowed him to play his natural game. While Uthappa kept the wickets beautifully for RCB (6 catches and 3 stumpings in 15 matches) Vijay was excellent in the out-field and took some crucial catches ( 8 Catches in 13 matches). I feel if performance in IPL-3 was a deciding factor then Vijay's selection is fully justified! VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : JOSE GRACIOUS
Question : Is Dhoni irritated by the presence of some senior players as they are potential threat to his captaincy ?

Answer : Dear Jagdish, Captaincy of the Mational team is the most a player can achieve and if he is successful in his stinct as captain, he will be remembered forever in the history. Dhoni like players are professionals and they are appointed as captain due to their ability to lead the team in all circumstances. Every individual is unique and different as the same for every captain. Every captain has got his own ideas and he implies it in the ground. Maybe at times this technique won't be successful and we blame the captain for the mistake. In a game, winning and loosing are part and parcel of it. Coming to your question, this is not the first Dhoni is leading a team with seniors. He had done it so many times in the past and had done a splendid job as captain. We should actually appraise Dhoni for leading such a team with lot of senior players as well as past captains(Sachin, Ganguly, Dravid, Kumble, Sehwag, Yuvraj) at a time in his side. The role of captain is very mportant and only a talented and bright player can do that with such an ease as what Dhoni is doing. So, I don't think that there is any tension in this regard. Everybody respect Dhoni as the Captain and the team performs as a single unity. VIEW THREAD
Week 23: 2010-05-5 to 2010-05-12
Question of the Week :
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Week 24: 2010-05-13 to 2010-05-20
Question of the Week : P. ARULMANI
M. Hussey proved beyond any doubt that nothing is impossible in T20 cricket until the game is over! Pakistan learnt the hard way that a team doesn't have the liberty to relax even if it enjoys the upper hand momentarily. The positional advantage vanishes into thin air in no time. As this is the reality as far as T20 format is concerned, can you think of any formula / strategy which can gurantee consistent success in T20? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Amit Mahajan
Question : M. Hussey proved beyond any doubt that nothing is impossible in T20 cricket until the game is over! Pakistan learnt the hard way that a team doesn't have the liberty to relax even if it enjoys the upper hand momentarily. The positional advantage vanishes into thin air in no time. As this is the reality as far as T20 format is concerned, can you think of any formula / strategy which can gurantee consistent success in T20?

Answer : Dont arrive at a conclusion after one close match. Cricket in any form is a funny game and the match can change within moments. We can not really predict the results till the last ball is bowled. I would like you to recall the 1999 WC Semifinal match between Australia and South Africa. Why so far, I would like to draw your attention to the ODI between India and Srilanka where India scored 413 odd runs and just managed a victory by 2 runs. how can you forget the ODI between India and NZ when India was chasing a meagre 196 and were comfortably placed at 181/2. The lost all but one wicket in their chase and just managed a victory. Can you recall the Chappel Hadlee trophy match which was won by NZ chasing 345 odd runs after being 44/5. These were a few ODI examples. Now let me come to the longer version of the game. India SouthAfrica Test in Feb 2010, India managed the last wicket with just 10 balls to spare. Can u really forget the 2 tied test matches. England SA 1st test in the last series when the Africans failed to get the last wicket in 20 odd balls. These all are some good examples of the fact that Cricket is really unpredictable till the last ball is bowled and the only formulae to be successful is to play as well as you can. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Bhalaji N
Question : T20 and fair play doesn't go together. Rajasthan Royals were not the best team of the tournament when they won the finals of the first edition in 2008. Yet, they still have the potential bomb Yousuf Pathan at their disposal that could shatter the best of the teams any day if explodes! That is why I say T20 isn't cricket! Do you agree with me?

Answer : NO. T20 has bridged the gaps between the teams significantly. There is scope for more upsets. No team can relax at any time against any opposition. This will help in globalization of cricket. Shorter is sweeter, smaller the better. That is the norm with any field these days. When huge computers can give way to/co-exist with smaller laptops and still smaller ipads, why not new shorter format innovations in cricket? With the new generation's attention spans getting shorter & shorter, I think T20 is a wonderful & innovative Next-Generation cricket that is here to stay. With ODIs/Tests being little more predictable, T20 helps us see why cricket is called a game of glorious uncertainties. VIEW THREAD
Week 25: 2010-05-21 to 2010-05-28
Question of the Week :
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Week 26: 2010-05-29 to 2010-06-5
Question of the Week :
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Week 27: 2010-06-6 to 2010-06-13
Question of the Week : Amarish B Nagori
Has BCCI done right thing by not sending Indian cricket team for T20 games to the Asian Games in November 2010, despite India being the initiator getting the cricket included in the Asian Games. India will be hosting New Zealand for three tests and five one-day internationals in November. We have enough number of players to form two teams, one team for Asian Games & other team to play against New Zealand. Should BCCI reconsider its decision before the June 16 deadline for entries as asked by Asian Cricket Council? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Dharun Thiyagarajan
Question : AB de Villiers seems to be doing a great job keeping wickets for South Africa ? It also gives the option of having an extra batsman or an extra all rounder. So is this the end for Mark Boucher ? Does other teams follow suit for their preparations before the World cup in India ?

Answer : A skilled sailor is your best bet to get out of a rough deep sea. The significance of proper wicket keeping is undermined in world cricket today. This shows teams are only looking to strengthen their batting line up giving least importance to other department. When you have a stopgap wicket keeper, the possibility of taking wickets through stumping and effecting run outs takes a back seat. This can seriously dent the performance of the fielding team. Teams which tend to contain the batsman have been least successful than teams who would go for the kill. I’m a firm believer of specialist ruling the game. If your top 5 batsmen are not able to put the runs on board, then you can’t expect the others to score as well. AB de villers is not the best option for South Africa which has bowlers of the quality of Steyn, Morkel, and Kallis etc. Though AB performed well against a weakened West Indies side, I don’t find him keeping wickets against stronger oppositions. It won’t be surprising if other teams follows suit and do some experimentation until they strike balance. At the end of the day what really matters is winning and the best way of doing it is bestow the responsibility on your specialist players. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Amarish B Nagori
Question : Though India lost in T20 World Cup, people still pinning hopes on Team India. They are thinking of a sparkling win in the Asia cup. If India manages to win the Asia Cup, will it mean that India is a revival path for the World Cup?

Answer : As we say ‘Umeed pe duniya kayam hai’. Life is nothing but full of hopes otherwise it would have been hopeless. The same is true for sports & therefore in cricket also, despite poor & losing performance by Indian team in recent T20 WC 2010 the cricket loving people of the India & cricket fans will always hope that Indian team will bounce back & win the next match & next match.., may be series and also major tournaments. As far as Asia cup is concerned it is 50 over one day matches and therefore approach of the Indian team and the relevant authorities should be different than that of T20 WC 2010. It will be crucial & important how the present Indian Team performs in the Tri-series at Zimbabwe. It also needs to be seen which team is selected for the Asia cup to be played after the recent series in mid June 2010? The World Cup 2011 still app. 9 months to go and ample opportunity for Indian team & authorities to be back on revival path or winning path with number of matches schedule for all format of game. If India wins present Tri-series, thereafter Asia Cup and any other matches or tournament it should be considered a positive and winning habit should be maintained till & for the world cup. And if not a win, winning approach & fighting spirit to win every match will also be helpful to go & play World Cup 2011. Finally, it is our hope & wishful thinking for Indian cricket team that we are on the Castrol ExpertFanSpeak conversation. VIEW THREAD
Week 28: 2010-06-14 to 2010-06-21
Question of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Tendulkar is the 'Jewel of India', M S Dhoni is 'Captain Cool', Dravid is the 'Wall' and Laxman is 'Mr Cricket', Sehwag is the 'Master Blaster'. We are satisfied with our past glories and care a damn about making improvements in every aspect of our game. We close our eyes to the outside world. England is making giant improvements in every department of its game, Zimbabwe is silently becoming somebody! Why, even Pakistan is attempting to plug all the holes in their sinking ship! Most of the competent teams are making positive changes and moving ahead confidently with an eye on the World Cup 2011. Are we in the right path as far as World Cup is concerned? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Dharun Thiyagarajan
Question : Noone since Bradman has built massive scores as often and as fast as Brain Lara.501*,400*,375,277,etc are huge figures that the world still looks back with pride and admiration.It isn't often that legends like Brain Lara are born to reserve a permanent place in the history books of cricket.His guidance will definitely help the West Indian team to perform well.Why is that Brain Lara not coaching the West Indian team ?

Answer : Brian Lara is a beautiful poem in the book of cricket. Renowned for his ability to play huge innings when on song. He crafts his innings with a touch of artistry and very few players can match that kind of pedigree. He is a once in a generation cricketer to have played the game of cricket and the emptiness that prevails ever since his departure from the international arena is hard to digest as a cricket lover. No one could replace him. Talking about West Indies cricket, they enjoyed their stint at the top of the mountain in the 70’s 80’s and after that just toppled. They are at the bottom of the mountain failing to analyze their root cause for their decline and also they are ignorant of the fact that the cricketing world has changed with the advent of technology and the related stuff. There is always a fight between WICB and the players even during Lara’s period. Personally I wouldn’t put the blame on the players. The region has produced athletes of the likes of Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell etc and that’s the breeding ground for some of the best sportsmen in the world. So it’s the administrators who are responsible for the state of West Indies cricket today. On Brian Lara coaching the national side, he would be of immense help to any side mate. Tons and Tons of experience from a player who single-handedly destroyed opposition bowling line-ups and his experience would be great help to budding young Caribbean cricketers. But his effectiveness would be limited if he is to act as a puppet of the WICB. The team will suffer if the coach and the cricket board have conflict of interest. Given the background of the infamous duels between Lara and WICB in the past, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lara turns down the offer. But in cricket you never certain, anything is possible. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Girish Chandra Kar
Question : Tendulkar is the 'Jewel of India', M S Dhoni is 'Captain Cool', Dravid is the 'Wall' and Laxman is 'Mr Cricket', Sehwag is the 'Master Blaster'. We are satisfied with our past glories and care a damn about making improvements in every aspect of our game. We close our eyes to the outside world. England is making giant improvements in every department of its game, Zimbabwe is silently becoming somebody! Why, even Pakistan is attempting to plug all the holes in their sinking ship! Most of the competent teams are making positive changes and moving ahead confidently with an eye on the World Cup 2011. Are we in the right path as far as World Cup is concerned?

Answer : Dear Friend,first of all'Mr Cricket' is not Laxman,it's Dravid and Mike Hussey.Similarly,Sehwag is not 'Master blaster',it's Sachin.You have pointed out the positive side of England,Pakistan and Australia and meanwhile put the negative sides of Team India.These surnames are there because Cricket is the most popular in India unlike other countries where Cricketers are treated as god.A 2nd string Indian team that went to Zimbabwe,played wel to some extent.We lost that series but that does not mean we are not preparing for 2011 WC.Dinda,Ashwin were the find of the series and also we saw Rohit and Pragyan in outstanding form.After rest,the seniors are expected to perform to their potential and win the Asia Cup after 15 years.So,yes we are in the right path.But as far as team selection is concerned,Robin Uthappa should be given a chance after he is fit as he can be an opener cum wicket keeper.Also Irfan Pathan can be tested as he's the best available medium pacer cum all rounder in India at the moment. VIEW THREAD
Week 29: 2010-06-22 to 2010-06-29
Question of the Week : keshav poddar
Why is leading a Twenty20 side different and more difficult than leading in other formats? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : amol kanitkar
Question : Lots is being debated about the preparation in run up to the ICC WC 2011. ICC WC 2011 tournament is one day matches – 50/50 over tournament. What according to you, selectors should focus on – player’s performance purely in one day matches or all-round performance of player in test matches, one day matches & also T20 matches? Whether only International performance of the player (ODI only or also other format) should count or focus should also be on domestic performance of any player? Why?

Answer : Well certainly everyone is looking around for "Hows INDIA going about its WC preparation " and selectors n Board I think are the one who are doing most of the thinking. Well ,if you speak about actions the team for ASIA cup says all. Here we have are our seniors who know how to tackle pressure along with youngsters who have performed at domestic circuit and made their way till here. Also there were speculations regarding fitness and fielding performance and the team management seems to have taken this issue seriously as well ( just read a report on indiatimes which says that change is seen in the ways things are going aroun in the indian camp ) . So we are certainly moving in the right direction towards WC 2011. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : -‘Abhinav Shankar’-
Question : as we see indian team touch so many glory in past two years with the coach garry kirsten. At the time all players click well and getting praised by all. They get all the credit no one clapped for coach. But as soon as the darkness touch the team the coach suddenly come into picture for critisism. So don't you think that it is unfair for coaches because no one praise him in success but all critisise him in bad time?

Answer : Its Not That Coaches Go Unnoticed. Coaches Are Like The Bark Of A Tree. Without A bark A tree Wont Expand Hence Wont Give You Fruits. And When A Tree Doesnt Give You A Fruit What Do You Do. Cut Its Bark. Thats Whats Happening With All Coaches Around The world. If The team performs ( Giving A Fruit) The Coaches Dont Get The Credit. But If A Team Fails The Coach gets The Cut. In Other Words , When A team Wins Players Performance Overpowers the Coaches Contribution But In Case Of A Loss The Coach Becomes An Easy Target As It Becomes A Stratigical loss . And The Coach Is Always Responsible For Strategy. VIEW THREAD
Week 30: 2010-06-30 to 2010-07-7
Question of the Week : P. ARULMANI
If you see world wide the teams are being regrouped and selectors are trying to strike a balance between proven talent and potential youth. Pakistan has called back many of their senior pros and are doing well as a team, notwithstanding the losses in Asia Cup and even England is counting on their experienced players in the on going one day series against Australia. South Africa too are relying on their seasoned professionals. The selectors of respective sides have done this with an eye on the 2011 ICC ODI World cup obviously! The have naturally wanted the sides to settle down with a few tournments / series before the teams became ready for the world cup. Should India also follow suit by bringing back some of the outstanding players like Dravid, Tendulkar, Uthappa, Yuvraj, Irfan Pathan etc. well ahead of the World Cup and expose them in ODIs or shoud they stick with their current team and hope for the young guns to deliver? Please share your views VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : laxman vernekar
Question : ICC is keeping an eye on Cricket Australia’s experiment of split innings in ODI matches. Another possible change in the format of the game. Is it fair to keep changing the formats or playing competitive cricket would be more attractive? Where do we draw the line?

Answer : We already have T20. The prime reason for its success is the shorter duration and not the game. So if you start feeding nonstop double whammy for the paying audience, it will be an overdose and that will gradually diminish the interest in T20 too. Do not copy the format and try to kill the golden goose. Secondly, success of IPL is endemic and people really wait for it eagerly as its a once in a year carnival. Even we do find WC T20 is a pale shadow of IPL. On the other hand ODI will be played round the corner. So its foolish to assume that ODI in split innings format and copied in the line of T20 will make it interesting and a success. I feel that the changes should be made within the basic fabric of the format. Look into the concerns, analytically and also take a retrospective of the downfall. Cricket should be played in all three formats, TESTS, ODI and T20. They should be looked upon as three different levels of graduation. If T20 is schooling, then ODI is graduation and TESTS is the masters. And the whole problem is that those who administer the game are looking for short term gains. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : amol kanitkar
Question : Earlier most of the Test matches ended in draws. But lately, we have seen rising number of positive results in Test crickets. Do you think T20 and ODI cricket is effecting a change in Test cricket?

Answer : This is a very interesting perspective that some other format of the game affecting test cricket . But in fact it happens to be true. If you take a look at figures such as run rate , % of matches that produce a result for tests and average difference between winning and loosing team , avg score per innings for ODI's then we see at least 20% improvement. So effect is quite visible . But another aspect is that if you see the test squad of top 3 nations then hardly 30% players play 20-20 and max 60% play ODI for their country. Also players like Sehwag who has contributed largely to high run rate in tests in past 2 yrs is playing in the same manner way before T20 format started. In short T20 has only changed the mindset of players , rest benefits had to come :-) VIEW THREAD
Week 31: 2010-07-8 to 2010-07-15
Question of the Week : Padma
It is said a Captain is only as good as his team. But having said that we have seen Great Captains leading teams with even limited utility to great successes. Similarly it is not easy to lead teams with Star power and talent as convincing the bunch to accept one's view and gaining regard is much more difficult. Which of the two do you think is difficult and serves as a yard stick to identify great captains? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : amol kanitkar
Question : Without any doubt Sachin is best batsman ever in both formats of game.And those who were suspicious about his ability to play in T20 had to eat their words.He was highest run scorer in IPL3. Now comes the real question, Indian team tumble like cards in T20 World cup,Now whats the use of all those runs Sachin made in IPL. He retired from International T20 but if he can play 40 day long tournament and over 15 matches in IPL,Couldnt he play 5 to 6 matches and serve the country ? I m great fan of Sachin but to be honest dont u think that he should have given more preference to International cricket rather than Domestic tournament?

Answer : Well its a fact that "IF" Sachin would had played the world cup then his performance in IPL would had certainly helped INDIA greatly . But the person we are talking about is Sachin ; whos playing for past 18 yrs now n I think whatever his decision was ; it was the best for the country . Also one point to be noted that Sachin was also not present in first T2o world cup . Now whether he opted out or team mgmt wanted to play youngsters still remains a topic of suspence . Also we need to consider the difference between IPL n WC 1.Amount of pressure on self since every game is virtual knockout ( Not the case with IPL ) 2.WC was in different nation . Hence you have to stay with team n away from home for a longer time . ( Dont know what happens in IPL camps ) So in short i think everyone does the things that he thinks are the best . So dont worry ..cheers ...He's definitely playing WC 2011 VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Question : Records are made to be broken.........but still do you think these records are breakable..? * The highest number of international wickets in Tests and ODIs combined (1207 wickets) * The most 10-wicket hauls in a match at Test level (22). He is the only player to take 10 wickets/match against every Test playing nation. * The most 5-wicket hauls in an innings at Test level (66) * Fastest to reach 350 Fastest to 400 Fastest to 450, Fastest to 500 Fastest to 550 Fastest to 600 Fastest to 650 Fastest to 700 Fastest to 750 Probably will become Fastest to 800.. in terms of matches played. * Only player to take 10 wickets in a Test in four consecutive matches. Murali has achieved this feat twice.-probably the most difficult record to break * Only player to take 50 or more wickets against every Test playing nation. * Muralitharan and Jim Laker (England), are the only bowlers to have taken 9 wickets in a Test innings twice. * 7 wickets in an innings against the most countries (7). * Most Test wickets taken bowled , stumped caught & bowled * Bowled by Muralitharan (b Muralitharan) is the most common dismissal in Test cricket (excluding run out). * Most successful bowler/fielder (non-wicket keeper) combination - c Mahela Jayawardene b Muttiah Muralitharan (62). * Most number of Man of the Match awards in test cricket (18), jointly held with Jacques Kallis.

Answer : When asked about his record being broken in furture Gavaskar said immediately after scoring 10000 test runs ' Records are meant to be broken; but I will remain the first batsman to have reached the summit (of 10000 test runs). Same way all of Murali's records might be broken in future yet he will be remembered as the first one to have captured 1000 international wickets! Nobody can touch this record from him! VIEW THREAD
Week 32: 2010-07-16 to 2010-07-23
Question of the Week : Srinath H. R.
Let's give a break to the discussion on tests vs. one-dayers vs. T-20 and concentrate on the exciting test series between Australia-Pakistan and India-Sri Lanka. We'll have some rivetting contests for sure. What's your take? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Amarish B Nagori
Question : While playing the cricket ,it is always known that one team could dominate throughout for many years like for eg.Australia(2003-2007) and westindies(1975-1979), to maintain that status is almost difficult for any playing team.What could be the key to maintain the dominant momentum in the history cricket?

Answer : Any team needs to be well versed and should be in good form in all the department of the game, bowling, batting & fielding. Team needs to be extra-ordinary in atleast one department, like West Indies were in bowling department during their good times in the history of cricket. The pace attack of West Indices was fierce, with blowers like Holding, Andy Roberts, doing the damage to opposition batting side. In Recent past, Australia dominated the game of cricket with all round performance in all the formats of game. Australia has topped the "Test Championship Table" and "One-day International Championship Table” consistently in the 2000s. Team needs to have good quality players giving consistent performance and less prone to frequent injuries, assuring place in team. Above all professional approach toward the game as a team is important. You need to have team performance rather than piecemeal performances by couple of players. You also need to have a good coach and capable captain to lead the team for perpetual successes. So from good coach, to selection of team, captain having leadership quality, performance as a team on field, everything is important to maintain the dominant position in the history of cricket. Beside all the above factors, cricket team & the board should not be indulged in the off the field controversy, which is the problem for sub-continent teams. I think cricket team & respective authorities’ needs to concentrate purely on game of cricket to maintain the top position or dominant place for long spell in the history of cricket. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Rajeev Bhola
Question : This is last world cup to play for Sachin.Sachin have talent of cricket, national respect, seniority, experience,records ..... Is he deserve to given a chance of captainship for upcoming world cup?

Answer : Sorry dear, first of all we really don’t have any words to describe the success of “God of Indian Cricket”, look as we all know this is going to be the last world cup for sachin, now the condition is that, he is having his dream to win world cup for India and also he knows that this is the his last opportunity. Now he will be in great pressure because of following things. 1. Winning The World Cup 2. Performing In front of home crowd 3. His Last World Cup 4. and last but not least he knows the expectations of the Indian Fans to HIM. Then you ask to give him captaincy? No way dear how can we put him under more pressure by giving him this task. Let him free to play his natural game and perform his best of the best in his last world cup. VIEW THREAD
Week 33: 2010-07-24 to 2010-07-31
Question of the Week : P. ARULMANI
The event is over! We have lost. It is not as if the sky has fallen on our heads by just one loss, yet the way we approached the test match is very unbecoming of a No 1 ranked test team! We didn't look like the number 1 side either while fielding or while batting! We dropped as many as 5 catches and when batting we collapsed from decent positions in both the innings! Subtle aspects such as rhythm, communication, concentration etc. were visibly missing! Team India didn't seem to be enjoying the game right from day one and the team didn't look like a single entity! What do you think India should focus on to come back strongly into the series? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Padma
Question : With the current bowling options that India have, it is clear we would struggle to keep our No 1 position in test matches. When it comes to bowlers I think India should pick the best bowlers available in the country for test matches. I think we are not in a position to classify bowlers into test / ODI / T20 bowlers as Australia or England do! Afterall, we run into trouble if one Zaheer Khan is injured! The best option is to have the top four or five bowlers in the test squad. What's your take on this?

Answer : Classifying bowlers into Test/ODI/T20 can work only if we have enough talent pool. All our bowlers seem to get very tired after a year or two of International Cricket. Of the bowlers pool we have presently, Nehra and Munaf are Injury prone. Sreeshanth doesn know to handle himself and is prone to be erratic. Praveen seems not be the favourite dont know if it's Captain's or Coach's unwilling to play him. Ishant which ever format you play seems we cant count him for a bowler in current form.Irfan Pathan has become a forgotten name.So who else? Probably we should let our 'A' Team and reserve pool bowlers to play County and other club cricket to give better exposure and match practise so that they would be in match readiness. If this process begins now, I think one or two years down the line, we would have a pool to classify our bowlers to different formats. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : SUNIL MELWANI
Question : The event is over! We have lost. It is not as if the sky has fallen on our heads by just one loss, yet the way we approached the test match is very unbecoming of a No 1 ranked test team! We didn't look like the number 1 side either while fielding or while batting! We dropped as many as 5 catches and when batting we collapsed from decent positions in both the innings! Subtle aspects such as rhythm, communication, concentration etc. were visibly missing! Team India didn't seem to be enjoying the game right from day one and the team didn't look like a single entity! What do you think India should focus on to come back strongly into the series?

Answer : FIRST OF ALL HARBHAJAN SINGH SHOULD BECOME AN ATTACKING BOWLER AND NOT A DEFENSIVE BOWLER.RECENTLY HE IS BOWLING A LOT OF SHORT BALLS WHICH ARE BEING CUT WHICH IS NOT A GOOD SIGN FOR A SPINNER. HE HAS BECOME A BIT DEFENSIVE.THE TAIL HELD OUT IN THE SECOND INNINGS.IT IS STRANGE THEY HOLD OUT ONLY WHEN TRYING TO SAVE A MATCH.THIS PROVES THEY CAN BAT AND SHOULD TRY AND BAT THE SAME WAY IN EITHER INNINGS.DHONI MADE A MISTAKE MY SAYING HIS BOWLERS LACKED EXPERIENCE.MITHUN BOWLED BETTER THAN HARBHAJAN INSPITE OF BEING NEW.IS MR SINGH STILL INEXPERIENCED ? DHONI ALWAYS PUTS THE BLAME ON RIDICULOUS FACTORS LIKE HE DID IN THE T20 IN WEST INDIES. A CAPTAIN SHOULD INSPIRE INSTEAD OF GOING ON A FAULT FINDING MISSION. VIEW THREAD
Week 34: 2010-08-1 to 2010-08-8
Question of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Why didn't India try declaring their first innings at 443 (immediately after avoiding the follow on)and force Srilanka start their second innings much earlier (on the fourth day morning? That would have given the Indians at least an outside chance of a win instead of settling for a tame draw! Giving yourself a 25% chance is far better than givng no chance at all, isn't it? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Sudhakar G
Question : The Indian bowling line up has almost always been regarded as the weak factor. In the past it failed in matches abroad, but of late the bowlers have failed to deliver at home too. Have a look at these facts. Last year Sri Lanka scored their highest total 760 for 7 declared against India in India. In February 2010, South Africa rattled up 558 for 6 declared on their way to an innings victory on Indian soil. On the other hand, away from Indian soil in the process all sorts of batting records have been established by opposing batsmen against Indian bowling attack. In July 2008, Mahela Jayawardene and Prasanna Jayawardene broke a famous 73-year-old world record sixth wicket partnership held by Don Bradman and Jack Fingleton by putting together a stand of 351. Sri Lanka also hammered 600 for six declared while registering a huge innings and 239-runs victory with as many as four batsmen getting centuries against Indian bowling attack. The above facts clearly tell us the depth of Indian bowling. My question is, why Indian bowling always been a major concern as far as test cricket is concerned not only away from India but also even on Indian soil? and why we are unable to overcome this weakness? Please share your views

Answer : Indian bowling does appear very weak in the current series. No doubt about that. But to say that it is traditionally weak is not correct in my honest opinion. Bowlers have bad days, and sometimes it gets compounded by batsmen friendly wickets and poor fielding/catching. Tall scores are not confined only when India is bowling. This happens quite a lot in countries such as Sri Lanka, West Indies (since 2000s), Pakistan, and some specific grounds such as Sydney (day 1, 2, 3) and Adelaide. The number of batting records that have been broken recently are fairly high. Remember that Lara's 400 or 366 or Hayden's triple hundreds were not against India. And by the same yardstick, we have Veeru score two triple centuries. My theory is that tall scores have surfaced due to: a. Pitches have become extremely dull because of too much of cricket with cricket being played in all seasons and not enough juice left in the wicket to replenish itself. b. Bowlers are not innovative - thanks to restrictive bowling style needs of ODI and T20s c. The 90 overs per day limit set by ICC does not give fast bowlers any breather and in the process they try to preserve themselves and ultimately has killed bowling fast in tough conditions. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : SHAILENDRA
Question : As far as test cricket is concerned, taking five or more wickets in an innings by a perfect bowler & scoring a hundred and above by a quality batsman. Which is difficult to achieve & why?

Answer : In cricket irrespective of any format along with the rules supporting the batsmen. Easiest thing to do is be a batsmen and score the runs. If this is not true why only few bowlers are there in test achieved three hundred wkts marks - 37 bowlers (if i remember it correctly).Bowling is the toughest job in cricket. There is nothing like perfect bowler and batsmen dear in cricket. Its the skills attitude determination and luck to be a performer be successful in Test like Kapil,Kumble,Murali,Akram,Waqar etc.... For example Irfan Pathan is a classical example he likes batting as it is easier and not bowling. Second is Atul Wassan,now a commentator,Kapil Dev was surprised to see his action changed season to season and his remarks was these bowlers doesn't work hard and practise bowling day in day out, Wasim remarks regarding Pathan - " Bowl three hours continously in the nets to get your rythem and action perfect". Hence bowling is not everybody cup of tea...... VIEW THREAD
Week 35: 2010-08-9 to 2010-08-16
Question of the Week : P. ARULMANI
India is one team that does not make changes quickly even when the situation warrants! Rahul Dravid plays only in test matches for India at present which means he is not in the thick of action consistently at International level! Why then is he asked to bat at No 3 a very crucial position at Test level? Please share your views. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Sudhakar G
Question : What could be the reason for this? Sehwag succeeded where bowlers like Bhajji and Mendes to name two, failed! Is this just a fluke or is there something to it? Is he a good enough offcial for test matches?

Answer : If you watch Sehwag's action carefully, you would notice that he has the basics of an off spinner's bowling action absolutely right. His pivot, follow through, flight etc. are all good. Sehwag indeed has bowled a lot for Delhi and I remember his first man of the match award in an ODI vs Australia at Bangalore where he scored a 50 and then also picked up 3 wickets. It's somewhat a mystery that he has not thought of himself as a complete all rounder nor have the successive Indian captains treated him as one. May be it was all to protect his body / shoulder. Whatever be the reason, it's indeed India's loss that Sehwag potential as a spinner has not been utilized to its fullest. To answer your question.., I don't think Sehwag's wickets were just a fluke. It is a tribute to his abilities that he & his captains have not taken seriously thus far! VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : SUNIL MELWANI
Question : Why doesn't India produce match winning bowlers anymore? For a nation of a billion which considers Cricket as a religion finding a great fast bowler like Kapil Dev will not be that difficult but in India it is just the opposite........and they have one Zaheer Khan who is always unavailable, i dont even remember the last time when Zaheer played for India in a test. It is no bad to lose but the way India approaches matches it saddens me.

Answer : BECAUSE OF FITNESS PROBLEMS AND MORE LOAD ON BOWLERS DUE TO T20 AND ODI CRICKET. WE NEED TO HAVE SEPARATE BOWLERS FOR EACH TYPE OF CRICKET TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE.FITNESS CONCERNS ARE A MAJOR PROBLEM AND THIS CAN COME ONLY WITH DISCIPLINE. IF A PLAYER LIKE SREESANTH WANTS TO DANCE ON REALITY SHOWS THEN WE SEE THE RESULTS. SREESANTH WAS TALENTED BUT BEHAVED WITHOUT RATIONALITY. INSTEAD OF FINDING OUT HIS WEAKNESSES HE WAS MORE KEEN TO SEARCH ELSEWHERE.THE WICKETS IN INDIA NEED TO BE MORE SPORTING TO GIVE THEM THE CONFIDENCE.OUR OVER DEPENDENCE ON SPIN IS A SERIOUS FLAW.LOOK AT HARBHAJAN AS A STRIKE BOWLER. HE IS LESS EFFECTIVE AS A STRIKER AND IS CONTAINING BATSMEN MORE.WE NEED TO KEEP OUR BOWLERS IN A BATCH FOR DIFFERENT GAMES. THE BEST BOWLERS SHOULD BE FOR TEST MATCHES AMD WE CAN HAVE PRAVEEN KUMAR ,ASHISH NEHRA FOR THE SHORTER VERSION.USE AND DO NOT ABUSE VIEW THREAD
Week 36: 2010-08-17 to 2010-08-24
Question of the Week : gulshan arora
Every team is trying to build a strong team for WORLD CUP.To win a big tournament like WC one needs a team of fit, fresh & hungry players. But India's cramped schedule before WC will make it difficult for players to stay fit. I don't think we will have the best players available for WC. So what is the solution? Should BCCI reduce the matches? Should we adopt a better rotation policy? Should key players only be picked for important matches only? What do you think? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Question : People are seriously thinking about who would play at No 7 for India in the forthcoming World Cup 2011. Irfan Pathan may not make it to the squad and Ravindra Jadeja did not live up to the promise! But I have always wondered why we never considered Harbhajan Singh for that position seriously? He has always been underrated as a batsman. Do you think he doesn\'t fit in at No.7 ? Please share your views.

Answer : There are times when you need to mistrust the obvious and explore a bit deep. What meets the eye may not always reveal the truth friends. I did a small analysis on Harbhajan after reading that interesting article 'Who will bat at No 7 for India' in Cricinfo website. I was astonished to see that we have grossly under utilized this talented cricketer as a batsman in One day Internationals. Here are some facts about Harbhajan's ODI Batting Career: Batted in 112 innings so far for his 1083 runs in ODIs. His strike rate is 82.10 and he has mainly batted in 8,9 and 10 positions and only once at no 6. His career average in ODIs is an unimpressive 13.20, not a promising one for a proposed no 7? Wait! There is another interesting statistics which made me believe he has it in him if people are ready to provide the right opportunities. Here is what I found: out of the 112 innings he has batted 10 deliveries or more on just 47 occasions, scored 889 runs at an impressive (for a no 8,9 or 10) average of 26.94 with a strike rate of 88.91. This finding about Harbhajan made me believe he has it in him! The surprises just do not end there. This later average (26.94) is second only to Imran's career average (33.41)if you consider Kapil, Imran, Hadlee, Ian Botham and Irfan Pathan. And his strike rate of 88.91 is second only to Kapil Dev's 95.07 from that elite group of all-rounders! However, my idea is not to compare Harbhajan with the past greats and belittle their giant achievements, rather I am trying to drive home the point that here's a potential which can be tapped to benefit Indian cricket. Sometimes we get carried away with what we see on the surface the goldmine might be just one foot away! VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Padma
Question : Dhoni says, 'it is very important to switch off from cricket, because 365 days in a year, you can't be thinking about only cricket'. However, when you take up something as your profession, is it not mandatory you give your 100% to that profession, irrespective of whether it is cricket or software or even road sweeping? While the statement by the India skipper might look valid on the surface, but to me it portrays a diminishing passion for the game! What's your take on this?

Answer : Cricketers need to give your 100% when they are on the field playing or practising. But it does not mean they should forget or ignore other aspects in life. And thinking only Cricket and nothing else might be an easy one when Cricketers are on a successful ride but during defeats it would affect their morale badly.Switching on and off from anything for that matter Keeps you interested in things.You cant be in the shoe of Software Engineer all day or all the life, So are the cricketers. Here the question of passion does not arise, So what Dhoni calls is right and absolutely sensible thing to do to be a successful cricketer and a sane human being VIEW THREAD
Week 37: 2010-08-25 to 2010-09-1
Question of the Week : P. ARULMANI
Building a team for the future should be a continuous process and needs to be done with a vision. The execution of the process requires top class leadership at every stage starting from team selection, training and performing on the field. In more simple terms, the selectors, coaches, captain and other personnel managing the team must contribute in their own way towards the common cause consistently. Do you think the the Indian cricket team is currently blessed with such leadership? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Amarish B Nagori
Question : How do you think the shuffling of players for test matches, ODIs and T20s is going to affect Indian team settling down with the best composition for the World cup 2011? Do you think the players will have tough time getting together as a team?

Answer : Whatever may be the planning about team composition for WC2011, it seems that focus on present scenario is now more important with many Indian team players struggling with injuries & fitness problem. Players are complaining about hectic schedule & feel tired. If things will go on like this & Indian team keeps on loosing, lose badly or play badly even shuffling of players or rotation of players will not work to have an in-form players for the world cup. The reason is that you are not playing matches in run up to the WC2011 with confidence & positive mind set, what morale will be built during the WC2011? Definitely players will have tough times getting together. When you don’t know which players are going to play when & where, who will be replaced for whom, what will be batsmen+bowlers combination, Shuffling batting order now & then, who is really fit to play, who is to be rested etc., things are becoming more complicated. I think we have enough numbers of international players who can be categories for 3 different formats and planning should be done accordingly. Keeping some players common for 3 formats & keep shuffling them as per the demand. Eg. Players like Dravid, Laxman should play more tests. Sachin can play both Test & ODI. Shewag,Gambir, Raina, Dhoni can play all 3 formats. Different bowlers can be utilized thru rotation policy as per demand. VIEW THREAD
Week 38: 2010-09-2 to 2010-09-9
Question of the Week : SUNIL MELWANI
The recently concluded Tri Series was a revelation of sorts as Dhoni's captaincy was found wanting when he had limited resources at his disposal. Captaincy skills will matter when Dhoni has to lead a younger side. This is where the true grit of Captain cool will be on display. As a captain ,how does Dhoni evolve when he has to lead a younger side? VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : Srinath H. R.
Question : There is a great sense of urgency worldwide to save test cricket, the traditional format of the game. What drives the whole world to stand by the oldest format of the game and fight so hard for its survival? Do you see other reasons than sentimental ones for why Test Match cricket should still exist? Can we not do with just one format of the game (preferably the T20 format) which would mean the players, coaches, administrators, why even the fans would be relieved from having to change gears and adopt to the different demands each format throws on them? If you have just the T20 format then I think Cricket can compete with football and can become a global sport? What are your views on this?

Answer : Any religious follower of the game of cricket would agree to the fact that test cricket is the mother of all forms of the game. There might be ODI, T-20 and even T-10, but the essence of test cricket is unmatched by any other form of the game. If you think that sticking to one format like T-20 will make the game more popular globally, the uniqueness of the game would be lost. Cricket can't be like football. It's an altogether different ball game. While a player's skills, fitness and stamina are tested over a period of five days (may be four days in the near future) in test cricket, in football, it's a matter of 90 minutes to 120 minutes. T-20 may be drawing more crowds and filling up the coffers of many cricket boards, but test cricket will always be near and dear in all the players' hearts and earning a test cap for the country is still considered the highest achievemnent by a cricketer. Also, if you take into account the scores of cricketers who have played for their respective countries, only those who are into test cricket have had long careers at the highest level. As far as ODI specialists are concerned, one bad series and they find themselves out of the team. The only way they can make a comeback is by performing well at the domestic level, which, again, will be three-day or four-day fixtures. Whatever way you look at it, test cricket is still very much the king and all those efforts going in to save the format is vry much worth it and it's our duty as well. VIEW THREAD
Answer of the Week : SHAILENDRA
Question : People are seriously thinking about who would play at No 7 for India in the forthcoming World Cup 2011. Irfan Pathan may not make it to the squad and Ravindra Jadeja did not live up to the promise! But I have always wondered why we never considered Harbhajan Singh for that position seriously? He has always been underrated as a batsman. Do you think he doesn\'t fit in at No.7 ? Please share your views.

Answer : Let the things be simple and don't make the issue as hypothetical and complex. As per my understanding by watching cricket, pick the best specialist batsmen bowler spinner and wicketkeeper. When out top specialist six batsmen perform decently the role of the seventh eighth doesn't arise at all friends. We Indian are very passionate and hence circumspect of the situation. When top batsmen doesn't do there job and win for India what can the other can. Hence we shouldn't be complaining about it and expect the best specialist in form who can deliver at tough times should be selected to get us till semi final of 2011 world cup. Job is done rest is lottery for all the four teams. If I get the luxury of selecting the best batsmen the list would be like Sehwag, Gambhir, Sachin, Youvraj, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, Badrinath, Rohit Sharma, Virath Kohli. Dhoni being the captain selects himself. These are the specialist experienced and attitude hence having a all rounder in the team doesn't requires at all. Fully fit bowlers having right attitude should be selected like Ashish Nehra, Praveen, I Sharma, Amit mishra, Ojha, Harbajan VIEW THREAD
Week 39: 2010-09-10 to 2010-09-17
Question of the Week :
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Week 40: 2010-09-18 to 2010-09-25
Question of the Week :
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