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COMMENTED BY EDITOR 
Question : Do u think IPL teams performance in CLT20 is due to lack of 20-20 experience?
Answer: No it is not true, but the main reason some of the individual performances were good as of now, but otherwise all the IPL teams are going to rock in coming matches
Question : Has dhoni,s success as a captain in last coupleof years,(which has been largely due to superlative performances of sachin,veeru,zahir and bhajji),hidden his poor batting technique against quality bowling? and his inability to come out with fresh ideas wen things not going india,s way on the field? look at the shot he played against pak and giving bowl to usuf and virat rather than going for kill? Honeymoon period is over MSD..
Answer: Hi Verma's I don't think so bcz a cricket match is a team game and at the same time MSD has proved time and again by playing responsible innings at a very crucial times and please do remember MSD is still the top ranked(1)) ODI player in the World. Even the best of the batsmen can play a bad shot, so the bottom line we cannot judge on one particular innings or one over etc...............
Question : Is IPL good for the future of the cricket?
Answer: Definitely yes because we have seen number of upcoming players getting opportunity to explore their talent not only limited to Indian Cricket but to the other countries as well. Let us aasume that there is no IPL or T20 then the upcoming plapers like T Suman, Ojha, Manish Pandey, Dinda etc would be playing for Ranji Trophy till the end of their career, Only God knows or if luck favours they would be able to play for India
Question : Has the burden of captaincy taken a toll on Dhoni which in turn is reflecting on his performance? what do you think should he improve upon...to be someone like Ricky?
Answer: I do not think so and one cannot compare Dhoni with Ricky Ponting bcz Dhoni is still No 1 ODI Player. Where does the non performance point arises Satyen. At the same time Dhoni was awarded with Best Captain jonour in the recent ICC Awards. Yes when it comes to improvement everyone has to improve, there is nothing called perfect, to err is human tendency and to minimize the errors is the best part of any individual or Players etc................
Question : Why does the ball swing when it is overcast.Whats the connection of moisture in the air with swing?
Answer: Amit usually when the sky is overcast, there many be some mild drizzle – mild enough to not even get noticed but still leaves the grass wet. As a result, the ball may get wet. Is there no effect of the ball gathering moisture on the swing? So if I shine one side of the ball, it gets dry while the other side is rough and also heavier with the moisture. The result could be in a more pronounced swing. At least this was my theory earlier on the reason for swing under overcast conditions. also, when the sky is overcast, the chances of a breezy wind is much higher leading to more swing. So let us now discount the “experts†– they may not use the exact scientific terms but they are talking from experience. They are actually attributing a cause and effect relationship between overcast conditions with swing – ignoring some of the other parameters. There is high velocity on one side of the seam and low on the other thus the effect.
Question : Do you think the cash rich bcci has got it wrong this time as far as organising challenger trophy in unison with champions league.It really sad to see our premier domestic championship which has produced lot of indian players over the years gone unnoticed and neglected.
Answer: No I don't think BCCI has gone wrong because any player who is representing IPL or a Champions League or for that matter challenger trophy has got chance to explore their talent and get noticed in the eyes of selectors. Now the selectors have the options earlier it used to be either challengers trophy or Irani Trophy or what ever. Don't forget Praveen Ojha is the product of IPL who made it to Indian etc.......... Looking into tremendous exposure gained by the domestic player it eases the selectors to make the choices as per the fitment to T20 or ODIs. Every one has the opinion of their own but i personally believe it is good sign for Indian Cricket and it is proving to be more productive than County Cricket.
Question : why india dont have fast bowlers(145kmph) is this youngsters problem or the coaches problem who gives lots of warm ups....?
Answer: I don't agree with you kishore, we have good number of fast bowlers who can bowl 145kmph like Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan to name a few and we have reserve bowlers in the line up waiting for their chances. There is no problem with either coaches or youngsters, India has done a decent job in producing fast bowlers in the recent past as compared to our tradition of producing spinners or medium pacers
Question : Does scoring high runs a relevant merit for winning the game in T20 format
Answer: Yes 7 out of 10 times high scoring team wins in a T20 format. Well there are lots of if and buts are there but if you look into the past record in T20 most of the times high scoring high runs puts the team in the driver seat until and unless the bowlers do mess and giving the opponents a chance to comeback in the game.
Question : Like ODI world cup, should ICC organise Test World cup also once in every 4 years to safe guard the interest of test cricket?
Answer: Hi Srinivas, The idea is good but looking amount of busy cricket schedule through out the year the dates would one of the major issue in organizing World Cup for Test Cricket, schedule would be too long might be some months, it is not that easy for the ICC even though they had number of meetings on this issue. There is no threat to Test Cricket what so ever, the threat should be to ODIs because of T20 as analyzed by the experts So the bottom line is let Test Cricket be alive along with the popularity of T20 and ODIs.
Question : Cricket started as Test, emerged into ODI and is now the fast and fiery T20. Which will die first ODI or T20 as the purists of the game will not allow Tests to die?
Answer: Hi Veekay, Everyone has a different opinion on this issue which will die first either ODI or T20 is like answering a very famous question of Hen and Egg story,but looking into the popularity of T20 i have my own doubts on the survival of ODI even former Australian captain Steve Waugh believes the fate of One-day International (ODI) cricket, facing a survival threat from the Twenty20s, will be known in another 12 months or so and more over Gilly former Australian wicketkeeper wants T20 as an Olympic Sport.
Question : Whom do you think to be a better captain in T20? A bowling captain or a batsman captain or a non playing captain like in tennis
Answer: Harsha Sir has give very good answer and of course prasanth and christopher too. Thanks i really got the information
Question : Whom do you think to be a better captain in T20? A bowling captain or a batsman captain or a non playing captain like in tennis
Answer: Harsha Sir has give very good answer and of course prasanth and christopher too. Thanks i really got the information
Question : Previously in ODI cricket, scores around 200 to 230 were very much comparative to defend the opposition team. But in the modern days of cricket, scores in the range of 250 to 300 are very common and also comparative total to defend (some times it might not be enough also). What could be the reason? Do u think that now a days batsmen are technically too skilled or Bowlers are technically not fully skilled? What do you say?
Answer: Hi Srinivas, I don't think so because if you look at the ongoing series between India and Australia, India was unable to defend the the total of below 250 at Mohali.Even Pakistan was unable defend the total below 230 runs against New Zealand in the recently concluded series. Yes the batsmen have innovated couple of shots to score extra runs which it was not the case earlier in 80s and 90s and at the same time the bowlers have limitations like one bouncer in an over and free hit for the batting team for no balls.So all these factors have helped the batsmen to some extent. Cricket is a kind of game where anything is possible and you never know what is there is in store with full of surprises and excitement. That's Cricket!!!!!
Question : Is it fair not to select Ashish Nehra in the test squad against the Sri Lankans? Especially after his recent successful performances as the spearhead of the Indian pace attack in the ODI team.
Answer: Hi Christopher, I feel Ashish Nehra has done the decent job in the recent past. He has bowled really well spearheading the pace attack. But Zaheer Khan has scored ahead of Ashish Nehra in the minds of selectors looking in the statistics Zaheer Khan has better record in the bowling department and can be a handy batter if required. Zaheer is a quality bowler who can swing both ways and can be very dangerous on his day and proved time and again. I think Ashish Nehra lacks somewhere in terms of swing bowling though he is also a Great bowler.From that point of view it makes sense on the part of selectors to pick Zaheer Khan ahead of Ashish Nehra,
Question : Do you think, the recent defeat of Indian team in the home series against Australia will show any serious impact on the upcoming Sri Lanka Series?
Answer: Hi Srinivas, I don't think it will have any impact in the minds of Indian Cricketers, they have lost to the World's No.1 team not to Bangladesh or Zimbabwe for that matter.I think it will be an advantage for India because they played against a better team and faced better bowling attack before playing Sri Lanka. Of-course Sri Lankans are fighters which they are known for it. There will be different mindset for every new series and I am pretty sure India is going to win both test and one day series!!!!!!!!
Question : The ICC proposal to limit tests to 4 days is no doubt a good move. But the million dollar question is how to bring back the crowds to the stadium. Does test cricket need more innovations? What's your say?
Answer: Hi Srinath, Yes new ideas has to be implemented to keep the test cricket alive,no doubt test cricket is the real cricket but minimizing to 4 days is not the only answer. Cricketing stalwarts like Gundappa Vishy, Sunny Gavaskar etc, still wants the test cricket to be given high priority. The major concern is pulling the crowds back to the stadium, they have really some great cricket in the other formats like IPL, ICL and Airtel Champions League in the recent past. They do not have the patience to watch the game of cricket for 5 days. The 3.5 hours game is giving more excitement to them. The only answer in my mind is only time will decide the fate of test cricket. We have to wait and watch for the strategies implemented by ICC and the cricketing boards to keep test cricket a more interesting game.
Question : Why is it that most batsman have far better batting averages in the first innings when compared to the second innings?
Answer: Hi Sushant, Batsman are fresh in their approach while playing in the first innings, but while playing the second innings they tend to play either aggressive cricket or defensive while playing the second innings of a test match depending on the situation. Most batsmen get out early to score quick runs for winning a test match in the second innings or he might be totally defensive while playing for a draw in that situation scoring runs is immaterial, only thing he has to do is play for the time. Moreover it is quite natural for human beings to loose little bit of momentum over a period of time let us say after the 3 days of a test match. Second innings is a deciding factor for the result of a match so naturally batsman would be more crafty to either win a match or save a match. That is where lot of batsmen score less runs in the second innings and naturally the batting average would be less.
Question : Why rahul dravid did not outgrow sachin tendulkar?
Answer: Hi Sushant, No one can outgrow Sachin Tendulkar in the near future because he is a boon to the World of Cricket. He has served Indian Cricket for 20 years like a humble person, it is not that easy.Sachin is a genius and complete player with an ability to score runs at a very good strike rate in all formats of the game, whereas Rahul Dravid is a crafty player with lot of patience. Rahul's achievements cannot be discounted because he is second to none in Indian even i like Rahul Dravid but not at the expense of Sachin. Both are different players playing in the same generation. Let us take the example of Golf players why is that people admire Tiger Woods there are good players are there in the circuit but he is admired by the Golf lovers.
Question : Why do they use night watchman in test cricket?Does not it raises a doubt on batsman's ability?If a tail ender can survive 5 to 10 overs late in the day then why cant a batsman?
Answer: Lot of specialist batsman need time and concentration to settle down at the crease, so it would be an odd time to send a specialist batsman and team management cannot take risk of loosing him at a wrong time.Mind you it is not every time night watchman is sent. Normally a night watchman is sent to see off the last 5 to 10 overs remaining in the day's play.We cannot discount the capabilities of night watchman they are really good enough with solid technique to survive for at least 20 overs.
Question : Do you think that inclusion of Pargyan Ojha in Test team is a right step for future of Indian Test Cricket. He is just a normal spinner and not a big turner and variety at Test level is also not there. Even Yuvraj can bowl similar to him.
Answer: Even Sachin can bowl very good leg spinner that does not mean that Amit Mishra should be included in the playing XI Same with the case of Pragyan Ojha, Yes agreed that Yuvraj is a good spinner but in the one day format not at the test level. Pragyan is a specialist left arm spin bowler and has been among the top ten bowlers in the domestic circuit and has done very well in the IPL as well. In present scenario Indian Cricket is badly looking for a quality left arm spinner and Pragyan scores ahead of other contenders.
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: Hi Srinath, Both are Great in their own right. Sir Don Bradman is the greatest batsman beyond any argument in the history of World cricket. Yes agreed Sachin is also the greatest player in the modern era. It would unfair on our part to discount Sir Don Bradman's greatness which we have not seen that much may be certain visuals to have a glance but the proof is the average of 99 which is a great achievement. As far as longevity is concerned yes Sachin has played for 20 years which is a great achievement.
Question : Sehwag has said that Gambhir is best ever opener after Gavaskar . Do you agree with him because Gambhir has not proved himself in testing conditions of Australia and South Africa in the longer format . He has played most of his matches in India and on lifeless pitches . So dont you think that it is too early to compare him with the greats of Gavaskar, Navjot Sidhu, Ravi Shastri who have performed exceptionally well at the highest level.
Answer: Yeah from Sehwag's point of view it is true because Gambhir has got the potential to be one of best opening batsmen for India. Sehwag being a proven quality opener for India might have analyzed by seeing his display at the other end.He is better judge to comment on Gambhir. Looking in to Gambhir's performance in the recent past we are definitely going to see the best of Gambhir in the forthcoming matches in abroad be it Australia or England or anywhere in the World. Gambhir's technique seems to be at par with almost all the legends of Indian Opening batsmen, even better compared with some of the players. He does not have the stereotyped batting style, depending on the situation he can play aggressively or defensively. I buy the point of Sehwag that Gauti is going to rock in future as well and prove the critics wrong if any.
Question : Is ravi shastri got a point in saying that test matches should be played in small centres where fewer matches are played so there are no empty stands and make test cricket lively.
Answer: I agree with Ravi Shastri because being a player himself he knows the pulse of the crowds. He might have toured all over India and might be even small centers as well during his Ranji days. Yes crowd in the smaller towns and cities are very passionate and eager to see their favorite players,it is definitely going to attract more crowd in the smaller cities as compared to larger cities. Yeah definitely it makes a sense in the context of test cricket.
Question : Sehwag-Gambhir-Dravid-Sachin-Dhoni. Greenidge-Haynes-Richards-Lloyd-Gomes. Hayden-Langer-Ponting-Mark Waugh-Steve waugh. Which is the best batting line up in the tests? Are the Indian 5 the best?
Answer: Very typical question, it is like answering which movies do you like from 1970s and 1980s or 1990s and 2000s. Even a layman would say Eastman Color movies from 70s and 80s are still enjoyable. Yes i am proud to be an Indian, but you have mentioned the names of Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Viv Richard Clive Lloyd and Lary Gomes, I would rate West Indian five to be the best. The reason is simple, there was a time players used to fear just by hearing those names. They are fearsome and used to play ruthless cricket and putting the opposition to the back foot. 8 out of 10 times they used to win the games.It is for sure that opposition team is going to loose the game just we used to check the margin of runs and number of wickets. Those five are the prize wickets and getting them out early is a big deal in those days. If we look at the statistics and number of runs then definitely Indian five and Australian five are good. But practically speaking West Indians are better.
Question : Which fast bowler do you think is the greatest of all time, and why?
Answer: When we talk about greatest fast bowler of all time, there are few bowlers who are there in top of mind Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner,Dennis Lillee and Wasim Akram etc. For me, Wasim Akram scores high as compared to the other fast bowler both in terms of wickets and his bowling action. Maybe there might be much debate on this but i thought Wasim Akram is the better match winner and has won lot of tournaments for his country (Pakistan). Wasim's skiddy action fetched him lot of wickets and used to bowl with great control of swing. He has the wicket taking yorker like the other fast bowlers but Akram used yorker at will in the crunch situations in a match putting the opposition team on back foot. Yes agreed being a left arm bowler he had the advantage to go round the wicket and bowl devastatingly.
Question : After the retirement of Shane warne and Anil Kumble, why the cricket world is unable to produce another world class leg spinner as on date?
Answer: Leg spin is an art and crafty bowling. It is hardly 12 to 24 months that Kumble and Shane Warne are not there in the international circuit. There are quality leg spinners in the play like Ajantha Mendis, Amit Mishra, Piyush Chawla. A player like Danish Kaneria is already doing good job for Pakistan. It takes time to master the art of leg spin on a bigger stage. Ajantha Mendis has already made a mark in the international arena. Yes emerging leg spinners are not produced thick and fast, it takes some time to be a quality leggie. It is nothing to do with T20 or ODI, leg spinners are always match winners and they are a value addition to any team. We just cannot discount the contributions of world class leg spinners.
Question : Brain lara has said that young West Indian Barath is closest to his style.Do you agree with this because he has made a debut century on lively wicket of waca against good pace attack.
Answer: Yeah Bharath has got the talent and potential to last long in the international circuit. He got the typical Caribbean flavor in his batting aka Brian Lara, who himself admitted the same.A century on debut at WACA, Brisbane is something special and a great achievement.We have to wait and watch how Bharath shapes up at the highest level over a period of time because there are lots of players who have scored century on their debut yet proved to be a failure, best example is Praveen Amre scored century on debut against mighty South Africans but still ended up playing very few test matches. So it is early days and hope West Indies Cricket Board does not make a mess with the career of Adrian Bharath atleast!!
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: Sehwag is a kind of batsman is like exception to every rule and law. He is simply mind-boggling and has knack of studying the bowlers mind. Yes footwork is a mark of good batsman, but in the Sehwag's case it is different, he is a street smart cricketer but oodles of natural talent, more importantly he is daring, dashing and dynamic. His hand to eye coordination is excellent. No coach can train a batsman like Sehwag and cannot set rules. Yeah he is most destructive batsman India has ever seen. Some of the shots he plays are copy book style and some of the shots are out of the World we can say Sehwag's style
Question : Is Sehwag more destructive than viv richards?
Answer: Virendra Sehwag is no doubt a destructive batsman but cannot be compared with the like of Sir Viv Richards, who is one of the Greatest batsman in the history of cricket. The reason is Sir Viv Richards used to deliver consistently for West Indian team, i feel Viru has to prove himself to be more consistent that is where Viru lacks though he can be destructive on his day. Cricketing stalwarts like Ian Chappell, Ian Botham, Shane Warne, Wasim Akram still rate Sir Viv Richards high than the other batsmen. Sir Viv Richards himself is a brand in the history of cricket where as Virendra Sehwag has a long way to go, who knows over the years to come Viru might prove the critics wrong. Let us wait and watch.
Question : Does India deserve the No 1 ranking in Test cricket as inconsistency is its bane?
Answer: Yeah India thoroughly deserve the No.1 ranking because they have performed better as a unit for the past 18 months or so, won 7 times in the last 10 tests without a loss mind you, the number uno ranking was always there on the cards but it was a matter of time and we did it finally. If we compare to the other teams in the World we have best batting line up in the test cricket imagine MSD batting at No.7 as he does not have a slot higher up in the order. There was never a doubt about the talent in India but it was a question of application at the highest level. The biggest advantage we have is the opening pair in the form of Sehwag and Gambhir both are in good form and even Murali Vijay has done a decent job at Mumbai in the last test that shows our bench strength as well. Pragyan Ojha is a welcome addition to the world of spinners he seems to be a good prospect for Indian cricket. I don't see any shortfalls in the current Indian team and they are definitely one of the best teams in the World !!
Question : Do you think that Jaques Kallis is the best allrounder of all time . 10000 runs in both forms of the game and more than 250 wickets in both formats. He is also leading banglore royals in IPL tournaments. Great slip fielder . What else you expect from any player ?
Answer: Yeah Jatin, Jacques Kallis deserves to be in the big league of all time great all rounders. He is a complete player and one of the best contributor to the World of Cricket. 30+ centuries in tests itself speaks his caliber in terms of batting and 250 plus wickets, it is really amazing. Jacques lacks the so called charisma that players like Imran Khan, Ian Botham or Kapil Dev, somehow Kallis was never considered to be a Charismatic player. Some of the experts still underrate Kallis contribution because lot of all rounders played much quality cricket as compared to Kallis. As a whole it is a mixed bag for Kallis otherwise he is one of the greatest all rounders South Africa has ever produced.
Question : With the 2011 World Cup not too far away, preventing injuries to players should be the top-most priority of BCCI and all the players needn't play all the matches. What's your say?
Answer: Hi Srinath, Very Pessimistic from your point of view because injuries are part and parcel of any game, Raman Lamba lost his life fielding in the forward short leg.It depends on the fate of a player. Yes agreed one has be 100% fit before 2011 World and grooming has to be done to play the best team, but in the process if we loose some of the players due to injuries we have to consolidate our bench strength. India has got lots of one day players who can fit in to the team. Yes it is always difficult to find the replacement for a good player in tests, but it hardly matters in one dayers. So let us hope for the best and should be looking forward for the best world cup outing!!
Question : Is this the most competitive era in test cricket? What do you say?
Answer: Hi Srinivas, Test cricket is all about displaying solid cricketing skills be it in bowling, batting or fielding. I would say ODIs are the most competitive in this era but when it comes to the test cricket i would still rate the test cricket played in 1950s, 1960s, 1970s simply because they used to play for winning the test match by hook or cook and used to put their hearts out with out thinking about the so called commercial benefits. Ashes series one of the most competitive series was born in those days with wonderful display of cricket by the Australians and Englishmen. The most famous bodyline bowling attack was introduced in the Ashes series without much protection for the batsman.Imagine the situation of the batsmen in the middle. The most dangerous and crafty batsmen are from the days of 1950s to 1980s like Don Bradman, Gary Sobers, Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar, Clive Lloyd and list never ends. Even fastest bowlers from 1970s are fearsome like Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thompson, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall etc who used bowl with cut throat competition. They have the so called knack of bowling the fastest deliveries with their skiddy action which made the life of the batsmen very difficult and MADE THE TEST CRICKET INTERESTING TO WATCH. There was a stiff competition between bat and ball. When it comes to the MODERN era we have great batsmen and bowlers but the zeal to play for winning the matches lacks somewhere in this era. Either batsmen or bowlers dominate the proceedings in other words most of the matches are one sided affairs. With lot of modern day technology and mind you with much protection for the batsmen point of view. Apart from Australia and to some extent South Africa, i don't see any other teams play with that much stiff competition, of course nothing to take away from the Indian team's performance in the recent past where they have won 7 out of 10 matches without a loss. History always teaches one or two and in my opinion we have to learn from the history and we cannot simply discount their efforts in the test cricket and cannot tag the modern day test cricket as the most competitive one!!
Question : There are many fierce hitters of the cricket ball who exhibit very little footwork. Do you need to care about footwork even if you are scoring runs briskly like Sehwag?
Answer: Hi Srinath, Footwork is really one of the most important and basic aspects of batting. Imagine a Kuchipudi or a Kathak dancer without a leg/foot moment, it would be awkward to watch. Similarly batting without much footwork is not a good sign for a batsman in the long run, excellent footwork helps a batsman to display better batsman-ship. Agreed batsmen like Sehwag delivers without much footwork, who scores runs more with hand-eye coordination.Sehwag is an exception to every cricketing rule and mind you he does not have any problem in the footwork and really plays spin with better footwork than other batsmen in the World, but he uses the hand-eye coordination to the maximum to score runs at a better strike rate. For me batting without footwork is like dancing with out legs and it has to be developed and groomed at a much early stage-at a junior level to produce better batsmen for any cricket playing nation.
Question : 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.
Answer: Hi Swaminath, Ganguly as a coach? I don't think Ganguly can be a better coach. First and foremost thing is he is not trained in that, secondly he is very young to be a coach for a team like India with a lot of high profiled players. The other major setback is BCCI is not preferring an Indian Coach these days the best example is Mohinder Amarnath who never got a stint as a coach, not only BCCI for that matter, almost all the cricket playing nations are opting for foreign coaches, the best reasons known to them. Even if Ganguly makes it to the Indian Team as coach, the so called EGO clashes will definitely arises with in the team especially with the Captain, that is where Indian Coaches score less points as compared to a foreign coach. From my point of view, all odds are against Ganguly and i firmly Ganguly would be better administrator than a coach.
Question : Ashish Nehra has made a great comeback to the Indian team and adapted himself very well as one of India's leading pacemen. He deserves a pat on the back as not many can come back to the team after years and succeed instantly. What do you say?
Answer: Hi Srinath, Ashish Nehra has done reasonably well in the International circuit, both before and after comeback. It is more of injuries that stopped to be a much better bowler than he is. Yes he infact did a great job and his comeback stint after 4 long years seems to be even better and made the selectors to think twice before dropping him in ODIs and T20s atleast. Nehra can make it to the Test team as well provided he improves the art of swing bowling to the maximum. He does have the knack of bowling on right length to trouble the best of the batsmen in the World but he lacks somewhere when it comes to swinging the ball both the ways which matters most to be a match winning bowler. Finest example is Zaheer Khan he has improved a lot after being dropped from the national team. His stint with the county cricket helped a lot to develop the skills. Ashish Nehra has to follow the footsteps of Zaheer and opt for a stint or two with the English County Cricket and back with a bang!!
Question : do you indian piches will end the carrer of bowler like ishant sharma. because he is so good in faster pitches?
Answer: Ishant Sharma is a very good bowler, no doubt about it and he need not prove time and again to cement his place, but at the same time he cannot claim his place for granted.He is very young and needs to execute the bowling skills to the perfection. I firmly believe he needs the exposure at the county level to improve the confidence level and sharpen his skills at the same time.Zaheer Khan is the best example he has improved a lot after the county stint. When it comes to the Indian pitches it is not only Ishant but every Indian fast bowler has to struggle a lot to get the wickets. Indian selectors are still backing him and considering him to be the quality bowler who can lead the pace attack in future. It is just a matter of time and overcome the lean patch. He is the only fast bowler after the Great Kapil Dev to get the man of the series award for his 15 wickets in India against Australia in 2008.
Question : The Kotla pitch was a new one and it was indeed a good step towards creating lively ptches .The intent was right ; but the execution wasnt . will this incidence post a little hurdle , in the way of creating new pitches which also assist bowling ?
Answer: Any batsman of character would have given an arm and a leg to prove himself on the Kotla pitch on Sunday, yet the Sri Lankans chose to desert the battle field, leaving thousands of spectators disgusted. Why? Simply because the wicket was doing things they were not trained and adept at handling and they were getting hit by the ball. Getting hit? Now that’s not done. You can’t hit a cricket superstar in today’s cricket! Today’s cricketer is not supposed to get hurt that easily. The helmet, double elbow guard, chest guard, double thigh guards, leg guards, gloves and abdominal guards made of the latest non-crackable impact absorbing materials is supposed to ensure that the cheery does not find its way to flesh. And when it does, the superstar starts to cry and run for his life. Can you imagine this Sri Lankan team playing in 1975 at Jamaica where Michael Holding and company were using the ridge that ran on the good length spot? Did India abandon the game? No. Did we get hit? Yes. Did we have helmets? No. The gallant Anshuman Gaekwad, Surinder Amarnatah and G.R. Vishwanath were all felled.Yet the match continued. The Kotla pitch was a dream come true for lot of cricket fans! I have believed for some time now that the game, what with the superbly designed covers and the overtly protective gear, has become far too tame. I have been waiting to see the present batsmen on sticky wickets. And the Kotla gave us exactly that opportunity. Yet sadly when we finally got a pitch with spirit; the game was called off!
Question : Wish you all a very happy new year 2010. The year has ended and it witnessed the emergence of the Indian test team on the top of the ICC table. It was due to the collective effort of the Indian players who played as a team and gave there best. My question for all the members is that who as per you is responsible for this performance of the Indian team? I know thet it is very difficult to single out a player but who is the player of the year for the Indian Test team.
Answer: Hi Amit, Cricket is more of a team effort rather than an individual effort, but one player who stood atop in the melee is undoubtedly Gautam Gambhir simply because of his consistent performance at the opening slot. He has improved a lot in his approach at the highest level. He was the leading run-scorer in the Test series against England in December 2008 and against New Zealand in early-2009, meaning that he had achieved this feat in three consecutive series. Gambhir played his first major Test series outside the sub-continent, having toured New Zealand in 2009. In the second Test match he scored a match saving 137 in the second innings. He stood more than five sessions in the middle and faced over 430 balls. This innings led Virender Sehwag, Gambhir's opening partner, close friend and captain for the match, to call him 'The Second Wall' in reference to Rahul Dravid. He then scored 167 in the second innings of the Third Test to give India an unassailable lead, but rain helped the New Zealand batsmen to hang on for a draw. Gambhir, with 445 runs in six innings at an average of 89, helped India win 1-0 to script a series win in that country after 41 years. He continued his run in the late-2009 Test series against Sri Lanka at home. He scored a century in the second innings of the First Test in Ahmedabad to force a draw after the visitors had taken a first innings lead of more than 300, and then combined in a double century opening partnership with Sehwag on the first day of the Second Test in Kanpur, scoring 167 himself and helping India to score more than 400 runs on the opening day. This set up their score of 642 and an innings victory. Following the match, Gambhir returned to the top of the ICC rankings. He was named as the ICC Test Player of the Year for 2009
Question : The countdown for the IPL 3 has begun. The auction for the 3rd addition is on the 19th of january with some great hitters and some good bowlerd ready to be auctioned. The Hot avaiabilities are Shahid Afridi, Pollard, Shane Bond, Mohd Aamer, Imran Nazir, and Sohail Tanveer. All the franchisee will be eyeing these hot favourites. Who as per you is the player most sought for? I would love to see an Afridi play under Gautam Gambhir for my Daredevils.
Answer: Hi Amit, Yes hard hitting batsmen are in much demand these days especially for T20 matches. With the cash-rich IPL attracting world class players to be the part of it even ahead of their national team. Players like Shane Bond opted to retire from test cricket to give more time to IPL. Coming to your question all are very good players but i would rate Afridi because of his bowling apart from his batting skills. Pollard has shown to the world how dangerous he is in the recently concluded airtel champions league. If any IPL team prefers batsman then naturally Pollard would be a better option. Shane Bond is injury prone but on his day he can tear any batting attack with his skiddy action. So all in action let us wait and see how franchisee responds to all the 51 qualified shortlisted foreign players!!
Question : What is the secret of Mumbai's Ranji record of having lost only 4 of their 42 finals? Is it the street-smartness they bring in to their game?
Answer: When it comes to Ranji Trophy it is Mumbai all the way more like Australians. Mumbai and Delhi teams used to be a more competitive and they are miles ahead of other national teams, it is only in the recent past other national teams have raised their level. There was a time people used to say it is easier to play for Indian team than playing for Mumbai team especially in the 70s and 80s. The reason for this is lot of players used to migrate from other parts of India to Mumbai in search of livelihood and also for playing cricket. So naturally the availability of quality players are on a high. Of course Mumbai are more hardworking and street smart as well, the statistics itself speaks a lot about Mumbai in Ranji Trophy.
Question : Commentators seem to be ex-players only, these days. I understand they bring in their perspective based on their playing experience but there seems to be a dilution of the content by having the players on the job (the tone becomes so mellowed down and they do not try to talk against the players openly). Where are the Harshas, Narottam Puris of the world?
Answer: Commentators role has changed tremendously in the last decade or so. By the way, Madhusudan Rao if you were a CEO of any sports network whom would you recruit as a commentator? I hope it would be a player with outstanding commentary skills. A player would be a better brand ambassador and at same time understands the cricketing language. Now a days commentator job is considered to be a lucrative one and at the same time it helps the sports network to improve their brand image. There is nothing like that seasoned commentators like Sunny Gavaskar, Tony Greig etc speak openly about the players and i don't find anything wrong in giving expert suggestions and valuable tips to the players on the commentary. Since Harsha is the part of castrolcricket.com, i would prefer not to comment about Harsha, it is just a Google away!!
Question : Among the four test playing nations in Asia, only Sri Lanka has the best fielding squad. But overall, the fielding & catching standards are so dismal for sub-continental teams when compared to others. Why is it so?
Answer: Hi Srinivas, It is nothing new Srilanka always had the reputation of being a better fielding team right from the days of 1980s.Players like Roshan Mahanama, Tilakratne & co are excellent fielders, somehow Srilankans score high on fielding front as compared to the other sub-continent teams. Most of the players from the sub-continent are not groomed or trained for that matter to be a better fielder, they used to concentrate either on batting or bowling. Most of the grounds in the sub-continent are not tailor made for fielding i mean the so-called diving efforts on a grassy turf. Yes the standard of both the grounds and fielding has improved drastically in the recent past but not up to the standard of Australian or South African level. That is the reason why sub-continent teams are hiring foreign fielding coaches and desperately making efforts to be a better fielding unit as well.
Question : Test cricket is becoming very interesting - notice the series between Australia and Pakistan, England and South Africa. What is causing this? Good bowling or Average batting? Or is it due to good cricket pitches?
Answer: Hi Madhusudan, Test cricket is always interesting and it is the mother of all cricket games. Yes the series between Aussies vs Pakistan and South Africa vs England are the better examples in the recent past of how interesting the test cricket can be, that is the reason many cricketing experts still feel test cricket is the true cricket and rate much higher than ODIs and T20s. A player's potential and quality can be easily identified in the test cricket.A bowler has to fight hard for wickets and at the same time batsmen have to play really well to score runs. It is true battle of bat and ball for 5 days and the better team produces great results in the end. Cricket pitches always plays an important role for the outcome of any test match for example a pitch like Perth's in Australia always produces result, yes pitch does matters.
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: Hi Irish, I agree with you to some extent, yes BCCI has to take care of our star players and should not insist players to play more matches before the World cup. As far as fitness level is concerned players have to be honest in admitting their shortcomings if any and inform the physio, so that BCCI will act accordingly after consulting the team's physio and other medical reports. A lot players have to follow the Sachin's way as he wisely took a break for tri-series in Bangladesh. It really helps both the players and selectors to take a firm decision and go ahead with better planning and strategy for the 2011 world cup!!
Question : Kapil Dev was the greatest pace bowler India has produced, and their greatest fast-bowling allrounder. If he had played at any other time not when Imran Khan, Ian Botham and Richard Hadlee were contemporaries, then do you think Kapil Dev would surely have been recognized as the best allrounder in the world. What do you say?
Answer: Hi Srinivas, Kapil Dev was and is still the face of Indian Cricket.There are other Great Indian players as well but Kapil Dev is always special. No one can discount the calibre of Kapil. Kapil is an inspiration to many upcoming fast bowler all rounders. His contribution to the Indian cricket is still admirable. He has won many a matches for India and saved from the jaws of defeat. There are lot of instances where Kapil has done miracle, the best example is 4 consecutive sixes against England to save the follow-on,I can still bet had it been any other batsman in that situation then India would definitely followed-on and who can forget his 175 against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup. He is true match winner and at same time a WORLD CLASS ALL-ROUNDER who has bowled on dead pitches in India through out his career but still managed to produce world class bowling figures!!
Question : Why have the fielding standards dropped so drastically in the last few years of mainly all teams?
Answer: Hi Keshav, I won't agree on this point, I would say it is not the fielding standards that has declined but the batsmen have innovated some new shots where a fielder is clueless due to the advent of T20 cricket. Now a days batsmen are on rampage and play ruthless cricket consistently. There are hard hitters like MSD, Dilshan, Chris Gayle on the circuit, it is always going to be difficult for the fielders. In other words frequency of hard hitting is on the higher side and thereby making fielder's life much difficult. That is the reason almost all the teams are hiring fielding coaches to find the solutions if any!!
Question : What are the 5 proactive steps the BCCI should implement immediately to enhance India's hope of bringing the World Cup back to the Nation after a long gap of 28 Years? Please list down!
Answer: Hi Arulmani, I think BCCI is doing its best, but still there are some steps to be implemented immediately 1. Improve the standard of bench strength by giving more opportunities to play in the crunch situation for example player like Rohit Sharma, Virat etc should be asked to bat when India is down by 3 or 5 wickets. The batters who display better batting skills in the crunch situations should groomed for the World Cup. Similarly bowlers should be asked to bowl in the batting power play or when the opposition is consolidating its position in the match thereby giving match practice to the bowlers to handle the situation. 2. Both the fielding and bowling should resume their job and conduct brainstorming sessions to the players as everyone knows cricket is more of a mind game especially in world cup. 3. BCCI should ask the world cup winning team meet the players and provide valuable tips and inculcate the positive thoughts ahead of world cup. 4.No more experimentation on selection of players, i think this is the best team India ever had and BCCI must make sure that all the players including bench players about their stand and back them with utmost confidence. 5.Yes renowned sports psychologist has to join the team immediately to improve the thought process of the players.
Question : Will Rahul Dravid be a strength or weakness if selected for the Indian Team for the World Cup in 2011?
Answer: Hi Arulmani, I still respect Rahul Dravid, he is definitely one of the greatest players India has ever produced but given the situation Virat Kohli has almost filled the gap by displaying rock solid innings in the recent past.Quality players like Rohit Sharma are on the bench waiting for their chance. I don't think it would be a value addition if Rahul Dravid is included in the World cup squad.Even captain MSD is very firm in his opinion and he is very much in favour of youngsters. From my point of view we should stick with the current team!!
Question : It was wily Mahela Jayawardene who helped Sri Lanka win the tri-series finals against India. Time and again we have underestimated the senior players. Would the presence of Rahul Dravid made a difference? I think the selectors should be smart in selecting the team based on the conditions the team would be playing in.
Answer: Hi Krish, Nothing to take away from Srilankan cricket.But to be honest, almost all the matches of this tourney are predicatable and final is not an exception because of the dew factor where toss played a major role. We should not pin point on any issue related to this series. Yes players like Rahul Dravid would have been handy but Indian selectors are trying all options to build a solid team for 2011 world cup.The problem for us is PLENTY of talented players waiting for their chance, where as in srilanka they have limited options of course they too have good pool of young talent but cannot be compared with a country like India.
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: Hi Srinivas, I would prefer foreign coaches to coach a team like India because we have so many problems like ego clashes, regional differences, strategic errors etc. I am not underrating Indian coaches we have good coaches like Sandip Patil who has done a great job with his stint with KENYA but Foreign coaches are better trained for this role and they are very professional in their approach that is what really matters and to inculcate professional approach to our players. Indian team has really done well during the tenure of John Wright who was very cool and calm in his approach groomed the youngsters to a great extent. So looking in to the proven fact sheets it is advisable for us to opt for FOREIGN COACHES.
Question : Manish Pandey's catch in the Ranji finals 2010 was termed as a Catch of the Century. What is your take on this?
Answer: Oh my goodness it was a blinder and mind boggling! What a catch from Manish pandey with one hand, had it been an International match then the spectators would have gone mad seeing that catch. I have not seen such an outstanding catch, the ball was really travelling but fate has some other ideas for Abhishek Nayar. Manish Pandey's effort was spectacular as he dived towards his right and latched on to the ball. The batsman, fielders and even umpire were speechless and confused for a moment. I have seen lot of spectacular catches and some of them are top of my head are one by Martin Crowe and Kapil Dev's in World Cup and many more this one by Manish Pandey was more like a spiderman kind of an effort. Please do watch the catch in the youtube to have a better view.
Question : Indian bowling composition seems to be a major threat for the upcoming world 2011 in the subcontinent.Looking into their performances in the recent past, i doubt our bowlers will fare better and most of the times they are mentally prepared to give away more than 7 to 8 runs in an over. Don't you think this would be a major setback for us since we are one of the contenders for the title?
Answer: Yes it is really a major threat because of the inconsistent bowling performances from our bowlers.We have seen in the home series against Srilanka and even in the recently concluded tri-series in Bangladesh. Some 30 more runs have to be scored if we bat first and if we field second then our fielders have to put an extra effort. It really puts us in an unwanted pressure situation. Our bowlers tend to loose the rhythm easily i think we are not doing home work when comes to bowling department which is a major worry since the world cup will be in the sub-continent pitches. Since we are one of the serious contenders for the title, our team management should come up with a strategy to improve the bowling to put the opposition team on the back foot CONSISTENTLY, then only we can win the World Cup!!
Question : Many experts are of the opinion that captain's on-field strategy is not up to the mark that is the reason for Pakistan's dismal performance in the on going series against Australia. Do you really agree on this point or any other reasons which might have effected Pakistan's display?
Answer: Yes it is very much true and I firmly believe because of captain Pakistan has lost the momentum in the ongoing series against Australia. A captain plays a very important role in the match. His on field instincts have to be perfect and make sure to rotate the bowlers as per the situation. According to the batsman's style of batting the field has to set, all these factors really matters a lot to win the important matches. Ricky Ponting is really an exceptional captain, even for England Andrew Strauss has brought in some change with his own style of captaincy, of course Dhoni is doing good job and still improving. What more to say about the great Imran Khan, i think Pakistan badly needs a captain like Imran Khan to improve their performances to win more matches.
Question : Indian batting style in the ODIs these days seems to be stereotyped and very much predictable thereby making the opposition to prepare a better strategy ahead of important matches. I firmly believe that Indian captain make note of it and change the batting order according to the situation in the match. Do you agree with this point?
Answer: It is absolutely true! because to win any cup we have to have surpise packages who can change scenario of the match.May be we can groom more and develop more batting skills for Zaheer, Harbhajan or may be a player like manish pandey and some of the big hitters from the domestic circuit. It helps to win the crucial matches where an opposition team should be surprised to see the new batter taking away the game from India. I think both the captain and coach have to take note on this and experiment new strategies to win the 2011 world cup!!
Question : 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.
Answer: Hi Dharun, It is very much true and the best example of defending a small total was famous Indian victory against West Indies in 1983 world cup. Even in the test cricket we were unable to chase a paltry of 125 runs against West Indies in WI. I believe the reason for this is sometimes the team with an advantegous position tend to be more complacent and loose the hold on the game. Sometimes pitches also play an important role on fourth and final day of the test, all of a sudden it becomes bowler friendly pitch that gives more excitement and curiosity for the cricket lovers. That might be one of the reasons why cricket is so popular!!
Question : “Slip†is an important position in cricket. But, it seems limited-overs cricket has reduced the importance of the slip cordon. Why is it so? What are your Comments?
Answer: Hi Srinivas, I agree to some extent. The advent of ODIs and T20 which has reduced the importance of the slip cordon. Now a days batsman tend to play some innovative shots by slashing hard on the ball and the ball travels so fast that it makes life difficult for all the slip fielders be it first slip or second or third slip. Earlier batsmen used to guide the ball gently in the slips sometimes batsmen tend to do mistakes and offer catches in the slips.That could be one of the reasons but slip still has its importance because lot players tend to do mistakes and edging it to the fielders in slips. Yeah fieders need to be more sharper and agile in the slips which is the only solution for today's competitive cricket.
Question : No Pakistani player has been auctioned in recent IPL3 auction.If they franchisee was not interested in these players then why were they included in the list? They should be treated gracefully because they are star players and also the world champions. Isnt this thing going to affect our relation pcb more complicated?
Answer: Hi Jatin, It was sad that no Pakistan player sold out in the auction for the season 3 of IPL.I don't think it will effect our relationship with Pakistan. The major worry for the franchisees was players availability and visa problem too. The franchisees made a smart move in bidding right players and they got it what they wanted. Even Australian players ignored too. The simple reason is why would a owner shell out huge amount on the players who are not available for the their team 100%. Economically speaking franchisee did the right and smart thing to bid the players.
Question : Which format of the cricket (say Test, ODI or T20) do you think be the most difficult for being a captain of a team & why?
Answer: Hi Srinivas, Every format of cricket is important for a captain. There is nothing like difficult or easy format for a captain. All the formats have its own advantages and disadvantages, the captain has to implement the strategies as per the situation of a match. It is all about the mindset,it depends on captain to captain how they handle the games. From my point of view a better organised captain can handle any situation or any format of cricket!!
Question : 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?
Answer: Hi Srinivas, A century in a test match is difficult from my point of view.Yes a century is always something special to any players in any format but given the competitiveness, century at the highest level (test cricket)gives more satisfaction to all sections of fans and shows the potential quality of a player. In a test match, a player's overall batsmanship is rated basing on his performance and approach in negotiating the bowlers it can pace or spin bowling. A bowler has the luxury of better field placement in test cricket and bowls extremely accurate and tests the batsman's ability to outsmart or to counter attack the bowling. Where as in ODIs it is little bit easier on the part of batsman, he has the liberty to play all kind of shots whether is dilscoop or nudging it towards the slip cordon or a paddle shot are run fetchable. TEST CRICKET IS ENTIRELY A DIFFERENT BALL GAME, BATSMAN'S TECHNIQUE PLAYS A KEY ROLE FOR HIS SUCCESS AT THE TEST LEVEL, WHERE AS IN ODIs it is not the case batsman can score a century even if there are any limitations on technique front. EXCEPTIONAL CASES ARE THERE BUT NOT THE EXTENT OF JUDGING THE BATSMAN'S ABILITY!!.
Question : It is generally observed that most batsman in their late twenties and earlry thirties score heavily and are in best form of their life?Why is it so?
Answer: Hi Sushant, Yes it is very much true, it is because of the maturity level of the players. Take the case of Rahul Dravid he is the best example of how a batsman improves with the age. I firmly believe that one has to spend some years to become a better batsman at the International level. The mindset of a player improves and can play with clear thinking to analyse the situation and play accordingly. It is nothing but a young player's inputs at 22 or 23 years to get the better output in the late 20s and early 30s.
Question : Does Kieron Pollard deserve such huge sum of money from Mumbai Indians? Going by his background of international experience, will he be worth for the money invested on him.
Answer: Hi Dharun, I would say Kieron Pollard's buy was the need of the hour.Economically speaking demand and supply played a major role in Pollard's case, there are lots of players who are not totally available for IPL's 3rd edition. Shahid Afridi and many other players who are not 100% available for 6 weeks of IPL edition. The franchisee's left with no other options but to bank on some the key players who fit in to the T20 scheme of things. POLLLARD IS REALLY A FLAMBOYANT PLAYER WITH POWERFUL HITTING ABILITY WHICH HE HAS PROVED IN RECENTLY CONCULDED CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, I WOULD SAY HE HAS PLUNDERED THE RUNS AGAINST THE BEST OF THE BOWLING ATTACKS IN THE WORLD!!. The franchisee owners are the better people to say whether it was a lucrative offer or not!!
Question : In Ipl most cricketers are Indian.Who is more important to success of a team in Ipl an Indian player or a foreign player?
Answer: Hi Sushant, IPL is a global event these days and the reach of IPL is not limited to one particular nation or a country.Naturally there should flavour should be there to make IPL an exciting event and makes it compulsion to the organisers to play both foreign and domestic players in the IPL teams should do World of good to the players to improve their standard as well. SINCE IPL IS ORGANISED BY OUR OWN INDIANS, preference has to be given to the Indian players. In a nutshell i would say it is cricketing event that wins the hearts of millions across the Globe!!
Question : We often see in the test cricket that only pure batsmen taking up close-in field positions say short leg or silly point. My question is why is it only batsmen who are close-in fielders? Please Share your views.
Answer: Hi Srinivas, A short leg or a silly point is a specialist position, TRADITIONALLY batsmen are preferred for this position the main reason from my point of view is ANTICIPATION of how a batsman plays to a particular delivery. Batsmen tend to be more smarter and have the guts to field at these position which makes very easy for them to hold maximum number of catches.That is where a batsman scores over the bowlers. MIND YOU NOT EVERY BATSMAN FIELDS AT THESE POSITIONS FOR EXAMPLE RAHUL DRAVID NEVER FIELDS AT THESE POSITIONS. A BATSMAN WHO IS MORE AGILE AND SWIFT WITH SHARPNESS IN REFLEXES ARE THE BEST BET AT THESE FIELDING POSITIONS.
Question : Indian team victory against Bangladesh by 113 runs in the first test was not a convincing one; any other team in place of Bangladesh would have drawn the match. Overall to say Indian’s have not ‘played & proved’ that they are the world number one in this match. What do you say?
Answer: Hi Srinivas, A victory is always a victory, which gives immense satisfaction to any team. A team like Bangladesh has the potential to be a giant killer, they are playing some quality cricket in the recent past. No one can discount the abilities of Bangladesh. We have bounced back in the second innings which eventually proved to be a match winning total. Even the best of the teams falter occasionally. We cannot come to the conclusion with one such performance. Let us wait till the series is over to comment on the overall performance of the Indian Team.
Question : What according to you is the reason that no great player had succeded as a coach of a team?
Answer: Hi Jatin, Coaching a cricket team is not at all an easy job!!. One needs to be trained and mentally prepared for coaching. A coach has to understand the players SWOT to motivate the players and suggest the players to improve their technique in both bowling and batting at the highest level. Shane Warne has done a decent job as a coach and captain for the IPL team (Rajasthan Royals). I suspect all the Great players have the time to do the coaching job, they might be having their own commitments. Yes some of the best players have had a successful stints as a coach like John Wright, Sandeep Patil, Robin Singh etc who are good players but not great players like Lara, Richards or Hadlee etc.
Question : Why standard of Australian Domestic cricket is so much high as compared to other countries?What could be the reason for that ?Is it money,extra facilities,proper management or just natural talent?
Answer: Hi Jatin, We must remembet that Australia's national game is cricket, naturally the level of competition would be high. Every australian cricketer gives their best efforts at the domestic level to represent their national team.The system is very strong at the domestic level in Australia, they work very hard in nurturing and identifying the young players with a zeal to perform. Even the coaches train the players in a very practical approach for example they send the upcoming batsman if the wickets tumble at the other end let us say batting team is struggling at 40 for 5 wickets to face the pressure situation when the chips are down.If the batsman performs consistently well in those pressure situations then only he will be picked for important tourneys. Same with the bowlers, they should be mentally prepared for bowling when the opposition team is going strong.Australians normally prefer a complete player who is good at all the departments like fielding as well, that is the reason why almost all the countries go the australian way in grooming the players at the domestic level.
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.
Question : Young batsman get impatient easily nowadays and throw their wickets after good start as is the case with pakistanis players like farhat.What role has t20 played in this context?
Answer: Hi Sushant, I agree with your point to some extent, but T20 has no role to play and creates no impact on the players mindset. it is nothing but temperment of a batsman. Very few batsmen likes to throw away their wickets. Mohd Ashraful is one such batsman from Bangladesh i think he really throws his wicket even though he got all shots in the book but fails to build the innings for a big score. A player learns with experience against the best bowling attacks in the world to play for a longer innings. Selectors pick only potential players with proven track record at the domestic level, so naturally all the players have the talent to score big ones at the international level as they play more number of matches.
Question : It has been common that India are able to dislodge the top order of oppositions early but they struggle to finish off the tailenders.What is the reason ?Are our bowlers incapable or we lack killer instincts?
Answer: Hi Sushant, I don't agree with you because all the teams comes with a strategy how to bowl out the opposition team. Bowlers will have brainstorming sessions in analysing the opposition team's batsmen. Normally tailenders go unnoticed because no bowler will have a specific plan and will have little idea about the tailender's batting abilities. I am sure bowlers will try to work on it, yes they may err once or twice not every time!!. Except for Australia no other team is having a strong tailender batsmen.
Question : We have adequate opportunities for a youngster to prove his worth in First Class cricket mainly through playing for his State in Ranji Trophy matches. A potential player gets ample chances to exhibit his talents and establish himself in the team. However, from thereon it becomes a battle between luck and politics for him to get the final nod for inclusion in the national team. It looks like lot of non-cricketing aspects and some of the exceptional potential goes waste and lost in the wilderness in the process. Notable cricketers who didn't get a (fair) chance to represent their country in test matches in the past are V Sivaramakrishnan, Robin Singh (who played just one test match), Sharath to name just a few. It is sad that the trend continues still. S Badrinath has waited for years before getting the call, and I am afraid is past his prime now! In today's scenario and so much emphasis on fielding abilities to get inducted in the national when one is almost 30 years of age is too late in my view. What can a huge country like India do to groom and make best use of the enormous young talent available in the country?
Answer: HiArulmani, It is a million dollar question, i think in the recent past some of the players got a decent chance to prove themselves.The problem is we have plenty and in a country like India it is always going to be tough ask for both the selectors and administrators. Eventually they can pick only 15 to 17 players at the maximum including bench strength. Previously we used to play limited number of cricket matches, but now we have hectic schedules of cricket in all the formats even T20 is acceptable these days for players to make a mark and get in the main squad for test cricket.The best example is Pragyan Ojha is from Orissa one of the poorest state in India. Or else we need to have 2 or 3 national teams to give almost all the players a chance to represent the country, i don't know how ICC reacts to this idea but to be honest this is only solution we have to do justice to all the talented cricketers and give them a decent chance to have a go at the International level. So the onus is on BCCI to have a go at ICC with some innovative ideas atleast for India!!
Question : What are the factors that influence the huge margin of defeat in a Test Match (say an Innings defeat or a defeat by more than 300 or 400 runs)? When you compare the two teams on paper and find them to be equal in almost all things, one team makes as many runs in one innings to clinch the match while the other team suffers to come anyway near in two outings on the same match! How do we explain this?
Answer: Hi Arulmani, There are lot of factors to be noted, confidence and experience plays a major role in test cricket.I strongly disagree with you because a win with a margin of more than 300 + runs is rare and frequency is very less. Technically speaking we can say two are equally strong on papers but for me one who performs consistently takes away the credit. I think more matches against a strong opponent really helps a team to improve their chances to win. Pakistan has suffered at the hands of Aussies and same with Bangladesh team against India. The reason is simple they lacked consistent performers though both the teams have had enough chances to bounce back.
Question : Does Kholi's exclusion from the first test squad mean that he is branded a One-day specialist? If so, will it not be mean a talented young batsman is deprived of his rightful place in the test squad?
Answer: Hi Arulmani, I don't think so! Virat is still very young, he has a long way to go and players like Badrinath and Vijay are in the bench for some time now. Selectors have got it right this time because they opted for experienced domestic players to against the best teams in the South Africa. Yes Virat should be given chances against minnows like Bangladesh or Zimbabwe to start with and later on against the strong opponents. I think that is the best way to groom a younster.
Question : In the present batsmen dominating cricket, which kind of wickets do you think produce more exciting battle in ODI- “Bowler-friendly wickets†or “Batsmen-friendly wickets†& why?
Answer: Hi Srinivas, I would love to see more of a bowler-friendly wickets because the contest would be more exciting for the cricket fans all over the world. The team chasing should struggle and fight for the runs against quality bowling attack, that should generate some curiosity. The batsmen these days are very smart and have some innovative shots to score runs. Any target above 250 runs is good target on a bowler-friendly wicket!!
Question : Should the ball tempering be made legal, removing the stigma attached, if its a necessity, to achieve swing?
Answer: Hi Keshav, I am too sure how far the teams tamper the ball in the world, but given the information i have it was one of those arts in which England is the master and player from overseas who play county cricket learned the art of ball tampering right from Imran Khan days, may be much earlier than it seems. I don't think it should be legalized because very few cricketers do the ball tampering like Shahid Afridi who has done one of the silliest mistake on this earth, i think he has done intentionally and it hardly matters if he gets a 2 match ban. ICC has alter all the laws related to ball tampering and it will make batsman's life tough if ball tampering is legalized. Under Law 42, subsection 3 of the Laws of Cricket, the ball may be polished without the use of an artificial substance, may be dried with a towel if it is wet, and have mud removed from it under supervision.
Question : Afridi has the experience of almost 12 years in International cricket then why he make silly mistakes here and there?Is it just ignorance or it is intentional?
Answer: Hi Jatin, There was an old saying that old habits never die. It seems Shahid Afridi the bad boy of Pakistan started his career with ball tampering, because the way Afridi did is unacceptable to even a layman. Afridi has the history of doing silly mistakes, one of the famous foot printing in the middle of the pitch. Agreed he is a good cricketer but the attitude of not only Afridi but lot of Pakistan players is such that they have this customary habit of doing bad things frequently. Afridi has done intentionally and desperately to win a match for Pakistan, he is least bothered about the banning and of course name and fame. Afridi is well supported by his seniors like none other than Rameez Raja and Imran Khan, claiming that only sub-continent players are punished for ball-tampering. I think Imran got it wrong this time it is only the pakistan players who tampers the ball and making it as a regular habit. I am not too sure about the other sub-continent teams!!
Question : Sachin Tendulkar by virtue of scoring the first ever double hundred in the history of ODIs, has proved beyond any doubt that it is performance and not age which should decide whether one has to carry on or not in any format of the game. What is your view on this?
Answer: Yeah Arulmani, There were some notable batsman who played till 40 years as well but no batsmen can be compared with Sachin, he is genius out of the box player. There are certain other things involved in it like passion, dedication and of course extraordinary talent, which sachin has demonstrated to the hilt. The resurgence of sachin has made everyone to think twice before commenting on him. Truly he is master, infact i must say a wizard of cricket and some others titled him as a God of cricket. Cricket stalwarts like Sunny and Nasser Hussain are even rating better than Bradman. So the bottomline is for every rule there is an exception and Sachin fits in to the exception bracket very well.
Question : The great Indian All-rounder of all time, Kapil Dev has been inducted in to the ICC Hall of Fame recently. However, today if you looked at his career figures both in Test and ODI cricket you wouldn't find it breathtaking if you are a teenager. The reason is in modern cricket the numbers have no real meaning, the Tendulkars, Pontings, Laras, Dravids, Muralis, Warnes, Kumbles and many others have made the records of last century's greats look like peanuts! Yet, these greats are remembered and recognised for the quality of service they rendered to the game during their playing days. That is the reason why I believe the Gavaskar Legacy still continues even after Sachin has literally smashed everything that Sunny so laboriously created! What are your thoughts on this?
Answer: Hi Arulmani, I would like to answer your question in a filmy way. Amitabh is still the Don of Bollywood, there are Shahrukhs, Hrithiks, but Amitabh has his own place in the hearts of millions. Millions of movie lovers still love the eastman color movies of 1970s and 1980s, are'nt they? the reason is simple those are classy and evergreen films which can be remembered for generations. Without doubt Kapil and Sunny are the Indian living legends and i don't see anything wrong in putting them in the bracket of Hall of Fame which they deserve. Naturally Sachins, Dravids, Kumbles will be remembered in the next generations if i am correct, hopefully they will.
Question : The great Indian All-rounder of all time, Kapil Dev has been inducted in to the ICC Hall of Fame recently. However, today if you looked at his career figures both in Test and ODI cricket you wouldn't find it breathtaking if you are a teenager. The reason is in modern cricket the numbers have no real meaning, the Tendulkars, Pontings, Laras, Dravids, Muralis, Warnes, Kumbles and many others have made the records of last century's greats look like peanuts! Yet, these greats are remembered and recognised for the quality of service they rendered to the game during their playing days. That is the reason why I believe the Gavaskar Legacy still continues even after Sachin has literally smashed everything that Sunny so laboriously created! What are your thoughts on this?
Answer: Hi Arulmani, I would like to answer your question in a filmy way. Amitabh is still the Don of Bollywood, there are Shahrukhs, Hrithiks, but Amitabh has his own place in the hearts of millions. Millions of movie lovers still love the eastman color movies of 1970s and 1980s, are'nt they? the reason is simple those are classy and evergreen films which can be remembered for generations. Without doubt Kapil and Sunny are the Indian living legends and i don't see anything wrong in putting them in the bracket of Hall of Fame which they deserve. Naturally Sachins, Dravids, Kumbles will be remembered in the next generations if i am correct, hopefully they will.
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.
Question : Scores over 200 have become a rarity in IPL3 now. Also chasing has become too difficult in the recent matches. Is it because of bowlers or pitches or too many unforced errors from the batsmen? What’s your say on this?
Answer: Hi Dharun, It is more of a mindset of the players and adjusting themselves in T20 format by displaying smart cricket. Yes almost every team doing their homework in studying the opposition's SWOT and putting in extra effort to save or score the valuable 15 to 20 runs which eventually proving to crucial in the end.
Question : Sometimes, some really odd moves by a captain can turn out to be match-winning decisions. For e.g. letting Jayawardane and Murali Vijay open the innings for their respective teams has been successful moves, with both of them relishing the opportunity to open the innings. Sometimes, a skipper needs to think out of the box when things are not going too well. What do you say?
Answer: Hi Srinath, Yes captain has to take some calculative risks with some innovative ideas. He is the one who marshals the players and make them play to their potential. I love the way Shane Warne and he is really a good captain and makes ordinary player to perform better, best example is naman ojha, jhunjunwala and sidharth trivedi even though they certain limitations in their talent but Shane Warne has made them believe that they can do it.
