Blaming Dhoni for the defeat is pointless!

The writing was on the wall for many many weeks. The India T-20 World Cup squad was basically a good team, capable of winning any cricket tournament. Unfortunately, it is also the most over-worked team in the world. Mahindra Singh Dhoni, the captain himself could do with some much needed rest. It is absolutely insane the way some of our best players have been over-exposed. Ishant Sharma has been used like a work-horse for two years without a break. BCCI could break him apart just like they did with Irfan Pathan. Besides, a young captain like Dhoni needs a veteran in the slips for a second opinion. Sachin Tendulkar or even Rahul Dravid could give the required input, standing beside a wicket-keeper captain in times of crisis. Mahi (Mahindra Singh Dhoni) looked confused when Zaheer Khan failed to use the bouncy Lords pitch to his advantage. R P Singh pressed his attack with reasonable line and length but Ishant Sharma lost the momentum. Ishant has been out of his league for a long time, he needs to recharge his batteries. He gave 10 extra runs just too many. Yuvraj Singh as a bowler was a very bad idea at that time, Yusuf Pathan could have been a better alternative. But this is all 20-20 hindsight, the important point is that we win some and we lose some. What matters is that we play good cricket for the long run.

India has failed to develop a cricket culture!

Winning international cricket matches is important for a country like India but a sustained long term development of talent is imperative. It was on June 25, 1932 that India started playing international Test Cricket and during these 77 years it has achieved a lot. Currently India is doing rather well in Twenty20 cricket as well as the ODIs but not so well in the more traditional Test cricket. The reason for this is the heavy hand of the BCCI and their selectors. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has a history of picking winners or losers for short term gratification. It has failed to cultivate good cricket culture throughout the length and breadth of the country. Indian Cricket has also been a victim of the ‘Star Culture’ that destroys young alternative talent. There are plenty of examples of that throughout the history of Indian Cricket. What is tragic is that we seem to learn nothing from it. We are making the same mistake right now! There is no transparency in our selection process.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a fantastic captain for the India Cricket Team. He is developing into a good middle-order batsman but his wicketkeeping is nothing to brag about. The problem is that he appears to be following in the footsteps of his predecessors like Sourav Ganguly (another very successful Indian Cricket Captain) and others before him. He is becoming too cautious in terms of trying new talent or using alternatives when main-line attack looks tired or unfit. The case in point is Ishant Sharma, an extremely talented fast bowler but who is being used without any reasonable break. He might soon burn-out like Irfan Pathan or Shanthakumaran Sreesanth. Dhoni himself is over-exposed and over-played. He must encourage reasonable rest and recuperation period for himself as well as his top talent. India is too large a country with too long a cricket history to over-play its front-line attack all the time. We must have multiple choices in all areas of international cricket!

The Pathans of Gujarat carried the water for India!

Yusuf and Irfan Pathan snatched a three wicket victory from Sri Lanka in the T20 match on February 10, 2009. Is Narendra Modi, the current Chief Minister of Gujarat, going to welcome the ‘Sons of Gujarat’ on their return home? It was a thrilling match! India was going down the drain at 115 for 7 when the Pathan brothers took control of the situation. Chasing a decent total of 172 runs, the brothers batted with speed and responsibility, rarely seen in a loosing team. A defeat in this cricket match wouldn’t have taken away the euphoria of the ODI series win in Sri Lanka but the class shown by the Pathans in this match should be remembered for a long time to come.

The Pathans of India…

The Aussies might be scared of Ishant Sharma!

This might sound strange but Aussies are not comfortable playing Ishant Sharma. The reason for this is simple, the unexpected! The Australians expect ‘Medium Pacers’ from India, not a genuine pace bowler. They are used to real fast bowlers from Pakistan but never from India. This mind-set has unnerved them for the past few seasons. Ishant Sharma has a high arm delivery action and is able to move the ball in both directions. Add to this, his lean frame and an unusual height (6′-4″) and you have the potential of a bullet coming towards you. Because of all this, he has the advantage of hitting the ground hard and getting a bounce the Aussies do not appreciate. They have been doing this to all other countries for decades, but now they are at the receiving end! India needs to use this weapon sparingly and not as a work-horse.

Indian Test Cricket Skipper, Anil Kumble is not the kind of a leader that our team needs. He used Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma to bowl 30 overs a piece in the first innings against Australia in the first test played at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. At this rate, how long do you think either one of them would last? He could have used Sourav Ganguly for 10 to 12 overs and given both the opening bowlers some rest. He should have used Virender Sehwag for at least 10 overs instead of 6 in the first innings. I am not trying to second guess the captain; he is just too adamant and does not like to play with 5 full-time bowlers. Irfan Pathan was similarly used and destroyed. Ishant is a rare cricket talent and he needs relief and care to last for 10 years.

Ishant Sharma was born on September 2, 1988 in Delhi, India. The lanky speedster is nicknamed ‘lamboo’ for being so towering! His father is a small businessman and runs an air-conditioner repair shop in Delhi. Ishant started playing cricket at the age of 14, rather late for a professional cricketer. He made his Ranji Trophy debut at 18. “He has a lovely high-arm action, smooth run-up and an attractive follow-through. Ishant has a deadly, deceptive bouncer, which he is shrewd enough to use judiciously. He tends to pitch the ball short, hit the deck hard and captures the batsman by surprise“, reports Haresh Pandya of Rediff. Ishant Sharma is one of the most outstanding junior cricketers in recent years. He toured England with the India Under-19s in 2006  and Pakistan in 2006-07. After consistently impressing at the junior level, he found his way into the Delhi side in 2005-06. He got his test break against Bangladesh in May 2007.

Ishant Sharma to Ricky Ponting

Ishant Sharma – a profile

The Pathans of India…

Yusuf Khan (born on November 17, 1982) and Irfan Khan (born on October 27, 1984) are the two Pathan brothers who have fired the imagination of Indian Cricket in the 21st century. Born to Mehmood Khan and Shamim Bano, the brothers grew up in a mosque in Baroda. Mehmood Khan worked as the muezzin. The impoverished Muslim family wanted their sons to become Islamic scholars, instead the brothers took interest in cricket. The family had no welfare checks coming. Like so many millions in India, they had their grit, determination and simple hard-work.

Although Yusuf is the older one, Irfan made his Test debut in the Second Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in December 2003. He was introduced as a left-arm fast-medium swing bowler, reminding some of the legendary Wasim Akram of Pakistan. Irfan improved his batting skills to become a bowling all-rounder. This was the birth of ‘Irfan Pathan’ the Indian pride after the renowned all-rounder and former skipper Kapil Dev. How did Irfan Khan become Irfan Pathan? Shamim Bano, his mother, laments “Tum logo ne uska naam badal diya hai” (you media people have changed his name). Does it matter? It suits him, anyway.

Yusuf Pathan, the elder brother (half-brother) is a hard-hitting right handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler. He was selected for the Indian Squad for the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship, held in South Africa in September 2007. He made his Twenty20 international debut in final against Pakistan. His performance was hardly noteworthy, but India pulled off the last ball victory and the rest is history. Yusuf Pathan became a part of history-making win for India. Subsequently, because of a good domestic season, he was signed by the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League for $475,000. In the 2008 IPL season, Yusuf scored 435 runs and took 8 wickets. Shane Warne, the captain for Rajasthan Royals, placed great faith in Yusuf Pathan. He was the Man of the Match in the final against Chennai Super Kings. Yusuf Pathan has arrived.