Here is an all-star franchise of the 2009 IPL, selected with age and nationality requirements in mind.
Matthew Hayden
The top scorer of the tournament, he showed what Australia are missing in the shortest format of the game. He was typically aggressive but also revealed finesse in his batting that helped him score all around the wicket.
Adam Gilchrist (wk)
He smashed the fastest IPL half century in the semi final and was the key figure in Deccan Chargers’ victory. His keeping was reliable and captaincy shrewd. Perhaps still the best opening batsman in Twenty20 cricket.
Manish Pandey
He played only four innings but his impact was such that he deserves an all-star place. Stylish and unflappable, he proved quick scoring can be done with classical cricket shots. A number three place beckons in this team, the spot he might end up occupying in India’s Test team.
Suresh Raina
He hit a fine 98 but passed 50 only once more, a lack of consistency which reflected Chennai Super Kings’ campaign. He broke partnerships with his economical offspin and fielded sharply in the ring.
Rohit Sharma
He promised much but delivered only fleetingly, a microcosm of his international career. He was perhaps batted too low by Deccan, as he has the ability to score quickly from the outset. A bowling revelation.
AB de Villiers
The in-form South African hit one of only two centuries and was a key figure in Delhi Daredevils’ successful middle order. He took the most catches in the tournament.
Andrew Symonds
A late introduction to the Chargers’ line-up, he had a big influence on the latter stages of the event. His aggression and intent gave Deccan the edge in the final. A big ICC World Twenty could be round the corner.
RP Singh
The top wicket-taker of the tournament, he bowled with guile at the start and finish of innings. He used his variations to good effect and fully deserves his place in the national squad for the ICC World Twenty20 .
Lasith Malinga
His form tailed off in the latter stages, but he was at times unplayable with new ball and at the death. Injury troubles appear to be a thing of the past.
Ashish Nehra
One of many successful left arm seamers on display, Nehra showed his experience in bowling under pressure.
Anil Kumble (c)
He finished as he started, ripping through opposition batting line-ups for very few runs. One of the old guard who showed experience and it seems a safe Twenty20 bet that this is an important factor in Twenty20 cricket.
Showing posts with label RP Singh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RP Singh. Show all posts
Friday, May 29, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Dream Final
Gilchrist's onslaught against DD took DC to finals, where as cool-headed innings from Dravid and Pandey against CSK took RCB to finals...
The two bottom-placed teams in IPL 2008 are now the finalists of IPL 2009. What a turnaround this for both the teams...
DC Vs RCB, my dream final...
DC has been shaky in some matches but Banglore has been exceptional after KP's departure...
RCB has the upper hand as they defeated DC in their last league match...
But T20 is all about form on that particular day....you outplay the other team, you win...
These two teams have been doing just this throughout the tournament, surprising other teams with superb performances...
Gilchrist, Rohit, Symonds and RP holds the key for DC where as Taylor, Kallis, Kumble and Dravid holds the key for RCB.
Though I support DC, I wouldn't really mind whoever wins the trophy....I just want this final to be simply awesome :)
Go DC..Go RCB..
The two bottom-placed teams in IPL 2008 are now the finalists of IPL 2009. What a turnaround this for both the teams...
DC Vs RCB, my dream final...
DC has been shaky in some matches but Banglore has been exceptional after KP's departure...
RCB has the upper hand as they defeated DC in their last league match...
But T20 is all about form on that particular day....you outplay the other team, you win...
These two teams have been doing just this throughout the tournament, surprising other teams with superb performances...
Gilchrist, Rohit, Symonds and RP holds the key for DC where as Taylor, Kallis, Kumble and Dravid holds the key for RCB.
Though I support DC, I wouldn't really mind whoever wins the trophy....I just want this final to be simply awesome :)
Go DC..Go RCB..
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Go DC Go
No heroics from the powerful openers, No front line spinner and Yet, an amazing victory for Deccan Chargers
It was a much needed win for the Chargers
Though Gilchrist failed with the bat, his captaincy and wicket-keeping stood out in the match....
As a DC fan, I wanted DC to win against Mumbai.
But after watching the DC innings, I lost my hopes.
It was Bravo's wicket that kept my hopes alive...
Exceptional bowling from Suman, RP and Rohit...
DC need atleast 3 wins to confirm their place in semis...
Bravo should be guilty of playing an unnecessary shot at that time...
As I mentioned in my comments at other blogs, Mumbai is a very good bowling and batting side. But it failed to dominate the matches....
Yesterday was the best chance for them to win and go to top 4....wrong-shot selection from their batsmen cost them the match...
Mumbai need to win atleast 5 matches to get into semis...It depends a lot on the opening pair....
It was a much needed win for the Chargers
Though Gilchrist failed with the bat, his captaincy and wicket-keeping stood out in the match....
As a DC fan, I wanted DC to win against Mumbai.
But after watching the DC innings, I lost my hopes.
It was Bravo's wicket that kept my hopes alive...
Exceptional bowling from Suman, RP and Rohit...
DC need atleast 3 wins to confirm their place in semis...
Bravo should be guilty of playing an unnecessary shot at that time...
As I mentioned in my comments at other blogs, Mumbai is a very good bowling and batting side. But it failed to dominate the matches....
Yesterday was the best chance for them to win and go to top 4....wrong-shot selection from their batsmen cost them the match...
Mumbai need to win atleast 5 matches to get into semis...It depends a lot on the opening pair....
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Why Again?
I thought Pujara would be there in the test series against England....But the luck was not with him....
I told my self then "Don't worry...he will surely be there in the test squad against New Zeland"..... I am once again disappointed as he was left out once again....
What the hell are the selectors thinking?....He has been very unlucky not to be selected even when he is scoring heavily in almost every match...
Pujara should have been selected in place of M Vijay...Dinesh Karthik can open the innings in the absence of one of the regular openers....So I think M Vijay as the reserve opener is not a good choice...
And also Sreesanth in place Munaf Patel should have been the right choice...And the team has only one left arm seamer(Zaheer)...There should have been another left arm bowler...May be RP Singh is the right choice...
Coming to the ODI team, Uthappa would have been a right choice ahead of Dinesh Karthik..
I told my self then "Don't worry...he will surely be there in the test squad against New Zeland"..... I am once again disappointed as he was left out once again....
What the hell are the selectors thinking?....He has been very unlucky not to be selected even when he is scoring heavily in almost every match...
Pujara should have been selected in place of M Vijay...Dinesh Karthik can open the innings in the absence of one of the regular openers....So I think M Vijay as the reserve opener is not a good choice...
And also Sreesanth in place Munaf Patel should have been the right choice...And the team has only one left arm seamer(Zaheer)...There should have been another left arm bowler...May be RP Singh is the right choice...
Coming to the ODI team, Uthappa would have been a right choice ahead of Dinesh Karthik..
Monday, November 24, 2008
Was Dhoni right?
India was shocked to hear that Dhoni had offered to resign from the captaincy following Irfan Pathan's inclusion ahead of RP Singh.
The rift between captain and the selectors is not new. Almost all countires have been facing the same situation, especially Pakistan. But the main concern here is the leak of selection report.
Dhoni took charge of India as a captain during T20 world cup last year. In one year, he has become the captain for India in all formats. India has been very consistent and winning the series under his captaincy. He might have thought that the team is completely under his control as he has not faced any problem with his captaincy till now. This might have lead to the rift between Dhoni and the selectors.
No doubt he is a talented batsman and a good captain. But Dhoni has a long way to go before he reaches his potential as a captain. Dhoni has been safe as India is winnig the matches. If India starts to lose, then Dhoni has to face a lot of criticism. If you are in good form, people praise you and if you lose your form, the same people will criticise you.
The best example is India's 2007 World Cup failure. Dhoni was out of form in that tournament and the fans damaged Dhoni's under construction house in Ranchi. Selectors need to back if you lose your form and if you are under pressure. So Dhoni needs to calm down a bit and has act with restraint.
There was only one captain who took complete contorl of his team selection. It was Imran Khan of Pakistan. Selectors would not say a word when Imran picks the team. It was largely due to his all rounder qualities with which he was able to lead his team successfully.
If the captain can decide who should be in the team, and who should not be, then what is the use of selection committee? I am not saying that the captain should not be given a chance in picking the team. The captain and the coach should be given a chance in picking the team. Consider a player's recent performance, his ability to play on any kind of surface in any situation while picking him.
What do you guys say?
The rift between captain and the selectors is not new. Almost all countires have been facing the same situation, especially Pakistan. But the main concern here is the leak of selection report.
Dhoni took charge of India as a captain during T20 world cup last year. In one year, he has become the captain for India in all formats. India has been very consistent and winning the series under his captaincy. He might have thought that the team is completely under his control as he has not faced any problem with his captaincy till now. This might have lead to the rift between Dhoni and the selectors.
No doubt he is a talented batsman and a good captain. But Dhoni has a long way to go before he reaches his potential as a captain. Dhoni has been safe as India is winnig the matches. If India starts to lose, then Dhoni has to face a lot of criticism. If you are in good form, people praise you and if you lose your form, the same people will criticise you.
The best example is India's 2007 World Cup failure. Dhoni was out of form in that tournament and the fans damaged Dhoni's under construction house in Ranchi. Selectors need to back if you lose your form and if you are under pressure. So Dhoni needs to calm down a bit and has act with restraint.
There was only one captain who took complete contorl of his team selection. It was Imran Khan of Pakistan. Selectors would not say a word when Imran picks the team. It was largely due to his all rounder qualities with which he was able to lead his team successfully.
If the captain can decide who should be in the team, and who should not be, then what is the use of selection committee? I am not saying that the captain should not be given a chance in picking the team. The captain and the coach should be given a chance in picking the team. Consider a player's recent performance, his ability to play on any kind of surface in any situation while picking him.
What do you guys say?
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Will Sreesanth come back?
Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, fast bowler from Kerala, is struggling to make it to the Indian team after being ruled out with a side strain injury that he suffered during the Indian Premier League. Sreesanth suffered a left side strain in the IPL during Kings XI Punjab's final league match on May 28 and played the semi-final, but only bowled one over.
He was left out for the Kitply Cup in Bangladesh, the Asia Cup in Pakistan, the Sri Lankan tour, the Irani Cup , Challenger Trophy, the Champions Trophy.(postponed to 2009) and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
He was picked for the India-A team after he was declared fit by the NCA(Bangalore) physio. But unfortunately for him he again injured his back and was left out of the squad. He is not even playing any domestic cricket. S. Sreesanth has not been included in the Kerala Ranji Trophy squad for the opening match of the plate league against Goa which begins at Fort Maidan on November 3.
Sreesanth last played for India in the Test series against South Africa in April 2008.
He is not looking to be concerned about his place in the team. He is frequently seen in fashion shows and other TV realty shows. This emotional, aggressive fast bowler needs to concentrate more on his fitness and bowling rather than these TV shows.
Former Indian Captain Ravi Shastri said "Sreesanth should be more disciplined if he has to make full use of his talent.
Kapil Dev said "I wish he concentrates more on cricket. Aggression is good but it should be on the field".
We have Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel, with RP Singh too in the mix. It would be best for Sreesanth to play matches, get match fit and pick wickets to return to the Indian side.
He was left out for the Kitply Cup in Bangladesh, the Asia Cup in Pakistan, the Sri Lankan tour, the Irani Cup , Challenger Trophy, the Champions Trophy.(postponed to 2009) and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
He was picked for the India-A team after he was declared fit by the NCA(Bangalore) physio. But unfortunately for him he again injured his back and was left out of the squad. He is not even playing any domestic cricket. S. Sreesanth has not been included in the Kerala Ranji Trophy squad for the opening match of the plate league against Goa which begins at Fort Maidan on November 3.
Sreesanth last played for India in the Test series against South Africa in April 2008.
He is not looking to be concerned about his place in the team. He is frequently seen in fashion shows and other TV realty shows. This emotional, aggressive fast bowler needs to concentrate more on his fitness and bowling rather than these TV shows.
Former Indian Captain Ravi Shastri said "Sreesanth should be more disciplined if he has to make full use of his talent.
Kapil Dev said "I wish he concentrates more on cricket. Aggression is good but it should be on the field".
We have Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel, with RP Singh too in the mix. It would be best for Sreesanth to play matches, get match fit and pick wickets to return to the Indian side.
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