Yuvraj Singh on test cricket

Well this has been one of the most mysteries in international cricket that Yuvraj Singh has had to fight for a place in the test side of the Indian side despite being in the top form in the other two formats of the game. Someone like Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Rohith Sharma have been able to make it to the test team not only in games involving Bangladesh and that played at India but they have been called in during the Border - Gavaskar trophy in 2008 which was a tough challenge for Indians. The list also includes Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik.

It is agreed that both the above mentioned names have made it to the playing XI as wicketkeepers unlike others who have made it as batsmen. But, one has to doubt whether Yuvraj Singh is a much under-rated batsman compared to the likes of Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli? On the otherhand, someone like Mahendra Singh Dhoni was made the captain of the Indian test squad ahead of Laxman and Sehwag who were seniors compared to Dhoni. No doubt that Dhoni has been able to fulfill the commitments to the fullest extent may be even more than what Laxman and Sehwag would have achieved.

However, the discussion here once again asks whether Yuvraj Singh needs multiple reconsideration for his place in the test squad? This is one of those rare cases where bowlers have an upper hand compared to batsmen when they have been able to make it to the test team in the initial stages of their career while batsmen fail to do it even after years of them making their debut in international cricket. Irfan Pathan debuted in one of the most important series namely the Border - Gavaskar trophy 2003/04 and should consider himself lucky enough to have the wicket of Steve Waugh.

So was the case with people like Ishanth Sharma, who was chosen for the same Border - Gavaskar trophy four years later in 2008. But,m Yuvraj Singh was made to warm the benches in the same tournament if not for a couple of games. Despite making his international debut in 2000, it took almost four years for Yuvraj Singh to play his first test match against New Zealand which was nonetheless a miserable one with him getting limited opportunity there and was once for all sacked for the Australian tour that year. But, that has not been the case regarding Sehwag.

Is Dhoni the new Ricky Ponting?

Well yesterday, the Indian captain and to be more precise at present, the Chennai Superkings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is all set to take the stage in the finals of the Indian Premier League for the third time and second time in succession. Likewise, he is the only captain and his team is the only team (obviously) to have made it to the semi finals (qualifiers this time around) of an IPL. This was something that only Dhoni can boast of and nobody else. Dhoni has all reasons and his team all the odds to make it two in a row.

With just four editions of the Indian Premier League gone and with ten teams at present to compete, there are teams in the waiting as well to gain atleast one such title. Dhoni on one side should be lucky to have beaten the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the right time when just a couple of days ago the same RCB destroyed the Chennai Superkings by 8 wickets. The venue hardly matters when the country is foreign to all non Indian players and local to players from India who have played in almost every venue that hosted matches in the IPL.

It was just more than a month ago that India-under the captaincy of the same Dhoni won the world cup at Wankhade stadium that set so many records and just 8 months ago that lifted the champions league trophy where they met the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the semi-finals like yesterday. Notable feathers in Dhoni's cap would be the inaugural edition of the world T20 at South Africa, runners-up in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League, winners in the 2010 IPL and finalists of the current edition of the IPL (which would see them may be as runners-up or winners).

I can just correlate this feat of Dhoni's to the former Aussie captain-Ricky Ponting who has has many tournament wins against his name when he captained the Australian team since the retirement of Steve Waugh in 2002. Notable achievements of Ponting include the two major world cup titles in 2003 and 2007, two ICC champions trophies in 2006 and 2009, beating India (in India) 2-1 in the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2004, 5-0 whitewash of England in Ashes 2007 and finally winning 21 one dayers at a stretch and 16 consecutive test matches. This can rarely be paralleled but one can see a glimpse of the same in Dhoni.

Bankrupt Ponting files insolvency

It was after Australia's whitewash in the 2^nd T20 world cup where Australia failed to go past the 1^st round of the tournament after losses to Sri Lanka and West Indies that the then Aussie captain-Ricky Ponting stepped down from captaincy. Now, the world had to wait for India to tame the Australian team that has been stripped of all its match winners for Ponting to give up his captaincy from all forms of the game. This might not go down well with most of them who are hardcore fans of the Aussie captain for his achievements in international cricket.

Ponting though is the 2^nd captain to have lifted the ICC world cup twice after Clive Lloyd can hardly be considered in par with Steve Waugh who was not as successful as Ponting. It was Steve Waugh who from nowhere bought his team to victory in the finals of the 1999 world cup when odds suggested that Australia wouldn't even make it to the semis with them needing wins against all three teams in the super sixes. Had Ponting been there, that would have never happened. Likewise, even Mark Taylor was a clever captain who saw his team to the finals in the previous edition but convinced himself with the runners-up tag.

Ponting under his captaincy has more than 41 test wins along with two ICC world cups and an equal number of ICC champions trophies. Till date, Australia is the only team to have won two ICC champions trophies and Ponting is lucky to have captained the side then. It would not be a tough task for anyone to lead a side with the strongest bowling line up in the world aided with depth to an equal amount in batting. Hard hitting batsmen like Gilchrist, Hayden, Martyn, Symonds, Hussey as a bunch is still unparalleled. Similarly, a bowler like McGrath can be born once in a lifetime.

Since the bowling duo of McGrath and Warne, Ponting's team has never been able to retain or regain the Ashes. Australia came close to losing a test match against Sri Lanka which was the 2^nd test for Australia after the retirement of McGrath-Warne. But, with likes of Gilchrist and co, their winning streak was extended by three more matches when they finally lost to India in the 3^rd test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2007-08 at Perth. Since then Ponting's highlights as captain are: a test series loss to RSA at home which was their 1st such loss in 16 years. Then comes the two Ashes' losses and two loss to India on their tour.

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Why doesn't Dhoni include bowlers as well?

Well if one has the patience to go through the latest article in one of the major cricket website, Dhoni seeks more from his batsmen after their humiliating loss in the first one dayer against and in South Africa a couple of days back. However, if Dhoni is indeed serious about the words what he says, it was not only the batsmen who were involved in the mishap but the bowlers as well who allowed the hosts to pile up 289 runs on the board. But, Dhoni's words don't seem to concern the bowlers in any way. Well, there's no one disputing.

If Dhoni's personal contribution in the match is concerned, he could manage a handy 25 runs from 35 balls which included a once again handy 33 run partnership in the mere total of 154 which was 135 runs less than the total piled up by the hosts - South Africa. Though this was far from sufficient, Dhoni's part is well appreciated in moving the tempo forward when batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Murali Vijay and Rohith Sharma failed to do their bit. But, still, my personal opinion was that Dhoni's words were uncalled for and a suggestion would ask him to visit the site - Good Health & You

Well, Dhoni should not take this match too seriously for, it is evident that Dhoni's men were facing the South Africans on their own soil unlike their previous home tours against Australia and New Zealand. This was the first one dayer and a defeat doesn't seem to be the end of all with a major even scheduled in 5 weeks from now onwards. Luckily, Dhoni's men will be facing most of their opponents on their home soil which would add to the advantage with most of the players being in form. A loss in the 1^st match may turn out to be victory in the remaining four.

India have managed to draw the last test when a loss was thought to be in hand. They won the only T20 game scheduled in Durban all in South Africa. Dhoni needs to realize that India were playing South Africa without the likes of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and with out of form players like Yuvraj Singh. With so much advantages and chances that India have had and are likely to have, Dhoni should not bother much about the loss which are one out of 20. For every 20 wins, India loses one match and if that lone match draws a lot of criticism, such ideas have to be totally ignored.

Ponting's never stopping attitude

Well he might have failed to win the first test at Brisbane and neither is Ponting happy with the 1st Ashes test ending in a draw which actually Australia should have lost. Though no one is to be blamed for their missed earning opportunities in life, the Australian captain does have someone to point his fingers at after drawing the first test at Brisbane when he shows his lack of interest on the technology for not dancing to his tunes. I wish Ricky Ponting was expecting all umpires in the world to be a follower of Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson.

May be his lack of confidence in the onfield umpires might have provoked him to take the decision himself when he claimed Sourav Ganguly out caught in the famous Sydney test somewhere three years down the lane. Had Ganguly been adjudged "NOT OUT", may be Ricky Ponting's words would have made news on cricinfo three years earlier itself. With that apart, coming to the news, Ponting says that he isn't satisfied with the technology for the sole reason that he couldn't get Cook out when the batsman was on 209. Cook later on went on to win the man of the match award which is a different issue.

Added to that was the fact that Alistair Cook never got out whatsoever. And, the reasons for Ponting to get annoyed with the technology is justified when he could have had another wicket to his team's name on one hand while on the other, a catch extra under his personal name. The article suggests that Ricky Ponting as expected or even suspected if one is not wrong enough, tried to convince not only the onfield umpires but also the third umpire - Aleem Dar saying that the catch was taken. But, unfortunately fortunately, it was not the Border - Gavaskar trophy involving India but the Ashes involving England.

England's influence on world cricket is equally good as is Australia's influence. And, one has to no matter what accept the fact that the Sydney test episode has implanted a fear among the onfield as well as the third umpires before getting into such dirty games. No matter what the influence of Australia has got on world cricket, it would come as no surprise if the umpires do not give the decision in favor of Australia for the fear of having to face the music for the wrong reasons. And, with all these in front of us, Ponting's lack of satisfaction towards the technology can well be understood.

Punish the umpires instead

Well the news has its say that the decision review system is about to take a back seat for the reason that it involves a lot of cost that is considered as unnecessary by the ICC. It seems that the world's cricket governing body is not interested in giving the teams or the players a fair trial no matter what on earth happens. It is not the ICC who would be responsible in case a team crashes out of a major tournament when there is hardly any mistake on its side or there is least that it can do. Really?

If the ICC considers about cost cutting measures, one has to reason out why does the game has a provision in giving the umpires an option to refer a doubtful decision to the 3^rd umpire? Why doesn't one of the teams suffer in case there can be a lot of money that can be saved. Of course, there is not going to be a loss of anyone's life or property in this case. The ICC should have learnt a lesson after the Sydney test episode between India and Australia where 8 decisions were wrong and funny that one of them included the decision by the third umpire as well.

However, all these are allowed to happen by giving a lame excuse that these are human errors regarding which nothing can be done. One can agree with the former part of the sentence which says "human errors" but not with the latter part that says "nothing can be done". In case something needs to be done, there are lots that can happen. In case a batsman is found to be not out, he can be called by the umpires back to the crease to continue to bat. This can happen when the same umpires rule out a six to be a four after consulting the third umpire over wireless.

Similarly, in case the opposition captain calls back a batsman after learning that he was not out, the batsman can still come back and play like it happened in a match between Sri Lanka and Australia in 2004 after Symonds was given out which was not the case actually. And one other thing that can be done is to penalise the umpires in case they go wrong in deciding irrespective of whether it is a human error or not. When captains can be fined for slow over rate and bowlers for excessive appealing, why should the umpires go scot free for their decision can affect not only a player or a match but also a series?