Will Harbhajan's dream be relished?

Well it is or has always been an accepted theory that only batsmen make good captains while bowlers rarely get the chance to captain their side. This was the case some 7 years back when Sourav Ganguly was forced to opt out of the tournament against Pakistan and Rahul Dravid was made the captain of the then Indian side which saw wins in the first test followed by a defeat in the second. However, Ganguly returned back for the third test which saw India register another innings win against arch rivals-Pakistan. Then, there were two batsmen who captained the Indian side.

That tournament was famous for Virender Sehwag's (India's) maiden triple hundred when he smashed all the Pakistani bowlers-Saqlain especially all over the ground at Multan. That apart, coming to the point, news on the web is that the Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh is keen to captain the Indian side which is now on its all time high after their world cup win exactly two months back. But, his dream seems far from being relished when it has been only batsmen who are found to captain the side. However, the Kiwi captain Daniel Vettori becomes an exception. Or else, no other bowler seems to hold the tag.

The other side of the debate also has wicket keepers making good captains like Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Similarly there were quite a few players like Andy Flower and Moin Khan who captained their side as well as kept wickets. But, the lone sufferers have been the bowlers and of course fielders. But, with known fielders hardly available and no other name but Jonty Rhodes making it to the list, fielders can be kept out of the list. Of course, even Jonty Rhodes didn't captain the South African side. Another bowler who made it to the elite list was Shaun Pollock.

Or else, the names which captained their sides were Shahid Afridi, Andrew Struass, Dhoni, Chris Gayle etc who were all batsmen or rather all-rounders, Dhoni being a wicketkeeping allrounder. But, despite being successful bowlers, players like Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Javgal Srinath etc never got a chance to captain their side. There have been successful bowlers like Wasim Akram, Daniel Vettori, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev etc who have been successful captains. And someone like Sachin Tendulkar is the worst captain India has ever seen no matter how gr8 a batsman he is. With the trends showing no signs of reversing, the question left unanswered is whether Harbhajan's dream ever be relished

After failing to chase, RSA fail to defent as well

Well if the second one dayer between India and South Africa at Johannesburg comes in for much criticism from most around the world, the Proteas have yet again made news for the wrong reasons when they failed to win a winning battle which came in defending a rather decent score of 220 on the board with the pitch assisting the bowlers to a greater extent. Some stupid part time bowlers like Yuvraj Singh could control the South African batsmen let alone strike bowlers like Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan. Some Munaf Patel who rarely makes it to the 15 member squad makes his day.

This time, India were playing the hosts without another star player - Sachin Tendulkar in addition to the absence of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. The total what the Proteas left before the second innings started was a combined effort of half centuries from the blades of Jean Paul Duminy and Faf Du Plessis, the latter who was making his debut appearance in a one day international. Of course, even South Africa was without their key player in Jacques Kallis, but being the hosts and winning the toss, they should have had no reason to defend their defeat once again.

Batting was looking terribly tough taking the way the South African batsmen were struggling after winning the toss and opting to bat first. However, a 5^th wicket partnership of 110 runs between the aforementioned players made all of us feel that the South African players are back in the game which was only half truth. The remaining half being that their bowling was exactly opposite to what their batsmen could manage. The scoreboard which read 200/4 at one point of time in the 45^th over eventually ended by freezing at 220 with the hosts losing all their ten wickets, meaning just 20 runs were added before 6 more wickets fell.

Just a couple of days back, South Africa failed to chase down a mere target of 191 after falling 1 run short. And, what happened in the 3^rd one dayer has well been depicted. Shortly, the Proteas will be heading to the same venue to against which it is seen reeling even without any sort of pressure. However, the South Africans can tend to relax a little bit, for they are not grouped with India in pool A. But, what if South Africa happens to face India in the quarter final which is a knock out affair? They'll be reminded of the 1996 WC.

I wish the South African players Travel the World before they head on to the sub continent to play the game's most respected tournament - the world cup.

Sulieman Benn: A non Aussie sledger

Well whenever the word sledging is heard or is making news, the first name team that comes to everyone's mind is the Aussies starting from Dennis Lillie and Steve Waugh to the present day's players like Brett Lee, Ponting and Hayden. Their sledging is not restricted to on the field alone. Off the field as well, Aussies are masters of sledging which is quite evident from the story of Mathew Hayden calling Harbhajan Singh "an obnoxious weed" some three years down the lane during the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2007-08 and the Commonwealth Bank series that followed. Whatever, that series can be called as mother of sledging.

That series involved everything about sledging starting from the eight umpiring decisions that went wrong and the "monkey" word said to be uttered by Harbhajan Singh at Symonds. Then there was the egg throwing incident on the Sri Lankan off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (of course not by any of the Australian players) who had come to participate in the Commonwealth Bank series that followed the 4 match India - Australia tests. Finally the Commonwealth Bank series not only ended with India winning the trophy and Adam Gilchrist & Brad Hogg bidding adieu but also with the incident of a streaker being hit by Andrew Symonds on the field.

Anyways, all these were just a recap of how ugly can sledging can get when it crosses the line and also when it doesn't. However, it seems that it is the birth right of an Australian player to say anything about their opponents and the fact that they have been and are today also unbeatable supports their on field deeds. But, outside the Aussie world as well, sledging has its own share but a bit more ugly one. The list includes India's Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh & Zaheer Khan offlate, Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akthar and the latest to join the list has happened to be West Indian Sulieman Benn.

This is the 2^nd time that the West Indian has been seen making news for the wrong reasons, after he was first time banned for doing so in the three match test series against Australia late last year when he had an on field spat with the Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson. This time again, the West Indian is found doing the same and is penalized by none other than the West Indian captain Chris Gayle who asked him to leave the field after the captain decided that Benn was not needed anymore. Though being unable to make a mark in cricket, such things can easily make Benn make headlines.

Tendulkar's lone six in the IPL

The fact that Sachin Tendulkar has hit only one six in the IPL is quite hard to believe not only because it is Tendulkar who is under discussion at the moment but also due to the fact that he stands in the second position when it comes to the highest run scorers in this edition of the IPL. Sachin Tendulkar might be kicking himself when he would have learnt that a bowler in Harbhajan Singh has hit more shots out of the boundary than him. However, if the same is seen from the discipline point of view, Sachin has to be heading in the right direction.

As said earlier, Sachin Tendulkar is the second highest run scorer in the IPL second to only Jacques Kallis with 493 runs from 10 games. He has 3 scores above fifty and an equal number of man of the match awards. Sachin Tendulkar has hardly been the man to hit sixes when compared to someone like Sehwag, Gilchrist, Jayasuriya and Afridi to name a few. Big hitters like Gilchrist, Sehwag, Symonds and Jayasuriya have not been doing exactly what is expected from them and Sachin Tendulkar indeed deserves a lot of applauses for what he has been able to do.

It doesn't mind as to how many sixes a batsman has been able to hit when the team for which he plays is found to top the charts after ending in the second position from the last in the 2009 edition. In the 2008 edition, it was Sanath Jayasuriya who hit the maximum number of sixes when he hit 31 of them only to see his team not make it to even the semis of the same. If Sachin Tendulkar was to hit more sixes, he wouldn't have had so much success in the areas mentioned above. It is the job of a tail end batsman like Harbhajan whose sole duty with the bat is to whip it through the air and see the ball fly over the ropes.

Harbhajan is not responsible if he fails with the bat when his duty is to bowl the opposition. But, Sachin Tendulkar is gifted with the responsibility to take the batting further with no other experienced batsmen in his side. One can see signs of the great Australian captain Steve Waugh whose individual records hardly speak for him. Steve Waugh has been able to hit only three hundreds in his entire ODI career lasting 324 matches. But, all those three centuries have been referred to as "captain's knock" with the 120* against South Africa in the super sixes being the highlight of them all.

Sachin the lone scorer for Mumbai

One has to once again applaud Sachin Tendulkar who has made this edition of the IPL as his own. Though yesterday the Mumbai Indians team lost the game to the Chennai Superkings by a small margin of 24 runs, Sachin Tendulkar - like always never fell short of making another innings of his count. Sachin Tendulkar was there until the 7^th wicket of the Mumbai Indians fell. Of course, his dropping of the veteran Sri Lankan opener - Sanath Jayasuriya will surely be noticed by one and all. Sachin Tendulkar not only top scored with 45 but also saw his partner at the other end bat with confidence.

Once again, there was another innings for Sachin Tendulkar which went without the batsman hitting even a single six. But, the sixes which would have been expected from the blades of Sachin Tendulkar happened to come from the blades of the tail end batsman in Harbhajan Singh when he hit three of them out of the ground. That coincidentally happened to be the highest number of sixes that were witnessed from the match. If the Mumbai Indians' squad is given a closer look, Sachin Tendulkar is the lone scorer for his team and also the lone noted batsman if Harbhajan Singh is excluded.

Harbhajan Singh has made a name for himself as a bowler while he is found sending down nightmares for the bowlers. If not for Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar, no other batsman from the Mumbai Indians' squad has made a name for himself in international cricket. Now that Sanath Jayasuriya is made to warm the benches, Sachin Tendulkar is found taking credit for whatever batting works his team is found doing. Sachin Tendulkar was awarded the man of the match on 3 out of the 9 games they have played so far against Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight riders and Chennai Superkings.

Despite winning in the first match against Rajasthan Royals, the man of the match happened to be Yousuf Pathan for his fastest IPL hundred. And then in the match against Deccan Chargers, Harbhajan Singh was awarded the man of the match for his 18 ball 49 with it being the 2^nd time a player was given the award for his batting prowess which so far has been three with Rayudu taking the honors in the match against Deccan Chargers once again. In the match against the Kings XI Punjab, it was a bowler in Lasith Malinga who was awarded the man of the match for his four wicket haul. So, till now there have been just one other batsman in Rayudu who has been awarded the man of the match if Tendulkar is sidelined.

Re-defining thriller

By the way, what is the exact definition of thriller? Atleast, in cricketing terms, thriller refers to a match that was won by a team despite the opposition threatening to close in. But, in the second test between India and South Africa, India won convincingly by an innings and 57 runs that was far ahead of the innings + 6 run victory that South Africa took home in the 1^st test at Nagpur. So, here came the other definition of thriller wherein India despite managing an upper hand in the game had to wait upto 15 minutes before the umpires would have called it all over.

There was no chance of South Africa either winning the match or the match ending in a draw with a minimum of 357 runs to be scored and to have saved atleast 1 wicket at the end of the day that would have also been the end of the match. Hashim Amla did stay at the crease threatening to pull back but not without the aid of the the bad light that had its say on the fourth day of the test match which lasted just 157 minutes. Extras recorded the 2nd best score of the innings with 35 of them being bowled by the Indian bowlers. Kallis, Prince, Duminy, de Villiers and Smith all could manage just above 20s with a hundred being required off them.

It was fantastic to see Hashim Amla's wicket not being able to be taken by any Indian bowler including Harbhajan Singh. Finally, India had to choose the other way of getting back to the game by cutting the tree ( with its roots firmly held by Hashim Amla at one end) from the branches. In this context, India failed miserably. One need not specially highlight the centuries scored by Hashim Amla in all the three innings that he played. However, would have Amla been able to do the same had the 4th day's play not been washed off? Amla batted for more than 8 hours of the day which justifies the man of the series given to him.

But, in no way was Amla eligible for the man of the match when there were the likes of Harbhajan Singh who picked up 5 wickets in the 2^nd innings and 3 in the first. There were Sehwag and Laxman who notched up important half centuries without which the game would not have seen this result. Moreover, it was India who won the match and a man of the match award should have been an Indian and not from the losing team. It was the blunder created by the rest of the South African batsmen than Amla single handedly batting his innings. It is just foolish for a player from team that has sufferred an innings defeat to be given the man-of-the-match award.

Fourth Innings guaranteed

Well, at the end of the 2nd day of the 2^nd test match at Kolkata, India in addition to surpassing the score of 296 runs put up on the board by the Proteas also lost 5 wickets and is bound to lose the 6^th, with Amith Mishra sent in a suicide bomber which is termed a nightwatchman in test cricketing terms. As expected, the 10^th Parnell and wicket partnership of the South African innings didn't last for long despite a series of non promising hits to the fence by the South African tail-endersMorkel. The inevitable for South Africa could only be delayed by an additional 30 runs.

The situation in the second innings of the test match was hardly different from the first innings of the Proteas'. Like the South Africans, it was a two men show in Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, both of whom had three figure scores in the earlier test at Nagpur. So, at the end of day 2 of the test match, there were three batsmen from both the sides put together, who notched up centuries in both the tests. It was yet another flop show from Murali Vijay and Gautam Gambhir which is needless to be highlighted. Nevermind that India still holds the upper hand in the match.

With someone like Zaheer Khan, who if not anything big can take the wicket of Graeme Smith and Harbhajan Singh whose powerss was evident in the first innings and more so in 2004 when he scrapped 7 South African wickets to take an 8 wicket victory, can snatch the game from the Proteas in case of a tie breaker. The only hopes for team India at the moment would be V V S Laxman and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former who could remind himself of the epic knock of 281 like Harbhajan Singh can remind himself about the hattrick he took in that game against Australia.

All these can be dreamt about at the moment only if Dhoni can support Laxman from the other end. And if Dhoni tries to do what he was doing in the first test, then, all that he can achieve is to escape from the blame game and nothing more. It is fascinating to hear that the loss at Nagpur against South Africa was Dhoni's first loss as a captain. Now, hope so that the Kolkata test would not be the first test series loss as a captain for Dhoni. So, one has to wait for another three days to see if the luck factor that Dhoni has been carrying with him after he took over as the captain can combine with the efforts of Harbhajan & Laxman.

Garden turns forest for the Proteas

Well the cricket stadium at Kolkata can be mistaken by any innocent people to be a garden as the name Eden Garden suggests. But, yesterday, the South Africans not only got deceived in their minds but also felt it practically after their team had an initial run, only to find themselves kicking at the end of the day. The team which was at one stage 218/2 at the end of the 52nd over, at an astonishing run rate of over 4.0 (which is far better compared to the standards of test cricket) had to end the day losing just one wicket less than an unofficial declare.

It was the same Hashim Amla along with Petersen who belted the Indian bowling with power and experience of their previous victory in the tournament. Hashim Amla belted 114 and on the other hand, it was debutant Alviro Nathan petersen who scored his hundred as well. This would have and should have put enormous pressure upon the Indian bowlers players, especially with the fact that they had lost the Nagpur test and were lagging behind in the test series. Added to that would be the fact that India will have to let go its number 1 position in test cricket which it has been holding since past 2 series'.

It is hard to digest losing something that he has been holding for so long and something which he has rarely held in his life. Team India belong to the 2nd category, for they held on to the number 1 position in test cricket which wasn't possible atleast as long as Tendulkar has been around in Indian cricket. When a debutant in Petersen can notch up a hundred and that too at a venue far away from home, questions would surely start raising in people's minds regarding the fate of the match despite there being 4 more days and atleast 2 more innings to go.

Finally, at the end of the day, the extras had its say when it held the position number 3 when it comes to the highest individual scores in the South African innings. Indian bowlers bowled 26 extras, that was bettered by only two centurions mentioned above. The match didn't start in any different manner, when Smith once again lost his battle to Zaheer Khan after scoring 4 runs. The bowler got his price of 4 wickets and as expected and mentioned in one of my earlier posts, Harbhajan Singh did the damage that he could. It would be nice to see as to who would come forward to take the blame for the 1st day's debacle of the South African batting.

Momentum is with RSA

It is needless to be said that a team that has taken an initial lead in the test series be it anywhere on earth will definitely have the momentum and the pressure would obviously be on the opposition. This is more so in the case where the series is a two match affair and a win in the first test would guarantee the opposition atleast a level in the series in case they lose the 2^nd test. This is what the Proteas enjoy at the moment, with South Africa taking an unbeatable lead in the series , a loss in the 2^nd test would only see them level the series and a draw would ensure a series win for the Proteas.

However, some positives that South Africa enjoyed in the first test that was played at Nagpur, which might not be the case at Kolkata should also have been taken by A B de Villiers before making any such comment. India were without a second wall (after Rahul Dravid) in V V S Laxman who is termed to be fit for the second test at Kolkata starting day after on Sunday. The second point is that the Kolkata pitch is hinted to be a turning track, playing on which can be a nightmare for the batsmen from South Africa, which will surely haunt them this time as well.

Though there is hardly any noted spinner in the Indian squad for the exception of Harbhajan Singh, Harbhajan Singh is alone enough to put pressure upon the South African batsmen. Moreover, there is Zaheer Khan, who can bring fresh nightmares for atleast Graeme Smith if not for anything else for, Zaheer Khan has been seen getting Smith out in the past 5 tests and 8 innings that were played. The most recent one where Smith was taken by Zaheer being in the Nagpur test. It was the same venue where South Africa lost to India where Harbhajan Singh took 7 wickets in the 2^nd innings and 2 in the first.

In that match in 2004, spinners took 13 out of the 20 South African wickets, with all 10 wickets in the 2^nd South African innings going to the spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan. In 2008, South Africa succumbed to India's bowling in the 3rd test at Kanpur, with needless to be said spinners made the most of the South African batsmen's weakness. It was after South Africa won the 2^nd test at Ahmedabad that they lost the 3^rd test at Kanpur by 8 wickets. Moreover, the Kanpur test lasted for just 3 days, with the South African 2nd innings lasting just 55.5 overs and 121 runs long. Now, one can guess the momentum that A B de Villiers thinks his team to be enjoying!

The over-confident South African coach

It is not an unknown fact that one victory can make anyone go over confidential like it is evident from Corrie van zyl's words after his team's 1^st test win against India at Nagpur. Following that test victory, Smith looks to be ready for any challenge be it whatever. This is evident from his words when he says that he and his team mates are ready for any pitch, without realizing his team's weakness. I guess Smith must be once again reminded that he is playing in the sub continent where South Africa's performance has so far been under average, be it against India, Sri Lanka or Pakistan.

If South Africa's run in tests against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka are considered, they have managed just two test wins since 1993 out of the 10 games that were played. And when it comes to playing India at home, South Africa have a better record compared to that against Sri Lanka. On their last tour in 2008, South Africa have managed to level the series 1-1 with another test being drawn, where Sehwag scored his 2nd triple century. Prior to that, South Africa had lost the 2 match series 0-1 after India beat South Africa by 8 wickets at Kolkata.

And against Pakistan, South Africa have yet again managed to win just two games, with Pakistan winning just one in the 7 matches that have been played between these two nations. It need not be specially cited about South Africa's lack of ability to play spin bowling especially in the sub continent conditions which are spinner friendly compared to the ones in South Africa. It was in Kolkata that South Africa had lost to India two series prior to this one. One has to surely be lying if he says that a turning track will not bother South Africa in the series.

Is it because that South Africa have won the first test and their chances of losing the series is out of question that they are ready with any sort of pitch in the 2^nd test at Kolkata? Or is it because that India lack quality in the spin bowling department with Harbhajan Singh being the lone spinner of some quality? Though there is Amit Mishra, he has to make a name for himself as a noted leg spinner. One has to remind the Proteas about the way Harbhajan Singh destroyed the South African batting in the Kolkata test in 2004 by taking 7 wickets. Oh! yes..this is the first time van zyl is coaching RSA and may be he isn't aware about the past.

Is Smith confident about his decisions?

As expected at the end of the second day's play between India and South Africa, South Africa did pile up a mammoth total of 556 for the loss of 6 wickets before declaring the innings. However, a close look at the game's play suggests that the South African captain might have erred in declaring the innings with still 4 wickets in hand. If the scorecard of the South African 1^st innings is given a close look at, it is well evident that the pitch might be a pure batting paradise. For, the South Africans lost just 4 wickets on day 2 of the test match.

If not for the opening pair of Graeme Smith and Ashwell Prince, none of the South African batsmen had any sorts of problems with the Indian bowlers. As a matter of fact, South Africans have been comparatively bad players of spin compared to the teams from the sub continent. And the scorecard suggests us that the bowler who maintained the worst economy in the first innings happened to be India's leading and most experienced spinner Harbhajan Singh who ended with an economy rate of 3.60. Moreover, Harbhajan had just 1 maiden which was the lowest among the lot with just one over maiden.

A part time off spinner in Sehwag can come out with an equal number of overs maiden, that Harbhajan could do out of his 46 overs. And, who all batted from the South African team, if not for Prince and Smith, every other batsmen came out with good success barring Duminy. However, prior to the series, India were expected to atleast draw the series with the Proteas, in case they needed to stay at the top of the test ratings, which suggests that the pressure is on India though being the hosts. If the South African first innings is considered, they need not worry about losing, for worst come the match might end in a draw. But, is that the spirit of the way a game is supposed to be played?

In one way, Smith's decision to declare the innings can be given a nod for, the Indian team is too short of batsmen if not for the likes of Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir and Dhoni. Despite the presence of these four, and their capability to score runs, they can hardly be considered to put up a decent partnership that is quintessential in test cricket. India have lost batsmen in Laxman and Dravid, who can stay at the crease for long time that can exhaust the opposition bowlers. Added to that, South Africa have a match winning bowler combination in Dale Steyn, Morkel and Harris along with the experience of Kallis. So, Smith's decision is now in a toss whose result is expected tomorrow.

VVS Laxman speaks!!!

It is good to see that these days some lesser known names like VVS Laxman have started speaking. Until now, hardly one would have seen Laxman coming in front of the television sets and throwing out his opinion. neither has there been any ad that is being promoted by Laxman in his decade long international career, that consisted mostly of test cricket, with a little bit of one day and no T20. even Anil Kumble was hardly seen making it to ads if not for one or two. But, that is a different issue altogether. But, Laxman's appearance would have made a lot eye brows to raise including mine.

It was only after his comment upon India not having enough bench strength when it came to spinners. Someone like Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly of the decade old times and that followed by Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Dhoni and Sehwag have been found frequently throwing up their expressions regarding whatever major development happens in Indian cricket. Anyway, coming to the statement given by Laxman that India lacks bench strength when it comes to spinners, isn't Laxman an off-spinner by profession? Why didn't he take to spin bowling, be it part time no matter, like Sehwag & Yuvraj have done? This is what happens when someone who takes to something which he has never done until now.

And, if Laxman's take is given a consideration, India do have some upcoming spinners in Piyush Chawla, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ohja who have been decent of not extraordinary with the ball. Of course, one cannot expect someone like Anil Kumble to hit the playing XI in the near future. Moreover, Harbhajan Singh has almost 8 years to go on from now onwards, taking into account his age which is 29 at present. Ooops! I forgot to mention the name of Amit Mishra. So, the tally of spinners now stands at 5. And no team on earth has so far played more than 3 spinners maximum.

And a close look at the Indian batting bench strength right now would be just cool. Excluding the top 3 viz Laxman, Sachin & Dravid, the next row consists of Sehwag alone and Dhoni only to a little extent, for a wicketkeeper is quintessential for a team and Dhoni is a better man than Dinesh Karthik when it comes to both keeping wickets and batting. Yuvraj Singh is yet to make a place for himself in test cricket. Of course, there is Gautam Gambhir who is able to promise some good knocks with the bat, which takes the tally of batsmen to just 2 if the batting bench strength is considered.

And when it comes to the fast bowlers' on the cards, except Zaheer Khan, no one else has been able to make a mark. Not even Ishanth Sharma in the recent past. Ishanth's last splendid performance was in the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2008 where he was awarded the man of the series. R P Singh and Sreesanth hardly make it to the playing XI , with Sreesanth battling injuries more than 90% of the time. And Praveen Kumar is more of a slow bowler than to consider him even in the list of a medium pace bowler. Usually, batsmen speak for batsmen and bowlers for bowlers. But, the reason behind Laxman speaking for spin bowlers, when his area i.e batting is also facing a shortage more than the spin department can be best known to Laxman.