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Just do it!!! (the basics)


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I think we need lot of talent, discipline and fitness to be number 1. I am sure Australia justifies their status fairly. But question here is what about number 2, 3 and 4. Are they are not that important positions. Do we really need all the 3 things at their best to be 2nd or 3rd in the world ranking. I will take Indian team as I am closely following this team. But honestly, don't you think doing just basics right would take us to the 2nd or 3rd position. So what are the basic. I will try to take an honest shot at all the 3 aspect of the cricket game one by one. Fitness of the team. Bit more than average batsmen. Steady bowlers who know what line and length means. So lets try to find why fitness is so important in Cricket as in other sports. 1. Fitness a. Fielding: When it comes to picking up players, why do we tend to ignore their fitness and just look at their past glory to select? I have seen many ordinary looking Aus bowlers or SA bowlers appear extra ordinary because their fielders support them exceptionally well on the field. Be it by taking that superb catch in the covers or by running out that super-hero of opposition, I have often seen these bowlers end up 5 for something in many games. The moral of the bowler is really high when he is being supported by 10 others. And only youth can sustain in such harsh conditions where you have to throw your body at anything and everything. What we notice that these teams, save 30-40 runs on the field. As its an old saying in cricket that "A run saved is a run scored". Even before their innings starts they have score 30-40 runs as if they have that extra 12th batsman who always scores those 30-40 runs in every game. And I don't have to tell you how your batters feel when they have 30-40 runs on board w/o losing wkt. So what should be expected of each player. Every chance should be taken, every half chance should be tried, every throw should hit the stubs and never miss the stumping. You cannot expect whole lot when you have Saurav Ganguly, Virendra Sehwag, Munaaf Patel, Anil Kumble and aging Sachin Tendulkar in your team. Even to talk about rest Rahul Dravid, Ajit Agarkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Zaheer Khan are not exceptional fielders either. They can at best be termed as just closed to average fielders. So 9 of 11 are not even an average fielders. There might be number of reason why they cannot be brought above average. From their physical inability, lack of alertnesss to improper/insufficient training to just their unwillingness to be fit for the job. Now what kind of impression are we leaving on remaining 2 fielders. They wont have to do whole lot to look best amongst these standing jokers (9 of 11) in the field. b. RBW: Now this is another aspect where Indian team end up losing at least 10-12 runs every innings. Why it is so difficult for some of our batters to be alert. That's because they are not the fittest. RBW needs lot of alertness, an urge to steel that extra run where there is none and physical ability/condition to anticipate a run. If allowed, Saurav Ganguly will change the rule books of cricket and ban ones and three. Running in the whole, one may say. There will be a first boundary (2 runs), second boundary (4 runs), on top of 2nd (6 runs). Not scoring runs by running is absolutely a gully cricket attitude. Just like Mini Cricket as we used to play. c. Variation in the bowling: Why my team lacks that awesome yorker (Waqar style) or that cunning slower one or varying line and length anticipating batsman's intentions is beyond me. I never found proper justification for this as well. But as I observed closely, the answer came as lack of fitness. The moment, our bowler get pounding from the Gilcrist or Ponting, they know that all they have to do is come running and throw the bowl w/o worrying about results. Perfect example of do your act, surrender yourself to me completely and leave the results to me as Krishna said in Mahabharata. We see that complete surrender of our bowlers to this Cricket Crishnas(read ponting, hayden or Gilcrist here). So they lack that special ammunition in their arsenal, also called variation in their bowling. When unfit bowler faces this situation he knows he doesn't have energy to put that next delivery in the block-hole or that just short of good length slower ones. Best example was in this WC game between SA and Aus. It was very praise worthy to see McGrath, Bracken and Watson bowl to Smith and De Villier when they started smacking all over the park, but finally they got everything under control. Accountability should start from fitness. All 11 should be accountable for their fitness ability. If they can't do the basics right, they are unfit to play. Now just ignore their special abilities for a moment here. We should think more on the line of, are these new bunch of players that we are thinking of bringing in, capable of understanding this as a need of an hour. Only then they will justify their selection one day when they start achieving this first criteria for selection. On this line the first 5 that I have listed, Saurav Ganguly, Kumble, Virendra Sehwag, Munaf Patel, Virendra Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar should go by all means. They have no place in ODI team. We need to send strong signal to youngsters that work on your fitness first and brush up your technique. Now they only work on techniques ignoring fitness totally. Start rewarding fit players more handsomely by selecting them ahead of unfit MORONs who have scored some 100... RUNs in the ODI cricket.

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Re: Just do it!!! (the basics) You have touched key points. I may not agree with few things but over all its covers all points Indian team needs to work on. This may not be the best article i have read but what i see is passion for the game, frustation/ anger caused by our recent performance BUT the hope that we are going to turn it all around will never die. I salute the fan within you.

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Re: Just do it!!! (the basics) Good write-up Dial_100 :wtg: :wtg: I would agree that fielding is a key area where we need to improve. Any world-beating side has to make sure it is good in the field. Aussies are like that, so were the Windies. India with its bad fielding would never make a good side unless they check this malady. xxx

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Re: Just do it!!! (the basics) One of the key point in this article is fitness Now being fit doent make you athletic. Dravid is fit but not athletic while kaif is athletic but maybe needs to improve his fitness, yuvraj is both fit and athletic while someone like munaf is neither fit nor athletic. Fitness can be improved but you can never make munaf athletic cause his body would never allow him to jump around like kaif. A player like munaf who always fields at boundary, with improved fitness can run harder to reach the ball while fielding even if he just got back after sending down 5 overs. Taking spectacular catches or good save are great to watch on tv but turning a 4 to 3 or even 2, clean pickup and early release is just as effective.

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Re: Just do it!!! (the basics)

Fitness can be improved but you can never make munaf athletic cause his body would never allow him to jump around like kaif. A player like munaf who always fields at boundary, with improved fitness can run harder to reach the ball while fielding even if he just got back after sending down 5 overs. Taking spectacular catches or good save are great to watch on tv but turning a 4 to 3 or even 2, clean pickup and early release is just as effective.
Munaf is just a lazy bum. There are no excuses for him when it comes to fielding. I would agree that certain body types, specially tall bowler's, are not the most agile but the least that be done is to make them a safe fielder if not spectacular. Munaf would do well to learn from say Glenn Mcgrath. Mcgrath has taken some good catches in the outfield and but for the past year or so has always been a safe outfielder. Nothing spectacular but pretty decent overall. You are bang on about saving those extra runs in the outfield. xxxx
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Re: Just do it!!! (the basics) sure... what about those run outs we seee. These guys have good judgements of throwing form the boudary rope. I have put together everything in cricket that is not supernatural batting or outstanding bowling or captainship in the thread here. it is directly related to fitness. Lurker, you are right about that WI team, i still miss Agustine Logie in the field. Gomes, Richards and Dujon were excellent in the field.

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Re: Just do it!!! (the basics)

Sure ... Thanks you Kabir.. But dont you think it needs little re-write...If you want to post it there' date=' then it should be nicely worded. I dont mind putting it as is if you like so.[/quote'] naah dont change anything in the article. You are a fan not a paid Journalists with hidden agenda.
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