Jump to content

Asia Cup 2014


StriKe

Recommended Posts

Wow...cracker of a match to kick-off an awesome tourney... not really surprised with the quality of the match as these are the two best teams of Asia....:dance: Expect tomorrow's match to be rather one sided and boring...Fast rising Bangla Tigers will make mincemeat of the crappy minnows from India .... :two_thumbs_up:
whats your take on loin cubs getting thrashed by India in U'19 wc ? :hmmm:
Link to comment
Wow...cracker of a match to kick-off an awesome tourney... not really surprised with the quality of the match as these are the two best teams of Asia....:dance: Expect tomorrow's match to be rather one sided and boring...Fast rising Bangla Tigers will make mincemeat of the crappy minnows from India .... :two_thumbs_up:
2 best teams in Asia? lmao. World cup. Asia cup. t 20. Sri Lanka is no where :hysterical: may be you want to start a long name tourney.
Link to comment
Wow...cracker of a match to kick-off an awesome tourney... not really surprised with the quality of the match as these are the two best teams of Asia....:dance: Expect tomorrow's match to be rather one sided and boring...Fast rising Bangla Tigers will make mincemeat of the crappy minnows from India .... :two_thumbs_up:
Malinga saved the match, or else Fakmal was gonna get tattied by bhatti again
Link to comment
whats your take on loin cubs getting thrashed by India in U'19 wc ? :hmmm:
Lads probably had lost interest in the game....Who gives a feck about a 5th place play-off ...:beee: If you wanna see a real thrashing tune in on Thursday...Damn...now that we've broken free from BCCI,you'll see what the lions can really do to you pathetic team ... !!!
Link to comment
Lads probably had lost interest in the game....Who gives a feck about a 5th place play-off ...:beee: If you wanna see a real thrashing tune in on Thursday...Damn...now that we've broken free from BCCI,you'll see what the lions can really do to you pathetic team ... !!!
Don't try to trash talk India dude, we haven't the results to do that. Not yet anyway.
Link to comment
Lads probably had lost interest in the game....Who gives a feck about a 5th place play-off ...:beee: If you wanna see a real thrashing tune in on Thursday...Damn...now that we've broken free from BCCI,you'll see what the lions can really do to you pathetic team ... !!!
Wow...cracker of a match to kick-off an awesome tourney... not really surprised with the quality of the match as these are the two best teams of Asia.... Expect tomorrow's match to be rather one sided and boring...Fast rising Bangla Tigers will make mincemeat of the crappy minnows from India ....
:cantstop::cantstop: Damn.. who rattled your cage man??!! you are funny though...
Link to comment
Lads probably had lost interest in the game....Who gives a feck about a 5th place play-off ...:beee: If you wanna see a real thrashing tune in on Thursday...Damn...now that we've broken free from BCCI,you'll see what the lions can really do to you pathetic team ... !!!
Can't wait for another malinga thrashing at the hands of kohli :dance:
Link to comment

Pujara is not just a right pick for ODIs but he is also a sound long-term investment http://www.starsports.com/cricket/columns/columnist=134/articleid=1308080/index.html#pujara-not-just-right-pick-for-odis-but-also-sound-long-term-investment

Selection, good or bad, always leads to a debate. Why was ‘he’ picked? Why wasn't ‘he’ picked? How long would you persist with 'that' player? Will 'this' player ever get a chance? It's impossible for the selectors to please everyone and still continue to do their job earnestly. Team-selections ought to be about picking the 'right' team and not winning votes or catering to popular opinions. The current set of selectors deserves a pat on their backs for being pragmatic. They've done the hard yards to see as many first-class matches as possible and have shown their vision in most of their choices. Most importantly, they've sent out a clear message that non-performers won't be persisted with. If you haven't scored or taken wickets, your reputation or past records won't matter. The most recent selection for the Asia Cup followed the same line. Both Suresh Raina and Ishant Sharma were shown the door for inconsistent performances and Cheteshwar Pujara is finally given a go. I, for one, have been a vocal supporter of having Pujara in the ODI mix. In his brief international career, he's shown that he has what it takes to succeed at the top and, more importantly, has the ability to adapt. Even in Test cricket, he isn't someone who plays in one gear, for he knows how to increase the tempo and scoring rate without taking undue risks. In fact, in the current set of Indian Test batsmen who've scored more than a 1000 Test runs, he's only the second guy with the strike rate in the 50s. But his selection is not just about what he brings to the table but also what the Indian team most likely wants going forward. The team hasn't won a single ODI in their last eight outings, which includes losing the series 0-4 to a team that is ranked 8th in the ODI rankings, New Zealand. While bowlers have been declared the bigger culprit for India's woes, batting being the stronger suit is equally guilty, if not more. India's bowling problems were well documented and hence an above par score shouldn’t be surprising. But consistent batting failure has definitely become a matter of grave concern. Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Ajinkya Rahane, all of them have fallen well short of expectations. That should make us think—do we need to sacrifice flair for solidity? Is a good looking 30 better than a scratchy 70? Latter, is the answer to both these questions and hence the selection of Pujara. He can be that guy who can assume the role of a floater. If a wicket falls early, he could be the ideal number three, for it's never wise to expose your best batsman (Virat Kohli) to two new balls. If the openers are having a tough time, Pujara can also be your reserve opener, for he has the technique to see off the new ball/s. But there's a caveat—both the situations mentioned are keeping in mind the trying conditions overseas. Two new balls and a little bit of juice in the pitch, demands a different tactic and tighter technique. Since you're unlikely to be setting or chasing 300 plus scores often, the strike-rate of a little under a 100 would also be acceptable. In India's successful campaign down under in 2007-08, Gautam Gambhir scored 20% of India's runs at a strike rate of 82. In the recent series against New Zealand, Kane Williamson scored five consecutive fifties at less than run-a-ball. That’s a job you could trust Pujara to do well too. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about sub-continental conditions. In these conditions, the new ball doesn't pose a great threat. In fact, it provides an opportunity to score freely. The harder the ball, the further it goes on batting beauties. That's when you need free-flowing stroke makers at the top, ones who don't take their foot off the accelerator after pressing it right at the beginning. Runs must flow in boundaries and if the gaps aren't available, the top order mustn't shy in taking the aerial route. These batsmen start their innings in fourth gear and keep moving upwards, for a score of 325 is the new 270 in the subcontinent. That's where Pujara doesn't fit in India's scheme of things, for he's likely to slow things down. He may have a lot of strokes in his armory, still he neither has the ability to clear the fence at will nor does he have the bravado to attempt it before scoring a sizeable individual score. His running between the wickets and fielding might come under the scanner too. So, don't be surprised if Kohli doesn't give him enough chances in the Asia Cup or if he doesn't make the most of the chances coming his way. His inclusion is an investment for the future and hence his reign in the ODI line up should not be dependent on his success or the lack of it on sub-continental pitches. Given the fragility of India's new middle-order, it's imperative to invest in the talent that's likely to bring success when it matters the most, which is the World Cup in 2015. Pujara is likely to be that guy.
Link to comment

Why on earth would you select Rayudu in the team? Seriously!!..don't we have better batsman in India? Kya joke hai yeh!..Had no clue whatsoever in New Zealand and now already wasting a place in Indian team. If the selectors believe he is good enough to play for India, then we are screwed big time...:((

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...