Breaking News: Team Announced For Tri-Series

[Dooks]

Sandeep has been having non-stop orgasms since the news broke.

[Guest dada_rocks]

Whoever has replaced ganguly will not be able to score at half the average of ganguly.. and what is this bloody releasing pdi team before fourth test.. what kind of idiocy is this.. h

[SachDan]

Ganguly should have been dropped along with Dravid long back' date=' that makes very good sense. The only thing I cant understand is HOW CAN Murali Karthik been dropped for Chawla !!!!!!!!!![/quote'] some favour for the fellow city man...

[Shehezaada]

Ganguly has been dropped because he has a very poor strike rate and can ONLY play at the top of the order. He cannot play anywhere else and that will mean Sehwag cannot play, hence he was dropped. 2 other factors were his fielding and running between wkts. The big Aussie grounds demand running plenty of 2s and 3s, and in a 50 over scenario this alone translates into minimum of 40-50 runs which certainly we will lose if Ganguly is in the team. Also while fielding , Ganguly in the outfield means the same bonus 40 runs for opposition as they will convert 1s into 2s and 2s into 3s. His throwing is awful and will cost us minimum 2 runouts per game. Saurav Ganguly has been the biggest allround liability in the ODI team and as he has been dropped along with Dravid, things augur well for the Indians in ODIs. Chawla has probably been selected because it is not easy to tonk a legspinner over the boundary in big grounds and a leggie brings in variety. He is also a better fielder than Murali karthik, but I do think dropping Karthik for Chawla sucks bigtime.

why? let him open then. We need a solid opener in the order anyways. We are talking about a man who has scored 1240 at an average of 44.28 last year with 12 50's in 30 innings. It means that he is doing great in 40% of the games he is playing in. you talk about his running between the wickets and his poor fielding, but why can't we place him at mid off and mid on? He can keep talking to the bowlers from there as well. Ganguly there at the top of the order also allows Tendulkar the freedom to play his shots and we know that that is the Tendulkar we need. Ganguly's steely resolve is just what this Indian side needs and the selectors have gone crazy. Here's hoping that Ganguly will make it back to the ODI squad and prove to the selectors that he belongs there

[Shehezaada]

KKDK's a superb fielder. By which I mean he jumps and dives enthusiastically around in the infield, but holds onto about 1 in 2 catches in average and tends to swandive over a fair few balls with enough drama to give the impression that he's really, really trying hard and nobody else would have gotten near them.

he's superb to watch but unfortunately he's not that great in the field

[gs]

I guess, a lot of this had to do with how dada performed against Aussies in the ODIs at home last year. He scored runs but at his own pace and leisurely strike rate! And his groundfielding is nothing to write home about. Also, the outfields in Aus being huge and grassy (i.e. not lightning fast) a lot of runs has to be actually run - just cant sit back in the crease and rely on boundaries alone as all 3 oldies - Laxman, dada, RD do. This is not end of the road for either of these. I am sure they will be in contention once this series is over. Either way, India plays tons of these meaningless ODIs and everyone will get a chance. That being said, the replacements like Gambhir (eternally flatters to deceive) and the much hyped Raina was a surprise!

[Bumper]

Ganguly has been dropped because he has a very poor strike rate and can ONLY play at the top of the order. He cannot play anywhere else and that will mean Sehwag cannot play, hence he was dropped. 2 other factors were his fielding and running between wkts. The big Aussie grounds demand running plenty of 2s and 3s, and in a 50 over scenario this alone translates into minimum of 40-50 runs which certainly we will lose if Ganguly is in the team. Also while fielding , Ganguly in the outfield means the same bonus 40 runs for opposition as they will convert 1s into 2s and 2s into 3s. His throwing is awful and will cost us minimum 2 runouts per game. Saurav Ganguly has been the biggest allround liability in the ODI team and as he has been dropped along with Dravid, things augur well for the Indians in ODIs. Chawla has probably been selected because it is not easy to tonk a legspinner over the boundary in big grounds and a leggie brings in variety. He is also a better fielder than Murali karthik, but I do think dropping Karthik for Chawla sucks bigtime.

All fair points. But Ganguly (inspite of his limitations) did a very important job last year. He provided solid starts with Sachin at the top order, something that is essential to build tall scores to challenge the Aussies. Besides, Ganguly makes up for his poor running between the wickets with his ability to hit the big shots. IMO, he becomes drop worthy only if he flops several games in a row, failing to provide us the right platform. I dont think either Veeru or Gambhir will be an adequate replacement for Saurav. We will have to get used to 10/1 or 25/2 starts come this CB series.

[bigdhoni7]

I dont think either Veeru or Gambhir will be an adequate replacement for Saurav. We will have to get used to 10/1 or 25/2 starts come this CB series.

this is my biggest fear since we suck in odis whenever our openers don't provide a strong start. and to top it off, weak minded raina finds his way back into the team so that's three wickets that will be given away cheaply. i hope rohit, yusuf and tiwary instead get their chance to shine. atleast there is no agarkar which is a nice suprise...

[mhr123]

'Dhoni didn't want Ganguly' :giggle: Irate fans of Sourav Ganguly [Images] burnt an effigy of BCCI president Sharad Pawar [Images] as protests erupted in the metropolis over the former skipper being sacked from the national squad for the forthcoming triangular series in Australia. Incensed at Ganguly being kept out of the team, around 40 cricket buffs gathered near his residence in Behala and raised slogans against the selectors and Pawar. They set fire to an effigy of Pawar and beat it with shoes and chappals. "Bring dada back", demanded the fans, holding posters and banners. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) described Ganguly's sacking as "grave injustice" and said it would lodge a strong protest to BCCI. "What has been done is totally wrong, grave injustice is being done to him", says CAB joint secretary Samar Pal. "It seems Dhoni [Images] did not want him in the side. Dhoni is more comfortable with juniors so he is in favour of axing seniors. But we will not sit idle. We will lodge a strong protest", Pal said. http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/jan/20gang.htm

he rediff wala bhi jaale paar namak daal raha hai , aur team mei divide and rule wala system la raha hai .

[Guest HariSampath]

why? let him open then. We need a solid opener in the order anyways. We are talking about a man who has scored 1240 at an average of 44.28 last year with 12 50's in 30 innings. It means that he is doing great in 40% of the games he is playing in. you talk about his running between the wickets and his poor fielding, but why can't we place him at mid off and mid on? He can keep talking to the bowlers from there as well. Ganguly there at the top of the order also allows Tendulkar the freedom to play his shots and we know that that is the Tendulkar we need. Ganguly's steely resolve is just what this Indian side needs and the selectors have gone crazy. Here's hoping that Ganguly will make it back to the ODI squad and prove to the selectors that he belongs there

In today's context of the game, there is only one need : that is make each over as productive as possible, score alone is solidity and not simply staying at the wkt. Sachin-Sehwag is a very good opening combination and Sachin has more ability than saurav to play the "solid role" if Sehwag clicks, and then sachin can play any role too if Sehwag doesnt click in a game. On the contrary, if we have a lineup of Ganguly Sachin and Dravid as top 3 for ODI and sachin gets out, then we are gone. Dravid and ganguly will play out next 20 overs for 75 runs maximum, and match gone. Particularly if we chase, we all know that ganguly and Dravid cannot force at more than 70% SR, and that means even if they both get 50s, lower batters are always chasing 8 rpo. Also, both RD and SG run singles and twos very badly, and hardly run 3s. This translates into minimum of 40-50 runs every 300 balls EVEN if Dravid and SG score 50s, and on the field, surely each time the ball goes to Ganguly or Dravid, it is plus 1 run which translates as probably 25-30 runs more. So together even if they play and get 75% SR 50s, we end up losing minimum of 75 runs because of these two. Consider the fact these two players are notorious for playing dot ball after dot ball, without rotating strike...Indian batting always loses momentum when either of these two play, and how many wkts like Sachin , Yuvi have been lost due to frustration/not getting strike and compulsion to force pace etc...? Considering all this, it is an excellent decision to drop Ganguly and Dravid for ODIs ( Of course in tests they should very much be part of the plan as long as they are doing like now). An ODI batting lineup like : Sachin, Sehwag, Gambhir, Uthappa, Pathan, Yuvraj, Dhoni and Raina to choose 5-6 from is fantastic options. When we have Sehwag, gambhir, Uthappa , and pathan as FOUR opening options to partner Sachin, and all attacking options with left handed option too available, why worry ? All these are good fielders much better runners btwn wkts, and Sehwag , Pathan bowl well too. So where is the problem in the team ?

[Guest HariSampath]

Ganguly's batting sequence See the batting sequence of Ganguly in the 6th ODI at Nagpur. There was a big flareup between Dhoni and Yuvraj on one side who expressed disappointment and even spoke to selectors about that innings of 86 off 111 balls. From that time itself Selectors had been talking to Saurav Ganguly and questions were openly raised in the press by selectors as to why he was playing like that. We even had so many threads here on ICF. SEE this : Ganguly batting sequence 1st 10 balls : 0,0,0,0,1,0,0,4,0,0, 2nd 10 balls: 4,4,0,0,0,0,0,4,0, 3rd 10 balls :1,2,0,1,1lb, 0,0,0,0,0, 4th 10 balls : 4,0,1lb, 0,1,0,1,0,0,1, 5th 10 balls : 0,0,1,6,0,0,0,0,0,0,0, 6th 10 balls : 0,0,0,2,1,0,0,1,0,1, 7th 10 balls : 1,1,1,1,0,1,,1,6,1,2, 8th 10 balls :1,0,1,1,0,1,0,1,1,(Tendulkar.Wk),1, 9th 10 balls : 1,1, 4,0,1,0,1,0,1,0, 10th 10 balls: 0,4,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,(Pathan Wk),0, 11th 10 balls : 2,1,,1lb,0,1,1,,0,0,1,1. We were chasing 307 and Ganguly was batting at his own sweet leisure till the 37th over, and leaving India to score 10 RPO in last 10 overs. See news report..from The Hindu.. http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/29/stories/2007102961352300.htm Ahmedabad: Whether Sourav Ganguly is currently playing in the interests of the Indian team or for self is being mulled over by the National selectors. Some members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India are also aware of the happenings. The news circulating is that captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and vice-captain Yuvraj Singh have expressed their displeasure about Ganguly’s approach in the sixth one-day international against Australia at Nagpur. This was the reason an attempt was made at the meeting here on Saturday to drop him for the first two one-day internationals against Pakistan to be played at Guwahati and Mohali. Ganguly was picked in the 15-member squad because the five-member selection committee could not arrive at a consensus. Gambhir as opener More than one selector told The Hindu that Ganguly’s approach in one of the Power Play’s was not in the interests of the team and it was a golden opportunity to replace Ganguly with Gautam Gambhir as an opening partner to Sachin Tendulkar. Dilip Vengsarkar’s committee finally decided to retain him in the squad. The Bengal left-hander played in five matches against Australia. Because of rain he did not get to bat at Bangalore, missed the next match at Kochi because of a suspected hamstring pull, though an MRI examination revealed everything was fine. Thereafter he was dropped for the one-dayer at Hyderabad. The BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said he was dropped, while the team management maintained that he was rested. In the series that Australia won 4-2, Ganguly made 41 at Chandigarh and 86 at Nagpur, but was dismissed for ducks in Vadodara and Mumbai. Chasing 317, India lost the match at Nagpur by 18 runs. He and Tendulkar raised 140 for the first wicket and the southpaw departed in the first ball of the 37th over for 86 off 111 balls with a strike rate of 77.47. Questions have been raised frequently in his long career that started in Australia in the Benson & Hedges tri-series match against the West Indies in 1992. After that tour he was dropped. He roared back four years later with a century on Test debut against England at Lord’s. ********************************************************************** There had been the instance of Dravid openly saying that Ganguly batted completely against team interests in WC 2007 and Dravid had sent Dinesh Karthik the 12th man 10 times to Ganguly with messages to get on with it, he never did. Take your mind back to march/April 2007....everyone knows how SG played and why. With such a track record and history, dropping him is long overdue and has finally been done. And Dhoni as ODI captain is perfectly justified in asking for his choice of top order batsmen because he is running the ODI show and just doesn't have confidence in SG. Period.

[beetle]

Agree Ganguly wasn't at his best in the last 8 innings. (same with Dravid). But' date=' SG was in sublime form in tests and he did really well in the ODIs before those 8 innings. Surely, you cannot drop someone on the basis of just 8 innings. Even a youngster deserves more chances than that. I think the selection policy should be made clear and RD, SG should be given a farewell series ([b']and SRT should be asked whether he wants to play in WC 2011. If no, then he should be given a farewell series as well, and if yes, then he should be rested almost every alternate series). And I think at this point we shouldn't ignore VVS. We do not have a good #3 player right now. Moreover he is a very good slip fielder where he can stand for almost 30 out of 50 overs. Give him a target regarding average and S/R. (Not everyone can average in the late 30s and early 40s and still maintain a SR of > 75). If he is nowhere close to that, then drop him.

Why?Why is he an exception. How can you be so sure of how he will perform in the next few years? Oh forgot...he is your God!

[beetle]

It is shameful ...the way the best players for the last decade have been treated has been extremely shameful. According tothe newspapers...the two selectors in Australia locked themselves in their room when the team was announced. Shameless Dhoni should have had the decency to tell Saurav Ganguly about his being dropped. But he is obviously a bloody coward .

[bunny]

Why?Why is he an exception. How can you be so sure of how he will perform in the next few years? Oh forgot...he is your God!

First up, I'm a bigger fan of RD (and SG) than SRT. (You can figure that out from most of my posts). But, I can't see SG lasting 4 years. (even he has admitted that he wants to play 1-2 years). With RD, I have got a feeling that ODIs have destroyed his technique/concentration in tests. If he concentrates on tests he can once again become the RD of old. But, if he wants to play in WC 2011 then ask him. But, I have always thought of him a a better 3-down player than a 1-down player in ODIs. And there's a chance that we might have some replacement for him (Rohit Sharma) at 3-down who can be given a run as well. In that case, RD needs to bat 1-down. So, if such things can be conveyed to him that will be awesome.

[Guest HariSampath]

It is shameful ...the way the best players for the last decade have been treated has been extremely shameful. According tothe newspapers...the two selectors in Australia locked themselves in their room when the team was announced. Shameless Dhoni should have had the decency to tell Saurav Ganguly about his being dropped. But he is obviously a bloody coward .

No. Both selectors went to Ganguly and personally told him before team was announced. But when they tried to tell Dravid, he had run away somewhere ( in any case, Dravid was not "dropped" now...he was dropped long back from ODIs and its over)

[beetle]

Forget about the performance here... Why should sachin be asked if he wants to play the next world cup?Why? Which other player will be asked ....?

[beetle]

No. Both selectors went to Ganguly and personally told him before team was announced. But when they tried to tell Dravid' date=' he had run away somewhere ( in any case, Dravid was not "dropped" now...he was dropped long back from ODIs and its over)[/quote'] Who told you this. Kumble himself? Shameful!

[fineleg]

Forget about the performance here... Why should sachin be asked if he wants to play the next world cup?Why? Which other player will be asked ....?

He is God. Ooooh...Tremor, shiver... please read the poll - you will break out laughing when you see the percentages! http://www.indiancricketfans.com/showthread.php?t=88197 We've gotta do all we can to accomodate and please the Almighty Lord of Cricket :D Give him whatever batting position he wants, whenever he wants it (pls. dont suggest alternate batting pos to Lord). Give him time to remedy his mistakes and find form while playing Intl matches (no domestic exiles for Lord) Give him the decision making power to decide when he will retire (no one should monitor his perf)>the Lord will decide everything himself. I dont even think SRT will expect the selectors to do so (not kick him out based on performing or not performing). But our SCF.com fans sure expect that.

[Guest HariSampath]

First up' date=' I'm a bigger fan of RD (and SG) than SRT. (You can figure that out from most of my posts). But, I can't see SG lasting 4 years. (even he has admitted that he wants to play 1-2 years). [b']With RD, I have got a feeling that ODIs have destroyed his technique/concentration in tests. If he concentrates on tests he can once again become the RD of old. But, if he wants to play in WC 2011 then ask him. But, I have always thought of him a a better 3-down player than a 1-down player in ODIs. And there's a chance that we might have some replacement for him (Rohit Sharma) at 3-down who can be given a run as well. In that case, RD needs to bat 1-down. So, if such things can be conveyed to him that will be awesome.

No RD's test style batting ( poor strike rate even by test standards) , which he applied in ODIs is what destroyed his ODI. And he can never become RD of old in ODIs.....he is just Old RD now

[Guest HariSampath]

Who told you this. Kumble himself? Shameful!

see the papers Tri-series: Sreesanth and Raina in, Ganguly out Special Correspondent Chawla chosen as the second specialist spinner Sreesanth selected as fourth seamer ahead of Munaf Mumbai: The National selection committee on Sunday may have started a fresh debate on its decision to leave out Sourav Ganguly from the tri-series in Australia, but what is clear now is that it is keen to bring young players into the team in order to strengthen the fielding department. According to reliable sources, the two Indian selectors in Australia — Ranjib Biswal and Venkatapathy Raju — met Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman individually and explained to them the exigency to alter the nucleus of the side. Biswal and Raju could not meet Rahul Dravid because the former India captain was not in his room on Sunday morning. Yuvraj Singh has been retained vice-captain to Dhoni. Clearly the selectors in India — Dilip Vengsarkar, Sanjay Jagdale and Bhupinder Singh — had substantial inputs from Biswal and Raju. Chairman of the committee, Vengsarkar also spoke to Dhoni and picked the 16-member squad the Indian captain was happy with. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, who had an excellent one-day series against Australia and Pakistan at home doesn’t find a place; instead leg-spinner Piyush Chawla has been chosen as the second specialist spinner. Dhoni has preferred a wrist spinner over the left-arm orthodox in Kartik. Pravin Kumar is back Returning for the one-day series are Uttar Pradesh left-hander Suresh Raina, who has played plenty of matches after recovering from a damaged ankle and surgery and seamer Pravin Kumar who made his international debut against Pakistan. Pravin Kumar has been rewarded, following a superb run in the Ranji Trophy, especially in the semifinal and final. The selectors chose S. Sreesanth as the fourth specialist seamer ahead of Munaf Patel. Sreesanth’s batting and fielding abilities seem to have tilted the scales in his favour. In spite of a very mediocre performance in the domestic competition, Mumbai’s Rohit Sharma has been selected. Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa were certainties. The team: M. S. Dhoni (captain), Yuvraj Singh (vice-captaiin), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, S. Sreesanth, R.P. Singh, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Piyush Chawla, Pravin Kumar. Standbys: Munaf Patel, Manoj Tiwari and Yusuf Pathan. © Copyright 2000 - 2008 The Hindu