Performance of the Young Indian Brigade, Down Under

[IndianRenegade]

Tiwary will do well if given more chances: Ganguly Kolkata: Notwithstanding Manoj Tiwary's failure in his maiden One-Day International in Brisbane on Sunday, former captain Sourav Ganguly is confident that the right-hander would do well for the country if given more opportunities. Tiwary was dismissed for just two after struggling to find his bearings. But Ganguly said "such things happen. Not everybody has a good debut. But I'm hopeful that he will do well if given proper chances." Australian speedster Brett Lee put the youngster out of his misery with a yorker which went past his defensive bat on to the stumps. When Ganguly was reminded of his maiden tour for India to Australia in 1992, he said "that was long back. Now, you don't get too many practice games. One has to adjust fast. I am confident that Tiwary will also become used to the conditions quickly." Ganguly said he had a conversation with Tiwary before the young talent left for Down Under. Ganguly, who has been axed from the One-Day side now doing duty in Australia, extended his good wishes to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team. "At this point I can't say whether they will make it to the final of the triangular series. But if they play well, they should, but the (new) players have to get attuned to the conditions fast." Ganguly, speaking to newspersons at a blood donation camp organised by the Cricket Association of Bengal, said he was yet to decide whether to play in the Ranji Trophy One-Dayers.

[IndianRenegade]

Give youngsters time to settle: Dhoni Press Trust Of India Brisbane: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni backed his young team and outlined his vision for the 2011 World Cup after the opening game of the tri-series against Australia was washed out here on Sunday. "If we are looking for a team for 2011 World Cup, it's important that we have guys who have played 80-100 matches by then. I think this is the team I wanted," an earnest Dhoni said. "This is the plan which can succeed it can backfire as well. But they (the youngsters) need the right opportunity and base to perform." Dhoni was not perturbed that he has given opportunity to his men, selected in place of veterans such as Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, in conditions as difficult as in Australia. "It's up to individuals if they succumb to pressure. It's up to them to show courage or perform." The wicketkeeper-batsman said he picked Manoj Tiwary by instinct ahead of Suresh Raina even though the Bengal youngster arrived in Australia only yesterday. "I go by instinct. It doesn't matter that he arrived only yesterday or he didn't have enough practice. It's tough cricket and good ones can adapt quickly," he said. As for today's game, Dhoni felt it was evenly-poised after his bowlers broke through early. "After the second break, Ishant (Sharma) and Sreesanth bowled brilliantly in the right areas and troubled the batsmen. "I think it was evenly-poised. When the rain came, the momentum was with us. But the target was so small, a good innings could have turned the momentum their way." Dhoni felt his bowlers did not bowl the first two overs well and his side could have also done better in the field. Batting first in overcast conditions may have raised a few eyebrows and Dhoni admitted the decision could have gone either way. "It (the decision) was confusing. It was sticky and overcast and we expected it to swing. But it did not swing that much," Dhoni said. Losing early wickets did not help India's cause, he felt. "We lost early wickets and Tendulkar's dismissal was unfortunate. However, Gautam (Gambhir) and Rohit (Sharma) played really well." As for his own innings, Dhoni felt if he had got out cheaply, the side could have been bundled out for 150-160 runs. "I see my position in the side as that of a floater. I can come low down the order and depending on the situation, you could also see me at number three." The Indian captain is not upset that Australian fans in the stands are giving Harbhajan Singh a hard time. "I really don't care. Harbhajan feels that it actually is helping him relax," Dhoni added.

[IndianRenegade]

Fire or retire: India's new theme for ODIs Brisbane: Determined not to cut down on their aggression towards the Australians, the Indian one-day team has devised a new theme to mirror their philosophy for the weeks ahead. "Fire or Retire" is the latest mantra for the one-day tri-series as the young team under the pump from supporters and former cricketers, find its back against the wall. The young team was hopelessly outclassed in the Twenty20 clash in Melbourne and even in Sunday's abandoned game where the wickets of the young Indian batsmen came cheap to Australia. The Indians got their heads together and in a team meeting devised the latest theme to motivate themselves for matches ahead. The theme of "Fire or Retire" apparently exhorts the team members to come down hard on Australia, meet fire with fire, and in case they are not able to do it, fall back and support the other guy doing it. That the Indians want to be aggressive was spelt out by Yuvraj Singh ahead of the triangular series. "We want to be aggressive, though it doesn't have to be physically aggressive or glaring at the opponent. You can be aggressive with your body language," he said. This theme is in addition to the one they devised during the Test series where the message was almost similar to the present one. "Three Os" was the theme during the Test series and when expanded to full, it meant "One on One". The underlying message of that theme was that each Indian cricketer was to take care of one particular Australian player and if eleven in the team were to do so, the world champions could be managed. India proceeded to do so exactly in the Test series and the lead was taken by master blaster Sachin Tendulkar who decoded Stuart Clark who at one stage had got the Indians worried because of his accuracy and late movement, either way. After two excellent first Tests where Clark managed eight wickets at an average of just 20 per scalp, the accurate medium-fast bowler could grab only six in the last two matches, remaining wicket-less in the final game in Adelaide. Tendulkar prepared himself for Clark by asking Subroto Banerjee, a former Indian fast bowler now living in Sydney, to keep bowling him on or around the off-stump with the intent to leave everything. It's noticeable that during the tour to England last year, successful to the extent that India recorded their first Test series win in 21 years in the Old Blighty, India had similarly adopted a theme. The theme was "Three Ws" or "We Will Win" in full.

[IndianRenegade]

India's freshmen pose uneasy questions "Ultimately it's only about situations. Put me in a situation and I'll adapt," Robin Uthappa explained in an interview to Cricinfo last year when talking about maturity on the field. On Sunday, he had a perfect situation lined up when he walked in with India hanging perilously at 94 for 5, a point from which he could have helped them claw back to safety. He had shown the character and spirit to be the guiding light on a few occasions last year but this time he disappointed, failing to deal with one that kicked on him, giving Ashley Noffke, the debutant, his first wicket. Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma and the first-timer Manoj Tiwary too failed to trouble the Australians long enough. Add these four to the bunch of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik and Suresh Raina, and you are looking at what is likely to be the core of India's batting in the future. So how ready are these freshers to assume the senior role once the remnants of the last generation - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid - step down? The lack of large sample for most of the youngsters doesn't allow a ready conclusion. So let's look at the evidence from today. The exit of the experienced opening pair of Sehwag and Tendulkar prompted fears of a collapse. But Gambhir and Sharma picked up the momentum in a manner that was reminiscent of their batting during the ICC World Twenty20. Except that this was a 50-over format, which required more patience. Gambhir was trapped by one that angled in, while Sharma, trying to push the pedal, could only feather an edge to Adam Gilchrist. India had been in the driver's seat courtesy the 65-run partnership between the pair but in the matter of a few overs they were pushed on to the back foot when three wickets fell for as many runs. Dhoni was pleased, though, with the performances of Gambhir and Sharma. "I was happy with the way Gauthi [Gambhir] and Rohit [sharma] played. I would like them to get in, stick around and play till the end and leave the fireworks for Yuvi [Yuvraj Singh], Robin [uthappa] and myself." Gambhir has been around for enough time now to understand that responsibility but, despite being prolific on the domestic circuit this season, he has often failed to kick on after getting starts - in 13 out of 38 ODI innings he has fallen between scores of 20 and 60. Sharma has only played a handful of ODIs but, after a superb World Twenty20 tournament, the highlight of which was a well-paced half-century in the must-win game against South Africa, he fell away in the domestic season: in five games for Mumbai he had a tally of 150 runs. Today, though, Sharma revealed his potential yet again. Even though he made 29, his innings had an unmistakeable aura to it and reinforced the pundits' view that he can slip into the number four slot in Tests whenever Tendulkar leaves the arena. At the Gabba he took eight balls to get off the mark but the first runs came with a flourish: a free-flowing cover drive on the up off Nathan Bracken. In the next over, from Noffke, he picked one on the up easily and dispatched it between cover and point, and followed that with a cut shot for successive boundaries. Sharma is only 20 and unencumbered by the rigidities of technique and discipline. Yet the cloak of casualness he wears might hinder him from taking the next step - some of the senior cricketers feel he is yet to move beyond Twenty20 cricket. The advantage for him is he still has plenty of time to learn and grow. It's impossible not to sympathise with Manoj Tiwary, who made an unceremonious debut within a day of setting foot in Australia. Understandably, he seemed overwhelmed as much by the occasion as by the pressure of facing an in-form Brett Lee. Lee had the newcomer's pulse immediately and set him up with some short deliveries before coming up with a scorching yorker that breached Tiwary's defences. Like Sharma, Tiwary isn't coming on this tour on the back of a bagful of domestic runs: he was the top run-maker in the Ranji Trophy in 2006-07, but failed to maintain that level in the present season and couldn't help Bengal avoid relegation. The story is the same with Uthappa, who piled on 188 in the four Ranji games he played for Karnataka. Tiwary's selection, ahead of Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik, two players who were part of the original ODI squad, was in itself a surprise. Dhoni said that he went by his "instincts", and indicated that he had decided on Tiwary on Saturday evening. Acclimatisation is the key when one arrives in a new country, and Dhoni agreed that most current cricketers didn't get much time to settle in. "It's tough and I understand but in international cricket you can't complain. You have to adapt quickly and make the most of the situation." When Sourav Ganguly was dropped from the one-day squad for the CB Series, there was concern that an overly pro-youth balance could harm the side. Dhoni made it clear, though, that if the board was serious about planning for the 2011 World Cup, it needed to start now. "If I'm still the captain then I would like a bunch that has played at least 80-100 ODIs and it is very important to start thinking from now onwards." Dhoni has always been his own man, and has trusted his instincts. He now wants his players to step up and take charge. "It's up to them to show courage and perform and rise to the occasion in the face of a challenge." The next month will provide ample opportunity to separate the wheat from the chaff. Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at Cricinfo © Cricinfo

[head coach]

Fire or Retire - The ODI manthra Is it directed towards Sachin Tendulkar? :D

[Sachinism]

what??

[IndianRenegade]

http://indiancricketfans.com/showthread.php?t=88731

[Chandan]

So all the young guns in batting, apart from Badrinath and Kaif are here. What do you think--are few of them going to be exposed? If so, who do you think would fail dismally in this series? I put my money on Raina and Uthappa. I'm really hoping that both prove me wrong, terribly wrong, though!!

[fineleg]

So all the young guns in batting, apart from Badrinath and Kaif are here. What do you think--are few of them going to be exposed? If so, who do you think would fail dismally in this series? I put my money on Raina and Uthappa. I'm really hoping that both prove me wrong, terribly wrong, though!!

Uthappa will most likely flop in Aus. He has one dimensional batting. PLONK the front foot down and smash the ball. Will work on flat tracks, wont work in Aus. No back foot play. Robin Uthappa will be the "Auzzie pitch Bakra" ala MTV Bakra.

[IndianRenegade]

Uthappa had a forgettable stay is the middle, was moving across all the time and payed the price for it.

[Chandan]

Uthappa will most likely flop in Aus. He has one dimensional batting. PLONK the front foot down and smash the ball. Will work on flat tracks' date= wont work in Aus. No back foot play. Robin Uthappa will be the "Auzzie pitch Bakra" ala MTV Bakra.

So you agree that Uthappa will fail. Who else? And others, please give your guesses too.

[IndianRenegade]

As for Raina, let him play a match here. I have almost forgotten the way he plays.... :D

[fineleg]

As for Raina' date=' let him play a match here. I have almost forgotten the way the plays.... :D[/quote'] Yes! When did he play for the team last time!? :D Chandan, Who else are unidimensional batsmen? Whoever are such, they'll all be figured out by end of the series and we'll know. I think Rohit Sharma has the ability to adapt and play different strokes. Is Tiwary good? We'll have to see. Hope he is not unidimensional.

[Sachinism]

Is it directed towards Sachin Tendulkar? :D

looks like it doesnt it the rest have been taken out, only sachin is left what is wrong with BCCI taking orders from dhoni

[Chandan]

If you include Yuvraj in the younger brigade then it was the 5th failure for him in this tour in as many appearances or innings. I won't count Rohit's inning as a failure today. Poor fellow was done in by the great umpire Rudi.

[bunny]

Aussie pitches are as flat as any. But, they have a little bit more bounce though and there are some good bowlers in both Australia and SL. So, it's still challenging. Anyway, my prediction is that GG isn't gonna score 25+ in any game where he has to come to bat within the first 5 overs (of course assuming fielders hold on to their catches). Although I think even if he goes out of form he should be given chances to bat in the middle order where he looks much more solid. KKD, Raina and Tiwary might not get more than 1 game so predicting anything about them is hard. But, I don't think any of them can succeed if they have to bat within the first 15-20 overs. Yuvraj will come good against Aus eventually and VS is showing that he is willing to stay for long, but I still don't see him averaging 35+ in this series. Uthappa might slog some especially if he comes after 35 overs or so. Again can't see him scoring 30+ at 1-down or 2-down position. Sharma seems the most talented but he is very new to international cricket. Can't see him averaging more than 30 but he is definitely someone to be looked after well. He can be a good test player in the long run. MSD, as I had written earlier, has cut down on his drives and looks solid. He really is the ideal replacement for RD in this side. He is going to hand around in most matches (although Murali might give him some trouble) and bat till the end. All in all, the most expendable players seem to be KKD, Uthappa (and Tiwary and Raina). One of them should be dropped, the other replaced by Kaif or some good 1-down player.

[IndianRenegade]

Ponting praises 'dangerous' Ishant Ricky Ponting is still working out how to tackle Ishant Sharma. You could say he is a bit puzzled. The Australian captain admitted as much as Ishant waited to talk about his spoils at the post-match media briefing. "He's been a big improver for India through this tour", Ponting said of Ishant, who has already got him thrice this summer. The memories of WACA where Ishant picked him twice in the slips during the Test series is still haunting Ponting and he once again had no answer to Ishant's poser on Sunday. It is no surprise that Ishant knows the value of having the number of the one of the best batsman of this decade. "Ponting is one my favorite batsmen and if you get the batsman complimenting you, it feels good," Sharma explained modestly. Even if he was taking the new ball for the first time in the ODIs Ishant had fast tracked his growth as bowler on the first leg of the tour to understand and deal with the pressures of sharing the new ball. Obviously, he stuttered a touch initially. His first ball was a no ball, the fifth was a wide and in between Hayden edged one just above the outstretched hands of Rohit Sharma at the third slip. Next over a still-settling Ishant was whipped for 18 runs which included three fours from Hayden's bat. "After that over Dhoni told me to just stick to my plans. He felt I was trying to do something else and instead I should do what I had to. I calmed down from there onward", Ishant recalled of those nervous moments. He recoiled well to pick three top-order wickets in Hayden, Ponting and Andrew Symonds to effectively turn the match in India's favour. "We had our plans for each batsman and I just worked on that. For Ponting, it was to bowl to him on the fourth stump." Ponting reckons Ishant is one of the few right-arm fast bowlers who can bring the ball in and that makes him a difficult proposition. "He's a little bit different in the fact that he probably brings the ball back into right-handers more than most right-arm bowlers that we've faced. Normally as a right-handed batsman you usually only get the ball coming back in from left-armers. He's tall, he hits the deck pretty hard and he gets a little bit of inconsistent bounce off the wicket." Ponting said Ishant has the variety that can also trouble the left-handers and compared him to the Makhaya Ntini in that respect. "He's looked dangerous. With the angles he creates he can be pretty dangerous against the left-handers as well and he swings the ball away from them, a bit like Ntini does." When asked if the workload has been an issue, Ishant said he was fine even if he felt a "little tired" at the end of today's encounter. "I was a bit tired and I had stomach aches but I have bowled long spells and my stamina is improving."

[Chandan]

Rohit Sharma's performance was again praiseworthy. Mostly the young guys are supposed to be impatient, unable to work through a period when runs almost dry up and bowlers are on top. But this guy hung on, worked through that tough phase, attacked the part-timers and took India to victory.

[Chandan]

Rohit Sharma again performed very well by smashing 70 in 64 balls with 6 fours and a huuuuuge six off Murali. It was a knock of class. Ishant didn't disgrace himself at all in that mayhem from SL and even accounted for the dangerous Jayasurya. The only worry is that the other batsmen like Uthappa are not getting an opportunity.

[Anakin]

Rohit Sharma again performed very well by smashing 70 in 64 balls with 6 fours and a huuuuuge six off Murali. It was a knock of class. Ishant didn't disgrace himself at all in that mayhem from SL and even accounted for the dangerous Jayasurya. The only worry is that the other batsmen like Uthappa are not getting an opportunity.

Not really, RS sucked big time yesterday and he got bogged down in the middle overs worse than Dravid in recent test matches. His hitting at the end was good but that was in order. He should've done that at least 5 overs earlier to make up for his terrible start.