ODI Idea Cup in SL : Views and Review

[diegovegaz]

potentials?? zaheer(swing), ishant(pace) or munaf(line and length)? good enough???

[punjabi_khota]

finey is back big time :D hope the hiatus has done u a world of gud and made u more positive :D

cNkp4QF3we8

[f.b.m]

potentials?? zaheer(swing), ishant(pace) or munaf(line and length)? good enough???

Not good enough except maybe Ishant when he's bowling seriously fast. The most potent could be Harbajhan's doosra/top spinner, but well....

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Bowlers played a pivotal role : Ravi Shastri India were no better than Sri Lanka while squaring up to new ball but the script, thereafter, was better. One has to give credit to Dhoni and Raina who took the venom out of the Mendis-Murali duo, writes Ravi Shastri. More... Bowlers played a pivotal role Ravi Shastri, Hindustan Times August 31, 2008 First Published: 00:00 IST(31/8/2008) Last Updated: 00:04 IST(31/8/2008) It didn't end the way all Indian supporters wanted, but there is no denying India played better as a team in the ODI series. They put more runs on the board and bowled better. Sri Lanka's best - be it Jayasuriya, Jayawardene and Sangakkara in batting or Vaas, Murali and Mendis in bowling - didn't click together when it mattered. It cost them a proud record at home. The Indian report card sees most in good light. A few were exceptional but a majority were more than adequate. A winning team always needs six or seven good performers and India nearly always had their men for the job. Bowlers rarely get the same space as batsmen in newsprint or on prime time but this time they did. I can't recall when each one, in isolation or as a group, was so telling. Zaheer, Praveen, Munaf or Harbhajan and Pragyan Ojha earned everyone's respect. It isn't easy to bowl in hot and draining conditions yet the bowlers retained the spring in their feet. The new ball was rarely wasted in the first 20 overs and Sri Lanka were always four or five wickets down by this stage. To my mind, it had a critical impact on the outcome. India were no better than Sri Lanka while squaring up to new ball but the script, thereafter, was better. One has to give credit to Dhoni and Raina who took the venom out of the Mendis-Murali duo. Badrinath could have learnt a lot from this trip and Virat Kohli would be wiser with this experience. That nobody from either side could get to 200 runs in the series tells you conditions were not all for batting. For the future of Indian cricket, it's important that the likes of Yuvraj and Rohit Sharma are not discarded in a hurry. Yuvraj is having a bad time but the experience of his kind is worth in gold. Rohit has only one 50 to show from his last 14 innings but he is a talent who needs to be persisted with. I still believe his best will be seen when he goes higher up the order. Gambhir too shouldn't be discounted because he did well in Australia, in the IPL and in the Test series that preceded the ODIs. Everyday is not a sunny day and light and shade are as much part of life as they are on a cricket field. Good players must be allowed occasional failures as long as their work ethics and spirit is intact. The Indian board should be lauded for resisting the urge to go for a quickly arranged series in absence of the Champions Trophy. There is busy schedule ahead for the Indians and these free days can allow weary minds and limbs to recover poise.

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Bowling coach’s role shouldn’t be overlooked More... Bowling coach’s role shouldn’t be overlooked Javagal Srinath EVERY ARDENT Indian fan would have asked for a 4-1 result. No doubt it’s hard not to be complacent after winning a series. The best of teams have bitten the dust in similar circumstances. It all happens in the context of giving a chance to the reserve players. But the fact remains that the chances of winning are not high when reserves make it to the side. It would have been better to think of winning continuously instead of thinking how the series was placed. I guess the gains would have been plenty in winning the last match than trying out the reserves. It is time to measure the gains and losses from this series. The biggest plus is Dhoni’s strong leadership. His communication and inspiring press messages have had a huge bearing on the players. On this trip his mantra was “collective efforts”. It seems as if both the captain and coach have successfully addressed the concerns of the youngsters. To be honest with Indian cricket history, problems between the captain and the seniors have always existed in a subtle way To his credit, Dhoni has handled this astutely . The bowling unit has performed like an engine well oiled. The set patterns with which they attacked Sri Lanka’s top order suggested there was a definite plan in place. Zaheer and Munaf ’s perseverance down the off-stump line with the new ball was rewarded. Harbhajan too struck at crucial junctures. By now, I hope people have realised the importance of having a bowling coach like Venkatesh Prasad. India’s batting clicked mainly due to on Dhoni’s efforts. Although Yuvraj and Rohit Sharma showed indifferent form, the shortcomings were covered with Dhoni cleverly moving up and down the order.

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India gave up easily under pressure while we fought: Mahela Sri Lanka lost their first ever home ODI series against India but their skipper Mahela Jayawardene said his side could not be nailed for lacking fighting spirit. Jayawaredene even went on to say that his boys were better than the Indians when it comes to handling pressure situation. More... India gave up easily under pressure while we fought: Mahela August 31, 2008 20:08 IST Sri Lanka [images] lost their first ever home ODI series against India but their skipper Mahela Jayawardene [images] said his side could not be nailed for lacking fighting spirit. Jayawardene even went on to say that his boys were better than the Indians when it comes to handling pressure situation. "I don't think we could be criticised for lacking fighting spirit. Even when we were losing we were fighting. I think the Indians tend to probably give up a bit too easily," Jayawardene said. "We want to develop in our team that we don't give up to the last minute. You can go through tough situations and tend to give in quite easily. We have to keep having belief in your ability," he said. The Lankan skipper said his team wanted to win the last game for the home crowd, which were supporting them in all matches even after losing the series to India. "Losing the series was very disappointing. But the huge crowd had supported us throughout the series and they turned up (for the last match) as well. So we had to give them something back to show the character of the team," he said. Jayawardene said he was happy with the bench strength Sri Lanka had in the fast bowling department. "I think (Nuwan) Kulasekara [images] and Thilana Tushara have been consistent for us. Lasith (Malinga) has started bowling and (Fervez) Mahroof is 100 per cent fit while Dilhara (Fernando) looks very good after the injury. So it is a good competition in the team which is good," he said. Jayawardene paid tribute to old war horse Chaminda Vaas [images], who reached the milestone of getting 400 ODI wickets in the series, for the contribution to Lankan cricket. "I think Vaas is still great. He is doing the job for us. We have a good balance now. In different conditions we can bowl different bowlers. Sometimes we might give Vaas a game, the other guy a game depending on the conditions. So that could be interesting." On the Sri Lankan ODI team's performance during the last year, the captain said it had its highs and lows. "Not consistent. We would rather have consistency going all throughout the year. Yes, we won the Asia Cup which was a great achievement. But between that we had our ups and downs. In the West Indies [images], against England [images] and now against India, we did not do well not that we were outplayed. "We were not finishing the crucial games. That is something we have to work hard on. We have picked the guys who can fight it out in tough situations and what kind of combinations that we go with. The future looks good for us," he signed off.

[arkay]

India gave up easily under pressure while we fought: Mahela

It reminded me of a tamil proverb which is apt "Kuppura Veezhdalum Meesaile Mann Ottalai" குப்புர வீழுந்தாலும் மீசைலே மண் ஓட்டலை In English it "Even though he fell down, he still boast himself that - the moustache is intact with no sand deposits"

[cowboysfan]

what is he talking about? we were down 0-1 in the ODI's and came back to win the next 3 games-how is that giving up too easily?-its the opposite of that. we lost the test series because of one man-MENDIS.we were clueless against him,thats not giving up.shame on mahela for saying such nonsense.

[flamy]

s0re l0ser!

[DomainK]

Sore Losers really. I thought Mahela was smarter than this.

[satishg]

lame is all i can think of

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Sangakkara to undergo finger surgery Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper, is set to undergo surgery in his right index finger in Australia. Sangakkara played through the recently concluded three-Test and five-ODI series against India nursing the injury. More... Sri Lanka news Sangakkara to undergo finger surgery Cricinfo staff September 1, 2008 Kumar Sangakkara nursed the injury through the home series against India © AFP Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan batsman, is set to undergo surgery on his right index finger in Australia. Sangakkara played through the recently concluded three-Test and five-ODI home series against India nursing the injury. David Young, an Australian orthopaedic surgeon who also treated Sri Lankan bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga, confirmed Sangakkara will fly out to Australia in a week where he will be operated on by Melbourne-based orthopaedic Greg Hoy. Young also confirmed that Malinga won't require surgery on his injured knee. Malinga, who's being treated by Young, has been out of international action since March, missing Sri Lanka's tour of West Indies, the Indian Premier League and the home series against India. "I reviewed Malinga last Friday and he is making steady progress," Young told cricketnext.com. "I hope he will be training again in six weeks but with the Champions Trophy now postponed there is no hurry. No surgery is needed on him." © Cricinfo

[Tapioca]

"Mental games". It appears like a third rate comedy when the Lankans tries to imitate the Aussies.

[h4te]

wtf has he been smoking? i want some of it.......

[Dirty_South]

loserrrrrrr :hahaha:

[Willow_on_fire]

wtf has he been smoking? i want some of it.......

Not sure about what Mahela smoke?...lankans mostly drink cheap liquor called 'arrack'...:--D

[Kumar]

thats like saying australia gave up easily under pressure in last odi in india which is just ridicolous. Stop being a sore loser Mahela and face defeat! CHAK DE INDIA:icflove::eyedance:

[jf1gp_1]

hope Dhoni is learning something from Mahela, smart captain he knows how to keep the team motivated. he lost the series but not willing to accept defeat i am fine with such a positive captain till he knows the area his team needs to improve upon.

[f.b.m]

It reminded me of a tamil proverb which is apt "Kuppura Veezhdalum Meesaile Mann Ottalai" குப்புர வீழுந்தாலும் மீசைலே மண் ஓட்டலை

Hah, perfect way to put it.

[h4te]

Not sure about what Mahela smoke?...lankans mostly drink cheap liquor called 'arrack'...:--D

i need to get me some of that then...:cantstop: