Aus determined, but Kotla history backs India

[rahulrulezz]

lol @ his reasoning.... Johnson baba, think what you just said

[bharat297]

Did he just say the boys are confident? LOL ... UM ... What do they have to be confident about?

[bharat297]

They gave this job to the worst person. He has the worst seam position of all of them.

[Cricketics]

rofl@ roughness.. ek session sehwag tick jaye bas.. ball ki achi khaasi roughness nikal jayegi...

[graphic23]

Give it to the keeper: Ian Chappell

Why India should seriously consider retaining Dhoni as captain for the rest of the series, whether Kumble plays or not Former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy is a sceptic when it comes to captaincy. He believes any suggestion it plays a significant role in achieving victory is purely self-promotion by the fraternity of skippers. For the benefit of the court I'm displaying Exhibit A, a video of Australia's second innings at Bangalore. Specifically, the period in the game when Anil Kumble was off the field and stand-in captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni led a vibrant India, a team that looked far superior to the one that performed in pedestrian mode a few hours later when the appointed captain was back in charge. For the true non-believers this is Exhibit B: a video of the second Test, when Dhoni had the captaincy all to himself and a rampant India won by the biggest run margin in their history. Your honour, I rest my case for Dhoni to be appointed captain of India, not just for limited-overs and Twenty20 matches but Tests as well. Yes, that's right, a change of captain mid-series. It's not such a dramatic move if you consider the original reason for choosing Kumble as captain of the Test side. He was the ideal person to fill in for a short period until Dhoni was ready to do the job and also to avoid burdening the young keeper-batsman with a tough tour of Australia as his opening gambit in the Test captain’s job. Anybody who watched the Mohali Test and still thinks Dhoni needs more grooming has attended too many dog shows. Dhoni is not only ready, his captaincy in Mohali was a major reason why India currently holds the psychological upper hand in this Test series. If India doesn't make the permanent change to Dhoni, they risk handing Australia a get-out-of-jail card. Whether Australia is in the right frame of mind to put that card to full use in this series is another question, but why would India want to dig an escape tunnel and chance their opponents stumbling upon it? The best way to beat a good team is to attack them and try to provoke mistakes. In Bangalore, Kumble played a waiting game and Australia prospered, while in Mohali, Dhoni went on the offensive from the moment he won the toss, which helped send his opponents crashing to defeat. There's no doubt winning the toss made a huge difference, and having Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir set off aggressively also helped, but Dhoni did plenty to assist his own and the team's cause. Most importantly he created an atmosphere where the players enjoyed the contest. Sehwag was a classic example. He had a smile from start to finish, enjoying his team-mates’ success and revelling in the fact that India was playing an aggressive brand of cricket. Dhoni is wise to involve his team in an exciting contest where victory is sought from the first ball, because it galvanises the better players in his team. Zaheer Khan was like a man possessed, heavily involved in placing his field, and Sachin Tendulkar behaved like an exuberant 18-year-old when he took a vital catch in the second innings. However, the most conclusive evidence that Dhoni had created a winning atmosphere came from the opposing captain. After the match Ricky Ponting said that India had outplayed his side from start to finish in all aspects, even fielding. An aging Indian side outfielding an athletic Australian side - the next thing you know, Dhoni will be turning water into wine. Whether the Indian selectors choose Kumble as a bowler for the third Test is dependent on whether he's fit enough to perform near his best. If he is, then he returns to the team because he has been a warrior for India and has brought great credit to himself and his country. It would be a blessing in disguise to relieve Kumble of the captaincy so he can just concentrate on bowling well and rounding out a wonderful career in a manner befitting a successful and classy cricketer. It has been said that good captaincy is like pornography - it's hard to define but you know it when you see it. Usually when you do see it, a victory soon follows and after Dhoni's great performance at Mohali, it might be the right time to ask Healy if he still thinks good captaincy doesn't affect the result of a match.

The last part is hilarious but what do you all think? Personally, as much as I want Dhoni to captain India at the Kotla, I think Kumble deserves to finish this series (hopefully series win) as captain. But that is more due to my respect towards Kumble for his achievements as an Indian cricketer (off and on the field). Furthermore, I am not sure that Kumble will stay in the team if his captaincy is stripped because lets face it - even if the selectors mean it without any intention of insulting Kumble, it is quite an insult to remove him in the middle of the series.

[jf1gp_1]

another example of divide and conquer; stupid indian fans and media will fall for such a trap and instead of questioning ricky ponting will make kumbles retirement an issue. whole world knows how to play Indians

[jf1gp_1]

not surprised at what he said; even after losing they are looking for positives to grab onto. They will turn things around soon , could be next game or they might need a few more but they will turn things around soon. Thats what makes them a champion team.

[bharat297]

not surprised at what he said; even after losing they are looking for positives to grab onto. They will turn things around soon ' date=' could be next game or they might need a few more but they will turn things around soon. Thats what makes them a champion team.[/quote'] Not doubting that they will turn things around, but he is kidding himself if he thinks all the pressure is on India.

[kablooee87]

another example of divide and conquer; stupid indian fans and media will fall for such a trap and instead of questioning ricky ponting will make kumbles retirement an issue. whole world knows how to play Indians

oh please. You know he has a point. It's not even as if it wasn't a big change. Kumble's captaincy was noticeable lacking while Dhoni's was exceptional.

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Damocles' sword hangs over Laxman The stylish right-hander may get the boot if Kumble passes fitness test at Kotla. More... Damocles’ sword hangs over Laxman Sanjib Guha Sunday, October 26, 2008 02:56 IST The stylish right-hander may get the boot if Kumble passes fitness test at Kotla MUMBAI: Indian selectors have a pleasant headache ahead of the third Test against Australia beginning at the Kotla in Delhi from October 29. Though winning combinations are rarely disturbed, this is a special case since Anil Kumble, India’s regular Test captain, is recuperating from a dicey shoulder and is raring to go at the Kotla, his happy hunting ground. The axe, in that case, should have fallen on debutant leggie Amit Mishra in spite of the fact that he had an excellent initiation into Test cricket, bagging seven wickets in the match. But according to sources, as of now, the talented Mishra will retain his XI berth even if Kumble is found fit on the match morning. The question is, who will then be omitted? Sources say it would be veteran VVS Laxman. It isn’t because the stylish right-hander didn’t do much in the last two Tests, but due to the fact that Kumble has to be accommodated and the team management is not willing to drop Mishra. The think tank, apparently, is not in favour of tampering with the pace duo of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma while there is every possibility that the wicket will be a slow turner, paving the way for the hosts to go in with five bowlers including three spinners. “It would be unfair to drop Mishra, but the decision will be taken solely by the team management,” a source in the selection committee said on Saturday. Ganguly’s 16th Test century in Mohali has placed the former India captain in a very strong position. “Now Ganguly is an automatic choice and there seems to be only option — to drop Laxman,” the source revealed. Laxman, by the way, will not have much in his favour. He has scored only 54 runs in the first two Tests. Dravid, who looked to have found his touch, is not in any kind of danger thanks to his 95 runs including a 51. But all depends on the outcome of Kumble’s fitness test.

[Ram]

I like Johnson's sense of humor.

[graphic23]

another example of divide and conquer; stupid indian fans and media will fall for such a trap and instead of questioning ricky ponting will make kumbles retirement an issue. whole world knows how to play Indians

What is with all these conspiracy theories? That too, against Ian Chappell? He has been constantly weighing on his opinions about Indian cricket as a whole - and he has some suggestions/criticisms (whatever they're his opinion). Everytime someone tries to make a comment about the Indian team, they're trying to "play Indians" and making them loses their focus. WTF. He cares about cricket enough to make comments about several things that are affecting world cricket today. How many times have Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Harsha commented about non-Indian teams when we're not playing in a series against them (and positively?) Everytime its some controversial statement that Gavaskar makes. Ravi Shastri doesn't make any comments unless its something awesome about India that he has to say (his questions to Ricky Ponting in the presentation ceremony of Mohali were not very good in spirit). Harsha is only one who makes some good worthwhile comments about other teams but only when we're involved in a series against them. Chappell has been making comments about Indian cricket (and other teams too but mostly Indian cricket) even when Australia is not the opposition. He deserves respect and not some lame comments about how he's trying to plan the downfall of the Indians in an article where he says that India has to take the advantage and make sure that they win the series against Australia. OMG. WTF.

[DomainK]

This kind of statement comes under pressure only.

[DomainK]

I fully agree with Ian. On India's visit to Australia, Ian had pointed out that Sehwag should have been a part of the team....he was bang on target. This time as well Chappell is quite right. Whatever his brother may be, this guy is sensible.

[bharat297]

Big big risk ... Drop Laxman in a match against Australia. Never back against a champion.

[King Tendulkar]

If we don't pick 6 batsman plus Dhoni it will be madness!

[bharat297]

It would be slightly less madness if one of the bowlers was an allrounder. But its 5 specialist bowlers (ok Bhajji can bat but he aint an allrounder). And whats worse is ... theyre dropping Australia's worst nightmare in VVS Laxman. It will be the blunder of the series.

[beetle]

another example of divide and conquer; stupid indian fans and media will fall for such a trap and instead of questioning ricky ponting will make kumbles retirement an issue. whole world knows how to play Indians

So true. Ian Chapell is part of the "pressure group" that the aussie team banks on for the psychological warfare. The Indian media is more than happy to entertain such people just to fill up the cricket time slot on TV.

[amits]

laxman is safe for the next 2 tests atleast & only injury can keep him out. reason - a memento has been made for laxman by the bcci which will be presented to him after the nagpur test for completing 100 tests

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Aus determined, but Kotla history backs India Outplayed in Mohali, the Australians will be seething for revenge at the Fersozshah Kotla here in the third Test, starting on Wednesday. More... Aus determined, but Kotla history backs India Indo-Asian News Service Saturday, October 25, 2008 (New Delhi) Outplayed in Mohali, the Australians will be seething for revenge at the Fersozshah Kotla here in the third Test, starting on Wednesday. Some of their players are working hard without a break after the second Test, Brett Lee for one trying for that x-factor. They feel they have it in them to come back into the series. The World Champions though will not only have to face a toughened India side, but also the curse of the stadium which has a history of undermining the visiting sides. India have won seven Tests here on the trot since 1993, and against Australia, the hosts have lost just one, way back in 1959. Overall, of the 29 Tests played here, India have won 10, lost six and 13 were drawn. The last time the two sides played here in 1996, India easily beat Australia, led by Mark Taylor, by seven wickets. Traditionally, the spinners enjoyed bowling here and the visiting teams crumbled on the dusty Kotla track which got slower and lower as the game progressed. Anil Kumble's historic ten-wicket haul in an innings against Pakistan came on one of those pitches in 1999. The pitch though has been relaid after the construction of the stadium and the spinners do not seem to get the same purchase now. In fact, the seamers are having a ball, Ishant Sharma being a product of the new Kotla pitches. The conditions should, however, encourage the spinners as they should get a fair bit of bounce in the later stages of the game. Kumble, who is going through a leant trot, will be itching to get his form back in the familiar surroundings. The leg-spinner has an outstanding record here, having picked up 55 wickets at a miserly average of 15.41. Kotla curator Radhey Shyam Sharma says that the pitch will be sporting, but it will not give any undue advantage to spinners, thus ruling out any doctoring of the track. "All the talk about the pitch turning from day one is not true. It will be a sporting track and there will be something for everybody. Yes, spinners will get turn, but only on the last two days and that's how a good Test pitch should play." Sharma, who has been looking after the pitch since the 1996 World Cup, says that it is not fair to speculate that Kumble will get a tailor-made pitch. "Look at his record, does he need undue assistance from the pitch to get wickets? He is such a great bowler." Sharma though says that this being the first match of the season, it is difficult to predict its behaviour. "We have put in a lot of effort to make it a decent surface. But this is the first match of the season and we need to wait and see how it plays." Indian think-tank, though, will be in a dilemma whether to go into the Test with three spinners after Amit Mishra's phenomenal success at Mohali or play with two seamers and Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. The visitors do not have much of a choice as they will have to perforce rely on their fast bowlers.