Squad for NZ tour announced

[fineleg]

Fontaine, You are correct about Munaf posessing a better discipline in Line&Length as compared to Sreesanth, but to me the big worry about Daadaji Patel is whether he'll break down in the middle of a Test match. That may leave us a bowler short in the 2nd Inn. I hope this time when physio certifies he is "fit", he really is fit to last the tour.

[rkt.india]

Yeah, our 3rd seamer position has been full of fail for quite some time. We do manage to get performances now and then but there's no clear cut guy who can bowl first change. Every time I think Pathan is on his way back he doesn't convince me and Patel still has a lot to learn. Maybe Kulkarni can show something. I don't know too much about him other than he's done well in FC this season. And we need to find someone soon, I don't see ZK playing much past the WC and no matter how good our batting is, we're an incomplete team without three good fast bowlers.

he must play,he is accurate and moves the like shaun pollock used to do even on Indian pitches.

[Fontaine]

Fontaine, You are correct about Munaf posessing a better discipline in Line&Length as compared to Sreesanth, but to me the big worry about Daadaji Patel is whether he'll break down in the middle of a Test match. That may leave us a bowler short in the 2nd Inn. I hope this time when physio certifies he is "fit", he really is fit to last the tour.

That may be true but I don't think Patel is alone in that. ZK, Tait, Clark, Flintoff, Kumble and many other bowlers have broken down recently and I don't think Patel is any worse in his fitness.

[Feed]

Murali Vijay : New monk For Murali Vijay the seamer-friendly conditions in New Zealand will not matter as much as the basics More... New monk For Murali Vijay the seamer-friendly conditions in New Zealand will not matter as much as the basics By Deba Prasad Dhar Posted On Monday, February 16, 2009 at 03:09:55 AM Consistency may not necessarily grant you the India cap. You may score runs by the shoal and yet your chances of making to the national side can be slim in the extreme. If fate conspires, just an elbow-nudge from a teammate can lift you to prominence. When Gautam Gambhir drew his elbow out to Shane Watson, which earned him a one-match ban, it created a position at the top. Wasim Jaffer, with his experience, was a sound bet. But a 24-year-old was not only scoring consistently but was scoring big. Murali Vijay had runs against New Zealand in the ‘A’ series in 2008. He ran up tall scores in the Challenger series and for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy. But it was the 462-run opening-wicket partnership with Abhinav Mukund against Maharashtra that made him difficult to resist — Vijay’s contribution was 243. His induction to the Indian team for the Nagpur Test against Australia was deemed as a bold move. But the jury was not so sure whether he should be going to New Zealand for the Tests. Jaffer, it was widely held, had a better claim. Vijay however believes that he has one cardinal quality, desired of an opener, which should hold him in good stead in all conditions. “Wherever I bat I concentrate on my basics and that is watching the ball till the last moment. “If you can manage to do that, you can adjust to the late movement,” he says. Starting late Here’s someone who didn’t practice with the hard cricket ball until he was 17. Vijay didn’t progress through the ranks playing junior cricket. The strides have been remarkable given that he doesn’t even have a proper coach, though the likes of Bharat Reddy and Divakar Basu mentored him in his formative years. We ought to remember also that India’s next-generation batsmen have not been thrown at the deep end of Test cricket right away. One-day cricket has given them a chance to make a rapid transition to the sterner tests of the longer version. But when Vijay took guard against Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson, he knew that not too many opportunities will pass his way. Besides, he is an opener. Unless you are a Mathew Hayden, opening can be a thankless vocation like wicketkeeping. “I told myself that it was my only chance,” Vijay says. “I knew that if I could keep calm and hold my nerve, I’ll do well.” It didn’t take Vijay too long too realise that he has been shoved into an unfamiliar universe. “The difference in pace from what I was accustomed to facing in domestic cricket was quite obvious in the first few balls.” And then the constant barrage of noises from Australia’s slip cordon screeched to high pitch. The Australians did all they could to unsettle him: “Come on boys, do not let this fellow get his first run in international cricket.” Holding nerve The heated set up and all the cauldron of emotions would have shrunk the best. Vijay grinned but just enough to let Australia know that he wouldn’t be cowered. And then he cleared the all-inclusive tests of temperament and technique. No ungainly fends. He dropped his wrists, swayed away from the line of the lifting deliveries even as Virender Sehwag was going ballistic at the other end. Priestly tag His Tamil Nadu team-mates call him ‘Monk’ because Vijay prefers keeping a tonsured head to cope with Tamil Nadu’s sweltering heat. But in the Nagpur Test the priestly tag did fit him to the T. “I wasn’t going to be bothered by what they said,” he says. “I didn’t want to convey anything negative. Moreover, the wicket had bounce and I was confident of playing my strokes. I wanted to prove myself that I belonged to the international arena.” Out in the middle, he remembered what MS Dhoni had said: “Dhoni had told me to enjoy the moment and do whatever came naturally to me. He advised me not to try too hard. I had scored a double hundred against Maharashtra, and Dhoni reminded me that I was in form. Yet I think I could have done much better.” A bigger stage awaits him in New Zealand. Vijay may not get a look in upfront but he has the ingredients to ride out the conditions, should an opportunity present itself.

[Lord]

Munaf was consistently bowling around the 135 mark without exerting himself on his comeback last August and was seaming the ball extremely well giving the Sri Lankans very little room to swing their bats. Which is the IDEAL role for the first change bowler in test match cricket. Especially when we won't go with two spinners so we'll need an extra bowler to can tie up one end.

this is where i disagree with u.a bowler's job in test cricket is simply to take wickets,not to bowl economically.wen u say munaf will do the role of tieing up,u r assuming that Zak n Ishant will bowl well.god forbid,what if they fail?whom does the captain turn to for quick wickets?munaf?at his best all he can do is frustrate the batsman in hope of inducing mistakes.good batsmen will easily play him off.then wat?

[Fontaine]

this is where i disagree with u.a bowler's job in test cricket is simply to take wickets' date='not to bowl economically.wen u say munaf will do the role of tieing up,u r assuming that Zak n Ishant will bowl well.god forbid,what if they fail?whom does the captain turn to for quick wickets?munaf?at his best all he can do is frustrate the batsman in hope of inducing mistakes.good batsmen will easily play him off.then wat?[/quote'] In the past I would have agreed with you, but given how pitches even in England, WI etc are getting so good to bat on, bowling captains now have to have a Stuart Clark type bowler who just chokes off the runs and doesn't give the batsmen anything to score runs easily from. It's rare in test match cricket to see a bowler dominate a batting lineup nowadays, unless the new ball is doing a bit. Steyn is the only one in the world right now I would call great. Right now the way almost every team bowls is to use the new ball well with two strike bowlers (ZK/Ishant), then once the ball gets old to use pressure on the batsmen to slow the flow of runs and hope the fast bowlers can continue to seam the red ball, wait for reverse swing, and the wait some more for the new ball. Right now there aren't many, if any at all, first change pace bowlers who can pick up a lot of wickets. And besides the selectors and captain want dependable bowlers who they can count on. Sreesanth just doesn't fit the bill at the moment. And I think you're underestimating Patel ability to seam the ball. The red ball in the NZ tests will keep it's seam proud a lot longer than the kookaburra ball so bowlers who can seam it will always have a chance to get an inside edge, or nicking it to slip. Patel does seam the ball well moving it off the pitch making it hard for batsmen to middle the ball. He was even doing this in the ODIs.

[Lord]

In the past I would have agreed with you, but given how pitches even in England, WI etc are getting so good to bat on, bowling captains now have to have a Stuart Clark type bowler who just chokes off the runs and doesn't give the batsmen anything to score runs easily from. It's rare in test match cricket to see a bowler dominate a batting lineup nowadays, unless the new ball is doing a bit. Steyn is the only one in the world right now I would call great. Right now the way almost every team bowls is to use the new ball well with two strike bowlers (ZK/Ishant), then once the ball gets old to use pressure on the batsmen to slow the flow of runs and hope the fast bowlers can continue to seam the red ball, wait for reverse swing, and the wait some more for the new ball.

that is true for flat decks but pitches in NZ are not got gonna be flat.even the ball is gonna swing around,providing opportunities for wickets.why not take the opportunity with a more wicket taking bowler? as for tieing up one end,our spinners can do that role.

And I think you're underestimating Patel ability to seam the ball. The red ball in the NZ tests will keep it's seam proud a lot longer than the kookaburra ball so bowlers who can seam it will always have a chance to get an inside edge, or nicking it to slip. Patel does seam the ball well moving it off the pitch making it hard for batsmen to middle the ball. He was even doing this in the ODIs.

if i am not wrong,the ball to be used in NZ is gonna be kookaburra ball.and its widely known that helps swing bowling more than seam bowling because seam will not last long.

[Fontaine]

that is true for flat decks but pitches in NZ are not got gonna be flat.even the ball is gonna swing around,providing opportunities for wickets.why not take the opportunity with a more wicket taking bowler? as for tieing up one end,our spinners can do that role.

Well that depends on the pitches. NZ can get flat decks as well and if the conditions aren't overcast or cold then I doubt it'll swing much. One of my colleagues just got back from there and said the weather was sunny and good. Plus, I don't think we'll take two dedicated spinners in a test so it's becomes all the more important for the pacemen to be able to hold up one end. I'm not saying by any means that Munaf is far better than Sreesanth, but yes he is more consistent at the moment and that's what the captain and selectors want.

if i am not wrong,the ball to be used in NZ is gonna be kookaburra ball.and its widely known that helps swing bowling more than seam bowling because seam will not last long.

ODIs yes the white ball, but for Test I think they still use the red ball.

[Lord]

Well that depends on the pitches. NZ can get flat decks as well and if the conditions aren't overcast or cold then I doubt it'll swing much. One of my colleagues just got back from there and said the weather was sunny and good. Plus, I don't think we'll take two dedicated spinners in a test so it's becomes all the more important for the pacemen to be able to hold up one end. I'm not saying by any means that Munaf is far better than Sreesanth, but yes he is more consistent at the moment and that's what the captain and selectors want.

Well if the conditions are sunny,then there's all the more reason and possibly even give him the new ball as it will certainly swing for a while.ishant can then do the holding up job.

ODIs yes the white ball, but for Test I think they still use the red ball.

i'm talking of RED kookaburra ball.are aware that the red ball u keep talking about is also of different types?

[Rajan]

lol @ Diwakar Basu! bengalified Vasu, former left arm seamer/spinner/middle order bat who represented TN and South zone ,was in contention for an india slot way back in early to mid 90's! Vijay is a good pick.may handle NZ conditions better than Badri.not a bad choice.

[coffee_rules]

Comments from Rediff on "Balaji's back!" article: A decent proposal by kaushik on Feb 17, 2009 12:16 AM Permalink | Hide replies Mr.Srikanth, I have been playing 10 overs cricket matches with one bump catch in my backyard with friends for the past one year. More importantly I speak tamil and plan to shift to Chennai very soon. Please select me in Indian cricket team. :haha:

[Guest Hiten.]

Comments from Rediff on "Balaji's back!" article: A decent proposal by kaushik on Feb 17, 2009 12:16 AM Permalink | Hide replies Mr.Srikanth, I have been playing 10 overs cricket matches with one bump catch in my backyard with friends for the past one year. More importantly I speak tamil and plan to shift to Chennai very soon. Please select me in Indian cricket team. :haha:

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[fineleg]

The red ball in the NZ tests will keep it's seam proud a lot longer than the kookaburra ball so bowlers who can seam it will always have a chance to get an inside edge' date= or nicking it to slip. .

fontaine, by kookaburra in above phrase, do you mean the white ball. Even the red ball in NZ tests, will be manufactured by kook?

[Fontaine]

Well if the conditions are sunny,then there's all the more reason and possibly even give him the new ball as it will certainly swing for a while.ishant can then do the holding up job. i'm talking of RED kookaburra ball.are aware that the red ball u keep talking about is also of different types?

Yes, the SG and Duke ball are pretty much the same, kookaburra also produce a red ball but I'm not sure which brand they use in New Zealand. I guess it'll probably be the kookaburra red ball if I had to guess but I'm not sure.

[Fontaine]

fontaine, by kookaburra in above phrase, do you mean the white ball. Even the red ball in NZ tests, will be manufactured by kook?

If it's the Dukes/SG ball then yes. I'm not so sure about the Kookaburra red ball.

[The Outsider]

If it's the Dukes/SG ball then yes. I'm not so sure about the Kookaburra red ball.

All countries use the Kookaburra in tests except India and England which use SG and Duke. All ODIs are played with the Kookaburra everywhere.