'Rockstars' of Team India get down to practice in NZ

[SachDan]

Nice read. It would have been better had they included Gauti too.Something like 'Fab Five' !

[diegovegaz]

even if they get these awesome 4 out, they'll still have to deal with gambhir, yuvraj and then dhoni their problems don't seem to end zaheer and bhajji may as well add salt to their wounds

[vroomfondel]

anyone else thinks its sarcasm? similar to stephen fleming calling them overpaid superstars or something last time they toured.

[DomainK]

Nice read. It would have been better had they included Gauti too.Something like 'Fab Five' !

I dont think Gauti has done enough to be in that league. Not even anywhere close to those names. The mentioned four have proven their worth all over the world in all conditions, in all situations and in all kinds of pitches. Gauti is just starting off. I hope he gets there soon though. He has everything to be a great batsman.

[Chandan]

anyone else thinks its sarcasm? similar to stephen fleming calling them overpaid superstars or something last time they toured.

Of course it is sarcasm! The entire world has an issue with the money the Indian cricketers earn and the popularity that they have everywhere in the world. Along with that, according to most, IPL is akin to some kind of a show which rockstars present! So, there you go!

[DomainK]

Idiot. I was ready to ban you after your first post. :icflove:

:((

[Willow_on_fire]

even if they get these awesome 4 out, they'll still have to deal with gambhir, yuvraj and then dhoni their problems don't seem to end zaheer and bhajji may as well add salt to their wounds

That's the best thing about present Indian team...:two_thumbs_up:

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Net loss on the first day If the fan following at the nets was one unusual feature of the session, another was the complete absence of net bowlers. In this day and age, host associations roll out the red carpet for visiting dignitaries. More... Net loss on the first day Anand Vasu, Hindustan Times Christchurch, February 21, 2009 First Published: 23:42 IST(21/2/2009) Last Updated: 23:45 IST(21/2/2009) "Maarne wala ball tha," Virender Sehwag said with a wide grin on his face after dispatching Praveen Kumar over mid-wicket. It was the first ball faced by an Indian batsman on this tour and Sehwag's approach had the Indian fans in splits at the nets of the Bert Sutcliffe Oval. A window of fine weather opened up on Saturday afternoon just as the Indians began a training session that lasted more than three hours. The nets, set at New Zealand Cricket's High Performance Centre in the suburb of Lincoln, gave the Indians a glimpse of what they can expect in the weeks to come. Of the four nets, one was particularly seamer friendly while the other three had the batsmen playing with caution with the ball stopping and then coming onto the bat. While the team trained hard, leg pulling and laughter punctuated their efforts. A healthy number of fans, armed with cameras and video recorders, got closer to their idols than the public in India can ever hope to. The biggest draw, unsurprisingly, was Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who followed his batting stint with some seam-up bowling. Sachin Tendulkar, another favourite, and perhaps the most sought after for autographs, preferred not have a full net, settling instead for throw downs from coach Gary Kirsten. Tendulkar, who is not part of the squad for the Twenty20 matches, will first play a game 10 days from now, and should have enough time to get used to the conditions. If the fan following at the nets was one unusual feature of the session, another was the complete absence of net bowlers. In this day and age, host associations roll out the red carpet for visiting dignitaries. Don't forget Australia's recent tour to India - they enjoyed customised net pitches, Ranji cricketers for net bowling and various other facilities at the academy in Jaipur. New Zealand Cricket is certainly pleased to be hosting this Indian team - one of the stronger outfits to tour the country, but it was odd to see the team practicing with no net bowlers around. Funnily, the BCCI was told that this might be an issue during the tour. In a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two boards before the tour, NZC had stated: "It is proposed that where possible a minimum of four net bowlers will be provided to the team. Every endeavour will be made to ensure that this request is met," the MoU, which the Hindustan Times has accessed, states. "Net bowlers are often volunteers from club cricket who are invited by the host association to bowl to touring and home teams for their net practice. As such net bowlers are sometimes unavailable for Saturday, Sunday or on public holiday practice sessions due to their own playing commitments. We ask that you respect this situation when planning your practices." NZC identified February 28, March 1, 7 and 15 as the days when there was likely to be a problem. This Indian team is not the type to complain, and on the day they did not, instead making the best of the opportunity to practice before the weather worsened again.

[flamy]

anyone else thinks its sarcasm? similar to stephen fleming calling them overpaid superstars or something last time they toured.

too true! and wats the best way to deal with sarcasm? :winky:

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Getting a wind of things This Indian team has benefitted from some purposeful preparation and the practice was a perfect illustration of this. More... Indians practice in windy conditions Anand Vasu, Hindustan Times Christchurch, February 23, 2009 First Published: 00:06 IST(23/2/2009) Last Updated: 00:08 IST(23/2/2009) There's been talk about seaming drop-in pitches, about rain and the cold, but Sunday, a day when the sleepy southern city of Christchurch grew more somnolent, it was the turn of another of the elements to make its presence felt. From early in the day, the wind buffeted away, giving the Indian team plenty to think about as they made the journey to the Lincoln suburb where they trained. Once at the venue, they split into two groups, with one lot starting off at the nets while the majority used a playing field to conduct an “open net”. This scenario is the closest to real match play that the coaching staff could simulate. Gary Kirsten's decision to opt out of having a camp in Mumbai before the tour, choosing instead to arrive in New Zealand five days ahead of the first competitive fixture, proved to be an astute move. This Indian team has benefitted from some purposeful preparation and the practice was a perfect illustration of this. Christchurch, reputed to be the second-most windy city in the world after Chicago, gave the Indians a taste of what could be in store. In the open net, the bowlers took turns at bowling into the wind, a job that no quick man will voluntarily take up. Traditionally, the junior-most quick bowler is handed this unwanted job while the big guns pick their end to bowl from. But this team does not operate along such feudal lines. “We practiced with all the bowlers into the wind. Every bowler will have to do the hard yards at some stage. It's not going to be easy but we're prepared for that,” said Kirsten. “We don't operate as a bunch of individuals. We're focussed on what we can do as a team. We know that someone's going to have to step up to the plate and do something that's not easy to do.” But it's not only the bowlers who are affected by the wind. Batsmen have spoken about how it affects their balance and alters the pick up and swing of the bat. Fielders settling under high catches will have their judgment tested. “It's really just adapting to the situation,” he explained. “The ball holds in the wind a little bit and from a batting perspective, you feel like you need to hold your shape for a bit longer. Bowling with the wind, you know as a batsman that the ball is going to get to you a bit quicker and you prepare for that.” Since the Australia home series in October last year, India have played 17 matches (Tests, ODIs and T20s) in varying conditions home and away and lost just once. You can bet they owe a huge chunk of this to the preparation they have put in.

[Kohum]

Indians make most of the "windy" weather http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/nzvind2009/content/current/story/391773.html

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We are looking to adapt, says Kirsten The coach downplays India?s miserable show during the tour in 2002-03 More... We are looking to adapt, says Kirsten The coach downplays India’s miserable show during the tour in 2002-03 Christchurch: India’s cricket coach Gary Kirsten is not unduly worried about the seaming pitches in New Zealand and said that his team was well prepared to adapt to the situations that it might encounter during the tour. Kirsten said that India had a plan in place for every challenge which it could face during the 47-day tour and it was just the question of implementing the planning and basics right. “We are aware of what to expect and are planning for that. Every wicket around the world might well be different. You are not going to find two wickets that are exactly the same. “So we are not really focusing on the wickets. But we are doing the work we need to do. We are looking to adapt to the situations that we are going to face. The team is well-balanced and our seamers have done particularly well in the last year,” Kirsten told newspersons on Sunday. “Everyone’s talking a lot about the wickets, but the wickets I saw in the games against the West Indies seemed to play really well. It is not something that will concern us too much,” he added. The former South Africa opening batsman chose to downplay India’s miserable show during the previous tour in 2002-03 saying, “the last tour here was six-seven years ago. We don’t focus on the past. We are focusing on the future and the tour that we are on. In our team meetings we are certainly not talking about what happened here six years ago.” Proper strategy Kirsten attributed India’s improved show to formulation of proper strategy followed by its implementation. “We played 17 games of cricket since September last year and lost one. So we are happy with the way the performances have gone. But this team doesn’t focus on performances. “We focus on what we need to do on a daily basis. If we plan well enough, we will give ourselves the best chance of winning. But we know this game and that anything can happen out in the middle,” he said. “The balance is good. But the game of cricket is designed such that any time you can have a bad hour or a bad couple of hours. We are very humble around that fact and just make sure that we do what we need to do. We know we need to do certain things to set ourselves up to win a game of cricket. “We spend a lot of time on game awareness, strategy and how we are going to set up a win. You don’t just walk out onto the park and just because you have a good side on paper win a game of cricket. Someone’s got to work hard out there. Everyone wants to be a game breaker and make a contribution. It is very satisfying to see this attitude in the players,” Kirsten added. Tough tour However, the 41-year-old coach knows that the journey against the Kiwis is going to be a tough one and insisted there was no question of taking the Kiwis lightly as New Zealand was always a tough side to beat at home. “We know what they are capable of. They are a resilient team and in my experience they play very well at home. They will be a formidable opposition and well prepared. We won’t be taking them lightly. “But at the same time we know that if we stick to our processes well and do what we need to in terms of planning and preparation, and then execute them, we can be a difficult side to beat,” Kirsten said. “You have to go out there and do the business. We had a four-and-a-half hour session on Saturday and another four-hour session today. We focus a lot and make sure the guys are learning very quickly what they need to do. It might be a bit slow in match play but the seniors are passing on whatever information they can and we are doing our bit,” he added. On the preparation of the tour, Kirsten again emphasised on the importance of adapting to the condition and said: “We practised with all the bowlers into the wind. What we have said is that every bowler is going to have to do the hard yards at some stage. “It is not going to be easy but we are prepared for that. We don’t operate as a bunch of individuals. We are very much focused on what we can do as a team. We know that someone’s going to have to step up to the plate and do something that is not easy to do. “It’s really just adapting to the situation. The ball holds in the wind a little bit and from a batting perspective you feel like you need to hold your shape for a bit longer. And bowling with the wind you know that the ball is going to get to you a bit quicker and you prepare for that.

[fineleg]

The biggest draw, unsurprisingly, was Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who followed his batting stint with some seam-up bowling.

@MiT$ ur SMS reached MSD Extra bowler for Tests ready. KKD will keep wickets :thumbs_up: Jai Ho @miT$

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John Wright visits Team India's practice session Former India coach John Wright barely made his presence aware, he was greeted with warmth and affection by the team management and the cricketers. More... John Wright visits Team India's practice session Press Trust Of India Christchurch, February 22, 2009 First Published: 11:35 IST(22/2/2009) Last Updated: 11:58 IST(22/2/2009) The Indian team was about to wind up a four-hour training-cum-net session at the Lincoln University campus when a tall, confident figure sauntered into the practice area. Former India coach John Wright barely made his presence aware, he was greeted with warmth and affection by the team management and the cricketers. Their reverence for the man, who had begun the process of building a potent, match-winning Indian unit, was evident. Yet, Wright wasn't willing to take the credit for Indian cricket's profitable turn around and praised current coach Gary Kirsten. "There is a lot of potential in this side. I am happy they are doing very well. You have good men in Kirsten and Paddy (Upton). And they are playing under a good captain as well," said Wright. Indian cricket was at the crossroads when Wright moved from Kent to take over the reins of a team. He laid emphasis on work ethics, which hitherto had been conspicuous in the Indian mindset. Soon, results began to blossom, the two-wicket victory at Bulwayo against Zimbabwe (2001) marking India breaking their haunted jinx on foreign soil.

[msb1991]

I was not a keen follower of Indian cricket when Wright was at the helm but the amount of respect which he commands from a team notorious globally for having players who do not respond well to authority is an extreme compliment to the man.

[f.b.m]

I dont see why the net bowlers would rather play for their clubs instead of meeting and bowling to some of the best batsmen in the world.

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Weather throws spanner in the works The Meterological Department claimed it was 16 degrees Centigrade. But with rain falling lightly through the morning and a cold northerly blowing across the city, practice was a damp squib for the Indians, reports Anand Vasu. More... Weather throws spanner in the works Anand Vasu, Hindustan Times Christchurch, February 23, 2009 First Published: 23:40 IST(23/2/2009) Last Updated: 23:42 IST(23/2/2009) The Meterological Department claimed it was 16 degrees Centigrade on Monday morning. But with rain falling lightly through the morning and a cold northerly blowing across the city, practice was a damp squib for the Indians. They say the weather in Melbourne is fickle but Christchurch showcased a variety of conditions in the space of a few hours. Being deep down south, summer is on its last legs and autumn beckons. The morning was cold and grey and India were forced indoors. Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan did some light stretching and jogging while Ishant Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Munaf Patel watched England A collapse against New Zealand Emerging. With the pitches being covered, the Indians settled for a two-hour indoor training session that ended with a short team talk. Even as they returned to the hotel, the clouds parted and Christchurch's summer showed its colours. The temperature went up immediately, the wind chill vanished, and New Zealand's players rolled in for a full-fledged net session. On Tuesday, the Indians will have a chance to get used to another set of conditions. They will begin with a training session in the afternoon at Lincoln Park and then wait for the sun to set - it's bright till about 8 pm at this time of the year - before making a brief visit to the AMI Stadium to take in the conditions under lights. Formerly Lancaster Park, the AMI Stadium will stage the first Twenty20 match of the series on Wednesday.

[mhr123]

Tendulkar troubles Bhajji Posted by Sidharth Monga. "Paaji don't bowl inswingers!" © Cricinfo Ltd. http://blogs.cricinfo.com/tourdiaries/archives/2009/02/_paaji_dont_bow.php#more

Over the last few days in New Zealand, one man has been talked about all over – the Master. One has heard stories of how people take a step back for Sachin Tendulkar when he passes. This would be next to impossible in India, what with the overbearing security never letting that theory be put to test. In New Zealand, though, Tendulkar has moved around freely during training, nets and what not, with only two security guards looking after the whole team. The Indian team has attracted not only Indian expats, but New Zealanders too. Lots of students from the Lincoln University, whose cricket facility has been India's base camp so far, have been around to watch them train. The other day two youngsters walked across to see why there was a crowd around the nets. Just as they were about to turn, one of them said, "Hey wait the Master is batting." And they waited. Good old-fashioned Tendulkar. On the field Tendulkar entertains the crowds with his masterful batting, but off it, he chooses to entertain himself, sometimes at the expense of his ‘less skillful’ team-mates. During India’s net session at the indoor facility of the New Zealand High Performance Academy on Monday, he managed to coax Harbhajan Singh into batting against the bowling machine, which he decided to operate himself. While regular batsmen tackle the machine with ease, the others aren’t as comfortable. The feet shuffle and often, while waiting for the ball to pop out, they lose their balance and then run for cover. Harbhajan stood there, looking like a child resisting his parent's push to get into the swimming pool. "Paaji nahi ho raha… [i can't do this]," he said after a few unsuccessful attempts. "You just look at the light, the ball will come out five seconds after it goes on," said Tendulkar. So Harbhajan tried again. The feet trembled and the ball still didn't hit the sweet spot. Fearing injury, Harbhajan was reluctant to face the inswinger. "Paaji don't bowl inswingers," he pleaded. And paaji bowled an inswinger. "Paaji aap to maje le rahe ho [You are having fun at my expense.]" And then Harbhajan mistimed and got bowled. He went to pick up the plastic stumps again, his back covered, and sure enough another delivery came while he adjusted the stumps – safely swinging away from the stumps. And paaji laughed loudly. He was entertained. So were those around. And when Tendulkar is happy, usually so is the rest of India.

[ludhianvi]

Good read. Tendulkar seems like a mischievous little kid.

[h4te]

lmao. sounds like a little kid! :haha: B->