Positives for Champions trophy

[patriot]

We are probably the only team amonst the favorites whos first playing XI is going to have just 3 seam bowling options.

[cricketman]

Gambhir Tendulkar Dravid Yuvraj Dhoni Karthik Abhi Bhaji Prabeeeeeeeen Arpy Ishant

[Dark Warrior]

Gambhir SRT Dravid Yuvraj Dhoni Raina Yousuf Pathan Harbhajan Praveen Kumar RP singh Ishant Sharma

[Guest Shivani]

gambhir sachin dravid dhoni yuvi raina yusuf bhajju pk rp nehra

[saneindian]

I think for SA pitches, better to play Nayar in place of Pathan. But guess MSD wants to give yusuf a long rope hence we may see Nayar warming the bench again.

[Aadhavzone]

Yusuf would be so effective but A Nayar is also! Is, YKP is compensated in team for Irfan Pathan place :winky:

[Lord]

it should be different for different oppositions for Pak: GG SRT Dhoni Yuvi Dravid Raina Nayar Bhajji RP PK Nehra for Aus: GG SRT RD UV MSD Raina Nayar Bhajji Mishra Ishant RP for WI: GG SRT RD UV Raina MSD Nayar Bhajji Mishra PK Nehra

[Aadhavzone]

it should be different for different oppositions for Pak: GG SRT Dhoni Yuvi Dravid Raina Nayar Bhajji RP PK Nehra for Aus: GG SRT RD UV MSD Raina Nayar Bhajji Mishra Ishant RP for WI: GG SRT RD UV Raina MSD Nayar Bhajji Mishra PK Nehra

but i think Seniors position in team would help in SA Conditions! hope Dravid plays as before! but Definitely A Nayar shud be in for V Kholi!

[TaNk]

it should be different for different oppositions for Pak: GG SRT Dhoni Yuvi Dravid Raina Nayar Bhajji RP PK Nehra for Aus: GG SRT RD UV MSD Raina Nayar Bhajji Mishra Ishant RP for WI: GG SRT RD UV Raina MSD Nayar Bhajji Mishra PK Nehra

:dito:

[TaNk]

Indian team has more match winners now: Tendulkar Colombo: Senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar feels the Indian team has never had as many match winners as it has right now and the side's fast-improving overseas record is a result of their consistent performance. "I think we definitely have more match winners. There were good players earlier as well. But I think in this lot we have got match winners and more big hitters as such and you know the guys have delivered at the crunch moment," Tendulkar told reporters here last night after India beat Sri Lanka by 46 runs to win an ODI tri-series. "It could be with bat or bowl. But they have been delivering pretty consistently and you know they are all talented guys, extremely talented guys. You need match winners to win consistently. That is what this team is about," he added. "There might be a couple of hiccups here and there but on the whole if you see the guys have really done well." Part of the Indian team for the past two decades, Tendulkar declared the current one led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni as one of the best. "I have been fortunate to be part of Indian cricket team from 1989. There have been so many great names. I would not want to run anyone down by making comparisons about teams," he said. Source:- http://cricket.yahoo.com/cricket/news/article?id=item/2.0/-/cricket.yahoonews.com/indian-team-has-more-match-winners-now-tendulkar-20090915/

[TaNk]

not with bat .. team choked when SRT got out in early 40's

[Aadhavzone]

Ofcousre Sachin, it was Dada who changed the pace & course of Indian Cricket, and now its being perfectly continued by MSD! But you are mentor for budding youngsters always, :hatsoff: actually you are also kid still! cho chweeet voice no change even now! u sachin

[rkt.india]

Praveen Kumar is a better bowler than for these surfaces. They should have dumped Ishant and RP and played Praveen and Nayar.

who says nayar is a bowler, he is useless as a bowler

[rkt.india]

Yusuf pathan sux now....can't bat' date=' can't field, can't bowl ....[/quote'] he has given his contribution nw and then remember jaysuria wicket and at 7 u cant expect him to make 100s

[Lord]

he has given his contribution nw and then remember jaysuria wicket and at 7 u cant expect him to make 100s

he gave 36 runs in his 4 overs.n Jayauriya wicket wasnt great bowling.it was just a mistimed slog from Jayasuriya. we dont expect him to make 100s but cant accept his first ball hoicks either. n wat about that dropped catch

[rkt.india]

but that ball was at right line and length, not wide and short like Ishant and RP were bowling, thn we dont need RP and Ishant too. you need to have same criteria for everyone, not just for a single person

[rishi008]

Gambhir SRT Dravid Yuvraj Dhoni Raina Yousuf Pathan Harbhajan Praveen Kumar RP singh Ishant

[gaurav92]

PAKISTAN SRT (GOD :adore:) Gauti The Wall UV MSD Raina Nayar Bhaj PK RP/Nehra Lambu AUSSIES SRT (GOD :adore:) Gauti The Wall Yuvi MSD Raina Nayar Bhaj PK Lambu RP WEST INDIES SRT (GOD :adore:) The Wall Virat Raina UV MSD Nayar PK Mishra Nehra RP

[Lord]

but that ball was at right line and length' date=' not wide and short like Ishant and RP were bowling, thn we dont need RP and Ishant too. you need to have same criteria for everyone, not just for a single person[/quote'] oh come on! dont confuse pacers with spinners.

[Aadhavzone]

CT - "Dhoni targets better fielding, bowling" MS Dhoni, India's captain, has admitted that sloppy fielding and inconsistent bowling were two areas he was "concerned" about as the team prepared to leave Mumbai for the Champions Trophy, which starts in South Africa on September 22. India recently spent a day on top of the ICC's ODI rankings during the Compaq Cup in Sri Lanka and Dhoni wanted more consistency from his players in order to regain the No. 1 spot. "We have done well in patches. It is not that we are consistently doing well game after game" Dhoni said. He identified bowling as a problem area, saying the bowlers had "scope to improve" in the middle and final overs. The other deficient discipline was India's fielding. Earlier this week, India won the Compaq Cup final against Sri Lanka thanks to a century from Sachin Tendulkar and a five-for from Harbhajan Singh but their fielders dropped two easy catches and squandered three run-out opportunities. Dhoni himself missed a stumping. "We need to raise our fielding standards," Dhoni said bluntly. "It has gone down a bit for whatever reason. It has proved costly more often not. We are missing run-out opportunities and have dropped a few catches which could prove costly in any game. We are a bit concerned. Even our ground fielding, especially the boundary fielders, can make it hard for the opponents to get those extra runs." Dhoni said that the fielders needed to be more proactive and reduce every scoring opportunity for the opposition. "If we can cut down as many as 20 runs from the opposition total that will be a big achievement." Considering India have won their last six ODI series played in the last two years, Dhoni's worries might seem misplaced, but he is not happy riding on past glory. His pragmatism was clear when he spoke about the forthcoming challenge in South Africa. "We are in a tough group so it would be important not to allow any slip ups and perform well right from the beginning," he said. India are pooled with Australia, Pakistan and West Indies in Group A and open their campaign with a high-pressure encounter against their neighbours at Centurion on September 26. Dhoni, however, said he was not concerned by the "pressure of expectation". One of the reasons, according to Dhoni, India were doing well was that they weren't bothered by expectation levels because they knew that if they won the rest would take care of itself. "We think about how well-prepared we are for the games and focus on the small aspects like fitness, mental conditioning." On the subject of player fitness, Dhoni welcomed the return of Gautam Gambhir after the opener had to pull out of the tri-series in Sri Lanka due to a groin injury. Gambhir underwent a fitness test in Mumbai today in front of coach Gary Kirsten and trainer Nitin Patel. "His return will bring a lot of relief," Dhoni said. "Not only can he provide good starts but he can stay put till the end of the innings." India's batsmen had struggled against the short ball on lively tracks in England during the World Twenty20 in June as well as in the following ODI series in the Caribbean, but Dhoni disagreed when asked if the problem would persist. "The last time it happened was in the World Twenty20, where you hardly have time to adjust as you look to go after the bowler. What happens in a 50-over game is you can pick and choose. In Twenty20 you see it as an opportunity to score runs." Another reason Dhoni wasn't bothered about opponents using a short-pitched attack was the presence of Rahul Dravid in the top order. "It is good to have players who have faced similar conditions and been under pressure. Guys like Rahul, who bats at No.3, are an asset to the side," Dhoni said. "In South Africa, where the conditions help the fast bowlers, he is the kind of batsman who is suited to deal with the situation."