Harbhajan Or Ashwin

[Ram]

I agree with the pt re: Bhajji.. and that Ashwin can be a useful ODI cricketer. You can see though why they want 3 seamers' date=' if one of the new ball bowlers has a bad day- as Nehra did the other day and gets smashed in his first 3 of 4 overs say. You want to take him off and bring on someone who can use the new ball. I think 3 seamers is important. [/quote'] At home, we don’t need our seamers to bowl more than 17-18 overs/match. Right now, they’re averaging about 24-25 overs match (all these are stats from our 3 previous home ODI series against South Africa, Australia and Lanka). You might be surprised to hear this, the ER of our seamers between overs 1-10 is actually lesser than their overall ER. But more pertinently, the ER of our seamers is a whopping 2 runs/over more than our spinners, between overs 11-40. If it is upto me to draw up the Indian team strategy, I would not have the seamers bowling a single ball between overs 11-40, of course, with certain exceptions included.

I would not mind seeing Piyuh in the squad at least just to give the spin attack some variety- in Bhajj, Ash, Yusuf, Rohit, Raina theres a plethora of offie options and Yuvs SLA. A leggie would be nice. How about Ashwin and Piyush -would be two spinners who can work in tandem and are useful batsmen...not as good Bats as Yusuf or bowlers as Bhajj though...

Right now, the top three spin ODI bowlers in our country are Bhajji, Ashwin and Ojha. So I’d include them ahead of anyone else. (I think Jadeja is also a better ODI bowler than Piyush) But if let to me, I’d ask the curators to prepare spin-friendly tracks and load the team with 2, even 3 specialist spinners. The flatter the pitches are for the WC, the less likely we are to win it, because it evens out the playing field. Just look at the scorecard for the 5th ODI against NZ; http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-new-zealand-2010/engine/match/467887.html Have you even seen such a scorecard for a home ODI in the last 3 years? Never. Why? Because all our pitches have been as flat as interstates .But that match seemed to have slipped through the cracks, the track was REALLY spin friendly and look what happened. This is what we are capable of doing at home in spin friendly conditions.

[Sachin=GOD]

But if let to me, I’d ask the curators to prepare spin-friendly tracks and load the team with 2, even 3 specialist spinners. The flatter the pitches are for the WC, the less likely we are to win it, because it evens out the playing field. Just look at the scorecard for the 5th ODI against NZ;

the team management has always been apprehensive that one of the main seamers (PK or Nehra or Munaf or Sree) would get hammered and so, more often than not we go with 3 seamers on the flat subcontinent pitches and I think thats what will happen in the World Cup.

[cowboysfan]

If we have spinner friendly wickets then we win every match,no matter the opponent .

[saneindian]

Play both of them

[Ranjha]

Both of them will be nice but if only one then OBVIOUSLY Harbhajan Singh must play. He is a champion bowler in all 3 formats.

[Sooda]

At home, we don’t need our seamers to bowl more than 17-18 overs/match. Right now, they’re averaging about 24-25 overs match (all these are stats from our 3 previous home ODI series against South Africa, Australia and Lanka). You might be surprised to hear this, the ER of our seamers between overs 1-10 is actually lesser than their overall ER. But more pertinently, the ER of our seamers is a whopping 2 runs/over more than our spinners, between overs 11-40. If it is upto me to draw up the Indian team strategy, I would not have the seamers bowling a single ball between overs 11-40, of course, with certain exceptions included. Right now, the top three spin ODI bowlers in our country are Bhajji, Ashwin and Ojha. So I’d include them ahead of anyone else. (I think Jadeja is also a better ODI bowler than Piyush) But if let to me, I’d ask the curators to prepare spin-friendly tracks and load the team with 2, even 3 specialist spinners. The flatter the pitches are for the WC, the less likely we are to win it, because it evens out the playing field. Just look at the scorecard for the 5th ODI against NZ; http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-new-zealand-2010/engine/match/467887.html Have you even seen such a scorecard for a home ODI in the last 3 years? Never. Why? Because all our pitches have been as flat as interstates .But that match seemed to have slipped through the cracks, the track was REALLY spin friendly and look what happened. This is what we are capable of doing at home in spin friendly conditions.

The ER point is not too much of a surprise, theyd be expected to be better with the new ball and pretty sh1te at the death/as it gets older hehe... It is a fair pt that our strength still lies in spin...MSD said this the other day and he is right IMO...if one paceman has a bad day and there are only 2 then were kinda screwed! Yusuf should play I think and Bhajj which gives us room for either Ojha, Zak and Praveen or Nehra, Zak, Praveen

[spectre]

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: I can partly agree that with tests, but he has become pretty bad in other 2 formats

Both of them will be nice but if only one then OBVIOUSLY Harbhajan Singh must play. He is a champion bowler in all 3 formats.

[Ranjha]

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: I can partly agree that with tests, but he has become pretty bad in other 2 formats

Got stats to prove that or you talk outaa ur u know lollll no offence. Bhajji does great in T20s. Not only he provides vital breakthroughs but his rpo is pretty good. In odis too, he is doing good.

[spectre]

dont u watch cricket, atleast the recent ones. pull up stats urself if u want. I comment on what i see, not based on stats Yeah he does great in T20 bowling 5fer darts, like in 09 T20WC, yeah amazing :hysterical:

Got stats to prove that or you talk outaa ur u know lollll no offence. Bhajji does great in T20s. Not only he provides vital breakthroughs but his rpo is pretty good. In odis too, he is doing good.

[Ranjha]

dont u watch cricket, atleast the recent ones. pull up stats urself if u want. I comment on what i see, not based on stats Yeah he does great in T20 bowling 5fer darts, like in 09 T20WC, yeah amazing :hysterical:

recent ones eh how abt this one 10 overs 1/32 07 wc we won...crucual wickets australia semifinal. 09 wc..which other bowlers won u medals lollll

[Ranjha]

dont u watch cricket, atleast the recent ones. pull up stats urself if u want. I comment on what i see, not based on stats Yeah he does great in T20 bowling 5fer darts, like in 09 T20WC, yeah amazing :hysterical:

By your CSK captain: Dhoni: "It's a big win for us. We were short of 40-45 runs. We got a slow but a good start. Yuvraj got out just before we were about to take the powerplay. Then we had to postpone it. Then when we took it, Raina fell first ball. Harbhjan's role was crucial. When Bhaji came they decided not to take him on and lost a bit of momentum . Munaf has been bowling well for us in the last 10-20 games he has played. The part-timers also have bowled well. Yuvraj is our main batsman at no 4. He can dictate terms. Once he crosses 10-15 runs, you can see that he bats fantastically. Two gone, three more to go; we are expecting some tough cricket."

[spectre]

What else do you except the captain to say - bash his senior bowler, like how harbajan did to the seamers after one good performance after an eternity 1/32 is a sub 200 game, nothing to write home about, but then when the expectation is so low, then keep living in that la-la punjabi land

By your CSK captain: Dhoni: "It's a big win for us. We were short of 40-45 runs. We got a slow but a good start. Yuvraj got out just before we were about to take the powerplay. Then we had to postpone it. Then when we took it, Raina fell first ball. Harbhjan's role was crucial. When Bhaji came they decided not to take him on and lost a bit of momentum . Munaf has been bowling well for us in the last 10-20 games he has played. The part-timers also have bowled well. Yuvraj is our main batsman at no 4. He can dictate terms. Once he crosses 10-15 runs, you can see that he bats fantastically. Two gone, three more to go; we are expecting some tough cricket."

[Ranjha]

lol you want a spinner to take 5fer in an odi on an south african pitch...dellusional csk fan. bhajji is a champion bowler and a true fighter and he cant be displaced from indian team.

[Ranjha]

What else do you except the captain to say - bash his senior bowler, like how harbajan did to the seamers after one good performance after an eternity 1/32 is a sub 200 game, nothing to write home about, but then when the expectation is so low, then keep living in that la-la punjabi land

btw whats wrong with raina...seems like he can only bat in subcontinent against minnows lol.

[Laaloo]

lol you want a spinner to take 5fer in an odi on an south african pitch...dellusional csk fan. bhajji is a champion bowler and a true fighter and he cant be displaced from indian team.

true fighter :cantstop:

[fineleg]

and he cant be displaced from indian team.

That will happen (displaced), unless he starts getting consistent in terms of wickets.

[Ranjha]

That will happen (displaced)' date=' unless he starts getting consistent in terms of wickets.[/quote'] Yea, it will happen when he retires or when India produces a better spinner than him. Until then keep wishing finey.

[fineleg]

^ Its not about wishing. We need attacking spinners who get us wickets. So, in the WC - of course Bhajji will play - but his future ODI pick will depend on what he can do on the Indian pitches. Can he get us the crucial wickets in the World cup? That will be key for the team as well as for HS in ODIs.

[Ranjha]

^ Its not about wishing. We need attacking spinners who get us wickets. So' date=' in the WC - of course Bhajji will play - but his future ODI pick will depend on what he can do on the Indian pitches. Can he get us the crucial wickets in the World cup? That will be key for the team as well as for HS in ODIs.[/quote'] Well the future of the entire team will depend on what India can do in the worldcup except Tendulkars.....not just Bhajji. I am not sure what you on. Can our batsmen get us the crucial runs? Can our seamers get us the wicket? Can our spinners get us the wicket? so on.......

[Ranjha]

Bhajjis performance relative to other spinners in the same conditions and the changing nature of Indian pitches can be judged perfectly this time...We will know who the champion bowler is again and shut his critics once again liek he has done over the years -:)