The last group game: Ind vs WI pre-match talk

[zen]

I don't understand why we have to discuss different scenarios as if others games are to be played after Ind-WI game .... Ind vs WI is the last grp game .... Therefore, we will know before the game itself whether we have already qualified or what we have to do to qualify! Duh!

[Ultimate_Game]

I don't understand why we have to discuss different scenarios as if others games are to be played after Ind-WI game .... Ind vs WI is the last grp game .... Therefore' date=' we will know before the game itself whether we have already qualified or what we have to do to qualify! Duh![/quote'] :two_thumbs_up: And if we do lose to WI by more than 100 runs I wouldn't be too p****d at us missing the knockouts. But even if that happens, B'desh will still need to beat SA for India to miss out which is a very big 'IF' IMO

[Iconoclast]

Am I the only one who read the title as "Aishwarya Rai" to play against the Windies B->

[Ultimate_Game]

Am I the only one who read the title as "Aishwarya Rai" to play against the Windies B->

And she would probably do much better than the likes of Nehra and Munaf :haha: And if she stands at mid-off and "flashes" when the bowler is about to deliver the ball I can bet Windies wouldn't get past 50 :--D

[Zap_Brannigan]

My question is this... what happens if Ashwin and Raina turn out non performers in the next game? What if India does lose (hopefully not)? Will there be some more changes? Is just one chance then good enough for Raina or Ashwin to prove themselves?

Isnt that why everyone was clamoring for Ashwin in the early games. Now, all we have is just 1 more game in the leagues. What happens if he fails?Should we bring in Chawla and Nehra back in even when they have failed numerous times? Dhoni and this team management has been taking obviously bad decisions throughout their stint. Its quiet a miracle that we are ranked #2 in ODIs.

[debachat]

This is what is fundamentally wrong with our bowling One look at the statistics of the best bowlers in the 2011 world cup suggests what is wrong with our bowling. The best Indian spinner is last in the list. Even Suleman Benn is higher up in the list actually #2. It must be pointed that one other country is missing in this list. And that is Australia. While Ponting has already bemoaned about his spinner's penetration the fact is their other bowlers have more than made up for the lack of spinner's effectiveness. While Zaheer and Munaf have done relatively well in taking wickets, these wickets usually come either early or late in the innings. Unless we can strike in the middle through our spinners, defending any total will be difficult and restricting opposition will be impossible. This is an even bigger issue since the games are played on slow low spinning wickets where Robin Peterson was spinning the bowl.

[Switchblade]

And she would probably do much better than the likes of Nehra and Munaf :haha: And if she stands at mid-off and "flashes" when the bowler is about to deliver the ball I can bet Windies wouldn't get past 50 :--D

Infact we should replace Nehra with Akshay Kumar after all he is much fitter than Nehra or Munaf would also bowl better than these 2:giggle:

[rkt.india]

With so much of these Ashwin threads. It looks like Ashwin is The Saviour:winky: He is good but not like..he will win us ever match..Its the whole team which will have to play out of their skin to win this world cup, out of their comfort zone. They wont get this world cup on a platter. They will have to earn it by fighting for every run and every wicket. Its not as simple as it looks though. They will have to work very hard. We only had one good game out of 5 till now and that was against Bangladesh...they have struggled since then in every match and that is good for them.

[phaedrus]

Absolutely. We dont have great bowlers(apart from Zaheer) in the line up and thats the sad truth. I just hope the ones that are there pull up their collective socks and start performing. Its the World Cup for God's sake!

[Feed]

A baking pitch for Chennai More... Ashwin hopes brighten on baking pitch Atreyo Mukhopadhyay, Hindustan Times Chennai, March 15, 2011 The first thing that attracts attention on entering the MA Chidambaram Stadium is at the centre of the ground. The playing strips are under the shadow of a makeshift tent as a protection from the blazing sun. This has been done to prevent the pitch from getting dry which results in the crust breakin g up and helping the ball grip the pitch and spin. This indicates that spinners will get some assistance over the remainder of this week. England face the West Indies on Thursday before India take on the Caribbeans on Sunday. England's narrow victory over the South Africans at the venue was also a low-scoring affair. Twin spin For India, this means that they must field two spinners. "We will be crazy if we don't play two spinners," said England off-spinner Graeme Swann, confirming what the need of the hour is. This state of the pitch raises a question. With Harbhajan Singh a certainty in the 11, should the other one be leg-spinner Piyush Chawla or off-spinner R Ashwin? Chawla has played three games so far with insignificant returns, while Ashwin is still waiting for his maiden World Cup cap. Expert view "Because the other spinners have not done that well, Ashwin is worth a look," Erapalli Prasanna, former India off-spinner, told HT. "Ashwin turns the ball and can be a handful on wickets that assist spin. His line and length is consistent. Also, his variations in flight and pace are intelligent." Extra pressure Tamil Nadu coach WV Raman, under whom Ashwin made his first-class debut, said this shouldn't be a problem. "The West Indies have a number of left-handers and if Ashwin bowls in tandem with Harbhajan, it would mean pressure on them from both ends. Harbhajan's efficiency has got diluted so far because the opponents have played safe against him knowing that there is no pressure from the other end." There are two reasons to let Ashwin play against WI. They are not aware of the variations Ashwin has and if MS Dhoni has to finalise his plans before the knockout stage, Sunday's game will be his last chance.

[HowardRoark]

Baking and Spinning pitch - Just what the doctor ordered to boost Chawla's never-existent confidence :woot: :((

[zen]

what's the point of having a turning track at Chennai if the KO are going to be played on flatbeds :P

[Little_Master]

what's the point of having a turning track at Chennai if the KO are going to be played on flatbeds :P

WTF...why would we want to create pattas for KO? Why not use the home adv and make real turners. When was the last time Aus or NZ or SA made a turner track...every country ensures that the pitches are made to the home teams strength.

[Switchblade]

Bat 1st in CHENNAI then

[Switchblade]

World Cup: Off days for Men in Blue on Monday and Tuesday Link CHENNAI: It's been a long, hard toil for India in this World Cup so far. The defeat to South Africa has put them in a spot and it seems the team is still taking a little time to get back on their feet. They took it easy on Sunday when quite a few players went back home and even when the team landed in Chennai on Monday, the big guns like Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Gautam Gambhir were not there. They are likely to join the team on Tuesday and will only hit the nets from Wednesday. "It has been a hard grind, so we have decided to take a day off. Even on Tuesday, we will only have an optional session...The real grind starts from Wednesday," a member of the Indian contingent said. But skipper MS Dhoni is already here and so is home boy R. Ashwin. It was at Chepauk that Dhoni started experimenting with Ashwin during the last Indian Premier League and the lankie offie hasn't looked back since then. According to indications from the team management, Ashwin will most likely play for India in the last game next Sunday, keeping in mind the number of left-handers in the West Indies team. Dhoni, along with the coaches, will have a close look at Ashwin in the nets at the IIT-Chemplast ground on Tuesday. The Indian team's practice had to be shifted from the MA Chidambaram Stadium because West Indies and England will use the venue ahead of their match on Thursday. The TNCA, though, has taken every measure to ensure that the Indian team's practice goes off smoothly at the IIT ground. "The pitch has been prepared with utmost care and the security has also been beefed up around the ground. The IIT students will be able to watch the practice, but we have taken measures so that no one can enter the ground," PA Viswanathan, the South Zone curator told the TOI. Meanwhile, West Indies have already started making their plans. Their coach Ottis Gibson doesn't want to read too much into India's defeat against South Africa. "India are a fantastic side, we are in no position to underestimate them. Though we play them only on Sunday, each one of us knows that we have to be at the top of our game to turn the tables on India," Gibson said. India's defeat (and a tie) has opened up the group to a large extent and the West Indian coach said that all the teams start feeling confident when a powerful host nation loses. "When India lose at home, we immediately know any result is possible...It gives confidence to the other teams and also makes the league table interesting," the coach said. England's Paul Collingwood, too, doesn't feel that India are playing poorly in the World Cup. "It's not easy to go out there and win every day," Collingwood said. He maintained that the Indian team hasn't gone down since the time they beat England 5-0 in a series in 2008. "The format of a bilateral series and the World Cup is different...The teams here have adapted well, so it's not just about India playing poorly," the veteran said. One bowler who has always done well for India at home is Harbhajan Singh. But things haven't exactly well for the offie in the World Cup. However, Graeme Swann stood behind the Turbanator. "He is always a threat...I don't think he has bowled poorly in the World Cup," Swann said. The respect for the hosts is still there, it's for them to translate that into an emphatic performance in six days from now.

[zen]

WTF...why would we want to create pattas for KO? Why not use the home adv and make real turners. When was the last time Aus or NZ or SA made a turner track...every country ensures that the pitches are made to the home teams strength.

:hmmmm2:

[Karan114]

There will be so much pressure on Ashwin now...and he's not yet played a World Cup game and hardly a few games for India in total...poor chap.

[Switchblade]

Had read somewhere that he is being kept match fit though by Simons and co

[zen]

As I said, the imp thing for Ind is that the players raise their games and become more consistent. Otherwise Ind could go the Australia's 1992 way when Aus was the hot favorite and playing at home but their guys just couldn't deliver the KO punch. Ten and Zak will make Ind competitive, it's how the others guys do that will determine how we do in the KOs and how effective our KO punch is :winky:

[Watson87]

As I said, the imp thing for Ind is that the players raise their games and become more consistent. Otherwise Ind could go the Australia's 1992 way when Aus was the hot favorite and playing at home but their guys just couldn't deliver the KO punch. Ten and Zak will make Ind competitive, it's how the others guys do that will determine how we do in the KOs and how effective our KO punch is :winky:

personally what do you think paaji? how far we will go? :isalute: