Rahul Sharma

[achilles]

Ashwin is different from Bhajji in lot of ways. Ashwin relies on flight and variation. Bhajji relied on darts. He could do jack inside the power play at the international level. Ashwin does well inside power play. Fact is Dhoni knew he fu**ed up big time. He himself admitted at the post match ceremony. "Why Sreesanth why not Ashwin" question was something he expected .

Okay, why not step up the pressure on Bhajji using the Ashwin card. Kinda hint Bhaj that boy, you need to up your game in the powerplay atleast and try to be consistent, economical and wicket-taking. If he responds, positively, nothing like it. I feel we have room for 1 Offie in our line-up. If Ashwin can take that spot, great. If not, I think Ojha, Mishra, Rahul Sharma, Jadeja and Jakati(?) have impressive CVs.

[WC2011INDIA]

Can Rahul Sharma bat? I ask that because I believe our national selectors prefer spinners who can bat a bit as well.

[ganeshran]

Captain plays his part in selecting an XI as well as the squad.

Again, how does that show bias on Dhoni's part? regional or IPL teamwise? The only bias Dhoni has is for his own judgement. He persists with players he feels need time to settle down and will do well in the future. Can you quote me any specific instances where Dhoni favoured a player for reasons other than one I mentioned above?

[Sid]

Achilles keep on babbling about your lunatic theories :hysterical::hysterical:

[fineleg]

Captain's role is for playing 11 and not (very minor if any) for squad (15) selection And yes there MSD screwed up by playing Chawla. And regarding Yuvi - main criticism is for Test matches where he is useless. His ODI batting (even if you read my posts before WC started) was always crucial for India. Was always saying he needs to fire if India needs to win WC (read my posts pre-WC). And the criticism on his fat tummy is a fact as well. He'd grown bloated! He and Nohit Sharma became like preggies, but Yuvi seems to be working 'a bit' on it and improved now. Nothing to do with Punjab or Gujarat or Rajasthan!

[Ultimate_Game]

@vvslaxman, Kiski pic hai tumhare avatar mein? Does anyone else know who she is?

[vvvslaxman]

@vvslaxman, Kiski pic hai tumhare avatar mein? Does anyone else know who she is?

Mary elizabeth winstead -. was daughter of bruce willis in die hard 4.

[kooljatt]

Another good performance against Deccan 4-0-25-2

[jairamesh]

Another good performance against Deccan 4-0-25-2

if he works on his overall game, then he could make himself into useful T20 mercenary playing around the world like the Pollards and Afridi of this world. To get into the international squad, he needs to prove himself in Ranji, though his one-day record is rather impressive.

[Ultimate_Game]

Selectors missed a trick by not picking Rahul Sharma for the WI odi tour. He along with Ashwin would have made for a pretty good spin attack and Harbhajan could have been rested to test the bench strength.

[fineleg]

^ Selectors missed many tricks. Whats the use of selecting Vinay Trundle Kumar??

[cowboysfan]

Selectors missed a trick by not picking Rahul Sharma for the WI odi tour. He along with Ashwin would have made for a pretty good spin attack and Harbhajan could have been rested to test the bench strength.

Harbhajan doesnt want rest!!!.

[yoda]

Harbhajan doesnt want rest!!!.

cause he is worried he may get a longer one. :hysterical:

[ganeshran]

Rahul Sharma' s bowling has been quite impressive, whether or not he will click at the highest level is a completey different matter. But he certainly seems to have the cricketing brain and variations to keep the batsmen from scoring.

[vvvslaxman]

Rahul is awesome. But the leggie who was picked in place of Rahul is also awesome. Mishra. So i won't call it a terrible decision. Plus Mishraji proved he can be devastating with bat if you ruffle a few feathers :cantstop:

[Ultimate_Game]

Harbhajan doesnt want rest!!!.

That's why he should have been "rested" forcibly :winky: Harbhajan is bound to be insecure with the likes of Asfwin, Mishra, Rahul etc. breathing down his neck. Selectors should have tried some other options in the odi series which is meaningless IMO. @vvslaxman, I am ok with Mishra in the team. i was ruing the fact that we could have given a couple of games to Rahul as well in place of Harbhajan. @fineleg, I would have tried someone else - RP Singh or Varun Aaron - in place of Vinay Kumar.

[fineleg]

@fineleg, I would have tried someone else - RP Singh or Varun Aaron - in place of Vinay Kumar.

Agreed

[vvvslaxman]

Even though lot of us differ on few selections majority feel Vinay kumar got lucky. Will he make us eat humble pie? I wish him well though he is not the solution we are looking for. He is just another Dodda Ganesh, David JOhnson, Harvinder Singh.

[Brainfade]

Interesting piece on Rahul Sharma. http://www.espncricinfo.com/indian-premier-league-2011/content/current/story/515696.html It's a long article; 2 excerpts:

Sachin Tendulkar, Chris Gayle, Adam Gilchrist and Paul Valthaty have scored hundreds in the IPL this year. They also share common ground in a rather unusual place: they have all fallen to Pune Warriors legspinner Rahul Sharma. The tall 24-year old from Jalandhar has been the most impressive Indian domestic bowler this IPL, and one of the few bright spots for Pune in an otherwise disappointing campaign. Rahul has picked up 16 wickets in 12 games, at an economy rate of 5.33, making him the third highest wicket-taker in the tournament as on May 18. That figure seems even more remarkable when compared to other Indian legspinners, particularly the two most prominent: Amit Mishra has gone at 7.07 an over, Piyush Chawla has leaked 7.71

Rahul had signed up with Deccan Chargers for IPL 2010 and was looking forward to making his debut under a man he credits for playing a major role in his rise - Adam Gilchrist. Six days before the tournament began though, Rahul developed severe pain on the right side of his face, his vision became hazy and his doctor declared that he could not play as he had Bell's Palsy. "I was devastated as I desperately wanted to play," Rahul told ESPNcricinfo. "But I was weak after taking medication for my condition." Rahul's desperation was understandable. After having remained on the fringes of the Punjab team since making his first-class debut in 2006, he had enjoyed a breakthrough 2009-10 domestic season. An extended run with the Ranji side hadn't produced anything noteworthy apart from a six-wicket haul against Railways, but he topped the bowling averages for Punjab in the Vijay Hazare one-day tournament that followed, taking 13 wickets at an average of 16.38 and an economy rate of 4.12. His illness was causing practical problems before the IPL though. With dodgy vision in one eye, batting was one of them. Even allowing for the fact that he would not be required to perform much with the bat, there was no way he could be sharp while fielding, which is one area where passengers are rudely exposed in the shortest format. That is where Gilchrist came in, and the former Deccan captain's unwavering support left a lasting mark of gratitude on Rahul. "Gilchrist said I had to push myself to play, no matter what." A compromise was worked out. Rahul fielded in the 30-yard circle, armed with eye-drops and a towel. "I could not even close my right eye; it was so bad that it used to remain open throughout. So I used to put eye-drops after every ball. I also carried a towel, and used to wipe my eye whenever it started to water too much."

[vvvslaxman]

Take a bow Gilly :bow: