New Zealand A tour of India 2013

[rkt.india]

Srinidhi: "Uthappa is one of the few consistent dashing opening batsmen & he has been performing very well for the past domestic season along with the likes of KL Rahul & Binny... Come on, you can make a comeback...."

skindia decoded. :giggle:

[surajmal]

How did Chand look? Reports people reports.

[Chandan]

http://goo.gl/qEDYt6 Uthappa, Chand play lead in India A win Wisden India staff | Visakhapatnam | 8 September 2013 India A vs New Zealand Scorecard New Zealand A's 257 was surpassed easily with a 178-run opening stand between Robin Uthappa (103) and Unmukt Chand (94). © BCCI The 178-run first-wicket stand between Robin Uthappa and Unmukt Chand set the tone for India A’s six-wicket win over New Zealand A in the opening one-dayer of their three-match series at ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday (September 8). New Zealand A’s 257 was surpassed easily with Uthappa scoring 103, while Chand, the captain, fell six short of a well-deserved century. Following Chand’s dismissal, India A lost three wickets in a hurry before Aditya Tare (33) and Kedar Jadhav (15) took the team past the finishing line in 44.1 overs. That the pitch wasn’t too difficult to bat on was established very early in the game when Luke Ronchi (13) and Anton Devcich (48) played themselves in with a cautious opening stand of 36 in nine overs after Andrew Ellis, the New Zealand captain, opted to bat. While Devcich looked in control, Ronchi’s stay was cut short by Uthappa, who took a blinder diving to his left at slip off the bowling of Shrikant Wagh, the left-arm medium pacer. Devcich then took on the role of aggressor in a 51-run second-wicket stand with Carl Cachopa (45). But, Devcich, who was dropped on 18 by Tare behind the stumps, couldn’t continue for too long and was snapped up at slip, again by Uthappa, off Rahul Sharma against the run of play. There was a brief counter-attack from Tom Latham (45) and Cachopa immediately after Devcich’s dismissal as the two went after Rahul and Chand, the part-time offspinner. But Ashok Menaria’s introduction in the 24th over accounted for Cachopa, who missed an arm ball that hit off, and a collapse followed because of some injudicious shot making on the part of the New Zealanders. Corey Anderson (5) was dismissed attempting a slog sweep that landed in Uthappa’s hands at slip. And when Latham chipped Menaria to Chand at midwicket, New Zealand had gone from 135 for 2 to 159 for 6 with nearly 20 overs left to bat. The innings was resurrected by Daryl Mitchell, whose fighting 51 took New Zealand A past the 250-run mark before Dhawal Kulkarni’s late strikes brought an end to the innings in the final over. Chand and Uthappa started the Indian chase in aggressive fashion with a flurry of boundaries. Uthappa got off the mark with a thick inside edge that flew past his leg stump, but it didn’t take long for him to find his rhythm. The New Zealand pacers helped Uthappa by feeding him a number of short deliveries that were duly dispatched. Uthappa’s aggression allowed Chand to play himself in before he opened up. Chand initially struggled for timing, with a number of boundaries coming off the edge. But the introduction of Ish Sodhi in the 12th over marked a change in his approach. A waist high full-toss was dispatched for a six over deep midwicket and from then on, Chand looked a different player, bringing out a wide range of strokes, including a couple of slog sweeps that sailed into the stands. With Ellis employing as many as six bowlers inside the first 20 overs, it was a giveaway that New Zealand A were running out of ideas and what looked like a challenging target was within touching distance just halfway through the India A innings. Chand had a hundred for the taking, but a rush of blood accounted for his wicket on 94 when he mistimed a pull to deep midwicket. Uthappa, who scaled down his game after racing into the 70s, then played two imperious pulls to blaze into the 90s. He got a reprieve when on 93 before duly completing his century, which he brought up with a pull over deep midwicket. And the milestone was marked, as always, with his trademark bow. He was dismissed soon after though, but the damage had been done. Adam Milne dismissed Mandeep Singh (1) and Menaria (0) in the same over, but even that wasn’t enough on a day that belonged to Uthappa and Chand. And with the national selectors watching, they couldn’t have timed their knocks better. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://goo.gl/1LsOOp Improved Uthappa catches the eye Wisden India staff | Visakhapatnam | 8 September 2013 The celebration after reaching Robin Uthappa reached his century wasn't flashy. No pump of the fists or gestures. © BCCI The century that Robin Uthappa made in India A’s win against New Zealand A on Sunday (September 8) only confirmed what was obvious from watching him prepare for the game. Uthappa spent the match eve fine tuning his footwork, first against the bowling machine and then against the pacers who are a part of the India A squad. The final step in his ritual was light throw downs before concluding a two-hour net session. Known for his flamboyant stroke play once upon a time, the Uthappa of today is a lot more conservative and traditional. Yet he has managed to retain aggression, a hallmark of his batting that was evident as he smashed a 114-ball 103 that set the tone for India A’s victory. While Uthappa was at his dominating best, Pravin Amre, his personal coach with whom he has trained extensively in the off season, was seated in the corner of the air-conditioned press box, jotting down his observation of proceedings. A good stroke or a solid defense was met with a nod of appreciation. A bad stroke was greeted with a grimace and a shadow practice of how the stroke ought to have been played. From a distance, it was difficult to infer what notes were jotted, but it was clear that Amre’s eyes were trained on every aspect of Uthappa’s game. “My observation of Uthappa is not just restricted to his batting alone,” Amre told Wisden India. “It ranges from studying his mannerisms, body language while on the field, to the intensity with which he runs towards the ball or even his catching methods. “There are various challenges for both of us, especially since the concept of a personal coach is new to cricket. I’m not a part of the team management, so during the game there is nothing I can say or do. So while he’s at the ground, I try to note every aspect of his game.” What was striking about Uthappa, the batsman, was the number of shots he eliminated from his game en route his century. For starters, his tendency to walk across the stumps to work the ball onto the on side was absent. Elaborating on the changes that Uthappa brought to his game in the last year, Amre pointed out, “If you look at the innings today, it contained proper cricketing shots. There were no rash shots whatsoever. You don’t see him play the reverse sweep anymore, or walk down the wicket to loft the ball past the bowler,” said Amre. “We also laid a lot of emphasis on the mental aspect of his game, which is extremely important. Basically, the tough job is done by him. I’m just pointing out some minor adjustments, it is his inclination to iron them out and that is very commendable.” One such observation Amre talked about is Uthappa’s downswing. “We observed the posture of his body wasn’t correct and that was party because of his weight. He had this tendency of falling over,” he explained. “One of the ways of correcting that was by reducing his weight and all credit to him. He knocked out 17 kilos before last year’s Ranji Trophy season and that has helped him immensely. His upper body posture is a lot more correct when he plays off the front foot now.” After racing into his 70s, Uthappa’s inclination to convert it into a century was noticeable. He slowed down initially, but when there were loose deliveries on offer, they were duly put away. For many batsmen, the last 20 runs can become a mental battle, but Uthappa brezeed past 90 with two imperious pulls over midwicket. The celebration after reaching his century wasn’t flashy. No pump of the fists or gestures. It was a glance towards the heavens and gently soaking in the applause of the fans and his team-mates. The signs are encouraging, and with the national selectors in attendance, Uthappa couldn’t have timed his knock better. If he can remain consistent, he could chart a new course ahead of the new season.

[saneindian]

Lots of our cricketers putting the IPL money to a very good use. Great to see this

[skindia]

Hopefully another ton or fifty for robbie tomorrow:-)

[G_B_]

Praveen Amre.... appears to be a good coach. anyways always wanted to ask why does Sandeep Sharma have a (1) in front of his name on cricinfo? its like Sandeep sharma (1)

[Mornantau]

where d u find all thes cute emoticons

[ShebbySB]

What is the Ind A squad against WI A?any changes?

[Bleed-Blue]

What is the Ind A squad against WI A?any changes?

It Is Announced On Tuesday

[ShebbySB]

It Is Announced On Tuesday

Ok :two_thumbs_up:

[Sandeep99]

Just depressing to watch the likes of Basanth Mohanthy bowl.. Is this the best we can offer??? :((

[Sandeep99]

Trundler^trundler = Basanth Mohanthy

[rkt.india]

Just depressing to watch the likes of Basanth Mohanthy bowl.. Is this the best we can offer??? :((

Mohanty is not a bad bowler at all. He is in BK mold, similar pace, far taller, has great inswing and can take the ball away too like BK. We certainly have quicker bowlers than these. Issue is this is not the India A which played in SA. This is a mix of India A and B players. We have likes of Suyal, Awana, Shukla, Ramdayal from J&K who are quicker and not picked

[Mornantau]

When u say quicker just how quick r they really. Coz if someone from India was even arnd 138 ks I thiunk he wud have been well known. besides Varun n Umesh i doubt we have anyone who can even maintain 140 + . ur thots ?

[rkt.india]

When u say quicker just how quick r they really. Coz if someone from India was even arnd 138 ks I thiunk he wud have been well known. besides Varun n Umesh i doubt we have anyone who can even maintain 140 + . ur thots ?

Pawan Suyal and Rahul Shukla both bowl around 138-140K, can touch 142-145 range on occasions. Ramdayal from J&K and Manishankar Murasingh from Tripura are also said to be pretty quick, not watched them, but I had asked Akash Chopra about Ramdayal once when he had faced him in a Ranji match in which he blew them away. He said he liked what he saw of him. Sports journalist Venkat Ananth who covered one Himachal vs Tripura Ranji match talked about Manishankar Murasingh to be having good pace and a promising bowler who can bat too.

[saneindian]

Good to see Dhawal Kulkarni do well for India A. Deserved to be in the main India A squad but hopefully now he will be part of the A squad vs WI A

[saneindian]

Menaria has suddenly turned into Jaddu version 2.0! 3 wickets in the last match, 4 here, well done young man

[saneindian]

Menaria has a 5-er! :hatsoff: Good effort from the A squad.

[diga]

Why was sandeep sharma not given new ball? Isnt he a swing bowler in the mould of PK?

[India-KXIP fan]

Lets go Ish Sodhi. 5 wickets this innings! :cheer: Mandeep and Sandeep :cheer: