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Asia Cup 2014

StriKe

By StriKe
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Without Dhoni, Yuvraj and Raina, the Asia Cup squad is short of finishers http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournament/asia-cup-2014/top-stories/Without-Dhoni-Yuvraj-and-Raina-the-Asia-Cup-squad-is-short-of-finishers/articleshow/30916982.cms? There's suddenly a sense of void. The familiar Indian middle-order in ODIs wears an unfamiliar look as it left for Bangladesh to take part in the Asia Cup. For the first time since January 24, 2004, the famed finishing trio of Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni won't feature in an Indian line-up. These three have been proven match-winners for India in ODIs, especially when it comes to games in the subcontinent. But while Yuvi and Raina have lost form, Dhoni is out with a side-strain that will keep him out for a while. There's of course the prolific Virat Kohli who will be the guiding light for this batting-order, but there might be a situation where the pressure can get a little too much for him. "Who are the men on whom Kohli will bank on to give that impetus in the middle-order," is question doing the rounds. Dinesh Karthik will certainly play and in that case Kohli is left with four options - Cheteshwar Pujara, Ambati Rayudu, Ajinkya Rahane and Stuart Binny for the other two slots. There's a school of thought that believes Pujara has to be played on the bouncy pitches in Australia during the 2015 World Cup and the process should start from here. "This is certainly the opportunity to bring Pujara into the playing XI in ODIs and give him the time to settle down," former Indian opener Chetan Chauhan told TOI. Despite becoming a regular in the Test side over the last three years, Pujara has only played two ODIs (both in Zimbabwe, incidentally in a team led by Kohli) and Dhoni is not convinced about the right-hander's batting credentials in the shorter version. There are some who feel Pujara lacks the ability to take a bowling attack apart, which is crucial in ODIs. "If Pujara is batting at No. 3, I understand, but Kohli owns that slot in ODIs. Is Pujara the right man at No. 4 where you need to push things along?" Kolkata Knight Riders' batting coach WV Raman asks. Chauhan, though, gives the counter-argument. "No. 3 or 4, pick Pujara first in the ODIs. He is one complete batsman who can do well in any format," he says. The feeling in the Indian cricket fraternity is that Rahane will be persisted with for a while at No. 4. He played all five games in New Zealand without really making an impact, but the Test matches were productive for him. The batsman has done well in IPL as well and the pundits believe that it's a matter of time before Rahane comes good in ODIs as well. "See, he has the class and technique. You can have the odd bad series, but he should be given another chance," Raman said. The big worry, though is whether Rahane or Pujara could lend the thrust that Yuvraj, Dhoni or Raina could. Karthik, of course, has shown in the IPL that he can be a destructive batsman at the back-end of the innings, but he hasn't quite done it in the 67 ODIs that he has played for India. Of course, he had a good Champions Trophy, belting hundreds in warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and Australia. One might argue that since Dhoni's arrival, he has never got an extended run, but that's the nature of international cricket, where chances are limited. "He certainly has the ability, this is the platform to prove that he can translate that into performance," Raman, who coaches Karthik in the Tamil Nadu team, added. And then there's Binny as well, who was brilliant with the bat in the Irani Cup final for Karnataka against Rest of India. He has the ability to move the ball around, though the pace can be a little too gentle for top-flight cricket. He got a game in New Zealand where he didn't get a chance to show his talent and the team management might be tempted to check whether the 28-year-old has the mettle to shape up as the all-rounder that India is craving for. "The boy can hit big...If the pitch has a little bit in it for medium-pacers, it wouldn't be a bad idea to try him. We need an all-rounder and he's probably the best we have at the moment," Chauhan said. Of course, the IPL helps you to learn how to finish matches, but the way Yuvraj and Dhoni in particular could read a game situation and pace their innings, is second to none. One person's despair is someone else's opportunity. The ball is now in Kohli's court to try out various combinations and take the first step towards forming a team for the World Cup in Australia in a year's time.

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diga Mentor

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there are no "seniors" left. Its just one player who has consistently remained , that is Dhoni. When fletcher was appointed our test team composite in 2011 was Sehwag Gambhir Dravid Sachin Laxman xxxxxxxx Kohli/Raina/Yuvraj/ Pujara (Virat had not cemented his spot and Pujara debuts overseas) Dhoni Bhajji Zaheer Ishant Sreesanth The names in bold are axed/retired from the test format. Our ODI/T20 team composite was Sehwag Sachin Gambhir Kohli Yuvraj MSD Raina Bhajji Zaheer Munaf Nehra with Ashwin, Munaf Sreesanth Pathan being part of the squad. I have kept Raina in the composite limited overs squad as he is still part of the t20 scene and can be back for the odis. India have chopped a hell of a lot of players in both formats since Fletcher became coach. Its Dhoni. No other players matter.
Mark this post for Dhoni fans
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Asia Cup: Will Virat Kohli be able to step into MS Dhoni’s captaincy shoes on the big stage? http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/asia-cup-will-virat-kohli-be-able-to-step-into-ms-dhonis-captaincy-shoes-on-the-big-stage/99/ At Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue in Dhaka, they revel in traffic commotion. Vehicles move at snail’s pace and for the outsiders, it’s always a test of patience. The locals, however, don’t complain, for the traffic chaos signifies normalcy. During ferment, the buzz evaporates and life comes to a halt which was the case here just a few months ago. There was a big question mark over Bangladesh hosting the Asia Cup but peace descended on the eastern part of Bengal just in time for the cricket season and the tournament was given the go-ahead by the Asian Cricket Council. For India, however, the question marks don’t end with the staging of the event. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s eleventh hour withdrawal, owing to a side strain, has thrown his new age successor, Virat Kohli, in at the deep end. Not just as captain, but as the leader in the batting order as well. After back-to-back series losses in South Africa and New Zealand, India’s every move on conducive pitches against fellow Asian giants will be under microscopic scrutiny. Kohli’s winning percentage as India captain is better than his batting strike rate of 89.48 in One Day Internationals. So far, he has led eight times and won seven. Five of those wins, however, came against Zimbabwe during India’s tour of the southern African nation last year. The Asia Cup, however, which would be underway from Tuesday (India’s first match is on Wednesday), throws up a completely different challenge. Both defending champions Pakistan and Sri Lanka, would be keen on having an upper hand over an Indian team that is low on confidence. India need Kohli to fire with the bat to help his unit get back to the winning ways. And then there’s the added responsibility of leading his troop. The spotlight On Sunday, at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, the Delhi lad looked rather tired at the team’s arrival press conference. He played down the captaincy issue, saying that he’s doing the job for “just one series” and is not unnecessarily putting himself under pressure. “Yes, it’s a big tournament, my first as a captain and I’m looking forward to it. I don’t think I have to do things differently. I don’t really look into something unless I am appointed which is the case right now in this tournament,” Kohli said. Some former cricketers, people who have been there and done that, believe that the make-shift role shouldn’t prevent him from asserting his authority. “Virat should be quite good. In fact, it’s good for India that they have a new captain for the Asia Cup. Every individual offers something different and (after the recent losses) Kohli will bring in new ideas,” former India captain Ajit Wadekar said, speaking to The Indian Express. “Kohli is aggressive and leads from the front, and to be in charge of the team for the Asia Cup will help him groom properly for the future. Dhoni may not be there after the World Cup and Kohli is the only candidate to take over from him.” But can Kohli be aggressive enough as he is not the regular captain? “Polly Umrigar and Ravi Shastri led just one Test each but led aggressively. Kohli’s job is relatively easy because deep down he knows that he will succeed Dhoni in the near future,” Wadekar added. Few apprehensions The big fear, however, is that, like on many occasions in the past, making the best batsman in the side as the team’s leader could have an adverse effect on his batting. Something that will not play well for India in this tournament, were it to happen again. “Kohli is India’s best batsman and as we have seen in the past, even some big legends struggled with the extra burden. But Kohli is a very confident young man and a successful captaincy stint will help him earn the legendary status a few years down the line. The Asia Cup could be the beginning of a successful journey,” Wadekar observed. The veteran, however, doesn’t think that time has come to appoint Kohli as a full-time captain. “Not yet. He must serve the apprenticeship period. Dhoni still is a very fine captain and I don’t believe he is getting bogged down by negativity. When your bowlers are not doing anything, you get frustrated. It happened to me at times as well. Frustration creates indecision.” Mohinder Amarnath, too, is looking forward to Kohli’s new role. “His body language gives an impression that his captaincy would be pretty similar to his batting – proactive and authoritative. And I don’t think his batting would be affected. When you are playing for your country, you should be ready for everything. Kohli doesn’t seem to have a fear of failure. This is a very good opportunity for him and the strong character that he is, I expect him to embrace the challenge,” said Amarnath. That challenge begins three days from now.

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adi B Veteran

adi B

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Is it time to split? Why not let Dhoni skipper the LOI team till the WC 2015 and relieve him test duties? That would refresh him, reduce his work-load and let him focus in the format he is good at. In the meanwhile, the new skipper, Kohli or Pujara and begin moulding the test team. What do you say?
yeah i agree.dhoni should keep his ego aside and quit test captaincy,better focus on the WC and go off on a high
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