Shoaib's return not a concern, asserts Uthappa

[Bumper]

I don't think Uthappa has the balls to walk down the crease when Shoaib is steaming in at 95 mph. That almost suicidal. If he does do that though' date=' he will have my respect[/quote'] Didnt he do that to Lee ?

[Predator_05]

I wouldn't know, i didn't watch the series. But I do know that Shoaib is a different proposition compared to Lee and others. For starters, his short ball is much better. And since he chucks, he can easily adjust the length which he is bowling...he could spot Uthappa batting a mile outside his crease and bowl the right ball to floor him. He is also consistently quicker than Lee, so you can't just swat him around like a spinner. Anyway, this is all hypothetical - who knows, maybe Uthappa will get a piece of him like Dhoni did at Faisalabad. You need big balls to play like Dhoni did though, and i don't know if Uthappa can do that

[King]

I wouldn't know, i didn't watch the series. But I do know that Shoaib is a different proposition compared to Lee and others. For starters, his short ball is much better. And since he chucks, he can easily adjust the length which he is bowling...he could spot Uthappa batting a mile outside his crease and bowl the right ball to floor him. He is also consistently quicker than Lee, so you can't just swat him around like a spinner. Anyway, this is all hypothetical - who knows, maybe Uthappa will get a piece of him like Dhoni did at Faisalabad. You need big balls to play like Dhoni did though, and i don't know if Uthappa can do that

Just say it Pred, you don't quite like Uthappa because you don't like his style of batting. He not only smacked Lee consistently around but also attacked pretty much a lot of fast bowlers in the Twenty20. Don't tell me you didn't watch him play the Aussies in the Twenty20 semis:D

[theguyinallblue]

i have seen player like Kaif who walked down the pitch before shoaib could deliver the ball...i think i one of the ODIs in pakistan..or India.. it really pissed him off..he came round the wicket...still got smacked for 4.. he was bowling 48 or 50th over of the match... so..walking down the pitch is not a big deal..if the batsman has confidence to play pull. hook or cut shot.. Uthappa..Vs Shoaib will be a good show...as ball will be relatively newer after 34 overs....just when Uthappa comes to do business..

[Gaurav]

I wouldn't know, i didn't watch the series. But I do know that Shoaib is a different proposition compared to Lee and others. For starters, his short ball is much better. And since he chucks, he can easily adjust the length which he is bowling...he could spot Uthappa batting a mile outside his crease and bowl the right ball to floor him. He is also consistently quicker than Lee, so you can't just swat him around like a spinner. Anyway, this is all hypothetical - who knows, maybe Uthappa will get a piece of him like Dhoni did at Faisalabad. You need big balls to play like Dhoni did though, and i don't know if Uthappa can do that

Acktor packs a mean beamer as well :mama::D

[King]

i have seen player like Kaif who walked down the pitch before shoaib could deliver the ball...i think i one of the ODIs in pakistan..or India.. it really pissed him off..he came round the wicket...still got smacked for 4.. he was bowling 48 or 50th over of the match... so..walking down the pitch is not a big deal..if the batsman has confidence to play pull. hook or cut shot.. Uthappa..Vs Shoaib will be a good show...as ball will be relatively newer after 34 overs....just when Uthappa comes to do business..

Forget Kaif, Balaji used to take Shoaib to cleaners pretty much every game. Balaji a no.11 hitting Shoaib Akthar consistently for sixes is something to cherish.

[Cricketics]

Forget Kaif' date=' Balaji used to take Shoaib to cleaners pretty much every game. Balaji a no.11 hitting Shoaib Akthar consistently for sixes is something to cherish.[/quote'] a funny post.. yet so true.. :two_thumbs_up:

[Lurker]

Don't Agree. Any "Indian" pace bowler who is under 30 average after 11 tests is a great find and he will be talked about like Srinath or Kapil. I don't think even they achieved under-30 average after 11 tests.

Kapil did not average under 30 after 11 or so Tests. The only Indian pace bowler who averaged under 30 in 11 tests with some good wickets to show would be Venkatesh Prasad. The problem clearly is NOT with Sreesanth but with certain Indian fans. If they do not like Sreesanth's aggression just STFU. Period! Here is a fast bowler who has won India Test matches abroad and in atleast one of those cases(South Africa) it was thought as impossible for a long while. The lad is not afraid, unlike many other "bigwigs", to be in-your-face, amidst top teams. If you do not like it, keep it to yourself. If you can not shower compliments why try to bring someone down? But then thats Indian "fans" for you. Go Sreesanth!! xxx

[Lurker]

after 3 maharathi leaves the office.. expect lot of changes in our cricket culture.. sledging' date= gaali waali.. affairs will be normal thing.. its part of NEW INDIA..

The change has LITTLE to do with the Maharathis, as you suggest Veer. The change of mindset is all due to the fact that players are now emerging from the backwaters of India and not the usual Mumbai, Bangalore etc. A Dhoni is always going to be more aggressive than a Dinesh Karthick. That is just the different between Ranchi and Chennai. A Yuvraj Singh is always going to be more aggressive than a VVS. Shoaib Akhtar used to routinely sledge Indians, including RD and SRT, and always got away with it. He was put in his place by Sehwag who made even Shoiab's Pakistani team-mates laugh with a "Bowling kar reha hai ke bheek maang reha hai". And guess where Sehwag emerged from? Yep the backwaters. Look up Indian history and you will find the aggressive players, aka Kapil Dev, Amarnath going all the way back to CK Nayudu emerged from Chandigarhs and Indores. Much as I appreciate the contribution of Mumbai and Bangalore I am not averse to say that these centers produce cricketers who are not exactly the most aggressive when it comes to cricket. No wonder that while Kapil Dev always went for a win, a Sunnu Gavaskar first ensured India didnt lose the Test. xxx

[Gambit]

Kapil did not average under 30 after 11 or so Tests. The only Indian pace bowler who averaged under 30 in 11 tests with some good wickets to show would be Venkatesh Prasad. The problem clearly is NOT with Sreesanth but with certain Indian fans. If they do not like Sreesanth's aggression just STFU. Period! Here is a fast bowler who has won India Test matches abroad and in atleast one of those cases(South Africa) it was thought as impossible for a long while. The lad is not afraid, unlike many other "bigwigs", to be in-your-face, amidst top teams. If you do not like it, keep it to yourself. If you can not shower compliments why try to bring someone down? But then thats Indian "fans" for you. Go Sreesanth!! xxx

Agree that it's imperative to have a firebrand fast bowler in the team if given the option. Sree's bowling might have it's off days but his aggression and raw passion can give the team and other bowlers a lift. Always good to have someone who steams in and is capable of running through a brick wall for the team. Of course, making faces and showing aggression when you've been pounded for 60+ in ODIs or going at 5 an over in tests is silly. Regarding your potshots at bigwigs, you almost make it sound as if keeping quiet when you are sledged while batting shows fear or cowardness and keeping quiet and success are mutually exclusive. If anything, it shows immense concentration and letting your performance speak for you. Cricket, like life, has different characters. Some are animated and some are quiet.

Shoaib Akhtar used to routinely sledge Indians' date=' including RD and SRT, and always got away with it. He was put in his place by Sehwag who made even Shoiab's Pakistani team-mates laugh with a "Bowling kar reha hai ke bheek maang reha hai". And guess where Sehwag emerged from? Yep the backwaters.[/quote'] Could you point out instances of Actor routinely sledging Indians because I sure as haven't seen him routinely sledge. And I have never ever seen him sledge SRT or Dravid.

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[Lurker]

Regarding your potshots at bigwigs, you almost make it sound as if keeping quiet when you are sledged while batting shows fear or cowardness and keeping quiet and success are mutually exclusive. If anything, it shows immense concentration and letting your performance speak for you. Cricket, like life, has different characters. Some are animated and some are quiet.

You are confusing agression with performance. Those two are two different things. Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar are great batsmen but I dont call them aggressive batsmen. By aggression I mean someone who can take on the opposition bowler/fielder if the latter went out of the way. Viv Richards is a good example. When he was sledged he would come back right there and then, wont bother much with the $hitty concentration and piling runs first theory. Miandad was the same. To an extent Alan Border too. Today you have Ricky Ponting like that, Sehwag was like that. So to answer your question, no aggressive batsmen dont work that way. Dravids and SRTs do. Great batsmen but dont count them as aggressive puhlease.

Could you point out instances of Actor routinely sledging Indians because I sure as haven't seen him routinely sledge. And I have never ever seen him sledge SRT or Dravid.

You havent? I am surprised you have not. It should be easy for anyone who has followed the game really. In the 2003/04 Jeet lo Dil series touted as Akhtar-Sachin showdown, in the very first ODI Shoaib was in Sachin's face pretty much every single delivery. And when he dismissed Sachin for a paltry 20 something he ran right by him doing his Aeroplane mimicry pointing towards the Pavillion and showing he was number 1. I am sure you can find that online some place. xxx

[Predator_05]

Just say it Pred' date=' you don't quite like Uthappa because you don't like his style of batting. He not only smacked Lee consistently around but also attacked pretty much a lot of fast bowlers in the Twenty20. Don't tell me you didn't watch him play the Aussies in the Twenty20 semis:D[/quote'] He is a walking wicket as an opener. I still stand by that. Play him as a middle order batsman, and then he becomes handy. His short cameos are far better utilised lower down the order during the slog overs. He just seems to be like a better, Indian version of Shahid Afridi. And like I already said - i don't know of, nor do i care about what he did to Lee. Shoaib is a better, more destructive bowler than Lee

[Lurker]

He is a walking wicket as an opener. I still stand by that. Play him as a middle order batsman' date=' and then he becomes handy. His short cameos are far better utilised lower down the order during the slog overs. He just seems to be like a better, Indian version of Shahid Afridi. And like I already said - i don't know of, nor do i care about what he did to Lee. [b']Shoaib is a better, more destructive bowler than Lee

True that. Uthappa's confidence is not doubted but it is one thing to hit away in LOI and completely different in Test. Heck Ganguly was at one time India's best bat in LOI when he was never in top 3 in Test. Plus we are getting a tad complacent about Shoaib, he still can be quite handful, specially if we have to face him on pitches like Mohali. xx

[Gambit]

You are confusing agression with performance. Those two are two different things. Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar are great batsmen but I dont call them aggressive batsmen. By aggression I mean someone who can take on the opposition bowler/fielder if the latter went out of the way. Viv Richards is a good example. When he was sledged he would come back right there and then, wont bother much with the concentration and piling runs first theory. Miandad was the same. To an extent Alan Border too. Today you have Ricky Ponting like that, Sehwag was like that. So to answer your question, no aggressive batsmen dont work that way. Dravids and SRTs do. Great batsmen but dont count them as aggressive puhlease.

Sure RD and SRT don't sledge the bowler or the fielder. Very very few batsmen do. But that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't aggressive. RD's very passively aggressive I would say. He hears crap and uses it as coal to channel the fire in him when he bats. SRT has sledged McGrath in a match and has taken trash talking bowlers(pre and during games) to the cleaners. SunnyG I haven't seen so can't say. As I said before, cricket has different characters who exhibit their aggression in different ways. Amby never sledged anyone but he was feared by everyone.

You havent? I am surprised you have not. It should be easy for anyone who has followed the game really. In the 2003/04 Jeet lo Dil series touted as Akhtar-Sachin showdown, in the very first ODI Shoaib was in Sachin's face pretty much every single delivery. And when he dismissed Sachin for a paltry 20 something he ran right by him doing his Aeroplane mimicry pointing towards the Pavillion and showing he was number 1. I am sure you can find that online some place.

You said routinely sledge. He's never routinely sledged SRT or RD. And he held up two fingers not 1. That was to signify he got SRT out the second time(first time was off a no ball). SRT hit him for a 6 in that game too BTW. Pak fans will testify that Actor might be a retard in the dressing room, he doesn't indulge in too many verbal duelings with Indian batsmen like RD and SRT.

[Lurker]

Sure RD and SRT don't sledge the bowler or the fielder. Very very few batsmen do. But that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't aggressive. RD's very passively aggressive I would say. He hears crap and uses it as coal to channel the fire in him when he bats. SRT has sledged McGrath in a match and has taken trash talking bowlers(pre and during games) to the cleaners. SunnyG I haven't seen so can't say. As I said before' date= cricket has different characters who exhibit their aggression in different ways. Amby never sledged anyone but he was feared by everyone.

You are saying the right things but still missing the point overall. Lets take your example of Amby. Yes I agree he did not sledge but when he was sledged he did not hold back. The Iceman Steve Waugh will testify that the only time he feared for his life was when he abused Amby and the latter went for his jugular. Thanks to Richardson nothing torrid happened. Isnt that what I have been saying? That go after someone who comes after you? Thats what my example of Sehwag was, when he was sledged he went after Shoaib Akhtar. Why let anyone get away with saying things you do not deserve?

You said routinely sledge. He's never routinely sledged SRT or RD. And he held up two fingers not 1. That was to signify he got SRT out the second time(first time was off a no ball). SRT hit him for a 6 in that game too BTW. Pak fans will testify that Actor might be a retard in the dressing room, he doesn't indulge in too many verbal duelings with Indian batsmen like RD and SRT.

Routinely sledged doesnt mean sledging every 2 balls no. Mcgrath does that not Akhtar. What Akhtar is gonna do is to give you a taste of his mind every now and then and what you as a batsman are supposed to do is to give it to him right back. Sehwag did, SRT/Dravid did not. Thats the way I see it, you may have a difference in opinion. xxx

[Holysmoke]

How many times do we ever see a batsman sledge a bowler?

[Holysmoke]

What Akhtar is gonna do is to give you a taste of his mind every now and then and what you as a batsman are supposed to do is to give it to him right back.

Who makes these rules?:hysterical:

[Lurker]

Who makes these rules?

You wont..dont worry :hysterical::hysterical:

[Gambit]

You are saying the right things but still missing the point overall. Lets take your example of Amby. Yes I agree he did not sledge but when he was sledged he did not hold back. The Iceman Steve Waugh will testify that the only time he feared for his life was when he abused Amby and the latter went for his jugular. Thanks to Richardson nothing torrid happened. Isnt that what I have been saying? That go after someone who comes after you? Thats what my example of Sehwag was, when he was sledged he went after Shoaib Akhtar. Why let anyone get away with saying things you do not deserve?

When SRW sledged Amby, Amby said "Why are you cussing man? It's not right". That is one of my favourite cricket moments ever. Coming back to the point, I agree with you when you say that Veeru is more likely to say something to the bowler than SRT or RD. But IMO that doesn't mean SRT and RD aren't aggressive. Dravid uses that to stoke his inner fire and grind the bowler. SRT has demolished many a bowler for trash talking and gesturing(Caddick, Olonga, McGrath, Akhtar to name a few). When Dravid was sledged by Slater, Dravid also said something back. Maybe he said "F you" to Slater. I've got the DVD of THAT series and I also uploaded the Slater incident on youtube under our account. Here: Gi_t10pGN5g Looks like RD said "something you" (maybe Eff you?) (check between 52 and 55 second mark). So he did give it back when Slater went OTT. I've also given the instance of SRT sledging McGrath.

Routinely sledged doesnt mean sledging every 2 balls no. Mcgrath does that not Akhtar. What Akhtar is gonna do is to give you a taste of his mind every now and then and what you as a batsman are supposed to do is to give it to him right back. Sehwag did, SRT/Dravid did not.

Ok, let me say this. I don't think Akhtar has EVER sledged SRT or RD. Maybe once if ever. Can anyone point out an instance where Akhtar did so?

Thats the way I see it, you may have a difference in opinion.

Sure. I just didn't agree that aggression can only be shown by mouthing off.