Ind-Oz Series - away from the spotlight

[sandeep]

Sure, everyone is ga-ga over Kohli and Rohit's heavy scoring and Bumrah's impressive debut.  This thread is to appreciate the dozens of less splashy yet meaningful contributions that the entire squad made.  

• Shikhar Dhawan - There were multiple calls for his head at the start of the series, and yet an objective eye at the end of the tour, will find an impressive contribution as a top-order bat.  Continues to bat unselfishly at the top of the order, plays a key role as the shot-making spear-head.  Sure, he looks like a hack when not in flow, and definitely has a few technical limitations, but is still a worthy value-adding member of the team. 
• Jadeja's fielding.  Absolute tiger in the field wherever he was posted - saved a bunch of runs in the in-field.  Took a brilliant catch in the outfield to dismiss Watson in the 3rd T20.   His tight bowling although may not pick up the big wickets, but is the steady rock that takes pressure off of the team and the captain - There's a reason why his captain backs him so much, and contrary to pimply teenage homophobic posts on this forum, Jaddu earns enough of that trust right on the field.  
• In the 3rd T20, rookie Hardik Pandya converted a 6 into a double with an acrobatic jump and push-back from the boundary rope - quality fielding that ended up making a HUGE difference in a tight chase.  Will his batting live up to the hype at the international level? who knows.  Can he do a job with the ball as a support seamer - jury's still out.  But in the opportunity he had, he made a meaningful contribution, and that's a job well done.  
• Umesh Yadav - continues to frustrate fans and his captain alike with his consistent inconsistency.  But loved his effort in the field as a substitute fielder - no concern for his body, laid out attempting a catch in the 2nd T20 like his life depended on it.  That sort of commitment from a fast bowler for whom injuries could mean the end of a career, deserves a shout-out. 
• Suresh Raina - The man keeps doing the dirty job in this star studded batting line-up, and pays the price for playing the high-risk, low-reward role.  Quintessential team man, won the 3rd T20 for India, thanks to a flubbed stumping nonetheless, but showcased his hitting abilities and his experience - clinical.  Deserves to be back in the ODI squad as well.  

There will be plenty of days and hundreds of posts on this forum to bash these guys when they have a bad day in the field - but credit where its due.  Take a look across the top 8 cricket teams -fans of other teams have to settle for a lot less from the players that represent their countries - and I'm not just referring to our evil twins.  

 

[Adi_91]

I think you should add Yuvi as well for his 6 and 4 in the final over yesterday. Made a world of difference between winning and losing.

[Mosher]

Sure, everyone is ga-ga over Kohli and Rohit's heavy scoring and Bumrah's impressive debut.  This thread is to appreciate the dozens of less splashy yet meaningful contributions that the entire squad made.  

• Shikhar Dhawan - There were multiple calls for his head at the start of the series, and yet an objective eye at the end of the tour, will find an impressive contribution as a top-order bat.  Continues to bat unselfishly at the top of the order, plays a key role as the shot-making spear-head.  Sure, he looks like a hack when not in flow, and definitely has a few technical limitations, but is still a worthy value-adding member of the team. 
• Jadeja's fielding.  Absolute tiger in the field wherever he was posted - saved a bunch of runs in the in-field.  Took a brilliant catch in the outfield to dismiss Watson in the 3rd T20.   His tight bowling although may not pick up the big wickets, but is the steady rock that takes pressure off of the team and the captain - There's a reason why his captain backs him so much, and contrary to pimply teenage homophobic posts on this forum, Jaddu earns enough of that trust right on the field.  
• In the 3rd T20, rookie Hardik Pandya converted a 6 into a double with an acrobatic jump and push-back from the boundary rope - quality fielding that ended up making a HUGE difference in a tight chase.  Will his batting live up to the hype at the international level? who knows.  Can he do a job with the ball as a support seamer - jury's still out.  But in the opportunity he had, he made a meaningful contribution, and that's a job well done.  
• Umesh Yadav - continues to frustrate fans and his captain alike with his consistent inconsistency.  But loved his effort in the field as a substitute fielder - no concern for his body, laid out attempting a catch in the 2nd T20 like his life depended on it.  That sort of commitment from a fast bowler for whom injuries could mean the end of a career, deserves a shout-out. 
• Suresh Raina - The man keeps doing the dirty job in this star studded batting line-up, and pays the price for playing the high-risk, low-reward role.  Quintessential team man, won the 3rd T20 for India, thanks to a flubbed stumping nonetheless, but showcased his hitting abilities and his experience - clinical.  Deserves to be back in the ODI squad as well.  

There will be plenty of days and hundreds of posts on this forum to bash these guys when they have a bad day in the field - but credit where its due.  Take a look across the top 8 cricket teams -fans of other teams have to settle for a lot less from the players that represent their countries - and I'm not just referring to our evil twins.  

 

Great post. Agree with everything except for that one innings of 60 odd runs which Dhawan made. That was a selfish innings which did not help the team at all. But post that innings he was brilliant.

[Mosher]

Deleted. Double post.

Edited February 2, 2016 by Mosher

[Ironhide]

Good observation, these little contributions do end up making the big impact for the team.

[sandeep]

I think you should add Yuvi as well for his 6 and 4 in the final over yesterday. Made a world of difference between winning and losing.

Thought about it, but there was already a separate thread on Yuvi...

[tweaker]

Good observation, we should give credit where it is due

[sourab10forever]

Many matches were very close and the little cameos here and there(from both teams) proved  to be the difference.

Also not to forget the Australian side : the Shaun marsh catch was just outstanding

[CoverDrive]

Raina is one of the most clutch player i have seen. The guy is an asset in limited overs. He may have bad technique or be in bad form but is likely to give you his bet under pressure