Now on to the WT20!

[Ultimate_Game]

Now that the small matter of wrapping up Asia Cup and updating my siggy is done, it's time to focus on the WT20  This India team has most of the items checked but hopefully the selectors will make the following changes...

1. Drop Rahane and get another youngster in his stead. Rahane is not a T20 or a LOI player and needs to stick to Tests. Better to get someone like Manish Pandey who can open or slot in as a middle order batsman. Plus Pandey has shown the tendency to show up in big games and tough situations.

2. Drop Yuvraj. The guy's old and done. He cost us the last WT20 and I can't believe selectors have made the same blunder again! I would go for someone like Kedar Jadhav or a left field selection like Sarfraz Khan or Deepak Hooda. Sarfraz has the 'X' factor and is the one for the future. Or Manish Pandey can be used to replace Yuvraj and Jadhav or Sarfraz can back him up.

3. Make a call on Shami and go with Bhuvi. Shami has been injured for nearly a year with hardly any game time. It would be tough for him to slot right in the WT20. It's better we go with Bhuvi or another fit bowler. Give the team a chance to get together before the WT20 starts instead of the team sweating over Shami's fitness.

4. Have a replacement wk other than Parthiv "Pappu" Patel on the standby in case Dhoni's back acts up in the tourney. Pappu is useless and can't bat in the middle or lower order. Get the best lower order wk we have. Someone like Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik or Sanju Samson would be a much better selection in case Dhoni needs to be replaced.

Other than that best of luck to Team India in the forthcoming WT20 and hope to update the siggy soon! 

[chewy]

aren't the t20 World Cup squad confirmed already?

[Ultimate_Game]

aren't the t20 World Cup squad confirmed already?

I thought March 8th is the day to finalize the squads and to make any last minute alterations. If that's not the case then Rahane and Yuvraj can be declared "unfit" or "injured" by BCCI and replaced.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Ultimate_Game

[Stuge]

Yuvi will win it this time..have some faith in your players

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

[Ultimate_Game]

Yuvi will win it this time..have some faith in your players

 

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

I have faith in the team, but not blind faith. Yuvi was a great player who helped us win 2007 WT20 and WC 2011 but he's a shadow of his former self. He scored runs against  UAE and a poor SL bowling attack missing Malinga which isn't a true indicator of his form. He did the same the last WT20 when he scored cheap runs against a one dimensional Aussie bowling attack in the group stages only to show his true form in the semis and the final. The same story will repeat this WT20 if we don't heed our lessons from the past.

here will be a scenario in a must win game where India will need to score 70 off 50 balls when Yuvi walks in at no. 5 and would potter around to lose the game. You can't afford to carry players who are past their "sell by" date in T20s, and that too as lower order batsmen, where you are supposed to go from ball one. I'm sorry Yuvi is not it. Every top team contending for the tourney will have gun players in the lower order (Miller for SA, Maxwell for Aus, Buttler for Eng etc.) who can take apart attacks from the start and we will have a past his peak Yuvi. We have the team who has all the right boxes checked so let's not waste this chance like the last one by picking a player on sentimental grounds.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Ultimate_Game

[adi B]

Man, nothing less than a world cup (t20 I.e) is acceptable for me at least this time and especially with the team we have currently,it has almost all bases covered.

Last time in 2014,I didn't care much because we already won the ct the preceding year ,this time the wt20 is in our home and may well be dhoni's last icc event.stakes are huge and so is the expectations,I am pretty sure dhoni (who doesn't show much emotions) is pumped up for this from inside.

He should go on a high,this is the perfect chance!!

[Iconoclast]

India are clear favorites ... rest of Asian teams are poor ATM .. and you have discretion over the pitches vs the non-Asian teams.

 

It's your cup to lose.

[Ankit_sharma03]

This is a damn strong team, Infact ours is the most complete team.  Hopefully pitches turn a bit that makes ashwin ,jadeja match winners and we ll be needing match winners in bowling . 

[Adi_91]

This is a damn strong team, Infact ours is the most complete team.  Hopefully pitches turn a bit that makes ashwin ,jadeja match winners and we ll be needing match winners in bowling . 

And that is why a win in Dharamsala is a must, because that is the only pitch where things may not help our spinners.

[Ultimate_Game]

This is a damn strong team, Infact ours is the most complete team.  Hopefully pitches turn a bit that makes ashwin ,jadeja match winners and we ll be needing match winners in bowling . 

This. Hope BCCI has informed all the curators the sort of pitches that need to be prepared. They better be low, slow turners where Ashwin, Jaddu and even Raina can bowl at least half the overs. No point taking a risk with flat pattas against NZ and Aus when we can beat them on turners. We need to learn from B'desh groundsmen how to change the pitch every game based on their preferences. Make em slow turners and watch the fun given we have the team on a roll right now.

[Ankit_sharma03]

This. Hope BCCI has informed all the curators the sort of pitches that need to be prepared. They better be low, slow turners where Ashwin, Jaddu and even Raina can bowl at least half the overs. No point taking a risk with flat pattas against NZ and Aus when we can beat them on turners. We need to learn from B'desh groundsmen how to change the pitch every game based on their preferences. Make em slow turners and watch the fun given we have the team on a roll right now.

No need for those sought of extreme pitch . A bit of turn is enough. Other team dnt have quality spinner

Giving such pitches makes our teams avg spinners also threatning and we havent played spin also that well for past few yrs. No need to do that Just a bit of turn . Its like giving our seamers green top . I dnt see any other team having that gud spinners so dnt give them square turners and make them dangerous like we made elgar. 

Our strength will be batting and we have Amazing depth and fire power , pitches shud be ideal for their stroke play and little turn is something they are use to. 

Also our big strength in Icc tournaments have been using pressure to our advantage so we need our batting to give our bowling totals and our bowlers are gud enough to use pressure to their advantage

Edited March 6, 2016 by Ankit_sharma03

[WC2011INDIA]

T20 sure, but for ODIs I would keep Rahane. Both Rahane and Pandey should be in playing 11 somehow or depending on pitch, conditions and opposition the captain and team management can take a call on who to play. 

Odi playing 11 for now can be - 

1. Rohit

2. Shikhar 

3. Virat

4. Rahane

5. Pandey

6. Dhoni

7. Pandya/Raina (depending on form, opposition and pitch)

8. Ashwin (in indian conditions a must, can be very expensive overseas so depending on opposition replace him with jadeja or some other spinner or seam/fast bowler)

9. Jadeja (in indian conditions a must, in english, sa conditions can be replaced with seam bowler)

10. Bumrah (dont overplay him..so rotate him with someone who can get job done depending on pitch and opposition)

11. umesh/ishant/shami/aaron/bhuvi

 

 

Edited March 6, 2016 by WC2011INDIA

[Ultimate_Game]

^^^

Problem with Rahane is he can't go ballistic even after he's set and gets his eye in. The only spot for him in LOIs is as an opener but even there likes of Rohit and Dhaan edge him out and maybe he can be used as a backup opener. #3 is Kohli and anywhere after that you need someone ho can go big if required, or at least when set. Rahane is not that guy.

[Ultimate_Game]

No need for those sought of extreme pitch . A bit of turn is enough. Other team dnt have quality spinner

Giving such pitches makes our teams avg spinners also threatning and we havent played spin also that well for past few yrs. No need to do that Just a bit of turn . Its like giving our seamers green top . I dnt see any other team having that gud spinners so dnt give them square turners and make them dangerous like we made elgar. 

Our strength will be batting and we have Amazing depth and fire power , pitches shud be ideal for their stroke play and little turn is something they are use to. 

Also our big strength in Icc tournaments have been using pressure to our advantage so we need our batting to give our bowling totals and our bowlers are gud enough to use pressure to their advantage

I'm not saying prepare tracks where batting's a lottery. We should be making slow turners where the par score is around 130-140 and pace is a liability. I wouldn't want to get into "bat offs" with Aus, NZ or Aus. I mean why risk it when we have the spinners and better players of spin to beat them? On a decent pitch, someone like Maxwell or Faulkner or Guptill or ABDV or DeKock or Buttler can win the game. On a turner, possibility of such an occurrence is considerably reduced. This team is built to win now and IMO we need to go all in, including BCCI and as an extension the pitch curators.

I still remember how Aussies and Kiwis play to their strenghts with either pattas or seaming pitches. In the WC 2015 semi, there wasn't even a hint of turn at Sydney though it's supposed to be the most "spin friendly" pitch in Aus. We gotta do the same. Make em turn and let MSD squeeze the opponents to death - the sort of pitches CSK or Rajasthan Royals prepare in IPL where slower bowlers are tough to get away and 140 is defendable.