They were both thinking it.
Couch Talk 196 with Simon Taufel
6 years ago
Showing posts with label ricky ponting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ricky ponting. Show all posts
Gif of the day: Ponting flies
While Harbhajan watches.
The gif is a slightly slowed down version of real-time, by the way.
The gif is a slightly slowed down version of real-time, by the way.
Gif of the day: Ponting falls
There's a Ricki Lake, and now a Ponting Falls. #lame
Callous delivery from Jacques. Okay, I'm done.
Let me know (using the contact tab in the menu above) if this stops being animated, I'll reupload it.
Callous delivery from Jacques. Okay, I'm done.
Let me know (using the contact tab in the menu above) if this stops being animated, I'll reupload it.
Australia vs India: all-consuming series preview
Fact: Australia haven't won a Test against India since the 6th of January, 2008. There have been 8 Tests between the two since then, of which 5 have been won by India, and the other 3 have been drawn. The first of these 8 matches marked the return of a little-know opener, Virender Sehwag, to the Indian Test side. Coincidence? I think not. But I also think that India should pick Ajit Agarkar once in a while, so you'd be better off not taking me seriously. Unless you also want Agarkar picked, in which case you must join the fan club. (Just kidding. This is the real link).
Anyway, I know that 6 of the last 8 Indo-Aussie Tests have been in India, and that India's immense home advantage and mid-decade rise, coupled with Australia's decline, meant that India were always favorites for those Tests.
If you compare the last team to tour there and the current one, you'll find that the batting order has improved by a great deal, simply with the addition of Gautam Gambhir at the top. There is no Ganguly, but there's the future skipper, Virat Kohli. Dravid, on that tour, was declining as a player, and was in the painful, fighting-to-score form that saw him make a 114-ball 16, but he's back to his best now. We played two spinners on that tour (which I think we should do this time too, but more on that later) - Anil Kumble, my idol, was well past his prime as a bowler, and Harbhajan Singh, my idol (haha, not really) was not far off from being past his prime. Zaheer Khan was the spearhead then, too, but the real difference was in the pace department. There was one RP Singh, who was good enough to keep Ishant Sharma on the bench. An Ishant Sharma, I might add, who would soon do to Ricky Ponting what everyone now does to Ricky Ponting (made myself laugh there). Verdict: batting is stronger, bowling weaker.
As for Australia, their openers then were a still-scoring Matthew Hayden, of whom David Warner looks a fairly similar replacement, and Phil Jaques. Remember him? Where'd he go? He averages 47 in Tests, and his last innings was a century against the West Indies. I'll just assume he beat the selectors at FIFA or something, or whatever the Aussie equivalent of a popular video game is.
The middle order was the same: Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, and then an almost off-the-wagon Symonds and an almost-retired Gilchrist. Then there were Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Brad "the Tongue" Hogg, all of whom were as good as they had ever been, and also a less shite Mitchell Johnson. Four bowlers, so obviously balance didn't mean much then either. Verdict: Bowlers now have more potential, but less experience. I'll go with stagnant. And batting, definitely a regression.
On to the main feature, then.
Squad: MS Dhoni (capt &wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Abhimanyu Mithun, Rohit Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, R Vinay Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Zaheer Khan.
It always seems like there is no worry on the batting front for India. In Australia, this is how India's batsmen have fared:
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| I'd pick him because he looks like he might just cry if I don't. |
If you compare the last team to tour there and the current one, you'll find that the batting order has improved by a great deal, simply with the addition of Gautam Gambhir at the top. There is no Ganguly, but there's the future skipper, Virat Kohli. Dravid, on that tour, was declining as a player, and was in the painful, fighting-to-score form that saw him make a 114-ball 16, but he's back to his best now. We played two spinners on that tour (which I think we should do this time too, but more on that later) - Anil Kumble, my idol, was well past his prime as a bowler, and Harbhajan Singh, my idol (haha, not really) was not far off from being past his prime. Zaheer Khan was the spearhead then, too, but the real difference was in the pace department. There was one RP Singh, who was good enough to keep Ishant Sharma on the bench. An Ishant Sharma, I might add, who would soon do to Ricky Ponting what everyone now does to Ricky Ponting (made myself laugh there). Verdict: batting is stronger, bowling weaker.
As for Australia, their openers then were a still-scoring Matthew Hayden, of whom David Warner looks a fairly similar replacement, and Phil Jaques. Remember him? Where'd he go? He averages 47 in Tests, and his last innings was a century against the West Indies. I'll just assume he beat the selectors at FIFA or something, or whatever the Aussie equivalent of a popular video game is.
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| "Yeah, I beat Hilditch at Didgeridoo Hero. He just wouldn't get over it. It's probably my smirk." |
On to the main feature, then.
India
Squad: MS Dhoni (capt &wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Abhimanyu Mithun, Rohit Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, R Vinay Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Zaheer Khan.
It always seems like there is no worry on the batting front for India. In Australia, this is how India's batsmen have fared:
- Sehwag: 7 matches, 833 runs @ 59.50, 2 hundreds.
- Dravid: 12 matches, 972 runs @ 48.60, 1 hundred (the 233).
- Sachin: 16 matches, 1522 runs @ 58.53, 6 hundreds.
- Laxman: 11 matches, 1081 runs @ 54.04, 4 hundreds.
Gambhir and Kohli have not played in Australia. It's amazes me, on seeing those stats, that we haven't won a series there. It just shows you how much better Australia have been, and that perhaps India have not batted well as a team too often. Dhoni will be a worry as always - he averages 17.62 in the 8 innings he has played in Australia, but we also know that he's a much better batsman than he was in 2008.
If Sehwag can curb his boredom, and if Sachin doesn't allow the century-monkey on his back to prevent him from playing the free, positive game we need from him, runs won't be an issue.
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| "Did he just say monkey? He did, didn't he? Screw you, man." |
There are far too many concerns with the bowling, and I won't believe a word MSD says until I've personally seen Zaheer and Ishant bowl (interesting fact: against Australia, both have a near-identical average, strike rate and economy rate). As much as Umesh Yadav surprised me against the West Indies, I don't think three quicks should be in the XI just for the sake of it. The four best bowlers are Zaheer, Ishant, Ashwin and Ojha, and that's what the combination should be. In my ideal XI, I'd do away with the extra batsmen and go with three quicks and two spinners, because if a top 5 of that caliber doesn't score enough runs, then they don't really deserve to win.
Likely XI: Sehwag, Gambhir, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Kohli, Dhoni (c)(wk), Ashwin, Ishant, Zaheer, Ojha.
Australia
XI: David Warner, Ed Cowan, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (capt), Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin (wk), Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon, Ben Hilfenhaus.
Luckily, I don't have to speculate much on this side, because the XI has already been announced. Phil Hughes, who seemed to have become quite the expert at Nick Cricket (that should be an actual game, I'd buy it), was finally given the boot after taking themoronic brave call to skip the BBL to focus on his game. Unfortunately, this means that he's now stuck at home watching it on the telly, since there are no other matches to play. Usman "Asian wrists" Khawaja was also left out after failing to make anything more than a good impression.
This makes way for new-crab-on-the-block, Eddie Cowan, and the graceful (in a cricket way, not a Black Swan way) Shaun Marsh. Thanks to the IPL, David Warner and Shaun Marsh will know many a member of this Indian side, thus eliminating any advantage of surprise either side may have had in this regard. As for Ed Cowan; in 2008, the domestically prolific (more than Cowan, even) and similarly left-handed Chris Rogers, also began his career at home against India. He only scored 19 runs in that Test, and was never heard from again. Some say that he moved to Sweden and now sells hot dogs (fact: not true). Anyway , Cowan already has a hundred against us, however, so he has already distinguished himself.
The batting looks heavy, even with Ponting - never underestimate his ability to want to score against India. Cap'n Clarke looks in great touch, but Hussey will be the worry for Australia, being vulnerable to good swing, good spin, a cat on rollerskates, any kind of movement, really. Pattinson is still an unknown quantity for us, so I'd watch out for him. We tackled Siddle and Hilfenhaus with ease at home, but this is their backyard, and they will want to push us off their swing as soon as possible (I ran free with that analogy). Hilfenhaus, in particular, has that lovely outswinger that Sehwag and Sachin (and to some extent, Kohli) have been known to not just flirt with, but take out to dinner and movie. It's a fine line with Hilfy though - at his pace, slight aberrations in line and length and he will be taken apart. As for spin, I'm afraid that Nathan Lyon may be in for a whipping, and not the good kind (there is no good kind of whipping). I hope that Australia has the sense not to dump him should this whipping be administered, as was done with Hauritz - this is trial by Fiendfyre (look it up) (warning: it may not be worth it).
Official-looking prediction: 1-1. I will go for a drawn series, much to my own consternation. India's bowling doesn't look like a series-winning one, and neither does Australia's.
Luckily, I don't have to speculate much on this side, because the XI has already been announced. Phil Hughes, who seemed to have become quite the expert at Nick Cricket (that should be an actual game, I'd buy it), was finally given the boot after taking the
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| No, Mark Nicholas, these are Asian wrists. |
The batting looks heavy, even with Ponting - never underestimate his ability to want to score against India. Cap'n Clarke looks in great touch, but Hussey will be the worry for Australia, being vulnerable to good swing, good spin, a cat on rollerskates, any kind of movement, really. Pattinson is still an unknown quantity for us, so I'd watch out for him. We tackled Siddle and Hilfenhaus with ease at home, but this is their backyard, and they will want to push us off their swing as soon as possible (I ran free with that analogy). Hilfenhaus, in particular, has that lovely outswinger that Sehwag and Sachin (and to some extent, Kohli) have been known to not just flirt with, but take out to dinner and movie. It's a fine line with Hilfy though - at his pace, slight aberrations in line and length and he will be taken apart. As for spin, I'm afraid that Nathan Lyon may be in for a whipping, and not the good kind (there is no good kind of whipping). I hope that Australia has the sense not to dump him should this whipping be administered, as was done with Hauritz - this is trial by Fiendfyre (look it up) (warning: it may not be worth it).
Official-looking prediction: 1-1. I will go for a drawn series, much to my own consternation. India's bowling doesn't look like a series-winning one, and neither does Australia's.
Lessons from the Ashes
· Shane Watson: Was one of the rare Australian batsmen who looked comfortable at the crease, till the moment he kept getting out. Unfortunately for him and the team, it was always after he got a start. He was the 2nd leading run getter for Australia with 435 runs at an average of just over 48, but the fact that he didn’t score a single century in 5 tests should give pause to those who think that Watson is a long term prospect as an opener.
· Simon Katich and Phil Hughes: Katich never really got going despite a typical crabby 2nd innings at Adelaide, before injury ruled him out for the rest of the series, and possibly ended his career. Phil Hughes was the shadow of a batsman he was when he made his debut, and he was a horrid replacement for Katich, with his technique laid bare upon stern examination. He might still have a bright future ahead, but he has lots of work to do.
· Ricky Ponting: The strain of becoming the first Aussie skipper to lose three Ashes series resulted in a public meltdown at the MCG. It was sad to see a great player disintegrating before our very eyes, and even as he trudged off in the 2nd innings of that Test after getting his stumps splattered, one could sense that it was probably his last Test innings. He had a terrible series, where he was outscored by Peter Siddle and had only a solitary 50 to his name. The only good thing that happened to him this series was that he didn’t have to be present at the SCG as the losing captain, when Strauss lifted the urn.
A Tale of Two Captains
Classic test series are defined by the men who are in charge. Think of the two best series in recent times - Ashes 2005 and the 2001 Australia tour of India. While players like Flintoff, Harbhajan, Laxman and Hayden deservedly walked away with all the plaudits, their performances were shaped by the men who led them. Men who believed in their abilities and knew how to get the best out of them. Michael Vaughan’s best contribution to English cricket might have been his handling of Big Freddie, who responded to his captain, like he did to no other. Harbhajan and Laxman were backed tirelessly by Ganguly, who was repaid for his unwavering support, with once in a lifetime performances. Likewise, Hayden who was in and out of the team till the 2001 series, credits Steve Waugh for the faith reposed in him, during the tough times. Great performances are dime a dozen, but great leadership is harder to find.
Times have changed since then. Australia is sitting at an unfamiliar position in the rankings, England have managed to develop a semblance of consistency and India are at the top of the table. These teams are well reflected by their leaders.
The inevitable has happened
So India's squad for the home tests against Australia has been picked. Most of it is as expected:
MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, Cheteshwar Pujara, M Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Sreesanth and Amit Mishra.
Gambhir walks back into the opening role, Zaheer is back as the spearhead, and Mithun is out despite showing promise.
The big inclusion, though, is the one I have cleverly italicized, followed by the italicization of 'italicized' for no reason at all.
Cheteshwar Pujara has finally made the cut, by "sheer weight of performance", as Srikkanth puts it. No shit, Holmes. He's still behind Raina and Vijay in the pecking order, but the big 3 aren't going to be around forever. Or maybe they are, if cricketing Botox becomes available soon. Crictox. Bocket.
Anyway, Yuvraj has now been dropped from the Test squad, where most people will agree that he never really belonged. Sure, he's had a couple of decent knocks. But so does Raina, his replacement, in only his debut series.
The Prince (of nothing) was also recently dropped from the ODI squad, though we know it was only rest. So does he, for that matter. First clue? Selectors calling him "India's trump card at the World Cup". He's just. That. Important.
Harbhajan is also back, inspiring me to bring out a new blog feature called "Terrible Metaphor".
Terrible Metaphor
If Harbhajan was milk, he is now Curd. The Curdinator. Something to do with expiry dates, I don't know.
End of Terrible Metaphor
Ojha is the second spinner, or is it Mishra? Who knows - they certainly don't.
Sreesanth is back again. This is a selection I'm pleased about - he still has his original skill set, and is only found wanting in the accuracy department. I'd open with him and Zaheer, definitely. Ishant Sharma is also around, probably just for Ponting. Venkatesh Prasad says he has a great work rate. Yeah, in your pants, Venky. (Inappropriate joke #1)
Heavy batting, thin bowling. Same as ever.
