No excuses, Team India was horrible

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India's five-wicket loss to Bangladesh is perhaps the most horrible and humiliating defeats I have ever seen. We planned badly, batted poorly and there is absolutely no excuse we can fall back on. While Sourav Ganguly played the right shots, the others could not back him up. If Ganguly's and Yuvraj Singh's strategy of settling in and playing across field could work, it's difficult to understand why the others could not follow suit. Which brings me to another significant point - the role of Virendra Sehwag. Now, one cannot blame Sehwag for playing wrong all the time. Maybe he should take a break from One Day cricket and not play at all for some time. But that said, I should reiterate that the way we planned our batting was absolutely ridiculous. India are considered "world's best batting lineup" and are supposed....

It's a moral victory for Team India

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The Antigua Test can easily be described as one of the best Test matches in the recent times. Despite the disappointing draw, I would say that Team India played well, capitalised on their strengths, overcame their weaknesses and put up a good show. However, I feel - and as I have asserted through this match - that Harbhajan Singh was sorely missed. He should have played this match for two very simple reasons. Firstly, Bhajji could have come real handy considering the hereditary weakness of the Windies to succumb under pressure. It has been West Indies' weak point since the days of Clive Llyod. Secondly, during the second half of the Test, a spinner or an off-spinner could have restricted Windies easily as they tend to get nervous under pressure. A batsman playing a....

Team India's attitude very disappointing

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It was a very disappointing last-match loss for India. The least everyone expected of the match was a decent fight from a team that was already down in the series. What perhaps went against Team India was the wrong decision on the toss itself. Had I been the skipper, I would never have elected to field first. Having played on the track before, India should have realised that the wicket tends to slow down during the day. The ball was turning and India could have gone ahead, batted and put up a fighting total. That said, it's important to understand that no team can succeed in a match if the top order fails to fire. If a batting side, considered to be one of world's strongest, fails to put up a winning show despite going out with seven batsmen,....

Team India: From deadly to vulnerable

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India's defeat in the Trinidad ODI can be attributed to a highly unplanned batting strategy. I don't know if it could be called an unimaginative gameplan, but it was surely a half-hearted effort. After the quick loss of early wickets, it was up to Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif to stablise the innings. But both of them failed to do it and did not keep the momentum going. This is where Team India is different from Australia. Even if Australians suffer early blows, they not only survive them, but also overcome them. They manage to maintain the tempo and do not lose focus. Indians, on the other hand, crumble like a pack of cards immediately after losing the initial few wickets. They do not know how to get out of the trouble that....

Losing the match a blessing in disguise

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The second One-Dayer did not go the way India wanted. In the end the hosts won the match by the narrowest of the margins. However, this match would have taught the youngsters in the Indian team many lessons. The first and foremost being you cannot relax even if the target looks small. Secondly and most importantly that it is very important to keep your cool when the team is under pressure and not throw away the wickets by playing rash shots. For the first time in recent times, India will be under pressure in an ODI series. In the match Indian pacers gave a brilliant start. Both Irfan Pathan and Ajit Agarkar bowled full and got the movement off the air that troubled the West Indians. In the first match the bowlers were guilty of bowling shot and were punished by Chris Gayle. In the second....

A Captain's knock

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India's victory against the West Indies in the nail-biting one-dayer was certainly a well-deserved one. Skipper Rahul Dravid definitely walked away with the honours for having played a captain's knock with all authentic, copy-book shots, and holding the team to together. Dravid displayed all skills of a confident skipper, anchored the innings and did not get desperate to put runs on board despite losing Yuvraj early on. The way Yuvraj lost his wicket could have easily brought down the confidence of the team. But Dravid with all his gritty character and textbook techniques, kept the momentum going and made sure the run rate never got out of hand. His knock of 105 can be easily described as a very mature innings, and no wonder he's called the Cool Wall of Cricket. What worked in his favour was the fact that....

Team India's young blood

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Young players in Team India have proved that they deserve their place. The team has now several options when it comes to one-day cricket, and that's a good sign. India's win at Indore proved again that new players can be depended upon. Chasing 289 without Virender Sehwag and Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a tough ask. I think India's chase was fantastic considering that the batting line-up was a bit inexperienced today. Debutant Robin Uthappa was asked to open and he fit the bill perfectly. I think his knock was fantastic. He gave India a great start and never looked in trouble. He was never nervous and played his natural game. Uthappa's confidence helped India to maintain a steady run rate. For support Uthappa had the most calculating batsman in the game: Rahul Dravid. The captain supported the debutant and took the pressure off him. Dravid was Uthappa's....

Indian batsmen failed

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India has already won the ODI series against England, but the defeat at Jamshedpur means they can't be complacent. The track was perfect for batting but they lost. The team is trying too many experiments, and that proved costly today. India should have played at least one more experienced medium pacer. But I would not blame the bowlers. The batsmen failed on a track that was perfect for batting. Indian batsmen didn't apply themselves and played poorly. It was an ideal wicket for stroke-playing, and players should have used this to establish themselves. Venugopal Rao let go a great opportunity to prove himself. M S Dhoni put up a fight, and he was great. When he started batting I thought he would go for 150 or 170. He had to curb himself because of early loss of wickets. It was a restrained knock by his own standards. ....

Players play for pride

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It was very sad day for the players as after waiting for half of the day the match was called off. Robin Uthappa was expected to make his debut and even some of the newcomer like RP Singh and Munaf Patel would have been looking for a nice outing in the middle. However, it is never easy for a newcomer to wait in the dressing room not knowing when the match would start while the established players have the fun. Today also Pathan and Dhoni enjoyed a fun ride in the helicopter and it was good to see them in a relaxed mood. Though many people have been saying that after winning the One-Day series India will take things lightly but I can confidently say that players play for pride more than anything else. Sehwag had also pointed out that India will now look at....

England is a one-man batting army

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England have been totally out played in the One-Day series though Team India, too, is not in the best of the form. The visitors have not been able to bat for the full quota of 50 overs even once in the series and Kochi match proved no different. In today's match Kevin Pietersen showed that England is a one-man batting army with an occasional support from Andrew Flintoff. Pietersen played a good knock on a slow and turning wicket but was out to a very rash stroke. When he was at the crease, Indian bowlers were totally clueless and hoping for a mistake from the batsman. Pietersen obliged them with a pre-mediated sweep shot that ballooned up in the air and Yuvraj took an easy catch. Flintoff also went back soon and after that it was clear that England innings would came to a premature end. ....