Cricket News: January 2012

IND VS AUS 1st T20 2012:Wounded Tigers to come back strongly in T20

The Test series has been woefully one-sided but Twenty20 tends to close the gap between teams, and Australia and India have each won two matches against each other in the format. As Sydney's Stadium Australia opens its doors to international cricket on February 1 for the first of two Twenty20s, the stakes have been considerably leveled considering India's recruitments and Australia's influx of rookies.

The prospect of facing Brett Lee, Brad Hogg, Daniel Christian and the uncapped James Faulkner should hold some appeal for India, who urgently need to shed their inhibitions and get back to playing winning cricket. For the tourists, the aim is to win something on tour and gain some positive ahead of the tri-series starting February 5. The Test series was marked by inconsistent bowling and under-par batting, but India will hope for a turnaround in fortunes in blue clothing.

Boosting those chances is the presence of a bona fide limited-overs match-winner in Suresh Raina. With an average of 32.38 and strike-rate of 140.48, India's only Twenty20 international centurion is a versatile player whose capabilities with bat and ball are immense for this Indian side. Throw into the mix the presence of Rohit Sharma, who has warmed the bench all tour, and the fresher legs of Ravindra Jadeja and Irfan Pathan, and there is hope for a revival.

Unlike Australia's 14-man unit, India have a 17-man pool to choose from. From the Test attack, Umesh Yadav and Vinay Kumar should lead the way, with offspinner R Ashwin in tow. Whether or not there is place for Irfan and Jadeja remains to be seen. From the Test XI, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli and of course MS Dhoni should also all feature. Getting the openers and captain back into form ahead of the ODIs is imperative for India.

Whereas India's squad contains several members from the 4-0 whitewash, Australia's dramatically changes its look from whites to coloured clothing, with David Warner and Shaun Marsh the only Test players likely to play in Sydney. For Australia, the plan is to see some new players in action with an eye on the future, specifically the ICC World Twenty20 in September, and they are likely to give each player an opportunity in at least one of the games. Aaron Finch, Travis Birt, Daniel Christian, Mitchell Marsh, Xavier Doherty and James Faulkner should play either in Sydney or in the second game in Melbourne, and there will be Caribbean trips up for grabs if they perform well. Victoria's Matthew Wade could do with a strong showing after being named in the squad for Australia's first three matches of the upcoming tri-series, as he pushes for a place as full-time limited-overs' wicketkeeper.

Personnel-wise, the two surprise choices for this series were the naming of Tasmanian George Bailey as captain and the recall of 40-year-old chinaman spinner Brad Hogg. Bailey, who will make his international debut when he leads Australia on Wednesday, has not done much of note with the bat in the past three domestic Twenty20 seasons, but comes highly rated as a leader. He has spoken strongly about how his captaincy record "stands up against anyone" but will need to walk the talk, more so with runs than tactical decisions, considering how Michael Clarke was discarded from the Twenty20 set-up after struggling with the bat. The 29-year-old is seen by the selection panel as the man who has the best chance of leading Australia to success in the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

Hogg, who retired from international cricket three years ago, was a consistent performer in the recently-concluded Big Bash League and has been told by Cricket Australia that his selection against India is purely a one-off. Needless to say, even though Bailey and Hogg are in contrasting positions, there will be much attention on their every action.

The match is a milestone for Stadium Australia, which was built for the 2000 Olympics and seats far more than the SCG. It becomes the 19th venue in Australia to host international cricket, and there is much speculation as to how the drop-in pitch will play.

Probable line-ups:

Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Aaron Finch, 4 David Hussey, 5 George Bailey (captain), 6 Travis Birt, 7 Daniel Christian, 8 Matthew Wade (wk), 9 Brad Hogg, 10 Brett Lee, 11 James Faulkner.

India: 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 MS Dhoni (captain, wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja/Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Vinay Kumar, 11 Umesh Yadav.

IND VD AUS 1st T20 live streaming

Probable line-ups:

Dhoni is still best bet for Test captaincy, says Gavaskar

NEW DELHI: Sunil Gavaskar feels Mahendra Singh Dhoni is still the best bet for India's captaincy and wants the BCCI to wait for some time before zeroing in on the candidate who might take over from him in future.

Criticised for his unimpressive captaincy and performance in Test cricket, Dhoni has offered to quit the leadership role in the longer format of the game if the BCCI feels there is a better replacement waiting in the wings.

However, Gavaskar feels there is nothing to hurry and Dhoni is still the best bet for the job. "Dhoni obviously must have felt deeply the 4-0 loss of India. So what he wanted to say is that he is ready to play under a captain if the BCCI can get one, and that is exactly what you expect from a team man like him," Gavaskar told 'NDTV'.

"In my view he is still the best bet for the job, there are of course a couple of candidates but BCCI should wait for a couple of seasons as Mahi himself said may be till 2013 so that we can have a better idea of the candidates who are likely to take over from him in future," he added.

Asked if India should opt for three different captains for three different formats, Gavaskar said: "If you have somebody to captain all three formats, nothing like it, really because there would be no division of command.

"If you have a captain for each format of the game then the common players in all the formats will get confused because of the division of command," he said.

Asked if the 0-4 Test loss against Australia will be forgotten if India do well in the ODIs, Gavaskar said: "No, I don't think it's likely to happen. Every team and player is rated by how they do in Test, which is the highest level. It is a Test victory which matters to real cricket lovers."

However, Gavaskar said if India fare well in the ODIs, it will give selectors a fair idea of players who have the right temperament and who could be looked at for future.

"If India do well, it will give us an idea about players who can be looked at for future. Because in 50 overs, one can have a better look of players who can play under pressure and have a good temperament," he said.

Dhoni Ready To Quit Test captaincy If Needed

SYDNEY: Facing severe criticism for his unimpressive captaincy and performances in Test cricket, under-fire Mahendra Singh Dhoni has offered to quit the leadership role in the longer format of the game if the BCCI feels there is a better replacement waiting in the wings.

Dhoni said if somebody could do a better job than him in Tests, then he will be more than happy to step down as captain for the sake of the team.

"It (captaincy) doesn't belong to anyone. It's a position I hold, and it's an added responsibility. I always like to do well till I am in job but it's not something I want to stick to. If there is a better replacement, he can come in," Dhoni said on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's first Twenty20 game Australia.

"At the end of the day, you want India to perform. If there is someone who can do a better job, captaincy should be given to him. It's not something you have to cling on to," said Dhoni as speculation grew over his Test future both as a batsman and captain.

Dhoni now has lost seven straight Test matches abroad as captain and as a batsman, his stocks have really fallen low on foreign pitches.

While he made 220 at 31.43 from four Tests in England, he scored 102 from six innings of three Tests at 20.40 on the present tour.

"The responsibility was given to me three-and-a-half years ago. I am trying to fit into the shoes, get along with the team and perform well."

Dhoni had earlier dropped hints during the Test series that he might leave Test cricket altogether by 2013 to make himself available the 2015 World Cup.

"It's two years to 2013. I don't know whether I would still be alive! There would be IPL, Champions League, back-to-back series. It's not a calendar you can decide in advance or if there is a lot of rest", Dhoni said.

"I would have to decide by 2013 but it's two years away. I can't say in 2014 that I am not playing next World Cup and give a player of 25-odd matches (a chance to prove)," he said.

Dhoni, however, made it clear that his journey as a Test cricketer was far from over but believed the decision was not entirely in his hands.

"I am still on my way (through the journey). I haven't reached anywhere. But it's not an individual who decides, it's others who decide whether you are good enough or not.

"As a player, I am giving my 100 per cent. I am still doing what I was doing. Test cricket is real cricket, but I am not discarding other formats. Every format has its own challenges," he said.

The India captain made a tongue in cheek remark about the dressing room, which according to him is humming with the noise and bubble of the youngsters -- much in contrast to the staid, sober and solemn environment when the seniors were around.

"Our one-day squad looks very different. It's lot more noisy and lift the dressing room atmosphere. People pull each other's legs and it's more lively. It's very, very different," he said.

"It's like you have come from Kishore Kumar to Sean Paul! It's that kind of difference. It's very noisy. It's a very different generation of players.

"As for me, I keep adjusting. A mix of everything is good. From classical to rap music of latest version," he said.

Without mentioning any names, Dhoni also took pains to emphasise the importance of senior players in the team and said the criticism coming at their door after the Test debacle was unjust.

"Age is just a number. If people keep scoring runs, nobody would talk about it. When you don't score runs, everything comes out --- how fast you can run, your turning speed. But we don't get worried about it."

Looking ahead, Dhoni expects good performances from the team in the shorter formats of the game over the next few weeks.

"(Suresh) Raina and (Virat) Kohli have been around. Then there is Rohit Sharma who is very talented but not part of our Test side, we are not able to give him adequate chances," he said.

Despite the presence of promising youngsters in the team, India fared miserably in the last two Twenty20 World Cups, losing all super league games in England and the West Indies. The next one is due in Sri Lanka later this year.

And Dhoni singled out the absence of a seaming-all-rounder as the sole missing link in his team.

"A lot depends on where you are playing. If you are playing in the sub-continent, spinners become vital. The wicket slows down a bit and even part-timers can have a bowl.

"When it comes to England and Australia, it changes. We don't have a perfect seam bowling all-rounder and it would have really balanced out the side. Then we could have five bowlers who can be really effective," he viewed.

Dhoni was full of praise for all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who has started to make his impression felt as a multidimensional player, but said it would be wrong to compare the Saurashtra player with Yuvraj Singh.

"Jadeja has begun to contribute (like Yuvraj). He gives us a similar kind of balance. He more often than not bowls his 10 overs and is good enough to bat at number 6 of 7. We can play three fast bowlers and two spinners," he said.

"But it's difficult to replace Yuvraj Singh who changes his batting style according to the situation in the game," Dhoni said.

The skipper also feels that India is a better fielding side in limited overs games.

"We have improved as a fielding side, especially in ODIs. To stop batsmen from taking a quick single and the opportunity to run him out is critical in T20s and ODIs," Dhoni said.

"Fortunately, I have players who from infield go to boundary in slog overs without a hassle. I am not too worried about the right fielder at the right position."

Dhoni underlined the importance his team attaches to the two Twenty20 games in Sydney and Melbourne this week.

"We don't get to play too many Twenty20 Internationals. We need to make the most of it. We must not yet think about the ODIs. We would look to win this game (Sydney)."

The Indians were thwarted in their bid to get ready for the game as they found out damp practice pitches at the venue, ANZ Stadium, on Monday.

"We would have liked to go out there and spend more time. The wickets were damp and we were not able to practice. The outfield will be very important. It's not a cricket ground and the sand content is more (in the outfield)," Dhoni said.

India's World Cup-winning captain also emphasised that it is not easy to shift from one format to another in a short space of time.

"It's not easy to shift to a different format. The five-day format to T20 over game or vice versa is difficult. It's a different challenge," Dhoni insisted.

"You have to adapt really well in this game. You have to be ahead of the bowler, what he's looking to do and be the first one to play shots and score runs."

Dhoni believed it wasn't easy to be on the top of your game always in cricket.

"It's a sport where you will not be at the top always. There are constant phases of ups and downs, our sport has a lot of variables. Just one mistake and you could be out. You may be in best of form but it's no guarantee. All players are the top level are good enough to perform at international level," he said.

Asked about Australia's present Twenty20 unit, especially Brett Lee, 40-year-old spinner Brad Hogg and captain George Bailey who was part of the Chennai Super Kings squad in the IPL, Dhoni had good things to say about the trio.

"He's (Lee) a very good bowler with plenty of experience. He's always experimenting, always trying to come up with deliveries which can help contain (the batsmen). He bowled well in Big Bash (League) and he's quick and also has variations when it's needed.

"He's among the top few. (Lasith) Malinga would be up there with his slinging action too which is very difficult to pick," Dhoni said.

"Bailey has been with Chennai Super King. I've interacted with him and he's an interesting character. He plays strokes, is intelligent and understands the game well.

"(As for Hogg), the spinners are like wine. They more they age, the better they get. It would be a nice contest between youngsters and him."