The first match of the ODI series was like a sequel to the test series. India was totally dominated by Srilanka, and never once did they look like gaining control over proceedings. Perhaps India can learn a thing or two about turning the screws on here. How often has India been in a such a position, only to squander it in the middle overs by poor bowling and poor fielding? Yesterday the lankans were relentless.
This could be an ideal opportunity for some of the youngsters to prove that they indeed deserve a place in this side at the expense of the seniors. They have 4 more matches to showcase their skills. But if Dhoni persists with yesterday's batting lineup, it is likely that the result will be similar to the first ODI. I am talking only about the batting lineup here, more specifically about 3 players :
Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh.
Kohli is not cut out to open the innings. And the way he scratched around yesterday, it looks as if he needs to play a fair amount of competetive cricket before turning out for India.
Should be replaced by : Sehwag.
Suresh Raina seems to have all the shots, and is touted to be a player to watch out for. He got a lot of runs in Pakistan recently on dead batting wickets and ordinary bowlers. But unless he develops a tight game, he will always remain someone who will be susceptible to bowlers who think can think him out. I get the feeling he tries to play too many shots, and has to curb his instinct a bit.
Should be replaced by : Badrinath.
Yuvraj Singh is India's most experienced player in this lineup. But his struggle against quality spin bowling is enough to ensure he wont get more than a handful of runs this series. With M and M licking their fingers at the sight of Yuvraj, his confidence will also take a beating if he fails repeatedly, like it happened in Australia. Here is where I feel someone like Yusuf Pathan will come in handly, and can even replace Yuvraj. He can thump the ball as hard as Yuvraj, and can prove handy with the ball as well. He is not picked in this squad for the current series, but India should seriously consider him as an option. Indeed, he could be the David Hussey for India.
Can be replaced by : Yusuf Pathan
It looks as if Sehwag is ruled out of this series. And Yusuf Pathan is not picked for this series. So, by tweaking around a bit with the batting order, get Yuvraj to open the batting with Gambhir. By getting some quick runs initially, he might be in a better frame of mind to face the spinners. Replace Raina with Badri. Badri could lend the much needed solidarity to the middle order. Kohli and Raina miss out. This is a solution for the current series, and the way I see it, it could be the only way India can compete in this series.
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5 comments:
good analysis. i had similar thoughts before the second odi - Think outside the box, MSD
Thanks Sumit. MSD seems to have certain preset notions about his players. He seems to go by instinct a lot, but instinct should not be at the expense of logic. Thats what made Stephen Fleming a good captain. He knew the game and used his knowledge in tandem with his instinct.
msd has redeemed himself. read dhoni da jawab nahin
hey swami, by any chance did you also write abt cricket on channel-w. do visit my blog @ armball.blogspot.com.
i mean i know u if u were in channel-w
w
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