NZ-Ind ODI Series More Than Simply World Cup Preparation
By Indian Cricket Fever
January 17 2014
The upcoming ODI series against New Zealand is more than just a chance for the Indian team to get much needed practice in conditions that will be similar to those they will face when they return in 2015 to defend their Title as World Champions. It will also be important in India retaining its current No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI rankings.
Australia and England begin a five-match series from 12 January in Melbourne, with both sides having an opportunity to reclaim the number-one position on the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings.
Australia is currently ranked second with 114 ratings points, six ratings behind number-one ranked India, while England is ranked third on 111 ratings points.
Australia was last ranked number-one in July 2012, only to be overtaken by England who held the top position till December 2012.
Australia and England’s rise to the top position however, is dependent on how India fares in its five-match series against host New Zealand, which begins on 19 January in Napier.
For Australia to become number-one: Australia v England (Australia 3-2); New Zealand v India (New Zealand 5-0)
1 Australia 115
2 India 114
3 England 110
7 New Zealand 98 Australia v England (Australia 5-0); New Zealand v India (New Zealand 3-2)
1 Australia 119
2 India 117
5 England 106
7 New Zealand 91
Australia v England (Australia 4-1); New Zealand v India (New Zealand 4-1)
1 Australia 117
2 India 115
4 England 109
7 New Zealand 93
For England to become number-one: Australia v England (England 4-1); New Zealand v India (New Zealand 5-0)
1 England 114
2 India 114
4 Australia 111
7 New Zealand 95 Australia v England (England 5-0); New Zealand v India (New Zealand 4-1)
1 England 117
2 India 115
4 Australia 109
7 New Zealand 93
As can be seen from these scenarios... as long as India win the series against New Zealand, they should be able to keep their No. 1 ranking. However if they lose even 2-3 to New Zealand there is a chance that they will be knocked from that top spot. Of course for that to happen Australia will have to win 5-0 against England. Considering how the Aussies whipped England in the Ashes, this outcome does not seem that unlikely. So India will really have to not take New Zealand lightly and ensure they defeat them, otherwise they may lose their No. 1 ranking.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:03:06:18:10:00 by Birbal.
If the pitches are bowler friendly Indian pacers will be more than enough for NZ batsmen... and if the pitches are flat... Indian bats will rule.
Rohit and Jadeja the BIGGEST culprits... both have become very complacent... Rohit was fumbling ball in the field...and batted 23 balls for 3 before falling to sucker short pitched ball hooking straight to deep square leg...
The guy seemed half asleep during the match...absolutely no intent or energy... what a contrast to Kohli...who looked fiercely focused and switched on...
Jadeja has basically given up on his batting... pathetic sequence of scores for a guy who has two FC triple centuries...
Australia though have a chance still...will depend on whether India get whitewashed or lose 1-4...
Then Dhoni releases pressure.......still even at the 30th over mark....game is even.....but dhoni is losing control and in the last 10 wheels come off
with the bat.....middle order lacks solidity...Nos 4 and 5 especially...I do believe with some run Rahane will come good...raina is under scrutiny
Dhoni just spreads the field and forgets about taking wickets...Very NEGATIVE way of captaining...
Also agree with Birbal's comments on Dhoni's negative tactics in the middle overs. Maybe it's time to make Kohli the captain. The guy is simply in awesome form and confidence, and has that aggressive streak in him which is what this young Indian team need from their leader.
It was interesting that Dhoni said somewhere... very cleverly... that it is too close to World Cup to change captains...in a way acknowledging that his ODI captaincy has not been up to par...
Hopefully he will kick his favorites... Rohit and Suresh... in the backside...so they will perform...
I think Pujara for Rohit and Rayudu for Raina makes sense... Also please, please, please pick either Aaron or Pandey instead of Ishant...
Unless we make fast, bouncy pitches that are NOT conducive to swing in certain parts of the country we are not going to produce hit the deck hard type bowlers, which is really what we are lacking. We have more than enough who can exploit swinging conditions but none like Steyn or Johnson who can prize out wickets independent of the conditions.
I am hopeful that Shami, U Yadav and Aaron can be moulded into bowlers who can excel in all conditions but going by past history of Indian fast bowlers, it wont be long before all 3 of these settle for line and length bowling based on hope that the pitch will reward them with wickets.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:01:21:21:14:13 by MNightShyamalan.
--opponents inspite of being in check or reasonable check at the start.....breaks cuts lose in the last 10 overs and wheels come off.
--then the India opners do not fire.......eat too many balls for too few.....Rohit in particular
--then the middle order has too much left for too late
--and then the lower order's limitations get exposed against bowling in overseas conditions.
--I would put the blame more on bowling though.....just giving away too many runs.....too many trundlers getting to play for India.
Yadav should have played more in SA and Aaron should be playing here and no need for Ashwin to be in the playing 11
I think India lose their No.1 position with the defeat today.
Indian side with Dhoni's stubbornness in team selection is like the English side.....and Einstien's definitions apply to both teams....." insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"
Ashwin needs to go play county cricket and learn to bowl in away conditions.
The joys of being an NZ supporter, a couple of weeks ago in Hamilton the West Indies gave us our second biggest ever ODI loss. Last night we beat the #1 side there.
Both games so far have been very entertaining.
________________
Bring Back Bond.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:01:23:08:46:48 by Donsteppa.
Team India lost its No. 1 ranking in ODI cricket after a year as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Co. suffered a second successive loss against New Zealand at Hamilton on Wednesday. Seeing India's dwindling record overseas of late, cricket expert Sunil Gavaskar says that the team may not be playing the right combination.
Former India skipper Gavaskar says he feels that India must get their playing combination right as the current XI comprising of five specialist batsmen and five bowlers is not working. "India need to look at their playing combination if they have to stay in the series. They've already lost their No. 1 ranking after today's defeat. India need to strengthen their batting by playing an extra batsman. Playing five batsmen and five bowlers is not working at the moment," Gavaskar told NDTV, from Hamilton on Wednesday. (Match in pics)
Apart from Ravindra Jadeja, who can bat and the likes of part-time bowlers like Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, there are very few alternatives that Dhoni can fall back on in order to price out a few quiet overs and the odd wicket. Gavaskar says that the side needs batsmen who can chip in a little more with the ball, thus reiterating the inclusion of Stuart Binny in the line-up.
"Unfortunately, unlike the time when India won the World Cup, when a lot of the batsmen could turn their arms over usefully, like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, this side does not have useful part-time bowlers who can pick wickets and keep the runs down as well. So India must play someone like a Stuart Binny, who can bat at No.6 and bowl as well," the legendary batsman told in an exclusive chat. (Also read: Dhoni wants openers to take more responsibility)
When asked if the Indian skipper is reluctant to change the combination and try out new players, Gavaskar said that the team management, including coach and selection committee must advice the skipper in such times. "Every captain has a sense of belief about certain players. You need someone strong enough in the management to tell him to make those changes and be more open and flexible in matters of selection. For example there was always a talk that left-arm spinners never flourished under Sourav Ganguly's leadership because he himself would smash them around the park. So a captain may be reluctant regarding a particular player but that is where the selection committee and team management must come into the picture and advice the skipper. In this case the coach and selection committee can argue and convince Dhoni about playing a certain player and trying new alternatives," he said. (Related: McCullum happy to clinch key moments)
The 64-year-old also urged that the benched players must be given a chance to showcase their skills now, keeping in mind the 2015 World Cup. "You have got few players in the squad who haven't got an opportunity to play yet and if you will not give them chances to play now, it will be very difficult for them to answer the call in a crucial match in a World Cup. Someone like Amit Mishra is a tourist. How will you find out if he's good enough to play by not giving him a chance. He may go for the same number of runs that the non-performing spinners are going for, but can still pick up wickets," he added. (Kohli's credentials as run-chase specialist on the rise)
Gavaskar also criticized Ishant Sharma's bowling, who continues to disappoint with expensive bowling. "It was evident today that relatively newer fast bowlers like Mohd Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have worked hard and practiced to bowl yorkers and were getting it right. Whereas someone like an Ishant Sharma, who has been playing for five or six years, fails to bowl a single yorker. Either he is unwilling to learn. If that is the case, you should look at someone else who can keep the runs down. With Ishant giving away too many runs, India are bound to fall behind in the game," he said.
Ishant and Rohit are the WEAK links...
As for India, though they are not playing badly, a win will continue to elude them until non-performing players are dropped. The likes of Rohit, Ishant, Ashwin, Raina, and even Dhawan have done nothing since the start of SA tour. It's clear that they are down on form and confidence and at least some of them need to be replaced ASAP. India should even consider bringing back Harbhajan instead of Ashwin for ODI's...his quick flat trajectory will at least keep runs down in the slog overs. India also need a spin bowling coach as I have been saying for a long time. It took even the great Kumble 3-4 years to adjust to bowling in places like SA, Eng, NZ, etc. India need to make use of his service as a bowling coach. The current bowling coach, whoever he is seems to be absolutely useless.
The problem is not this game....under pressure Dhoni will bring in Aaron...in place if Ishant....for now OK.
The problems is Dhoni's irrational love and longing for Ishant...means that at the first even half failure aaron will be dropped.... instead of being given a run of 5 to 7 ODIs)....and Ishant brought back pretending as if there is nothing wrong with him....and forgetting completely his history.
Ishant was dropped against Aus...and then brought back within two games...and look how we are paying the price for that.
and people will remind his one average game vs. SA....and use that as en excuse to pick him through next 20 failures.
the problem with agenda based selections is in adverse overseas conditons where all the 11 are required to pull their weight...the team is caught out when there are 3 "agenda candidates"
Quote:shilpa
In the 3rd ODI it seems Aaron is very likely to play in place of ishant.
The problem is not this game....under pressure Dhoni will bring in Aaron...in place if Ishant....for now OK.
The problems is Dhoni's irrational love and longing for Ishant...means that at the first even half failure aaron will be dropped.... instead of being given a run of 5 to 7 ODIs)....and Ishant brought back pretending as if there is nothing wrong with him....and forgetting completely his history.
Ishant was dropped against Aus...and then brought back within two games...and look how we are paying the price for that.
and people will remind his one average game vs. SA....and use that as en excuse to pick him through next 20 failures.
the problem with agenda based selections is in adverse overseas conditons where all the 11 are required to pull their weight...the team is caught out when there are 3 "agenda candidates"
Yeah , I never understand why he came back to SA when dumped in last series. Yadav is on bench form long time. Im prettry sure Ishant will be back after IPL to Indian team.
Only ONE change... Aaron instead of Ishant...
Hamish Bennet replaces Mills... WHY????
Also the ground is very oddly shaped... the thirdman and fine leg are very very short boundaries...
Ashwin however does a good job...so balances it a bit..
Dhoni's theory is clear bat second.....use bowling to contain as much as possible....and then go out and chase whatever is served on the plate.
some observations
1) Raina...he cannot build innings...cannot get big 70s and 80s.......can't have a No.5 who just does 20s and 30s.
such a role can easily be handed to a bowler who can bat.
2) so we really need one more batter who can hold the innings together Pujara or Tiwary come to mind....maybe Rayadu will be given a chance
3) just because Aaron was expensive doesn't mean Ishant should be back now.
4) Lighting a fire under the backside of Ashwin and pressure from Binny in the wings.... has transformed him ....between Ashwin and Dhoni them they are forcing Ashwin to be turned into an allrounder.....keeping Binny out.
good India should win both the games and hopes Eng pulls out one more win and we are back to a rather meaningless No.1
As for No. 1 it is rather useless we are the reigning World Champions... I remember whenever the Aussies were referred to prior to 2011 it was always the "World Champion Aussies"...
But numbers don't totally lie... and ICC tables say that India is the ONLY team that is in the top 3 of ALL formats of the game... that is something we should toot about a bit more...
Also Rahane is a live wire in the field... yesterday he had another couple of runouts... he is a "wicket taking" option... that guys like Raina used to be... nowadays Raina looks much bulkier and slower...

Now after the Tied ODI India are back to No. 1... no similar hoopla by CI... shows their bias loud and clear...
Quote:Meet_New_Mr_India
^ Raina's days are numbered if he was in any other team.. I am sure he will still keep getting more chances.. Rohit was playing beautifully but as usual his temperament gave it away.. Rahane will come along.. he played well in 2nd ODI.. hopefully Dhoni's words that players should get more chances apply to all the players and not the ones from CSK only..
In India Dhoni can get away driving his agenda...because the FTBs can score and spinners are fefctive.
Overseas we need every one in the 11 to performa...if we have to win.
and if we play an agenda loaded team...we will lose....and dhoni can drive agenda only when winning not when losing.
so Raina has to perform or sooner he will go.
Rahane has to get about 5 unbroken games.....and sooner Dhawan will alo start getting questioned
No discussion on the major change coming up in cricket?
Quote:choor
In the new "Big 3 scenario" - it might be easy for the Big 3 to be in the top 3 for all cricket matches.
No discussion on the major change coming up in cricket?
actually it's no big deal for:
1) It's turning the power equation formally into what it is in reality.....ICC a toothless body formalized
AND
2) public humiliation for SA by srini
