'Ganguly should coach Team India'

Hi folks,
I am particularly impressed with some Indian talent which has come up during both the ICL and IPL. TP Singh from ICL really looks good. However, coming back to IPL Indian many players have showcased their talent on the big stage. None better than Ashoke Bhimchandra Dinda.

This lad is nippy and has an economy of 6 RPO in a tournament where bowlers have struggled to keep a stranglehold on the batsmen. In this form of the game, having an run rate of 6 RPO shows this lad has some talent in him.
After 7 matches and bowling 138 runs for 5 wickets and an average of 27.6 this guy surely can bowl. Looking halfway through the tournament, only Yuvraj Singh (Kings XI Punjab), Sourav Ganguly(Kolkatta Knight Riders), Sohail Tanvir(Rajasthan Royals) and David VijayKumar(Deccan Chargers) are having better economies than Dinda. However, all the bowlers in the list have bowled significantly lesser amount of overs than Dinda. The next best economy rate is Glenn McGrath who in 7 matches for the Delhi Daredevils has bowled 28 overs (goes to show he has bowled his full quota every time), bowled 2 maiden overs (one of them was a wicket maiden) conceding 171 runs and bagging 6 wickets. McGrath’s economy rate is 6.10 at an average of 24.42.
Nonetheless if a bowler is ahead of Glenn McGrath in economy after playing equal number of matches he certainly has something.

What makes it difficult to play Dinda is his high “kangaroo” jump action. It is his action itself which gives him the nip in his bowling, taking into account his height. It takes a while for a batsman to get used to him, quite similar to Sohail Tanvir. These two bowlers in fact have lot of similarity between them.
Both are nippy, both have an awkward action and both bowlers need time to get used to. Which in turn works at their advantage as T20 just doesn’t have the time. Moreover, both of them open the bowling and with the field restrictions on, batsman are looking to capitalize. However, what makes Dinda stand out is his more than nippy bouncer. He can really get the bowl to rise on the batsman and if it’s well directed can get the batsman in trouble.

Dinda now needs to learn a few more tricks of trade. Aged 24, it’s only his temperament that can militate against his success. He should learn to keep himself calm under pressure and maintain his composure. If we are looking for a guy to bowl first change for India I think he {though Ranadeb Bose might be a good contender well} might be a very good option. Dinda must also learn that it’s good to be tacit sometimes. One more thing that concerns me about Dinda, is his wicket taking abilities. He has got 5 wickets and I want him to add more to the tally. Bowlers, however, economical they are must be able to take wickets. He would probably learn that in time that wicket taking is an art rather than a science as Wasim Akram says.

Finally, it’s clear Ganguly’s backing has bought this little man here or rather another little man here. According to few of my friends from Bengal{who are close family friends of Dinda}, Dinda has been completely supported by Ganguly financially. Ganguly bore his expenses for a training camp in Australia where Dinda must have learnt quite a few things and developed into the bowler he is today. He comes from a small family from Midnapur district and his family isn’t a well off. He was a last minute addition to the Kolkatta Knight Riders side {needless to say due to Ganguly} and has certainly proved worth every penny spend on him. Another example of Dada’s generosity.

I would just go to add that Ganguly certainly can’t be the captain any longer but he can be the future coach for Team India, considering the interest he has shown to coach as well. On a lighter note, I think he now knows where the power lies.

Fab4 in T20

With Sourav Ganguly having a string of low scores in T20 comes to debate the point of the “older” generation playing T20.
A lot has been talked about VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid but the other member of the club Sourav Ganguly has actually not done much as well. It all brings on the question of whether the senior players can play T20. Sachin has yet to make a debut in the IPL and it would be wise to leave him out of the discussion {for the moment at least}. So what’s causing these players not to score?

There are conglomeration of factors. However, the most deciding factor of them is the “mental” mindset. We all know Ganguly can be explosive on any given day but the kind of mindset that T20 demands is a little different. In ODI’s too you have the field setup inside the 30-yard circle but it’s for a longer duration of time {15overs earlier-20 overs now}. So you can afford to play yourself in, even if that means using up and over or two. In T20 though, 1 or 2 overs can change the course of a match drastically. So there isn’t any time for them to settle down. Since, that has been their game play ever since they started playing cricket it’s quite difficult now the change it. VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid might not look T20 players but they have it in them to score at a brisk rate and they have done it in ODI’s too. But the “mind game” factor comes into picture which makes these great players, including Ganguly, look ordinary.

No doubt these players had opted out of the T20 WC2007 in South Africa as they felt that it was a young generation game. Has it all of a sudden become an “all generation” game. This question can only be answered by the BCCI. According to me, BCCI has made these players compulsory play the IPL just to give it an initial face lift. Considering the fact that most of these players are icon players just buttresses the fact.
Currently, the only batsman to look like scoring in the IPL T20 is Sachin Tendulkar. It may be because he hasn’t played a game plus to the belief {can be called as a fact} that he can do anything on the field makes it more likely. Sourav Ganguly follows in at second place but it’s highly improbable that he might have a long lasting impact with his batting. VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid seem like not making an impact at all.

However, with the drain of foreign players the second phase of the IPL might see the ‘fab4’ rise like a phoenix from the ashes

Lesser known teams have an equal chance

So, it’s finally proved. You don’t need a heavy star-cast to win; what you need is attitude and of course some amount of luck.

This was proved by the Rajasthan Royals triumphing over a much stronger {or so called} Kings XI Punjab.

They almost outplayed the Kings in all departments be it bat, bowl or field. Led by an inspirational captain Shane Warne they really got under the skin of the Kings. Warne himself lead from the front by picking up 3-19 in his stipulated 4 overs. He could have had a couple more had Lehmann latched on to an opportunity provided by Yuvraj when he was on 15. Yuvraj went on to make 55 which actually allowed Kings to reach a respectable total of 166. Warne also made an inspirational bowling change in D Salunkhe who got the wicket of Jayawardene stumped. Warne also got Sangakkara out who was looking quite dangerous after hammering 19 runs from just 6 balls. I think it was the turning point of the match.

The Kings would have certainly got themselves into more trouble had the Royals took the opportunities which came along. Lehmann and Kaif dropped two chances from the bat of Yuvraj who was ultimately the highest scorer from the Kings.

Kamran Akmal provided some balance to the side by his batting and glove work. Shane Watson played a really mature innings. He looked to rotate the strike capitalizing on deliveries which were either too full or too short. It ultimately paid rich dividends. Watson was the man who played a major role in Australia winning their first ever Champion’s Trophy in India a couple of years back. People might have forgotten this kid but he’s the one to watch out for.

With the arrivals of Graeme Smith, Morne Morkel and T20 specialist Demitri Mascarenhas I am sure Rajasthan Royals have much more to offer than people think of.

Kings XI Punjab have to get a few combinations right. James Hopes bowling looks really vulnerable and batsmen have taken full advantage of it. The batting looks weak too. Sangakkara has looked good in patches but has never made a final impact on the game. Yuvraj has batted well in both games. The bowling doesn’t look pretty either. Apart from Brett Lee no KingsXI bowler has made an impact on the games. Piyush Chawla certainly looks out of sorts in this form of the game. Kings XI need to have a better strategy and as of now they are getting predictable.

Finally, all those who have already made their semi-final line ups comprising of the Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils will have to wait a little more longer. The Royal Challengers and the Rajasthan Royals have certainly given them a few headaches to have their line ups thought again!