Virat Kohli and Saurav Ganguly did the unthinkable by bringing day
night test cricket to India. Kolkata will host the second test between
India and Bangladesh which will officially be the first day night test
played by India from November 22 to 26. It was on Nov 27, 2015 when
the first ever day night test match took place between Australia and
New Zealand. It just took a week for the new BCCI president Saurav
Ganguly to take the initiative and Indian test captain Virat Kohli
just three seconds for the nod of approval.
Ganguly has always been toying with the idea of day night test
cricket. Dwindling crowds due to lack of interest in the longer format
of the game, as well as lack of time for the public to be at the
stadium from nine to five, due to a busy work schedule, has finally
led to this development.
Challenges facing day night test cricket
With the winter setting in it is going to be a huge challenge to have
a successful day night test match. Saurav Ganguly has left no stone
unturned in marketing this test match. Bangladesh team which initially
had reservations touring India due to their issues with board finally
agreed. The former India captain has lot of plans from inviting
sportsperson from various fields, politicians from both countries as
well as players who played the first test match between both teams in
2000. The last thing Ganguly would want is a test match marred due to
conditions not being suitable for play.
Dew and ball conditions
The biggest factor as Sachin Tendulkar pointed out will be the dew
factor. The pink SG ball which is going to be used instead of the red
ball for better visibility will have to be in good shape for 80 overs
as to avoid change of ball. The bowlers might struggle to grip the
ball due to the dew factor thus leading to a batsman friendly
encounter. An early start should help but the third session on each
day will be played at night which would be challenging. Above all the
turn out of the crowd will be very important. Ticket prizes are
supposed to be as low as Rs 50. Prince of Kolkata as Saurav is fondly
called will want full houses for this first day night encounter so as
to make this test match a memorable one and also a start of many more
day night test matches to come in the near future.
Players hold the key
Above all though the players will have the final say on how the
experience was playing in this test match and whether this has a
future in India. Till then it is fingers crossed for everyone
concerned. India being a power house in World cricket will be the
major driving force whether it was the success of the fifty over
format after their victory in 1983 or the twenty over format after
their win in their inaugural 2007 World cup.
Ravi Shastri has his task cut out
With the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shanta Rangaswamy making Ravi Shastri the coach of the Indian Cricket team till September 2021 he will have his task cut out in helping the Indian team win the T20 World Cup and the World Test Championship.
Tests and T20s are the key
India having got knocked out of the odi World Cup in the semi-final stage would want to make amends in the other two formats. Ravi Shastri along with the Indian captain Virat Kohli will want to win every test series, home or away, starting from the first test against West Indies on August 22 as this series is the start of the World test championship for them. While the Ashes is underway in England with Australia leading the series 1-0 after the first two matches, Sri Lanka hosting New Zealand have won the first test.
Challenges ahead of the team
Ravi Shastri will have two fold challenges. First to figure out the best T20 side going into the World Cup at Australia same time next year. India is yet to win a T20 World Cup since the inaugural edition in 2007. Ravi Shastri will need to build a T20 side which is similar to the 2007 T20 World Cup team. A bunch of fearless hard hitting batsman combined with specialist T20 bowlers should be a given. With the biggest league in the World in the IPL, India have yet to find a winning combination for the big event.
Allrounders are the need of the hour
In a format like T20 allrounders would be the key with lower order hitting being a must. With players like Krunal Pandya and Washington Sundar being tried in the recent series against West Indies the team management realizes the importance of multi dimensional players ahead of the World Cup. The IPL next year might give more options going forward.
Fight for the inaugural World Test Championship trophy
Captain Virat Kohli who is yet to lead a T20 World cup will have his sights set on the World test Championship as well. It would be a double whammy if he manages to pull of both the trophies in the next two years. Virat has got the coach he wanted in Ravi Shastri. Inspite of extraordinary performances with the bat under Shastri, the results as a captain have yet to come. Losses in test series in South Africa and England followed by the the recent setback in the World Cup have not helped matters. The only silver lining is the away series win against Australia tfor the first time ever this year. Going forward, India will host South Africa followed by challenging away tours to Australia and New Zealand and a home series against England.
Time to deliver
There will be no excuses for the coach and captain. With such a packed schedule and big trophies up for grabs, Virat and Shastri will want to hit the ground running. Last but not the least they will also have to take the toughest decision on the future of the former captain and wicket keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Big loss of South Africa
Retirements of batsman Hashim Amla and fast bowler Dale Steyn (only from tests) last week have dealt a huge blow for South African cricket. Two legends after serving South Africa for more than a decade finally decided to hang their boots leaving a huge void to fill for South African cricket.
Steyn to continue in shorter formats
Steyn though will continue to represent South Africa in the shorter formats. It should be a slight relief for South Africa as Dale Steyn with regular injury issues was struggling to play the five day format. So to play ODI’s and T20s after missing out of the World Cup due to injury must have been a huge decision. Steyn wanted to represent South Africa in one format or other as he had missed out on playing lot of cricket in the last couple of years due to injuries.
Highest wicket taker for SA in tests
A terrific swing bowler Dale Steyn had competition from Morne Morkel who retired last year. Both were a terrific new ball duo. Inspite of sharing spoils with him, Dale Steyn had a terrific test record. To finish with 439 test wickets, the most by a South African, from just 93 test matches at an average of 22.9 and a strike rate of 42.4 makes him one of the greats of the game. However a World Cup has eluded him and one can’t see him playing the ODI World Cup four years down the line. But he will continue to entertain in the shorter formats and that would be a big relief to his millions of fans.
An amazing journey for Hashim Amla
Another South African cricketer to hang his boots from all forms of the game was Hashim Amla. Amla’s unorthodox technique had a fair share of critics. His weakness against the short ball initially didn’t help him either. But he fought through it and finished with 9282 runs from 124 tests at an average of 46.41. In 2012, his innings of 311 against England at The Oval made him the first South African to score a triple century.
Excellent ODI record
Amla had a even better record in ODI’s becoming the fastest to reach 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 runs. He finished with an average of close to 50 and over 8000 ODI runs. Like Dale Steyn and many South African greats Amla could not win a World Cup. He along with Jaque Kallis, Graeme Smith, AB Devilliers and Faf Du Plessis formed a strong batting line up for South Africa.
Dale Steyn and Hashim Amla were part of a South African team which were a dominant force all over the world in test cricket. South Africa will now have to find replacements, which would be a herculean task, keeping in mind the quality of cricketers who have called it quits.
India faces stiff challenge
The World Test Cricket Championship has begun with the Ashes. With this the India’s tour of West indies has assumed much more relevance. The T20 leg begins at Florida on Aug 3. Three match T20 series will be followed by three ODI’s and two test matches.
Rift wide open
The run up to the series has been far from ideal. Indian Captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s rift has assumed massive proportions. The press briefing held by Virat and coach Ravi Shastri has failed to ally the fears. Both of them called the rift nonsense and figment of everyone’s imagination. They also did not like the way the families were being dragged into the whole issue.
Social media shadow boxing
Rohit is yet to say anything on the issue. The social media has its own pros and cons. Rohit unfollowing Virat and his wife Anushka Sharma on Instagram. Her reaction with a cryptic tweet. Rohit and Virat not posing with each other during various photos that have been taken in Forida. All these negativity have just added fuel to fire with regards to the equation between the two players. The latest tweet of Rohit indicating that the country comes first, ahead of the team, has sent tongues wagging on whether it was a dig at the coach who said no one was bigger than the game.
Not a test certainty
Rohit Sharma for all his social media antics is yet to establish himself at the test level. While Virat is one of the best in the world, Rohit is yet to get his white ball form to red ball cricket. Ajinkya Rahane is the test deputy. It is very important for a good team environment for Rohit Sharma to perform well along with Virat Kohli in the test matches. It would not take much time for Virat to remove Rohit if he does not perform. Rohit will have only himself to blame and no one else.
West Indies favourites
West Indies will hold the edge in the T20 format as they are the current champions. With big hitters in their line up, it will be a task for the Indian bowlers to stop them. Kuldeep and Chahal do not figure in the T20 format and that should help the Windies. It will be interesting to see how the home team perform in the odi’s after a disastrous World Cup.
Out of depth in tests
West Indies may have beaten England at home in the test series but are still finding their feet in the five day format. It will be interesting to see how they cope up against the number one test team in the world. But it will be the shorter formats first and a easy way for them to get into the groove.
India will want unity in the team as the foremost quality. Players have to put a united front against a strong West Indies T20 side so as to shut the rumors that are doing the rounds for the past two weeks.
Battle for the urn begins
Australia and England will fight for the Ashes from August 1 at Edgbaston. Australia have not won a series in England for the past eighteen years. World champions England, who just had a minor scare against Ireland in the one off test match at Lords last week, will want to set certain things right ahead of the first test.
Top order woes
England will have their job cut out with the retirement of opener Alistair Cook. The legendary opener with more than ten thousand test runs was a rock for England at the top of the order. England have yet to find two solid openers to take the pressure of the middle order. Jason Roy, with a brilliant ODI career till now, found the going tough in his first test against Ireland under challenging conditions. His partner Rory Burns and number three batsman Joe Denly are yet to establish themselves at this level. This leaves Captain Joe Root along with Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes and Jos Butler with a task at hand if there is a top order collapse.
A strong fast bowling unit
England have filled their squad with six fast bowlers in, Anderson, Broad, Sam Curran, Woakes, Stone and Jofra Archer along with allrounder Ben Stokes. This will be their strength if they have to regain their ashes this summer.
Australia have their task cut out
Australia, which won the ashes 4-0 at home last time around, will be under tremendous pressure going into the series. After losing a one sided semi-final at the World Cup last month, albeit a different format to England, the home side is still more balanced. Australia in the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner lost the series at home for the first time against India.
Tim Paine’s captaincy under scrutiny
Wicket Keeper Tim Paine who took over the captaincy due to ban on Smith and Warner needs to lead from the front. His batting has not lived up to the expectations and he would need it to come to the party to help Australia retain at the Ashes. With the best of teams failing to beat England in the last eighteen years on their home soil this inexperienced Australian team would need to play out of their skins to defeat England.
All eyes on Warner and Smith
After a one year ban, the two most experienced players in the side Warner and Smith would want to make a massive impact with the bat in the series. Warner, who who gave a good account of himself in the World Cup, will need the support of Smith and Khawaja as the lower middle order is extremely brittle. Both Warner and Smith would know that they would be facing hostile crowds right through the series.
Bowling will be the key
Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc along with comeback men James Pattinson and Peter Siddle would be the key to Ashes success. Off spinner, Nathan Lyon who is the lone spinner will have to shoulder responsibility from one end and make a big impact going forward in the series.
England will start favorites
On the whole England, playing at home would carry the momentum going forward after winning the World Cup two weeks back. With most players in their team having just lifted the World Cup, the team would be desperate to get the urn back.
54 titles and counting
Three modern tennis greats Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are at each others throats for the past decade. A never seen before rivalry between the three during the same era, with a sum total of 54 Grand Slam titles between them, is astonishing.
What makes them tick
The ability of all the three players to play on any surface and a competitive streak in them has helped them keep the competition at bay. With no one close to them as far as their ability to win grand slams is concerned it has become a three way race to who will finish on top of the list.
Time is running out
One of the modern greats with 20 titles under his belt, Roger Federer leads the pack. Age is catching up with the Swiss International. He is finding it increasingly difficult to win Grand Slams the way he used to during his prime. Nadal on clay and Djokovic in grass are giving him tough times.
In one of the best Wimbledon finals that went close to five hours Roger Federer failed to close the match inspite of having two championship points in the fifth set. Djokovic showed tremendous fighting spirit and calmness to stretch the final set to a tie-breaker thereby winning the final.
It is a altogether a different story at the French Open where it is a one horse race. Nadal has no competition with 12 titles to his credit
How long will Federer continue is anybody’s guess. With the last Grand Slam, the U.S. Open coming next, Federer who will be 38 next month will be pondering over retirement like the way Dhoni who is his age is doing right now.
Fitness a concern for Nadal
If there is one issue that has dogged Nadal throughout his career is his injuries. After his record 12th French Open, a one sided win over Federer in the semi-final, Nadal once again failed to get going at the Wimbledon. With age by his side he needs to keep his fitness intact to catch up with Federer as far as Grand slam titles is concerned. With 18 Grand Slam titles at his disposal Nadal would target the U.S. Open next month and get past Federer next year.
Djokovic at pole position
Djokovic has age and fitness going for him. With 16 titles, Djokovic is at the prime of his career. His ability to win Grand Slams at will and being the youngest of the three he would fancy his chances with no major injury concerns. His fight from the dead in the Wimbledon final showed his grit and tenacity.
Fascinating duels awaits the fans
With 54 titles amongst them and no one close to their sight, it will be interesting to see who finishes on top of the tree. Whoever it may be, it would be a fascinating duel among three modern greats who refuse to give in, thereby keeping the men’s flag flying high in the coming years.
The selection conundrum
India’s tour of West Indies will in all probability see a bunch of newcomers showcasing the skills next month. The selection committee will have their task cut out in picking the right combination especially for the ODI and T20 internationals. M.S. Dhoni has ruled himself out citing para military duties for the next two months. That gives the selectors to see Rishabh Pant in the shorter formats. Dhoni’s unavailability will leave a huge hole in the middle order that would be tough to fill.
Middle order muddle
Inspite of the criticism that Dhoni had faced during the World Cup for his slow batting he still was the glue that kept the middle order together. It would be interesting to see what sort of middle order options will the selection committee come up with. Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik might be on their way out after unimpressive showings in the world cup. A bunch of new comers who are middle order batsman might be considered. Shikhar Dhawan and Vijay Shankar are still not fully fit. Most of the batsman who are in the India ‘Á’ team for the tour of West Indies like Manish Pandey, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer apart from the likes of Mayank Agarwal and Ajinkya Rahane should be in the running for selection.
Bowling options
As far as the bowling unit is concerned fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and allrounder Hardik Pandya may be rested. Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar who were the back up bowlers for the World Cup are the other options that can be considered. Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzhvendra Chahal should be certainties though leg spinner Rahul Chahal might get a look in. Allrounders Krunal Pandya or Axar Patel might get to replace Hardik Pandya.
Virat and Rohit still the key
All in all it might be a challenging task for the selection committee on Sunday. Despite West Indies not performing well in the World Cup they cannot be taken lightly at home. With the Indian middle order getting thinner in the absence of Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will once again have to shoulder the burden as far as the batting is concerned.
Moment of reckoning for Rishabh Pant
Its’ been more than fifteen years since a wicket keeper has been picked to play in all the three formats of a series. Rishabh Pant has done the unthinkable by forcing his way into the team for the tour of West Indies. For the first time, M.S. Dhoni has been replaced for a whole tour by one wicket keeper since he made his debut. It shows the longevity of the man, his fitness levels, his keeping skills and his consistency with the willow. The fact that Dinesh Karthik, Wridhimaan Saha and Parthiv Patel have not been able to breakthrough during this period across formats shows the gulf between him and the rest of the keepers in the country for more than a decade.
Right place at the right time
Rishabh Pant must consider himself very lucky to have not played during the era of Dhoni. He is only twenty one and has already had test hundreds in Australia and England which has fast tracked him to replace Dhoni in the shorter formats. Dhoni is suddenly in the line of fire as the selection committee led by M.S.K. Prasad have given hints about grooming a youngster like Pant going forward. With Dhoni making himself unavailable for this tour due to his prior commitments with the territorial army it will present Pant with a great opportunity to establish himself in the shorter formats. With Pandya also being rested, Pant might have to shoulder extra responsibilities in finishing games for India in the middle order.
Difficult times ahead for Dhoni
A successful tour of West Indies for Pant might put a spanner in the works for Dhoni as his comeback might get even more difficult. The constant scrutiny over his inability to rotate the strike and finish games has become a talking point and the reason for his retirement doing the rounds. This is where Rishabh Pant’s success would be paramount for India. If he does well in the shorter formats in the West Indies next month, he will be more than a viable option for team India in Dhoni’s absence. It might also hasten the retirement of the great man whose contribution to Indian cricket is unparalleled.
A controversy that Indian cricket could have done without.
Is split captaincy the need of the hour
The last thing that Indian cricket would have wanted at this point of time is this debate. The selection committee is set to announce the squad for the tour of West Indies on July 19. A sudden rumour of Rohit taking over the captaincy from Virat Kohli in the shorter formats is doing the rounds.
Extreme reactions
India topping the group in the league phase and having just one bad hour in the semi-finals has led to such extreme reactions. The next thing that is even more bothersome is a rift in the team. A Rohit and Virat camp doing the the rounds is even more unhealthier for the future of Indian cricket. The fact that BCCI officials are leaking things randomly to the media is uncalled for. What does that do to the morale of the Indian team when it is about to travel to West Indies remains to be seen.
Insecurities in the team
Virat who initially was supposed to miss the tour has made himself available. Will M.S. Dhoni go to West Indies amidst retirement speculations is still not clear. With so many questions still remaining it should be a big meeting on Friday. The last thing that Indian cricket would want at this point of time is camps in the team. Ravi Shastri and his teams tenure end after the tour. It will be interesting to see if the coaching staff applies for the post once again. Would the team want a change when Virat Kohli is comfortable with Ravi Shastri. A new coaching staff may not know about the alleged rifts in the team. Rohit and Virat are the two most important and experienced players in the team and this split can affect team performance.
Not yet a established test player
Rohit is yet to establish himself as a test player. At this juncture making him a ODI captain ahead of Virat who is established player across formats may not send the right signals as a precedent like this has not been set in Indian cricket. It will be a wait and watch policy till the selection committee takes a call. They have already been in the scanner for not finding good middle order batsman over a two year period. The fact that the selectors have been accused of being subservient to the present team management has made things even more difficult for Indian cricket.
A million dollar question
It has not even been a week since India were knocked out of the World Cup and retirement of Mahendra Singh Dhoni has started doing the rounds.
Retirement talks
There are multiple reasons for the retirement talks to be floating around. With M.S. Dhoni turning 38 this July, Indian team management along with the selection committee would want to blood young wicket keeper Rishabh Pant for the tour of West Indies next month. There is no big multi national tournament till the T20 World Cup next year. With only bilateral tournaments in the shorter formats till then the BCCI and the selection committee are in a catch twenty two situation regarding carrying on with senior pro.
M.S. Dhoni has always kept his cards close to the chest. He took everyone by surprise by announcing his sudden retirement from test cricket in 2015.The selection committee would definitely want to know his future plans so as to plan accordingly for the next World Cup. M.S. Dhoni has yet to take call and the team for the tour of West Indies would be announced in forty eight hours.
Communication the way forward
What are the options left for everyone. The selectors can speak to Dhoni and ask him whether he would be going to West Indies. They can also tell him to rest and pick Rishabh Pant for the tour. This would give time for Dhoni the time to think over and decide his future. If push comes to shove the selection committee can tell Dhoni that they are looking into the future and Dhoni does not fit into their scheme of things and they are looking at Rishabh Pant going forward. This might force Dhoni to hang his boots.
Team management hold the key
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are two important people the selectors would want to consult before taking a call. With both of them starting their careers under Dhoni they would think twice before taking any drastic step. With the Indian middle order being so weak and players like Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav not performing, the Indian team would still want Dhoni to continue for some time till the new bunch of youngsters find their feet.
Time is running out for Dhoni. Whether he will surprise everyone like he did in 2015 or play for some more time to give stability to the middle order is the biggest question that the whole country would want an answer for.
Sports Korner 