Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Sportskeeda.

With 5 successful IPL tournaments finished and nearly half of the 6th season done, now we know which franchises are stronger than others, which one plays the worst, which franchise has lots of money but plays badly and also which franchise is always rated as underdogs inspite of its good performances. Now with such “tags” already attached, it is quite possible to find similarities between the IPL teams and our favourite club football teams. Here is my comparison on some of the IPL teams with similar European club football teams.

1. Chennai Super Kings – Barcelona F C: The most successful IPL team is quite similar to one of the most successful football teams in recent times, Barcelona FC. Both of their playing styles depend upon text book-technique. While CSK rely heavily on their fielding and some quality batting for their success, FCB relies on “tiki-taka”, or rather just keeping possession. Also, both teams are always accused of match fixing, thanks to their unbelievable success.

2. Mumbai Indians – Real Madrid FC: Both are rich, both have some of the greatest players on the planet, and both are always lagging behind the above mentioned teams. The comparisons between MI and RMFC are unavoidable. While the El Clasicos are always cherished by football fans, Mumbai Indians-CSK matches always produce unmatchable excitement and fan-viewership in IPL. Also, both these teams have one of the highest fan followings in their respective sports.

3. Rajasthan Royals – Arsenal FC : They develop players, they sell players, and even with an inexperienced, young team, they manage to perform well. Rajasthan Royals is a perfect replica of Arsenal FC as far as cricket is concerned. Both these teams have inspirational coaches. Also, many of their key players have left the team in search of a trophy, which has eluded both these teams for quite some years.

4. Kolkata Knight Riders – Manchester City FC: Some things cannot be bought, for everything else, there is money. The revised version of a famous credit card company’s tagline is apt for these two teams – KKR and Man City. Both these teams were once bad performers. But thanks to some heavy spending on some good players by their team owners, now they have begun to taste some success. Coincidently, these teams won the respective leagues last season (2011-2012).

5. Sunrisers Hyderabad/Deccan Chargers – Liverpool: Once upon a time, both were league-winners, and since then their performances have been pathetic. Liverpool and SRH are teams who try really hard to repeat the performances which once used to bring trophies, but end up failing short by a large margin.

6. Royal Challengers Bangalore – Tottenham Hotspur: RCB: Gayle = Tottenham: Bale. This comparison is enough to prove my point. Once a  modest team, now they are a force to reckon with, thanks to the one  player who can change the complexion of the game for the respective teams. While Gareth Bale has been one strong pillar in Tottenham’s success this year, RCB owes its good finishes in the league to Chris Gayle.

‘Pondulkar’ have not set the tournament on fire

Well, this year’s IPL has been one of the most competitive IPL yet, with the occurrence of 2 super overs within 25 matches. While many Indian  youngsters and international players alike have managed to make an impact in this edition, there are some who have disappointed the fans with their below-par performances. Here is my take on some of the major disappointments in IPL 2013 so far.

Delhi Daredevils: The whole team has been a major disappointment. Mahela has failed to inspire his team,who are terribly missing the services of KP. Warner has been inconsistent, whereas Sehwag is still out of form. The bowlers lack confidence, failing when the team required them to perform. Morkel has been impressive, but he has been a lone silver lining for the Delhi team. The uncapped players haven’t been in any good form either. They have to pull up their socks to avoid a wooden spoon.

Sachin-Ponting opening combo: When the cricketing world found out that Mumbai Indians bought Ricky Ponting, a long-cherished dream of many cricket fans was fulfilled – to see Sachin and Ponting, two of the greatest batsmen in cricket, to play together. Yet, they have not been able to set the pitch on fire. Ponting could not carry over his form in Australian domestic cricket to IPL,whereas Sachin’s miserable lean patch continues. Only time will tell whether they can overcome their lean patch and be an asset to the team.

Angelo Mathews: The captain of the Pune Warriors India has ironically been the burden of his own team. His performances in the tournament so far have been uninspiring, having failed with both bat and ball. Also, his captaincy has been heavily criticised after persisting with Ross Taylor inspite of repeated failures. He needs to lead the team from the front for PWI to have any chance of making it to the top 4.

Suresh Raina: Though CSK have been in a pretty good form, Suresh Raina’s failure has gone unnoticed thanks to Mike Hussey and MS Dhoni. The first player in IPL to feature in 100 matches, Suresh Raina has played a minimal role in CSK’s victories this season. This is quite surprising considering the form he was just before the start of the Australian Test series. One has to wait and watch whether Raina fires when the team requires him to.

Along with the above mentioned players, some other players who have failed to live upto the crowd’s expectations are Adam Gilchrist, Unmukt Chand etc. Whether they can overcome their bad form, only time will tell.

The Pitch: Unlike the pitch at Mohali, the one at Kotla will remain true to its reputation of being a “slow turner”. Though the pitch will be good for batting for the first two days, it will deteriorate from the third day, and thereon, the spinners will play a huge role. It is therefore no wonder that spinners like Anil Kumble have such a good record on this pitch. The team winning the toss would surely like to bat first. Ashwin and Jadeja are once again expected to be among the wickets, whereas the likes of Lyon would like to get some wickets on such a spin-friendly wicket. The pacers will have a hard time bowling here. All they can do is be consistent with their line and length, and hope that the batsmen make some mistake.

Team Form

India: Though one might say that the Indian batting line-up has been in great form, it is quite noticeable that India managed to put up good scores only due to spurts of individual brilliance in every Test. Though Vijay and Pujara have been in great form, the middle order is yet to click. Sachin is yet to score something big, while Kohli and Jadeja have been inconsistent with their batting. The captain has been in good form lately, and he would like to continue his good run. With Dhawan injured, it is quite likely that Ajinkya Rahane will make his debut.

MS Dhoni would be quite happy with his bowlers. Jadeja has been a revelation in this series, and the Kotla track will surely bring a smile to his face. Ashwin has been at his usual best, while the others have also chipped in with crucial wickets.

The Indian team would be quite happy with their form heading into the last Test.

Australia: The Australians have been quite out of sorts in this series. Their batting has been heavily dependent on captain Clarke, while their bowling has not been much to boast about. With Clarke suffering from a back injury, it is likely that he will miss the last Test, but with Watson back after all the drama about the “homework”, he is likely to lead the team in Clarke’s absence. Hughes found some form in the second innings of the previous Test, while the others have been unimpressive. Their batsmen need to take a leaf out of Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen’s counter-attacking approach against the Indian spinners. With the return of Pattinson, and Siddle bowling well, their pace department is quite strong. However, the spin department is as weak as ever, with Lyon failing to capitalise on good bowling conditions. The Aussies will be hoping that he can perform better in this final Test.

Though their team is a bit shaky, the Aussies would desperately want to deny India a whitewash.

Final Take: With the series already in the bag, the Indians are likely to go for the kill and complete the whitewash, while the Aussies have nothing to lose and will come out firing on all cylinders. Yet, I would say that the Indians are clear favourites to win the match.

India (likely): Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni (c)(wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma.

Australia (likely): Ed Cowan, David Warner, Phil Hughes, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke/Steven Smith, MS Wade (wk), Moises Henriques, Mitchell Starc/Xavier Doherty, Peter Siddle/Mitchell Johnson, James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon.

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/03/21/border-gavaskar-trophy-india-eye-whitewash-australia-look-to-salvage-pride/feed/ 0 04891 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/03/19/border-gavaskar-trophy-3rd-test-talking-points-of-the-match/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/03/19/border-gavaskar-trophy-3rd-test-talking-points-of-the-match/#comments Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:26:12 +0000 Kaushik Narayanan http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=1444012

Dhoni and Jadeja finished off a nervy chase with a flurry of boundaries.

The third Test got off to an inauspicious beginning, with the first day being completely washed off, thanks to unseasonal rains. But even the rain Gods couldn’t stop the Indian team from defeating Australia by 6 wickets, thanks to some individual brilliance in batting and some excellent collective bowling performance. Here are some of the events that stood out in the 3rd Test of the series for Border-Gavaskar trophy.

1. ‘Starc’ difference in batting: Australia won an important toss and decided to bat first. But if not some brilliant batting by Steven Smith on the first day, Australia would have crumbled below 250. But then, by the end of second day, Australia had managed to score 270 odd runs with the loss of 7 wickets. On the morning of the third day, Australians would have wished for some resistance from their tail and somehow hope for a score of about 350 runs. However, what they got was a happy surprise. The No. 9 batsman from New South Wales, Mitchell Starc managed to do what his team’s frontline batsmen could not do – tame the Indian spinners. He was unlucky to miss out on a well-deserved century, but his strokeplay did create an impact. Australian batsman must try to take a leaf out of his book regarding how to play spinners.

2. Dhawan Destruction: On the first ball of the Indian innings, Mitchell Stark completed his run-up to bowl the first delivery when the ball slipped out of his hand and fell onto the stumps. Dhawan was ‘Mankaded’. But the Australians decided to keep the spirit of game intact and decided not to appeal. But even the greatest of astrologers could not have predicted what Dhawan would produce in his debut Test innings. His batting was flawless, his strokeplay perfect. His innings was a perfect combination aggression with technique. The Australian bowlers were clueless while bowling to him. Though he missed out on a well deserved double century, much will be expected from him in the future.

3. Spin trouble: The Australians have been hapless in this series against spin. This was clearly exposed on the fifth day, when the Indian spinners collectively cleaned up the Australian batting order. Only if any one of the batsman had put up a fight on the last day, the Aussies could have saved the Test match. They will need to pull up their socks if they want to salvage some pride on the low and slow Kotla pitch.

4. Jadeja’s bunny: Jadeja’s bowling has really been a revelation in this series, being the second highest wicket taker behind R Ashwin with 17 scalps. And not surprisingly, he had picked out one particular batsman as his target, none other than the Australian captain, Michael Clarke. Clarke would not be proud of being dismissed by Jadeja 5 times in this series, but what he has to accept that all the deliveries he got out to were proper wicket taking ones. Jadeja’s bowling has improved a lot but his contribution with the bat has been minimal in this series. He needs to improve his batting to get the tag of a genuine ‘all-rounder’.

5. Final day, final session: The last day of the Test match went according to plan for India, except the fact that batsman kind of messed up the chase big time. Chasing a target of 130 odd runs in 35-40 overs should have been a walk in the park. But some disciplined bowling from the Aussies ensured that the total of 130 looked more like 170-180. No Indian batsman actually got going after getting a start. But Jadeja and Dhoni did well to finish off the match with a flurry of boundaries. Now, one wonders how the chase would have progressed if Australia managed to add some 20-30 runs more.

India has attained an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the series and has won back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India would like to complete a whitewash, whereas the Aussies will be playing to savage some pride in the final Test at Feroz Shah Kotla.

A batsman like none other. A batting style so elegant, yet destructive. He single-handedly made bowlers across the world bow down at his feet. Yet, what he did was just remain calm, chewed his gum, and smashed the bowlers all over the park. The legend is none other than Sir Vivian Richards.

He is the reason why we are seeing 350+ scores in ODIs so frequently. He is the idol for players like Sehwag and Gilchrist, who tried to copy his batting style, and although managed to find a place in history, they couldn’t even come close to what he used to be.

People say that true legends are batsmen like Gavaskar, who remained true to the traditional form of the game, without being wavered by the then newly introduced shortest form of the game. However great he might be, no one can erase the embarrassment of scoring just 36 runs of 174 balls. Even he openly admitted to have taken that match as a practice match, considering the mammoth target as unachievable. But whatever his approach might have been, there was no blaming Gavaskar. His mentality was shared by more than 70% of the players during that time.

But at the same time, there was this batsman from West Indies who played his entire career without a helmet, but rather nearly terrified the bowlers into wearing one.

“Bowl a length ball, I will dispatch it to the boundary. Bowl a short ball, I will hook it over the ropes. Bowl a yorker, the result would be the same”.

Such was the attitude of the West Indian great while he used to bat. Yes, he was playing in the greatest cricket team ever. Yet his ability to demoralise the opposition team with destructive batting was unmatchable.

No one can forget his innings of 189 against England, wherein he single-handedly took his team to a very good score of 280 odd runs. Such was his match-winning impact .

He might be remembered as one of the greatest ODI batsmen, but no one can deny that he was a great Test batsman too. Scoring 8,540 runs, that too at a healthy average of 50, is no mean achievement. Obviously, thanks to his destructive batting style, he holds the record of scoring the fastest Test century ever, which he achieved while facing only 56 balls. Only Gilchrist managed to even come close to breaking the record. Such was the impact of one player in the era of so many defensive players that the way batsman batted thereafter changed forever. Even Sachin Tendulkar is said to have modelled his batting on the the legend’s technique.

An aggressive captain, he never lost a Test series under his captaincy. Another feather in his cap.

For a batsman who dominated bowlers like none other, his career came to a tame end, thanks to a string of bad performances. Many cited that his ageing body was unable to handle his aggressive style of play. But by the time of his retirement, his name was already in the book of legends.

Sir Vivian Richards – 17 years, close to 15,000 runs, 150 wickets. Legend.

Clarke’s selection blunder and a surprise early declaration

Michael Clarke surprised one and all by dropping their his spinner, Nathan Lyon, to accommodate Glenn Maxwell. This decision was a gamble, considering that Lyon was bowling well in the 2nd innings of the first Test. But his gamble did not work out, thanks to amazing centuries from Pujara and Vijay, who ensured that the Australian spinners did not exert much pressure on them. Moreover, Michael Clarke’s declaration when the scorecard read 237/9 was clearly a surprise to everyone. Clarke tried to justify his decision by saying  that the main motive of his early declaration was to bowl some overs before the end of the play and try to take some wickets. But the fact that the Aussies could bowl only 3 overs on the first day clearly proved that Clarke’s decision was a blunder.

Pujara and Vijay

Many said that Vijay’s inclusion was a blunder. Many called for his exclusion for the next two Tests. But Murali Vijay was a man on a mission. With the Indian openers Gambhir and Sehwag having poor runs, it was time for him to vindicate the faith the selectors had shown. He grabbed the opportunity to secure his place in the team with both hands. A patient 167, facing more than 350 balls, clearly showed that he has learnt to adapt himself during tough situations, unlike the Murali Vijay we knew a couple of years ago. On the other hand, there is nothing much that needs to be said about Pujara. He is clearly building his career, step by step, following the legacy left by ‘The Wall’. 2 double centuries in just 10-15 Tests clearly shows his temperament and his ability to play long innings. He is the one for India’s batting future.

The Indian bowlers

The Indian bowlers were up to the mark, especially in the second innings. Each of them managed to impress (except the forever disappointing Harbhajan Singh). While Bhuvneshwar Kumar was instrumental in taking crucial top-order wickets on the first day, the spinners managed to clean up the remaining batsmen in both the innings. While Ashwin is back to his best, Ravindra Jadeja has been good too. Ishant Sharma bowled well but could not get wickets.

The first two Tests have been excellent, from an Indian point of view. But the interesting part will be the team which will be selected for the remaining two Tests.Will Sehwag and Harbhajan be dropped? Will Raina get a chance? Only time will tell.

India comprehensively won the first match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, thanks to heroics from the Chennai Super Kings, R Ashwin and MS Dhoni, in bowling and batting respectively. With the second match starting tomorrow, here is a look at some important factors which would likely decide the outcome of the match.

The Pitch: Like any other Indian pitch, the turf at Hyderabad would support spinners. But unlike the one at Chennai, which was a rank turner and the ball started turning from day 1 itself, the one at Hyderabad is a harder one. So, the team batting first will try to put on a good score. After day 3, the cracks will begin to widen up, thus bringing the the spinners into play. Fast Bowlers will have to hit the deck hard to get something out of the pitch.

Team Form

India: The Indians would be pretty satisfied with their performance at Chennai. The middle order finally showed some form. Pujara was rock-solid during his stay at the crease. Sachin was at his usual best, but would have been disappointed on missing out on a century.

The centurions, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, were extraordinary and would like to continue their form. Ashwin bowled really well at Chennai, but it would be interesting to see how he bowls at a wicket which does not turn as much as the one at Chennai. In his last outing here, Ashwin grabbed 6 wickets in both innings, albeit against New Zealand.

The openers were off target yet again and failed to chase the meagre target of 50 by themselves. This would definitely worry the captain. Moreover, Harbhajan Singh has been a liability for a long time now and benching Ojha for him is foolish. One would have to wait and see whether Dhoni retains the same team or benches Harbhajan.

Australia: The Aussies will not be very proud of their performance, but they would take a lot of positives from the 1st Test. Moises Henriques stood as an example for the Aussies on how to bat on turning pitches. Michael Clarke was looking good too, but was undone by some excellent spin bowling. Other batsmen got starts but simply could not convert them into big scores. Pattinson was the best among the bowlers, who took a fifer on a rank turner.

Much was expected from Nathan Lyon but he could do nothing against some good counter-attacking batting from Dhoni. The Australian team must learn from their mistakes and take a cue from the English on how to bat on Indian pitches.

The Aussie management may decide to go in with 2 spinners, bringing in Xavier Doherty in place of Starc or Siddle. Also, Mitchell Johnson, who’s a part of the squad may get a look due to his previous experience of bowling in subcontinent conditions.

Final Take

India would attack the Aussies with spin probably from the start itself. The Aussie batsmen must learn from their mistakes to approach things differently. With both their spinners and batsmen firing, India are clear favourites to win the 2nd Test as well.

Teams:

India (likely): Virender Sehwag, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni (c)(wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh/Pragyan Ojha, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma.

Australia (likely): Ed Cowan, David Warner, Phil Hughes, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke, MS Wade (wk), Moises Henriques, Mitchell Starc/Xavier Doherty, Peter Siddle/Mitchell Johnson, James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon.

Finally, the selectors have selected the team for the first two Test matches against Australia. Here is the squad.

Indian squad for the 1st and 2nd Test: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain and wicket-keeper), Virender Sehwag, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Ashok Dinda, Murali Vijay, Ishant Sharma.

The selection team sent a clear message to all the players out there – “Perform or Perish”. The axing of Gambhir was a pretty bold step by the BCCI, taking Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan instead. But I am quite disappointed with Wasim Jaffer not being selected.

Anyway, it’s now time for the Indian team to focus on their game strategy against the Aussies. They would not want another embarrassing series at home. According to me, if India are to have a good chance of victory, the following must go in their favour.

1. Openers must fire: The selectors have decided to give a chance to the talented youngsters Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan for the price of dropping Gautam Gambhir. So it is their responsibility to repay the faith shown by the selectors. Even Sehwag will have to perform; he will now know that past records alone will not help in guaranteeing a place in the team. According to me, Sehwag-Dhawan combo will be perfect for India, which will ensure that the right-left opening combination stays put.

2. Bat Aussies out of the Game: India’s greatest strength at home has always been batting. But after the series against England, it was pretty evident that the Indian batting does not have the same force after the retirements of Dravid and Laxman. But considering the inexperience of Australian bowlers in Indian conditions, it is the perfect opportunity for the batsmen to capitalise, especially for the likes of Kohli and Pujara.

3. Spinners: Well, even the “next big thing” Ashwin was negotiated by the English batsmen pretty easily. Cook and Pietersen showcased excellent footwork and timing to cancel out the spin advantage India had. Even the rank turner at the Wankhede could not stop the English. The spinners would have now realised that the touring nations are no more amateurs in sub-continent conditions. Ashwin, Ojha and Harbhajan must pull out all the tricks from up their sleeves to attain complete domination over the visitors.

4. Fielding: Indian team has improved their fielding drastically over the past years. Yet, the inexperienced fielders have dropped catches at important moments of the game. The fielders must ensure that no sitters are dropped. Also,the prospect of the Test being a 5 day match must not bring laziness to the fielders.

The above stated points are what I feel are important for an Indian victory. But all we can do is now wait and watch. All the best India!

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/02/12/what-india-needs-for-a-series-victory/feed/ 0 02840 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/02/07/sachin-vs-ponting-rivalry-revisited/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/02/07/sachin-vs-ponting-rivalry-revisited/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:18:11 +0000 Kaushik Narayanan http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=1286210

Every modern sport has amazing rivalries. For example, in tennis, Roger Federer has dominated each and every player in the tennis arena except his nemesis, Rafael Nadal. Or football, wherein if Cristiano Ronaldo goes a step ahead, Lionel Messi goes one further. In cricket, there have been many batsman vs bowler rivalries. But the rivalry between Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting has been quite unique.

Ricky Ponting came into international cricket nearly 7 years after Sachin made his debut. No one then would have expected him to give Sachin’s records a thrilling chase. In his amazing career, he scored about 27,000 runs in international cricket, which is the second highest aggregate in terms of total runs. Though Sachin’s total aggregate is about 34,000 runs, the competition was much closer than expected.

Sachin, though he came to international arena at a young age of 16 in 1989, took nearly 3-4 years to get settled at the international level. Though he scored amazing centuries in Test cricket(remember Old Trafford? Perth?), his first century came only in 1994 against Australia. On the other hand, Ricky Ponting was top class from the very start. He made 96 against Sri Lanka in his debut and was unlucky to not get a century. Ever since his early playing days, he was considered as a future skipper and was finally made captain of the Test team after the retirement of Steve Waugh.

Sachin was in his prime in the years 1998-2004, whereas Ponting’s prime was from 2001 to 2007-08.

When Ricky Ponting was on song, nobody could stop him. His average during his prime in Test matches was close to 60, which is no mean achievement. Also, his captaincy skills were truly amazing. Though he was gifted with a champion team consisting of legendary cricketers, he gets the due credit for having led them to glory.

Sachin’s ODI records were untouchable, thanks to his amazing form in the shortest format of the game during 1990′s. But in Tests, he was still a learner. Statistically, when Ponting was in his prime, he was a much better batsman than Sachin at his best. By the year 2008-09, Ponting came dangerously close to breaking Sachin’s record. Only 2 centuries and 1500 odd runs separated them. But God(the omnipotent entity and not the mortal one) then decided to reward all the Indian fans. Sachin stuck a purple patch in the years 2009-2011, whereas Ponting’s form declined. This was the time in their rivalry where Sachin took a big lead against the Aussie. After that, it was more of a Kallis vs Sachin rivalry in terms of records.

As an Indian fan, I have always loved this rivalry between Sachin and Ponting. I used to celebrate whenever Sachin used to score a century and Ponting used to score a duck, and when the results were interchanged, I would be biting my nails, counting the number of centuries and runs which separated them. Both have played memorable innings against each other’s teams. While no Indian fan can forget the desert storm innings at Sharjah, every Indian wanted to forget the 140 scored by Ponting in the 2003 World Cup finals.

Now, when Mumbai Indians have bought Ricky Ponting for 400,000$, I’m happy. I am happy to see the two legends playing alongside each other. Just like Federer and Nadal playing doubles, or Messi and Ronaldo playing as the strikers for the same team. All I could say after MI bought Ricky Ponting was, “Sachin and Ponting would be playing for the same team. Now I can die in peace “.

I would like to start by saying that I’m an average Indian who is mad about cricket. So by default, I support India, no matter what. This support intensifies especially while playing Pakistan. I guess the same goes for Pakistani fans too. They also love their team like we love ours. But then, both sets of fans have misjudged each other team’s support.

Yes, in each and every page involving cricket I have seen on Facebook, Pakistani fans and Indian fans are fighting. But if one looks closely, it’s barely 10% of the fans who fight like this.

Mixing sport with politics has always been a bad idea.

The other 90% of the fans, including me, yearn for a competitive India vs Pakistan match. How many timeless memories have been produced by the players? Ever since the partition, India and Pakistan have been fierce against each other in all aspects, especially in cricket. Coincidentally, almost every match both the countries have played against each other has given us unforgettable memories. Remember Miandad’s last ball six? Or the battle between V Prasad and Amar Sohail? How can one forget the epic 2003 World Cup match or the 2011 semifinals at Mohali?

After the 2008 blasts, the Indian and Pakistan governments have been pretty sour to each other. And thus, even the cricket relationships have soured. Just when things were getting better, the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team stopped any progression for competitive international cricket matches. Finally after 4 years, the BCCI agreed for an ODI and T20 series against Pakistan. The series, though lost, was pretty close and as usual, managed to keep us at the edge of our seats.

Now I know the conditions in Pakistan have been pretty bad for over 2 years and it’s barely better now. But what harm is done if the Pakistani players play in IPL?

The first IPL, in which Pakistani players featured, was in my opinion the best till now. Sohail Tanvir’s extraordinary bowling, Akthar ripping apart his oppositions, batsmen like Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi entertaining the crowd with huge hits over the stands, was all extremely memorable.

But  since then, no Pakistani players have been involved in IPL. My question is, what did the Pakistani players and the fans do wrong that we have are neglecting them from the IPL auctions?

They haven’t done anything wrong for such a punishment. I mean, yes, they have been unfortunate in recent times as they were involved in the spot-fixing scandal but it doesn’t mean all the players are guilty. There is practically no need for their exclusion from IPL anymore.

So on behalf of many other fans who feel the same, I request to allow Pakistani players permission to play in future IPL’s.

Yours truly,

A sincere cricket fan.

Any resemblance to any scientific theory is purely coincidental and is not intentionally done to torture students by introducing science in cricket.

1. Gautam Gambhir’s Law of Poking: No one believed such a law existed, until the brilliance of Gautam Gambhir’s batting resulted in its discovery. The law states that, “No matter the length of the delivery bowled, if the ball is pitched outside off-stump, one shall definitely poke at it (not on Facebook) and manage to land the ball exactly in the hands of the slip or gully fielders.” This theory is followed only by Gambhir, but a variant of this theory is followed by his teammate Virender Sehwag.

According to Sehwag, “No matter the length of the delivery bowled, if the ball is pitched outside off-stump, one shall definitely try to smash it out of the square leg boundary, irrespective of the field settings and more importantly, without any footwork”.

2. The Dravid Barrier: The theory, found by The Great Wall of India, states that, “One shall remain like a indestructible barrier in front of the wicket, no matter whether the bowler is Shoiab Akthar or Shoiab Malik.” Currently, only Kallis follows this barrier theory.

3. Kohli’s 3rd Law of reaction: The theory from the young poster boy Virat Kohli states that, “Any action from the opposition team members in the form of words will be immediately met with a reaction involving MCs, BC’s and importantly, finger salutes.” Sreesanth theorised the law earlier, which was later proved by Virat Kohli.

4. Bradman’s Law of Averages: Another law from the God himself, states that “Batsman shall crush their opponent’s bowling team’s morale with unbearable batting, and thus increase one’ s average beyond anyone’s reach.” Among current cricketers, Sangakkara and Hashim Amla follow this law in Test cricket, along with MS Dhoni in ODIs.

5. Kamran Akmal’s Buttterfinger Law: This one from the “Legen(wait for it)dary” keeper from Pakistan. It states that “The number of  catches one shall drop is directly proportional to the number of times the ball comes into one’s hands i.e. the catch shall be dropped every single time the ball comes into the fielder’s hands.” The founder himself has been a strict follower of this theory and has also found support in Munaf Patel who puts this theory to test quite regularly.

Disclaimer – This work is purely fictional and is not meant to hurt anyone.

Seriously, Science can be at times both interesting and boring. Personally, many theories in physics are so boring that no matter what, you sleep off. Even a Bangladesh vs Scotland match will be more interesting than studying quantum physics. So, what if cricketers have their own theories?

Any resemblance to any scientific theory is purely coincidental and is not purposefully done to torture students by introducing science in cricket.

1. Shahid Afridi – Rohit Sharma certainty principle:

Both are co-founders of the theory. The principle states that – “No matter what the situation of the match is, or rather whatever the chasing score is, we will not score more than 10 runs.” This theory has no exceptions, atleast for the founders. Some other cricketers who follow this theory are Gautam Gambhir, Chris Martin  and possibly half of the Bangladeshi batsmen.

2. Tiwary Exclusion Principle:

Manoj Tiwary is the sole founder of this theory. It states that “No matter what, one particular player will be excluded from the playing 11. The reason might be that the particular player plays so well that he might hurt the opposition team, or just because he is an unlucky charm for the team.” Mahendra Singh Dhoni applied this to the founder himself in an effective manner. Some other players who follow this theory are Chris Gayle (for perhaps 2 years) and Mohammad Kaif (Who is that?) etc.

3. Outsourcing Indian players Theory:

Many foreign teams are so jealous of the “Golden Indian team” that they have managed to accommodate many Indian players into their team to gain success. And surprisingly, the results have been pretty straight forward. England and South Africa have been the major teams to adopt this theory with players like Hashim Amla, Ravi Bopara, Monty Panesar and Samit Patel.

4. Rohit Sharma’s Law of Inertia:

Another theory by Rohit Sharma. It states that “No matter what the other players’ performance are, my place in the team is guaranteed unless an external player who is more “eligible” (in terms of scoring single digits) than me is present. Other players who follow this are Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi and Ravindra Jadeja (to an extent).

5. Sachin’s Theory of relativity:

God’s self made theory states that “No other player can have more records than me, and every other batting record will be compared to mine.” Well, only Sachin is the player against whom all other records are compared. Also, a Jadeja (not Ajay, it’s You-Know-Who) thinks that he can also be eligible for this theory (what a joke).

These are some cricketing theories. There might be many more to reveal!

 Disclaimer – This work is purely fictional and not meant to hurt anyone.

India won the ODI series in a pretty comprehensive fashion in the 4th ODI itself. This stamped their dominance at the ODI’s played in India. Though India won the series, it was much a much closer series. Except the first match at Rajkot, which was a high scoring thriller, all others were pretty one sided. Now it’s time to look at the positives and negatives India can take out of this series.

Positives

1. The Indian Batting Middle Order: Whether it is the first match, wherein they nearly won it, or the close match at Chandigarh, it was the Indian middle order which was responsible for this good show. Except for Yuvraj Singh, everyone managed to fire in all the matches. Raina was simply brilliant with his excellent batting. No wonder he won the Man of the Series award for his 4 fifties in this series. Even Dhoni has silenced his critics with some good performances at the end of the innings.

2. Ravindra Jadeja: Possibly the most trolled Indian cricketer on the internet, Ravindra Jadeja has hit back at critics and haters alike with his exceptional all-round performance. His bowling has been very much economical, even chipping in with wickets at crucial times. Even his batting has been a revelation in this series. He has been able to perform according to his team’s needs, whether the team wants him to score some quick runs or knock around and build a partnership. This was pretty evident from his knocks at Kochi and Dharamshala. I only wish he continues to perform well and builds his reputation as a good all-rounder.

3. Budding Pacers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed, both have been impressive with the new ball. Though they have not been able to get enough wickets, one cannot deny the fact that they bowled their hearts out and managed to atleast limit the scoring in their full quota of overs. Their performance increases the options available for the captain for the future ODI’s, especially to rotate bowlers to avoid overload.

Negatives

1. Rohit Sharma: Time and again he has been selected into the team, and failed! Seriously, he is one of the most under-performing players India has produced in recent times. Yes, he has talent. But for how many years will the talent remain potential? He has become a liability for the team. In my opinion, he has been given too many opportunities and it’s time for selectors to give opportunities to the likes of Pujara.

2. Indian Openers: After all, dropping Sehwag has done no good. India has not managed to find a suitable batting partner for Gautam Gambhir, who himself is pretty much out of form. The likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma have failed to fill in the gaps created. With many players performing well in this Ranji season, I think Gambhir’s position in the team will be re-thought.

These are the few points, I feel, have been the positives and negatives from the ODI series against England. Now it’s time to prepare for Australia’s tour of India.

Disclaimer: This work is purely fictional and is not to be taken seriously.

So, India has won another ODI series with a match to spare. Dhoni has been exceptional in this series, and so has been Ravindra Jadeja. Even the off-colour Rohit Sharma has managed to find some form with a well-scored 83 in the 4th ODI. Except for the recent Pakistan series, India has barely ever lost at home in ODIs, and even in foreign pitches, India has managed to put up some great performances. So what the Indian fans really wonder is why our team cannot put up such performances in the test level. It’s easier said than done. There are many minor factors which actually results in a huge impact.

1. The ball: The red cherry is much more difficult to play than the white ball. The shine of the white ball gets depleted quite soon, whereas the shine remains for quite a while in the red one. Moreover, the old red ball is much more difficult to play than the white ones, as a 40-50 over old red ball turns more than the white ones, and also the reverse swing factor comes into the picture. So I think that this factor is one of the major reasons for the downfall of Indian batsmen in recent times in Tests.

2. The pitch and conditions: ODIs are meant for entertainment. So most of the pitches are made so that the crowd gets their value for money. And our Indian players are very adept to this, especially after the inception of the IPL. But Tests require pure skill and concentration, and the players are tested with hard conditions and pitches. It is here that the players are yet to adapt themselves to the longer version, in terms of the conditions.

3. The mentality of the bowlers: The Indian bowlers are, clearly, suitable for only the shorter version of the game. They try to bowl the yorkers and variations where they must concentrate more on line and length. Yes,they must adjust themselves to the shorter versions of the game. But it doesn’t mean that they compromise on their ability in the test arena. Our bowlers however think differently, and we all know how poor even our spinners were in the Test series against England.

What I have shared are some of the main causes. Even the state of mind of the player while playing Tests, and his fitness forms a major role. Our team management needs to take up these issues and find a solution for it.

Statisticans may provide the answers, but they can’t hide the bitter truth. The truth that India cannot produce quality fast bowlers. Even if you put together the whole cricketing period of India, barely 3-4 established fast bowlers are worth remembering. Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan are among the few. This shows the pitiful condition of the Indian fast bowling talent.

Well, one cannot take away the fact that the Australians, South Africans etc are naturally more stronger than their Indian counter-parts. But similar is the condition with Pakistan too. Then from where do they come up with such extraordinary bowling talents? Yes, not many remain in the International arena for long, thanks to their very poor fitness or disciplinary issues, still there is a pool of talent from where the selectors can just pick one, and they will perform! The best example in recent times is of Juniad Khan. His spell against India in the first ODI was of sheer swing movement. And now look at the Indian bowling. Seriously, one feels that the only reason fast bowlers are picked is to fill up the places in the fielding 11.

So now the problem is clearly visible. Pakistan have produced excellent pacers and spinners too. The likes of Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Qadir are talked of in the same breath as Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. This clearly shows how their domestic playing conditions are favourable to both spinners and pacers. And now look at the Indian pitches. I do not criticise Ranji trophy. But the quality of pitches used is not much favourable for efficient fast bowling. The focus seems to be in preparing a turning pitch or a flat pitch on which batsmen can make tons and tons of runs.

This is just one problem. Even the fast bowlers themselves have to be blamed. Ok, sometimes it happens that one has a dry patch, but it doesnt mean that one should get discouraged by it. Many fast bowlers in our nation have turned to spin bowling to get wickets on these pitches. One of the most recognisable example is of Anil Kumble, who was a medium pacer before becoming a leg spinner. In his case, I am not criticising his decision. He is a legend. But that clearly explains my argument.

And finally, it’ s we, the fans who are to be blamed. He has played a handful of matches, but Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is already being hailed as the next Kapil Dev. Well, it’s not wrong to praise someone for their performance. But such over-appreciation can only turn into a bane for the bowler himself. It would create tremendous pressure on the bowler to perform in each and every match. And he might not be successful always, and it just takes a string of bad performances to permanently end a career.

These are just few of the reasons. There are many more. Like how the physios help the fast bowlers maintain the fitness, their state of mind while bowling in Indian pitches and so on. But everything points in the same direction – Indian bowling has never had a Glenn McGrath or a Courtney Walsh. If no changes are made in how things are done regarding fast bowlers, Indian cricket will continue to suffer.

Well, the much hyped high voltage India-Pakistan series is turning out to be a one sided affair. Pakistan have already won the ODI series after 2 matches and India can only try to salvage some pride in the last encounter now.

Now look at the situation. After the world cup victory, Indians were over the moon. Everyone felt that nothing was unconquerable for this team. And then came the downfall. It was clear that the World Cup win was the pinnacle for the ageing Indian team. Then losses against England and Australia confirmed the fact that it is time for the seniors to retire. Only Sachin remains of the fab five – consisting himself, Dada, Dravid, Laxman and Anil Kumble.

The home series against England was a perfect step for our youngsters to shine. But sadly, only Pujara managed to impress. Pragyan Ojha and R. Ashwin were ineffective on even spin friendly pitches at Mumbai and Kolkata. Even the tag of being invincible at home vanished, with the 2-1 series loss to England.

And then this ODI series. Under-performing at the Test level is understandable from the point of view of the youngsters. But what about ODIs? How can the entire batting order crumble against some respectable, but still playable bowling?

Dhoni has been the only warrior, like a lone pillar standing tall in a crumbling building. His knocks in both the ODIs have been excellent. But sadly, cricket is a team game, and everyone needs to perform to attain victory. Dhoni has been heavily criticised being out of form. But his gritty innings at Chennai is one of the best ODI knocks in quite some time. Yet, his knocks will not shield him from being criticised by the critics and fans alike.

Heavy defeats in Tests, both away and home. Heavy defeats in ODIs, again, both away and home; this is one of the worst phases for Indian Cricket.

But our dear selection committee member are still in the past and the changes being brought are not enough.

The major question is why the likes of Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag are still in the team whereas Manoj Tiwary and Ajinkya Rahane have done their job to guarantee a place, long time ago. Yet, they are the ones who warm the benches. If Indian team is on a losing streak, and if we are that clueless about what is happening, then why doesn’t the losing team be full of learning youngsters, rather than rusty old players? This is one major issue with our team selection and the selectors must do something in order to be prepared for the future.

And then comes our bowling. The situation is beyond any talking. There is talent, but no exposure, no proper guidance, especially for young pacers. No young pacer has cemented his place in the team for over more than a year; that is another major issue.

I cannot elaborate the problems any more. It saddens me. Seriously, dark times lie ahead for Indian team, if the situation remains like this.

Let us take a look at what alternative career waits for these players, just in case they get dropped from the team.

Gautam Gambhir – Actor 

I’m too fast for this team!

Well, if not for Farhan Akhtar, I am pretty sure that Gautam Gambhir would have made his Bollywood debut in “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”. He doesn’t even need to act to get the job. It’s just natural for him. He knows exactly how to run between the wickets. In fact, only he knows how to run properly in the entire team!

No wonder, somehow he gets involved in many run-outs. Sadly, he is blamed for everything. This peculiar talent would have helped him seal a role in the film, instead of Farhan Akhtar. Nevertheless, he can still apply for the role of Usain Bolt in Hollywood (if there’s ever a film made on him).

Virender Sehwag – Hair Specialist 

He along with Harsha Bhogle can start a hair fixing company. They wouldn’t need an ambassador. They themselves can promote their company. If possible, they can even make an international partnership if Wayne Rooney agrees to join them.

Sachin Tendulkar – Holiday Planner 

With Sachin picking the matches he plays, he has made enough family tours to become an expert holiday planner. Maybe Club Mahindra can hire him. The tourism industry would boom! Also, the Rajya Sabha can hand him the job of finding luxurious tourist spots.

Virat Kohli – Actor 

Bhaag Bhaag D.K. Bose

Well well, he has the right skills to become a successive actor. His good looks (or so the girls say) and his pretty open mouthedness (you know what I mean) will surely land him a role in films like the sequel of Delhi Belly.

Ravindra Jadeja - No one can remove him from team. After all, he is RAVINDRA JADEJA! And he plays for Rajinikanth’s hometown in IPL! Mind it!

MS Dhoni – Writer/head of CAI (Curator Association of India) 

MSD can still be involved in helping the team win (or so he thinks) by instructing the curators and forming a CAI (Curator Association of India). He and only he knows how to make a pitch that will backfire  help team India win. Moreover, he can write a book “1000001 excuses to make after losing a cricket match”, which would make it easy for future captains for finding reasons for a loss.

Piyush Chawla – Street cricket bowler

Once upon a time, there was a Googly bowler who could sometimes bowl leg-spin. He is none other than our Piyush Chawla, who nowadays has lost his ability to bowl even googlies. In short, he has become a slow bowler (or rather bowler who gives away runs and helps maintain good over-rates). So no place is better for him than “Gully cricket”, where no one cares whether he can take wickets. “Bas jaldi bowl karega toh batting ki mauka jaldi mil jayega.”

R Ashwin – Batting coach

I am the greatest Indian batsman ever!

R Ashwin has been scoring runs with as much consistency as MS Dhoni’s failures with the bat. So Ashwin can apply for the position of the Batting coach for team India, and I think he can do a much better job than the current coach of India.

Pragyan Ojha – Bowling machine

He bowls, bowls and bowls. No one really cares whether he can take a wicket or not. It just matters that he bowls whenever you want him to. No wonder he has been used so much by our captain (when other bowlers are tired or just bored to bowl). He can replace the bowling machines in malls, where one can play 3 overs, and if the batsman scores more than 50, is given 2 overs extra.

This work is purely fictional and did not mean to hurt anyone.

Let us look at the Indian team’s performance in this 4-Test series.

Gautam Gambhir – 3/10

The off-color south paw has failed yet again to provide the team with crucial starts. He did get 2 fifties, but they have been inconsequential considering the condition of the match. Also, his bizarre running cost 2 important wickets in the Kolkata match, which later proved to be decisive in the context of the result of the match. In short, he has been disappointing yet again in his batting.

Virender Sehwag – 3/10 

The Nawab of Najafgarh is clearly just a mere shadow of who he was years ago. He did score a century in the Ahmedabad Test, but his performance has been poor thereafter. His manner of dismissals is what surprised one and all – either he got out being too aggressive or just due to lack of technique. The selection team will surely remind him that many in-form openers are ready to take his spot in the team.

Cheteshwar Pujara – 7.5/10 

The batsman from Saurashtra has been the only silver lining in the otherwise dismal performance by the batting order. His knocks at Ahmedabad and Mumbai have showed that he has plenty of cricket in him. Though he disappointed a bit in the Kolkata and Nagpur Test, one must keep in mind that the umpires were a bit harsh on him, making some dubious decisions. This series will surely be a learning curve for him.

Sachin Tendulkar – 2.5/10

Clearly, he is near his sunset and has himself admitted that. So there is no use of just cursing him and calling for his retirement. If he is playing, he knows he can play. So the fans and critics must wait. His performance has been dismal, except a scratchy 70-odd runs in Kolkata. He will be assessing himself after this series.

Virat Kohli – 4.5/10

The prodigy from Delhi has performed well, but short of the fans’ expectations. However, his gritty century in the final Test in difficult batting conditions showed a lot of promise. Much will be expected from him in the future.

Yuvraj Singh – 2.5/10

Played well in his first Test after recovering from cancer, but disappointed in the next Tests – especially when the team needed someone to stand up and play well. Yet I think, the selectors were wrong in fast-tracking him into the Test team so early. Hoping that he will play well in the future.

Ravindra Jadeja – 3/10

His Test debut was rather ordinary. Though he got wickets, 2 of them came when the batsmen attempted no shot, not due to some extraordinary bowling. Also, the 3-time first class triple centurion failed with the bat, scoring only 12. Hope he will be better in the upcoming series’.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni – 2/10

The captain with the Midas touch has been out of touch – both as captain and as a batsman. Though his 99 in the final Test was a pure show of grit and character, he has been disappointing throughout the series. His captaincy has been poor, considering his field placements for the batsmen. Surely, he would like to forget this series.

R Ashwin – 5/10

The Chennai boy played a much better role as a batsman than a bowler. His 91 saved India from an embarrassing innings defeat in the Kolkata Test, but his bowling performance throughout the series has been below par for such a talented bowler.

Piyush Chawla – 3/10

The leggie has failed to impress in the first Test he is playing in years. Though got 4 wickets in the first innings of the last Test, most of them were of tailenders. He couldn’t provide the breakthrough for his captain when the team wanted him to.

Zaheer Khan – 2.5/10

The off-color bowler was shockingly dropped from the last Test due to his poor performances in the first three Tests. He is clearly a shadow of who he was once; unable to produce wicket-taking deliveries consistently. He needs to work very hard to get back into the team.

Ishant Sharma – 3/10

Made a return after a long injury lay-off and wasn’t very effective. Bowled well in the first innings of last Test, but nothing more to say about him other than that. He will have to work hard to be back to his best.

Pragyan Ojha – 5/10

He bowled really well in the first Test, but due to some reason, his bowling lacked the sting that it used to have. Though he managed to curb the scoring to a limit, he could not provide the necessary breakthroughs.

Harbhajan Singh – 1/10

A real disappointment! He could not capitalize on spinner-friendly wickets in Mumbai and played only one Test.

Umesh Yadav – 5/10

Played only in the first Test, but managed to bowl fairly well. Could not play the remaining Tests due to a back injury.

Well, another loss for the Indian team, and thanks to R Ashwin, an avoidance of an embarrassing innings defeat. But even Ashwin’s stern resilience could not avoid England beating us by 7 wickets. And as expected, all Indian fans and media immediately started jumping on all our players performance, and the debate to remove non-removing seniors (read Sachin) has grown even more stronger. Like any other Indian fan, I, on first thought, started blaming all the players and captain for successive defeats, that too in home conditions. But on looking deeper into it, I felt that it is a collective failure of the whole nation. Not only the players. Not only the selectors. But the whole cricket system in our country and even us as fans.

First, let us look at the players. Well,the problem with the Indian cricket team is that there is no collective team performance, especially in the batting department. The openers have been in rocky form over the past two years or so. The middle order seems brittle ever since the retirement of VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid. No one has actually cemented the no. 6 spot even 4 years after Dada’s retirement. Sachin is not the same player he used to be.

Yes. They have underperformed. They have failed to live up to the expectations of we, the fans. But one must realise that even they are new to the cricketing world. Comparing Pujara to Dravid and Kohli to Tendulkar just adds up the pressure on these young batsmen. One must realise that they have barely played 10 tests or so, whereas legends like Dravid and Sachin have played over 150 tests.They cannot become legends we want them to be within a night. It is a long process. There will be failures. But we, the fans, must not lose hope. They are still young. Slowly and steadily, they will mature to become better batsmen and perform better.

Speaking about Sachin, he knows when to retire. Many say that his retirement will pave way for talented youngsters on the bench. But if you look closely, even the performances of other batsmen are not great either. The openers are having a lean patch for over 2 years, but it’s okay for the fans. But when Sachin faces a lean patch, everyone just jumps on him, criticising him. Well, even he has admitted that not much cricket is left in him. But our team needs him now, more than ever. It is his responsibility to give confidence to the young, inexperienced middle order. Any young batsman who shares the crease with Sachin will have a boost in confidence. So it’s up to Sachin to decide when to retire.

And about our captain, he himself is clueless. One must admit that he does not have the leadership skills that Ganguly had. Yes,he is a great limited overs captain. But in tests, his captaincy is being tested now. Till last year, the team had a strong and very experienced middle order, a firing Zaheer Khan, and new spin twins in Ojha and Ashwin. But now it is clearly visible that he does not have the ability to nurture the youngsters like Ganguly did. I am not criticising Dhoni for his bad captaincy, but just saying that he is ill-fit to captain an inexperienced side.

Our bowlers. Well, no one doubts their talent. But like Kohli and Pujara, they are also inexperienced. This series will be a learning curve for them. One must not lose hope on them.

Then comes our selectors. They have made some outrageous decisions before this series. Irfan Pathan should have been selected. He was in reasonable form and had more match experience than Ishant Sharma. Also, the very talented Manoj Tiwary is always kept on the bench. I feel that he will be the solution for the problematic no. 6 problem the batting order is facing. But still, it’s time for selectors to look into the performance of the openers. Gambhir has been out of form for a long time. Maybe Rahane can be tried.

Finally, we, the fans. We celebrate with our team when the team wins. Then we must stand by them when they are facing a bad patch. They have not disappointed us. They won the World Cup for us. Let us show some support now, when times are bad for them. It will give a huge confidence boost to the team.

Team India, we stand behind you.