Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Laxman Dhoni record pairing
The 259 runs 7th wicket partnership between Dhoni and Laxman is now highest for India and the third best in the world. The previous best for India was 235 between Ravi Sashtri and Syed Kirmani against England in Mumbai in 1984. The world record is held by DS Atkinson and CC Depeiaza of West Indies who scored 347 runs Against Australia in 1955. Another instance also came in 1955 when Waqar Hasan and Imtiaz Ahmed of Pakistan scored 308 runs against New Zealand in Lahore. This Indian total of 643/6 is now India’s best against South Africa surpassing 627 that they during the 1st test in Kanpur in 2008 when Virendra Sehwag struck 319 runs.
Dhoni joins the party too
When Dhoni reached his 4th century, it was only the second time that four Indian batsmen scored centuries in the same innings. The only such instances had come against Bangladesh in 2007. It was also only the second time that Indian batsman were involved in two double century partnership in the same innings. The only previous instance had come during the 3rd Test of the recently concluded India-Sri Lanka series.
Very Very Special Record
Here I am again with my own version of info nuggets. Though there have been a lot of records made at the Eden Test, for VVS Laxman it was a special test once again. His century was his first one against South Africa in 16 tests and 25 innings. He now has centuries against all test playing nation except England and Bangladesh. He also completed 1000 runs at the Eden Garden. He also seems to be on a run spree lately (though very few have noticed it) and he has now scored a fifty in 7 consecutive matches. This has only been done by Gambhir (11), Tendulkar (8), Dravid (7.. twice!) and Sehwag (7) for India. That's not a terribly long list.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
SRT's another 100
Sorry for not updating the blog. I was just outside town. However as India make its final challenge at Eden to defend its No. 1 ranking. I am back to share my info nuggets with you. Meanwhile SRT made another record as he completed his 100th 50+ scores in the second innings in Nagpur. Naturally Ricky Ponting is hot in his trail. He has 90 such scores till now. From India Rahul Dravid has 87 50+ scores. Incidentally The Wall has 63 scores in between 50s and 100 making him man with highest number of test half centuries.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sachin-Dravid Record
In Mirpur the SRT-Dravid combo hit their 17th century stand. They have now surpassed the all time record holders ML Hayden, RT Ponting (Aus) and CG Greenidge, DL Haynes (WI)who had 16 such stands between them. SRT-Dravid also have 22 50+ partnership. In terms of Highest overall partnership runs by a pair they are just behind CG Greenidge, DL Haynes (WI)- 6482 and ML Hayden, JL Langer (Aus)- 5756. When India was 368 for 2 and Dravid got retired hurt they had 5874 runs between them.
Why Gambhir missed out on the 6th ton?
It is very unfortunate that Gambhir missed out on equaling the 6th consecutive ton. But his failure was quite predictable because to brake a record held by a great batsman like Bradman you need to have that kind of great persona. Currently only SRT has the aura that Bradman had in his time. That is why Md. Yousuf and Kallis too had missed out while chasing this record and that is also why Sehwag was dismissed for 293 against Sri Lanka. Call it the Bradman jinx, but breaking/equaling his records is not a piece of cake that anyone can steal. However I am making a prediction here that Gambhir will continue to score 50+ scores in tests and he will break Sir Richards record by scoring his 12th and 13th consecutive 50+ score in a test in the two test series. So good luck.
P.S. - It is to be noted that Gambhir has a penchant for scoring his tons in the 2nd innings (5 out of 9 and 4 out of his last 5 centuries have come in the second innings of a test) and had there been a 2nd inning at Mirpur he might have equaled Sir Don's record.
P.S. - It is to be noted that Gambhir has a penchant for scoring his tons in the 2nd innings (5 out of 9 and 4 out of his last 5 centuries have come in the second innings of a test) and had there been a 2nd inning at Mirpur he might have equaled Sir Don's record.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
India as Number One
Just a couple of month back when I was writing my Ashes review I was gloating over the fact that I predicted Australia’s downfall from the No. 1 test ranking. However the glorious uncertainties of the game had made me humble once again as Team India advanced (contrary to what I had prophesied) to No. 1 ranking even before a face-off with South Africa. But sometime we feel happy even if you have been proved wrong and so I am. However being a “brave” journalist (at least my colleagues think so) I am not afraid to stick my neck once again and do some crystal gazing as what is in store for Team India in the next couple of years and whether it can hold on to its No. 1 ranking in times to come. So despite the caution of not predicting anything in cricket I am ready with my piece once again. However before we move ahead let us have a look at how India reached to the No. 1 position, earlier than it was expected to do so.
While India have reordered some recorded some fabulous series wins — against Australia, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka — to facilitate their journey to the top of the tables, they were also helped along the way by what was happening in the rest of the world. Table-toppers Australia, in a freefall after the retirement of eight of the senior players over a 24-month period, lost the Ashes series to England two years after a thumping 5-0 win. They then lost out on valuable points by going down in their home series to South Africa, who seemed to be emerging as the clear front-runners in world cricket until the Aussies hit back like only they’ve been known to. Ponting’s team went to South Africa still licking the wounds of their defeat, but crushed the Proteas in the first Test at Johannesburg to set the tone for a 2-1 victory. That result ensured South Africa did not open up an unassailable lead at the top. India has been the first beneficiaries of this flux, reaching the top slot for the first time since the rankings became official eight years ago.
Thus India’s path to No. 1 position has been a mixture of some hard work and some lucky results. Australia was dethroned from the No. 1 position by England and is resulted in a massive drop in Australia’s rating points. It actually went from No. 1 position to No.4 position. However prior to this series South Africa was defeated by Australia, so South Africa also lost a few crucial points and could not be benefited from Australia’s slump in the rating. India on the other hand had not lost any rating point while it faced-off with the lowly ranked Kiwis. So due to its impressive showing in the domestic series (a 2-0 victory against Australia and Sri Lanka) India quickly rose to No. 1 position. However if South Africa had drawn its series with Australia (as visualized by my prophecy) it could have become no. 1 after Australia’s Ashes loss. However as the fortune favours the brave Dhoni and his men are finally holders of the coveted No. 1 title in the test rankings. However the next question is whether they can continue to hold on to their ranking in the months to come. There are two aspects of this debate. One, India’s thin schedule of test matches in next two years and threat of a transition phase enveloping the Indian team. So we will evaluate this issue both ways.
A big and valid argument against India’s shaky stay at top is its relative absence from international test cricket in the year 2010. As of now India is scheduled to play only lowly ranked Bangladesh while South Africa and Australia are scheduled to play at least 10 tests in 2010. In December 2010, they are scheduled to tour South Africa, followed by a tour of West Indies in April, post the World Cup. During this time, South Africa will play three Test series and Australia four. However the situation may improve slightly if South Africa agrees to play 2 tests in India during their Feb.- March 2010 series. Still the devil may lie in the details. India has become the no. 1 test side not because it is playing exceptionally good cricket. India has been playing at this level ever since year 2002-03. The change in ranking has come because other teams are now putting a brave face against Australia. England has defeated them in two consecutive Ashes and that has hurt them. Even countries like New Zealand and West Indies do not feel as meekly lambs while facing the Australians. A closer look at the future tour programme (FTP) of the International Cricket Council reveals that Australia is scheduled to face West Indies (once at home and once away), New Zealand (away) and Pakistan (once at home and once in England) in next 12 months before they play the Ashes 2010 against England. All these teams are in the lower half of the ICC rankings. Australia needs to sweep all these match ups to rise to number 2 status. If they can do it an Ashes win will once again elevate to No. 1 position. But things are not that easy any more. West Indies managed to draw a test in Australia and when Australians tour the Caribbeans, they might upset the Kangaroos. That will mean an end to Australian hopes to regain number one ranking unless they beat India in India and South Africa (either at home or away). Similarly Pakistan has shown brightly in New Zealand and is eyeing the Australian tour as a tool to rediscover their lost magic. They hope to encash the current tour in the same way as Sourav Ganguly led India did in 2002-03. If they manage to even draw one of the two tests series against Australia, it will again be disastrous for the Kangaroos. As far as beating New Zealand is New Zealand is concerned, Australians have always struggled to face this trans-Tasmanian clash. So Australia will find it tough to dislodge Indians from number one ranking in 2010.
As far as South Africa’s challenge (they are just a couple of rating point behind India in the ICC table) is concerned they have a more realistic chance to upstage Indians if they win 2-0 or 3-1 against the England team in the four match series. But it easier said than done. In last couple of years England has been a tough competitor. They are not likely to get it done so easily. Again South Africans are known for choking. They had their best chance to get the top spot when Australia visited them in 2009. But they blew this chance and now they will find it hard to follow up. They are so close to number one ranking in the tests and this enough to but butterflies in their stomach. They are most likely to win the series either 1-0 or 2-1. This will leave them at 123 points, just one point behind India. Yet I am not ruling out a possibility of a drawn test series and this will push South Africa back to 120 points. As far as future series are concerned South Africans will be playing India (if things go as it is being planned) and West Indies besides England in the next 12 months. A win against the WI is not going to earn it too many rating points. So they must earn them either against the England or the Indians and that is why the India vs. South Africa series is so important.
Coming on to India’s wretched test calendar for the year 2010, it can be a blessing in disguise. India has a habit of slipping into complacency while facing the lowly ranked oppositions. A home series against a team like New Zealand or England could have proved costlier. Against Bangladesh we have a near perfect record. India has won four out of five matches against the Bangladeshis. Result in one match was spoiled due to wet conditions. So we should not fear losing our crown by playing a draw against them. But India will have to win 2-0 if it wants to stay at top for a longer period. However India will have to be at its best while playing South Africans at home. Protean has been able to beat India in India more often than any other country. They have won 4 out of 10 tests they have played in India. This is better than even Australia. So India will have to play really well to beat them. If they can manage it even a clean sweep against West Indies can not elevate to South Africa to no. 1 spot. So contrary to the popular belief India has its destiny in its own hand and luck is likely to favor the brave once again. India needs to win 2-0 against Bangladesh and every thing else will fall in place automatically.
The transition phase theory
Another crucial aspect about India’s stay at top is a fear that India might have a big slump when its batting trinity Tendulkar, Laxman and Dravid leaves them in next two years. It is indeed a big worry. Absence of these stalwarts is going to hurt us. But we are fortunate to have replacements. Yes it will be impossible to fill the void left by Sachin but we have won without him too. Even as the Chairman of Selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth is urging Sachin to continue for a 2 to 3 years more - He should play cricket for another 2-3 years. We need him as the team is going through a transition phase. He is a fantastic team man, very involved cricketer and we need him so that he is able to guide cricketers of future – team India will not mind taking on teams even after Tendulkar leaves. His absence will not hurt unless we play a test series either in Australia or in South Africa. We are also fortunate is one aspect that we have got an established pair of openers in Sehwag and Gambhir. Their brilliance at top will be enough to shield any newcomer who replaces either Sachin or Dravid in the middle order. As far as Laxman is concerned, other than his exceptional record against the Aussies he is a player who can be replaced easily. If Yuvraj is able to correct his record outside India, may be we will not miss Laxman even though we will yearn for his presence in the middle, just like we do for Dada. However what is more important is players like Sehwag and Gambhir continue to play at the same intensity as they are doing now. Dhoni and Yuvraj will have to show more responsibility and our transition phase is not going to be as painful as Australia’s. We need to flexible also. Either Sehwag or Gambhir must contemplate playing in the middle order so that Murali Vijay can be accommodated as an opener. If this is not possible, Dhoni should try moving on to number 4 position and include either Dinesh Karthik or Parthiv Patel as an established wicketkeeper just like Sangakkara is doing for Sri Lanka. It can help us in filling any crack that might appear in a post-Tendulkar era. Rather than trying an untested commodity we can certainly play safe by accommodated persons with proven talent albeit in a different role.
The other half of the story in our transition phase is also very different from Australia. The Aussies not only lost their top guns in batting, their bowling was also depleted by sudden departure of bowling greats like McGrath and Warne. In this sense we are fortunate that we are not missing Kumble too much. My worst fear was that Indians will struggle to take 20 wickets in the absence of Kumble. But the series against Sri Lanka was very satisfying in this aspect. Not only Harbhajan played his role maturely, even young Pragyan Ojha was impressive. This was despite the fact that Sri Lankans (just like Indians) are expert in handling spin bowling. Amit Mishra had impressed against Australia and Peeysh Chawla is doing very well in domestic cricket. All this can make our task of taking 20 wickets less painful in next five years or at least till Harbhajan decides to hang his boots. As far as our pace bowling is concerned presence of Zaheer Khan has been very vital for the team. In his absence players like Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, R P Singh etc are reduced to mare mortals. Zaheer is now 31 years old and may say goodbye even before Tendulkar. We need to preserve him in order to make him last longer. Here Sreesanth’s return is very important. He won India a test in Kanpur where fast bowlers rarely shine. But he is not a replacement for Zaheer. Sreesanth can trade places with only Ishant. We need to rediscover Irfan Pathan if we want a safe transit during the so called transition phase. On Indian pitches Irfan can easily be an effective third seamer. His experience with the bat will also cool down things in the middle order. If we can not find him back, things are not going to be easy in this department. The key to have a good transition is not to keep discovering new talents (as Pakistan does) but to nurture them (as South Africa does). All-rounders like Irfan are a rare commodity in India. Without his successful comeback, our stay at top after 2010 will certainly not be in our hands.
Third aspect of this debate is fielding. It is often said that an ageing side is not a good fielding side and that is quite evident with this team. But once Rahul Dravid and Laxman say goodbye India will find it hard to get good fielders in the slip cordon. As most of our youngsters are coming up via T-20/ODI mode standing in slip is not easy for them. In the limited over cricket having slips in place is a luxury. As of now Sehwag occasionally stands in slip. But his record there is not exciting. Gambhir is also not suitable for slip catching and Yuvraj is an excellent fielder in the outfield. I do not have any suggestions to offer here. India’s selectors will have to find an answer to this problem as well. I am afraid nobody would have through grooming a fielder for slip cordon. But as the things stand now we will have to spare a though for it as well.
In end I will like to finish with a borrowed quote from India’s most celebrated sports journalist and an IIM alumni himself Harsha Bhogle - “But as with all success, India must celebrate the moment and move on. Australia and South Africa are fine teams and Sri Lanka have just the man to drive their transition. And as business leaders will tell you it is more difficult to stay on top than to get there. India need to groom batting replacements and there are only two on the horizon, the scarcely tested Murali Vijay and the untested Cheteshwar Pujara. Harbhajan Singh desperately needs competition to take him to another level but more important, India will have to find a way to ensure that players of serious ability like Rohit Sharma, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma and RP Singh don't lose their way. And it will call for people with vision at the top. They exist but they are in a bit of a melee at the moment with others of various hues and political colour.” Wise words indeed use them any GDs you have on this topic.
While India have reordered some recorded some fabulous series wins — against Australia, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka — to facilitate their journey to the top of the tables, they were also helped along the way by what was happening in the rest of the world. Table-toppers Australia, in a freefall after the retirement of eight of the senior players over a 24-month period, lost the Ashes series to England two years after a thumping 5-0 win. They then lost out on valuable points by going down in their home series to South Africa, who seemed to be emerging as the clear front-runners in world cricket until the Aussies hit back like only they’ve been known to. Ponting’s team went to South Africa still licking the wounds of their defeat, but crushed the Proteas in the first Test at Johannesburg to set the tone for a 2-1 victory. That result ensured South Africa did not open up an unassailable lead at the top. India has been the first beneficiaries of this flux, reaching the top slot for the first time since the rankings became official eight years ago.
Thus India’s path to No. 1 position has been a mixture of some hard work and some lucky results. Australia was dethroned from the No. 1 position by England and is resulted in a massive drop in Australia’s rating points. It actually went from No. 1 position to No.4 position. However prior to this series South Africa was defeated by Australia, so South Africa also lost a few crucial points and could not be benefited from Australia’s slump in the rating. India on the other hand had not lost any rating point while it faced-off with the lowly ranked Kiwis. So due to its impressive showing in the domestic series (a 2-0 victory against Australia and Sri Lanka) India quickly rose to No. 1 position. However if South Africa had drawn its series with Australia (as visualized by my prophecy) it could have become no. 1 after Australia’s Ashes loss. However as the fortune favours the brave Dhoni and his men are finally holders of the coveted No. 1 title in the test rankings. However the next question is whether they can continue to hold on to their ranking in the months to come. There are two aspects of this debate. One, India’s thin schedule of test matches in next two years and threat of a transition phase enveloping the Indian team. So we will evaluate this issue both ways.
A big and valid argument against India’s shaky stay at top is its relative absence from international test cricket in the year 2010. As of now India is scheduled to play only lowly ranked Bangladesh while South Africa and Australia are scheduled to play at least 10 tests in 2010. In December 2010, they are scheduled to tour South Africa, followed by a tour of West Indies in April, post the World Cup. During this time, South Africa will play three Test series and Australia four. However the situation may improve slightly if South Africa agrees to play 2 tests in India during their Feb.- March 2010 series. Still the devil may lie in the details. India has become the no. 1 test side not because it is playing exceptionally good cricket. India has been playing at this level ever since year 2002-03. The change in ranking has come because other teams are now putting a brave face against Australia. England has defeated them in two consecutive Ashes and that has hurt them. Even countries like New Zealand and West Indies do not feel as meekly lambs while facing the Australians. A closer look at the future tour programme (FTP) of the International Cricket Council reveals that Australia is scheduled to face West Indies (once at home and once away), New Zealand (away) and Pakistan (once at home and once in England) in next 12 months before they play the Ashes 2010 against England. All these teams are in the lower half of the ICC rankings. Australia needs to sweep all these match ups to rise to number 2 status. If they can do it an Ashes win will once again elevate to No. 1 position. But things are not that easy any more. West Indies managed to draw a test in Australia and when Australians tour the Caribbeans, they might upset the Kangaroos. That will mean an end to Australian hopes to regain number one ranking unless they beat India in India and South Africa (either at home or away). Similarly Pakistan has shown brightly in New Zealand and is eyeing the Australian tour as a tool to rediscover their lost magic. They hope to encash the current tour in the same way as Sourav Ganguly led India did in 2002-03. If they manage to even draw one of the two tests series against Australia, it will again be disastrous for the Kangaroos. As far as beating New Zealand is New Zealand is concerned, Australians have always struggled to face this trans-Tasmanian clash. So Australia will find it tough to dislodge Indians from number one ranking in 2010.
As far as South Africa’s challenge (they are just a couple of rating point behind India in the ICC table) is concerned they have a more realistic chance to upstage Indians if they win 2-0 or 3-1 against the England team in the four match series. But it easier said than done. In last couple of years England has been a tough competitor. They are not likely to get it done so easily. Again South Africans are known for choking. They had their best chance to get the top spot when Australia visited them in 2009. But they blew this chance and now they will find it hard to follow up. They are so close to number one ranking in the tests and this enough to but butterflies in their stomach. They are most likely to win the series either 1-0 or 2-1. This will leave them at 123 points, just one point behind India. Yet I am not ruling out a possibility of a drawn test series and this will push South Africa back to 120 points. As far as future series are concerned South Africans will be playing India (if things go as it is being planned) and West Indies besides England in the next 12 months. A win against the WI is not going to earn it too many rating points. So they must earn them either against the England or the Indians and that is why the India vs. South Africa series is so important.
Coming on to India’s wretched test calendar for the year 2010, it can be a blessing in disguise. India has a habit of slipping into complacency while facing the lowly ranked oppositions. A home series against a team like New Zealand or England could have proved costlier. Against Bangladesh we have a near perfect record. India has won four out of five matches against the Bangladeshis. Result in one match was spoiled due to wet conditions. So we should not fear losing our crown by playing a draw against them. But India will have to win 2-0 if it wants to stay at top for a longer period. However India will have to be at its best while playing South Africans at home. Protean has been able to beat India in India more often than any other country. They have won 4 out of 10 tests they have played in India. This is better than even Australia. So India will have to play really well to beat them. If they can manage it even a clean sweep against West Indies can not elevate to South Africa to no. 1 spot. So contrary to the popular belief India has its destiny in its own hand and luck is likely to favor the brave once again. India needs to win 2-0 against Bangladesh and every thing else will fall in place automatically.
The transition phase theory
Another crucial aspect about India’s stay at top is a fear that India might have a big slump when its batting trinity Tendulkar, Laxman and Dravid leaves them in next two years. It is indeed a big worry. Absence of these stalwarts is going to hurt us. But we are fortunate to have replacements. Yes it will be impossible to fill the void left by Sachin but we have won without him too. Even as the Chairman of Selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth is urging Sachin to continue for a 2 to 3 years more - He should play cricket for another 2-3 years. We need him as the team is going through a transition phase. He is a fantastic team man, very involved cricketer and we need him so that he is able to guide cricketers of future – team India will not mind taking on teams even after Tendulkar leaves. His absence will not hurt unless we play a test series either in Australia or in South Africa. We are also fortunate is one aspect that we have got an established pair of openers in Sehwag and Gambhir. Their brilliance at top will be enough to shield any newcomer who replaces either Sachin or Dravid in the middle order. As far as Laxman is concerned, other than his exceptional record against the Aussies he is a player who can be replaced easily. If Yuvraj is able to correct his record outside India, may be we will not miss Laxman even though we will yearn for his presence in the middle, just like we do for Dada. However what is more important is players like Sehwag and Gambhir continue to play at the same intensity as they are doing now. Dhoni and Yuvraj will have to show more responsibility and our transition phase is not going to be as painful as Australia’s. We need to flexible also. Either Sehwag or Gambhir must contemplate playing in the middle order so that Murali Vijay can be accommodated as an opener. If this is not possible, Dhoni should try moving on to number 4 position and include either Dinesh Karthik or Parthiv Patel as an established wicketkeeper just like Sangakkara is doing for Sri Lanka. It can help us in filling any crack that might appear in a post-Tendulkar era. Rather than trying an untested commodity we can certainly play safe by accommodated persons with proven talent albeit in a different role.
The other half of the story in our transition phase is also very different from Australia. The Aussies not only lost their top guns in batting, their bowling was also depleted by sudden departure of bowling greats like McGrath and Warne. In this sense we are fortunate that we are not missing Kumble too much. My worst fear was that Indians will struggle to take 20 wickets in the absence of Kumble. But the series against Sri Lanka was very satisfying in this aspect. Not only Harbhajan played his role maturely, even young Pragyan Ojha was impressive. This was despite the fact that Sri Lankans (just like Indians) are expert in handling spin bowling. Amit Mishra had impressed against Australia and Peeysh Chawla is doing very well in domestic cricket. All this can make our task of taking 20 wickets less painful in next five years or at least till Harbhajan decides to hang his boots. As far as our pace bowling is concerned presence of Zaheer Khan has been very vital for the team. In his absence players like Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, R P Singh etc are reduced to mare mortals. Zaheer is now 31 years old and may say goodbye even before Tendulkar. We need to preserve him in order to make him last longer. Here Sreesanth’s return is very important. He won India a test in Kanpur where fast bowlers rarely shine. But he is not a replacement for Zaheer. Sreesanth can trade places with only Ishant. We need to rediscover Irfan Pathan if we want a safe transit during the so called transition phase. On Indian pitches Irfan can easily be an effective third seamer. His experience with the bat will also cool down things in the middle order. If we can not find him back, things are not going to be easy in this department. The key to have a good transition is not to keep discovering new talents (as Pakistan does) but to nurture them (as South Africa does). All-rounders like Irfan are a rare commodity in India. Without his successful comeback, our stay at top after 2010 will certainly not be in our hands.
Third aspect of this debate is fielding. It is often said that an ageing side is not a good fielding side and that is quite evident with this team. But once Rahul Dravid and Laxman say goodbye India will find it hard to get good fielders in the slip cordon. As most of our youngsters are coming up via T-20/ODI mode standing in slip is not easy for them. In the limited over cricket having slips in place is a luxury. As of now Sehwag occasionally stands in slip. But his record there is not exciting. Gambhir is also not suitable for slip catching and Yuvraj is an excellent fielder in the outfield. I do not have any suggestions to offer here. India’s selectors will have to find an answer to this problem as well. I am afraid nobody would have through grooming a fielder for slip cordon. But as the things stand now we will have to spare a though for it as well.
In end I will like to finish with a borrowed quote from India’s most celebrated sports journalist and an IIM alumni himself Harsha Bhogle - “But as with all success, India must celebrate the moment and move on. Australia and South Africa are fine teams and Sri Lanka have just the man to drive their transition. And as business leaders will tell you it is more difficult to stay on top than to get there. India need to groom batting replacements and there are only two on the horizon, the scarcely tested Murali Vijay and the untested Cheteshwar Pujara. Harbhajan Singh desperately needs competition to take him to another level but more important, India will have to find a way to ensure that players of serious ability like Rohit Sharma, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma and RP Singh don't lose their way. And it will call for people with vision at the top. They exist but they are in a bit of a melee at the moment with others of various hues and political colour.” Wise words indeed use them any GDs you have on this topic.
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