The revenge sweet-sour

The anticipation was huge on both sides,baying for blood.India and Bangladesh do not quite fit the billing of arch-rivals in cricket,but India's infamous and unceremonious loss to Bangladesh in Port-of-Spain in their Group League encounter in the last World Cup,which virtually knocked them out of the tournament in that preliminary round itself,raked big and had set off undercurrents between the two.You could always say that the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 inaugural clash between them would rank as one of the most hyped meetings in this tournament,with India looking to settle the score and Bangladesh fantasising with the past to repeat it one more time.

Some fine batting by India after they were put into bat by Bangladesh skipper Shakib-al Hasan almost ensured the revenge.MoM Virender Sehwag scored a career best 175,and nearly saw through his pledge of batting out the full 5o overs.Virat Kohli continued his great form to hit an unbeaten ton on World Cup debut,becoming the first Indian to do so.Maybe he thought he was continuing from his U-19 World Cup triumph in 2008.Well,at the end of the day,the job was done and Port-of-Spain was avenged  in Mirpur,Dhaka.India comfortably beat Bangladesh by 87 runs.

A margin of 87 runs reads handsome against any team in the world.But then we can't forget that Bangladesh posted 283-9 in reply to our 370-4.What if we had not handed them a target that big?Let's focus on the second innings.Bangladesh maintained a run-rate sniffing around 6.Imrul Kayes provided a competitive start,and Tamim Iqbal and Shakib kept on the illusion of being in the hunt for a good while.Perhaps we won't feel very elated about this win.Perhaps we have it in our psyche that our eastern neighbours are still little more than minnows in world cricket.Perhaps we will doubt the potency of our bowling against the more fancied opponents.

Let me then draw a parallel from the history of the World Cup.As the match wore on towards the end I could not help but remember a similar occasion from the 1999 World Cup in England.It was Australia v. Zimbabwe in a Super Six clash at the Lord's.Zimbabwe back then used to be what Bangladesh is today - giant killers,and that particular edition they had a dream run in the Group League stage.And yet,they were the underdogs by far.Australia bat and put a heavy 303-5 on the board.Zimbabwe begin their chase in a promising fashion.Remember Neil Johnson?One of the finest all-rounders to have played the game since the Kapil-Imran-Botham era.When he and Murray Goodwin were together for the 2nd wicket partnership (114),the Aussies looked tense and threatened.The likes of Andy Flower (though he unfortunately scored a golden duck that match) were waiting in the hut.Goodwin was dismissed,153-2,but Johnson carried on,but bad day he didn't get able support from the other end.Zimbabwe ended up at 259-6.The Kangaroos won convincingly by 44 runs.People granted that it was a reasonable performance from Zimbabwe,and Australia needed to bowl better.Because Zimbabwe was still an underdog in our psyche.I was a Std. V kid back then and I wept when Zimbabwe had beaten India in their Group game.The same I felt sad for Johnson,who scored 132 not out off 144 and was also adjudged MoM that match against Australia,by the time he took guard in the last over.

Did the McGraths and Warnes bowl badly that day?No.Did the Men in Blue bowl badly last evening?No,with the exception of Sreesanth.You have to acknowledge that the conditions were much more conducive for batting under lights - ball came on to the bat easier due to dew around.Plus,perhaps Dhoni overrated the dew factor to field a 3-1 combination.Anil Kumble wrote in his column,and I too in my blog felt that it will be surprising if our strategy doesn't bank on 2 seamers and 2 spinners.But for Sreesanth,Ashwin was the obvious choice,Bangladesh has a number of left handed batsmen in their ranks.Look at the figures of the other bowlers.Munaf picked up 4,Zaheer was economical and Harbhajan was on the money too.The death bowling looks good.However,the likes of Zaheer Khan need to nurse their fielding woes.

A word of concern with the dew factor.The majority of games in the World Cup are Day/Night affairs,as are all matches featuring India.If last eve was any indication,the signs are bad for a tournament as crucial as these.We would not like the results of important matches to depend largely on the flip of the coin.

Anyway,a win is a win,and the team deserves thanks for ensuring that India start with a win and averting any 'accident' they met with last time round.Because Group B is the tougher pool and the going is bound to be rugged.The pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag would like to follow suit.Not everyday will they want to gift a run-out as last afternoon's to the opposition.A gap of 8 days now before they take on England,this time back in India,in Bengaluru.Till then,enjoy the other teams in action DE GHUMA KE!

The Cup That Counts

Just about two more hours for the battle for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to begin at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium,Dhaka,Bangladesh.From a high of 16 teams in the last edition,this time the number of participating teams have been reduced to a sane 14.Cricket's ultimate showpiece is being hosted in the subcontinent after 15 years and with it returns the 'Quarter Final' stage in the tournament format.Incidentally,the 'Quarter Final' as a round was introduced and included in the format for the first and only time the last time the World Cup was staged in South Asia,in 1996.

Anyways,perhaps the second most pertinent speculation in the mind of the Indian cricket enthusiast is what should be the composition of the first playing XI of the Indian team.Few grounds for animosity exists when it comes to fielding a 7-4 combination,i.e.,7 batsmen (including wicketkeeper batsman and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni) and 4 bowlers.And unless venues like Mohali tempt otherwise,4 bowlers would mean 2 seamers and 2 spinners.Now,we understand there are two dead certainties in the bowling line up - Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh,shall they keep fit.Going by the recent performances by Ashish Nehra,you can count him out.It's unfortunate Praveen Kumar has to sit out due to injury,so either Munaf Patel or Sreesanth,Praveen's replacement,will make the cut as Zaheer's partner.Munaf is in good stead with some impressive show in the ODI series in South Africa,while Sreesanth is always an exciting prospect and temptation,because the rare occasions he finds himself a consistent rhythm,he can be devastating,so you never know.

As regards the spinners,the omission of Pragyan Ojha from the squad ahve raised many an eyebrow.Instead Piyush Chawla was picked at the haste of captain Dhoni,his reason being the inclusion of a leggie will add to the variety of the spin attack and also his batting prowess will add solidarity to the lower order.Well,Chawla has not been half as consistent as Ojha in the recent past with the ball,so how much more variety does him being a leggie add than a left arm orthodox?Or perhaps Chawla has edged out Ojha because he has a fantastic googly in his armory?Questions that will never be answered conclusively.And better put at rest at this moment.We saw how Chawla turned around the warm-up match against Australia on a square turning track in Bengaluru.Whether he will be able to recreate the magic in less helpful conditions is a metaphysical ask,but it has added to the selection dilemma.Yes,Ravichandran Ashwin has convinced us with his consistency and maybe he's the more reasonable choice beside Harbhajan.But then,why have a leggie in the side,with the two other spinners being right arm off break bowlers,if you can't play him?

The fifth bowler has always an area for concern for us in the last 15 years.The shoulder niggle Virender Sehwag is carrying takes away one good option in home conditions.Fortunately,Yuvraj Singh is in brilliant form with the ball.Look at his figures on South Africa and the warm-up games.Hardly betrays that he still considers himself a part-timer.He,along with Yusuf Pathan,can be entrusted with the task of assisting the front-line spinners in the middle overs.

And this is where we are almost drawn into sighing,poor Suresh Raina!I had in my first entry in this blog (http://caesarcricket.blogspot.com/2010/12/no-vacancy-for-yuvi.html) pointed out that it's either Yuvraj or Raina who makes the final XI.Yusuf Pathan has only succeeded even more in proving my point and neither Yuvraj nor Raina has helped his cause with the bat.Yusuf's bowling is a plus,and though he isn't used as much as his antics in domestic cricket would suggest,he has been observed to be good in breaking crucial partnerships.And Yuvraj's bowling would most probably see him make the cut despite Raina's blinder against New Zealand in the warm-up in Chennai.

The batting has not gunned big in ODIs this year.While a part of it can be attributed to the absence of Sehwag,Gambhir,and also Tendulkar for the better part of the series against South Africa,the rest collectively has been a letdown.Virat Kohli is in golden touch,and Yusuf Pathan can almost single handedly win any match in the subcontinent if he continues his good run with the long handle.Will the others,especially Yuvraj and Dhoni,follow suit?

One would say our seam attack looks vulnerable.While the likes of Zaheer Khan,Munaf Patel and also Sreesanth,if you take into account the Test series in SA,thrived on the more lively decks there,and what's more heartening is our death bowling,which has been our biggest worry in the recent past and beyond,looked really good.If they would be able to replicate the effort in the brutally batting friendly conditions expected here is something to watch out for in the coming few weeks.

And finally,the billion dollar question,who will lift the Cup?Only a fool would predict for sure this time,for the first time since 1999.Australia were runaway favourites in 2003 and 2007,and rightly so as we found out.This time some people were starting to ignore their potential while they were being hammered by England in the Ashes at home!They have just succeeded to send a timely reminder to them that they are still the No. 1 ranked side in ODIs by returning a 6-1 favour to the English in the ODI series that followed.Ricky Ponting is coming back to play with a half healed finger,but looked composed in the warm-up v. India.Shane Watson is in crushing form and the likes of Cameron White can float like a butterfly and sting you like a bee.Brett Lee's thumping return is good news for Australia and the cricketing world.The news is,you can count them out at your own peril.

India are always a strong side at home and their team is definitely one of the teams to beat and displays an exciting mix of youth and experience,calm and exuberance.Sri Lanka,on the other hand,look closest to he perfectly balanced side,and the fact that they get to play most of their group games in Sri Lanka make it even harder for the other teams to handle them.Maestros like Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan will definitely love to sign off in style.In fact,I feel ot would be an upset if we don't see Sri Lanka making the Final.Beware Malinga and his toe crushers!

South Africa look very intimidating on paper,perhaps their best side to play in the Cup after 1999,but they have yet to prove their worth in the subcontinent against the subcontinent teams in ODIs.Players like Hashim Amla and Johan Botha who would be instrumental to their fate,are in sublime form over the past year or so,and they boast of the best pace attack in the world.England are the dark horses,and if Pakistan,bubbled up from their success in New Zealand,plays as a unit,the Afridis,Razzaqs,Akmals and Akhtars won't be far behind to excite up the arena.

But cometh the hour when play starts,all this analysis,predictions,opinions will be reduced to a heap of shit.Because it will be the best 8 of the 14 who make it to the knockout stage and from then,it's a matter of who plays better on the respective day.But we cricket crazy people across the globe will be connected in our pulses,will breathe,live and die together for the 43 days that follows.Let all the teams fight with all their strength and valour.Because glory does not and must not come cheap.Because this is The Cup That Counts.

The Hour of Truth

12 days to go for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to kick off.For the third time,after the Reliance World Cup 1987 and the Wills World Cup 1996,the quadrennial showpiece is being hosted in the Indian subcontinent.But make no mistake,this time it's gonna be a different ball game altogether.

This is the first World Cup,and you gotta add,of the ODI format of the sport after Twenty20 cricket has taken centrestage big time.Barely 5 months after the conclusion of the last ICC Cricket World Cup in the Carribean,the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 took place in South Africa in September 2007,and made the cricketing world sit up and acknowledge the arrival of the shortest internationally recognized version of the game on the big scene.The money makers smelled immediately the opportunity to churn out big profits by exploiting the format,and so did the International Cricket Council see its window of spreading the game to newer places on the globe.The rest,as they say,is history.We have witnessed the introduction and growth of the Indian Premier League and Champions League Twenty20,courtesy the Board of Control for Cricket in India,with all its obscene money and glitz.There have been two more World Twenty20 meets in 2009 and 2010.As a result,the professionals have taken T20 seriously,and thereby increased its popularity.And in the last four years,we have seen it pose a mortal challenge to the more traditional versions.There's no escaping the fact that the viewership of the Test and ODI matches are decreasing with the increasing indulgence in the T20s.

And it is hence that the test begins on February 19 in Dhaka,when Bangladesh take on co-hosts India.At a time when Twenty20 is being dubbed as the future of cricket,when changes are being suggested and even implemented (in the Australian domestic circuit) to the one day structure to spice up the format,when the ICC World Twenty20 is threatening to dethrone the ICC Cricket World Cup as the premier tournament of the sport,2011 is faced with a challenge.A challenge to provide a fresh lease of life to 50 over cricket.A challenge to sustain the excitement of this historical tournament.A challenge to keep alive the Cup!And we know,there could be no place better for the mega event to happen this time than this cricket-fanatic land.The Cup has returned to the home it truly belongs to.Hope it doesn't abandon it yet...