India, the world champions, enter the one-day series against West Indies as firm favorites and one should expect little surprises, if any, in terms of results. West Indies have only upward to look to as their form in the 50-over format of the game has not been any impressive either.
India will be led by the explosive Virender Sehwag, with the selectors deciding to rest regular skipper MS Dhoni ahead of the tough Australian tour. For them it is a matter of continuing their winning run as well as testing their bench strength. Sachin Tendulkar has also been rested while Yuvraj Singh is unavailable as he battles lung tumor.
India have fared reasonably well off late, clean-sweeping England at home to add to the World Cup glory earlier in the year. In addition, they beat West Indies in West Indies as well, winning the first three ODIs before falling away in the last two inconsequential matches. The only glitch in an otherwise perfect year has come in the form of the abysmal tour to England where they lost 3-0.
West Indies will yet again be looking for answers to their miseries that surround them. Since crashing out in the quarter-final at the World Cup, the team has lost home series against Pakistan and India. While they won the ODI series in Bangladesh, the victory came through the tough route having lost the first match before bouncing back in the following two matches.
The absence of Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo has proven costly in recent times, and the young side will be looking to silence the critics with impressive performances. Darren Bravo has been a revelation on the tour and his teammates will look to draw inspiration from him.
Barabati Stadium in Cuttack hosts the day/night encounter. India have lost only two ODIs in two decades at this ground. With the match being played late in November, dew factor could be important and may affect the captain’s decision after winning the toss.
Showing posts with label india cricket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label india cricket. Show all posts
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
India eager to continue dominating run
India will be looking to continue their dominating run against the West Indies when the sides face off in the final match of the series, starting from Tuesday at Mumbai. With the series already lost, West Indies will be keen on scoring some positive points ahead of the one-dayers, having shown tremendous courage and grit in the second innings of the second test match.
Sachin Tendulkar will be the man yet again under the spotlight. Playing at his home ground, and with the series already decided, the script couldn’t be any better for the legendary batsman to finally score his 100th international ton. India have made one change to their squad, axing Yuvraj Singh for Rohit Sharma. Sharma has been impressive in the Ranji trophy and the selectors want to give him a try before Team India’s tour to Down Under next month.
West Indies will look to draw inspiration from their spirited fightback in the second innings, after being bundled out in the first innings. Darren Bravo proved his mettle with a gritty century and was ably supported by Kirk Edwards and Adrain Barath. The youngsters will look to impress yet again, together with Shivnarine Chanderpaul who is expected to play in spite of a calf injury. The bowling department sums up the misery of the West Indies team ever since their intimidating fast bowlers retired.
Wankhede Stadium hosts its first match in over five years, when England won by a convincing margin.
Sachin Tendulkar will be the man yet again under the spotlight. Playing at his home ground, and with the series already decided, the script couldn’t be any better for the legendary batsman to finally score his 100th international ton. India have made one change to their squad, axing Yuvraj Singh for Rohit Sharma. Sharma has been impressive in the Ranji trophy and the selectors want to give him a try before Team India’s tour to Down Under next month.
West Indies will look to draw inspiration from their spirited fightback in the second innings, after being bundled out in the first innings. Darren Bravo proved his mettle with a gritty century and was ably supported by Kirk Edwards and Adrain Barath. The youngsters will look to impress yet again, together with Shivnarine Chanderpaul who is expected to play in spite of a calf injury. The bowling department sums up the misery of the West Indies team ever since their intimidating fast bowlers retired.
Wankhede Stadium hosts its first match in over five years, when England won by a convincing margin.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Why Pakistani players should not be a part of IPL
By now everyone knows that the much-awaited auction for the third edition of Indian Premier League has happened amid a lot of controversy. From the final shortlist of 66 players, none of the 11 Pakistani players were bid for. It has caused a stir in the discussion circles, and a lot of furore has been noticed in Pakistan. But CricketIsMyLifeline will show you a different view - a view that everyone should consider. We will tell you why Pakistani players were not selected.
So starting off, lets begin with what our topic is. There is nothing wrong in being patriotic. Its the Indian Premier League. As the name implies, its supposed to be 'Indian'. Its not like the World Series Cricket in 1970s that had representation from around the world. Its 'Indian Premier League' so give Indians a chance to showcase their talent. And why do we say so? Simply because on the international front, Team India does not get a chance to do so.
So starting off, lets begin with what our topic is. There is nothing wrong in being patriotic. Its the Indian Premier League. As the name implies, its supposed to be 'Indian'. Its not like the World Series Cricket in 1970s that had representation from around the world. Its 'Indian Premier League' so give Indians a chance to showcase their talent. And why do we say so? Simply because on the international front, Team India does not get a chance to do so.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Lets play what India wants to play
If you've been following cricket closely for quite some time, you would have noticed that there has been a growing Indian influence on the game. The Steves, Michaels, Daves have been replaced with the Dalmiyas, Pawars, Modis etc. And that is precisely the reason why there is such a huge debate over the future of cricket in terms of what formats should stay and which ones should go.
Two Indian journalists write on a renowned cricket website that the recently-concluded ODI series between Australia and India attracted record audiences and TV ratings. All six matches were sold out, while TV ratings were several times higher than the two preceding ICC events (World Twenty20 and Champions Trophy).
Digging deeper into the article, we come across an interesting comparison. The average TRP (mesaure of TV ratings) for the 27 matches of ICC World Twenty20 was 2.11. The TRP for India's matches was considerably higher at 3.98. Then the Champions Trophy. India's matches fetched a TRP of 3.16 but the tournament had an average TRP of a mere 1.11. On the other hand, the six India vs Australia games accorded a record TRP of 5.52.
The formula is simple: If you want higher TV ratings, just play what India wants to play. And that is why we hear it too often that tournaments like Indian Premier League and Champions League have 'breathed new life' into the game of cricket. Of course Indian players do well in the IPL. Why wouldn't they? If they wouldn't, how would you ever come to know about Subramaniam Badrinath or Manpreet Gony? (You're excused if you still don't know them). Did Lalit Modi mention two IPLs every year from 2012? I say make it six a year. The more Indian players are in action, the more TV ratings you get. The more Badrinaths and Gonys you will see instead of the Michael Clarkes, Umar Guls, Shane Bonds etc. Who cares about the quality of cricket? What is more important is that golden number called TRP.
For a change, if you still want some international cricket, lets play that too. But hey, don't forget the rule: play what India wants to play. Why play World Twenty20 or Champions Trophy when India can't do well in it? World T20 - a tournament India's bitterest rival Pakistan ended up winning - is useless. After all, a 2.11 rating is nothing compared to 5.52. Champions Trophy - a tournament in which India were again agonizingly knocked out by none other than Pakistan - has a rating of 1.11. Even Star Plus soaps would attract a better rating! So what India's absence from the bulk of these tournaments affects TV ratings? The Indian theory is simple: We're billion-strong, and you can't do anything about it. So if you want international cricket, let India play what and where they can play well. Away tours should be done away with. ICC tournaments are unnecessary, do away with them too. And one day, trust me ONE DAY, cricket will surely match the TRPs of football matches! But for that you'll also have to do away with the unimportant, annoyingly close encounters between South Africa and England or Pakistan and New Zealand. Do that and see the magic.
Do the figures really mean Champions Trophy was a flop compared to India-Australia ODIs? A 5.52 TRP for India vs Australia. Five times as popular as Champions Trophy? Maybe yes. But hey, NO! Did you forget there are more Indians in this world than the rest of the major cricketing nations' population combined? My friend in Toronto doesn't know who Munaf Patel is. But he surely remembers Ricky Ponting lifting the trophy in Johannesburg. Or what about a 12-year old kid who paid £300 to watch the World T20 final at Lord's? He'll remember Shahid Afridi standing with his arms aloft in celebration of victory for a lifetime. Does he really know how a moment of madness from Ravindra Jadeja cost India the match? I don't think so.
But the bottom line remains - let's play what India wants to play!
Two Indian journalists write on a renowned cricket website that the recently-concluded ODI series between Australia and India attracted record audiences and TV ratings. All six matches were sold out, while TV ratings were several times higher than the two preceding ICC events (World Twenty20 and Champions Trophy).
Digging deeper into the article, we come across an interesting comparison. The average TRP (mesaure of TV ratings) for the 27 matches of ICC World Twenty20 was 2.11. The TRP for India's matches was considerably higher at 3.98. Then the Champions Trophy. India's matches fetched a TRP of 3.16 but the tournament had an average TRP of a mere 1.11. On the other hand, the six India vs Australia games accorded a record TRP of 5.52.
The formula is simple: If you want higher TV ratings, just play what India wants to play. And that is why we hear it too often that tournaments like Indian Premier League and Champions League have 'breathed new life' into the game of cricket. Of course Indian players do well in the IPL. Why wouldn't they? If they wouldn't, how would you ever come to know about Subramaniam Badrinath or Manpreet Gony? (You're excused if you still don't know them). Did Lalit Modi mention two IPLs every year from 2012? I say make it six a year. The more Indian players are in action, the more TV ratings you get. The more Badrinaths and Gonys you will see instead of the Michael Clarkes, Umar Guls, Shane Bonds etc. Who cares about the quality of cricket? What is more important is that golden number called TRP.
For a change, if you still want some international cricket, lets play that too. But hey, don't forget the rule: play what India wants to play. Why play World Twenty20 or Champions Trophy when India can't do well in it? World T20 - a tournament India's bitterest rival Pakistan ended up winning - is useless. After all, a 2.11 rating is nothing compared to 5.52. Champions Trophy - a tournament in which India were again agonizingly knocked out by none other than Pakistan - has a rating of 1.11. Even Star Plus soaps would attract a better rating! So what India's absence from the bulk of these tournaments affects TV ratings? The Indian theory is simple: We're billion-strong, and you can't do anything about it. So if you want international cricket, let India play what and where they can play well. Away tours should be done away with. ICC tournaments are unnecessary, do away with them too. And one day, trust me ONE DAY, cricket will surely match the TRPs of football matches! But for that you'll also have to do away with the unimportant, annoyingly close encounters between South Africa and England or Pakistan and New Zealand. Do that and see the magic.
Do the figures really mean Champions Trophy was a flop compared to India-Australia ODIs? A 5.52 TRP for India vs Australia. Five times as popular as Champions Trophy? Maybe yes. But hey, NO! Did you forget there are more Indians in this world than the rest of the major cricketing nations' population combined? My friend in Toronto doesn't know who Munaf Patel is. But he surely remembers Ricky Ponting lifting the trophy in Johannesburg. Or what about a 12-year old kid who paid £300 to watch the World T20 final at Lord's? He'll remember Shahid Afridi standing with his arms aloft in celebration of victory for a lifetime. Does he really know how a moment of madness from Ravindra Jadeja cost India the match? I don't think so.But the bottom line remains - let's play what India wants to play!
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