World Cup 2011: India vs Australia Quarter Final Preview

Here’s the preview for the battle of the tournament so far- India vs Australia. In the recent past, the India vs Australia battles have upstaged rivalries such as the Ashes & the India-Pakistan with some of the best cricket played in ODI & Test match history. The teams are lining up once again today for a fierce encounter in today’s quarter final.

Australia: RT Ponting*, MJ Clarke, CJ Ferguson, BJ Haddin†, JW Hastings, DJ Hussey, MEK Hussey, MG Johnson, JJ Krejza, B Lee, TD Paine†, SPD Smith, SW Tait, SR Watson, CL White.

India: MS Dhoni*†, V Sehwag, R Ashwin, PP Chawla, G Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, V Kohli, A Nehra, MM Patel, YK Pathan, SK Raina, S Sreesanth, SR Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh.

ODI History:
Matches: 104
Australia wins: 61
India wins: 35
No result: 8
Advantage: Australia.

Oz will have a slight psychological edge against India as they have traditionally dominated India. India have been resurgent in the last 15 years but Australia have maintained the dominance in the big matches. Many Indians fan would like to forget the India vs Australia World Cup final where Ricky Ponting & co. had taken away the match from India. But in recent form, India is a force to reckon with and has performed exceedingly well in all formats of the game. Australia are ranked number one on the ICC ODI ranking with 130 points while India is ranked second with 119 points as of March 19th.

Captains:
Australia: Ricky Ponting
India: MS Dhoni
Advantage: India

Ricky Ponting has been under immense pressure to perform on the field. His age seems to be catching up and he doesnt want to leave the crease until the umpire holds a mike and screams him OUT! Nothing is going right for the Oz captain now and he’s known to get VERY ANGRY (and make faces popularly known as the Ponting face) during a crunch situation.

On the other side, India’s captain cool is in a spot of bother too. Many cricket fans are questioning his strategy and cricket acumen. But Dhoni does not have to deal with criticism on his batting nor does he carry any bad luggage. This is his first world cup and he’ll be positive, fresh & naturally motivated.

Batting:
Australia: Ponting, Clarke, Haddin, Hussey & Watson
India: Sachin, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Gambir & Kohli.
Advantage: India

India have Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag & Yuvraj Singh who have dominated Australia in the past and continue to do so. These batsman are in great form, especially Sachin who’s already scored two hundreds in this world cup. However the worry for India is the fitness of Virender Sehwag and the batting collapse which mysteriously triggers after the end of a good partnership. It’s also time for Kohli, Yusuf Pathan,& Dhoni to come to the party. Especially Yusuf Pathan who’s been very hospitable to the bowlers to say the least.

Australia will rely on Ponting, Haddin, Mike Hussey, Watson & Clarke to delivery the goods today. Ponting has no other option but to perform so he may chose this occasion to perform. Having tasted success on the Indian pitches during the IPL, Watson will be a prize catch. Hussey can frustrated the Indian bowlers with his singles, twos & occasional boundaries. All looks good for Australia except the fact that they dont have a Sachin, Sehwag or a Yuvraj who can blast their way through the opposition. To be honest, they will upstage the Indian batting only if the Indian bowling performs badly. So, its hypothetical unlike the Indian batsman who can steamroll any bowling attack on their day even if the Australian bowlers have a decent outing.

Bowling:
Australia: Johnson, Krejza, Lee, Tait & Watson.
India: Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan & Patel.
Advantage: India

The Motera pitch is reported to be flatter than a formula one circuit so any hope of getting bounce or spin is like a mirage. The flat batting track will leave the bowlers frustrated & angry so patience is the key. Between Lee & Zaheer, Zaheer has an edge as he has a rich experience of batting onslaughts on Indian pitches and will not panic! Lee does not have the venom and his pace is ideal for the likes of Sachin & Sehwag to whack the ball. And between Krejza & Harbhajan, the turbanator has an obvious edge. Now the bowlers to secretly track – Ashwin & Watson. Ashwin’s underexposure during this Cup will benefit him as he will be fresh while Watson is gritty & understands the conditions.

Verdict: India
Myverdict is India. India has the X factor going for it with huge stakes, playing at home & Sachin’s last world cup. Australia on the other side will relax as its one of the rarest games where they will NOT be considered as favourites(which is not bad). At the end of the day, I believe its going to go India’s way.

Finally, would like to wish Sachin Tendulkar all the very best for today’s match.

An Open Letter to Sachin Tendulkar

We received this letter on this website from “Amit Aggarwal”. But the same letter was sent to us by another user with the name “Karthigai Selvi S”. Hence, we cannot claim if it was written by either of them. Nevertheless, whosoever has written it, has poured his heart out and represented the emotions of millions of Sachin fans. Thank you, Anonymous.

“Dear Sachin,

I feel sad. Even after 22 years of playing for the country, you are still expected to win matches on your own. We forget that apart from you there are 10 more players in the team. You have been the run machine in World Cups with an average …of 60. Even today while you yet again proved your class with a 111 the others around took it easy. You chased the ball in the outfield and ensured that your throws landed on top of the bails. Others preferred to drop catches or go back to the dressing room for a ‘rest’ while a substitute fielder came in. Sachin, the current Indian cricket team doesn’t deserve you. They don’t know what it is like to give one’s blood and sweat for this nation of a billion people. For them fame and money has come to easy and undeserving – not commensurate to the ’supposed talent’ that they posses. Do you remember what you had said to Tom Alter in that interview in 1989? “I just want to play cricket”. Sachin, let me also not hide the truth – you are not my favorite cricketer – but one plays favorites only with humans – not with Gods for they are revered, emulated and looked at in awe… [We expect Sachin to win this cup for us. But what about the other players? Are they supposed to be playing ludo in the dressing room? I hope that the rest of the team wake up and realize that they are not there to 'play' in the tournament, they are supposed to 'win' it - not for themselves, not for India but for the greatest Indian to have lived - Sachin Tendulkar. P.S: In the 1992, Hero Cup semi-final in Eden Gardens Kolkata (India Vs. SA), SA needed 6 runs to win off the last over. Tendulkar snatched the ball from Azhar and bowled a magnificent over to win that match for us. (He gave away only 3 runs). Maybe our team needs to watch that over to know what guts and glory are all about.] Sachin, I hope we win the final in Wankhede. If we don’t a billion people can only hang their heads in shame and ask for your forgiveness.

Regards,

One of your undying fans who:
1. Still goes crazy when you hit that straight drive and show us the manufacturer’s name on the bat.
2. Stayed awake late into the night before my end terms to watch that 100 in Sharjah in the midst of that sandstorm.
3. Relished every shot that you played to decimate Warne in 1998 and then Shoaib Akhtar in that 2003 World Cup against Pakistan.
4. Will stop watching cricket after you retire.”

Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar batting rankings up

Dubai, Feb 28 : In the latest Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings, India’s hard hitter Virender Sehwag and batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar elevated in the lineup with 6th and 10th position respectively after their tons in the World Cup -2011.

The latest rankings were worked out after 11 matches of the WC where four players achieved career-best rankings.

The latest rankings after the stunning tied Group B match between India and England in Bengaluru, Australia’s Shane Watson, JP Duminy of South Africa, Netherlands’ Ryan Ten Doeschate and South Africa’s Dale Steyn have all achieved personal landmarks.

Watson, who scored 79 against Zimbabwe and 62 against New Zealand, has climbed four places to break into the top 10 for the first time in his career. Duminy’s contribution of 42 not out against the West Indies has lifted him two places to share 15th spot with captain Graeme Smith and West Indies’ Chris Gayle while Ten Doeschate’s 110-ball 119 against England has helped him vault 12 places to 20th position as Steyn has jumped four places to fourth position after his figures of 3-24 against the West Indies.

India’s Virender Sehwag in fifth (up by six places), Sachin Tendulkar in 10th (up by five places), England skipper Andrew Strauss in 13th (up by eight places), Tamim Iqbal in 23rd (up by three places), Misbah-ul-Haq in 32nd (up by 12 places), Younus Khan in 44th (up by four places) and Kevin O’Brien in 52nd (up by four places).

Batsmen losing ground are Virat Kohli in third (down by one place), Kumar Sangakkara in eighth (down by one place), Gautam Gambhir in 10th (down by one place), Jacques Kallis in 14th (down by six places), Gayle in 15th (down by five places), Ricky Ponting in 19th (down by six places), Jonathan Trott in 23rd (down by three places), Paul Collingwood in 25th (down by three places), Ramnaresh Sarwan in 34th (down by four places) and Shahid Afridi in 35th (down by five places).

South Africa’s duo of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers maintain the top two positions in batting chart.

Indian pacer Zaheer Khan in 14th (up by nine places), Harbhajan Singh in 16th (up by four places), and Munaf Patel in 22nd (up by 11 places), ahead of Tim Bresnan in 30th (up by 11 places) and Shoaib Akhtar in 37th (up by seven places).

Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket was a dream come true

ANGALORE, India (AFP) – Ireland teenager George Dockrell said it had been a “dream come true” for him to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar after the underdogs gave World Cup co-hosts India a fright.

India won the Group B match against the associate nation by five wickets at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday.

But they were made to work hard for their success by an Ireland side that had already produced the performance of this World Cup to beat England by three wickets, and who ought to have defeated Bangladesh in their tournament opener.

Left-arm spinner Dockrell had batting great Tendulkar lbw for 38 and later dismissed India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, also leg before, on his way to fine figures of two for 49 in 10 overs — not bad for an 18-year-old.

“I am a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar,” Dockrell told Tuesday’s Deccan Herald. “I tried to catch a glimpse of him at training sessions here in Bangalore. I admire his style of batting.

“And getting him out was a dream come true.”

Ireland could only manage 207 all out against India but bowled and fielded tigerishly to have their opponents in trouble at 100 for four.

A packed crowd made almost as much an impression upon Dockrell as the India batsmen, with the youngster relishing the experience.

“We were looking forward to playing in front of a full house and so much cheering, noise, hooting and energy from 45,000 people was amazing. It added that much needed excitement to the game.”

But Dockrell added: “It pays to be calm yet persistent. There’s no point getting worked-up. You can’t prevent what’s to come but you can give every moment your best shot.”

An unbeaten 50 from Yuvraj Singh, who’d earlier taken five wickets, saw India home and emphasised the depth of their batting line-up.

“They’re iconic and their commitment to the sport is unmatched,” Dockrell said of India’s star-studded top order. “There’s so much power in them.”

Ireland, who’ve still to play the West Indies, South Africa and the Netherlands, are fifth in Group B and in the hunt for a quarter-final spot, with the top four sides in both pools going through to the last eight.

Tendulkar surprises at practice session by batting left-handed

Feb. 23: It’s a well-chronicled fact that Sachin Tendulkar is ambidextrous. On Wednesday at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium, the Little Master, who is keeping a nation waiting with bated breath over his recovery from a knee injury, showed glimpses of his amazing talent.

Following the opening game against Bangladesh on Saturday, Tendulkar hadn’t picked his bat and after four days, the champion showed that he had recovered enough to have a long hit in the nets and what’s more, he even batted left-handed just for good measure! Switch hit? Move over Kevin Pietersen. Alarm bells started ringing when Tendulkar skipped the practice session the previous day and restricted himself to the gym after complaining of uneasiness on his left knee.

But on Wednesday he batted with ease during his close to one-hour stint at the nets, showing little discomfort, against both the pacers and spinners. He was at his best while facing the mandatory short throws from coach Gary Kirsten and was quick to pull anything short of length.

Meanwhile, Virender Sehwag was the only player to miss the optional practice session, which may raise a few concerns about his fitness ahead of Sunday’s clash against England.

Sehwag, who had employed a runner towards the latter part of his epic 175 against Bangladesh, had skipped the practice session on Tuesday too.

Along with Sehwag, the other injury concern for India, Ashish Nehra, also stayed away from bowling during practice, but did undergo weight training.

Apart from the duo, the rest of the players had a rigorous practice session. After fine-tuning their skills at the National Cricket Academy nets, the players moved to the adjoining Chinnaswamy Stadium to test their big shots against the spinners.

Tendulkar, following a brief catching practice, keenly watched his team-mates go for lusty hits and surprised everyone by taking a left-handed stance.

The net bowlers could rarely trouble the left-handed master, as he sent a couple of balls soaring over the boundary even as the rest of the team watched in admiration.

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