Birthday wishes to the second greatest captain of Indian team!!!?
these 2 are the best in the business meaning both of these men took indian cricket to a new level. now, if u ask for a comparision between 2 then, lets see- 1) on the basis of theri skills- saurav ganguly-- dada's prime can be from 1999-2003. during this time he was huge. classy cricketer, a huge rival for sachin tendulkar & his greatness. he took our cricket to the next level by defying the odds & leading team india to the 2003 world cup finals. i think this was the time when superiority complex came up to dada, sure he was a classy captain & one of the main reasons for indian cricket success but he couldn't maintain his calm. once he raised up his bat after scoring a 50 & he found an empty pavalion but his tenure as a big hitter is unforgettable. he was the real maharaja of india when it came to big hitting in the late 90's. MS dhoni- his prime as a great player was from 2006-2009. i liked his later style of going slow & playing sensible cricket but the aggressive MS dhoni went off with his hairs :P so, he didn't score much runs later but he managed to keep an average of a nice 45-50 so, he was good but not that great. i still like his steal he works when required. according to me as a palyer dada was better because he could bowl on ocassions too sure MSD has keeping advantage but ue to that slight difference in batting i think dada was a better player by a slight difference. 2) as a captain: saurav ganguly: he unexpectedly reached the finals of the 2003 world cup & came very close to win also, he later got a huge win in pakistan & his performance was great so, dada accomplished a lot that will help. MS dhoni: he is arguably the most successful captain in the history of cricket as no captain has ever won all 2 ipls, champion's league, world cup, champions trophy & t-20 all in one go so, he is the most accomplished captain ever. so, as a captain MSD is better than dada. i have to choose mahender singh dhoni over saurav ganguly because of the success. he will surely get over saurav ganguly in the matter of runs he can do it. critics can say whatever they want about this diamond of cricket but according to me he is the best captain all around.
Is the current success of Indian cricket team in test matches only because India is playing most matches in India?
See, any team plays well at home. I agree lot of people will debate on India’s superb run in current season mostly because they play at home. Because, the pitch, the conditions suit them. Well agreed. Now, let’s take a moment and try to relook those reasons again.Conditions: Yes. it is India, we know our conditions well. That’s why we play well. But what happened to us in 2012 when we lost to England in our own backyard? Did we play in alien conditions? It’s just that they outplayed us. It proves no team is invincible at home. Take recently concluded Aus-SA Test series as reference.Pitch: Just to remind you current series has been played on proper cricket pitches so far. Mohali track was best of them all. It supported the batsmen till the last moment. Forget about Rank turners, Ashwin would have bowled Cook or any batsmen with that sort of delivery on any sort of pitches around the world. Or, Shami’s bodyline bouncers are unplayable even on flattest of pitches. It’s being a common theory for the visiting teams that they would play lethal turn and bounce in India. And, that thinking led their downfall. Even Nasser Hussain heaped praise on the pitches.Batting: Six wickets down. Still you are 80 runs behind. Any bowling team would dance on that situation that we would be batting in next hour. But that did not happen with England. India’s lower order added over 200 runs and stretched the hour to the next 3 sessions. Morale of any team would be down after that. England lost the match after the India’s innings was over. Is it because India played on home soil only?Yes, Kohli’s captaincy is yet to be tested overseas. But we have seen glance of it in Aus last time, right when India went on to chase 362 on final day rather than enforcing a draw? As of now, any young team sans any big name would struggle, but that’s not the case with this Indian team. Opposition would target Kohli. Now, they have to deal with Parthiv, Ashwin, Jadeja, Jayant Yadav etc.If you still think India plays well on home soil only. Yes, they play well, so does every team. Oh did I mention NZ bowl out Pak in one session? NZ that team who just got whitewashed in India.
Will India win the 2017 cricket test series against Australia after their pathetic showing in the 1st test at Pune?
Yes, surely they have a chance.india will change their playing 11 in their next http://match.in bangalore, they should change their fast bowling options, bhuvaneswar kumar should be in playing 11.we cant always expect ashwin to take wickets.bhuvaneswar has the ability to swing it both ways and bangalore is known for the friendly bounce. Also the openers should give a nice start.kohli was unlucky in the 2 innings. I hope kohli uses drs reviews wisely. Fielding should be improved especially catching in slip cordon.rahane should show his talent in indian pitches need to be more consistent , he has the potential he should show that in numbers.ishant sharma should also take wickets consistently by bowling 4 stump line rather than bowling too much away from off stump..Australian batsman has the class to play such deliveries of ishant.. jadeja is impressive but he needs to bowl somewhat middle stump line in such pitches attacking the stumps rather than making batsman leave outside off stump.Hope india make a strong comeback in the series..
Why can't India win a test series in Australia or South Africa? Do we lack a good quality bowling attack?
Exactly!!!India lack quality bowling attack to win a test series in south Africa, England or Australia. We have got batsmen who put 500 runs on the score-board but taking 20 wickets of opposition is a difficult task for us.In last 2 or 3 years, We have travelled Australia, South Africa, New Zeland and England but could just win 1 test out of 13 tests. We could just win 1 match against England.( Thanks to Ishant Sharma!!!!)Now you may be thinking India was terrible in last two years overseas.NO, India played really well but could not seize the crucial moments and sessions. Sometimes opposition players performed exceptionally well.In 2013, In Johannesburg test, India played really well and gave South africa a huge target of 458 runs. 99 times out of 100 India could have won this match. But unfortunately the test was drawn.( Thanks to AB devillers and Faf du plesis!!)In 2014, In the second test against New Zeland, India had the lead of 246 runs but New Zeland scored 680 runs in the second inning( Thanks to Brandon Macculam!!). We had a really good chance to win that test as well.Even against australia in 2014, India lost two hard-fought games due to poor bowling performance.It was only England tour of 2014 where India was completely outplayed by England and lost the series 1–3.( Thanks to James Anderson and Stuart Broad)Now you must be thinking Indian test team is not good enough to win test series against top teams.Well, Defeating any team in their home condition has never been easy. It is equally difficult for New zeland, England or Australia to beat India in India.But the good news is that our bowling has been improving. Indian think tank has done a good job as they persisted with Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, R. Ashwin, Jadeja and Mishra. They have been getting better. So now when India will tour these countries, the battle will be a treat to watch!!!England, Australia and New zeland will tour India in this year. None of them has the potential to win the test-series against India in India. I will be surprised if any of them will beat India.( even in a single test).
How come India always dominate Sri Lanka in cricket ?
Dinith : yes Sri Lanka did beat India Many times after 1996 , but those days India were pretty weak & lacked direction although there were lot of talented cricketers. They became a challenging team only after ganguly took over captaincy in 2000. But At least India bet SL many times even during those days like 1999 WC & 2003 WC,6-1 in 2005, won natwest series 2002 in England which was a triangular series where SL didn't even qualify to finals , Icc champions trophy 2002(where rain saved SL ) & many other odd wins. But since 2010 , SL haven't been able to beat India at all ,be it in bilateral series or in Icc tournaments or in neutral venues.
How come India always dominate Sri Lanka in cricket ?
Dinith : yes Sri Lanka did beat India Many times after 1996 , but those days India were pretty weak & lacked direction although there were lot of talented cricketers. They became a challenging team only after ganguly took over captaincy in 2000. But At least India bet SL many times even during those days like 1999 WC & 2003 WC,6-1 in 2005, won natwest series 2002 in England which was a triangular series where SL didn't even qualify to finals , Icc champions trophy 2002(where rain saved SL ) & many other odd wins. But since 2010 , SL haven't been able to beat India at all ,be it in bilateral series or in Icc tournaments or in neutral venues.
As an Indian cricket team fan, which is your most favourite cricket match and why?
India vs Pakistan, 3rd ODI Delhi 2013Though a low scoring match this is one of my personal favourites because of the splendid performamce the Indian bowlers and fielders put up that day which is rare to see these day.India had already lost the first two ODI's and this being the last one, eyes were on India to escape an unfortunate whitewash. So, after winning the toss India elected to bat first but failed miserably after openers Gambhir and Rahane fell cheaply, neither it was Kohli's day too. The innings proceeded very slow with wickets falling at regular intervals. Pakistani spinners ran up through the middle and lower order batting with Saeed Ajmal ending with figures of 5/24. India's innings was over at 167 with Dhoni top scoring 36. At such a below average score no one expected a show from the Indian bowlers and soon the news channels started critising the team, waiting for the whitewash.Almost every Indian fan had lost his heart, but India had found a gem in Bhuvneshwar Kumar who made his ODI debut earlier that series. Also,to accompany him there was Mohammad Shami who was playing his 1st ODI.2nd innings began and suddenly the Indian team showed something unexpected. The attacking captaincy by Dhoni with an unbelievable bowling performance complemented by superb fielding brought back India in the match and they successfully defended a total of mere 167 runs.The bowling scorecard of the match:The best part was that Dhoni was awarded the Man of the Match for his attacking captaincy leading the team to a nail biting victory.
What is the greatest one day international cricket innings where the team lost the match?
Marcus Peter Stonis 146 (2017)Chasing New Zealand’s 287, Australia were 67–6 at a moment but Stonis who was just playing his second match took the score to 280. Australia were 226–9 at a moment and Stonis alone took the score to 280 without letting the no. 11 batsman to face a single ball. On 280, Hazelwood who hadn’t palyed a single ball got run out and New Zealand won.Ricky Ponting’s 164 (2006)Indeed one of the greatest cricket matches ever played. It was the time when even the scores of 320 were considered very rare in One days. The score of 400 was just thought to be impossible. With Ricky Ponting scoring 164 with the strike rate of 157, Australia put up a target of 434. There were no T20s back then so scoring 150+ at such a high strike rate was beyond something that one could have hardly imagined. Scoring 434 was the one thing but the best was yet to come from South Africa when they chased down 434 with one wicket remaining.Matthew Hayden’s 181 (2007)Well Australian habit of losing after scoring massive runs on the scoreboard does not end here. Before 2007 world cup, Australia played Chappell-Hadlee tournament in New Zealand where they lost after scoring 335 plus two times. In the third match when they were on the brink of whitewash, they gave everything that they could have to win confidence just before the start of the world cup. In the match, they scored 346. It was Matthew Hayden who played his career best of 181*. But that could not save the Aussies from whitewash as Craig Mcmillan’s century ensured New Zealand’s victory.Tilakaratne Dilshan’s 160Twice he scored 160 against India and they lost. The first one was at Rajkot in 2009 when they were chasing massive 414 runs on board and thanks to his innings the required run rate in the last ten over was just around mere 6. But the lower middle order couldn’t score runs as required and they lost by 3 runs.The other 160 was against India at Hobart in the Australian Tri-series where they scored 321 in the do or die match. But thanks to Kohli’s 133 and the spell of Malinga, India won the match.Charles Coventry’s 194 was also another innings when Zimbabwe lost the match after such a great effort.
Who is the best finisher in cricket history?
Only 2 players come to my mind when I hear the finisher , MS Dhoni and Michael Bevan. But I would say Dhoni is Best finisher in world cricket . Now before haters come and start slamming me let me clarify this peacefully to you .Look at the top batting averages in successful run chases:In 9 innings he has finished off with a six. Let’s see at his top 5 memorable finishes.183 vs SL at Jaipur 2005- Chasing 299 , he was sent on no 3 , and here comes a muscular long hairstyled power hitter whose 148 vs Pak were still fresh in minds and he didn’t disappoint his captain this time too as he returned unbeaten smashing 15 fours and 10 sixes(highest no of sixes in an innings at that time).72* vs Pakistan at Lahore - Chasing 288 , Dhoni came in at 190/5 , and his partnership with yuvraj won the match for us comfortably slowly getting the tag of a finisher in Indian team and shower of praises from Musharraf .45* vs Sri Lanka at Port of Spain 2013 - Celkon tri-series final, Dhoni returning after hamstring in the finals and 15 needed off the last over and Dhoni finishing off with 6 , 4 , and a 6 winning with just one wicket left. And still shared the trophy with Kohli as he took them to the finals showed his humbleness.44* vs Australia at Adelaide 2012: Needing 13 off the final over and 12 off last 4 balls , Dhoni Struck a monstrous six of 112 meters over long-on on Clint Mckay’s ball and winning the match with 2 balls to spare.91* vs Sri Lanka at Mumbai 2011: Now who could forget this..! Promoting himself ahead of Yuvraj in massive World Cup final chasing 275 and Dhoni doing vital Partnership with Gambhir and the Yuvraj Singh finishing off in style with a evergreen six off Nuwan Kulasekara’s ball to lift the World cup after 28 years. Ravi Shastri’s commentary was the icing on the cake amidst crowds’ eruption with joy.After Dhoni , Michael Bevan would be the greatest finisher in cricket history .
Which was the best innings played in test cricket?
Bangladesh’s first victory ever which was denied by an outstanding knock by Inzi .Inzamam-Ul-Haq scoring 138* from 232 balls at Multan,Pakistan , 2003 and denying Bangladesh their first test victory ever .Bangladesh started playing test cricket in 2000 and 23 matches they did not taste a win .A three match test series in 2003 against Pakistan and Bangladesh’s team came with a hope of winning their first ever matches .But they were denied by Pakistan in the first two matches .In the third match at Multan something really unexpected happened ,Bangladesh managed to take a lead after the first innings of both the teams .Pakistan managed to comeback by restricting Bangladesh to a mere 154 in second innings .Pakistan required 262 in the fourth innings and was considered easy for them as it was a relatively weaker bowling line-up .Bangladesh hoping to win their first match and waiting for a miracle started with a bang and Pakistan’s top order collapsed .Pakistan before ending the day were 148/6 and Bangladesh was enroute for their first ever victory in test cricket .But in came the one of the most “Coolest heads on the cricket fields” who continued on his overnight score of 53* but he was left only with tailenders .Pakistan lost their 7th wicket on 164 but fortunately it was not Inzi .He coped up with the situation pretty well where he went on to score his 18th test hundred of his career but still he was losing partners at other end .When he ran out Umar Gul (who himself had escaped two run-out chances) with four runs to get, the onus of taking his team home was squarely on the shoulders of Inzamam.With 256/9 , it was a nail-biting finish no one expected for but this time the miracle was from Pakistani’s side as Bangladesh were already the favorites .Amid almost unbearable tension, the last man in, Yasir Ali, stonewalled four medium pace deliveries from Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud before putting Inzamam on strike for the final ball of the over which he promptly belted to the mid-wicket fence.And Inzi managed to get them through and it was a fabulous knock under pressure .He managed to put on 98 runs with the help of tailenders Shabbir Ahmed (13), Umar Gul (5) and Yasir Ali (1).Nobody wants a dubious honour of becoming the first team to be beaten by Bangladesh and “INZI DENIED THEM” .Source : Inzamam denies Bangladesh