Showing posts with label IndvsAus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IndvsAus. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

India looking ahead to win Ranchi Test and win the series

Like Pune, Ranchi is also making it's Test debut, so no team knows the nature of the pitch and are evenly placed after both  sides are tied 1-1 at the start of third Test in four Test series.

India after three failures in successive innings spanning Pune and Bengaluru Test, regained their batting form in the 2nd innings. Though it is a positive sign, the team is still not out of the red. That gives Australia a little bit of marginal advantage.

Australia has done decently with the bat, their lower order came to rescue in first Test and batsmen are spending good time at the pitch, if they continue with same form, they can give India tough time.

But given the home conditions, Indian spinners can unsettle Australia. The major plus for Australia is their spinners, if they manage to bowl like they bowl in first three innings, India will find it difficult to defend.

Toss will be crucial as always, team winning the Toss will bat first to be able to bowl last on this wicket when the cracks have opened up. But there is a caveat if the Team collapses like in Bengaluru in first Test it will be difficult for hosts.

India have the upper edge as they have experience but Australia can Test India for any failures.

After DRS controversy both the team will be looking to go ahead and win the series. Injury to Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Marsh means new seamer in Pat Cummins and explosive batsman Glenn Maxwell will replace them.

 Valleyz.Blog

Thursday, January 28, 2016

If India could repeat the performance at Adelaide, then no doubt it can surely win the series.

If India could repeat the performance at Adelaide, then no doubt it can surely win.

The factors that led to the Indian win were good solid knocks from top order Indian batsmen, particularly Virat Kohli, and good bowling by the team.

Though it will be too tough to say that India performed exceptionally well, there were many new faces in the Australia line up like Richardson, Boyce, Lynn and Head. India too tried new  players like Bumrah and Hardik.

So it was like a league game so to speak both the teams trying to unravel the new talent for T20 World Cup in March.

So will there be further new changes in the team line up for the next two T20? 

It depends on the overall team strategy of the respective teams. Most probably I think the team managements would go with giving more exposure to young talent.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

IndvsAus2016: India did better, but Australia played exceptionally well to win the VB series 2016.

India has lost the series to an in form Australian side despite good showing with the bat. 

As always Indian bowling remains a concern on every Australian tour. But this time around the team should have prepared itself for any eventuality like the injury to paceman Shami.

But I don't think any drastic changes are required for the team.

Also Australia's bowling is also good I should say, keeping in check any letting off of Indian batsmen to score freely.

 In a way the inexperienced Aussie attack of Hastings, Paris, Richardson, Boland, Hazlewood and Faulkner managed to restrict Indian scores at around 300 run mark, thus making it easier for Australia batsmen to chase down the total with comfort.

Had India added those crucial 20-25 odd runs more, then surely Australia batsmen would have come under serious pressure.

Overall I think India played well, and lost out only in some quarters, like Skipper Dhoni lost out on one or two occasions to capitalise the solid platform India top order provided. 

I think India should continue to play as it was, but I think it will be interesting to see the motivation of the players after losing the series after putting up such good huge totals on the board for the team.

Rohit Sharma did exceptionally well, scoring back to back centuries. Virat Kohli played gem of a knock when India needed it the most at MCG. Rahane was always there with the bat keeping the rate up for the team.

It is only on a day all the bowling, batting and fielding clicks for India, that India could win against a thoroughly professional side like Australia.

Talent wise India I think India is far superior than Australia, but to win the game you should need to perform as a team.


Valleyz.Blog

Friday, January 15, 2016

Australia batting strongly in the second ODI at Brisbane against India

India second time in the series has posted another big total 0f 308/8 for Australia to chase in the second ODI at Brisbane.

Rohit Sharma continues his form with another stroke filled century in the second ODI after the huge Perth knock.

But Australia in reply is going strong at the moment at 143/0 24.3 Overs.

 Finch and Marsh are presently batting at 69 and 61 respectively. 

India bowling has again failed to put any pressure on Australia batsman. Looks like Australia is on it's way to win the second ODI also in a more convincing fashion.

Update:

148/1 Finch is bowled out by Jadeja for 71. Skipper Steve Smith is the new batsman for Australia.

eValleyz.Blog

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Ravindra Jadeja could be send up the order to do the Pinch hitting

Spinners can't do much on surfaces like Perth, which are very flat and the ball doesn't grip on the surface of the pitch.

Bowlers from all the teams have gone for runs in the recent past at Perth.

In such circumstances one is forced to think, was India short of another 50 runs. 

Indian batters did well but more could have been scored from the pitch if someone do the pinch hitting up the order to boost the Overall team total.

Brisbane is too similar where bowlers if hit the deck hard can take wickets.  Though it may not be such a huge scoring game as Perth.
  
 Valleyz.Blog

Friday, December 18, 2015

India should devise a strategy, game plan ahead of the ODI/T20 2016 tour of Australia

India is touring Australia in January 2016 where it is slated to play five ODI's and three T20's.

National Selectors are meeting in Delhi to pick up the squad. India lost T20's as well as ODI series on the last tour. I would not argue on the team composition, because most of the players pick themselves on their past experience and their present form by a margin. There is no doubt about that.

The thing I don't like is, Indian team doesn't plays to its full potential from game one, be it a T20 International or One Day International.

The team should play to it's full potential, that doesn't mean our bowlers are mercilessly used and tiring them off, but clever use of conditions. In Australia I have seen India team improving year on year, but the goal should be to win each game at a time. Convert the away series into wins. 

I think training camp should be held at venues in India which offer similar conditions to that of Australia, like say at Mohali or Dharamshala or any fit venue for the purpose especially for the youngsters, new comers in the team so that they are fine tuned from the game one and play to their full potential.

Players should take this opportunity to excel in away conditions, and devise such a plan and strategy to counter pace and bounce in the batting department, as well as studying the nuances of sticking to line and length in the bowling department, which promise dividends to players on any given Australian tour.

Australia extracts more from their agility and fire power on and off the field in Australian conditions, it suits their overall physical abilities on any given day, but the tourists too could make up to the hosts by training and devising a strategy, plan to counter the Australian onslaught.

 Valleyz.Blog

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Batsmen need to fire for England and India in the 3rd ODI of Carlton-Mid Tri series

Australia comfortably won both the ODI's against England and India in a comprehensive manner. Both India and England have disastrous starts in their innings courtesy some fast and accurate bowling from Mitchell Starc who has now taken 10 wickets in two matches including a career best haul of 6/43 of 10 Overs in the match against India.

Australia are easily a stand out team in the tournament doing well with both bat and the ball to outplay the opposition. The main reason behind is the bench strength of Australia being so strong, that in the absence of pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson, Starc has provided Australia with breakthroughs.

But the long season ahead of 2015 World Cup could eventually have an effect on a team which is at it's best at the moment. Both India and England were below par their potential. If batsmen in England line up like Joe Root and Ian Bell fire for England, the side can pose questions to the opposition.

England didn't do that bad in the bowling department, at Sydney the pitch got slower and slower and batsmen earned their runs in one's and two's and it was not easy for the batsmen, as Dave Warner held the fort and made sure that the target is within the reach with a brilliant 127.

It will be interesting to see how the two teams England and India fare in the third ODI to be played on Tuesday. 

India playing two off spinners and going in with 5 bowlers didn't helped the side much. India failed to put on a challenging total. At one stage the side was cruising at 159-3 after 31 overs and ended up adding only 108 runs in the remaining 19 Overs, shows that Indian middle order collapsed and could not pose a challenging total. 

Though Indian top order failed to score, but given Rohit Sharma's big century and a 126 run partnership with Raina provided the stage India to fire later on in the innings.

Twin failures, the Indian top order and the lower middle order failing to fire put an arduous task on the bowlers. Given the strong response from Australia openers in Aaron Finch and Dave Warner, India tried hard. And at one stage tried to crawl back in to the match with some quick wickets of Bailey, Finch and Maxwell. There were not enough runs on the board to put the pressure on the batsmen.

Same was the case with England as the top order collapsed, Skipper Eoin Morgan resurrected the team in the middle with a well crafted 121 runs which included 11 fours and 3 sixes off 136 deliveries, but the lower middle order failed to fire to dash the teams hopes in the match. 

Only team showing consistency so far is Australia which is leading the points tally.

Valleyz.Blog

Friday, December 19, 2014

Indian middle order needs to click if it is to save the Second test at Gabba 2014 vs Australia

India is in a precarious position to save this Test match on the fourth day of the second test at Brisbane.

 Still two days to go in the match, India needs to bat out at least four sessions to save this match. Australia will no doubt fancy it's chances any run chase below 300.

That possibility should be taken seriously by India in order to salvage the Test match if not winning it.

Given the Indian middle order repertoire, the side could wind up without posing a decent total to defend even if it's top batsmen score centuries.

It is not as if the top order batsmen failed on this tour, despite the batsmen scoring centuries other batsmen didn't capitalize on the opportunity. That's where Australia is marginally ahead in this series.

With Rohit Sharma's below the expectations performance, India can hardly afford to loose any more wickets as it is already one down.

So the match is more favorably tilted towards the hosts and it is the tourists I feel that have the work cut out.

Nathan Lyon has already won a match for Australia and Hazlewood has shown great performance in the first innings of the ongoing test, Australia has no dearth of bowling specialists to Test India batsmen.

Can the Indian batsmen particularly the middle order with stand the onslaught from the Aussie pace and spin combo is the question.


 Valleyz.Blog

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Australia replies with 221//4 in reply to India's 408 in the second test at Brisbane 2014

India couldn't capitalize on the second day of the Brisbane test and was bowled out for 408. 

Resuming the play today India lost six wickets at regular intervals adding less than 100 runs to the team total. 

This is another area of concern for the Indian team, that India middle order on a several occasions scored far less runs than expected.  

Australia started of well in reply and Warner was surprised by a delivery which gave him very less room to manoeuvrings and he ended up ballooning the ball behind the wickets to be taken by Ashwin.

Chris Rogers looked solid scoring a well paced fifty driving the bowlers through the covers and mid-wicket with elan. But it was Shane Watson who could have gone on to notch a big score, played a loose shot in the air giving a low catch at mid wicket to Shikhar Dhawan.

Skipper Steve Smith scored briskly barring a loose cut short off Ashwin which went past the vacant second slip region to the boundary.

Umesh Yadav took 3 of the four of the wickets to fall on the second day and was posing questions to the bowlers on and off. 

Varun Aaron was unlucky to have missed bagging a wicket due to a difficult skier that Shaun Marsh played and was dropped by Rahane.

It was mixed back of luck for the both the teams, barring Umesh Yadav the Indian bowling showed signs of perennial bowling problems. Not innovative enough and not showing enough intent to take wickets or keep a disciplined tight line.

More than controlling the batsmen, India bowlers need to focus on how to bowl a batsmen out. Ashwin bowled few tight overs before being taken to runs. Smith unsettled Ashwin and pushed him on the defensive.

The more Ashwin keeps the bowl in the air, more the time batsmen will take guessing the pitch of the ball, that could result in wickets and he could mix it up bowling the wrong ones too. 

Australian batsmen are good at keeping away the quicker ones with their natural instinct of play. If Ashwin loops the ball in the air I feel he has more chances of taking the wickets than with the quicker and flatter ones.

Persistence is the key here for Ashwin, with batsmen will definitely play mind games and will want to push him on the defensive, once he is off on the defensive. The pressure is off from one end and the batsmen will be more comfortable scoring runs. 

Even though giving  away a few boundaries but taking couple of quick wickets will instill that fear factor in the minds of the batsmen of losing the wicket going after the balls that hang in the air a little bit.

And as the pitch wears down hopefully it will provide more support to the bowlers, as been the case on the second day of the match.

 Valleyz.Blog