ICC Twenty20 World Cup, South Africa (11 - 24th September, 2007)

[cowboy]

well, dhoni also said that he asked harbhajan first if he could bowl yorkers and harbhajan said he was not 100% sure. So the only option left was JS.

[Born a Libran]

Sometimes a 5 run win can be mentally crushing...

[Born a Libran]

well, dhoni also said that he asked harbhajan first if he could bowl yorkers and harbhajan said he was not 100% sure. So the only option left was JS.

An since when was JS sure of the yorkers?  If what he bowled were yorkers, then Chetan Sharma gave a really low full toss to Javed Miandad in Sharjah.

[ssp]

India's success in the Twenty20 WC compared to recent losses in the ODIs has been because of much better fielding & the running between the wickets.

The fielding in th ODIs against England was really poor. The throwing from the deep was embarrassing. We gave away 10-15 runs in the field & then lost runs because of not taking quick singles or not converting singles into 2s because of 'lazy' 1st runs.

Remember we won this tournament despite having Agarkar in the team for the 1st 4 matches. His replacement, Joginder got 4 vital wickets, but was also expensive and doesn't have the pace to be an effective bowler in the long run. We also managed without Zaheer.

I hope Munaf can recover his form soon (like Irfan). If he is fit on top form, he has the potential to be our best fast bowler.

[puneets]

I don't think that anybody here has hailed Joginder Sharma as the next big thing. Everyone just made comments about his performance in these 4 matches, the way he kept his cool and bowled in the final overs in semis and finals.
He's known to be a powerful hitter..and he didn't get to bat in this tournament.

Yes. it was RP Singh who ensured each time that Jogi got a big cushion in the last over. But this doesn't mean that Jogi bowled badly. The very fact that Bhajji was not confident to bowl the last over. and a new comer like Joginder was, says a lot.

As Born a Libran pointed out, people make stupid mistakes when under pressure. It's nice to see that Jogi kept his cool and bowled India to victory in the last over.

While it was inspired (or forced) to give the 20th over to Joginder in the SF, giving it to him in the finals because of the reason he gave (and to quote him "He is a player who wants to establish himself in international cricket".) is not done.  Having full faith in a player's ability to deliver is a different thing.  Telling him to bowl because it is his chance to establish himself is a different thing. 

I think that Dhoni meant that while Bhajii was not confident enough, Jogi was all gung-ho and raring to go in the last over. Dhoni knows his players the best, and he kept faith in Jogi.

[puneets]

An since when was JS sure of the yorkers?  If what he bowled were yorkers, then Chetan Sharma gave a really low full toss to Javed Miandad in Sharjah.

We're assuming (incld me) here that Dhoni asked Jogi to bowl yorkers.
What we know for a fact is that he asked Bhajji to bowl yorkers. He might have had some different strategy for a medium pacer.
Looking at the way Misbah was shuffling around, a widish delivery (somehwere near the 5th stump) could also be a good strategy.

[Atithee]

I hope Munaf can recover his form soon (like Irfan). If he is fit on top form, he has the potential to be our best fast bowler.

Puhhleeeeze!  Who needs stinking Munaf?  First, he always looks as if he just got over a long bout of flu (poor body language), his fielding is atrocious, and his batting is nothing to write home about.  Dare I say that I'd even prefer "Craparkar" over "Enough?"  I can't believe I just wrote that.

We need to move past Munaf.  He has been given too long a leash already.  Plus I don't trust people who feign their fitness to gain a place and then breakdown after a few overs.  Zaheer, RP, and Irfan are enough for the Indian team.  Better to look for Ishant et al. as backups than Munaf.

[nballa]

is this world cup gonna be a yearly thing?
it would be stupid to play this kinda tournament once every four years!!
also i see an overkill of the format in the coming year, every tom dick and harry wants to arrange a tournament. these games will be like bubble gum, you chew them spit them out and forget abt them.

[indiansportsfan]

The only problem with picking Zaheer, RPS and IP is that they are all left armers. We need a "reliable" (as opposed to Sreesanths inconsistency) right-armer to give us variety in attack, and especially when facing a team having left-handed batsmen (like SriLanka). Thats where Munaf would have been a boon if he had been healthy. And coming to right-armers, where is Balaji when we need him!!

[jayakris]

I would pick Sreesanth any day in the team.  He has all kinds of "intangibles" in him.  He may screw up the worst way, but when sh** hits the fan, he will come through like nobody's business - cleanbowling Tanvir off his last ball today, and the catch that ended it all were very important, just as the last over last two dot balls against PAK in the first match to keep it tied (had we lost the first match itself, I doubt if we would have recovered).

Sree Daridravasi needs to be in the team. I don't know about ODI, but definitely in any Twenty20 we play, where a lot more gritty "intangibles" come into play.

Jay

[Atithee]

Sorry; I forgot Sreesanth.  Yes, he is one of the front runners.  It emphasizes the need to banish Munaf to domestics even more.

[SaniaFan]

I would not pick Sree every time we play, for sure. Basically if I knew that I had 2 more good bowlers. I would definitely not pick sree. He is too inconsistent. And sadly he is not learning. I have been an advocate of picking Sree for long time specially when PKB was dead against him but now after playing for about 2 years has has still not got rid of his inconsistency even a bit. He has to improve that may be indomestic cricket.

Joginder sharma is another one that seems misfit. He just doesn't seem to be a long term solution. Teh very fact the Indian captain, whom every body is heaping praise on, does not feel that is should be brought before either irfan or Yusuf pathan(who was making his debut), does not speak very highly of his batting potential. His bowling is padestrian. Esecially in last over in which Misbah made a mess by wrong shot selection. If pakistan had even one more wicket they would have won.

[jayakris]

He is not the first one who is inconsistent in top level sports.   Some guys have a way of making some horrendous mistakes but coming through when adrenaline is pumping and something is expected of him.   Sreesanth almost always comes through.  We do need some guys who can make some things happen, even in Twenty20.   I would drop him if he messes up and causes us a game or two, which has hardly happened - though it almost happened today.

Sadly he is not learning? ... Well, take a look at how his bowling improved through the previous 3 matches at Kingsmead, finishing with a 12 for 4 over performance with probably the most crucial wicket (cleanbowling Hayden on supposedly a terrific ball) that broke Australia's back.   But for Sree's bowling, we wouldn't reach the final.  Except for one bad 21-run first over at Wanderers today (which he followed by a maiden), he has done fine since the first two iffy matches.  That he was going to get hit for some runs in the 17th over was rather expected, with Tanvir ready to jack it out of there out of no choice, but the important thing is that he got his wicket off his last ball -- I swear, I knew he would get it, and I may even have said it in one of my posts then.

With Sree, we have to be ready to hold our breath a bit and pray.   Some winning teams have players like that.

I was not at all Sreesanth believer for a long while, though I like him for being the first malayali of any substance in Indian cricket.   The more I see him, the more I am a believer that the guy has uncanny intangibles that need to be recognized.  He is a winner - and he stays in the team; period.  That is, till he causes us matches, which is of course the litmus test (for such players teken in for intangibles), however much expasperating his inconsistencies are.

Jay

[SaniaFan]

I don't look at 12-4 as an improved bowling performance. He has done that before in/ or against south africa it self. He is was too inconsistent. I not more angry with him for the last over. Those 2 sixes were there because of poor bowling to the tailender. On the leg and length. Even if he had bowled a full toss or a short pitch delivery it would have been difficult for the tail ender. That was the only ball that he should not have bowled and he did. And this is not the only time. He has uncanny knack of doing this. He just gets too pumped up some times and that is dangerous. That is what i expected him to correct but it is not happening.

[jayakris]

I know what you are saying.  The inconsistency is not really improving much.  Perhaps the pumped up crazy nature is what helps him do some of the things he does too.  All I am saying is that till his frustrating inconsistency starts costing us games, I will keep him, because he does do some things to win matches for us.  Somehow he has managed not to become the goat so far - and I am beginning to think that he is not just lucky ....  Jay