'I don't rate India a long-term No.1'

[drainpipe32]

"I don't think great teams are built on opening batting partnerships. But to me, there is a far more important thing, and this is one reason why I don't rate India as a long-term No.1, " Chappell said. "I think you have got to have two champion bowlers in your line-up to be a long-term successful cricket team. That is where India is falling down at the moment.

"When I look at the averages and the strike-rates for India in the last 12 months, I don't see two champion bowlers. In fact, I am struggling to find one champion bowler in that line-up. They've got some good bowlers. Sure, they have got a very good batting line-up, but the bowling is really not good enough to see them win consistently all around the world."

'I don't rate India a long-term No.1'

Interesting read from Ian Chappell.

 

[TumTum]

I actually listened to that interview

Well there is no real #1 atm, everyone knows that.

 

[deathrevenge9]

I actually listened to that interview

Well there is no real #1 atm, everyone knows that.

Agreed.

 

[Gaurav_7]

Read that article on cricinfo.Right actually,with the amount of cricket being played,there is no particular no. 1 team.It's ICCs way to separate the teams.Any team can beat anyone on a given day.

 

[jkartik]

probably the first time i've ever agreed with Ian Chappell.

 

[Highlander999]

That's the thing with India. They have a superb batting line-up, easily the best in the world (though I would like to see them play a game on a seaming pitch sometime soon) but the bowling is average. England, South Africa, Australia and Pakistan all have better seam attacks (heck maybe even the Windies). They really do lack that killer blow.

 

[Gaurav_7]

That's the thing with India. They have a superb batting line-up, easily the best in the world (though I would like to see them play a game on a seaming pitch sometime soon) but the bowling is average. England, South Africa, Australia and Pakistan all have better seam attacks (heck maybe even the Windies). They really do lack that killer blow.

Spot on.I don't really get what happens with talented Indian bowlers?We saw Irfan Pathan come into the scene with awesome success and his capacity to swing the ball.Later,he lost it like he never held the ball.Munaf Patel,another fast aggressive bowler gave it away and has become useless now.Ishant Sharma who started it with a bang is now on same path as other two.
All these bowlers had the X-factor and we could see it at the beginning of their careers,but after being exposed to the international arena everything seems to be disppeared.Hope,Tyagi isn't among these now as he has some good talent.

 

[Amiya]

Good article by Chappel. Our batting may be good enough, it's our bowling which let us down. Our bowling is inconsistent. Zak is the most experience bowler in the team. However i am sure we will soon get pacer like Tyagi etc who will add to the strength of our bowling.

 

[jkartik]

when you go back again and again to Ashish Nehra, you know you've run out of options. :doh :crying

 

[Cricketdude]

So what India should do is just pick 19 year old bowlers as thats the time where they seem to peak in their careers.

 

[tech.007]

if the Indian team increases it's fitness level then it can easily stay at no.1.

 

[SaiSrini]

Completely agree with Ian Chappell for once. India will never be the No. 1 that Australia or West Indies used to be. Its a good and bad thing. Bad obviously because we cant dominate as long as those teams. Good because the level of competition would be more fierce this time.

Just like our batting beauty pitches have helped a lot in creating good batsmen, if we can prepare some good sporting pitches, we can easily develop good bowlers (we are already doing it, but we need to push it more). And get a long term bowling coach who not only works with our bowlers in the national team but also keeps track of our bowlers in the domestic and under-19 levels and helps them come up.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

long term must also be a concern given the crux of the middle order are 37 and just turning 37 and the most obvious replacement in one of those poisitions will be 37 or there abouts by the time he gets in.

It is now getting to the point where we need to think about what their batting will look like beyond the 2011 world cup as I can't see both tendulkar and dravid playing much beyond then to real effect.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Batting talent still looks good. Take out Sachin, Dravid and VVS, and we still have some talent left. Gambhir, Sehwag, Murali Vijay, Raina, Yuvraj, Kohli, MSD, Pujara, Tiwary, Jaffer, Kaif, Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Badrinath are the first few names that come to mind. Just a matter of blooding the newer faces.

Bowling is...not so bad. Zak is still there, thankfully, and hopefully Sharma, Sreesanth and RP develop. They all are talented and have done well at different parts of their careers, just about gaining consistencies and becoming better rounded. Back up seamers are Praveen Kumar, Nehra, Goni, Tyagi, Munaf, Pradeen Sangwan, Irfan Pathan, Balaji, and I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting. With all those names there, many who are young, we should be able to develop 3 world class seamers somehow.

And then the spinning department is thin. The best spinner in India, Murali Kartik, isn't even being picked and we're playing Bhajji in tests even though we shouldn't. But then there are Mishra, Ojha, Chawla. Not much there sadly (Especially since Mishra and Chawla have tailed off). The part-time offerings of Yusuf, UV and Jadeja may end up being much more frequent in the ODIs.

But...um...yea. The talent's there for India to build a balanced Test XI, it's just about how it's developed. It's not like we have no one.

 

[aditya123]

That's the thing with India. They have a superb batting line-up, easily the best in the world (though I would like to see them play a game on a seaming pitch sometime soon) but the bowling is average. England, South Africa, Australia and Pakistan all have better seam attacks (heck maybe even the Windies). They really do lack that killer blow.

I agree with Ian Chappel on most of it except for the part where he says India did not challenge Australia much when they were at their peak. I think Ian totally missed the fact that we have had the best record against Australia on a consistent basis, something which other sides cannot boast of (in tests).

Coming to our bowling now. Yes, man to man it might not look better than other sides but when it comes to performing as a bowling unit in tests, India have done very well. Its not like its been only our spinners who have won us games as well. Its been our seamers mostly who have done the job even in Kanpur and Mumbai recently where Zaheer and Sree took 5ers. Our seam attack in tests is more dangerous than it looks as they have been effective as a unit for some time now. Although, they might not look the best when compared man to man.