India in England Jun-Sept 2014

[LiveLoveABD]

Look at this stupid question, skypsorts Ian Ward asking ENG fans on twitter

Ian Ward @Wardyskycricket ·
Question people. You have one choice. World Cup win in Australia this winter, or Ashes win next summer? And NO!! It's either or not both....

Sorry my friend, you're not going to win either. I know a lot of people in England believed the 'Cook renaissance' in the test series, but that was India's capitulation more than England's triumph. Alastair Cook is an egoistic and selfish individual. I read and am made to believe that he's a nice bloke, but that's not going to win you the big titles. As a cricket fan, I'm not bothered how good a family man he is. As an Indian fan, I'd love for him to captain for as many games as possible because it gives us a chance and in the limited overs, it gives England a hopelessness right at the top of the order. England won the test series as convincingly as they did because India had practically had enough after the third test, their bowling duo were at their best and their new young batsmen delivered all be it against an impotent attack.

England will need a big cake of luck and not just a slice to win the world cup. The brand of cricket played by them is that of the previous century. Your board has sacked your best ever batsman in the format and decided to back a guy who on merit can't warrant a place in the team. That's just a checklist for catastrophe. How are the young guys ever going to look up at a guy who's constantly under the scanner? What sort of leader is he when he drags friendship in a critique comment made about him? I'm sorry, the harsh reality is that Cook hasn't got the tactical prowess, the form of a leader with the bat which has extended to two years and most importantly the stomach of a leader to set any sort of example for the young chaps. I read a lot of articles that say that it's his grit and determination to not accept failure that makes him not stand down from the captaincy, but in my opinion someone that doesn't adapt, evolve or move ahead with the times is stupid. As simple as that. It's because of him that England basically start with ten guys instead of eleven and the sheer monotony that he bats with at the top in ODI's basically gives England no momentum at the top which is so vital.

As for the Ashes, England's new young brigade is a very capable lot. They have the guts and determination to fight it out when the going is tough. I don't think Cook was in any sort of 'form' in the test series at all. He was playing a second rate attack and he got lucky a few times but still couldn't make the big one. That's a sign enough for him to accept things, move on and just focus on his test batting because at that, he is mighty mighty fine. England, need to step out of their age old mentality and be a bit more positive. If you're of the opinion that hammering a beaten and battered, uninterested India at home is a good sign then beware. Johnson, Harris, Pattinson and company are a different entity to handle. The Aussie batting also, is much more capable in those conditions than India's.

I think, Root, Bell, Ali and Buttler are really really good. England need to groom them the right way. Ballance has been outstanding for them but I think he'll be made to look like a bunny in the Ashes, but I'll be glad to be proven wrong about his technique. Robson and Cook? Well, we'll see. If Cook is captain, I'll be interested to see how England go down. My money is 5-0, again.

 

[grkrama]

the brand of cricket played by them is that of the previous century

Im sure that previous century people will be hurt...

these guys lack flair, i mean there was this moment from ashes05-09 when eng were actually playing great cricket, after flintoff they slowly dwindled and once KP is shown the door, it has gone downhill.
I still think the youngsters are really good, its just the old ones that need changing.There is talent just more freedom and an aggressive captain will do wonders.

I mean this is a team even when they weren't winning used to have a flair in olden days, like alec stewart darren gough, hussain vaughn took that forward and built a top team, strauss stagnated it but still was better than cook, who seems to be undoing all the work done by predecessors. Im saying this as a cricket fan cause as a fan i wouldn't want any team to get stale, ofcourse i wouldn't want them to win against India even if KP plays for them, but apart from that the team needs to improve their brand of cricket.

 

[lion100lion]

 

[Skater]

Look at this stupid question, skypsorts Ian Ward asking ENG fans on twitter

Ian Ward @Wardyskycricket ·
Question people. You have one choice. World Cup win in Australia this winter, or Ashes win next summer? And NO!! It's either or not both....

It is a stupid question. The Ashes of course!!

 

[aditya123]

It is a stupid question. The Ashes of course!!

This time, I think the Aussies might not agree with you. I bet winning the WC under lights in front of a packed MCG and a global audience would rank right up there with the Ashes for them. I have a strong feeling its going to be their WC.

 

[IceAgeComing]

Since Zimbabwe aren't in their group; then you may have a point...

 

[Aalay]

This time, I think the Aussies might not agree with you. I bet winning the WC under lights in front of a packed MCG and a global audience would rank right up there with the Ashes for them. I have a strong feeling its going to be their WC.

New Zealand is going to win the WC. They have a gun team lead by a very good captain.

 

[greymatter776]

India's opening woes seems to end after 4th ODI.Good to know we have an almost settled lineup for the WorldCup.

 

[vaibhavtewatia]

Don't know if this series means much if you don't have to try out Sanju Samson and Umesh Yadav. And one good performance cannot make you overlook the glaring problems in our batting technique!

 

[SaiSrini]

Going by your logic now, MS Dhoni must be fully responsible for India's success in the ODI's? He's the leader of the ship!

Keeping aside our earlier argument, I'm completely in agreement with you about Rahane. I think he's an extremely gifted batsman and in my opinion, after Kohli, he's the best we've got across all formats. The reason I want to see him open and why I think he fits the bill is that he has the technique as you pointed out, but also the stroke play if needed to bat at the top. I don't think Rohit Sharma is more capable of facing the likes of Johnson, Anderson and in particular Steyn in adverse conditions.

I don't think Dhawan is back to where he was. Runs are encouraging, but he's been a yo-yo after his earlier heroics. I for the life of me can't phathom why Uthappa was given such a short rope, after a brilliant couple of seasons and the best IPL by an Indian batsman ever.

As far as Shastri goes, he's not done anything out of the ordinary. India have, will and will always be a good limited overs team as long as they keep playing the amount of cricket they do. The bonus is that Dhoni aside, this is an incredibly young yet experienced team. MSD's age has had no bearing on his form or fitness either in this format.

I repeat, like I had said in my earlier post that India is the best ODI team in the world. You can dig as many stats as you want, when it comes to majors, they're a settled and confident unit. England will struggle!

Wonder how many times I have to repeat myself, I NEVER EVEN REMOTELY QUESTIONED DHONI'S CREDENTIALS AS CAPTAIN IN ODI'S! Read through the posts where I was very critical of Dhoni's captaincy, and you will find that all of it are for his test captaincy ONLY! I even said (and still say) that Dhoni is a legendary captain/player in ODI's because ODI's (anywhere) are like his fortress. It is test cricket where he seems out of his zone and struggles big time with the captain hat.

 

[greymatter776]

agrees with SaiSrini , When the format changes Dhoni looks like someone else.When in tests Dhoni lacks creative field settings and bowling changes.But in tests he is too good with both of the factors.Also he looks so much belonged to it when playing ODIs.

 

[asprin]

I bet winning the WC under lights in front of a packed MCG and a global audience would rank right up there with the Ashes for them

No it wont. Ashes is far more valuable to them than the WC and there is nothing wrong in that. I don't understand why it's so hard to accept that.

 

[Umair7]

This time, I think the Aussies might not agree with you. I bet winning the WC under lights in front of a packed MCG and a global audience would rank right up there with the Ashes for them. I have a strong feeling its going to be their WC.

No we want to win the Ashes

Winning the Ashes > WC forever !

 

[lion100lion]

5th ODI Practice Pics

 

[War]

It is a stupid question. The Ashes of course!!

Nah, while is understand the importance of winning the Ashes, the world cup should be equal priority for the year also. It shouldn't be that complicated, when AUS/WI dominated world cricket - their most important test series were equal to world cup triumphs.

ENG i am sure take ODIs more serious, it just that the squad we are picking now is not the best available ODI players in the country.