Story Manager Diary [ICC 2005]

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AGARKAR, GAMBHIR LEFT OUT.
March 21st, 2007

The Indian manager Asma Khan announced the 20-man Indian touring party to the West Indies for a training camp before the world cup. 5 players - Agarkar, Gambhir, Rayudu, Pathiv Patel and Aavishkar Salvi have been omitted from the earlier list of 25. 5 more will be sent back after the camp in the West Indies and will be on standby in case of injuries.

When asked to comment, Asma Khan said, "It is important for those who have been selected to work as a group towards winning the World Cup. Those who have been left out should not be too disappointed as there will be other chances forthcoming. All players showed tremendous commitment, but in the end I had to choose 20 players."

"Rayudu is a promising youngster and will get his chances. Parthiv Patel is the second wicket keeper in the national set-up, but I decided to take only 1 wicket-keeper to the World Cup. As for Agarkar and Salvi, I have 5 seamers in my 20, and I will finally have 3 or 4. So, I had to drop two. Munaf and Gagandeep have been superb in the camp. Gambhir has been out of form of late. But, he is a quality player and will be back in the side sooner rather than later."

While Salvi and Rayudu were expected to be left out at this stage and Parthiv did not stand a real chance against the likes of Dhoni, the omission of Agarkar has come as a bit of a surprise with Asma Khan prefering the youth of Gagandeep Singh and Munaf Patel. Gambhir's omission makes the inclusion of Ganguly in the final 15 a virtual certainity.
When asked if she was planning on having four seamers in the final 15, she said that those issues are yet to be finalised. The composition of the final 15 will remain a matter for speculation until the 4th of April when she is going to announce the squad. None of the selected players were available for comment. Agarkar said that he was disappointed to be left out but wished the manager and the team luck.
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SQUAD OF 15 ANNOUNCED; VENUGOPAL, ACHARYA IN, GAGANDEEP, SODHI OUT.
4th April, 2007

The manager of the Indian team, Asma Khan today announced the final squad of 15 who will battle it out for the world cup in the Carribean. She finally decided to go in with 8 batsmen, 3 seamers and 3 spinners. Gagandeep Singh, Munaf Patel, Reetinder Sodhi, Sridharan Sriram and Romesh Powar are on their way back.

In her press release, the manager Asma Khan said, "I think I have selected a team with the right blend of youth and experience. Ganguly has played in 2 world cups previously, so his experience is going to be invaluable. Laxman is also an experienced batsman, Venugopal was very impressive and I decided to go with him even if it meant having 5 batsmen. Joginder can contribute with the bat as well, and so he made it ahead of Gagandeep. Zaheer is experienced at this level and Irfan Pathan is an exceptional talent. Munaf and Gagandeep will get their chances. Acharya was very impressive with both bat and ball and so he made it ahead of Sodhi and Powar."

Asked about the surprise exclusion of Gagandeep Singh, Asma said, "Gagandeep is a very talented fast bowler, but we have two top quality left-arm seamers and one (Joginder) bowling all-rounder. I had to choose between an extra paceman or batsman, and I made the choice in the best interests of the team. He will get his chance in future."

Quizzed about the likely composition of the 11, she replied, "We are going to have a squad rotation system so as not to tire out people. All 15 are going to have to contribute towards winning the Cup. I am confident they can do so."

Venugopal Rao was elated to be included in the squad, for what will be his first World Cup. He said, "I am glad that the manager has placed her faith in my abilities and I look forward to contributing to the best of my abilities." Skipper Rahul Dravid said, "She has picked the best squad and we shall all work together towards achieving the goal."

Amongst those left out, Gagandeep Singh was disappointed while Munaf Patel was glad that he was able to make it so far and looked forward to gaining the manager's confidence in future. The others were unavailable for comment.

The squad in full is :

Rahul Dravid(C)
Virender Sehwag(VC)
Sachin Tendulkar
Anil Kumble
Sourav Ganguly
V.V.S. Laxman
Yuvraj Singh
Mohammed Kaif
Zaheer Khan
Joginder Sharma
Mahendra Dhoni
Irfan Pathan
Harbhajan Singh
Madhusudan Acharya
Venugopal Rao

Their first game is against Canada on the 12th of April, after which they play Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

After announcing the squad, I tell all the players that they must contribute as a group. I tell them that it is the squad and not just the 11 who can win these tournaments. I also tell them that they should never be disappointed at not being in the eleven, as I shall be rotating the squad to keep the players fresh and play those who I feel are in form and best suited to the conditions.

We travel to Trinidad, where our first match is scheduled and practise there for close to a week. On the night of the 11th, I decide on the squad:


INDIA VS CANADA
12, April Port of Spain, Trinidad.

I decide to go with Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid, Yuvraj, Kaif, Venugopal, Dhoni, Sharma, Kumble, Harbhajan, Zaheer.

On a flat pitch, we win the toss and elect to bat.

Sehwag is bowled in the second over. I send in Dhoni to make optimum use of the fielding restrictions. He and Sachin take us to 85/1 in 15 overs. Thanks to Dhoni's magnificent 100, and fifties by Sachin and Yuvraj, we post 331 on the board.


Zaheer Khan goes on the rampage and picks up seven wickets to bowl out Canada for 54!




I congratulate Dhoni and Zaheer, but tell them that they have to deliver on the day after against Sri Lanka. We have a day's gap to recuperate before we play Sri Lanka in what is virtually a super-eight game.

 

[jimbob]

I'm suprised that yashpal hasnt preformed for you, he would always be in my team.

 

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INDIA VS SRI LANKA
14th April, 2007.
Port of Spain, Trinidad.

This is a high pressure game. Effectively the first super-eight game.
I play Pathan, Ganguly and Laxman in place of Sehwag, Sharma and Venugopal.
I decide to go for experience. I also make up my mind to field if we win the toss.
I have a long session with the bowlers, talking to them about bowling a good line and length.

Sri Lanka go with four fast bowlers - Amerasinghe, Arangalla, Madhuwanta and Fernando. Samaraweera will bowl spin. We win the toss and elect to field as planned. Sri Lanka playing four fast bowlers indicates that they had planned to field as well!

Zaheer Khan removes Attapatu in the fifth over and follows it up with the dismissal of Jayawardena in the ninth. Jayasuriya and Sangakkara take them to 41/2 in 15 overs. Soon after Ganguly and Kumble dismiss Jayasuriya and Samaraweera respectively to reduce them to 56/4. Kumble bowls Sangakkara and Ganguly produces an edge from Tillekaratne which is snapped up by Harbhajan and with 70 on the board, Sri Lanka are down to the tail. Harbhajan's dismissal of Dilshan made certain that we would be facing a small target. Dhoni catches Arangalla's edge off Kumble and Sri Lanka are bowled out for 99.




Although Kuble picked up four wickets, Zaheer Khan's opening spell was crucial.



We cruise to an easy win and have the afternoon off! My decision to field is vindicated. Anil Kumble is declared man of the match. But, at the presentation, he makes the point that Zaheer's opening spell was crucial. Dravid is confident about the next game and the next phase of the tournament.



One more game to go before we play the big teams in the super-eight, but we have a week off until then.

In the meantime West Indies have beaten Pakistan AND Sri Lanka have LOST TO CANADA! So, this game is pretty important for Bangladesh who can qualify for the super-eight.


INDIA VS BANGLADESH
22nd April, 2007
Port of Spain, Trinidad.

I decide to give Acharya a go. Kumble and Harbhajan are rested, they will have a lot of work to do as the tournament progresses. I also decide to give Yuvraj and Tendulkar a rest.

We win the toss and elect to bat first.

Sehwag and Ganguly bring up the 50 in 6 overs, and although Ganguly gets out, we manage to bring up the hunderd within 15 overs.
Sehwag gets a big hundred and we post 363 on the board.



Sharma picks up 5 wickets after Zaheer and Pathan make the initial breakthroughs.




Sri Lanka are out of the World Cup on net run rate. Bangladesh qualify for the super eight. A superb achievment for them.
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I tell the players that this is only the begginning and that they will have to redouble their efforts if we are to make headway in this competition. I organise intensive training for some players and plan out general strategies for each team.

We travel to Antigua for our first game away from Port of Spain.
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INDIA VS ENGLAND
27th April
St.Johns, Antigua

I decide to play:
Tendulkar, Sehwag, Dravid, Yuvraj, Kaif, Venugopal, Dhoni, Zaheer, Harbhajan, Kumble, Sharma.

England are a good side and if we can beat them, then we will be on our way to qualification. It is a flat pitch and I decide to bat if we win the toss.

England play four fast bowlers, Andersson, Harmison, Gratrix and Davies besides Flintoff.

Harmison and Davies are hit around the park as Tendulkar gets a quick 50 off 40 balls. There is no respite when Andersson and Flintoff come on and the 100 is brought up for no wicket in the 14th over. Andersson traps Sehwag leg before and troubles Dravid a bit, but just as he is settling into a rythym, he is taken off and replaced by Gratrix who is duly despatched to the fence twice in his first over by Dravid. Harmison in his second spell dismisses the skipper and Venugopal is sent back by Gratrix for a first ball duck. But, Yuvraj plays some wonderful strokes and Tendulkar brings up his hundred to take us to 200 in 34 overs. Tendulkar and Kaif take us to just over the 300 mark.


It is a good pitch and although we have a good score, we need to bowl and field tight. I tell the bowlers this.

Strauss is bowled by Sharma early on. But, Trescothick and Pietersen go after Kumble and Harbhajan to take them to 96/1 in 15. Pietersen is dismissed by Harbhajan and Yuvraj gets Trescothick. But, with Troughton and Bell at the crease, England need 100 off the last 17 overs. Kumble bowls Bell and 63 are needed off the last 10 with 6 wickets in hand. A flury of wickets go down with Zaheer picking up 3 and Sharma 2. Yuvraj bowls the penultimate over and England need 11 off the last over with two wickets in hand. Dravid gives the ball to Tendulkar. Troughton is on 81 and is joined by Harmison.
1)First ball is played to extra cover - no run.
2)The second is played straigh to point - no run.
3)This ball is a fullish length, Troughton takes a heave at it, Joginder completes a great catch at long on. Troughton is OUT for 81.
4) Gratrix picks up a single down to third man.
10 needed of 2 balls.
5) Harmison is beaten outside off-stump.
6) Harmison is beaten by the turn.

INDIA WIN BY NINE RUNS.




I call Kumble and tell him that he has to pull up his socks and give it his best, and that I found his performance grossly inadequate the other evening. He apologises and says he will try his best.

We have a day's gap before we play Pakistan. We have never lost to them in the World Cup and I would like that to continue.

 

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INDIA VS PAKISTAN
29th April
Port of Spain.

Now, this is the big game and anyone left out is bound to feel disappointed. We travel back to Port of Spain.

It is a flat wicket, but with some amount of wear. I decide to go in for experience. Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Yuvraj, Kaif, Dhoni, Sharma, Zaheer, Kumble, Harbhajan.

Pathan is disappointed to be left out, but I think Joginder will be useful with the bat as well. I decide to bat if we win the toss as the wicket might wear further. Pakistan are playing two spinners and the allrounder Farhat at No.6.

We win the toss and bat first. Our openers get off to a good start against Masood and Shabbir Ahmed. But, soon after Tendulkar's dismissal to Masood, Dhoni and Sehwag are snapped by Kaneria to leave us at 82/3. Thanks to Dravid's 88(87) we get past the 250 mark.



Sharma bowls Bin-nasir early on. But, Saleem and Youhana take Pakistan to the hundred mark. Harbhajan gets both of them out in his first over and follows it up with Yassir Hamid's wicket in his second, while Kumble gets Umar and Pakistan are reduced to 119/5 in 25 overs chasing 255. Farhat and Shabbir Ahmed are dismissed off the last two deliveries of Harbhajan's fourth over, I am sure of victory. Not to be undone, Kumble picks up the last two wickets in one over and Pakistan are all out for 128!





An excellent performance. We are top of the table and face South Africa next.



INDIA VS SOUTH AFRICA
2nd May
St.John's Antigua

It is a turning wicket and I go in with three spinners against the South Africans, Ganguly making way for Acharya.

South Africa are not playing a spinner, so they have obviously read the pitch differently.
We win the toss and elect to bat.

The openers put on seventy without loss on the board in the first 15 overs. Sehwag departs after taking the score past 100, and Dhoni follows soon after. But, Yuvraj and Tendulkar take us past the 300 mark.

A huge total on this pitch (as on any!)

Gibbs is caught at extra cover in the second over. When Smith and Rudolph were dismissed within the first 15, the match ceased to be a contest. SA all out for 151. We are through to the semis! Hurray!!




INDIA VS WEST INDIES
5th May
St.John's Antigua

We play the hosts next. I rest Anil Kumble, preferring to play Irfan Pathan. I also rest Joginder Sharma in favour of Laxman.

West Indies win the toss and put us in. I was hoping to field if we won the toss.

Tendulkar looks off-colour from the outset and is dismissed by Dave Mohammed for 16. Sehwag and Dhoni are dismissed in quick succession and I am begginning to think if I should reconsider the tactic of promoting Dhoni to No.3. Due to some good bowling, we are restricted to 216.


I tell them that they have to bowl and field tight, and they might be in with a chance.

Gayle gets a hundred and they get there with comfort.


I am furious and give them all a dressing down.




INDIA VS NEW ZEALAND
8 May
Georgetown, Guyana

Our penultimate game in this stage of the competition and we have not played at this ground so far.

On a turning pitch, I play three spinners. I bring back Sharma in place of Pathan. Venugopal Rao replaces Kaif.

We win the toss and bat. Sehwag is dismissed early on, and my promotion of Acharya to no.3 does not work out. Bond goes on the rampage and we lose six wickets before the 100 is up. We are bowled out for 158.


It is chased down with ease.



INDIA VS AUSTRALIA
10 May
Georgetown, Guyana

Our final super eight game against the champions! I play Ganguly in place of Acharya and Kaif in place of Venugopal.
It is a cloudy morning, and I am glad to see Australia choosing to bat upon winning the toss.

Zaheer dismisses Hayden early on and Sharma follows it up with Ponting's wicket. With Jacques getting a 100 and Martyn's 85(81), Australia get past 250.

The openers put on 91, but another middle order collapse leaves us at 109/4. But Kaif and Tendulkar take us to within striking distance and we finish with three overs to spare.





A good win which sets the stage for the semi-finals!
Although, their man of the match was Jacques, my man of the match is Kaif. He showed immense character to stick in there. I tell him that he will be the captain one day.

We await the results of some other games to see who we will play in the semi finals. This loss has shut Australia out of the competition. We shall certainly have a new champion this time!

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POINTS TABLE AND SEMI FINAL LINE-UP

The points table looks like this:


The semi-final line-up is :

WEST INDIES VS NEW ZEALAND

INDIA VS ENGLAND

 

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West Indies batted first and put up 246 and then bowled out New Zealand for
165. So, West Indies are in their first final since 1983! I hope that it is India vs West Indies again!

WORLD CUP SEMI FINAL
INDIA VS ENGLAND
17 May, 2007
St.John's Antigua

I play: Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid, Rao, Kaif, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Sharma, Zaheer, Kumble and Harbhajan.

England play Strauss, Trescothick, Pietersen, Troughton, Bell, Flintoff, Jones, Davies, Andersson, Harmison, Gratrix.

We win the toss and bat first.

Sehwag is bowled by Harmison off the first ball. What a disastrous start! Tendulkar is caught behind off a swinging Andersson delivery and we are 66/2 in the 15th over. Dravid and Venugopal Rao steady the ship and take us past hundred in the 25th over. Just as the acceleration begins, both are run out and despite three late boundaries by Kaif, we are bowled out for 255.

Joginder bowls Strauss early on, and Zaheer follows up by trapping Trescothick leg before. However, the ninth over bowled by Zaheer is the crucial one. Off the second ball, Pietersen plays all over an inswinging length ball and is bowled. Ian Bell off his first ball then flicks the ball arially in the direction of Yuvraj at square leg, who takes a great catch. England are now 22/4. Harbhajan's hat-trick in his second over, where Dhoni catches a blinder to dismiss Troughton off his first ball, Geriant Jones' miscued drive finds Dravid and mid-on and Mark Davies is trapped leg before reduces England to 63/7. Harbhajan picks up two more after Kumble gets Flintoff caught behind and England are all out for 68.

 

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WORLD CUP FINAL
INDIA VS WEST INDIES
20 May, 2007


We are in the our second successive World Cup Final.

I stress the importance of maintaining our cool in the final. I tell them that we can beat the West Indies. The hype back home is far too much. I tell the players to forget about the hype and concentrate on the processes during the game - bowl tight, field tight and bat well.

I decide to play the same 11. Only Venugopal, Dhoni and Sharma were not part of the last World Cup team when we lost in the final. I am determined to bring the cup home this time.

However, when I get there, I see a seamers pitch. Ganguly can obviously provide us some depth in batting as well as being a useful seamer. But, I cannot drop Venugopal after his half century and Kaif has been fabulous. I decide to get Dravid to keep and play Ganguly in place of Dhoni. Dravid is initially sceptical, but agrees to it.


West Indies play Gayle, Smith, Lara, Sarwan, Chanderpaul, Baugh, Hinds, Bravo, Mohammed, Jeremy, Cunningham.

West Indies won the toss and elected to bat. We had decided to field if we won the toss.

Joginder got Gayle in the second over. But, Dwayne Smith offered good support to Lara as they added over 100 runs at 5 per over. Kumble's dismissal of Smith, brought in Sarwan who went after the bowling mercilessly. Lara and Sarwan added another 100, this time at over a run a ball. Our sixth bowler went for 104 runs off 11 overs which made me rue not playing Pathan. The pressure had also got to Zaheer and he did not pick up wickets in his first spell like he had always done so far. Lara's dismissal by Harbhajan Singh brought the skipper Chanderpaul to the crease. Him and Sarwan added 47 in four overs before Zaheer Khan and Sharma kept the scoring down and picked up wickets in the last few overs, except the last over when Harbhajan got two wickets.
They ended with a good score of 282/9. They had threatened to go past 300, and the game had threatened to be a repeat of the 2003 final when Lara and Sarwan were at the crease.

But with the pitch having very uneven bounce, their pace bowlers can be deadly and 283 may be the equivalent of 325+ on a good pitch. I am detemined to prevent this from being a repeat of the 2003 final.




During Lunch, I tell the players that they have to bat out of their skins. It is possible to get 283 although the pitch is definately displaying uneven bounce.
My decision to play seven batsmen gives me some elbow room.

Sehwag and Tendulkar go steady early on, and they begin to up the rate around the tenth over. Just as they are settling in nicely, Sehwag is runout. We are 102/1 in the 18th with about 6 an over needed. I promote Ganguly to number 3 and ask him to have a go at the bowling. He is completely at see and is bowled by Hinds to leave India at 121/1 after 21 (162 off 174 needed). Dravid and Tendulkar then add 117 runs in 18 overs (108 balls) before Dravid is bowled by Bravo. This has been a great partnership between two great cricketers. Tendulkar has got to his hundred and Dravid was out for 56(49). We just need 45 runs off the remaining 11 overs. Despite Tendulkar's dismissal in the 42nd over, Rao and Yuvraj take us home with 4.5 overs to spare!
What a win! and we are the world cup champions!!




Tendulkar is man of the match for his great innings!



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The post-match celebration is just tremendous! I am glad to have accomplished the task! The players are great heroes back home! I have gained my share of popularity too. What a world cup this has been. The players have been great and this triumph relied upon the collective team effort of the players.

In the presentation:
Dravid says, "I am overjoyed, this is a dream come true. I would like to thank our manager Asma Khan who has been great for the team and all the players, and the fans."

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT : Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin got 702 runs at 100.29 with 3 hundreds and 2 fifties and a strike rate of 86.99.

BATSMAN OF THE TOURNAMENT : Sachin Tendulkar


BOWLER OF THE TOURNAMENT: Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan has taken 23 wickets at 15.96 with an RPO of 4.14.


I am really pleased for Zaheer Khan and Sachin Tendulkar. It is Sachin's second player of the world cup award and he has been the top scorer in a world cup three times (1996, 2003 & 2007). This is an excellent award for Zaheer Khan, he has indeed redeemed himself after wilting under pressure in the 2003 final. He has got 181 ODI and 119 test wickets and can look forward to a brilliant career.

We now have a bunch of top quality young players - Kaif, Venugopal Rao, Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan, Sharma, Pathan and Dhoni and we can look forward to a bright future - which must include reaching the top of the ODI and Test ratings where we are 3 and 2 respectively. The upcoming tours to England and Australia (in the winter) will be crucial for that.

 

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TOUR OF ENGLAND

Ganguly dropped from England tour
_________________________________

Indian manager Asma Khan announced the touring party for
England today. Dravid continues to be captain and Sehwag is his deputy.
However, Andhra opening batsman Rayudu and Karnataka batsman Barrington
Rowland have been picked along with 20 year old Punjab seamer Nayan Dahiya.

Announcing the squad this evening, Asma Khan said that Nayan had been the
pick of the bowlers in the domestic season. "Barrington and Rayudu have done
well and although Gambhir was in contention, I decided to give these players
a chance." Asked about Ganguly, she remarked, "He did not perform to
expectations in the World Cup and I decided to leave him out." Asked about
his place in the team for the tour of Australia, she said that she would think
about that when the time was ripe.
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Barrington Rowland scores a double hundred against the Combined Universities in our first class game and I play him in the test.

I TEST
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II TEST
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A test series win in England!!

Now there is the Natwest Series between the three best teams in the world - according to the World Cup table! - India, West Indies and England.

IND VS ENG
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IND VS WI
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IND VS ENG



IND VS WI



IND VS ENG


IND VS WI




FINAL
______

IND VS WI
________

A repeat of the World Cup final! - Bring it on!!

We win the toss, bat first and post 265 on the board.






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Win in the test series as well as the ODI triangular. Barrington Rowland is indeed the find of the series!

We are second in both ODI and Test. My mission is to take us to first as soon as possible!

 

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INDIA VS ZIMBABWE
___________________

I decide to try out fringe players in this test and ODI series.

I TEST
Kaif(C), Rowland, Gambhir, Rayudu, Yashpal Singh, Rao, Deshpande, Sharma, Pathan, Acharya, Mishra.

Eyebrows are raised when I pick this squad, but I reiterate that preparing a team for Australia is the most important thing, i.e. resting some players and trying out the others. All these players can find a place on the Australia tour!



II TEST



________________________________________________________________

I retain Kaif a skipper for the ODI's. We look forward to more of the same from the youngsters! Also, Vinod Kambli who has topped the averages again, has been recalled. Also, hope to give Dhoni a workout before Australia.

I ODI

Good performace chasing a big total:


II ODI



Rowland's innings is the highest in an ODI during my tenure.


III ODI


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TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

This is the tour which can take us to the top spot. My job is to pick a team for it!

After much speculation in the media, I announce my team:



Dravid(C), Sehwag(VC), Tendulkar, Laxman, Yuvraj, Kaif, Rowland, Gambhir, Kumble, Harbhajan, Zaheer, Pathan, Sharma, Dhoni, Acharya, Sodhi, Powar, Munaf Patel.

TEAM FOR AUSTRALIA CHOSEN

The Indian team to tour Australia was chosen today. Asma Khan made the announcement this evening. A surprise omission is Venugopal Rao, while inform opener Barrington Rowland has been included. Altogether three openers in Sehwag, Rowland and Gambhir are going to be on tour. Ganguly does not find a place in the team.

Among the bowlers, Asma Khan decided to go with four seamers and three spinners - Zaheer, Pathan, Sharma and Munaf Patel and Kumble, Harbhajan and Acharya. Allrounders Sodhi and Powar are also in the squad.

Asked to comment of Rao's omission, Asma Khan remarked,"Venugopal is a good player. But, I decided to play three openers who are all in good form and our middle order batsmen pick themselves. Really, there was no place for him in this squad. But, if he performs well, opportunities will come knocking." Asked who her first choice openers were, she replied, "We have to decide that based on performance once we get there."

Asked about the allrounders, she said that they were for the ODI series, but could provide an option in the tests for the no.6 spot. About the bowlers, she said, "The bowlers pick themselves. All have been very good in the preceding months."

 

[crickap]

In the first class game we beat Bushrangers by seven wickets.

I TEST
Gabba, Brisbane

Rowland is in cracking form as is Sehwag. Gambhir hasn't done too badly either. So, I am in a bit of a dilemna as to whom to play. Finally, I decide to play all three and have Laxman sit out. He is disappointed but understanding. The bowling attack is Zaheer, Kumble, Harbhajan and Sharma.

We win the toss, bat first and Sehwag and Rowland reach 89/0 at lunch. Rowland brings up his 100 and we reach 208 without loss at tea. What a start to a Gabba test! We lose four wickets in the final session including those of Tendulkar and Dravid to leave us at 336/4.




The third day is going to be crucial if we are to go on and win this game.

Harbhajan bowl a splendid spell and Australia are all out for 174 before tea. I think about batting, but decide to enforce the follow-on as the lead is big.



Australia go upto 444/4 at the end of Day-4.

The fifth morning is ours again, we bowl them out for 529 and chase down the 147 runs we need.


1-0 up in the test series - great!!!

II TEST
WACA, Perth

I go in with the same side for the Perth test.
Australia win the toss, bat first and put 576 on the board thanks to Jacques' double century.

At the end of the third day, we are right back in the Perth test:

Besides, I have one eye on Mankad and Roy's record.

Sehwag gets a triple hundred and instead of batting on forever, I make a declaration.


We go for a target of over 10 an over but do not get there.

 

[crickap]

III TEST
Adelaide Oval

I am in a mood to go for the kill. I decide to play an extra bowler in Irfan Pathan in place of Yuvraj Singh.

We win the toss and bat first.
We are restricted to 258/9 on the first day on a big score pitch. We manage to reach 314 and Australia are 182/3 at stumps on the second day.
Australia are all out for 430.


Australia have a slight advantage at the end of the third day.



We have firmly seized the initiative. I am going to declare once we reach a lead of 350 and then we shall see how they handle our bowlers.



They manage to survive.


IV TEST
Melbourne

For the boxing day test, I play Laxman in place of Pathan as the pitch is not as even as the other ones.


Solid position after day 1.

We post a good total and both their openers are back in the dressing room!



Harbhajan picks up five, and it turns into a debacle for Australia who are bowled out for 88! In their second innings Harbhajan picks up 6 and they are bowled out for 120. Australia crash to one of their most humiliating defeats inside three days!


We have won the series now!! There is celebration all over, we have won in Australia for the first time and have regained the Border-Gavaskar trophy besides moving up to No.1 in the ICC test rankings as befits our stature and performance. We have the last test to go, before I can train my guns on reaching the top of the ICC ODI table. However, since we have won the World Cup and are no.1 in the test rankings, we can rightfully claim to be the champions of cricket.






V TEST
Sydney

I stick with the same squad.

We win the toss and bat on a pitch expected to take turn at a later stage.
We get to 282/4 at stumps on the first day. Rowland gets a double hundred and we go onto 480/5 at stumps on the second day after multiple rain interruptions. Despite multiple interruptions, I manage to set Australia a target of 300 in just over two sessions on the last day, and we bowl them out!



What a great series this has been!! We have won 3-0 in Australia, and we held the advantage in both test matches which were drawn.
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Both Sehwag and Rowland have got over 1000 runs this year! Rowland has been sensational, scoring runs at an awesome pace. It's a shame we didn't pick him up earlier. Dhoni's poor batting form is a concern. Maybe it is time to look for another keeper. Gambhir seems to have come back to form, while Dravid is still scoring at that phenomenal average of 60. Looks like I have a good batting line-up! Laxman is still 33, and can play for 4-5 years at least until the next World Cup.

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[James_W]

great win! Keep it up crickap!

 

[w3lshrugby]

well done Asma, keep up the great work!

 

[crickap]

We beat Bushrangers in the tour game.


My aims are high for the tri-series. I would like to win it for the first time! In fact the first time for a non-Australian team. I have decided that I will consider Kumble only for tests now onwards. He might get an occasional ODI, but we won't play him in the main.

IND vs AUS
_____

I go with Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid, Yuvraj, Kaif, Dhoni, Pathan, Sharma, Acharya, Harbhajan, Zaheer.

We win the toss, choose to chase and find ourselves up against a huge total - Australia get 284.
But, we chase it down with ease!!


IND VS SL
_________

We make a dog's dinner of a small target but get there eventually.



Dhoni's non-performace yet again is making me rethink his position in the side.
I am reluctant to ask Dravid to keep wickets. Gambhir can keep and if keeping means he has a regular place in the 11, he is ready for it!
So, Gambhir replaces Dhoni for our next game, and Barrington Rowland replaces Yuvraj Singh.

IND VS AUS
_________

Put in to bat, we get past 300.


They have no clue against Harbhajan and are bowled out cheaply.



IND VS AUS
_________

There is some turn in the pitch. So, I decide to play Powar in place of Pathan.
We win the toss and bat and get up to 311.


I now have a couple of essentially inconsequential games against Sri Lanka before the final!

IND VS SL
_______



IND VS SL
_________

I try out Laxman with the gloves in this game.
I also play all four fast bowlers.


Our only loss.

FINAL (Best of three)
______

I final:
It is a turning wicket.
I play Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Kaif, Yuvraj, Powar, Acharya, Harbhajan, Zaheer, Sharma.
with Laxman keeping again.

We are put into bat and post a huge total:

335/4.



II FINAL
_____

We need to seal it in this game.
I retain the same side.

They win the toss, bat and get 254.
I am confident of winning this one.

Despite losing Tendulkar early on and Sehwag within the first 15 overs, Dravid and Yuvraj get to 157/2 in 25 overs.
There are some hiccups on the way, but we get there with ease finally.


IND VS AUS
___________

The rules have changed and the final game is played regardless of the previous results.

Rowland comes in for Kaif, no changes otherwise.

We win the toss, put them in and boel them out for 142.


A win by 10 wickets and we have beaten Australia 6-0 in the games we have played in this tournament.

We are No.1 in test rankings, but Australia are still No.1 in ODI rankings. However, now that we have beaten them so comprehensively, we can rightfully claim to be the best ODI team as well. But still, I am keen to reach the top of the ODI rankings list as well.