Mar 9 - India vs Netherlands

[Papa_Smurf]

Yeah, a target of below 200 was never going to trouble the Indian line-up. Having said that, Holland have put up one hell of a fight.

Both Ireland and Holland can take a lot from this WC. They've managed to impress the world. Would be a real shame if their efforts go un-noticed by the ICC after this WC. They need more exposure, so the game's profile rises in their respective countries. Once that happens, then slowly a first-class structure can be implemented. And once that happens, then we can say hi to 2 new test nations.

Long way to go, I know, but if the ICC do this properly, then hopefully they can avoid the mistake they made with Bangladesh of giving the status too quickly.

But the game needs to spread, and it's up to the ICC to do so. If they ignore Ireland and Holland now after these performances, then they might as well as scrap the whole Associates, Leagues 1, 2, 3 etc thing altogether.

 

[Gurjot95]

Thankfully India are through. No more upsets this time!. if India keeps playing like this, we may need to say them early bye-bye. Definitely not favorites now!

 

[Kabooka]

I wanna see Holland take on the Irish.

 

[SaiSrini]

Our batting against Ireland and Holland has not been upto the mark as far as the top order is concerned. Getting out too early and almost getting the lower order involved against such sides is not on at all. We have just got up a few points in the NRR (from 0.768 to 0.992). Hope we beat both SA and WI which should keep us on top of the table.

Again Harbhajan goes away with no wicket!!! Hope Chawla's 2 wkts have not done anything to keep him in the side.

 

[Kabooka]

Hope Chawla's 2 wkts have not done anything to keep him in the side.

Seriously he is a moron, that second wicket he got, could have gone anywhere. I'm praying to see Ashwin in his place.

 

[Gurjot95]

Raina for Kohli, anyone?

 

[SaiSrini]

Raina for Kohli, anyone?

I would love to see Raina in for someone. Probably Gambhir because Kohli is also a very good fielder and Raina is an excellent fielder (we need as many good fielders in the team). Batting wise, Raina is as good as Gambhir on Indian wickets (not counting his better aggression). Since we cant touch Sachin, Dhoni should think about Gambhir.

 

[STLIndian]

Let Gambhir play himself into form. When he's right, he's far more valuable than Raina.

 

[King Cricket]

This World Cup shows how invaluable the Associate nations are to the development and spreading of cricket. Such a gallant display by a team that is several notches below the elite group of Test playing nations is a very good advertisement for the sport.

As for India, I will hold my tongue till we face another big opponent. Drawing conclusions from low-profile games can prove to be misleading, as it could have been a case of India turning a bit too complacent after skittling Holland out for a small total and underestimating the task in hand. It's good to see Yuvraj back in form with the bat, though. His bowling, which seems to have improved profusely, is an added advantage which we would enjoy as far as part-timers are concerned.

And I don't think it is prudent to axe Gambhir so early. He has a sound technique and can get back to form any day. One guy I'd definitely look forward to in big matches.

 

[icyman]

NRR= + 0.992

Ideally should have been over 1.5 at this moment ,had we inflicted crushing victories against Bangaldesh and England, but it was not to be.

Anyway, am happy that we are through to the next round.

 

[angryangy]

And I don't think it is prudent to axe Gambhir so early. He has a sound technique and can get back to form any day. One guy I'd definitely look forward to in big matches.

Kohli could maybe stand to bat higher at the moment, but on the short term, it just depends how badly you want to see Raina in there instead. I know a lot of people would rather not. I guess maybe it's the selectors' role to provide a backup who is tearing down the house to get in, but there were worse choices and for that matter, Gambhir hasn't been spectacularly bad either. In fact, in the past year, he's been very good.

 

[STLIndian]

Would have liked a crushing victory, but whatever. Thankfully, NRR is irrelevant to getting the #1 seed in the group (since we now have an odd # of points as a result of that tie). Ya, England could tie us in points, but there's no way they're making up 1 full point in NRR in just two matches.

 

[Cricketman]

Ashwin in for Piyush is a must vs SA imo... really hope this little 2fer doesn't get Piyush another game (vs classy players like Amla, Smith, De Villiers, Kallis... omg)

 

[sifter132]

The problem for us would be the N.R.R. We would of course go through the QF's should we win this one. But the N.R.R can determine our standing in the group which may substantially impact our chances of playing the QF at the Motera.

Actually it's a little bit tricky - we know who is going to play who, since A1 HAS TO play B4 etc., but there are no guarantees yet on where those matches are going to be. This is because if India, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh feature then the match will be moved to their home venue.

So India will play their QF at Motera NO MATTER WHAT. As long as they finish in the top 4, their game is locked in to be played at home. It's the same for Sri Lanka - they will get their QF moved to Colombo - except if they are drawn to play India, in which case it will be at the Motera. There were a few complaints about this when it was announced, particularly if India was B4 and Sri Lanka was A1. In that case it doesn't seem fair that India gets to host the match, even though Sri Lanka finished higher. But it's all part of the ICC masterplan to get India into the semis...actually it's all based on the pre-tournament seeding - or that's the excuse anyway And it works for Bangladesh too - if they qualify their QF moved to Mirpur - unless they are playing Sri Lanka - then it will be in Colombo.

Article explaining is here:
World Cup 2011: Home advantage for hosts in quarters and semis | Cricket News | ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[SaiSrini]

Home teams have been unlucky in World Cups. So its not a masterplan and all. India plays well in the subcontinent overall