Who deserves a place in the Indian ODI side?

[usy]

Sachin Tendulkar for T20 records! yah!

 

[shravi]

What's wrong with Yusuf Shravi?

Well, he has an extremely poor domestic record. He isn't a great batsman and he's a terrible bowler. He was chosen as an all rounder yet Dhoni isn't very confident in him, bowling him for like 3-5 overs each innings. He just doesn't offer much. Just pick an out and out batsman.

And Rohit, I wouldn't drop Rohit Sharma yet. I have a feeling he will come into his own. Since you go into stats quite often when you talk about Badrinath, out of Tiwary, Sharma and Nayar, Sharma has the highest List A average. Plus, Nayar will be selected as an all rounder if he is and he's only been bowling around 3 overs a match in the Emerging Players tournament. Think how much he'll bowl in international cricket then.

Sachin, I feel, in about a years time, should just concentrate on test cricket as playing both forms of the game will just be too much for him at this age. It's already showing. That's when the doors will finally open for domestic players.

 

[Cricketman]

No doors will be opened when Sachin retires. Sehwag will take his spot, I'm afraid.

Oh and I was going to put a "/ Rohit Sharma" next to Tiwary but I had to go somewhere

I'm using Nayar as a batsman, and he can bowl the four overs a match or so.

 

[shravi]

Nayar can't play as a batsman alone. Tiwary's a much better accomplished batsman than him. So I'd have Tiwary and Sharma both in the team.

 

[Cricketman]

I'd say Nayar is more explosive then Tiwary and can be a better number 7.

But having Sharma and Tiwary play isn't a bad option either.

I love how i've dropped Yuvraj and no one has complained about it

 

[shravi]

I just noticed lol. I would drop Tiwary then.

 

[.Mob]

I love how i've dropped Yuvraj and no one has complained about it

I did the same thing! But I would rather play either one of Tiwary or Sharma and Nayar, because Tiwary and Sharma are pretty similar, and plus it's always good to have a lefty as variety.

 

[manee]

I agree with Dravid's inclusion in the team.People like Raina and Yuvraj are one-match wonders and you never know when these ppl will go down.

'One match wonders'? Raina got three man of the match awards in a row in the Asia Cup. As for Yuvraj, not rating him as an ODI batsman is sheer stupidity. Since 2005, against quality opposition (so, excluding minnows and Bangladesh and Zimbabwe), he averages 42.26 with a strike rate of 85.76, this is nothing short of extraordinary. The inclusion of Dravid completely ignores the youth policy that the team is going through at this point in time. Dravid is a great batsman, but you cannot simply disregard the past actions of selectors to create a mass inconsistency.

Balaji-well considering the way the Indian seamers bowled in the Asia Cup,I really wouldnt be surprised if he gets a call.

He has barely returned from an injury which could have and could still potentially end his career. In the IPL, he was bowling at 125kph and had no sort of zip or swing to speak of. Although swing comes from the wrist, I'd be shocked if he will be able to extract his infamous outswing much with his new, overly front on action. It will take him time to get back to full pace, and it may never happen, but even speaking of selecting him now is madness.

As for Mohd.Kaif,I can only ask-WHY NOT ?
Kaif was unjustly kicked out of the team after a good West Indies tour[2006]
Also,he was drafted in for the last test against RSA.Why leave him out now ?
And him being vice-captain.Yes,a very wise decision.Kaif is among those who has good leadership abilities.Yuvraj is way too arrogant and probably thats the main reason why he didnt get the captainship in the first place.
M.Kaif lead India U-19 to a WC win and was touted as a future leader.I say,he can be one.

Vice captains don't lead and Dhoni is not going anywhere as captain. Kaif was likely unjustly dropped, but at this point of time, there is no room for him ahead of Rohit Sharma and Robin Uthappa, who have both shown obvious potential, despite neither being the finished product. Two wrongs do not make a right and we cannot abort our nurturing of batting talents to accomodate Kaif. Kaif is no doubt in the fringes if a young talent totally fails to push on, make no mistake about it.

Personally ,I am not too happy with Yuvraj as the vice-captain.Ideally,the best person in the team to be a vice-captain is Dinesh Karthik,but he can hardly make the team.

Yuvraj's off screen antics do not necessarily make him a bad vice-captain; keep in mind how good Shane Warne captained in the IPL. Dinesh Karthik does not make the ODI team for good reason, he is a poor ODI batsman!

I've long heard the argument that pace isn't everything but the fact is, Balaji doesn't have the pace to trouble international batsman. He doesn't have the same run up any more to generate even as much pace as he used to. From what I saw in the IPL, even though that might not be an accurate representation it is an indication of what sort of shape he's in, he has become far too predictable as a bowler- especially his slower balls.

Yes, but don't totally write him off yet. It will likely be until midway through next season that he is back to full fitness, assuming he doesn't get injured again.

Kaif would be a great choice. May not be the best batsman we have, but is brilliant in the field and excellent tactically. While he was in the team he was the fielding skipper, he set who fielded where.

I agree. As soon as there is a vacency, he should come in, but there is currently not one. Ideally, Yuvraj is rested to 'fix' his knee injury and Kaif comes into the squad and gets ODIs as per the rotation policy.

Dinesh Karthik is a fighter, and seemed a very good, innovative batsman, but has just lost his form and kinda become a walking wicket. He was brilliant behind the stumps too, but he needs to start getting some runs.

Needs to prove his 50 over batting credentials in Ranji One Day Trophy and Deodhar Trophy, imo, before being recalled.

We also need a new spinner. I've always wondered why Amit Mishra, a legspinner with domestic success, never got picked, and after the IPL I am still wondering. Bhajji is proving to be a bit of a problem, he hasn't been taking wickets and is getting into a lot of off-field trouble. Ojha doesn't look ready and Piyush shouldn't be playing Test cricket. Maybe we might need to give Viru and Sachin more bowling in tests, and Yusuf and Raina in ODIs. Maybe Kumble should return to the shorter format. Or call back Ramesh Powar. Or even better, call back Murali Kartik.

Kumble was a poor ODI bowler by the time he'd retired. Ramesh Powar is not the sort of fielder needed in ODIs to spearhead this policy of youth. Murali Kartik is an okay option, but his career record shows a distinct lack of consistency. Ojha and Chawla look okay in ODIs, for now. Mishra is with the India Emerging Players (a NCA squad) in Australia and has put out some good performances and one shocking one, no doubt he will come into the frame soon. Since you wish to talk about Test cricket; I think Kumble and Harbhajan are fine for now and that Mishra is the most likely to take over from Anil as the main leg spinner when he retires.

Balaji needs more time. Glad he's back though, nothing tops his smile!

Unbelievably bright though.

Trivedi looks a decent bowler. He might be good in English conditions, and can apparently bat a little too.

Hmmm, never rated him when I've seen him bowl and I suspect a kink in his action. He could be okay as a third or fourth seamer, but don't see anything too special in him. He's not bad though and changes his pace well.

Our pace attack is quite nice - Irfan, RP, Sreesanth, Zaheer, Munaf, Ishant, Praveen, Gony - so that really shouldn't be an issue. Agarkar, Balaji, Bose are all knocking around too, so in case of an emergency we can turn to them. Yo-Mahesh looked good in the IPL too, as did Dinda.

Hope the BCCI are not as satisfied as you. Irfan has seriously lost the ability to conventionally swing the ball and has lost 'zip' too. I don't know whether he wishes to once again remodel his action, but I have finally jumped upon the bandwagon, thinking he needs to regain his swing. RP's control of line is shocking. Munaf's fitness is laughable, and Praveen is awful when the ball doesn't swing. Gony and Sreesanth are hardly perfect either. Bose had an awful domestic season and Dinda has not even played one professional 50 over game yet. Yo Mahesh has a poor List A record. All is not as rosy as it seems.

And our batting doesn't really need anyone new. Some names have already been mentioned - Badrinath, Tiwary, Nayar, Dhawan, Kaif - so there are plenty to keep the starters on their heels.

Yes, the batting is in good stead for the future.

Sorry, who?

Just did a search on him. Plays for Tamil Nadu. Also played for the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. He's 28, RMF, RH bat.

Not quite RMF, more RM.

46 FC games, 43 OD games. Averages 46 with the bat and 21 with the ball in FC - wow. But 30 with the bat and a smidge under 40 with the ball in OD, economy of 4.67.

9 matches in the IPL. 3 innings, 34 runs in 28 balls, out twice. Took 6 wickets in 22 overs at 8.31 RPO.

Perhaps a tad slow to be an effective international bowler.

Nayar can't play as a batsman alone. Tiwary's a much better accomplished batsman than him. So I'd have Tiwary and Sharma both in the team.

As I keep saying, Tiwary has just had one good season and in FC cricket too, not even in List A cricket.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

I'm sure our pace bowling department is better than you are making it seem. I even forgot VRV from the list. With so many capable quick bowlers, there are bound to be 4 of them clicking at any given moment, and so we should be fine. Our pace bowling stocks are larger than most other countries, if not all of them, and while it may be a bit raw it still can be lethal.

Kumble was in poor form in ODIs. He has all the experience needed to do well. Maybe he was just slipping in consistency and bowling a few to many bad balls, but I'm sure he could handle himself alright if we really need a spinner. And Powar is a suprisingly good fielder. He is actually quite agile in the deep and a good catcher. Don't undderate him.

 

[Cricketman]

VRV Fails. Did you see his stamina during the IPL? He got fatigued after bowling three deliveries, and was practically dead by the time his spell was done. In a T20!

And about the Karthik issue - I have no doubts about this guy. We just saw it in the tour match in Sri Lanka - he's got a good head on his shoulders and is technically very good. His ability to adapt to situations and defend or accelerate based on what's going on in the middle. He's kept well, and his fielding has been fantastic as well.

Maybe he's doesn't deserve an ODI call up now, but he's certainly going to be a big player for India in the future. He's still just 23 and is performing well at the highest standard of cricket (tests). It's just a matter of time before he's a regular in the ODI scheme of things.

Having Dhoni as captain doesn't help the guy either :\

Cricketman added 11 Minutes and 2 Seconds later...

One match wonders'? Raina got three man of the match awards in a row in the Asia Cup. As for Yuvraj, not rating him as an ODI batsman is sheer stupidity. Since 2005, against quality opposition (so, excluding minnows and Bangladesh and Zimbabwe), he averages 42.26 with a strike rate of 85.76, this is nothing short of extraordinary. The inclusion of Dravid completely ignores the youth policy that the team is going through at this point in time. Dravid is a great batsman, but you cannot simply disregard the past actions of selectors to create a mass inconsistency.

I'm a huge fan of Raina but the pitches in the Asia Cup were nothing short of terrible, favoring the batsman to no end.

Yuvraj. Let's talk about him, shall we? He's a talented batsman, can crush the ball miles and is one of the cleanest hitters of the ball in international cricket.
You point out his average of 42 since 2005. He had a purple patch during the 2006/2007 season which peaked at around the T20 world cup. That streak of good form (which all decent players go through at least at one stage in their career) would've certainly helped boost that average.
Since then he's been utter failure, made to look like a schoolboy in Australia, averaging 24 in the only real sporting conditions we've faced this year.

 

[shravi]

I thought he looked really good in the Asia Cup, bar the final. The pitches may have favoured the batsmen, but it's him who had to play the shots.

 

[Cricketman]

Kaif was likely unjustly dropped

Uhh, I don't think so. Plenty of inconsistent scores with the bat had him dropped. He may be a fantastic fielder and all but his main role in the side is that of a batsman and he didn't perform.

Raina took his spot, he's just as good of a fielder and a better batsman.

Cricketman added 1 Minutes and 0 Seconds later...

I thought he looked really good in the Asia Cup, bar the final. The pitches may have favoured the batsmen, but it's him who had to play the shots.

Gillespie scored a double hundred against Bangladesh.

By your logic, even though the bowling was crap it was Gillespie who had to play the shot, making him a good batsman?

Plus, the bowling in the Asia Cup was crap all round. Only Sri Lanka had a decent attack tbh, Pakistan's was terrible as well.

 

[shravi]

Gillespie scored a double hundred against Bangladesh.

By your logic, even though the bowling was crap it was Gillespie who had to play the shot, making him a good batsman?

In that time frame, yes.

 

[Cricketman]

Whatever, as you said yesterday on MSN, i'm not going to agree with you and you aren't going to with me, and we'll leave it at that

Anyways, like i've been saying constantly in the past, we need a balance between flash players and the anchors in our ODI side. There are some players who may be in the middle (Raina), but we need at least two or three distinct 'Dravidesque' batsman there in the middle order.

Obviously Badrinath should take a spot, who would be the other one? KARTHIK KARTHIK KARTHIK KARTHIK KARTHIK

 

[shravi]

I'm going to get shot for this but, please read through this entire post. Since the CB series, Dhoni has become the Dravidesque player in the ODI line up. He doesn't have the immaculate technique, far from it, but he is gritty, perseverent and everything I want to see from the captain. As an Indian fan, I see him as the one player I can count on in a crisis in the ODI line up.