CRICKET – THE ONE DAYERS
A lot of criticism of the Sawai Mansingh
Maidan of Jaipur after the second one dayer between India and Australia. As usual emotions run high, based on
results.
We tend to over do everything. All sorts of remarks: “Game is against bowlers”, “Over 700 runs in a day in just 100 overs”, “Jaipur pitch is no good for ODI”, “Indian fast bowlers failed” and “replace Ashwin and Ishant Sharma” and what not?
People should have interviewed George Bailey, the Australian Captain immediately after batting and he would have said they have done an excellent job and they were preparing for this onslaught for quite sometime and also would have told they have found the “mantra” to bat in Indian pitches as also to counter the Indian Bowlers. Now after the Indian batting with 6.3 overs to spare and with nine wickets in hand India could make the required runs, it is but natural for Bailey to avoid answering with wry smile, when Ravi Shastri said - Is not the pitch a ‘beauty’? Same with the Indian Captain M S Dhoni who was totally upset as we could see him in the final overs of Indian bowling on that day. He was so happy to tell Shastri that Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli did the job. Perhaps things would have been otherwise and had a good start the Indians wanted would have been thwarted, had Haddin held the catch offered by Dhawan. A turning point. Only Australians can answer why should Haddin run such a long distance to take that catch?
I do not find any merit in the shouts of replacements of bowlers though Ishant should show his previous fury and use bouncers in an over when required and bowl Yorkers at the death and Ashwin should change his now famous stopping at the crease before delivering the ball to his normal action. His normal bowling had all the armoury and I think that is enough to be a successful bowler. The days of keeping an average of 5 per over by a bowler are being rewritten by the new and young T20 batsmen who have been brought into ODIs. That is all for the second ODI at Jaipur.
Should ODI formats require a change?
The results of 5 other matches to be played in various other centres will completely dispel the present mood of things. That is the way, the game is.
More and more tournaments of T20 throwing out batsmen who do not fear to come forward in the pitch even to fast bowlers. Batting kits even have been made favourable to that. The wide rules, 2 new balls, field placements have all been against the bowlers and the condition of the pitch only adds to their woes. But this how the ODIs were being played except the two new balls which totally goes against spin bowlers and a night of dew adds to their problems further. If at all, there should be change in the format, it should be on the two new balls for ODI, duly revising to the earlier way of a single ball for 50 overs. Cricket administrations should accept it is experimentation and it has failed because of disadvantage to spin bowlers.
Meanwhile the spectators can enjoy what is being presented and hope it is not going to be the way in Jaipur?
Added on 4 11 2013: after the 7th ODI at Bangalore
It has been conclusively proved that the scores of 300/350 have become a normal one and apart from the pitch, the new rules have gone against the bowlers and gives little room for variations in their bowling. It is very difficult for bowlers to pitch only near the bat without any rise and at a speed that could bother. However, the way the batsmen adapted themselves for T20s, the bowlers too will come back and but will definitely will take some time. It will be more in variation of speeds. The next best the administrators can do is only to provide grounds with boundries at 80 metres. A few sixes can turn into 4s.
Of course that has in no way prevents for Ishant Sharma to come with a better bowling speed and accuracy.
Ramachandran V 4 11 2013 Bangalore
We tend to over do everything. All sorts of remarks: “Game is against bowlers”, “Over 700 runs in a day in just 100 overs”, “Jaipur pitch is no good for ODI”, “Indian fast bowlers failed” and “replace Ashwin and Ishant Sharma” and what not?
People should have interviewed George Bailey, the Australian Captain immediately after batting and he would have said they have done an excellent job and they were preparing for this onslaught for quite sometime and also would have told they have found the “mantra” to bat in Indian pitches as also to counter the Indian Bowlers. Now after the Indian batting with 6.3 overs to spare and with nine wickets in hand India could make the required runs, it is but natural for Bailey to avoid answering with wry smile, when Ravi Shastri said - Is not the pitch a ‘beauty’? Same with the Indian Captain M S Dhoni who was totally upset as we could see him in the final overs of Indian bowling on that day. He was so happy to tell Shastri that Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli did the job. Perhaps things would have been otherwise and had a good start the Indians wanted would have been thwarted, had Haddin held the catch offered by Dhawan. A turning point. Only Australians can answer why should Haddin run such a long distance to take that catch?
I do not find any merit in the shouts of replacements of bowlers though Ishant should show his previous fury and use bouncers in an over when required and bowl Yorkers at the death and Ashwin should change his now famous stopping at the crease before delivering the ball to his normal action. His normal bowling had all the armoury and I think that is enough to be a successful bowler. The days of keeping an average of 5 per over by a bowler are being rewritten by the new and young T20 batsmen who have been brought into ODIs. That is all for the second ODI at Jaipur.
Should ODI formats require a change?
The results of 5 other matches to be played in various other centres will completely dispel the present mood of things. That is the way, the game is.
More and more tournaments of T20 throwing out batsmen who do not fear to come forward in the pitch even to fast bowlers. Batting kits even have been made favourable to that. The wide rules, 2 new balls, field placements have all been against the bowlers and the condition of the pitch only adds to their woes. But this how the ODIs were being played except the two new balls which totally goes against spin bowlers and a night of dew adds to their problems further. If at all, there should be change in the format, it should be on the two new balls for ODI, duly revising to the earlier way of a single ball for 50 overs. Cricket administrations should accept it is experimentation and it has failed because of disadvantage to spin bowlers.
Meanwhile the spectators can enjoy what is being presented and hope it is not going to be the way in Jaipur?
Added on 4 11 2013: after the 7th ODI at Bangalore
It has been conclusively proved that the scores of 300/350 have become a normal one and apart from the pitch, the new rules have gone against the bowlers and gives little room for variations in their bowling. It is very difficult for bowlers to pitch only near the bat without any rise and at a speed that could bother. However, the way the batsmen adapted themselves for T20s, the bowlers too will come back and but will definitely will take some time. It will be more in variation of speeds. The next best the administrators can do is only to provide grounds with boundries at 80 metres. A few sixes can turn into 4s.
Of course that has in no way prevents for Ishant Sharma to come with a better bowling speed and accuracy.
Ramachandran V 4 11 2013 Bangalore
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