King Kohli - Now, King of Lords !!!

At the start of Day 5, England clearly had the momentum to close India's innings and chase down the target. Rishabh Pant was the only X Factor, who could have turned things around, at least that's what every cricket pundits thought. When he got out cheaply, Joe Root thought he would use the banter that happened between Bumrah and Anderson to his team's advantage to wipe off the tail / lower order batsmen. This particular strategy backfired and Bumrah / Shami combination involved in a record 89* runs partnership to take India into lunch with a huge momentum shift.

60 overs to face for England batsmen and 4 fast bowlers from India to run hard and provide the heat, non-stop, at them was a killer strategy from Virat Kohli. Bumrah and Shami were thoroughly warmed up after their partnership with the bat and Kohli threw the new ball to them to continue the same with the ball. England Openers were unsettled with the time of declaration and soon the fate got sealed for them. Joe Root's resistance alone would have helped his team earn a draw, once he got out, it was a formality for Team India.

Key Factors that ensured a win for Team India @ Lords

Rohit Sharma & KL Rahul Opening Partnership :

In foreign conditions, Rohit Sharma has become the lead opener and that's a great sign for Indian cricket. He has stitched partnerships with the likes of Gill, Rahul & Mayank and the numbers speak for themselves. Losing the toss and facing the heat from in-form Jimmy Anderson and Mark Wood clocking 90 mph was a herculean task for the pair, who was 1 test match old. Both the openers deserved a century and a name in the Honor's board. Their partnership was a huge factor for the win.

Mohammad Siraj's breathtaking spell in both innings :

The emergence of Mohammad Siraj is a great story for Indian cricket. The pace at which he matures, he would surely break some records. His spell in both innings was truly the pivotal reason for earning a win @ Lords. Some experts feel, he does not have out swingers in his forte, but then the ball to dismiss Jos Butler in 2nd innings was sheer skill of swing bowling. The length was top notch and in a slow wicket, it moved away with pace.

Banter between Bumrah & Anderson :

Bumrah rubbed the wrong side of Jimmy Anderson with barrage of bouncers at the end of Day 3. It looked like the trailer before the main picture that happened on Day 5. Joe Root was pushed to follow a strategy of bouncers and Yorkers against Bumrah and Shami on day 5, in hindsight, he should have asked his bowlers to bowl normally and clean up the tail. A Key moment in the game, which added to the several factors that ensured a win for Indians.

Pujara and Rahane's not-so-famous 100 run Partnership

Day 4 was weird approach from Indian batsmen, 56 for 3 at Lunch, 49 runs in 2nd session without losing a wicket. Pujara and Rahane helped team India, probably without their knowledge, of batting out time. Crucial runs were added at a slow pace and at the end of Day 4, England's chance of win was higher than expected. If we look back at it now, that not-so-famous partnership pushed the test match to Day 5, which was crucial for this victory. 

Virat Kohli's aggressive declaration:

Last, but not the least, King Kohli was spot on with his declaration. The timing of the declaration clearly unsettled the England openers and he wanted Joe Root to step-in as early as possible and Indian bowlers obliged to King Kohli's plans. Virat Kohli's attitude is so positive, there would not be one team member, who would have thought of a Draw in their mind. They all went for the kill and timely declaration was a big factor.

Joe Root, K L Rahul and Rohit Sharma were brilliant with the bat, but my man of the match was Mohammad Siraj, who made a match out of this test, with his spells in both the innings. Everyone contributed from India's team and played their part. Ishant Sharma's wickets played its little part in turning the momentum too.

Is this the greatest Test Victory by Indians in Foreign Conditions ?

No. 

Lords victory would always be cherished, but England team is not playing its full strength, as Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad is not part of the playing eleven. What Indian team achieved at Gabba outranks this one for reasons best known. 

IPL Season 13 - Match 10 - RCB vs MI - Post Match Review

For starters, RCB had a wonderful bowling combination. Navdeep Saini led the attack for them and Dale Steyn was dropped for the match. Steyn would have got relieved of the pressure to lead the bowling attack, especially when he is out of form. Adam Zampa was brought into the playing eleven and Udana was trusted by captain Kohli. Josh Philippe was dropped and ABD took the role of gloveman. 

ABD for RCB is like Rahul Dravid for Team India!

Mumbai Indians preferred to chase with an intention to keep RCB's score below par . Devdutt Padikkal's role has been clearly assigned by Kohli. When he walks into bat, his role is not only to go for his shots, but to hold one end too, as the next 3 batsmen are Finch, Kohli and ABD. The left right combination is the most irritating aspect for a bowler, who tries to be economical. Padikkal showed lot of maturity in his innings and was instrumental for RCB posting 200 plus.

Aaron Finch played audacious shots to register a fifty and ABD finished it off as usual. Kohli definitely looked out of touch, but is warming up for future games. Shivam Dube fitted well along with ABD to score at a strike rate of 270, with 3 sixers. ABD himself was striking at a rate of 230. Trent Boult and Rahul Chahar were the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai Indians.

Mumbai Indians chase was a story of Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard making a match out of the top order collapse. Pawan Negi had a great day in the field with 3 catches, but he dropped the crucial one when needed the most, which kept the match interesting. Ishan Kishan grabbed the opportunity with both hands, scoring a stupendous 99, with amazing six hitting abilities.

RCB tried to lose the match with their fielding effort and bowling loose balls, all resultant of pressure that they always get themselves into. The bowling change by Kohli was actually good, but too many matches has been lost, which puts him under scanner each time he backs his bowler under different circumstances. The pressure to win was evident in the team.

Thanks to the prayers of RCB fans, Ishan Kishan did not finish the match for Mumbai Indians and missed a hundred too. A tie was not expected and a super over win for RCB was a surprise, after Mumbai Indians' finishers were in the perfect mood for the same.

Navdeep Saini and Bumrah bowled excellent super overs for their franchises and created a memorable IPL match for the fans. Ishan Kishan was tired after the innings and Rohit Sharma preferred fresh legs for the super over and relied on Hardik Pandya. The strategy backfired as Saini bowled brilliantly to keep the chase to 8 runs in one over. Kohli lead from the front with his batting, when he finished off the run chase with a whipping flick off a low full toss. Chasing runs brings the best out of Kohli and he forgot about his poor form and was there in the end to earn 2 crucial points for the team.

India versus Australia Women World cup final 2020 - A Preview

A deserving finalist India and Australia would clash again, 3 weeks later than the triangular T-20  tournament, which also featured England. Australia beat India in that final, when they defended 155. Jess Jonassen picked up 5-for and Beth Mooney smashed 71. The world cup started and Indians turned the tables in a week's time by beating Australia, defending a score of 132. With each performance, they have become a confident side and are hard favorites for lifting the trophy.

Australian women, playing at home will have a huge advantage, but then the crowd would cheer for both teams equally. Australia, after losing to India in their first encounter, lifted their game to remain strong contenders for lifting the trophy too. They stopped south Africa from entering the finals in a rain depleted semi-finals.

Harmanpreet Kaur has to bring her A game into this finals, if India have a chance. Smriti Mandana have got starts, but is yet to play one decisive innings. Shafali Varma would continue to play fearless shots at the top, which is one of the main reasons for India's undefeated run. Jemima Rodrigues is a serious talent, whose consistency has benefitted India time and again. She was a perfect cover-up for Harman's poor form.

India would play to their strength of packing the bowling unit with 4 spinners and Shikha pandey. Harman would hope, they have one more good day at the park. Australia women's strong batting had problems only with slow bowlers and they would hate to face India's bowling unit, headed by Poonam Yadav. India's fielding has been top notch and wicket keeper Tanya has been wonderful behind the stumps for Indian spinners. 

Australia would miss the services of Ellyse Perry, but Meg Lanning has a wonderful team, who could step up and be a cover for these misses. Ashley Gardner is a big match player, who along with Meg Lanning, are important players in the top order. Alyssa Healy is a sensational top order bat and she could destroy any attack on a day. Rachel Haynes' contribution at the lower order could add those important runs, which decides the fate of the game.

Jess Jonassen is the only bowler, whom Meg Lanning would rely on, to provide breakthroughs at different points of the game. Ellyse Perry would be seriously missed. The other bowlers have always been inconsistent in their performances. Australia fielding would make their bowlers strong, with their fielding and catching, which is high quality.

Both teams want to bat first and put the scoreboard pressure for their opponents and that way, the toss becomes so much more crucial. MCG is a perfect ground for hosting women's world cup T-20, which has come a long way in promoting the women's cricket and influencing young women to pick up this wonderful sport.

What better occasion than International Women's day to dedicate the world cup victory to their respective countries and women !!! All the best to both the teams...

Prediction:

India - 55 % - AUS - 45% - if India bat first

AUS - 60 % - India - 40 % - if AUS bat first

England vs South Africa - First ODI of CWC 2019 - A Preview

A great start to the campaign and Consistency is what every team would like to achieve, to earn a semi-final berth. England and South africa would like to get ahead in the race, but they need to face each other right at the start. Hopefully, they would go long in the tournament and shed off the choker's tag by lifting the trophy.

Dale Steyn would not play today due to an injury and that would be a big loss. K Rabada has the potential to be a match winner on his own. Faf du plessis needs to provide Rabada more men at catching positions, whenever he steps into bowl. The supporting bowlers needs to step up too and the experience of Imran Tahir would come in handy. Tahir is a wicket taking bowler and he is smart to adapt to playing conditions outside home. Lungi Ngidi has impressed many with his performances too.

 England have a better bowling combination with the late inclusion of Jofra Archer, who could be a sensation in this edition of world cup. England's strength is their bowling all rounders with Ben Stokes leading the way, Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali and Jofra Archer would follow. Eoin Morgan will be a happy captain to have so many all rounders in his kitty. Tom Curran has always been in the wicket taking lists too.

When it comes to batting comparisons, England outweigh south africans there too. Jason Roy has been sensational in the past 2 years along with Johny Bairstow. Joe Root was also consistent, and one of the three kept on scoring big in the last 2 years. If that was not enough, Ben Stokes and Jos Butler were brilliant in chasing down scores along with Moeen Ali and Morgan playing the supporting hand. Chris Woakes is no mug with the bat and Archer is handy too.

For RSA, Hashim Amla's experience of playing in big tournaments would come in handy. Faf du plessis, Quinton de kock, Duminy are the other batsmen, who are in good nick. Their recent batting form in comparison to England is below par, but they have a chance to rise up to the occasion in their first encounter today.

Kennington Oval features a bowler friendly wicket as it would be a green top, but once the openers see off the new ball, they could post big scores and could chase down big scores too. England should be able to conquer South africa today, if they could deprive Kagiso Rabada the match winning spell.

IPL 2019 - CSK vs RCB - A Perfect rivalry to Kickstart the twelfth version

Has RCB addressed their death bowling concern, which has always haunted them in defending big scores in the past ?

If we look at the combination for this year, Coulter Nile, Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav are the bowlers who need to step up for RCB. Tim Southee is known for yorkers and sensible slower ones. Their bowlers have to be heavily backed by the management. RCB have to learn from the likes of Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai, who have premier bowler, who would play every match of the season and are great death bowlers too.

Interesting addition is Shimron Hetmyer. With the backing of Virat Kohli, he could be a batting sensation for RCB. We all saw what he could do, when he showed his consistency against Indians in ODI encounters, when West indies toured India. RCB is a batting powerhouse, and this season would also feature loads of runs from them and no doubt Virat Kohli would lead them. Mr.360 degree would enjoy too and that would be dangerous for the opponents.

CSK has retained most of their players from their trophy win last year. Mohit Sharma is a value add player for their death bowling. CSK's strength has always been their all rounders, who would contribute when it is least expected. Kedar Jaadav would be available throughout the tournament and MSD would use him wisely, as his fitness is crucial for World cup and Dhoni himself would keep that factor alive for himself.

Chepauk would host CSK, which was missing for a long time. The best fan club in the world and knowledgeable cricket crowd would love to be part of this mega clash between arch rivals. CSK leads the race, with 14 wins to 7 against RCB and 23rd encounter would happen on 23rd March 2019. This statistics alone would tell the story, why CSK are hot favorites.

Lungi Ngidi would be unavailable for CSK, but they have a wonderful combination in Mohit Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Bravo, Tahir, Jadeja and Santner. One won't be surprised if Santner plays regularly as his all-round skills would be utilized by Dhoni, as MSD is a big fan of slow bowlers to control the game for him. Chepauk wicket is spinner friendly, with lot of bounce and turn. RCB also have a good slow bowling combination, as Chahal would lead the attack and Washington Sundar along with Moeen Ali could control the game for RCB.

A wonderful match on the cards and a scintillating start to 12th edition of Vivo IPL would hook everyone to the match. Let us all enjoy...

A Deserving 2-1 Series Lead for India against Australia

On a green top Melbourne Boxing day wicket, Virat Kohli won the toss and batted first, with 2 new openers and not many gave a chance for Indians, especially after losing the test match at Perth. Hanuman Vihari provided a solid start and could not convert his effort into a personal milestone, but in the event of a win, his time at the crease was highly significant. Mayank Agarwal was not only brilliant with the bat, but also showed lot of promise as a bat-pad catcher. His 2 catches at forward short leg and 1 at silly mid-on was outstanding.

Pujara and Kohli played with a mission. They curtailed all their strokes and batted time to stitch in a match winning partnership. 215 runs at the end of 1st day and 228 runs on the 2nd day raised eyebrows as to the manner in which, Indians went about building the score. It turned out to be a great strategy, as the wicket started helping the bowlers, as the game progressed. Indian fast bowling trio, Bumrah-Ishant-Shami were unstoppable, especially Jasprit Bumrah bowled a match winning spell by picking 6 wickets and helped Indians bowl out Australia for a paltry score of 151 in their first innings.

A Lead of 292 runs was sufficient for Kohli and team, considering the bowler friendly Melbourne wicket and a weather forecast of heavy showers on Day 4 and Day 5. Much to everyone's surprise, Kohli decided to give his bowlers a rest and batted again. This decision did not hurt India too much, but the 2nd innings performance, both with the bat and the ball was no where close to a number one Test team's performance. Pat Cummins picked up a 6 for 27 in his 11 overs and wickets were gifted by Indian batsmen, as they played too many loose shots down the leg side.

Indians could add only 106 runs by losing 8 wickets and Kohli declared the innings to set Australia 399 to win the 3rd test. Shuan Marsh, Travis Head, Tim Paine and Usman Khawaja failed to convert their starts into a big one, pretty much the same story in this series so far. Pat Cummins fought with lot of grit and a lonely battle to score 63 and he could not stop Indians from going 2-1 up in the series, nor rains could save the aussies.

While Indians can cherish the victory, they could not hide some selection woes for them before the Sydney test. One can never get convinced that Rohit Sharma is a permanent fix for No.6 slot, as his shot selection is too loose for a Test call. In his first innings score of 63 not out, he did survive a drop catch by Peter Siddle, when he had scored only 15, Nathan Lyon being the unlucky one. Still, Kohli might not meddle with Rohit Sharma in Sydney. Ashwin would be fit for Sydney and Kohli should decide, whether he would play 2 spinners to increase his chances of winning the series 3-1. Kohli could think of bringing in Ashwin in place of Rohit Sharma.

Australians have lot of thinking to do now, as they are under tremendous pressure to square the series in Sydney. Tim Paine has to deliver more, both with his strategy and his contribution with the bat. Batsmen need to convert their starts into a big one and the same bowling combination would try to stop Indians from stitching partnerships. A wonderful series finisher coming up in Sydney and Indians have a great chance to create History.

Wonderful chance for India to conquer Melbourne

It was a strange sight for cricket lovers to see Melbourne wicket, low and slow, on day two of a test match. May be, the ground was under prepared as the Sheffield tournaments and Big bash league hosted several matches prior to the boxing day test. The runs did not come easy for Indian batsmen, as they had to spend quality time and play a quality innings to build a tall first innings score.

Mayank Agarwal played a dream test debut innings, as he was tested by Australian bowlers with high quality pace, movement and bounce. He left the bouncers with precision and played Nathan Lyon with lot of assurance, which was missing even from some experienced players in Indian batting line up. He left a strong message to the selection committee that he is one of the answer to top order worry. His knock of 76 was well appreciated by cricketing legends and everyone felt that a debut hundred would have been icing on the cake.

The openers toiled and the seniors stood up for the efforts of the 2 youngsters, when they backed it up with classy individual efforts of their own. Yet another classy hundred from Chetheswar Pujara, Kohli and Rohit Sharma's fifties and Rahane's crucial partnership with Rohit Sharma extended our first innings to a sizable score.

Australia batted for only 6 overs after Kohli declared the innings, when India reached 443 for 7. The six overs had its challenges for both the Aussie openers, as the wicket kept low, even with the new ball. Ravindra Jadeja will have a role to play and Kohli might even throw the ball to Hanuman Vihari, in absence of Ashwin, who would have made it tough for Australian batsmen to settle and play a long innings.

Day 3 would be crucial for India's chances to gain a lead in the series. The only benefit for Australian batsmen is the slowness of the wicket and if Australia could bat out time, they could push the Indians to play their second innings too, as they could target the follow-on score with couple of good partnerships. It is very tough to score runs at a faster pace in this wicket. Indians should get Australia all out before first session of Day 4, so that they could pull a win out of this boxing day test.

Kohli should use his bowlers wisely, as longer spells for the need of the wicket, would tire his fast bowlers quickly. Ravindra Jadeja and Vihari should help the Indian fast bowlers to stay fresh in their spells, which should ideally be result oriented in form of wickets. Test match is poised nicely and Indians have placed themselves strongly to effect a win from here.

Boxing Day Test - Australians would start as Favourites

Australia would start as favourites, when the third test begins at Melbourne on the Boxing day. 1981 was when India won a test match in Melbourne. Australians have ruled us here, with the exception of the 2014 test match, when M S Dhoni and Ashwin batted time out to effect a draw. Virat Kohli has fond memory, as he smashed a big hundred with Ajinkya Rahane in 2014 test match. These two would try to repeat their sweet performances. Other staunch reasons for australia being the favourite are,

Captain's Trust

Indian opening batsmen and few others in the team, are not getting the support from the captain as expected. To win in overseas condition, a team needs to have a settled opening pair, else it would be tough to regroup even with match winners like Kohli, Pujara and Ashwin. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja are the two players, who do not earn captain's trust in crucial encounters.

Settled Aussie Line-up

Australians would not change their playing eleven, irrespective of the nature of the wicket. Nathan Lyon and Hazelwood are the prime wicket takers and Pat Cummins & Mitchell Starc are wonderful support bowlers and all the 4 would continue to hunt in packs, which would be very tough for Indian team. Tim Paine stuck to the same playing eleven, even after losing the test match to India in Adelaide. It speaks volumes of the trust he had on his playing eleven.

Ashwin's Injury

Ashwin is often compared to the likes of Nathan Lyon in this series and to me, their individual performances have contributed to their respective teams winning a test match. His Injury has come at a wrong time, when Indian team has the best chance to beat Aussies at their own backyard. Kohli would miss his services, as australian playing eleven has lot of left handers and Ashwin has a good chance to get the better of them.

Weak Indian Middle Order and Tail enders
The middle order and the tail order needs to be packed with bowling all rounders, which is crucial for stitching partnerships, that would be defining the match results. Indians miss this trick, while Starc, Lyon and Pat Cummins are stitching crucial partnerships for Aussies, which is disrupting India's plans to effect a win.

Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane & Pujara are the three batsmen in form, while all the others fail to impress. This does not help India's cause, especially going into the boxing day test, with Australia winning the last match. Two new openers would add more pressure to these 3 batsmen.

Ravindra Jadeja is a good addition to the playing eleven. He would give his 100 per cent, as he always does. Yet, he would not be a regular feature, because he is a classic example of playing in case of an emergency and not the captain's obvious choice. One doubts Rohit Sharma's performance in test matches, as he would not put a heavy price on his own wicket, time and again. But, he is definitely one of the captain's favourite.

A promising opening pair might bring in some surprise for Indians, but Mayank Agarwal and Hanumant Vihari has to face the brunt of a settled Aussie attack. Australia would try to dominate from first session and win this test match to go 2-1 up, before Sydney. Indians are already on the back-foot and would try hard to stop aussies. A very good test match on the cards...

AUGUST BEGINNING TO A CHALLENGING TOUR - TEST MATCH AT EDGBASTON

To begin with, England's record in Edgbaston against all countries is very impressive and especially against Indians, out of 6 test matches, england have won 5 matches and one match was drawn. The top 5 bowling performances in this venue, includes performances from legends like Imran khan, shane warne and muthaiah muralidharan. Chethan Sharma from India has a ten wicket haul in the one and only drawn encounter for India. Bowler's efforts become crucial, if India has to deliver the knock out punch.

The bowling combination becomes key. Kuldeep Yadav would be a definite pick, either Ravindra Jadeja or Ashwin will feature in the playing eleven, depending on the number of left handers to be played in the England playing eleven. Cook, Stokes, Jennings, Malan, Broad, Anderson, Sam curran are all left handers and ideally Ashwin should play ahead of Jadeja. Fast bowlers should be Umesh yadav & Ishant and Hardik Pandya would fit in as a bowling all-rounder. This would ensure that Virat packs the side with much needed seniors, who are familiar with england bowling conditions. Bhuvaneshwar kumar would be missed for sure.

The batting combination is a tricky one. Knowing Virat's selection methodology, he will not mind taking a hard decision of dropping Shikhar Dhawan and Pujara, if need be. K L Rahul has done his part right by performing well in the warm up match against Essex. Dinesh Karthik should play in as a wicket keeper, unless Virat brings in a surprise there too by backing Rishab Pant to fetch him a test cap. Virat Kohli would put high price on his wicket and would want M Vijay and Rahane to build partnerships along with other batsmen. The tail-enders needs to stretch some partnerships and Bhuvaneshwar kumar would be missed here too.

One wishes Kuldeep Yadav and K L Rahul to be the sensations in this test series for Indian team.

England would rely on Alistair cook's experience with the bat and Broad-Anderson duo with the ball. Adil Rashid is a good choice after his performance in the ODIs, but his adaptability to test match is an interesting sight to watch. Joe Root played Indian spinners really well in the ODIs and Bairstow, Butler could be match winners with their contributions. Ben Stokes could be disruptive with his bat rather than with his ball. Moeen Ali's spin tricks could be irritating for Indian test team too. All in all, England is a complete side in their backyard, with hardly any loose ends.

The conditions would be dry and would favor the batting teams and there would not be enough swing. Although Indians could benefit out of the weather conditions, the important question is whether the summer would extend throughout the 5 match series, one needs to wait and watch. The  2nd and 3rd test match is scheduled to be played in Lords and Trent bridge, which are favorite hunting grounds for India and at the end of 3 test matches, if Indians could place themselves in a 2-0 or 2-1 lead, we have a fantastic test series on the cards for Indians creating history.

If Indians bat first, first innings total of 400 and beyond is crucial and we need to restrict england to less than 350 to take control, if we bowl first. Virat Kohli is in right frame of mind to create a record in england, both for himself as well as team India.

India in Safe Hands - Wicket keeper Batsmen after Mahendra Singh Dhoni

IPL performances is an additional entry channel for youngsters, who only utilize the opportunity to play fearless cricket. Consistency in their first class career should still be the pivotal option for selectors to decide on a talent.

Rishabh Pant, after his brilliant hundred is spoken as a replacement for MS Dhoni in ODIs and T20s. He has definitely improved his power hitting, while his running between the wickets and build up to an innings is still a work in progress. Going by the mere volume of scores, people are already speaking about his inclusion in the squad as a lead up to the world cup 2019. Unfortunately, he has few other boxes to click right. It was a delight to watch him smash 128 not out in DD's encounter against Sun risers Hyderabad on 10th May 2018, especially after 2 run outs for which Pant was to be blamed. The onus was on him to finish the innings not out and he took up the responsibility really well.

Let us look at some statistics - His first class average is 53, has 4 hundreds in 30 innings that he has played. He has to really improve his scores at that level and be more consistent to earn ODI cap permanently. He has age by his side. 2023 world cup should be his primary target from now on. Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan are all sensations of IPL, but yet to establish themselves in their first class careers. If we look at their careers, they also need to show more consistency and they have done nothing wrong in IPL for their respective franchises.

Before anyone talks about comparing these talents with the likes of MS Dhoni, they should track them in their first class careers and not only with IPL performances. 2019 world cup would be Dhoni's last world cup and we have plenty of talents for wicket keeper batsmen after MS Dhoni to choose from. This is a great sign indeed for Indian Cricket. Coming to the discussion on Dinesh Karthik, Indian selectors have done the right thing in keeping both MS Dhoni and Dinesh karthik for England tour in ODI and T20. I would love to see MSD bat at number 4, making it a permanent spot for him going forward. Sad that Rahane did not get picked but the competition is plenty, as K L Rahul is showing his class too. Dinesh karthik can play the role of a finisher along with Hardik Pandya, after his heroics in Nidahas Trophy final against Bangladesh.

MS Dhoni, who is always aware of the competition involved, has raised his level of game in Vivo IPL version 11. His Strike rate is the best in all the 11 years that he has played this T20 version. Dinesh Karthik is leading the KKR side and plays the role of finisher for his side, though not in a similar fashion as Dhoni does for CSK. Nonetheless, DK can do it for India and he has prior experience of playing in English conditions too. Keeping in mind, the world cup 2019 and beyond, Indian selectors have done the right thing to stick with MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik and not getting biased with IPL sensations knocking the door hard.

Indian wicket keeper batsmen is in safe hands after Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

India Pakistan Final on a Sunday - It does not get bigger than this !!!

Champions Trophy - 2017 campaign starts and ends for India with Pakistan. While the first match was a cake walk for Indians, I feel there would be more nerves, as it is a final of a mini world cup. Indians are a much more evolved side than Pakistan in 50 over game and still, there would be nerves. Indians have better mix of experience and youth and still, there would be nerves. 

Indian batting line up is one of the world's best as of date and still, there would be nerves. Indian bowling line up has more wicket taking options in their kitty and still, there would be nerves. Indians are a much better fielding unit and still, there would be nerves. That is because, it is India Pakistan final and it is much more than cricket for both the teams.

Indians would play this game as any other match and still, when the actual game begins, there could be score board pressure and team members will put their hand up to come up with match winning performance for their teams. Pakistan especially would play it with a do or die attitude and it would show on their performance. It would be a battle field and when the national anthem starts before the match, the player's emotions reaches another level and fans would feel the pulse too.

Mohammad Aamir, Junaid and Hasan ali along with Wahab riaz can be a lethal combination on their day and their spin attack is very weak. Hafeez and Shoaib malik along with Sarfaraz are the big names in their batting line up. Azhar ali, Fahim and Fakhar zaman play fearless cricket and they should continue to do the same and trust on their senior batting unit to play along side them to build totals, be it setting the target or chasing a target.

Indians on the other hand would continue to pile up huge partnerships, which was their focus in earlier games too. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are in sublime form and together with Kohli would try to set it up for the likes of Yuvi and Dhoni to attack right from the start. They are in great form too, as they have contributed in earlier matches with their bat. Bhuvaneshwar kumar and Bumrah bowl well in partnerships, so is Ashwin and Jadeja. Hardik Pandya has to share with Kedar Jaadhav his quota of 10 overs and Kohli would not prefer Jadhav as a wicket taking bowler, as what had happened in the semi final match against Bangladesh.

Both the captains would want the other one to win the toss and decide, as India would prefer to do anything, but Pakistan might prefer to chase. Kohli would prefer to do away with that decision today. There are rumours that Ashwin might not play due to injury. Pakistan do not have too many left handers and Umesh performed well in the last encounter against Pakistan, so he is not a bad bet either.

All in all, a wonderful match on the cards and truly, it does not get bigger than this.

Moving Day - Moved an inch closer to India's Chances

The 3rd day completely belonged to the Indians, who quickly wrapped up aussies in the 1st hour, by taking the remaining 4 wickets by giving away only 38 runs. Jadeja had a role in all the 4 wickets that fell this morning. A great catch to dismiss Mitchel starc and followed it up by picking 3 wickets. A commendable effort by the bowlers to restrict the first innings lead to below 100 runs.

The confidence rubbed on the first wicket partnership in our batting too. Mukund and Rahul stitched a nice partnership of 39 runs, while every indian fan would have ideally wanted them to wipe off the deficit. Cricket is a game that has psychological aspect hidden in it too. The moment Indians wiped off the deficit with 9 wickets to spare, the dressing room and indian fans started to look at the test match as an one innings match. K L Rahul played a fantastic knock of 51 and he got out to a spectacular catch by Steve Smith, who has taken many blinders like that. The pitch did not look threatening at all, when K L Rahul batted. He proved that he grew up in this wicket right from his young days. His shot selection was much more refined and matured in his second innings.

Cheteshwar Pujara showed to the world, why such players are crucial for a test match. He might have several drawbacks, like he might never be a good runner between the wickets, but he has the quality to trust his technique in testing conditions like this. We could not forget his gritty hundred against Srilanka in foreign conditions. Today, he carried his bat through and remained not out by scoring 79 crucial runs for him as well as for his team. He had his chances, but he used his feat well to negotiate the turn and bounce. We pray that he would go on to get a match winning hundred tomorrow.

Virat Kohli was defeated by DRS and umpire Nigel Long gave him out LBW thinking that the batsmen did not hit the ball. DRS never questions the umpire's decision and there was not a conclusive evidence whether the ball hit the bat first or the pad first. It was unfortunate that on field umpire's decision had to stay on. Then came an important captaincy decision of promoting Jadeja up the order. Though it did not help india's cause, Kohli should be appreciated for taking such calculated risks in a test match. I do not feel that it was done with the intention of demoting Ajinkya Rahane. Kohli wanted to use the attacking instincts of Jadeja to unsettle Aussie bowling.

Pujara and Rahane stitched a 93* run partnership and ensured that india go wicket-less in one whole session. Bangalore pitch condition would get slower and lower as each day progresses. We have stretched the lead to  126 runs and if we bat well tomorrow and push it right till Tea on day 4, then we could put aussies into lot of trouble. The current batting pair of Pujara and Rahane, along with Karun Nair (the local lad), Saha and Ashwin should help the indians stretch the lead beyond 200 runs. Then the pyschological aspect would start to play its way in the result of this match, assuming indian bowlers would repeat the performance of their first innings.

One cannot get their eyes off, when we have this kind of an evenly fought test match....

Day 2 - Shared between the Two

Great bowling by the Indian team on day 2! Virat Kohli and the whole fans should be proud of the Indian bowling unit, who came up with an exceptional performance. 10 wickets and 229 runs on day one beats 6 wickets and 197 runs on day two. Having said that, Indian bowlers created lot of chances and Aussies had to fight and graft their lead, which is now extended to 48 runs with 4 wickets in hand.

When such a fight goes on between the two sides, who would be worried about pitch conditions, definitely not me. Ashwin has bowled 41 overs for just 1 wicket and Umesh Yadav got his first wicket after bowling 21 overs. Ishant Sharma was asking questions almost 2 balls in each of the overs that he has bowled so far. Jadeja comes and picks the wicket so easily, after the other 3 bowlers dries up the runs. This is tremendous team effort.

My heart goes out to Renshaw. According to me, he played one of the greatest test innings in this modern cricketing times. Technique was exemplary and he had a smile on his face while he was facing a hostile bowling attack. Warner got out to a beauty from Ashwin and Smith got out when he took Jadeja's bowling lightly. Aussies were showing such grit and determination, even indian supporters applauded every individual fifties and 50 run partnerships of Aussie batsmen.

Kohli did a brilliant job of keeping his 4 bowlers fresh for their spells, by switching them at regular intervals. I felt, he missed a trick by not having enough men in the slip cordon for Ashwin and Umesh yadav. But, he was always fighting for a combination of attacking and defensive fielding positions as Indians had put on only 189 runs in their first innings.

The second person, whose effort might go unnoticed is Wridhimann Saha. He was brilliant behind the stumps. The attempt to catch the edge from Mitchel starc was treat for the eyes. We wish every half chance to be taken easily so that we have our nose ahead all the time. That's the beauty of Test cricket. It pushes you to do something spectacular, time and again. If Kohli would have had 2 slips for Umesh Yadav, may be it would have been an easy catch for the 1st slip. All said and done, great 2 days of Test cricket. And of course, Shaun Marsh's contributions was vital, but he had his chances too. 

Test cricket needs characters like Steve Smith, Ishant Sharma and Virat Kohli, who made the day 2 lively for all the followers. As if the contest between the bat and the ball was not enough, Ishant and Smith started mimicking each other and nobody could draw a line. Virat and Smith exchanged words and Umpires could do nothing, as the captains themselves were involved. The Cameras on the ground captured every facial expression of the cricketers and it was funny, definitely not for the players, but for the crowd.

On Day 3, Indians have to come and get aussies all out as soon as possible, keeping a steady check on the first innings lead. Whichever team bats well in the second innings would go on to win the test match. Both the teams so far, has stuck to the formula of defense to build their innings. May be attack is the best form of defense in this pitch. It would be great to watch, as to how Virat Kohli goes about his second innings in this wicket. My gut feel says that Ravindra Jadeja's contribution with the bat in the second innings would prove vital for India's chances to win this test match. His batting style is also aggressive and he might push the lead beyond what aussies might look for.

Day 3 is the moving day of a test match and it is evenly poised as of now.....