Hobart exploits leave selectors in a tricky situation

Indian team’s redemption at Hobart against Sri Lanka on Tuesday may have come as a respite for its under fire cricketers but it has left the selectors in a dilemma.

When selectors meet to choose the squad for Asia Cup on Wednesday beginning from March 12 in Bangladesh, the foremost thing in their mind would be to decide whether or not to tinker with the winning combination.

The top order that boasts of names like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag has failed to give a substantial start in the current tri-series barring Tuesday’s clash against Lanka.

MS Dhoni who has continued playing non-stop cricket since India’sWorld Cup triumph last year, might also be rested for the four-nation continental championships to be held in Dhaka.


India are the defending champions and five-time winners of the trophy and a huge alteration in the composition of the squad is unlikely.

But there are going to be changes after the consecutive flop show in England and Australia by the World Cup-winning team.

There are some injury worries too, notably to R Vinay Kumar and Irfan Pathan.

Kumar sat out the team`s penultimate league game against Australia and also missed the last game against Srilanka at Hobart, while Pathan, who collided on the field with Suresh Raina at Sydney, was not fit enough to take the field in their final round-robin match against the Lankans.

The selectors might also take into note the domestic performances when they put on their thinking hats.

Irfan`s brother Yusuf, who has started playing after getting injured in the earlier part of the season, has shown how much of a game-changer he could be when conditions suit his style of batting in the sub-continent by blasting his way to a century against Saurashtra two days ago with the help of 10 sixes and six fours.

With Jadeja being out of sorts and Test specialist Pragyan Ojha also not among the thick of wickets in the one-day domestic event, Yusuf is very likely to be recalled to the squad for his all round abilities as a powerful hitter lower down the order and an economical off-break bowler.


Also in the selectors` radar could be Robin Uthappa, another big-hitting batsman, who is third in the top scorers` list in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with 292 runs, including a belligerent century.

The selectors will certainly have to take tough decisions dropping underperforming players and giving a chance to youngsters while also resting overworked skipper Dhoni.

Ind vs SL: Sehwag's brilliance performance in the 8th ODI in Brisbane

Stand-in Indian captain Virender Sehwag took a superb diving catch at mid-wicket to dismiss Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene off Irfan Pathan in the 8th ODI of the tri-series at the Gabba in Brisbane on Tuesday.

Openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Jayawardene brought up the Sri Lankan fifty in the eighth over.

The start came after Jayawardene won the toss and chose to bat.

For India, Virender Sehwag, Parthiv Patel and R Ashwin come in place of Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Zaheer Khan. Sri Lanka are unchanged from the last match.

The pitch looks a good batting track but it would be difficult to chase under lights as the bowlers will get some movement under lights.

Sehwag, who sat out the last two games due to back spasms, suddenly finds himself back in the hot seat as MS Dhoni has been handed a one-match suspension.

Despite having won their first game against the Lankans and drawing level in their next match, India's confidence would have taken a heavy beating following their 110-run defeat to Australia.

Also, the fact that Sri Lanka took the 'tied match' in their stride and went on to shock Australia in their next game makes them dangerous opponents. The emphatic manner of the win over Australia would not have gone unnoticed in the Indian camp.

A win for Sri Lanka on Tuesday will put them on par with India on 10 points, that too with one less game. Besides, they also boast of a much better run-rate. As of now Australia are sitting pretty with 14 points from 5 matches, India have 10 from 5 while Sri Lanka have 7 points from 4 matches.

Notwithstanding the conditions at the Gabba, India will need to be at their best to stay alive in the competition.

Sri Lanka go into the match following a three-day break, and they are fresh and raring to go. Bowlers Thisara Perera, Farvez Maharoof and Angelo Matthews, who made light work of the Australian batting, will be looking to do an encore in better bowling conditions.

To add to India's problems, the weatherman has predicted some rain on Tuesday. How much of an effect it will have on the game remains to be seen.

Brisbane: Virender Sehwag likely to miss play against Australia on Sunday

Virender Sehwag is unlikely to play against Australia on Sunday as reports suggested he is yet to recover fully from the back injury, which forced him to sit out of the match against Sri Lanka.

Senior batsman Sehwag is yet to find form in the series. India go in to the match on a high after finding the much needed boost after two victories and a tie against Sri Lanka that followed.

Australia, meanwhile, suddenly looked out of sorts with two losses back-to-back and the poor form of their explosive batsman David Warner is costing them dearly. After a superb performance in the Test series against India, Ricky Ponting has also been struggling in the ODIs. Ponting has only 11 runs from four innings at an average of 2.75 in the present series.

Meanwhile, India’s record in the last two ODIs at the Gabba would motivate the team. They have won their past two one-day internationals against Australia at the Gabba. However, Australia haven`t been beaten in Brisbane since that last loss to India, in March 2008.

Indian batting stars under fire after MCG debacle

The Indian media on today lashed out at the country's famed batting line-up for letting the team down in the opening Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Chasing a 292-run target on Thursday, India failed to cope with Australia's pace attack as they were shot out for 169 despite the batting experience of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag.

"Melbourne Meltdown" said a Times of India headline after the tourists' 122-run defeat. "Those expecting India's much-vaunted batting line-up to give Australia a run for their money were disappointed when Dhoni and Co surrendered without even putting up a semblance of a fight," the paper wrote.

Australian fast bowlers James Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle all struck it rich on a seamer-friendly track, grabbing 19 of the 20 Indian wickets to lead their side to a crushing victory.

"'Foreign fever' returned to grip the Indian team as Pattinson, Hilfenhaus and Siddle tormented them - much like the English bowlers had done in England - with a heady cocktail of pace, bounce and movement served with relentless consistency," said the paper.

It was India's fifth successive Test defeat away from home after a 4-0 loss in England.

"Mauled in Melbourne" the Hindustan Times said on its front page and "Bat-erred India fall apart" on its sports page.

"The chase was always going to be an uphill task, considering the recent barren run which has seen the famed batting line-up not cross the 300-run mark in the last 10 away innings," said the paper.

The Hindu newspaper also blamed the batsmen for defeat, saying the "famed batting line-up fails to deliver".

Ravi Shastri, former India all-rounder and now a noted TV commentator, said the Indian batsmen needed to show grit to bounce back in the four-Test series.

"India need runs from all their main batsmen. Now that bowlers look the part, batters have no business to let them down," he wrote in the Times of India.

"I wouldn't be surprised if this completely turns out to be a bowlers' series. If so, then every run saved or made would count. India have the skills. All they need is resolve," he wrote.

Former India paceman Javagal Srinath said the tourists could fight back.

"Saddled with the reputation of being poor starters overseas, India did precious little to rectify the anomaly in the Melbourne Test," he wrote in the Hindustan Times.

"Barring England, where nothing went right for them, India have bounced back after first-Test losses. There is no reason, given the experience and quality of the India batting, why they can't do so again in Sydney."

The second Test starts in Sydney on January 3.

Virender Sehwag became the fifth Indian batsman in Test cricket

Dashing opener Virender Sehwag became the fifth Indian batsman to complete 8000 runs in Test cricket when he reached an individual score of 20 against Australia in the first cricket Test at the MCG.

Before Sehwag, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman are the Indian players who have reached the coveted milestone. He is the 23rd batsman in history of Test cricket to complete 8000 Test runs.

Sehwag completed the feat in his 93rd Test match and by guiding Peter Siddle to deep fine leg.

Prior to the Melbourne Test match, Sehwag has hit 22 centuries at an average of over 52.