Westindies tour of india 2011. News and update.

[M@zh@R]

Wicket was pretty good: Chanderpaul

Shivnarine Chanderpaul paused a bit. He was just asked about whether he felt he has got enough credit for what he has achieved as a batsman — 9,604 Test runs and still counting. “I think so. I am not too sure but I think so,” he said in a style so typical of the man that is all about big runs and few words.

After shepherding the West Indies in the first Test that commenced here on Sunday, the southpaw (111 batting) said that he opted to cash in on the pitch and pocket his runs faster. “The wicket was pretty good and I thought it would be better to be more aggressive,” he said and then added: “It (pitch) might get a bit lower.”

Chanderpaul praised the young batsmen in his team and said that he mentors them as and when required. “The young fellows scored a lot of runs in Bangladesh. When I am batting with them, if I see something I just point it out to them.

“Today, I was talking to Kraigg Brathwaite and trying to help him,” the veteran said and also praised the Indian bowlers, especially Pragyan Ojha, R. Ashwin and Umesh Yadav.

The man, who has a healthy appetite for runs, will however shun food on Monday. “I will be fasting for Lord Shiva,” he quipped.
Newspaper:The Hindu, 7th Nov

 

[Karthik]

Patient India bowl West Indies out for 304
http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-west-indies-2011/content/current/story/539519.html

 

[M@zh@R]

Blame us, not pitch: Sehwag

NEW DELHI: It's a pitch which keeps so low and takes such slow turn that only the supremely skilled or patient batsmen from either side have succeeded.

It even prompted MS Dhoni to hand the ball to his spinners immediately at the start of the West Indies second innings. It's a ground that has been in the news for all the wrong reasons since the December 2009 abandonment due to poor pitch conditions.

There will be endless debate about the nature of the track dished out for the first Test here. The Test also looks unlikely to last the full five days.

But as Virender Sehwag pointed out, there's a flip side. The 17 wickets that fell on the second day might suggest a crumbling track, but that isn't the case: a lot of those dismissals were due to mistakes on the batsmen's part.

Sehwag, who always cuts to the chase and has, in the past, been unsparing in his criticism of the Delhi and District Cricket Association's many shortcomings, was at pains to point out that the pitch was not to blame for the situation India find themselves in.
Newspaper:Times Of India,8th Nov

 

[M@zh@R]

Jeffrey Dujon admires ‘all-round package’ Dhoni

Legendary West Indian wicketkeeper Jeffrey Dujon on Monday said he admires Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for not just his “efficiency” behind the stumps but also for his good leadership skills and utility with the bat.

Dhoni on Sunday became the first Indian wicket-keeper to record 200 dismissals in Test cricket, surpassing Syed Kirmani’s 198, on the first day of the opening Test against West Indies at Feroz Shah Kotla here.

“I admire Dhoni for his efficient wicket-keeping and for his all-round skills. He can be a useful batsman and a good leader. He is an all-round package,” he said.

Dujon, however, said Kirmani was more of a specialist wicket-keeper while Dhoni is more of an all-rounder.

“Kirmani is a specialist wicketkeeper. Dhoni is efficient behind the stumps but more of an all-round package,” he told PTI.

He, however, said that modern cricketers have to be all-rounders and Dhoni fits well in the trend.

“In modern cricket, wicketkeepers have to do like this. They have to be all-round,” said Dujon who is here as a commentator.

Dujon, who had kept wickets to the likes of Andy Roberts, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall, refused to rate the contemporary wicketkeepers.

“I don’t believe in comparisons. The statistics will care of this. I would say that Dhoni is very efficient in whatever he does for the Indian team,” he said.
Newspaper:The Hindu, 8th Nov

 

[M@zh@R]

India, West Indies unwilling to slam track

17 wickets fall in a day, but India and Windies camp unwilling to blame track

Seventeen wickets fell in a day, yet Virender Sehwag and West Indies captain Darren Sammy didn't slam the wicket.

"The wicket is low and slow, but if you occupy the crease then there are runs in it. We will try and get 300 runs on the board," said Sammy, who took three wickets off 11 balls while leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo bagged 2-55 as India were bowled out for 209 off 52.5 overs in reply to the West Indies' 304 on Day Two of the second Test yesterday.

West Indies reached 21-2 in their second dig and enjoyed an overall lead of 116 runs. Sehwag, who scored 55, blamed it on the batsmen, including himself. "There is nothing wrong with the wicket. There were some soft dismissals, including mine. I felt it was my mistake," he said.

Sehwag reached his fifty off just 36 balls. He was consumed by leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo via some smart wicketkeeping by Carlton Baugh, who whipped the bails when Sehwag's foot was in the air. "I made a silly mistake. I wanted to convert the 50 into 100," said Sehwag.

India lost seven wickets in the space of 65 runs after Sehwag (55) and Gautam Gambhir (41) added 89 runs for the opening wicket. "It was not a perfect day, but I am happy with the way our bowlers bowled," said Sammy.
Newspaper:Mid Day, 8th Nov

 

[M@zh@R]

Tendulkar completes 15,000 Test runs

New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar achieved another milestone on Tuesday as he became the first cricketer in the history of the game to cross the 15,000-run mark in Test cricket.

Playing in his 182nd match, Tendulkar reached the mark on the third day of the first Test against the West Indies at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, when he scored his 28th run in India's second innings with a single off leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo
source:cricnext

 

[M@zh@R]

Ganguly was the biggest panicker: Chappell

Melbourne: He had a bitter stint as India's cricket coach but the one player for whom Greg Chappell has only admiration is current skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the Australian feels he broke down a "hierarchical" system in the team by becoming the voice of young players.

Chappell, whose two year stint from 2005 to 2007 was marred by several controversies including the infamous public spat with the then skipper Sourav Ganguly, recalls how Dhoni rose in stature in the side.

Writing in his autobiography 'Fierce Focus', Chappell said such was the hierarchy in the team that youngsters were petrified of speaking before a senior such as Sachin Tendulkar in the team meetings.

"The real ray of hope for the Indian team was Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one of the most impressive young cricketers I'd ever worked with. He was smart, and able to read the game as perceptively as the best leaders," Chappell wrote.

"if I wanted to know what was going on in the middle, Dhoni became my go to man. He would eventually break down one of the biggest problems in the India teams," he added, referring to the young players' reluctance to express themselves.
source:cricnext

 

[M@zh@R]

India can rise to No. 2 in ICC Test rankings ahead of South Africa

DUBAI: India can pip South Africa to second position in the ICC Test rankings if they manage to win their ongoing home series against the West Indies 3-0 and provided Graeme Smith's side loses the upcoming two-Test rubber against Australia.

South Africa trails top-ranked England by seven ratings points but leads third-ranked India by just one rating point.

Australia is fourth on 104 ratings points. The maximum third-ranked India can rise from its series against the West Indies is to 119 ratings points which it can only achieve if it wins all the three Test matches. A 2-0 series win will India on 118 ratings points while a 1-0 or 2-1 series win will keep them on 117 ratings points.

A 0-1 series loss against Australia will leave South Africa on 112 ratings points while in case of a 0-2 series defeat, the Proteas will join Australia on 110 ratings points but will be ranked above Michael Clarke's side when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.

Graeme Smith's side, in contrast, can reduce the gap with top-ranked England to just three ratings points if it wins both the Tests. South Africa's victory by a 1-0 margin will ensure that they stay ahead of India irrespective of how India's series against the West Indies pans out.

South Africa finds itself in a must-win situation against Australia, if it wants to retain its number-two position in the Test championship table.
Newspaper:Times Of India, 9th Nov

 

[M@zh@R]

I have never got wickets on such a pitch: Ashwin

There were no nerves and no fumbles in R. Ashwin's approach as he squared up to the media after setting up India well in the first Test against the West Indies. The replies were sharp and focused while the off-spinner discussed his craft and the angst of a Test debutant, which he denied.

Excerpts:

The approach

“I didn't expect any wickets or so many of them, but before the Test match I was hoping to get a five-wicket haul and probably some more runs as well.

“Unfortunately the second part did not happen.”

Wickets that mattered

“Marlon Samuels was probably playing for the turn and he seemed worried about the bat-pad to short-leg but probably if you have played in Delhi and the Kotla, you do know that it won't go to short-leg.

“Unfortunately he did not know that and he was looking for the spin and it went straight on.

For Chanderpaul, I was bowling around the wicket in the first innings, so here I came over the wicket and was just trying a different angle. Fortunately it worked.”
Newspaper:The Hindu, 9th Nov

 

[Karthik]

Selectors retain same Test squad - MSD, Gauti, Viru, Dravid, Sachin, VVS, Yuvi, Ashwin, Ojha, Ishant, Umesh, Virat, Aaron, Rahane, R Sharma