Mega Dhoni Vs. Bevan Best Finisher Stat fight

But are either as good as a Stunner?

Dhoni wins another game for India and there are calls to recognise him as the greatest chaser/finisher in ODI history. Now, we can argue on semantics on who can do the most damage and is the last person that a bowling side wants to see take strike in the last over of an ODI, but they just cannot compare to stone cold statistics. And here, I shall see the merit of the statistical case of ranking Dhoni above the previous greatest finisher in ODI's, Michael Bevan.

Why is this comparison being made now?

It is being done now as Dhoni has finally gotten close to the level of games that Bevan played during his career. Dhoni has 226 ODI's as compared to Bevan's 232, Dhoni has 96 innings chasing compared to Bevan's 81, and more important than all those, it is because you, the reader, want it to be done and we here at Cardus (Keshav and Keshu), provide what you need for your cricketing soul.

Right, on with the numbers.

Out of the 96 innings that Dhoni has played while chasing, his side has won 54 times (56.25% success rate), while Bevan got a victory in 45 of those innings (55.56%).

Dhoni's average of 52.45 in all chases (successful or not) is below Bevan's chasing average of 56.50. Furthermore, Dhoni averages above 40 in chases against only Bangladesh (137), Pakistan (77.42) and Sri Lanka (82.84), which means he doesn't actually chase well against a lot of teams.

In contrast, Bevan averages over 40 in all chases against all teams, other than West Indies (39) and Kenya (15). This certainly shows that Bevan was a much more consistent performer against all sides, while Dhoni may be accused of boosting his performances against sub-continental teams.

When comparing averages in chases they have won, Dhoni overtakes Bevan quite significantly, averaging 100.09 compared to Bevan's 86.25. But the fact remains that Dhoni continues to enjoy his time against Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, keeping an average of 262, 172.5 and 157.20 against these opponents, while having an average of 10.33 against South Africa. Bevan gets even more superlative in his consistency in chases won as he maintains an above 50 average against all teams, apart from Kenya (15) and boosting his average against West Indies from the aforementioned 39 to 136 in wins. Bevan also has a 100+ average in chases won against Zimbabwe (121) and Pakistan (133.50), while he averages 97.33 against India.

But averages don't tell the whole story. Looking at their scoring rates, Bevan scored at a strike rate of 66.42 in chases won, which was well below his career strike rate of 74.16. Dhoni scores his runs at a brisk rate 89.63 in chases won, which is marginally higher than his career strike rate of 88.17. If we magnify Bevan's strike rate by the amount that scoring has increased for all batsmen between the period that he was active (RPo of 4.72) and Dhoni's career (5.01), Bevan would still be striking his runs at a rate of 70.50 runs per 100 balls. Thus, Dhoni is far and away the more dynamic striker. Doing the same to Dhoni's average, it would reduce his average to 98 in wins.

So what about their peers?

Considering their playing careers, and a cut-off of a minimum of 20 innings played, these two certainly had the best averages in chases won. Dhoni's average of 100.09 is followed by Misbah-ul-Haq's average of 89.83 (1.11 times) in 27 innings, while Bevan's average of 86.25 leads Arjuna Ranatunga's glorious average of 74.70 (1.15 times)in 34 innings, which shows that Bevan was slightly better, but not conclusively so.

Taking the number of other batsmen who had averages above 50 during their playing periods doesn't help. Bevan's playing days saw 33 batsmen above that benchmark and Dhoni's have seen 31 batsmen. However, the change in strike rates is the most eye-catching bit about the two sets of players though.

Dhoni's time has seen 10 players average more than 50 while scoring at a strike rate above 90. This list is so exclusive, that not even Dhoni makes it to this list. In Bevan's time, this list was so exclusive, that there was only one member in it over the 10 years of Bevan's ODI career, and he was Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar scored at an average of 64.90 at a strike rate of 92.38 from 14 April 1994 to 29 Feb 2004. Why does nobody ever put him in the ranks of greatest chaser ever?

But anyway, getting back to the topic at hand. We have seen that Dhoni scores heavily against a handful of teams, while Bevan scored against everyone other than the cricketing powerhouse of Kenya. Dhoni can certainly play bigger shots and chase higher scores but such was never asked of Bevan and we cannot rule out the possibility that he might have been able to do the same. Neither has proved that they were significantly better than their peers. If it was for the most valuable player, Dhoni would certainly clinch it with his wicket-keeping, but we are only considering their batting exploits.

 I fear, that stats have not quite been able to help us here. Hence we must settle it the old fashioned way... a drunken fist-fight to the death.

Cardus' XI to most likely forever dominate the cricketing Multiverse

The Kraken appealing viciously for an LBW

Everyone loves hating selectors and somehow also love to pick their own XI's. There is a certain appeal inherent in creating fantasy playing sides that could never play together due to a number of reasons, mostly dealing with the inflexibility of time and space (what a party pooper that concept of Physics is). But here is a side which is made up of members who completely refuse to bow down to Physics and shall aid in helping to let the Universe find its true reason for existence, i.e. Test cricket.

So here is a complete side, ready to put on their caps and stroll out onto the village green to conquer, enslave and emancipate the audience. They come from a variety of backgrounds and thus it is important to not only give them a batting position, but also tell them their role within the team. Hopefully, they don't just all kill each other, and we should be winning the 2017 Test Championship with this lot.

No.1 Leonard Shelby (Opening Batsman/ bowler (if you tell him he can))

As an opening bat, it is often important to forget about the previous ball, as Virender Sehwag can attest to, and no one forgets the previous ball better than Leonard Shelby. A true see ball, hit ball, in any case forget ball type player, he can provide the type of direction in the innings that is crucial to any Test Match and will certainly add to the thrilling narrative that is Test cricket. He can sometimes appear clueless while running between the wickets but being the unselfish team player that he is, he often plays with no scoreboard pressure and does not celebrate personal milestones, almost as if he doesn't know his own score and will also bowl if you tell him he can. A great talent, if he shows up for the match.

No.2 Dexter Morgan (Opening Batsman)

A classical batsman with a great eye and favouring the off-side with his patented cuts, slices and slashes, Morgan provides a great contrast to his opening partner. Scheming ways and means to dissect the bowler, Morgan plays with the long game in mind and can sometimes be the cause of madness for those close to him due to his almost Boycott like nature. A natural cricketer in every way, he has even acquired the superstition attached with the sport, saying that he has a sliver of wood from the stumps of every game he has ever played in a box at his home.

No.3 Oskar Schindler (Batsman)

Though born in a non-cricketing country, Mr. Schindler certainly knows a thing or two about nurdling and noodling singles through gaps in the field. Being an accumulator has served him well and he is well respected in the non-cricketing world which lends him some much needed stature for a role as important as no.3 in the line-up. Another competitor who was considered highly for this role was Andy Dufresne, but his criminal record means he might not be allowed to travel with the team at all times and seriously, who needs all that paperwork?

No.4 Sachin Tendulkar (Omnipotent deity)

Because there can only be one no.4 in any line-up made by me at any given point of time.

No.5 Leonidas (Batsman/Captain)

A true leader of men who organised men through military discipline, he is a shrewd tactician and can get his team members to pull in the same direction. Being renowned for his defensive technique, he often sees himself as the last line of resistance in any batting line-up and will not give up ground to the bowlers without a fight. Having gained notoriety for defending low scores with few bowling resources with his local team, he will surely enjoy the considerable bowling wealth of this team, though the lack of discipline in this line-up may infuriate him. He has been a part of many successful campaigns in the past, but I think the defeat in the quadrennial Greece Vs. Persia tournament of sudden and excruciating death, where his side were defeated within 3 days by a much stronger Persian line-up, may be the exact thing that he needs to spur him on to success with this squad.

No.6 Mario (All-rounder)

A true utility man if you ever met one. Having competed in everything from F-1 to Baseball to Golf to stone cold murdering of animals in an almost psychopathic manner that has certainly destroyed the natural balance of all areas that he has ever been to, Mario has done it all. And now he turns his sight to what could be his biggest triumph, being a part of this squad. The Italian plumber turned controversial sex symbol can bat, bowl and field while riding Yoshi and is an important member who adds maturity, balance, stability and moustachioed magnificence to this side.

No.7 The Kraken (Leg-Spin, Off-Spin, SLA, Chinaman)

Mystery spinner from the bottom of the ocean, the Kraken has proved to be a divisive figure in the ICC. He can bowl leg spin, off-spin, Chinaman or slow left arm based on which tentacle the ball is placed in. Due to being born with excessively flexible limbs, he can often let his tentacles bend more than the prescribed 15 degrees while bowling the wrong-un off his 3rd, 4th, and 6th tentacles. His enormous girth has often drawn comparison to the likes of Shane Warne for being a roly-poly spinner leading him to develop a taste for sexting on at least 4 phones simultaneously and human flesh.
Though some might denigrate him for being a showman (he does not come to the bowling crease until his Captain yells,' Summon... THE KRAKEN!', followed by thunder), he certainly seems capable of enjoying a long career due to him being nearly immortal. All in all, a must have spinner for almost all conditions.

No.8 Zeus (Fast Bowler)

Known as Bolty, Zeus has been claimed as the next generation Jeff Thomson. Able to deliver thunderbolts from a high release, he consistently gets under the batsmen or curses them to be eaten out by a bird daily for the rest of eternity... a pretty good party trick, if you ask me. He has been known to perform better when served with a diet of mindless worship and reverence, though this diet has still not been cleared by WADA.

Though temperamental, he brings back some of the classic staples of cricket, such as the beard of WG Grace  and the class superiority of a 19th century British lord who thinks the proletariat classes should be happy with their lot in life and just be happy that they are being allowed to serve the Gods. Truly, a classical at heart.

No. 9 The Flash (Fast Bowler)

Probably the fastest bowler in the side, Flash, otherwise referred to by his mates as James May, has been known to skittle out sides quite cheaply in domestic cricket. Not only has his skiddy bowling action seen the back of many a batsman, his fielding in the outfield has saved countless runs for his side, though sometimes he moves so fast that his hand phases through the ball, something he has been working on tirelessly in practice. His speed does mean he can bowl a rather heavy ball and this means he can be a crucial bowler in the death overs. If things don't work well, he can always tear through time and space and try again.

No.10 Forrest Gump (Right Arm Medium-Fast)

A man known for his athletic achievements across the spectrum of the sports world, be it American Football or Ping Pong or The Vietnam War, Mr. Gump has done things most others can only dream of. Coming out of his sporting retirement for a last crack at sporting excellence, Mr. Gump can no longer hide his admiration for the greatest sport in the universe and has taken to cricket in a bowling capacity. Capable of a military medium, Gump is a large hearted bowler who will run in all day as per the wishes of his Captain with near metronomic accuracy. Some may call him unable to think a batsman out, but after the serious pace of Bolty and James May, Gump may provide the perfect foil as the medium-pacer to help maintain control of proceedings as well as lend a sense of discipline to the rest of this side of super-egos.

No.11 Spiderman (Wicketkeeper)

A true old-style keeper, picked on his keeping ability and nothing else, Spiderman may be the only glover able to keep to the bowlers of this team. Behind the stumps, he is agile and his uncanny ability to make catches stick mark him out from the other hopefuls for this spot. However he is not without controversy as his webbing is often larger than ICC regulations allow for which has caused much furore across the world. His use of artificial webs as well as the use of symbiotes have also been the matter of much debate as lawmakers continue to argue whether they should be considered as performance enhancers. But until they can legislate clearly on that issue, he will continue to be a member of this team.

No.12 Stone Cold Steve Austin (Drinks Man)

A man with a passion for his drink, he is widely touted to be the one to finally break David Boon's record of 55 cans of lager in flight from Australia to England. He often brings enough liquid encouragement to cheer up the lads and his wicket celebrations are the stuff of legend. Some may call him unhealthy for the team atmosphere as he has been known to give his teammates a drink and then stun them after consumption of said drink, but I say let the boys be boys and have a bit of fun at the physical expense of others.

Right, let the global domination begin.

The Frank Worrell Trophy round-up

I have been forced back into the world of blogging due to the rather shocking events that transpired yesterday. Yes, I am talking about the release of MLA Jhina Hikaka by the Maoists in Orissa. But there has been some cricket taking place in the meantime and I'm certainly more excited to talk about that rather than the negotiating strategies of the government of Orissa.
An important series which is on its last day is the Frank Worrell Trophy between West Indies and Australia and it has been tense stuff. I won't use the word exhilarating because it hasn't been a stream of quick wickets or runs but an ongoing interrogation of batting technique as well as the patience of bowlers. A particular spell to underline this battle was the spell of Fidel Edwards to James Pattinson, where the bat was beaten on almost every second ball, but Pattinson survived by being not quite good enough to hit any of the balls and Edwards went away a man thinking the world was against him. It is this sort of play that makes for tense but admittedly tedious play and why Test Cricket shall remain the pinnacle of display of cricketing technique.
One thing which has been interesting to look at how the two sides are coping with the current team composition. While Australia have David Warner at the top, West Indies are missing their own enforcer by way of IPL, leaving Kraigg Brathwaite at the top. Now Brathwaite is the sort of opening batsman that has been made extinct thanks to Sehwag and Warner is the new breed. However, looking at the way he has gone about his business, Warner is willing to graft for his suns as well, which is a great sign for the Aussie teams of the future. Enough cannot be said about the continued inspection on Ponting and his form, but as Ed Cowan said, Ponting's average of 24.33 in this series masks the fact how difficult it has been to score at any pace in this series.
I think another round of congratulations should be handed out to Shivnarine Chanderpaul for reaching the milestone of 10,000 runs. Playing Dravid to Lara's Tendulkar is a job not greatly appreciated and the irony is that some of the most useful players through time have simply not been appreciated and the biggest of them is perhaps Jacques Kallis.
A major reason why I stayed up to watch these games is Lara Darren Bravo. His style is so similar to a certain other West Indian that it is almost a time machine back into the late 90's. In fact many of the commentators have mistaken him for another man from Trinidad repeatedly and who can blame them. For me, watching till 3 in the night is worth it as long I get to sample another of those flashes outside the off-stump after which the ball magically disappears to the backward point fence.
  

Did the Argus Committee Report work?

Most committee’s are known to work as well as a piece of cheese in hammering out the dents in a militarized tank, i.e. not very well. (But might provide some useful results if persisted with over a long period of time. For e.g., the cheese might melt on the metal body, thereby providing you a hot plate on which to cook delicious continental food, or in inventing the tastiest tank ever, the use of which shall be in the battle against obesity. Generally though, its contributions towards fixing dents might be minimal.) They sit around, wasting financial resources on obscene amounts of caffeine and generally twiddling of thumbs. However, Cricket Australia (CA) employed such a committee to publish a report that would save Australian cricket through well thought out critique and provide direction to its administrators. And it did so by quite unequivocally stating that the Australian cricket team “can’t bat, can’t bowl, can’t field.”

Somehow, this had been exactly what the CA needed to hear about a cricket team which, quite specifically, needed to learn how to play cricket. So they sacked a lot of people in administration, brought in a bunch of other people, sacked a batsman with an average of 50 over the last three years, kept a batsman with an average of 29 over the last three years, refused to let go of a keeper who has still not learnt how to bat, managed fast bowlers on the basis of whoever is not injured is picked, finally coming back to a bowling attack that is similar to the one that was told it can’t bowl, but have now drawn two series and are on the cusp of winning one. That is on the go dynamic administration for you.

However, their success cannot be argued against. To draw a series against the current world no.2 and now on the verge of winning a series against the current-current world no.2 is not an easy task. Sure the Indians have been as likely to pull together 2 full innings without a batting collapse as a person smelling a cricket ball with his teeth (unless of course you are a certain Afridi, in which case the normal standardized organs for smell detection are nothing but a rule meant to be broken), but the Australians have capitalized and in no small measure thanks to the effort of Captain Clarke, who apparently never misses a trick when on the attack, are now looking to steamroll the side that was no.1 as well as no.3 in the world this year.

So the big question is, do committees make better cricketers? The answer, quite obviously, is apparently, yes. Thus, from now on, all cricket boards should form committees that are given guidelines to tell the players, in no uncertain terms, that the only way to win cricket matches is to play better cricket.

How class based does cricket remain?

Cricket, along with the railways and the education system, is one of the many aspects of the Indian culture passed down from British times. But much like British times, cricket seems to be one of those things that is still separating its participants on class lines i.e. the rich and the poor, the urban and the rural and most of all, the batsmen from the bowlers.

This essay first clarifies its position on why it is clear from historical data that bowlers and batsmen are, more often than not, divided in their background in terms of the affluence of families and the rural/urban centers they were raised in and how it is usual to find that especially fast bowlers are from a different strata of society than most batsmen. In this context, let us first take the examples of a few Indian cricketers, past and present, who have followed the prescription to the letter.

The Indian team has seen many Princes grace the scorecard in its long history. From Ranjitsinhji, an imperious figure both on and off the field and after whom the Domestic First-Class tournament is named after, to the bespectacled Maharajah of Vizianagaram, an avid fan of the sport who did much for its promotion but was widely regarded as one of the worst international cricketers of all time, to the recently deceased Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who incidentally was also partially blind, India has seen its richest segment participate in the sport of the masses. Yet, for the purpose of this essay, the importance of these men is that they were all batsmen. In the current team, we have Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir, Sourav Chandidas Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, and Vangipurappu Venkat Sai Laxman who are from rich backgrounds with a high educational attainment. So now what about the alternate version of this theory?

For this, we must go to South Africa, a country where the divisions on the lines of race and class are as deep-rooted as those of India. Their recent lot of fast bowlers, Makhaya Ntini, Mfuneko Ngam, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and Marchant de Lange, are all from rural backgrounds with little to no coaching. In the words of former cricketer Peter Kirsten,” They are mentally tougher and not as pampered as other players in their early days. And they are also hungrier.” It is now an observable phenomena that rural players are selected, more often than not, as fast bowlers. The current lot of South African batsmen are from the more renowned schools in urban centres. Graeme Smith, Mark Boucher, Abraham Benjamin de Villiers and Jacques Rudolph are all from reputed sports universities in cities such as Johannesburg, Pretoria and East London.

Even in India, with its limited stock of fast bowlers, we have seen that most of them come from a rural environment, with names such Mohammad Nissar, Kapil Dev Nikunj, Zaheer Khan and India’s latest, Umesh Yadav having all come from rural backgrounds. Even the man who made Bradman look ungodly during the Bodyline series, Harold Larwood, was a coal worker at the age of 14 and later took to club cricket to earn a living. And this trend is foreseeable in almost all Test playing countries.

We have thus seen that there does indeed exist a divide in the location of the centres from where cricketers possessing different skills originate. To some extent, this has been observed in most cricketing countries but for the purpose of this paper, has been proved with reference to the situations in India and South Africa.

So now the question must be asked, why does this divide exist? Is it the attitude or the lifestyle that contributes to this bifurcation of talent and physical ability? Are there some key aspects that can only be trained with the help of coaches? Does a rural atmosphere create more robust bodies capable of handling the loads of fast bowling as compared to a more sedentary urban setting? Since these are all qualitative in nature, this paper will seek to answer the question with the help of a more quantitative aid, i.e. the cost of training and equipment required.

To put it bluntly, batsmen often require specialized equipment which includes items used for personal protection, clothing, apparel such as shoes and other accessories according to personal preferences, while bowlers need only buy clothing and shoes. An entire cricketing set can cost up to and over $200 in the market depending on quality of manufacturer. In a country like India, where the average Per Capita Income is $1,371 (International Monetary Fund, 2010), this represents a considerable investment. While considering costs, we also see that the cost of enrolling a child into a reputed educational institute or a coaching centre becomes prohibitive. When training a fast bowler, however, most former cricketers agree that it is best not to coach youngsters as it inhibits their natural athletic movement which may cause injuries. For example, the likes of Makhaya Ntini and Kapil Dev had actions that were deemed to be anatomically strenuous but had relatively injury free careers since it was a motion that their bodies were naturally suited to. Sri Lanka is a prime example of countries telling their coaches not to interfere with bowlers natural actions and that has given them bowlers such as Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga. The world leading fast bowlers of Pakistan are often given no formal training and they continue to churn out fast bowlers of repute. Hence, it can be observed that fast bowlers require lesser finance to train for and perfect their art, thereby making it suitable for those either with lower incomes or in places where adequate infrastructure for training might not exist.

So finally what can we conclude about this inherent division of labour in our game? Even though every day rules, regulations and formats are being changed, the defined roles of participation from the different groups in a population continue to remain the same. And being a sport which is meant for the masses, isn't that what counts, that every part of our national heritage and segment of population, whether it be from the bustling metropolitans of India to the innumerable rural centres of Bharat, be represented on a cricket field?

Zimbabwe Cricket’s New Beginning

There has been a lot of action this week around the world of cricket, with domestic seasons in the Southern hemisphere now in full swing and the international calendar on its relentless march to nowhere in particular continuing to serve up a number of matches.

The Australians won the first Test match against their Trans-Tasman rivals in another of those infuriatingly short two match series. Another Aussie debutant, James Pattinson, brother of English international Darren, took a five-for to completely rout the Kiwis in the morning session of the fourth day’s play, leaving a target of 19 runs to go ahead 1-0. He is the third Aussie to pick up a five-for on debut this year, and the fifth in about 6 weeks of cricketing action and the fourth in the same time period to go home with a man of the match trophy. This continues what has been a fine season for greenhorn bowlers around the world.

Pakistan and India continue to pile up the wins in their respective series against opponents who are looking more outclassed by the match. Ravi Rampaul’s record rear guard action notwithstanding, the West Indies looked completely at sea against a stronger opposition at home. One can only hope they can bring some life back into this series starting with a win in tomorrow’s encounter.

The greatest news of this week, however, is the conclusion of the Stanbic Bank 20 series, Zimbabwe’s domestic T20 competition. Having come back into the test fold this year, Zimbabwe have turned up with some good performances with certain individuals appealing for worldwide attention. Brendan Taylor, leading from the front, has shown he has the ability to score in any situation and at any pace required by the team. Tino Maoyowo and Hamilton Masakadza have proved to be a tough opening partnership to get rid off while bowlers such as Brian Vitori have shown there is much depth in the current setup.

The domestic competition has given the Zimbabwean youngsters a way to learn from world-class professionals such as Ryan Ten Doeschate, Chris Harris and of course no T20 competition can be complete without Chris Gayle. Being deprived of such communication previously due to political instability, it is a good tonic for these youngsters to find out how the professionals go about their business. For the Mountaineers, who won the tournament final against the Mashonaland Eagles, the Zimbabwean squad players will have hopefully picked up many tricks of the trade and hopefully Zimbabwe cricket can look towards a growth curve to match that of South Africa after readmission.

The greatest thrill of this competition for me was one that has been predicted since the birth of T20. As cricketers have to give way to younger players on the national levels, it is good to see someone such as Chris Harris, man of the match in the finals, with all of his 42 years, still out there enjoying cricket and winning trophies. Harris, as some may remember was a New Zealand international who was part of an XI of bits and pieces cricketers that occupied the team sheet around the turn of the millennium.Who knows, with a batting average of 70.66 and a bowling average of 23.11, he might fancy his chances for an IPL contract. Seeing him out there for the Mountaineers gives hope that years from now, we’ll still be able to see cricketers who we have grown up watching still plying their trade and us loving them for it.

Ranji Round-up

For those following the current round of India’s domestic First Class tournament, these are heady times. For those not following India’s domestic First Class tournament, this would be the time to jump in. The fourth round of matches has given rise to a flurry of activity that must surely be of great interest to the Indian cricketing fraternity.

First up, is Sourav Ganguly, the man whose spot has yet to be filled in the Test squad for the last 3 years, has announced his return with a century against Haryana. Though he couldn’t help his team gain the first innings lead, his innings must surely send some warning signs to the current crop of players lining up to take his spot, more so if any of the selectors happened to see him caress 20 fours and a six on his way to 135. Could we see him taking the field alongside the famed trio once again? Or is it just the misguided delusions of a nostalgic fool? Reason points to the latter, but the heart wants something more.

Cheteshwar Pujara is finally back on a cricket field and this would certainly be not so good news for Kohli, who is the favourite to hold the position come Boxing Day in Melbourne. Having looked good in his first few games, Pujara must be kicking himself for getting injured at a time when the slot was so nearly his. His first outing wouldn’t help him a whole lot, as he scored 9 runs in an hour and 3 minutes, but at least he’s back on the field, and after nearly a year’s worth of inactivity, he would be satisfied to finally be able to play some cricket.

India’s current leading wicket taker in Tests however, has no such reason to smile. Harbhajan Singh is now out of the Punjab team facing a Railways side at Mohali. With Ashwin and Ojha having performed more than commendably at home against the WIndies, it could be a long time before we see the spinner turn out for India. Though the reasons for the exclusion were not clear, it is certain to be a performance based decision by the selectors as Singh, with 406 Test wickets to his name, picked up only 4 wickets in the first 3 games and did not contribute significantly with the willow either.

But some good news to round off today’s action as Zaheer Khan came back to pick up four wickets across two innings as a part of the all round destruction of Orissa by Mumbai. Being conditionally picked for the tour Down Under, Zaheer looks set to lead the attack once again. Also, Irfan Pathan has found some form with the ball, picking up his third five-for of the tournament against Delhi. Could he too be on his way back into the Indian Team?