ret
Well-known member
The holders are one loss away from getting knocked out of this tournament .... to defend the title, they will have to win 4 games in a row so every game is like a KO game for them, much like getting in to round of 16, then QF, then semis and eventually in to the final .... Needless to say that they will have to play exceptionally well, need some luck too in tight situations and a strong NRR
I am not going to talk about the squad selection as that's a thing of past but focus on what they need to do based on what they have, their strengths and weaknesses
Let's start with the negatives
- Bowlers don't have it in them to restrict strong teams to under 160 unless the other team has an off-day or one of the bowlers has a great day
- Number 3 has been a problem
- Batsmen haven't shown the form to be able to get 170+ against decent bowling sides
The positives
- Can't think of any except that the side has talent and ability
Squad
- Batting: Rohit, Gambhir, Raina, Yuvi, YP, Dhoni, Karthik, Jadeja
- Bowling: Zak, RP, IP, Ishant, Praveen, Ojha, Bhajji
Some Analysis
- Batting has to step it up and be prepared to score [set/chase] 170+ on good surfaces and more on grounds with short boundaries .... If you break down 170 then it equates to 20 boundaries and 90 singles, so it still gives you 10 extra official balls
the number of times the ball touched the ropes or went over it in the WI vs SA game
SA - 24 fours and 3 sixes = 27
WI - 19 fours and 1 six = 20
- Bowling has to be one which is capable of picking up wkts rather than being restrictive, which means that guys like RP, who look to pick up wkts, should get a look in .... A couple of good overs for the batting side can spoil all the good work of restricting them so these guys have to look to pick up wkts. Which probably means that playing Bhajji, Zak and Ishant is playing to many bowlers who are looking to restrict rather than pick up wkts
Let's analyze their bowling against WI [RRR 7.7]
Zak 2.4 overs for 26, Econ 9.75
Bhajji 4 overs for 31, Econ 7.75
Ishant 3 overs for 31, Econ 10.33
Game Plan
Batting
- Has to take up the responsibility to put scores that make the high economy rates of the bowler appear respectable
- Power plays have to be planned well
If they are going for maximum runs out of those overs then they should have players who can take advantage out of it up front and then players who can consolidate slotted to come in during middle overs .... If they plan is to keep wkts in hand early on then they should be going all out once threat of the new ball has been negotiated with .... it would not be a bad idea if Ind can have someone like IP [Irfan] coming in at #3 to step it up in the early stage. He has opened in test matches and is a good bat
- They should be targeting 150 in 17 overs, when batting first. And then use the last 3 overs to take them past 185 [this is assuming that the wkts are good to bat on]. Even if they are 150/6 or something at the end of 17, they can still play decently and get 170+
Bowling
- As I said, they need to play someone who looks to pick up wkts like RP. He will get smashed at times but has the ability to provide crucial breaks
Recommended line up for the next two games against Eng and SA
- Rohit
- Gambhir
- IP
- Yuvi
- Raina / Karthik
- YP
- Dhoni
- RP
- Ojha
- 2 from Praveen, Bhajji, Zak and Ishant
Good luck India!
I am not going to talk about the squad selection as that's a thing of past but focus on what they need to do based on what they have, their strengths and weaknesses
Let's start with the negatives
- Bowlers don't have it in them to restrict strong teams to under 160 unless the other team has an off-day or one of the bowlers has a great day
- Number 3 has been a problem
- Batsmen haven't shown the form to be able to get 170+ against decent bowling sides
The positives
- Can't think of any except that the side has talent and ability
Squad
- Batting: Rohit, Gambhir, Raina, Yuvi, YP, Dhoni, Karthik, Jadeja
- Bowling: Zak, RP, IP, Ishant, Praveen, Ojha, Bhajji
Some Analysis
- Batting has to step it up and be prepared to score [set/chase] 170+ on good surfaces and more on grounds with short boundaries .... If you break down 170 then it equates to 20 boundaries and 90 singles, so it still gives you 10 extra official balls
the number of times the ball touched the ropes or went over it in the WI vs SA game
SA - 24 fours and 3 sixes = 27
WI - 19 fours and 1 six = 20
- Bowling has to be one which is capable of picking up wkts rather than being restrictive, which means that guys like RP, who look to pick up wkts, should get a look in .... A couple of good overs for the batting side can spoil all the good work of restricting them so these guys have to look to pick up wkts. Which probably means that playing Bhajji, Zak and Ishant is playing to many bowlers who are looking to restrict rather than pick up wkts
Let's analyze their bowling against WI [RRR 7.7]
Zak 2.4 overs for 26, Econ 9.75
Bhajji 4 overs for 31, Econ 7.75
Ishant 3 overs for 31, Econ 10.33
Game Plan
Batting
- Has to take up the responsibility to put scores that make the high economy rates of the bowler appear respectable
- Power plays have to be planned well
If they are going for maximum runs out of those overs then they should have players who can take advantage out of it up front and then players who can consolidate slotted to come in during middle overs .... If they plan is to keep wkts in hand early on then they should be going all out once threat of the new ball has been negotiated with .... it would not be a bad idea if Ind can have someone like IP [Irfan] coming in at #3 to step it up in the early stage. He has opened in test matches and is a good bat
- They should be targeting 150 in 17 overs, when batting first. And then use the last 3 overs to take them past 185 [this is assuming that the wkts are good to bat on]. Even if they are 150/6 or something at the end of 17, they can still play decently and get 170+
Bowling
- As I said, they need to play someone who looks to pick up wkts like RP. He will get smashed at times but has the ability to provide crucial breaks
Recommended line up for the next two games against Eng and SA
- Rohit
- Gambhir
- IP
- Yuvi
- Raina / Karthik
- YP
- Dhoni
- RP
- Ojha
- 2 from Praveen, Bhajji, Zak and Ishant
Good luck India!