My Preview - Third ODI at Cuttack

My preview - Third ODI at Cuttack..
Virender Sehwag gets to captain India by default.. Dhoni has been served a two match ban.. it is all right.. team India if they play as a unit should not solely depend overtly on its captain or any player for bringing home the positive results..

I see this as a great opportunity for the team who is likely to have a different look than what we had been used to.. I for one have the opinion that India should use its players judiciously.. no, no, not the way the IPL has imposed a 12-match for India players.. first how do you decide which players come under that definition.. there are some of hem who get to play only in the few games.. there are some who rarely miss a game.. yet again there are some who are playing pivotal role for their IPL teams.. it does not make sense.. probably IPL is not willing to cut down on the total number of games as it directly equates with their earnings in ground as well as broadcast merchandise.. it is unfair to have two games at the league level and have just one game at the closing stages of the tournament.. I don’t like that..

If I were Lalit Modi I would not only add two more Indian teams I might just ask four more teams from other countries one each from Australia, South Africa, England and Pakistan (or even a team each from the other test playing nations i.e. Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies and even Bangladesh) . In that scenario there would be either 14 or 18 teams depending upon whether four foreign teams are allowed or eight foreign teams take part. It would be worthwhile to retain only eight teams and making way for two or four groups in the league stage picking either two teams each or one team each depending on number of groups. These four teams could then be allowed to play a super league where they each play the other twice and the top two teams alone fight it out in a best of three finals. To serve a 12-match restriction on Indian players seems like telling them who is the boss.. the administrator or the players.. I vote against such a scheme of things even if I am ridiculed by the players themselves who may love to play just 12 matches and earn what they deserve as endorsements.. it could mean lack of commitment too..

Coming back to the third one day cricket game Virender Sehwag may not find much options in case Yuvraj fails to clear the fitness test.. though sources say he should be playing in all probabilities.. that would make balance in two sides.. if he does not get to play Viru’s India would decisively start as underdogs.. their bowling and fielding has come under scrutiny even batsmanship will get affected severely if Yuvi too is present as a spectator..

My choice for team may for the first time match exactly with what XI would be doing the service at Cuttack later in the day :Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh (Virat Kohli), Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma.

I have preferred to give a chance to Ishant as both Nehra and Khan have been far too expensive I could not drop the in-form Khan so I included Sharma in place of Nehra (though I would have loved if selectors had picked Irfan instead of Sharma.. it is all right).

Abhaya Sharma, Mumbai

Post Script: I wish Sehwag very best in today’s game. I hope India could still strike a balance if they play the above XI.. more so if Yuvraj is fit enough.. a half fit Yuvraj should not be included as it could backfire in the absence of Dhoni as well.. I feel it is time that Sachin and ganbhir come to the rescue of India in the hour of crisis.

Addendum

IPL reformulation- Another way for conducting IPL

India could host a version of national IPL where state teams could all participate in say eight top teams first taking part in a shorter format- like four teams in each group playing out each one in their group just once. The top four teams qualifying for finals and for international IPL league where eight more world teams lock horns making international IPL a total of 12 teams divided into six teams each in a group playing just game each at league level. The top three teams from each group then playing a super league to decide the winner by playing a best of three finals between the top two teams of the super league. That should be in interest of the game globally and in the interest of players.

However, I would not mind if players are allowed to play for whichever team they like to represent in the International IPL. Some Indian players too could be allowed to play or take part for other countries. Say Yuvraj Singh playing for Pakistan and Praveen Kumar for England or Virender Sehwag playing for Australia and Dhoni for South Africa, that is just to enunciate my opinion and plan. It is nearly in the same spirit as Kallis plays for Bangalore or Lee for Kings XI. The decision must be lying with the team owners and willingness of players to switch sides and it must not change during a season of IPL so to say. That could be some great excitement. That alone could pave way for far more teams in the world to make a competent XI by hiring players from other cricket playing countries.

It should also be emphasised here that International IPL matches be then counted at par with Twenty20 Internationals by ICC. I only wish that these suggestions are taken as positive suggestions and not as criticism of IPL administrators.