Delhi go Top, Chennai not so Super Anymore

The Chennai Super Kings don't look all that Super anymore without Hayden and Hussey.

They posted their lowest score last night and their batting, which had been their strength so far, doesn't look strong anymore.

Fleming, the man who replaced Hayden, got bowled twice in the space of 4 deliveries. Albie Morkel looked good for the little time he was there but he's no replacement for Hussey senior. And why did Suresh Raina come so low down the order? He's looked brilliant in his last few innings and to hold him back for the last 3-4 overs is gross injustice.

Dhoni has to do some thinking now. And the champion that he is, he probably will.

Delhi are looking stronger by the day. They have won 2 matches by 9 wickets and last night they did by 8 wickets. Their batting has looked really strong thus far with the top 3 scoring heavily. Plus it just got stronger with the arrival of AB De Villiers. And Shoaib Malik is yet to fire. It looks ominous for them.

Whats more, their bowling is led by McGrath and Asif!

Dhoni saw his own 20-20 openers in Sehwag and Gambhir take the game away from him. Mixed feelings?

Shikhar Dhawan knew better than to leave the winning runs for the last over, which would have been bowled by Joginder Sharma, the man with the golden arm. Dhawan has looked very impressive in all his innings. His straight drive for 4 of Murali was a top shot and he looked every inch the international batsman.

Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan - India's future? Add in Mohammad Kaif and Yusuf Pathan and the future looks very bright.

For the first time in the Indian Premier League the Super Kings are not at the top of the table. The Daredevils are, only on the basis of run rate though as they have the same 8 points as the Super Kings and the Rajhastan Royals. Kings XI Punjab are 4th but could by displaced if the Knight Riders manage an upset today.

Food for thought - the bottom 4 teams in the points table are captained by India's big 4 - Sachin, Dravud, Saurav, and Laxman.

Royal Challengers South Africa Need Misbah

Joginder Sharma continues to bowl the last over for Dhoni.

Dravid continues to leave Misbah out of the XI.

The Super Kings continue to remain the only unbeaten team, and the Royal Challengers continue to lose.

Maybe some things ARE predictable in the Indian Premier League.

I'm afraid the Royal Challengers Bangalore will not win till they include Misbah in their batting line up. Apart from Ross Taylor the other batsmen are players who need time to settle down and there is no way that the likes of Dravid, Jaffer, Kallis, Chanderpaul & Co. can chase or post 170+ totals in 20 overs.

I can't undersand how anyone can leave a player like Misbah out of a 20-20 team.

Here is a man who single handedly led Pakistan to the finals of the 20-20 world cup. His innings against Australia and India in the group stages were single minded efforts to lead Pakistan to victory or near victory. The way he batted in the final of the World Cup when all seemed lost and he had nothing but the tail for support just shows the kind of mind Misbah possess for the 20-20 game.

He is by far the most experienced batsman in this form of cricket having played in Pakistan for years. He led Faisalabad to the title in the first ever 20-20 competition held in Pakistan in 2004. The same year he led Faisalabad to victory in the 6-team 20-20 competition in England. In 2005 he led Faisalabad to the final of the domestic 20-20 competition only to lose to Sialkot.

Even before domestic 20-20 cricket began in Pakistan or England, Misbah and other Pakistani cricketers used to play this form of cricket for their clubs in annual night tournaments (20-20 in Pakistan has been played for over 2 decades now).

I don't have Misbah's record from those club games but in domestic 20-20 cricket in Pakistan, he has played 23 matches and scored 683 runs at an average of 56.91 and a strike rate of 134.2. His 20 innings have produced 1 century and 5 fifties.

His international 20-20 record is even better. 10 matches, 10 innings, 338 runs, average of 67.6, strike rate of 135.20, 3 fifties.

How do you leave a man like this out of your team?

Maybe RCB are looking to justify the near million they dished out for Jacques Kallis, but I highly doubt that the figure of $900,000 will ever be justified.

Plus if RCB keep looking like South Africa with Boucher keeping, Kallis at 1st slip, and Steyn attacking, they're not going to win anything.

Rahul, Vijay Mallya - you need Misbah.

Superstitious Dhoni & Specialist Joginder with the Golden Arm

It started at 20-20 World Cup in September last year.

It was the semi final. Australia needed 22 of the final over. Hussey and Haddin were at the crease and 5 wickets were in hand. Dhoni threw the ball to Joginder Sharma. Jogi gave away 6 runs, picked up 2 wickets, and India went through to the final.

Then it was the final of the same tournament. Pakistan required 13 of 6. Misbah was on strike and it was the last wicket. Dhoni threw the ball to Joginder Sharma. Jogi bowled a wide, a dot ball, and then got hit for 6. Next ball he had Misbah caught of the infamous scoop shot. And India became the 20-20 champions.

No one heard of Joginder Sharma again even though Indian played two 20-20 internationals against Australia, home and away, between October and January.

Then the Indian Premier League auctions took place. Dhoni got bagged by Chennai and so did Joginder Sharma.

The next time Jogi was seen in action was in 2nd IPL match earlier this week between Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab.

Though the Punjabi Kings had 6 wickets in hand, they required an impossible 43 of the final over. What did Dhoni do? Thats right, he threw the ball to Joginder Sharma and the superior Kings won the game.

Tonight Chennai played their 2nd match of the IPL against the Mumbai Indians. Set a stiff target of 209, Harbajhan and Abhishek Nayar got Mumbai to 19 runs off the last over. 3 wickets in hand with Nayar, batting on 35 off 15, on strike. Guess what Dhoni did. Yep, he threw the ball to Joginder Sharma and despite 2 boundaries, a no ball, and a free hit, Chennai scraped home by 6 runs!

Is he the man with the Golden Arm? Or the last over specialist?

With an economy rate of over 8 runs an over in 20-20 cricket, one wouldn't really trust Joginder Sharma with the final over of the innings. Especially not when the runs required are gettable. So why does Dhoni have so much faith in him?

And why does Jogi disappear once the 20-20s are over?

Obnoxious Battle

Matthew Hayden and Harbhajan Singh, the 2 who went head to head over the Australian summer when monkeys, bastards, and obnoxious weeds were the order of the day, come face to face again tonight.

But its not Australia taking on India. Its the Chennai Super Kings against the Mumbai Indians.

Whats even more intriguing is that Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was instrumental in pumping Bhajji up for his assault on Hayden, will actually be on Hayden's side this time around.

Well into its first week and the Indian Premier League continues to dish out lip licking match ups.

There's another great contest on the cards tonight, and if it happens during the match, it will surely be one of the major highlights of the game. Its Sanath Jayasuriya taking on Muttiah Muralitharan. One has tormented bowlers the world over and the other has bamboozled batsmen the world over. Both have done it for over a decade for Sri Lanka, but today they will be on opposing ends. Who will come out on top?

Sachin is a doubtful starter, but if he does walk out for the toss he would be doing it against the boy he recommended for India's captaincy - Dhoni. One a failed former Indian captain and the other a successful current one. One the only senior Dhoni wants in his Indian team, and the other who has nothing but admiration for Sachin. It will be an intriguing battle.

Other players to watch out for today are:

• Micheal Hussey who hammered an unbeaten 116 in the Super Kings' first match.
  
• Suresh Raina whose strokeplay in the same game was unmatched.
  
• Robin Uthappa who stood out in Mumbai's 1st match with swashbuckling 48.
  
• Shaun Pollock who was miserly in his 1st match and smashed a few 6s lower down the order.
  
• Luke Ronchi whose 2 hits to the fence the other day showed that on his day he could be a destroyer.
  
• Dwayne Bravo who could make his debut for Mumbai today.

It all goes down at Chennai tonight at 230pm GMT.

Welcome to the Cricketer's Trading Floor - IPL Player Auction Summarised

77 out of the 79 cricketers that were up for sale were bought by the 8 IPL franchises on a cricket history defining day at the Hilton Towers in Mumbai for a whopping $42 million. Thats an average of over half a million dollars per cricketer!

Here are 7 points summarising what went down at today's Cricketer Auction.

1. Who didn't make it?

Mohammad Yousuf - pending court case due to ICL contract cancellation.

Ashwell Prince - no one was interested.

2. Who spent the most?

Bollywood King Shahrukh Khan (Kolkata) - $6,072,500 for 11 players.

India Cements (Chennai) - $5,925,000 for 11 players.

Deccan Chronicle (Hyderabad) - $5,885,000 for 11 players.

Point of Interest: The top 2 franchise bidders - Mukesh Ambani and Vijay Mallya who spent $111.9 million and $111.6 million for the mumbai and Bangalore franchises respectively spent less than $5 million each at the player's auction and were among the lowest 3 bidders today.

3. Who made it to the Millionaires Club?

Mahendra Singh Dhoni - $1.5 million by India Cements (Chennai)

Andrew Symonds - $1.35 million by Deccan Chronicle (Hyderabad)

These were the only 2 players who were bid for over a million. The others in the club are the ICON players:

Sachin Tendulkar - $1,121,250 by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance (Mumbai)

Saurav Ganguly - $1,092,500 by Shahrukh Khan (Kolkata)

Yuvraj Singh - $1,063,750 by Preity Zinta (Mohali)

Rahul Dravid - $1,035,000 by Vijay Mallya' UB Group (Bangalore)

4. Who secured the highest bids?

Sanath Jayasuriya - $975,000 by Mukesh Ambani (Mumbai)

Ishant Sharma - $950,000 by Shahrukh Khan (Kolkata)

Irfan Pathan - $925,000 by Priety Zinta (Mohali)

Jacques Kallis - $900,000 by Vijay Mallya (Bangalore)

Brett Lee - $900,000 by Priety Zinta (Mohali)

Point of Interest: Bollywood celebs are BIG spenders.

5. Which were the most overvalued deals?

$950,000 for Ishant Sharma - surely a talented boy but does he seriously command such a price after having played a handful of ODIs and Tests and no T20Is?

$900,000 for Jacques Kallis - undoubtedly one of the best test batsmen in the world, a decent ODI bat, but even his national team dropped him for the T20 world cup that was played in his home country. Is such a price justified?

$675,000 for Mohammad Kaif - Ignored by the national selectors for all forms of the game, untested at the T20 level, why were bidders so interested in him?

6. Which were the most undervalued bids?

$375,000 for Matthew Hayden - are you kidding me? Australia's tour of Pakistan has been given as a probable reason but then team mate Lee who would also be touring fetched $900K!

$400,000 for Ricky Ponting - deserves more doesn't he? Strange that the bidders were not more interested.

$150,000 for Umar Gul - the leading wicket taker of the T20 world cup definitelt deserved more.

If you look at it from the bidders' perspective, they have hit the Jackpot with these undervalued deals.

7. What were the other unexpected bids?

Shane Warne and Glen McGrath went for as low as $450,000 and $350,000 respectively.

David Hussey, Cameron White, and Yusuf Pathan, who collectively have international experience of a handful matches fetched bids of $675,000; $500,000; and $475,000 respectively. Looks like the bidders keep an eye on domestic cricket in other countries and their own. Well done.

Shahid Afridi bagged the highest bid ($675,000) for a Pakistani player ahead of Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif, Younis Khan, Umar Gul, and Kamran Akmal.

Dhoni and Sachin go for over a MILLION & Shahrukh Khan and Saurav Ganguly bag Shoaib Akhtar !!!

The day that defines the future of cricket has begun and the 8 IPL franchisees mean business. History is being created right in front of our eyes at the Hilton Towers in Mumbai. The men behind the 8 franchisees along with Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly and other cricket advisors and consultants got together this morning to bid for their players.

India Cements, owners of the Chennai franchise dished out $1.5 million for Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni! Thats is $1.5 million for Dhoni's services for 3 years, i.e. approximately 150 days of cricket implying a daily wage of $10,000. How much does Bill Gates earn?

India Cements have also bought Muttiah Muralitharan for $600,000 thus spending $2.1 million or 40% of their maximum budget on 2 key players. Who are the brains behind these numbers?

Shahrukh Khan and his Kolkata captain Saurav Ganguly decided on Shoaib Akhtar for $425,000. They surely don't think he's a bad influence on the dressing room. Maybe SRK will cast Shoaib in his next movie.

Adam Gilchrist went to Hyderabad for a whopping $700,000 - no matter how big that amount is, its still less than half that was spent on Dhoni. Justified?

Mukesh Ambani's men from Mumbai dished out large sums of $975,000 and $850,000 respectively for Sanath Jayasuriya and Harbhajhan Singh! This means that Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai's Icon, will earn atleast $1.1 million and will join Dhoni as the 2nd player to be valued at over a million dollars! Who is doing these valuations?

Preity Zinta's Mohali have also emptied their coffers by over a million spending $700,000 for Kumar Sangakkara and $475,000 for Mahela Jayawardene - The VC is valued more than the skipper! Mohali's Icon and captain, Yuvraj Singh, is set to earn atleast $805,000!!

Jaipur bagged Shane Warned for $450,000 and Bangalore spent half a million on India's test skipper Anil Kumble.

Over $8 million have been spent by the 8 franchisees collectively in the morning bidding session. There's more to come after lunch. Stay tuned for updates.

11 Reasons why the CB Series will be a Cracker!

1. It pits the reigning ODI world champions against the world cup runners up and the 20-20 world champions. The best 3 ODI teams in the world? I see the Proteas objecting.


2. In Sachin, Hayden, and Jayasuriya, each team possesses one of the best openers the ODI game has seen. The best ODI openers ever? I hear Greame Smith protesting.


3. The best wicketkeeper batsmen in the world are on display - Gilchrist, Sangakkara, and Dhoni. Now Smith is joined by Boucher in the protest.


4. Each team has atleast one left arm quick worth watching - while Vaas is in the twilight of his career, Pathan is back to his best and Johnson rapdily building a reputation for himself. South Africa don't have a left arm pacer do they?


5. Two of the fastest bowlers in the world, Lee and Malinga, will be consistently clocking 145ks throughout the series. Maybe Sreesanth will do the same each time he sees Symonds at the batting crease. Proteas can't protest about this, Donald's retired.
   

6. All the batsmen likely to score centuries during the series - Sachin, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Hayden, Gilchrist, Ponting, Jayasuriya, Jayawardene, Sangakkara - you can bet that each one will do it at a strike rate of 1oo+. I hear Smith saying that even he has himself, Gibbs, and DeVilliers.


7. With Yuvraj, Gilchrist, and Jayasuriya playing you can expect a record number of sixes in one competition. Gibbs is thinking why his 6 sixes in an over against the dutch is never recognised as a big feat while Yuvraj gets ferraris for his in a 20-20 game.


8. Trevor Bayliss and Tim Nielsen, a New South Welshman and a South Australian are coaching 2 of the teams vying for supremacy, while the 3rd team's South African coach is waiting for his contract period to get underway.


9. All 3 teams are carrying forward rivalries, whose seeds were planted by future hall of famers Steve Waugh, Arjuna Ranatunga, and Saurav Ganguly. No Smith you are not a future hall of famer and Pollock is no where close.


10. If Warne and Kumble were still playing ODI cricket it would have been a "who is the best spinner" battle with Murali in the mix, and the Proteas would have nothing to complain about.


11. And the final reason for why I think the CB series will be a cracker is because of the possibility of an All Asian Final in Australia with the Aussies fuming over their losses and the South Africans wondering why they can't ever do it.

Enjoy the series people. I hope the rest of the games don't get spoilt by the rain like the first one. I'm looking forward to some nerve wrecking ODI games after a long time. I hope I'm not disappointed.

3rd Test: Double or nothing

On the eve of the final test match in the India vs Pakistan series, there is a lot to play for. India is up 1-0 in the two match series, they have not won a test match in Bangalore since 1995 and Pakistan have never lost a test series in India since 1979/1980.

Looking back at 1979/80, things are back full circle. In that series, the first test was played at Bangalore and in the current one, the last test is being played at Bangalore. A look back at the scoreboards of those 6 test matches makes for interesting reading. Mudassir Nazar made a century in the first test match... that alone should tell you something about the pace of the game. In the second test at Delhi, India was in a position to win the match, requiring 390 to win the game in the last innings. They were in a strong position at 117/2 at the start of day 5, but decided not to chase the target, falling short by just 26 runs with 4 wickets still in hand !?! India won 2 of the remaining 4 games and Pakistan remained winless on tour.

Other interesting facts from that era.

- The 2nd edition of the world cup had been played in the summer of 1979. Sri Lanka upset India by 47 runs - this must have been as big an upset as Bangladesh beating India this WC or Ireland beating Pakistan (how long ago was that...!)

- Imran Khan picked up an injury in the 2nd test match and did not bowl till the 5th game I think. You can draw parallels between him and Shoaib, but then thats where the comparisons stop :)

- The Kotla at Delhi somehow favors one bowler running through the opposition. In teh 2nd test which was played there, Sikandar Bakht took 8 Indian wickets in teh first innings bowling India out for 120 odd... how Pakistan didnt win the game from there and actually set India a target they almost reached is incomprehensible. Maybe Soulberry can shed some light on this trend, being a citizen of Delhi.

- And finally, those who argue for more games in a test series... I think 6 is way too many. It looks like the players really got into it after the first 2 test matches and were more concerned about not losing at the start of the series.

Now to the present era, the game is about to start in a few hours. Seems like wellpitched readers have once again conspired to influence things like team lineups. Younis Khan is going to continue as Pakistan captain (donkey rides and all) and Yuvraj is set to make his entry to the test side. I think Yuvraj and Pathiv may come in for India in place of Tendulkar and Dhoni. For Pakistan Abdur Rehman, the left arm spinner may come in for Sami.

Pak vs Ind 1st Test: Selection Dilemmas & Predictions

The 1st test gets underway on Thursday in Delhi and both Pakistan and India would be fancying their chances of getting the upper hand early in the series. India, after their test series win in England and wins against Pakistan in the 20-20 world cup and the ODI series would start as favorites. But Pakistan, after winning the 5th ODI, have their tails up and look like a team that is gelling well together. The tense faces that were visible after the 4th ODI seemed very relaxed during the practice session earlier this evening.

Injuries to their front line pacers, RP Singh and Sreesanth have left India pondering over the composition of their attack. Will they play 3 spinners along with Zaheer Khan or will they go in with Zaheer and Munaf and 2 spinners? Munaf, drafted in to cover for the 2 injured pacers, is a risk as he is coming back from injury and also has a history of breaking down in between matches.

Another dilemma faced by India is how to fit Yuvraj Singh into the XI. I don't think Kumble, playing his 1st test as captain, will gamble on Yuvraj and will go in with the tried and tested Laxman and Ganguly at 5 and 6. Dhoni, who rates Yuvraj as India's best batsman these days, might be pushing for his inclusion though. Its a good problem to have for India.

Pakistan's batsmen will be itching to bat against India's attack, while Pakistan's pace attack will heave a huge sigh of relief if they don't see Yuvi in the starting line up on Thursday.

Pakistan, I hope, go in with three pacers and don't use the useless strategy of playing both Kaneria and Rehman as they did against South Africa. Shoaib Akhtar, Gul, Sami, and Kaneria seem like a potent attack on paper and have the potential to take 20 wickets in a match. Is it just me or does India's batting not look as threatening as it once was? No Sehwag at the top, a rusty Dravid, and two batsmen who don't do too well against Pakistan - Laxman and Ganguly. Sachin and Dhoni look like the only two who can trouble the Pakistanis.

Pakistan's selection dilemma is who to play at the position left vacant by Inzamam - Misbah or Faisal Iqbal? If it were up to me, I would have opened with Malik and Butt and played both Faisal and Misbah. Sadly, I'm not part of the think tank, thus a choice will have to be made since the talk of Hameed and Butt opening is already doing the rounds.

If I were to choose, I would go with Faisal as I believe it is time that he establishes himself in the test side, something that he has been waiting for since the last 5 years. He has the potential, the ability, and the desire to do so. All he needs is a long run in the test side to prove his mettle at the international level. I think its time that Faisal shows the world why he has been Pakistan's best batsman at the domestic level for the last few seasons.

Since the tour exchanges began in 2004, Pakistan and India have played 9 tests and the 3-3 scoreline leaves little to choose between the 2 teams. Barring a drawn series, the next 3 tests will take one team forward. India has always been a strong test side at home and lately they have won away from home as well, thus they are definitely favorites. Pakistan stand an outside chance and have the potential to upset, but they will have to fight hard to topple India.

I predict results in all 3 matches, a decider at Bangalore, 500+ runs for Sachin Tendulkar, 20 wickets for Shoaib Akhtar, a Yuvi 100 in the 3rd test where he would have replaced Laxman, 2 centuries for Faisal Iqbal, question marks over Dravid's lack of runs, a career ending series for Kamran Akmal, the retention of Anil Kumble as captain for the series against Australia, and praise for skipper Shoaib Malik.

The only reason I'm not predicting a winner is because I don't want it to seem that I am placing an emotional bet. I can't wait for the series to begin.

What are your predictions?

5th ODI: India seem relaxed, Pakistan tense..

With the series secured by India, it isn't surprising that they seem very relaxed ahead of the final ODI today. Reports are mentioning that India would be resting key players including Ganguly, Harbhajan, Zaheer, and RP Singh to give their bench a game. This is how ODI cricket should be played I believe - it is the only way to groom youngsters and make them feel to be a part of the team.

A 'weakened' side could give Pakistan the edge going into this match, but the players seem to look tense. The pressure is showing on skipper Malik who has been receiving ample criticism from former players and media persons. I think the criticism is uncalled for but expected from Pakistan. He's done well and made some mistakes too, but he's still very young on the job. Give the boy time and let him learn. This criticism will just put him under more pressure, and unless a captain is sure of himself, the team can hardly do well.

That is exactly why India has done better than Pakistan - Dhoni has been immensely cool on the field, confident while batting, and has led from the front. He looks like a natural leader, while Malik is showing signs of carrying a burden. He needs to be more relaxed and ignore the criticism. He needs to open again today and score big to regain his confidence.

Pakistan would want to win today to take some confidence into the test matches. A weakened India also provides that chance. But the Indian benchers would want to create an impression and India is going in with a lot of confidence with nothing to lose so it will still be tough for Pakistan.

Match gets underway in half an hour. Lets get the discussions rolling right here.

Pakistan vs India: 2-2 today?

This pic (source: Hindustan times) on the right can easily be mistaken to be a poster of the next Sanjay Gupta Action Thriller, but it is the Pakistani and Indian cricketers at the Gwalior Fort - Gwalior being the venue of the 4th ODI set to be played today.

Reports are mentioning that the pitch for today will be a high scoring one and the curator has even said that the toss wont matter as the pitch will play the same for the full 100 overs of the match. Thus we can expect a high scoring humdinger!

Pakistan have flown in former U-19 world cup winning captain and wicket keeper, Sarfraz Ahmed to cover for the injured Kamran Akmal, however reports suggest that Akmal might be fit, or if not, Younis Khan or Yasir Hameed will keep wicket. I don't agree with this at all. Sarfraz Ahmed deserves a debut, especially after Akmal's woeful form with gloves and bat. Sarfraz is coming on the back of strong performances in the domestic scene in Pakistan. Plus unless Pakistan plan to stick with a makeshift like Younis or Hameed ala Dravid, they shouldn't do it for this important match.

I also think Shoaib Malik needs to put his hand up and open the innings - I said this long before Rameez Raja did recently. Malik has done it before successfully and can do it again and solve the opening problem once and for all. All his ODI hundreds have come while opening or batting at #3. Plus he has a test hundred while opening as well. Batting at 5 or 6 is too low for a captain and a batsman as talented as Malik.

Shoaib Akhtar has come out and said that he is still not at his best and that he was underprepared for this ODI series. And that too after figures of 2-52, 3-42, and 1-40 in the last 3 games. I wonder what he'll do when he feels he's at his best.

India look a far more settled side than Pakistan do with no opening problems, solid middle order with Yuvi and Dhoni in great form, and a potent bowling attack with Pathan back to his old best. No doubt they are favorites to win the series, but I would rather prefer them winning the 5th game than today.

I sure hope Pakistan manage to level the series today and take it into a deciding 5th match, as that is what a series of such proportions deserves - a fitting decider!

Let the discussions begin people, right here on this blog.

What do you think these guys are Saying / Thinking?

The 2nd ODI between Pakistan and India starts in less than 3 hours. Here are some interesting pics from their training session yesterday. What do you think is going on in the minds of these players?

Mohammad Yousuf looks set to beat the living crap out of someone as coach Lawson tries to calm him down. I wonder who got on the nerves of this calm man? Shoaib Akhtar?

Or is Lawson asking him to stay calm and not hit the bowlers around to keep their confidence high ahead of the game today?

Whose handing who the water? Or rather is Shoaib trying to snatch it off Harbhajan? Both of them look rather serious with Shoaib ready to throw a punch or two.

Both are good freinds though, I hear.

Dhoni and Sachin seem lost in thought. Sachin's probably wondering why he declined the test captaincy, while Dhoni's thinking whether he's going to get it or not.

Or maybe Dhoni's wondering how to make it to Mumbai for the Om Shanti Om premier to be with his love, Deepika Padukone...

Why is Virender Sehwag sitting alone with the remaining 14 chairs empty? He's probably thinking whether he's going to play today or not.

And why why does his bat have a pink grip?

Source for Pics: Dawn, Cricinfo, AFP, Yahoo Pics.

Sachin Declines, Will Dhoni Accept?

Sachin Tendulkar has declined the captaincy of the test team 2 days before the BCCI were to announce India's test captain for the series against Pakistan.

Well that puts to rest the theory I had about Sachin wanting to captain the side one more time before throwing in the towel. Reports are mentioning that the Board are going to hand it over to Dhoni, however former greats, such as Chappell, Shastri, and Gavaskar feel that they may not be the best idea.

Dhoni has thus far impressed in the T20 and ODI captaincy and hasn't shied away from assuming responsibility, as he proved by coming in at #4 against Pakistan yesterday, however I personally think that wicket keeping, batting in the middle order, and captaining the side is just too much pressure for any individual to handle. Will Dhoni be able to do it?

I don't remember any wicket keeper being a successful test captain. The only other recent example that comes to mind is Moin Khan who was reasonable successful. India look set to enter a new era , with Dhoni at the forefront. Seeing him in the T20 world cup, the ODIs against Australia, and last night against Pakistan, I feel, he can go on to become one of India's best and the best ever wicket keeper captain ever.

Dhoni's haircut and Shoaib Akhtar's new job!

I had noticed that Dhoni had trimmed his hair after the 20-20 world cup, probably to have a neater look as the new Indian Captain. But now, prior to start of the Indo-Pak series, he is sporting a new shorter haircut. Why Dhoni Why? I wonder if it has anything to do with a certain Deepika Padukone. Hmm. This pic is from India's training session yesterday.

In another pic from Pakistan's practice match against Delhi, Shoaib Akhtar is seen bonding with the security officials - even trying out their cap. Thinking of a new profession post your life ban, I mean, retirement Mr. Akhtar?

Source for Pics: Cricinfo, AFP.