Hues of Indian Cricket

He is regarded as God in India, but he still has to face competition to get the first rank! Yes, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar will lose his top position in the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen as he misses the India’s three-match Test series against the West Indies. He won the ICC Cricketer of the Year award last year and currently is sharing the no. 1 rank with Jacques Kallis of South Africa.  After the match, he will give Kallis the number one position!

Also Read: India Tour Of England 2011 – Complete Schedule

Meanwhile Indian Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that resting during the ODI series had helped him refresh his body and mind. He says that the small injuries vanish themselves and he finds plenty of energy within himself now.

He acknowledges that Test cricket is the difficult format and now wants the young cricket team to play the Test series to gain confidence and experience. He wants the team to concentrate on the basics and give importance to minute details of the game. He also wanted the bowlers to keep themselves fit round the year. Their fitness has a heavy impact on the Test cricket due to the longer innings that they have to bowl. He also dropped in a few compliments about the bowlers of West Indies stating that their pace attack was very strong .He definitely misses Gary Kirsten, the former Coach but also praises Fletcher on the way he managed a really young team for the ODI.

Opener Murali Vijay took a hit on his left index finger during practice session .But an MRI scan fortunately did not reveal any broken bone. Abhimanyu Mithun is having visa issues and will arrive only on the day of the match. Vijay and Mithun share great rapport with each other and their presence is essential. Seamer Munaf Patel might not be available for the match as he is suffering from sore right elbow. In the absence of Zaheer and Sreesanth, Munaf presence might bring in some consistency.

Coach Fletcher used different methods including bouncing tennis balls at the young batsmen to get them accustomed to the bounce that the pitch offers. Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman will be managing the batting order; Dhoni adds the weight to the lower order. The other batting spots will be occupied by Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina. Spinner Harbhajan Singh who is also approaching 400 Test wickets will provide the main spin attack. Amit Mishra having made an excellent impression will probably grab the opportunity better than Pragyan Ojha. Both Harbhajan and Mishra will make a good use of the bounce.

Tags: Cricket, ICC Player Rankings, India, Indian Cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, Test Cricket, Test Series