Published: Aug 02, 2013, 03:04 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 25, 2014, 12:33 AM (IST)
Virat Kohli’s (right) form was a positive for India, while Suresh Raina (second from right) struggled with the bat © AFP
By Sarang Bhalerao
Before the commencement of India’s tour of Zimbabwe, not many bothered to predict the outcome. There was always going to be just one winner. The margin of victory, rather, was the talking point. So far, on expected lines, four matches have seen as many results in favour of India. The good news for the visitors is that some of the fringe players have taken the centre-stage. This is expected to give selection headaches to the team management which after all is not a bad sign at all.
Let us analyse the positives and the negatives of Team India in the current tour. Since India have already taken a 4-0 lead, the positives outweigh the negatives. But the negatives might be a warning sign for a few players. Here are the positives and negatives for Team India:
The positives:
Amit Mishra
One of the biggest positives to emerge from the Zimbabwe tour has been bowling form of Amit Mishra. He has picked up 12 wickets in four games. His googlies have foxed the Zimbabweans. His One-Day International (ODI) career seems to be on track and he has seriously given selectors something to think about. Having played only 19 matches in a decade, Mishra is surely vying for the spot in the team as a spinner.
Currently Ravichandran Ashwin is India’s best spinner. Both he and Mishra love No 99 on their jersey. If Mishra keeps performing the way he has then surely he has to find another number for his jersey since Ashwin will keep the number being the senior member (in terms of ODIs) played for India.
Virat Kohli
He is not captain cool by any stretch of imagination but he has been mighty effective in this series so far. Having kick-started the campaign with a match-winning 115, Kohli scored an unbeaten 68 in the third ODI. His ability to pace the innings has been commendable. He has been an inspirational leader and has paved the way for run-chases. Currently Kohli is one of the best finishers of the game.
Ambati Rayudu
He was considered a precocious talent about a decade ago. Rayudu has vindicated his selection in the team albeit a bit late. His unbeaten 63 in the first innings was impressive considering the fact that he played second fiddle to Kohli who was going great guns in the first ODI. Rayudu was intent on biding his time and getting his eye in. He looked determined, hungry for success and in the end he impressed one and all with his impressive debut.
Shikhar Dhawan
Lady luck has smiled on Dhawan. After being dismissed for 17 in the first ODI, Dhawan was out caught behind in the second for three. But Kyle Jarvis had overstepped which gave Dhawan yet another chance to bat. He survived the tough phase in the second ODI and then cashed in on some loose bowling. He reached his third ODI century albeit not after surviving two major scares on his way there. But his phenomenal rise since the comeback has given India a big hope for the future.
Dinesh Karthik
Karthik has been India’s dial 911 on many situations. In the two warm up matches prior to ICC Champions Trophy 2013 he had scored as many centuries when India were in strife. In the second ODI against Zimbabwer, Karthik walked in when India were reeling at 65 for four in the 17th over. He scored 69 and added 167 with Dhawan that took the game away from Zimbabwe.
Mohit Sharma
The figures of 10-3-26-2 on debut show the class of Mohit. In the three spells that he bowled on Thursday, Mohit didn’t give Zimbabweans an inch. He was consistently bowling unremitting line and length. His selection on the tour was a just reward for his temperament he showed whilst bowling to some of the established batsmen in the Indian Premier League (IPL) playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He has played only 11 First-Class games. But his performance with the ball has been promising and we are sure to see more of him in future.
Negatives:
Rohit Sharma’s drives away from the body
On three occasions Rohit drove loosely outside off-stump and was dismissed caught-behind. He scored 35 in three games and failed to negotiate the tough phase when the bowlers were on top and the conditions were not exactly conducive to stroke making. Rohit has played 101 ODIs without playing a Test and if he continues to play loose outside the off-stump, the wait for the elusive Test cap might be longer. In the fourth ODI Rohit got into his elements scoring an unbeaten half-century but consistency is something which Rohit would want to befriend soon.
Virat Kohli’s argument with the umpires
In the second ODI, Kohli drove uppishly and the ball was caught inches from the ground by Malcolm Waller at mid-on. There was some doubt; Kohli was convinced that the ball had bounced before it reached the fielder. After consulting with the third umpire Kohli was given out yet he argued with the umpires. He expressed his annoyance over the decision by throwing his bat in disgust and walking back shaking his head. As an India skipper these things are uncalled for. The team, they say, follows the leader. Setting such precedence is bad and it might set a bad example within the team.
Suresh Raina’s dismissal in the second ODI
The conditions in the second ODI favoured the bowlers. It was here where Raina was expected to score runs. He has been found wanting on several occasions in Test matches where the conditions do not aid strokeplay. A deft touch brought about Raina’s downfall and it is the same manner in which he has been dismissed in Test cricket as well. This happened last year when Raina nudged New Zealand’s Tim Southee too fine in Bangalore Test and was caught down the leg-side.
In need of opportunities
Ajinkya Rahane has been carrying drinks for the first four ODIs. He would want to don India colours soon. He has been part of 16 ODIs for India and has been on the fringes right throughout the career. A decent knock in the fifth ODI will do his confidence a world of good.
Parvez Rasool, the all-rounder from Jammu and Kashmir, might make his debut in the fifth ODI. These are the only two players who have not yet played any ODI in Zimbabwe tour.
(Sarang Bhalerao hails from a family of doctors, but did his engineering. He then dumped a career in IT with Infosys to follow his heart and passion and became a writer with CricketCountry. A voracious reader, Sarang aspires to beat Google with his knowledge of the game! You can follow him on Twitter here)
