Shubman Gill : Enormity of That Double Hundred

It's a special, very special knock by Shubman Gill, a lot more special than the very recent and much quicker Double hundred by Ishan Kishan. Here are some tidbits that tell the story of enormity.

Shubman: 208 of 149 balls

All others: 128 of 151 balls

Shubman: 19 fours, 9 sixers

All others: 12 fours, 2 sixers

Both sixers were hit by Rohit and no other batsman cleared the boundary after Rohit got out.

Second highest score: 34 (of 38 balls) by Captain Rohit as no other batter came anywhere near 50.

SKY with 31 of 26 was the only other batter to strike at above 100% (SR: 119.23) while Shubman scored at 139.59 strike rate.

Collective strike rate of all other batters was 84.77% compared to Shubman's 139.59%.

Shubman scored 61.9% of the runs coming of the bat and 59.6% of the team total, playing just under half of the 300 balls.

Shubman had a reprieve, thanks to missed catch by Latham. But that's always part of the game. The way he plated from 48th over is testimony to his ability to switch gears.

This was indeed a very special knock and in the process, Shubman Gill became the "Fastest Indian" to 1000 ODI runs.

The Shubman Gill era has officially begun !

Govind Raj Shenoy for DieHard Cricket Fans

All reac 

Tete-a-tete with Prasanna Agoram, Proteas Performance Coach

DHCF: How did it all start for you? Given its quite a niche career option, what challenges did you face?
Prasanna: It's everyone's dream to play for India, whatever level of cricket you play and I was no different. When I was playing state level cricket for Tamil Nadu in age categories like all other young boys, I wanted to play for my country. It didn’t happen as I felt there are guys who had more talent than me. Then I became a qualified umpire in BCCI in 2000 dreaming about walking in Eden Gardens and Melbourne cricket ground but unfortunately it was not as easy as I thought and I don’t want to elaborate on this. Then finally I finished my Engineering in Electronics and Communication and went on to do my post graduate diploma in Computer Applications and was employed as a software engineer in Bangalore. This is when I saw an article in Hindu stating that a software company is developing a software for match analysis for Indian cricket team in 2001. I thought look I have decent cricketing knowledge and when it comes to developing software not many can match my speed. So I started developing match analysis software all alone from that time which I demonstrated to the National Cricket Academy. NCA employed me as their technical head in 2003 and the rest is history. The main challenge I faced was when few of the top cricketers and coaches kept on asking me that I not being a certified coach,  am I qualified to talk so much of cricket. Then thanks to Cricket South Africa I did my level 3 coaching certification from CSA in 2014  and now with so much of experience not many question my credentials.

DHCF: How has cricket analytics changed over the years?
Prasanna:  A lot. The amount of data one can derive is huge now. But let me make it clear, with the

10 Years of Resurgent Indian Cricket

2010s decade started with a bang for Indian cricket. The team led by charismatic Mahendra Singh Dhoni, with his uncanny techniques, tasted quite a lot success in the shorter formats. 

2011, the Cricket World Cup returned to Indian sub-continent and there was a likely chance of India winning the cup, knowing home conditions well. April 2, 2011, 120 crore Indians lived the dream after 28 years of wait. A memory for lifetime.

2013, India added another feather in the cap. ICC Champions trophy, aka mini world cup. India won by defeating the tournament favourites England. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Indian cricket achieved almost everything which was required in the big stage arena. Team was doing well in the shorter formats amid some hiccups in the 2014 & 2016 T-20 World Cup tournaments.

The World of Cricket World Cups - Part 2 - 1983

The third edition of the World Cup was again sponsored by Prudential, known as ‘Prudential Cup ‘83’. India was drawn in Group B with West Indies, Australia and Zimbabwe, the newest entrant at World Cup. The team was being led by Kapil Dev, who would go on to be declared the ‘Indian player of the century’ by Wisden in 2002. There was a change in the format this year, with each team playing other teams twice in the group. The top 2 teams from each group would then advance to the semi-final. Given the dismal performance of team India in previous two editions, no one really gave them any chance.

India started off unbelievably well this time, defeating West Indies in their first match and handing the two-time world champions their first ever loss at the tournament. They followed it up with a win against Zimbabwe. Just when things seemed to be going on track, India suffered back-to-back defeats against Australia and West Indies. With 2 wins in 4 matches, India could not afford to lose another match as other teams were also in the hunt for the semi final berth. Then came the match against Zimbabwe at Turnbridge Wells on June 18. India were in all sorts of trouble at 17/5. In came Kapil Dev, who not only played a captain’s innings, but one that is still considered as one of the best ODI innings ever. He scored 175 not out in just 138 balls, hitting 16 fours and 6 towering sixes, to take India to 266/8.

The English Turnaround

The matches going on over the past few weeks have provided really interesting and unexpected results. Pakistan securing a seemingly unlikely win over Sri Lanka in Galle; that too after being in a precarious situation on day 4 and more than a day’s play was washed away. Bangladesh finally achieving that elusive series win over their ‘Big Brothers’ India and threatening to white wash the series by winning the dead rubber. But for me, the most fascinating and captivating series on display was England, or rather “New” England defeating the World Cup runners-up New Zealand 3-2 in the recently concluded ODI series at home.

Before the start of the series, no one would have given a chance to the English team. Although they had managed to level the test series at a match a piece, New Zealand in ODI format are a really formidable side, in any conditions. The English team had many new faces, in a possible bid to form a team for the next world cup, after a horrendous performance in this year’s quadrennial event. The plague faced by the English team was known by all; there was a light year’s gap between their approach to the ODI game and other top teams. This mindset had not changed for the English side which in recent years had become more focused on its approach in the test matches. The fact that they became the top test team in the world even furthered their perception that the same approach will prove to be successful in the shorter formats as well. A grave mistake, as they all would now agree in hindsight.

After their dismal exit from the world cup league stage and sacking of coach Peter Moores, English team had became the butt of many jokes. Voices supporting the reinstating of flamboyant Kevin Pietersen were gaining strength. After all, he had also in many public and social platforms voiced his keen desire to don the English colours again. In a bid to earn his place back, Pietersen even let go of his lucrative IPL contract with the Sunrisers Hydrabad and went back to county circuit. As luck would have it, Andrew Strauss was appointed the new Director of Cricket for ECB. The same Strauss, about whom Pietersen had forwarded insulting remarks to the visiting South African team players. Since then, there was no love lost between the two.

A Beginners Guide To England At The ICC Cricket World Cup

There has been a downbeat attitude to England’s hopes in this tournament. Over the past year the England side has encountered much criticism regarding the sacking of Kevin Pieterson and the ongoing debate as to whether Alistair Cook should retain his place and captaincy. However, going into the World Cup, England look to have a settled side. Eoin Morgan has taken over the captaincy and looks to have thrived in his new role. England will be confident that they can reach the quarter finals and beyond.

The 50 over Cricket World Cup starts on Saturday with England taking on Australia in Melbourne.

Starting at 3:30am British time, England will face the toughest opponents in their group on day one of the tournament. With the top four from each group going through to the knockout stages, this game isn’t an essential win for England, but Peter Moore’s side will certainly want to get off to a good start to give themselves a chance to win their first ODI World Cup.

The form guide shows mixed results. In the recent tri-series against India and Australia, England beat India comprehensively on both occasions, however, every time they came up against the Aussies, the English failed to threaten. Australia though, are clear favourites for the tournament with many saying that it will be a domination.

New Zealand and South Africa have also been marked as potential winners. Meanwhile the Asian sides have been given little chance. India having been obliterated in the tri-series, Pakistan with their numerous injury troubles and Sri-lanka who have doubts over Malinga’s fitness, will do well to make the final or even the semis. The so called associate teams will, as usual, struggle to string wins together, especially against the test playing nations. Ireland might have a chance, but after losing heavily to Scotland in the warm up matches, their form is questionable. Zimbabwe and the UAE will struggle to get a win, with their only chance in the game with each other. The same can be said for Afghanistan and Scotland in group A.

My Love Affair With Cricket

It all began with a trip to Goa, India, in early December 2007. I didn't realize beforehand I was going to a cricket-mad country smack in the middle of a Test series against Pakistan. It turned out to be a vacation that changed my life. Literally.

I became curious about cricket when I saw that the Indian newspapers were full of reports of the Kolkata Test – and found that I didn't understand anything of what had happened during the previous day’s play despite being fluent in English. Despite, in fact, being a translator. Returning home to Finland, I decided to learn enough cricket-speak to understand what was going on. Then I meant forget all about it.

But one thing led to another. As I read cricket reports online, I blessed Wikipedia daily. It has taught me pretty much everything I know about the Laws of Cricket. But it took more than a year of intermittent study, as understanding one term just presented me with more new words. Or, often enough, old words that proved to have entirely new meanings. There are the classics, like duck and beehive, but I was stumped (yes, stumped) by words like crease (clearly not a reference to ironing gone wrong) and beat (as in beating the batsman). And so many cricketing expressions leave big chunks of the action unsaid. Leg before, of course. But also It was going to hit the middle of middle and off. Imagine for a moment that English is your second language (or third, as it is for me) and you are faced with middle of middle and off. Trust me, you start looking for the word you missed on your first reading.

Blame the Bouncer?

Every now and then, an event occurs within the confines of sport that transcends far beyond the normal boundaries. 

Sport exists to entertain, it has no other purpose.  And yet here we are faced with the tragedy of losing Phillip Hughes, a young man primed to become one of the senior Australian batsmen in the years to come.

Sadly we will never know what heights he might have scaled, it was surreal and hard-hitting to see the 'died' section on his Cricinfo page.

Understandably there has been a lot of talk and debate surrounding this tragedy. 

It is natural to seek an avenue of blame such as:

• Should the bouncer be illegal?
• Is the batsman protected enough?
• Is the bowler at fault, or perhaps fast bowling in general?

Commonwealth Cricket, Why Not?

The Commonwealth games have just kicked off, and this year Glasgow are hosting the plethora of sporting events. The Commonwealth games, although inferior to the Olympic Games, still successfully airs sport around the globe, introducing new events to the estimated 1 billion viewers. I will undoubtedly be transfixed by the majority of sports during these games as I am every time a large scale multisport event comes along. The weightlifting will force me to the edge of my seat and during the judo I’ll be cheering for an ipoon. Despite this, I would never think about watching these sports away from the Olympics or Commonwealth games. I can’t help but get the feeling that cricket, a far more interesting sport than most of the events currently featuring in the Commonwealth games, is missing out.

The Arrival of the WASP

WASP has come under a great deal of stick since its introduction to our T.V screens. The cricket faithful have taken to twitter to express their discontent. Sky’s commentators have tried their very best to explain the winning and score predictor, to give the gadget its full title, but still people seem to be either against it or confused to what it’s use is. The main argument against the WASP is that it takes the unpredictability out of the game but I think this stance misses the point.

World Cup 2015 and Team India

People and Cricket lovers in India tend to have very short memory, extremely short indeed.

2 away series with lukewarm performances and this absolutely inexperienced team is being riled and grilled with calls to bring back the seniors or bring in the fresh blood.

Let us take an impartial look...

1. Rohit Sharma: I never liked him getting millions of chances while never doubting his talent. He has played just 1 innings on any consequence ever since the ODI 200. But if he has been persisted with for so long, I think, some more persistence should not hurt. Remember he didn't do all that badly in England. The guy whom he has replaced, Sehwag has not scored even in domestic Cricket and his fielding is a joke. Unmukt Chand, Vijay Zol and co still have a lot to prove before they can stake claims.
2. Shikhar Dhawan: Well, he can't play the short ball. But so was the case with Gambhir and Ganguly before him. They survived after some adjustments. Gautham has looked extremely scratchy in Ranji Cricket this year. Shikhar deserves a decent run.
3. Virat Kohli: no questions about him.
4. Ajinkya Rahane: If he can hold his own against South Africa in tests, he can do well elsewhere in ODI Cricket. He deserves a fair chance. Don't decide after just one and a half series.

England Must Make One-Day Changes

Ahead of the World Cup in 2015, limited-overs coach, Ashley Giles, has pretty much admitted what everyone else already knew - England's one-day squad is in drastic need of major surgery if it is going to compete with the best teams on the planet.  Giles, speaking after the hugely-disappointing 4-1 ODI series defeat in Australia, has admitted he has some “tough decisions” to make as he bids to get England back on track. The way they threw away another winning position in Adelaide, to add to similar capitulations earlier on the tour, will have caused great alarm among the ECB hierarchy.

Australia in India Betting Tips

Australia in India too Close to Call

Fresh off the back of 2-1 ODI series victory against England the Australia one-day side are gearing up for a seven-game tour of India to kick start their summer.

Captain Michael Clarke has been named subject to fitness by coach Darren Lehmann, while Brad Haddin is back in the side and Mitchell Johnson get the nod after fruitful performances against the English this September. Clarke is suffering from chronic back pain, however, and with the next Ashes series just a few months away is expected to miss most of the tour.

Having won nine of their last 12 completed games this Aussie team don’t exactly require Clarke, although he could be useful against a rampant India ODI outfit.

Both teams are on form; separating India and Australia in the cricket betting odds will be difficult for many punters. A developing Virat Kohli-led team has just breezed past Zimbabwe and the team have lost just five ODIs all year.

Mitch Is Back With a Bang !!!

A much needed series win for the Aussies on Monday brought respite to both the team and their fans. After winning the Natwest one day series 2-1, the Australian team jumped to 2nd position in the ICC ODI Rankings. This ODI series was the “battle for Pride” for Australian Skipper Michael Clarke and his team, after the painful Ashes defeat. Mitchell Johnson, 31 years left handed pacer has made remarkable impact with his bowling in this series.

Johnson, who missed ashes selection earlier in this year, played a key role in Australia’s victory in this series. He took 2 wickets in his 10 Overs for 21 runs in the final ODI game, which included his 200th ODI wicket. With his remarkable efforts, Mitchell became 5th Australian bowler to reach 200 ODI wickets after Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Craig McDermott and Brett Lee.

Champions Trophy: A Clinical Victory for the Mustache !

 25 June 2013, is the right day to write about 23 June 2013 because it was 30 years ago on this day that Cricket became a religion for me and we subsequently found a God. We have discussed million times about 25 June 1983 and 2 April 2011 and about the T-20 World cup win. Today, it is about what was it about the Champions Trophy win !

It was a clinical performance by Team India and that was established by the uniform they wore during the victory celebrations.

Performance with Clinical Efficiency !

Performance with Clinical Efficiency !

Here is a list of people and attributes that contributed towards Indian win in the Champions Trophy.

His ODI Retirement

Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from One Day International cricket.

Co-incidentally the day a team was being picked for the upcoming home series against arch-rivals Pakistan.

Just wondering about the timing of the retirement announcement. Did he jump or Was he pushed? If the latter case is true then it would be a sad end.

I belong to the camp which believes that he should have retired after the 2011 World Cup. And this decision was delayed. Still the retirement makes me a little sad (though the first feeling on hearing the news was only ODIs!). After all even I was an SRT fanboy once and probably would be forever.. Nonetheless the manner of the end shouldn't tarnish his career. And it has been statistically the greatest career ever.

463 Matches, 18,426 runs, 49 centuries at an average of 44.83. Sometimes sheer numbers are enough to convey the magnitude of a player's achievements. And just to add an icing to the cake add 154 wickets as well.

This post is an attempt to recall top of the mind, the ten greatest SRT ODI moments, as I remember them.

1. 134 vs Australia, Sharjah, 1998, in the final of one of the many Coca-Cola Cups played that year. Incidentally on his birthday and coming on the back of the another brilliant 143 in the previous game against the same opponents, which took India to the final.

2. 175 vs Australia, Hyderabad, 2009 in a lost cause. A really heart-breaking game for any fan. Sachin scores 175 and yet India fall just short of Australia's 350+ target.

3. Hero Cup semi-final against South Africa. Taking responsibility to bowl when even Kapil Dev was reluctant to.

4. 98 vs Pakistan , 2003 World Cup at Centurion. Especially that upper cut six off Akhtar.

5. Mcgrath attack, 2000, ICC knock out, Nairobi. Provided the perfect start to a match which will be later remembered for being the 1st innings of Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer's yorker to dismiss Steve Waugh and Venkatesh Prasad hitting the last ball of the Indian innings for a six.

6. That six off Caddick, India vs England, World Cup 2003.

7. The ODI double century vs South Africa, Gwalior, 2010, coiniciding with my 1st ever chopper ride.

8. The dismantling off Henry Olonga, Sharjah, 1998. Another of the Coca Cola trophies in Sharjah in 1998. Olonga had the audacity to dismiss SRT off  a bouncer in the league game. The final was a different story altogether as Sachin and India cruised to the title against a then quite strong Zimbabwe.

 9. 140 vs Kenya, World Cup, 1999. A real gem of an innings in sad circumstances.

10.  The perfect swansong which could have been. The world cup victory at Wankhede, 2011.

And many many more over the past 23 years. 

Goodbye, Mr. Tendulkar. Thank you for all the entertainment and the memories.

Nishant Kumar for DieHard Cricket Fans
Follow Nishant on Twitter @NishantSKumar

The Day I Met Punter

2nd May 2007. Australia had just won the ODI World Cup in Barbados and they were on their way home via London Heathrow.

Second highest run scorer in Test Cricket history, 
Ponting retired from International cricket on 3rd December 2012

How do I know this? Because I saw them there!

Back then, I was a 27 year old buck taking the young lady I now call my wife, Maria, on a trip of a lifetime to Thailand. As we stood in security control, waiting to have our bags checked, I had an “if Carlsberg did airport check-ins,” moment…

I looked to my left and there was a man. An absolute hulk in fact that made me – a modestly sized man – look like a cat in a pack of lions. It was Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, barely able to fit through the body x-ray machines, his shoulders as wide as I was tall.

Four days earlier, Symonds had contributed 23 runs and a wicket to the Australian 53 run drubbing of Sri Lanka, helping Ponting’s men to a third ODI World Cup in a row.

Who can replace KP?

Kevin Pietersen announced his retirement from limited overs cricket on Thursday and inevitably England fans and observers alike went into meltdown, with a divide between those who felt KP had been mugged off by the ECB for failing to accommodate his wishes to remain in the T20 setup on one side, others claiming he was in breach of his contract sitting on the other. KP always did divide opinion, didn’t he?

KP has been an artist with the bat as much as anything else over the years – an innovator, making strokes such as the Switch Hit and the Flamingo shot his own, not to mention scoring with a strike rate that had opposing bowlers quaking in his boots before a ball was even bowled. KP will be missed, whether you love him or despise him to your very core.

Pietersen, the best T20 batsman in the world, will now miss the World Cup later this year. England selectors and captain Stuart Broad therefore have the unenviable task of having to replace their match winner with only months to go before the tournament begins.