03-27-2007, 03:13 PM
(a) Last month during SL series, Shewag didn't show up for some practice and after a little noise and not even slap on wrist, he was allowed to play in all ODI and was even picked for WC despite his dissmal record lately.
These "senior" players have become so senior that their priority is doing the page 3 social circuit photo-ops, opening new business/hotels, pushing some soda or bank or shaving cream on TV etc.. and with all this primary focus has taken back seat. I have no doubt SRT to will score big anytime now.
In fact back in 80s there was a time when Ravi Shastri had perfected the art of coming up with some big scores *just* when he was about get the axe for a string of poor performances; and the cycle would repeat. These guys know to beat the system.
Until there's automated rating system of chucking the player out of the team, we'll see those occasional flash of brilliance now and then but never collectively or consistently. I understand there's a lot of subjectivity involved to just condense it into a mathematical equation, but with couple thousand PhDs around why can't we come up with something? Anything?
(b) N:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->A good technical coaching staff would go over videos and help the stars get these flaws out of their batting.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
In late 90s Srinath was working with software engineers in Bangalore to create a unique database of cricket videos and cataloging it for easy search/research, the kind where one could pull up say '<i>give me all dismissals in past 2 years for Pointing for balls pitched on off-side</i>' or <i>retrieve SRTs reaction to all short pitched deliveries</i>, you get the idea. There hasn't been any news about this software lately or is it that hush-hush project now? Anyone heard anything about this lately?
Some interesting comments from
Suresh Menon on Cricinfo
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->..to term India's departure from the World Cup a tragedy is ridiculous. Tragedy is when a coach is murdered. Tragedy is when a world champion driver is killed on the circuit. Tragedy is not to understand what is tragedy. Dropping a catch is not a tragedy, being thrown out of the World Cup because batsmen can't score runs is not a tragedy. In fact, it is a farce.
If you saw the Australia-South Africa encounter, you knew that India had no chance in this World Cup. These two teams have taken the one-day game to a different plane altogether. Everything is based on physical fitness and the ability to think on the feet. Two qualities that India lacked. If anything, by their refusal to acknowledge the importance of fielding and fitness, India were actually taking the game backwards. Shane Watson throwing down the stumps from the boundary to break a 160-run opening partnership is what it's all about. It turned the match, and perhaps the tournament itself.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has said that there is no talent in India. Who is responsible for that? The cry for the coach's head, the captain's head, the best players' heads are so strident, the odd cry for the Board officials' heads goes unheard.
This about sums it up:
<!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->If a team with nearly 40,000 runs among them cannot chase 255 on a good batting track, they have no business to remain in the World Cup. And that has to be the bottom line. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
These "senior" players have become so senior that their priority is doing the page 3 social circuit photo-ops, opening new business/hotels, pushing some soda or bank or shaving cream on TV etc.. and with all this primary focus has taken back seat. I have no doubt SRT to will score big anytime now.
In fact back in 80s there was a time when Ravi Shastri had perfected the art of coming up with some big scores *just* when he was about get the axe for a string of poor performances; and the cycle would repeat. These guys know to beat the system.
Until there's automated rating system of chucking the player out of the team, we'll see those occasional flash of brilliance now and then but never collectively or consistently. I understand there's a lot of subjectivity involved to just condense it into a mathematical equation, but with couple thousand PhDs around why can't we come up with something? Anything?
(b) N:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->A good technical coaching staff would go over videos and help the stars get these flaws out of their batting.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
In late 90s Srinath was working with software engineers in Bangalore to create a unique database of cricket videos and cataloging it for easy search/research, the kind where one could pull up say '<i>give me all dismissals in past 2 years for Pointing for balls pitched on off-side</i>' or <i>retrieve SRTs reaction to all short pitched deliveries</i>, you get the idea. There hasn't been any news about this software lately or is it that hush-hush project now? Anyone heard anything about this lately?
Some interesting comments from
Suresh Menon on Cricinfo
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->..to term India's departure from the World Cup a tragedy is ridiculous. Tragedy is when a coach is murdered. Tragedy is when a world champion driver is killed on the circuit. Tragedy is not to understand what is tragedy. Dropping a catch is not a tragedy, being thrown out of the World Cup because batsmen can't score runs is not a tragedy. In fact, it is a farce.
If you saw the Australia-South Africa encounter, you knew that India had no chance in this World Cup. These two teams have taken the one-day game to a different plane altogether. Everything is based on physical fitness and the ability to think on the feet. Two qualities that India lacked. If anything, by their refusal to acknowledge the importance of fielding and fitness, India were actually taking the game backwards. Shane Watson throwing down the stumps from the boundary to break a 160-run opening partnership is what it's all about. It turned the match, and perhaps the tournament itself.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has said that there is no talent in India. Who is responsible for that? The cry for the coach's head, the captain's head, the best players' heads are so strident, the odd cry for the Board officials' heads goes unheard.
This about sums it up:
<!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->If a team with nearly 40,000 runs among them cannot chase 255 on a good batting track, they have no business to remain in the World Cup. And that has to be the bottom line. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->