Disturbed by spidercam, Dhoni calls for balance

Not too happy with the use of overhead ‘Spidercam’ during the ODI series against Australia, India’s limited-over skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has called for a balance in the usage of such technology so that it doesn’t interfere with the on-field action.

During the fifth ODI, India were denied a boundary in the 19th over when Virat Kohli’s shot off John Hastings had hit the spidercam, prompting the umpires to declare it a dead ball.

Though it didn’t have any bearing on the result as India chased down a 331-run victory target to clinch the final ODI by six wickets but Dhoni said such intrusion can affect the results of close contests.

“I am quite a traditional guy. Anything that disturbs the game of cricket I don’t like it,” Dhoni told reporters after India won the fifth one-dayer to avoid a whitewash.

“It all started right from the Twenty20 where people would be like, ‘Why don’t you wear a mic?’, ‘Why don’t you wear a camera?’

“I always feel there is always a need for a balance. At the end of the day, it’s a spectators’ sport, people watching on television, but at the same time four runs can really matter.

“Especially when it’s a 310-320 game, those four runs can be crucial,” he said.

Dhoni also suggested that some form of penalty should be imposed if Spidercam gets in the way during the match.

“Everyone gets penalised, why not have the same system for the Spidercam? Say, ‘Okay if you get hit, $2,000 per hit.’ Let’s make it interesting,” he said jokingly.

Australian captain also Steven Smith echoed Dhoni’s views.

“I just think we need to make sure it’s away when the ball is coming,” said Smith, who had dropped a simple catch at the Sydney Cricket Ground last year during a Test against India after getting distracted by the Spidercam.

“We don’t need to see things like that where it’s a dead ball. Something like that can really change the course of the game.

“So I just think we need to make sure we get him out of the way when the bowler is coming in to bowl,” he said.

On a lighter note, Smith quipped: “He was probably our best fielder tonight, Spidercam. He saved four.”

Australia didn’t have a good day on the field as there were many fielding lapses, especially by Shaun Marsh and Nathan Lyon, who dropped simple chances.

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Smith, Finch disagree with Maxwell’s comments on Indian batsmen

Australia skipper Steve Smith and Aaron Finch on Friday begged to differ with teammate Glenn Maxwell’s comments on the Indian batsmen being “milestone-driven”, saying it was his personal opinion.

All-rounder Maxwell had criticised the Indian batsmen of being more concerned about their personal achievements than the team’s interest.

“The talk of Indian players being selfish was obviously Glenn’s view; that’s not my personal view,” Finch told reporters.

“Virat Kohli got a 100 off 80-odd balls the other day — there was nothing selfish about that innings. That was an extraordinary, extraordinary innings. Shikhar Dhawan got it off about 95 balls, I think. He took the game on at the start for India along with Rohit (Sharma) and got them off to an absolute flyer. Gee! There are some seriously good players in India. Virat — 25 ODI hundreds now. That’s an unbelievable achievement,” he added.

Smith, meanwhile, said it was only natural for a batsman to slow down when he is approaching a milestone.

“I think that can be natural for anyone around the world. When you see that sort of milestone coming, in the back of your mind you might slow down a little bit. I think Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are quality players and they’re batting beautifully and I don’t see any problem with any selfishness there,” said Smith.

After his match-winning knock of 96 runs in the third ODI, Maxwell had stated that the Indian batsmen were playing for personal landmarks.

“They were, probably, just making sure they got to a milestone. Some people are milestone-driven, some people aren’t,” Maxwell had said.

The all-rounder also cited the example of Kohli, saying: “I think, if you look back at it. I was sent a photo the other day. It said — Virat was 84 off 63 (factually, he was 84 off 61), and then 100 off 89 (100 off 84) or something like that. He got his last 11 runs off 22 (21) balls to get his hundred.”

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With eye on World T20, India-Australia renew fierce rivalry

India will look to get their combination right as they renew their fierce rivalry against a confident Australia in the first of the five-match ODI series starting in Perth on Tuesday, marking the onset of a long limited-overs schedule stretching until the World T20.

The short limited overs series, including five ODIs and three T20 internationals, Down Under will initiate the Indian team’s preparations for the marquee ICC World T20 scheduled in March-April.

The T20 games will be played after the five ODIs, and Dhoni’s boys would like to carry the momentum in the shortest format.

Warm-up matches

While India won both their warm-up games — a T20 and 50-over match each — against the second string Western Australia XI, it is certainly not the best indicator of the kind of challenge they will face from Steve Smith’s men.

India did not have a great 2015 when they came to the 50-over format as they lost back-to-back series to Bangladesh (away) and South Africa (at home).

Rue Shami’s absence

Skipper Dhoni will like to turn the tables in the New Year but will rue the fact that one of his best pace weapons, Mohammed Shami, has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury even before the first ball has been bowled.

But there are certain aspects that might also relieve Dhoni. The fact that David Warner may not be available for better part of the series and with Mitchell Starc or the now retired Mitchell Johnson not there, the Aussie bowling attack comprising Josh Hazlewood, Joel Paris, Scott Boland and Jimmy Faulkner looks thin on experience.

As far as his own bowling attack is concerned, Dhoni has been fretting over the possible playing XI combinations.

Three-man pace attack

His most experienced bowler Ishant Sharma did not play any of the two warm-up games, so it’s not known whether he would be playing in the opening game.

With three pacers almost certain to play at the WACA, which is the bounciest of Australian pitches, there are high chances that left-arm pacer Barinder Sran could win his maiden India cap alongside Ishant and Umesh Yadav.

The lanky Sran looked impressive in both the practice matches with both pace and swing in his armoury. With a deceptive short ball, Sran could prove to be a handful, complementing Ishant and Umesh.

The two experienced spin-bowling all-rounders Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will make up the five-pronged bowling attack for India.

Batting line-up almost settled

The batting unit looks more or less settled with Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan in the opening slots followed by vice captain Virat Kohli at No 3. Ajinkya Rahane is expected at No 4 and one might find the Indian captain batting at No 5.

In the middle-order, the No 6 slot will see a new face.

Vacuum by Suresh Raina absence

One among Manish Pandey or Gurkeerat Singh will be playing in slot that got vacated due to Suresh Raina’s exclusion from the squad.

Manish Pandey, who made an impressive ODI debut against Zimbabwe last year, staked his claim with a 58 in the practice game, but Gurkeerat has been a consistent performer for Punjab and India A.

Dhoni always doesn’t go by scores in warm-up games so it would not be surprising if he picks Gurkeerat ahead of Manish in the end.

The other option could be seamer all-rounder Rishi Dhawan. But the pace at which he bowls, and his batting abilities on this kind of track, has not really been tested.

The year is going to be important for Dhoni, who has been named captain till the end of World T20.

The selectors wanted to send a message by putting an end to the question mark over his leadership. But the man himself knows that he has to up the ante and perform for his team.

India needs Dhoni to produce match-winning efforts, which have been few and far between in recent times. It will be interesting to see where Dhoni comes into bat. For him, a lot will depend on how his pace battery delivers.

During the World Cup last year, the trio of Umesh, Shami and Mohit bowled like well-oiled machines even though the Bengal pacer was on injections to lessen the excruciating pain on his knee.

Smith — man to watch out for

It won’t be easy to stem the flow of runs if Australia skipper Smith gets going. Warner, for whatever time he is available, would be a threat looming large on the bowlers. His sheer presence can be intimidating.

Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell can take apart any bowling on their day.

Then there is former captain George Bailey, a very competent player in this format and someone who can build an innings. James Faulkner’s prowess as a batsman is well known to the Indians and especially Ishant Sharma, who was hammered during the 2013 series.

In the larger scheme of things then, Team India couldn’t have asked for a better challenge to kick-start their preparation for the ICC event two months down the road.

Immediate concern for India

Immediate concerns are aplenty though, ranging from solving the batting order equation to finding the right balance with the bowling attack. Starting with the latter, Shami’s hamstring injury is a big blow to Indian hopes.

The pacer spent a considerable time away from the game since the 2015 ODI World Cup, but it cannot be denied that he was the spearhead of the attack in the limited-overs arena.

During their last trip here in 2014-15, he was the most improved bowler across four-plus months spent, and it showed in the manner he picked 17 wickets in the World Cup.

Stretching back to 2011-12, this is Yadav’s fourth visit to Australia, and he will be eager to showcase that experience on the field.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had suffered at their hands too, and it will be interesting to see if he regains his place in the XI, after being called as Shami’s replacement.

Ishant is back in the ODI fold again, after missing out on the World Cup last year owing to injury. The duo will fight it out for the third pacer spot, for Sran, with his left-arm angle and extra pace, is in line for his debut.

India will surely look to play five bowlers, and in the 50-over warm-up game, all three spinners in the squad picked up two wickets each. It isn’t going to deter Dhoni’s plan of fielding R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Axar Patel.

New-look Australia

A day ahead of the game, Australia have already named the playing eleven. 23-year-old left-arm quick Joel Paris and 26-year-old Scott Boland have been handed their ODI debuts.

Mitchell Marsh and James Faulkner will make it a pace-heavy attack.

Squads

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Manish Pandey, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Barinder Sran, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Axar Patel, Rishi Dhawan

Australia: Steve Smith (captain), Aaron Finch, David Warner, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner, Matthew Wade (WK), Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood, Joel Paris, Scott Boland.

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I’ve let the boys know about Sran: Smith

He may be an unknown entity in international cricket but Barinder Sran is not quite unfamiliar to Australian captain Steve Smith, who says the rookie pacer has impressive variations in his armoury and was discussed in the dressing room.

“I haven’t seen much of Sran’s one-day cricket back home in India, but I saw him bowling in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals and he was quite impressive. He’s a tall lad, swings the ball early and he’s got a few change-ups — I’ve let the boys know about them,” said Smith of his IPL teammate on the eve of the first of five-match ODI series starting in Perth on Tuesday.

India could opt to hand their left-arm seamer Sran a debut, while Gurkeerat Mann and Rishi Dhawan wait in the wings. Thanks to his half-century in the war-up match on Saturday, Manish Pandey looks set to bat at number five on Tuesday.

“I know some of the young guys that are going to get an opportunity through IPL — the likes of Manish Pandey, who I think has progressed really well and played some good cricket of late. And obviously the experience of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma in the top order — they are pretty crucial wickets for us, and hopefully we can get them early,” Clarke said.

Smith hoped that the pitch at the WACA will aid his seamers.

The hosts have named an all-pace attack for the first of the five-match series.

“There wasn’t much pace and bounce in it when we played against New Zealand. Hopefully, tomorrow it can have that,” said Smith on Monday, on the eve of the series.

“It looks a little bit soft at the moment, underfoot, but obviously we’re still a day out from the game. We’ll see how it looks tomorrow. Hopefully, it has more pace and bounce than in that Test.”

“It’s traditional that we can use a left-arm seamer here who can use the breeze and swing the ball. The wicket looks like it’ll be a good one. We are happy to start at the WACA and Gabba for the first two matches of the series. They have been fortresses for us in ODI cricket for a while. Obviously, the conditions are a bit different to what the Indians are used to back home and hopefully we can exploit that,” he added.

The 23-year-old left-arm pacer Joel Paris will make his debut tomorrow then, and it will be a special affair for him as the WACA is his home ground. 26-year-old Victorian Scott Boland will also be handed his first ODI cap as Australian named an all-pace attack with Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and James Faulkner filling up the numbers.

“Joel Paris has been very impressive in the Matador Cup for the last couple of years and in the Big Bash this year.

Perth is one of the best places in the world to bowl as a fast bowler. You get good pace and carry and a little bit of swing.

It’s a great opportunity for all of them tomorrow, and particularly Joel playing in his home ground,” said the Australian skipper.

Talking about the inexperienced bowling attack in the absence of the retired Mitchell Johnson and the injured Mitchell Starc, Smith said, “We’ve got a pretty young, inexperienced bowling attack, but they’ve all been bowling well and I think it’s a really exciting time for Australian cricket to see these young guys coming through. I’m sure they are going to relish the opportunity to bowl at places like the WACA and the Gabba.”

“India have got some very good players of fast bowling. Last year the more they played in these conditions throughout the Test matches, ODIs and the World Cup, they looked like they adapted to the conditions. For us, we used Glenn Maxwell as our spinner through the World Cup and used our pace attack to good effect. Particularly at the Gabba and WACA, we can use the quicks a lot more than the spinners,” he added.

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