IPL 8 has ended with a winner that few would have expected in the middle of the tournament. Mumbai Indians appeared unlikely to qualify for the knock out stage. Before that the cricket World Cup ended with a more predictable winner. It would have been a fairy tale finish for New Zealand had they won the cup. This was reality though. The professionalism of the Australians came to the fore in the final as they dismantled the New Zealand batting that had faced few tests.
After the world cup, there has been IPL 8 of course. Also, England faced West Indies in an engaging series that promises a new dawn for West Indies cricket. West Indies has uncovered a couple of young stars who can play a lead role in time to come. The first test between New Zealand and England was an absorbing one. New Zealand was in control for the initial part of the test but then in a couple of sessions, England inched back in and soon took the upper hand. It was an engaging contest. The second test has just concluded with New Zealand winning it, with a display of attacking batting, led by an aggressive captain.
Thus, the cricket season is picking up. India is all set to tour Bangladesh for a test and three one day internationals. The squad was announced some time ago. The only surprise was the return of Harbhajan Singh. The time is right for me to come out with my dream team for 2015 ! It is sobering to look at my dream team for 2012 available at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/2012/01/my-dream-indian-cricket-team-2012.html. I had selected Avi Barot as a wicket keeper. He has faded since that year ! T. P. Sudhindra has retired (I think). Robin Bist has not fired this season. My dream team will perform only in my dreams, it appears ! Still, I will make the attempt again !
My thoughts on selection are available in the same blog post. The ideas from that blog post are applied here again. The "rules" that I use are :
* A team comprises 3 batsmen, 4 all rounders and 3 bowlers, apart from the wicket keeper.
* Batsmen are players who have not bowled in their last ten first class or international appearances. Hence, if a batsman has bowled either in a T20 or a one day international or as a "partnership breaker", I would classify him as an all-rounder. Players like Kohli who did bowl in the beginning of their careers but who haven't bowled in their last ten appearances qualify as batsmen. For the same reason Pujara (who has bowled in a first class match in England currently) becomes an all rounder. The justification is that batsmen don't need to bowl, unlike bowlers who are called upon to bat.
* A bowler who has a batting average of more than 25 qualifies as an all-rounder. Again, the justification is available in the blog above. Hence a player like Wasim Akram who has an average of 22.64 is "just" a bowler. Similarly, Stuart Broad is a bowler rather than an all rounder. It sounds unfair even to me, but I prefer to use this rule to identify capable all rounders.
I shall use the 2014-15 Ranji trophy as a reference for the Indian team selection for now. My squad comprises 16 team members.
For bowlers, I use strike rates from the link http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ranji-trophy-2014-15/engine/records/bowling/best_career_strike_rate.html?id=9513;type=tournament to identify the five bowlers in the squad.
If I look at the number of wickets, it is Vinay Kumar and Shardul Thakur who are the toppers with 48 wickets. Since I am from Karnataka, I am extremely tempted to select Vinay Kumar, who has led the team well to two Ranji trophy triumphs. Unfortunately, since he is already 31, I feel that Shardul Thakur (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/475281.html) is a better prospect. One observation from Cricinfo's web page is that there are few spinners with good strike rates, which is surprising to see. Rahil Shah of Tamil Nadu (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/477161.html) has a career strike rate of 50 balls and probably deserves a few matches. He enters my squad as the left arm spinner. Among the existing bowlers, the statistics show that the strike rates of both Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami are similar in test cricket. Both have shown tendencies to be expensive in test cricket. Hence, I feel that we should try out at least one new medium pace or quick bowlers. I would still opt for Mohammed Shami since he has shown improvement in the one day international matches. Apart from him, my choice would be D. Siva Kumar (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/328679.html) who has a strike rate of 51 balls. One dark horse in the quick bowling department is the Baroda bowler Sagar Mangalorkar (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/470698.html). In his very first season, he has a strike rate of 38. It could be early days in his career, but his performance against teams like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is promising.
This means that I have my five bowlers : Mohammed Shami, D. Siva Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Sagar Mangalorkar and a spinner in Rahil Shah.
When it comes to all rounders, I am trapped by my own rules. Both Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay have bowled in recent T20 matches and hence are all rounders ! This reduces the number of genuine all rounders that I can have in my team, unfortunately. My primary bowling all rounder is R. Ashwin. The next one is Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The other two all rounders are Shreyas Gopal and Rishi Dhawan, both of whom have had good 2014-15 Ranji seasons.
Thus, my six all rounders are : Kohli, Vijay, Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shreyas Gopal and Rishi Dhawan.
The pure batsmen are few if one looks at the batting averages at http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ranji-trophy-2014-15/engine/records/batting/highest_career_batting_average.html?id=9513;type=tournament. Ajinkya Rahane and Lokesh Rahul are obvious choices. An exciting observation is the strike rate of Shreyas Iyer in 2014-15. In first class cricket (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/642519.html), he has scored at nearly 75% during the season, even surpassing Virender Sehwag in the season, who was known for his strike rate. The dark horses among the batsmen are Ganesh Satish an accumulator in the traditional mould, who has a first class average of 45 (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/310953.html). The sixth batsman is Baroda opener Saurabh Wakaskar (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/554692.html), who also has an average of around 44 in first class cricket.
So, the batsman are : Lokesh Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Ganesh S. and Wakaskar.
The wicketkeeping records for 2014-15 at http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ranji-trophy-2014-15/engine/records/keeping/most_dismissals_career.html?id=9513;type=tournament indicate that K. S. Bharat is the clear leader with dismissals per match being considered. I feel that he should be the wicketkeeper for India. It is extremely likely that he will turn out like Avi Barot, but I would opt for him. It appears that his wicketkeeping skills are better than those of his peers, going purely by statistics.
What does my dream eleven look like ? The team would be: Rahul, Murali Vijay, Rahane, Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ashwin, Bharat, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Sagar Mangalorkar and Rahil Shah. Its captain would be Kohli, but I do hope that he conducts himself better on the field.
I feel that the batting of the top order is extremely solid, particularly considering the quality of the bowling attack ! The middle order looks brittle. Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar significantly need to improve their batting skills if the team is to keep scoring 400 on a regular basis. The strength of the Indian bowling attack also looks suspect in my team. There is a marked absence of quality spin bowlers. I hope we find one or two bowlers who can make the ball curve and dip and lure batsmen to their doom, but that type of spin bowler is missing currently. Hence, the strike bowlers need to be Shami and Rahil Shah. Realistically, neither Shah nor Mangalorkar is likely to be selected in the near future.
Still, this is my "dream" team for now !
After the world cup, there has been IPL 8 of course. Also, England faced West Indies in an engaging series that promises a new dawn for West Indies cricket. West Indies has uncovered a couple of young stars who can play a lead role in time to come. The first test between New Zealand and England was an absorbing one. New Zealand was in control for the initial part of the test but then in a couple of sessions, England inched back in and soon took the upper hand. It was an engaging contest. The second test has just concluded with New Zealand winning it, with a display of attacking batting, led by an aggressive captain.
Thus, the cricket season is picking up. India is all set to tour Bangladesh for a test and three one day internationals. The squad was announced some time ago. The only surprise was the return of Harbhajan Singh. The time is right for me to come out with my dream team for 2015 ! It is sobering to look at my dream team for 2012 available at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/2012/01/my-dream-indian-cricket-team-2012.html. I had selected Avi Barot as a wicket keeper. He has faded since that year ! T. P. Sudhindra has retired (I think). Robin Bist has not fired this season. My dream team will perform only in my dreams, it appears ! Still, I will make the attempt again !
My thoughts on selection are available in the same blog post. The ideas from that blog post are applied here again. The "rules" that I use are :
* A team comprises 3 batsmen, 4 all rounders and 3 bowlers, apart from the wicket keeper.
* Batsmen are players who have not bowled in their last ten first class or international appearances. Hence, if a batsman has bowled either in a T20 or a one day international or as a "partnership breaker", I would classify him as an all-rounder. Players like Kohli who did bowl in the beginning of their careers but who haven't bowled in their last ten appearances qualify as batsmen. For the same reason Pujara (who has bowled in a first class match in England currently) becomes an all rounder. The justification is that batsmen don't need to bowl, unlike bowlers who are called upon to bat.
* A bowler who has a batting average of more than 25 qualifies as an all-rounder. Again, the justification is available in the blog above. Hence a player like Wasim Akram who has an average of 22.64 is "just" a bowler. Similarly, Stuart Broad is a bowler rather than an all rounder. It sounds unfair even to me, but I prefer to use this rule to identify capable all rounders.
I shall use the 2014-15 Ranji trophy as a reference for the Indian team selection for now. My squad comprises 16 team members.
For bowlers, I use strike rates from the link http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ranji-trophy-2014-15/engine/records/bowling/best_career_strike_rate.html?id=9513;type=tournament to identify the five bowlers in the squad.
If I look at the number of wickets, it is Vinay Kumar and Shardul Thakur who are the toppers with 48 wickets. Since I am from Karnataka, I am extremely tempted to select Vinay Kumar, who has led the team well to two Ranji trophy triumphs. Unfortunately, since he is already 31, I feel that Shardul Thakur (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/475281.html) is a better prospect. One observation from Cricinfo's web page is that there are few spinners with good strike rates, which is surprising to see. Rahil Shah of Tamil Nadu (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/477161.html) has a career strike rate of 50 balls and probably deserves a few matches. He enters my squad as the left arm spinner. Among the existing bowlers, the statistics show that the strike rates of both Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami are similar in test cricket. Both have shown tendencies to be expensive in test cricket. Hence, I feel that we should try out at least one new medium pace or quick bowlers. I would still opt for Mohammed Shami since he has shown improvement in the one day international matches. Apart from him, my choice would be D. Siva Kumar (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/328679.html) who has a strike rate of 51 balls. One dark horse in the quick bowling department is the Baroda bowler Sagar Mangalorkar (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/470698.html). In his very first season, he has a strike rate of 38. It could be early days in his career, but his performance against teams like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is promising.
This means that I have my five bowlers : Mohammed Shami, D. Siva Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Sagar Mangalorkar and a spinner in Rahil Shah.
When it comes to all rounders, I am trapped by my own rules. Both Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay have bowled in recent T20 matches and hence are all rounders ! This reduces the number of genuine all rounders that I can have in my team, unfortunately. My primary bowling all rounder is R. Ashwin. The next one is Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The other two all rounders are Shreyas Gopal and Rishi Dhawan, both of whom have had good 2014-15 Ranji seasons.
Thus, my six all rounders are : Kohli, Vijay, Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shreyas Gopal and Rishi Dhawan.
The pure batsmen are few if one looks at the batting averages at http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ranji-trophy-2014-15/engine/records/batting/highest_career_batting_average.html?id=9513;type=tournament. Ajinkya Rahane and Lokesh Rahul are obvious choices. An exciting observation is the strike rate of Shreyas Iyer in 2014-15. In first class cricket (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/642519.html), he has scored at nearly 75% during the season, even surpassing Virender Sehwag in the season, who was known for his strike rate. The dark horses among the batsmen are Ganesh Satish an accumulator in the traditional mould, who has a first class average of 45 (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/310953.html). The sixth batsman is Baroda opener Saurabh Wakaskar (link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/554692.html), who also has an average of around 44 in first class cricket.
So, the batsman are : Lokesh Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Ganesh S. and Wakaskar.
The wicketkeeping records for 2014-15 at http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ranji-trophy-2014-15/engine/records/keeping/most_dismissals_career.html?id=9513;type=tournament indicate that K. S. Bharat is the clear leader with dismissals per match being considered. I feel that he should be the wicketkeeper for India. It is extremely likely that he will turn out like Avi Barot, but I would opt for him. It appears that his wicketkeeping skills are better than those of his peers, going purely by statistics.
What does my dream eleven look like ? The team would be: Rahul, Murali Vijay, Rahane, Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ashwin, Bharat, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Sagar Mangalorkar and Rahil Shah. Its captain would be Kohli, but I do hope that he conducts himself better on the field.
I feel that the batting of the top order is extremely solid, particularly considering the quality of the bowling attack ! The middle order looks brittle. Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar significantly need to improve their batting skills if the team is to keep scoring 400 on a regular basis. The strength of the Indian bowling attack also looks suspect in my team. There is a marked absence of quality spin bowlers. I hope we find one or two bowlers who can make the ball curve and dip and lure batsmen to their doom, but that type of spin bowler is missing currently. Hence, the strike bowlers need to be Shami and Rahil Shah. Realistically, neither Shah nor Mangalorkar is likely to be selected in the near future.
Still, this is my "dream" team for now !
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