India tour of England 2014

[dipu]

आईसीसी की ताजा टेस्ट टीम रैंकिंग इस प्रकार से है-

1. ऑस्ट्रेलिया - 123 रेटिंग
2. साउथ अफ्रीका - 123 रेटिंग
3. पाकिस्तान - 103 रेटिंग
4. इंडिया - 102 रेटिंग
5. इंग्लैंड - 100 रेटिंग
6. श्रीलंका - 96 रेटिंग
7. न्यूजीलैंड - 92 रेटिंग
8. वेस्ट इंडीज - 76 रेटिंग
9. जिम्बाब्वे - 40 रेटिंग
10. बांग्लादेश - 21 रेटिंग।

[rafik]

Originally Posted by dipu

आईसीसी की ताजा टेस्ट टीम रैंकिंग इस प्रकार से है-

1. ऑस्ट्रेलिया - 123 रेटिंग
2. साउथ अफ्रीका - 123 रेटिंग
3. पाकिस्तान - 103 रेटिंग
4. इंडिया - 102 रेटिंग

[dipu]

Zaheer Khan wants Ishant Sharma to take over from him as the leader of India's fast-bowling group. Ishant, according to Zaheer, has enough experience to be able to guide his fast-bowling colleagues during India's five-Test series in England. Of the six frontline seam bowlers in India's squad, Ishant is the only one who has toured England before. Zaheer, who has been part of three England Test tours, missed out on selection with a side strain.

"It is Ishant who has played the most number of matches and he has been around for a while," Zaheer told ESPNcricinfo. "It is time he steps into that role. For Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] and [Mohammed] Shami, it is their first (England) tour so they will look to Ishant and [bowling coach] Joe Dawes for inputs to perform in those conditions."

Despite having played 55 Test matches, Ishant hasn't really shown signs that he could be looked at as the bowling captain. He has only played four Tests in England, during India's 2011 tour, during which he took 11 wickets. Incidentally, it was Praveen Kumar who led the attack - after an injured Zaheer limped out of the tour after just 13 overs in the first Test - and finished the series as India's best bowler, with 13 wickets in three Tests.

Ishant was India's best bowler in the two-Test series in New Zealand earlier this year, with 15 wickets at an average of 25.13, and bowled diligently during the South Africa tour before that. Zaheer, though, was present on both tours to mentor Ishant and Shami.

Zaheer was impressed with Shami, who he said possessed "very good pace" and complemented the rest of India's seam attack very well. "I was also impressed by someone like Mohammed Shami, who was able to perform the pace bowler's role very nicely," Zaheer said. "For a successful bowling unit you require a good fast bowler with very good pace and Shami has that. And that helped me cope with my workload. You do need a balanced bowling attack. You can't have bowlers with similar styles. It was a perfect combination we had, I felt. Ishant, being a very tall guy, adds that extra bounce on helpful pitches. If conditions are suitable for swing, I come in and also bring the experience."

Shami was once again the pick of the bowlers in the Indians' first warm-up match, a three-day game against Leicestershire that finished in a draw. Although Shami remained wicketless, he hurried the batsmen with his speed and movement and was able to make use of the overcast conditions much better than his senior partner Ishant. Ishant started with a no-ball - he finished with an embarrassing count of seven in just nine overs - and was constantly riled by Indian fans from the sidelines. Zaheer pointed out that a long series always provide the potential to settle in, and it would help India's fast bowlers to play as many matches as possible. "If you hit a good rhythm a series like this is the best thing that can happen to a bowler," he said. "Play as much as possible. It is important to get the confidence of bowling in those conditions and the two practice matches are crucial for the bowling unit to get used to the conditions and hit the ball in the right areas."

Zaheer said he would dearly miss being part of the Test series, having been part of three England tours in the past and played a key role in winning the 2007 series with 18 wickets. During the New Zealand tour, Zaheer said, the team management had told him to stay prepared for the England tour and manage his workload accordingly. He suffered a side strain during the IPL, however, and is still four weeks from being able to bowl again.

"That was the whole plan (playing in England)," Zaheer said. "I have been working towards this tour for the last year. I was focusing on Test matches. Even through the IPL my routines were working towards the England tour. Considering all that it was disappointing to miss out. I just hope that Indian team does well on English soil."

[dipu]

[dipu]

Former India captain Rahul Dravid has been appointed in a mentoring role to the team in the run-up to their five-Test series in England. Dravid will have a few sessions with the players before the series begins on July 9. He is expected to join the team latest by Monday.

The move was initiated by the team management, according to BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel. "It was the coach (Duncan Fletcher) who approached us on behalf of the team and said it would be good to have Rahul with his vast experience spend some time with the boys ahead of the series," Patel told ESPNcricinfo. "We immediately requested Rahul and he readily agreed."

This will be the first time Dravid, who has been mentoring IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals after retiring from international cricket in 2012, will be associated in such a capacity with the national team.

In March this year, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar had said that Dravid should take over as India coach, but the latter had declined the suggestion citing lack of time.

"Rahul Dravid is one man who is enormously respected and was a successful captain, having won series in West Indies and England," Gavaskar had said. "When he speaks, the Indian players, some of whom are superstars, listen to him as they know how much preparation went into his game."

"I am happy that he (Gavaskar) said I am capable of doing the job," Dravid had said. "But the job requires a lot of time, almost 11 months a year. I have just retired and at the moment because of time constraints, I have to decline."

Dravid was India's best batsman on their previous tour of England in 2011, his three centuries the only bright spot in a 0-4 rout. In all, six of Dravid's 36 Test hundreds came in England, where he made 1376 runs in 13 Tests at an average of 68.80. He also had a successful stint with county side Kent in 2000, scoring 1221 runs in 16 matches at 55.50 with two centuries.

[Dr.Shree Vijay]

Nice Thread.........

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