The Fantastico Duo of New Zealander’s who I grew up Adoring

The Fantastico Duo of New Zealander’s who I grew up adoring

New Zealand were a team who always played tough with the limited talent and quality that they had. Right through my growing years they produced several cricketers who were very competitive and at the same time very affable too. In this post I will talk about one of the best captains to have ever graced the cricket field and one of the best ODI openers that New Zealand have ever produced. The impact of these two cricketers on how New Zealand progressed through the 90’s is very significant.

Stephen Fleming

Stephen Fleming started his career in the mid 1990’s and was soon made the captain of the national side at a very young age of just 23 years. He would go on to become one of the most tactically intelligent and astute captain of all time and definitely as the most successful captain for the Black Caps.

He was a naturally gifted batsman who played with a lovely straight bat and his on drives were like music that strung to your heart whenever he unfurled them. Like most left handers he was also a majestic player of the cover drive and could flick the ball effortlessly through mid-wicket when the bowlers erred by bowling on to his pads.

He played over 100 test matches for the Kiwis and made over 7000 runs with a highest score of 274* (an innings where he declared selflessly instead of batting longer to score a triple ton). In ODI’s his best knock came on my birthday in South Africa during the 2003 World Cup when his unbeaten 134 helped New Zealand to score an emphatic victory while chasing a revised target of 229 in 39 overs. In all he played 280 ODI’s and amassed over 8000 runs at an average of almost 33.

He became the coach of Chennai Super Kings after he retired where he put to use all his tactical nous and intelligence forming a strong ally with the captain of the Indian Cricket team MS Dhoni. He has also tasted success in the BBL in Australian where he coached the Melbourne team. He will now coach the Pune team in the IPL.

Nathan Astle

Nathan Astle was an opener who played with the free spirit and with an attacking intent. He holds the record for the fastest double century (off 158 balls) which he scored against the English in 2002 when he slammed 222 in a match that the Kiwis went on to lose.

His real value came in the ODI set up where he forced the issue at the top of the order and was also a very handy medium paced bowler. He was also a very good slip fielder which made him a complete package for ODI’s. He scored 16 ODI centuries for the Black Caps which places him at the very top in the list for them.

India beat Australia by 37 runs in the first T20I at Adelaide

It was a Fantastico outing for Team India as they defeated Australia convincingly in the first T20 international that was played today at the Adelaide Oval to lead the three match series 1-0.

Australia won the toss and inserted India on to bat first. They had chased huge totals in the recently concluded ODI series and this decision must surely have been prompted by that fact.

Australia gave debut to the hard hitting all-rounder Travis Head while India gave debut to the all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Old guns Shane Watson and Shaun Tait returned for Australia while Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra made a comeback for the Indians.

India started well as Rohit found the boundary quite frequently among his mis-hits. India reached 31-0 in 3 overs as Shaun Tait struggled for his line and length. Watson was introduced in the 5th over and he immediately made an impact as he snaffled both Rohit and Dhawan as India slipped to 41-2.

India moved to 79-2 with Kohli continuing from where he had left in the ODI series. Rains on the other was struggling to find any sort of rhythm. Raina reached 1000 T20 international runs while Kohli brought up his 10th T20I half century. Kohli was finding the gaps with ease and India were in a commanding position. Tait finished his 4 overs with figures of none for 45. Raina fell in the last over going for a cute lap and MS Dhoni arrived to smack a 6 and 4 of his first two balls. India finished with 188-3 with Virat Kohli smashing an unbeaten 90.

The Australian innings got off to a rapid start as both Finch and Warner started playing their shots from the word go. The youngster Bumrah stated off well and had Warner mis-timing a pull shot to mid-on. Hardik Pandya went for 19 runs in good first over as he struggled with his control giving away 5 wides. Australia were going nicely but Jadeja got one to stop on Smith and Australia were 89-2. In the next over Ashwin got Finch leg before wicket and Australia had suddenly lost both the set batsmen.

Lynn and Head were out there with the Indian spinners tightening the noose and Head too departed shuffling too far across to Jadeja. From there on it was a mere formality for India even though Shane Watson and Lynn did strike a few hefty blows.

Pandya got two lucky wickets in the end while the impressive Bumrah finished with three. Australia were bowled out for 151 handing India a Fantastico win by 37 runs. India won the game but there is plenty of scope for improvement for them. I hope that the team will go from strength to strength and clinch this series so that they can carry the confidence in the WT20 World Cup.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Four Fantastico Battles that could impact the 1st T20 international between India and Australia at Adelaide

India will take on Australia in three T20 matches starting today. As I have written in my match preview these matches will be very important as we march towards the WT20 to be played in India in a couple of months. This series will be a good time to test some young blood and check out the readiness of the fringe players. India will also be looking to give a much better account of themselves by winning the series and taking some confidence going in to the T20 matches that they are slated to play against the Sri Lankans and in the Asia Cup as well.

Given below are 4 sub plots in today’s match that can swing the match in the favour of either team.

Four Fantastico Battles that could decide the course of the First T20 international between India and Australia at Adelaide

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan Vs Shaun Tait

Shaun Tait was once the most feared fast bowler that Australia had. But frequent injuries and loss of control meant that he could never cement a permanent place in the Aussie side. Now, in the absence of Starc and Johnson through injury and retirement, the Australian selectors have turned to Tait again. He has produced good performances in the recently concluded BBL and how the Indian openers fare against his express pace could well set the tone for this match.

Yuvraj Singh Vs James Faulkner and Nathan Lyon

Yuvraj last played for India on that fateful night in Bangladesh when he failed to get the ball off the square in the WT20 final against the Lankans. But now he is back and with an eye on the WT20 2016 he will be looking to produce a strong display. How he copes up with the off spin of Nathan Lyon and the clever changes of pace from James Faulkner could impact how strongly India finish.

David Warner and Aaron Finch Vs Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra has literally barged his way in to the Indian team by giving one good performance after another. He has earned his place but he will be immediately under pressure as bowling to David Warner and Aaron Finch could not be that easy for the returning pacer. On the other hand, if he can manage to snare early wickets then he will surely have gone a long way sealing his place in the team for the WT20 2016.

Steve Smith and Shane Watson Vs the Indian Spinners

India are likely to play two spin bowlers in this game and they will most likely be Ravindra Jadeja and one of Harbhajan Singh and R Ashwin. The Australian middle order is a bit weak with the absence of Glenn Maxwell but the Australian skipper Steve Smith and the old fox Shane Watson can put the Indian spinners away with their twinkle toes and powerful slog sweeps. How India fares generally mirrors how their spinners fare so this will be one important battle to keep a close watch on.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

The Fantastico Duo of Aussie's who I grew up adoring! - Part II

The Fantastico Duo of Aussie's who I grew up adoring! - Part II

In this part two of 'The Fantastico Trio of Aussie's who I grew up adoring!' I will enlist two players who are known for their swashbuckling style of play and players who re-defined the way that cricket was played before them.

Adam Gilchrist

He practically redefined the way the wicket-keepers were perceived up until then. He had an aggressive style of batting and provided Australia with a strong finish in Tests while providing them with blazing starts in ODI cricket.

He kept things simple, and believed in 'Seeing the Ball and Hitting the Ball' philosophy. Playing straight was his thing and a still head and quick hands provided the power. He was also a very likable guy off the field and walked when he believed that he was out. He famously walked in the Semi Finals of the 2003 World Cup match even though the umpire had given him not out. He played several high impact innings for the Australians helping them steam roll the opposition but for me the best innings that he played was his audacious 149 off just 104 balls in the Final of the 2007 World Cup after being out of form during the whole tournament.

His strike rate of over 80 in test cricket and over 96 in ODI ranks amongst the very best and the fact that he hit 100 sixes in the longest format just presses his case further as one of the most attacking batsman to have ever played the game. He was a thorough all-rounder as he was beyond excellence in two skills of the game and his impact on young kids wanting to take up cricket as a career is quite large.

Michael Slater

Long before Virender Sehwag or David Warner started the slam bang batting right at the top of the order in the longest form of the game, there existed a batsman named Michael Slater. The Aussie opener loved to bash the bowlers and watching him go after the bowlers was an entertaining sight. His rasping cuts and dismissive pull shots off the front foot were a trademark and he also had the unique habit of kissing his helmet upon reaching three figures. He was also a very nervous wreck in the 90's and was dismissed a record 9 times between 90 and 100.

You would imagine that he would become very successful in ODI cricket but he had a very modest career playing just 42 ODI's and scoring less than 1000 runs at an average of just 24. He was also known for sledging and often crossed the line. The lowest point came when he finger pointed fingers at the umpire and Rahul Dravid during a test match in India when the umpire disallowed a catch something that Slater did not agree with. He now works as a commentator with Channel 9 and provides his insights on the game.

The Fantastico Duo of Aussie's who I grew up adoring! - Part I

The Fantastico Duo of Aussie's who I grew up adoring! - Part I

When I was a kid the Australian team was in the ascendancy and they were to rule the cricketing world for years to come. They left a huge impact on my young impressionable mind and they were the team that each one of us hated. They were the team that we wanted to lose. We supported any team that would be playing against the Aussie's, they were a team full of arrogant and loud mouthed players who bragged and boasted about themselves and left no stone un-turned to put the opposition players down.

But as they say, everyone in a team is not the same and there were some Australian's whom I loved to watch. They are the Fantastico Duo who captured my imagination.

Steve Waugh

He was the hero of many who grew up in the 90's, there were many of those who grew up idolizing him. He had nerves of steel and was a brilliant thinker of the game. It was a joy to see him battle out there in the middle, tire the opposition out and out-think each and everyone.

He could play fast bowling and spin bowling equally well and the slog sweep and flicks were his favourite shots. Along with Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath he laid the foundation of the Australian team which would scale unprecedented heights under his tenure. He led the Aussie's to 15 wins out of their 16 Test wins on the trot and he led them to a World Cup win in 1999.

He played a whopping 168 tests and scored over 10000 runs and he played 325 ODI matches for the Australians in which he amassed more than 7500 runs. Steve Waugh was perhaps the most loved Aussie of his time by any Indian. His grit and determination made him an extraordinary cricketer, he scaled unbelievable heights even though he was limited talent-wise.

Mark Waugh

He was nicknamed Junior as he was the younger twin brother of Steve Waugh. He was known for his batting wizardry and languid poise. He was one of the most graceful players to play the game in the 1990's. His use of the feet against the spinners made him a very good player who conquered the sub-continental conditions but he was equally adept at facing fast bowling as well.

He opened the batting for Australia at the 1996 World Cup and scored 3 centuries in the tournament. He could also bowl handy off breaks and was a superb slip catcher. When he retired he held the record for the highest ODI centuries for Australia (18) and the highest catches in Test cricket. Both of these records have been broken since. He was embroiled in match fixing scandals later in his career but nothing conclusive came out of it.

India Vs Australia - First T20 International, Adelaide Oval - Match Preview

A Fantastico match awaits us as India takes on Australia in the first T20 International at the Adelaide Oval tomorrow evening. With the ICC WT20 2016 looming, each and every T20 international match assumes importance as they will provide the teams with a chance to test newer players and test their fringe players.

For India, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will look to continue their stellar form from the ODI matches to the shortest format of the game. They will need to provide a quick and fiery start so that the Indian middle order can capitalize and post a total which can challenge the Australian line up. Suresh Raina returns to the team in his favourite format after spending time on the side-lines due to poor form.

Virat Kohli would probably bat at number 4 and he will look to be the buffer between the start that India get and look to guide the lower middle order and close out the innings. Yuvraj Singh also returns to the team and to the same format he last played for India. He would have bitter memories of that WT20 Final match against the Lankans which India lost as Yuvraj failed to provide the final thrust that India were looking for in that game. MS Dhoni along with Ravindra Jadeja would look to provide the final touches in the slog overs.

It would be interesting to see if India goes for R Ashwin or Harbhajan Singh. Ashwin was dropped in the latter part of the ODI series but Bhajji too has not been in very good form recently. The ageing stalwart Ashish Nehra returns to the Indian team after a long hiatus and he will be eager to give a decent performance and seal his place in the Indian squad for the World Cup.

The Australian opening combination of Warner and Finch are as destructive and powerful as they come in this format. If they tee off, then Australia will be looking at a very huge total. Aussie captain Steve Smith will follow these two and look to continue the momentum. The dynamic Glenn Maxwell misses out due to a hamstring niggle and hence one of either Lynn or Head can get a game.

Australia have also recalled Shane Watson, a master of the T20 format and he along with James Faulkner and Wade will provide plenty of big hitting options to Australia down the order.

Australia have also gone for Shaun Tait, the once fearsome fast bowler after he produced good performances in the recently concluded BBL, in the absence of injured Starc and retired Johnson. Nathan Lyon will audition for a spinner that will play a very important role in India. It will be interesting to watch how he goes after he took a bit of stick in the final ODI match.

Fantastico Battles to look out for:

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan Vs Shaun Tait

Yuvraj Singh Vs James Faulkner

David Warner and Aaron Finch Vs Ashish Nehra

Steve Smith and Shane Watson Vs the Indian Spinners

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

The Fantastico Trio of Rohit, Shikhar and Virat

Rohit, Virat and Dhawan - Fantastico Trio for Team India in the ODI series against Australia Down Under

The Indian team may have lost the VB ODI series 1-4 to Australia but the main positive point for Team India was the batting form of openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan and also the continuing imperious form of number three Virat Kohli.

Rohit Sharma has been a perennial under achiever for the oodles of talent that he possesses. He is gradually beginning to realise his true potential and his penchant for Daddy Hundreds is now becoming something of a more common sight.

He started the series with a monstrous 171* at the WACA where his full array of shots was in full display. The powerful cuts and the languid flicks, the sumptuous cover drives made their presence felt. He followed that up with another masterclass as he made 124 at Gabba. These two totals propelled India beyond 300 in both the games but unfortunately India lost both these matches because of wayward bowling and inept fielding. He also made a 99 in the last ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground which helped India get off to good start and finally win the match in the end. In all he scored 441 runs in the 5 innings at an average of 110.25 and also maintained a strike rate of over 100 runs per hundred balls.

Virat has always done well in Australia and it was expected that he continue to do so this time around as well. He lived up to all the hype and expectations as he cracked two tons and two half centuries in the series. Virat started with a 91 and 59 before finally converting those starts in to more meaningful scores. He made 117 and 106 helping India post big scores but again India lost both these matches because of reasons mentioned above. In all, he scored 381 runs at an average of 76 and a strike rate of nearly 100.

Shikhar Dhawan started the series with two single figure score but the twirl of the moustache was back from the third ODI. He cracked a 68 in the match at MCG before making a stunning 126 off just 113 balls at Canberra. He followed these two innings with another rapid half century in the last match which set the tone for Manish Pandey and Rohit Sharma to finish off the record run chase at Sydney. He scored 287 runs at an average of almost 60 and a healthy strike rate touching 100.

These three were the Fantastico players for India and their good form with the bat augurs well for India as there is a lot of cricket to be played over the next few months including the Asia Cup and the all-important ICC WT20 2016 in March-April.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.