Unboxing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2011-12

India versus Australia has always been the marquee series since the teams played out what is called one of the most absorbing series of test cricket in 2000-01 in India. The turnaround series. Since January 1st 2000, the two teams have played 22 test matches against each other in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Unlike no other team in recent history, with probably the exception of England in very recent times, India has an upper hand over their rivals. India has won 9 of those encounters, where as Australia have won 7 of them. Rest 6 have been draws, but draws which have played some part in upping one team's psyche over the other.

India's current tour of Australia will kick off with the Boxing Day test at Melbourne tomorrow. This series is what experts are calling 'India's best chance to defeat Australia in Australia'. I'd have to agree. While both teams look undercooked, Australia look scarily raw on paper. With no Watson their batting looks unappealing and without Johnson their bowling seems to lack depth. With Siddle and Hilfenhaus expected to lead the attack alongside Pattinson and Lyon, you get a feeling there is something missing. Bollinger would've made a difference here, he's injured too. Their woes don't end here. Their 'Mr Dependable', Mike Hussey has been going through a torrid run in the past few months. Question marks have been raised over Ponting's relevance in the team. Micheal Clarke has emerged as a good leader and his batting form has shown up too, but this is going to be his acid test too. Newcomer Warner and debutant Ed Cowan are expected to open the innings for Australia. Both have been in supreme form. But as a pair in international cricket they are untested and inexperienced. It's easy to say this is the weakest team Australia has played in a while. Looking at the team sheet doesn't quite exude confidence.

While Australia played without the services of Warne and McGrath when India toured in 2003-04, they then had Gillespie, Brett Lee and the hardworking duo of Bichel & MacGill. But their batting, especially Ricky Ponting, was in terrific form. They were then led by a capable & experienced Steve Waugh. And not to forget India's overseas jinx then. That 2003-04 series could be monumental in India having self belief that they can win tests abroad. Ganguly led by example with a century in the drawn first test at Brisbane. His captaincy was a mix of aggression and caution by which India could salvage a 1-1 draw. None of that looks too likely here. Clarke still in his formative days as captain. Batting looks far from confident enough to match up to the star studded Indian line up. Haddin is no Gilchrist. But Australians are still going to come hard at the Indians. They aren't expected to give a leeway to India in any way. Bowlers will pepper Indian batsmen with the short ball. Fielding will be top notch to cover up for other deficiencies.

Now a look at India.
Dhoni as usual underplays Australia's weak line up. He expects them to leave no stone unturned to intimidate Indians. India's biggest cause of concern though is the fitness of the bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan and their highest wicket taker in 2011, Ishant Sharma. The former has a history of breaking down in the middle of a tour, more so in the middle of a match like against England earlier this year. Ishant has had concerns with his ankle. They both have been bowling in the nets confidently and are expected to be fit for the series. These two are India's best bets to set the ball rolling. Their know how of the surfaces and Australian batting will help immensely. Without Zaheer, its difficult to see India taking 20 wickets in a match. Umesh Yadav will shore up a the third seamer. His pace and his rip will cause some discomfort. Ravichandran Ashwin walks in to the line up for this series with a reputation. Australians will be very vary of him. Pitches here will offer some spin, especially Sydney. His role will be very crucial. Australia, with the exception of Clarke, Hussey, aren't the best players of spin. Batting will be India's best chance. Australia doesn't have a Steyn or Anderson that Indian batsmen will need to guard against. Gambhir and Sehwag will tear into anything loose. Gambhir needs runs to back him. Then in the line up come the three "creaking terminators" as Dravid termed them in his legendary speech at the Bradman Oration. Dravid, Tendulkar & Laxman tour Australia for possibly the last time in their cricketing careers. This would be Tendulkar's fifth tour and Dravid & Laxman's fourth. They would love a 'test series win in Australia' in their CVs when they hang their boots. More over Dravid and Tendulkar, it's Laxman who would be giving Aussie bowlers nightmares. The numbers speak for themselves. The sixth batsman slot will be taken up by Virat Kohli after his reassuring knocks against West Indies in the tests. Rohit Sharma is knocking the doors too hard for Kohli's comfort. It's healthy competition though. So much depends on this one man, Dhoni. His unaffected demeanour, calm exterior and the passive aggressive intent not only keeps his team composed but it doesn't give a hint of what's going on in his mind to his opposite number. His wicket keeping has always been effective if not flamboyant. His batting though will be thoroughly tested by Australian pacers in this tough wickets.

Australians have a lot to pay India back for. The 2-0 'brownwash' in the 2010 series in India and the defeat in the quarter finals of the World Cup. Both teams have been beaten to pulp in the recent past by the Englishmen. This series will be a test of mettle for every player, more so for the two captains. There are some legends in both line ups. Hussey and Ponting for Australia and Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman for India. Some upcoming youngsters in Warner, Pattinson, Lyon, Ashwin, Kohli, Yadav, Sharma & Christian. After the short (two test series) & absorbing Australia - South Africa test series acted as an 'appetizer', this series is the best 'main course' a test cricket afficionado could have asked for. Come tomorrow, brace yourself for some sleepless mornings watching the match and restless days in anticipation for next day's play.

Calm Post The Storm

Almost nine months since India clinched the World Cup 2011, international cricket has witnessed a sea of change. Change of captains for various teams. Crucial personnel have hung their boots. Debutants have taken centrestage and proved their worth in the international arena. 2011 has been a year where no one team have been able to declare supremacy. India, England, Australia and surprisingly Pakistan have had their moments, but none of them have dominated. As teams are gradually going through a transition phase, the right captains are being sought for.

Post April 2nd, eight of the ten test playing teams (including Zimbabwe) have seen a change in leadership. Only Dhoni for India and Sammy for West Indies have retained their roles 9 months since the World Cup. Both Dhoni and Sammy would are a part of their test teams purely as captains. They would've struggled to find a place in their sides based on purely batting, bowling or in Dhoni's case wicket keeping skills. In the ODI teams though, both have greater value. Dhoni, is a match winner for the team and Sammy makes up for lack of ground breaking skill with passion, energy and positivity.

Dhoni, post a dream World Cup, had a nightmarish tour of England. Having been blanked 8-0 in tests, ODIs and the only T20I, the captain was under immense pressure. Once back home, the team gathered steam against the same opposition and brown washed the visiting England 5-0 in ODIs with a team of youngsters in the absence of several seniors. The visiting West Indies got a taste of India's comeback abilities in the 2-0 test series defeat. Dhoni continues to back the youngsters and gets the best out of them. Seniors too have seemed content with Dhoni's captaincy.

Most teams have opted for a younger captain, whilst the veteran in team the plays senior mentor. Puzzling though has been the case of Sri Lanka, the World Cup runners up, where experienced campaigner Sangakkara retired immediately after the defeat in the finals in order to hand over the mantle to a younger captain. As events took turn, Tilakaratne Dilshan, who is older than Sangakkara was handed captaincy as it was felt Angel Matthews, the natural successor IMHO, was too young and inexperienced for the role. Logic would've dictated Sangakkara to have stayed on for a while more and groom Matthews or put the responsibilty on Matthews' shoulders like Kiwis did in 1996 with Lee Germon and South Africa did in 2003 by naming Graeme Smith as captain. Dilshan's reign hasn't exuded confidence up till now. Defeat in England in both tests and ODIs was followed up defeat at home against defiant Australians. Latest tour to the Middle East against Pakistan too ended in embarrassing defeats in Tests and ODIs.

While South Africa have opted for separate captains for the longer and shorter formats in Graeme Smith (for tests) and AB de Villiers (for ODIs & T20Is), England have gone a step ahead and have named three separate captains for the three formats. Andrew Strauss will continue to lead the test squad, Alastair Cook for ODIs and Stuart Broad for T20Is. While South Africa recently played a closely fought home series against Australia, losing the ODIs 2-1 and drawing the test series 1-1, England have had a dream run in tests and a horror run in ODIs. While South Africa will visit New Zealand this summer, England will play a rejuvenated Pakistan and a dispirited Sri Lanka in away conditions in the next few months.

It is never uncomplicated when it comes to Pakistan. Shortly after the World Cup, Afridi citing incompatibility with the Pakistan Cricket Board and then coach Waqar Younis, quit captaincy and announced untimely retirement from international cricket. Misbah ul Haq took charge of captaincy. Recent series win against the Sri Lankans must've given the Pakistanis a lot of heart. Youngsters taking responsibilities and veterans playing their role to the 'T', has been something Pakistan has been aiming for. In between these successes, former captain Shahid Afridi announced his return from retirement and declared his availability for selection for the ODIs against Sri Lanka. Selected he was and played match winning roles in the 4-1 series win.

For Australia, expectedly, Micheal Clarke has taken over as captain for Tests & ODIs and Cameron White for T20Is. Former captain Ricky Ponting still is a part of the Test and ODI teams. But the scrutiny on every performance of his increases as youngsters like Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson have been knocking the selection doors quite hard. Clarke's run up till now have been impressive and his personal form too seems to have flourished off late. His captaincy will be though tested against the visiting Indians later this summer.

New Zealand, since the World Cup haven't played much cricket. In captaincy news, Daniel Vettori announced retirement from the shorter formats to elongate his test career. Ross Taylor was named his successor for ODIs and T20Is. Their tour of Zimbabwe was marked by some good performances by the visitors and creditable fight backs from the home team. They have a tough tour of Australia ahead and they will be playing hosts to the warmed up South Africans later in the summers.

Bangladesh and Zimbabwe too have new captains after the World Cup. Shakib al Hasan and Elton Chigumbura have been replaced by dimunitive Mushfiqur Rahim and the enterprising Brendan Taylor. While Rahim hasn't had the best of times to begin with, Taylor has had an exceptional run. The team under him seems to have found the will to fight and he himself has lead by example in both Tests and ODIs. The chase of 328 against New Zealand in the third ODI recently showed that the team has enormous will to fight.

While the ODI sides have already begun targeting the World Cup 2015 in Australia, there is immense commotion on the top of the test rankings. England snatched the top ranking from India earlier this year. India & South Africa too are fighting hard to challenge England's recent rest domination. The next four months should make up for an interesting viewing as New Zealand & India tour Australia, Sri Lanka visits South Africa and South Africa in turn will travel to New Zealand. England's test match skills will be put to test as they visit Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Rahul Dravid: India's Perpetual Go To Man

If Indian cricket were a school, Dravid is the front bencher who'd raise his hands for everything the teacher asks the class. Still, he would be shadowed by the brighter, smarter, cheekier others. Since he made his ODI debut in Singapore in 1996 and test debut at Lord's in the same year, many questions have been asked of him, which he in his calm demeanour, has answered with a straight bat.

He was, in his initial years in international cricket, dubbed as a test specialist. He couldn't find gaps, couldn't get the quick singles, failed to up the ante when required and didn't have the all round ability to hold his spot in the team. Thus he was dropped for other options, who too didn't do well enough to keep Dravid out for long. The 1999 World Cup was his watershed moment in ODIs. He was the leading run getter in the tournament with a whopping 461 runs, even though India didn't get to the semi finals. His spectacular stand of 318 against Sri Lanka at Taunton with Ganguly is now more famous for the latter's 183. But, not many would remember it was Dravid who started attacking the Lankan spinners. Most memorable is his six over covers off Muralitharan.

He fell off the selectors' radar yet again in 2001 after a string of poor scores in ODIs. In 2002, the then captain, Sourav Ganguly bestowed faith in him and entrusted in him the task of keeping wickets for the team. This was to be a big challenge for Dravid. He was to bat at no. 5, shepherd the youngsters and the tail and keep wickets for 50 overs. A task he did remarkably well. If in school, Dravid would've been asked to prove his all round worth, even though he's terrific at the one thing he did.

His worth became that of an all rounder in the team. The first series he performed this role in was the historic NatWest Trophy in England in 2002 which India won by 2 wickets. He would continue this role till India found a replacement in Parthiv Patel in 2004.

Dravid performed the role of a vice captain under the astute leadership of Ganguly from 2000 to 2005 and lead the team in the captain's absence. Ganguly's personal form began to falter and the mantle of captaincy fell on Dravid amidst controversial circumstances. It was rumoured, Ganguly was ousted due to his closeness with the coach Chappell. In school, he would've been accused of influencing the class teacher to be made the class monitor.

Under his leadership in Greg Chappell's term as coach, India did very well as a ODI side. Dravid's personal form with the bat was golden. Though the team's resentment towards the coach was visible, it spurred on field only in the 2007 World Cup. India crashed out of the tournament in the league stages. Team's differences with the coach surfaced. Dravid soon resigned as captain and soon found himself out of the ODI team for younger, fresher faces. By now, he had scored over 10000 runs in both forms of the game and had guided youngsters like Yuvraj, Kaif, Raina, had record aggregate partnerships with Tendulkar & Ganguly and made a name for himself amongst the legends of the game. All this while, he continued to be the backbone of the Indian test outfit with the nickname 'The Wall'.

Dhoni was made the ODI captain and Kumble the test captain. In a move, many thought was stupid, he was brought back into the ODI team in 2009 for the tri nation cup in Sri Lanka and Champions Trophy in South Africa. India won the former and crashed out in the latter which again resulted in Dravid being dropped.

Just when all seemed rosy for the class, Dravid is roped in to make a difference and he doesn't do too badly in the chances given. He again is subdued for a new face. Frustration for which he never showed on his game. He continued to do his best in every opportunity he got. Played enterprisingly in his IPL franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore's march to the finals in 2009.

Yet again, after India's debacle of a test series in England following the highs of the World Cup win (which Dravid wasn't a part of, not even the probables), Dravid was included in the ODI side, seriously injury ravaged and short on confidence. Dravid, by then, had had enough of this see-saw'ing'. He swiftly accepted his inclusion and announced this as his last limited overs series. His action implied he didn't anymore want to be someone whom selectors could toy around with.

One can confidently say he has a lot more to offer to the Indian test side. His three centuries against England in a series no other Indian could manage a three digit score stands proof for that.

An article on Cricinfo talking about Dravid's career and retirement summed it up in it's headline which read, "The misfit who thrived". He thrived and how! Many a young Indian cricketer and youth would find Dravid as the perfect role model. He is probably the epitome of soft spokenness, selflessness and calm demeanour displayed while playing for a cricket crazy nation like ours.

Being Sachin Tendulkar

Fifteen months ago, post Sachin Tendulkar's epic 200* against South Africa at Gwalior, I wrote an article on how Sachin Tendulkar could be an underdog for the expectations the 1 billion people have from him. Fifteen months hence, after he has accomplished bigger tasks in international cricket, 50 test match centuries, 99 international centuries, World Cup winners' medal, brownwash of the Australians; he still must bow down to the infinite expectations of his fans (and detractors). People call him 'God'. I must know, could even the 'almighty God' live up to the expectations we have from him? 
Everything Tendulkar does, he faces criticism. Scores two hundreds against England & South Africa in the World Cup, India fails to win either of the two matches. Resultant verdict: If Sachin Tendulkar scores a hundred, India won't win the match. How much more hurtful could a comment get? 20+ years of serving the team, 30000+ international runs add 200 odd catches 199 wickets. Young turn Virat Kohli summed up Tendulkar's contribution of Indian cricket after the World Cup final win "Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years. It was time we carried him." How many of us disagree with him? I for one, can't. Undeniably, Tendulkar has carried India through even its worst phases. The reason for his stardom is his superhero like, lone warrior like image that has captivated the fans. We (some of us) blame him for only aiming for personal milestones and not team/national glory. Milestones are important in one's career. But is that alone sufficient as a motivational factor to prolong a career for over 20 years? Don't think so. It's passion, love for the game (and all that jazz) which makes him the powerful figure that he is today in international cricket and world of sports. 

How much more should he prove on field? He has maintained a spotless image in public glare over 20 years. Now, the media and us fans look for the first opportunity to put his image at test. He has been blamed of choosing IPL over WI tour for he decided to skip the latter to get some rest before the gruelling tour of England. He has been accused of trying to evade taxes. Media reports he claimed he is an actor, not cricketer to get a tax break of Rs 2 crore. Now, my question. How abnormal is it for someone to try and evade taxes? Why make a mountain out of a mole hill? We (fans) titled him 'God'. There were no such 'self proclamations' by the humble man. Why is it so tough for us to digest Sachin Tendulkar, at the end of the day is a human. Not at any point in this article have I said Tendulkar shouldn't be criticized. All I say is, he deserves a little more respect than what is meted out to him by his own fans (us).

Indian Premier League 2011: Almost Glad It's Over

Fourth edition of Indian Premier League has been surely the most dullest of all 4 yet. The 2011 edition had two new team participating which understandably resulted in an increase in the number of matches played. Though 4 best teams in the competition made it to the play offs, there was monotony, boredom and lack of interest in the middle and latter stages of the competition. After the World Cup win, even the appetite for cricket of the insatiable Indian cricket fan was whetted. The 51 day IPL extravaganza was just saturation Indian fans hadn't experienced before.

Chennai Super Kings retained the trophy after clinical performance against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and rampaging Chris Gayle. Mumbai Indians, after dominating the initial leg of the competition lost their win with a string of losses, yet made it to the play offs. Kolkata Knight Riders, under new leadership of Gautam Gambhir and a good all round team made their first play off in IPL history. Some exhilarating individual performances were witnessed, some exciting new talents were unearthed, some old war horses continued to prove their immense worth, some talented players flopped and some teams came a cropper in a tough competition.

Rahul Sharma surely has been the find of the season. The leg spinner earned repute for his probing line and length and excellent variation very crucial in the T20 format. Iqbal Abdulla, Paul Valthaty, Ashok Menaria, Sreenath Aravind were other domestic talents who made a name for themselves this season. Ravichandra Ashwin, Manoj Tiwary, Ambati Rayudu, Vinay Kumar, Parthiv Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma presented case for themselves for selection with good performances.
Chris Gayle, James Hopes, Micheal Hussey, Jacques Kallis, Doug Bollinger, Lasith Malinga, Adam Gilchrist were surely the best overseas players in the tournament. Their presence in the team made enormous difference to the team's fortunes. A special mention here for Chris Gayle who well and truly changed Royal Challengers Bangalore's fortune with his mighty hitting and calm demeanor. Every time he came on to bat, he lit the stage alight. He missed out in the all important finals but had done enough to instill fear in every bowlers minds.

Indian World Cup heroes Tendulkar, Dhoni, Sehwag, Gambhir, Raina, Harbhajan, Munaf, Yusuf Pathan, Kohli were all backbone of their respective teams. Their presence boosted the team's morale as well as saleability of the team to the fans. Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings benefitted from having more than one member of the World Cup winning Indian team in the squad. Kings XI Punjab & Rajasthan Royals in a way suffered by not having Indian stars or the local flavour in their teams. Kochi Tuskers Kerala had son of the soil, Sreesanth in their team who made up for the lack of other big Indian stars.

Malinga's retirement from tests, Gayle, Bravo & Pollard's omission from WI team against Pakistan for opting IPL to national committments, injuries to Sehwag, Gambhir, Gambhir's decision to play IPL and skip India's tour of WI for treatment re-ignited the debate whether IPL should get a separate window in ICC's Future Tours Programme. Tony Grieg's strong criticism of the IPL and claiming ICC to be highly influenced by BCCI  made a talking point half way though the tournament. Shane Warne's public spat with RCA secretary Sanjay Dixit too made big news. An extremely avoidable issue which was blown in the media by childish behaviour by the champion leg spinner and the administrator.

I strongly opine IPL mustn't get a separate window. Getting that would mean complete domination of BCCI over ICC. Separate window would also result in all T20 leagues around the world requesting for windows in the FTP. ICC must have a stronger say in the happenings in the IPL. Shortening the duration of the tournament and allowing senior players to rest, reduction in travel time between matches and cut down on endorsements which make the player jersey look like trash are amongst the issues players would want ICC to take up with the IPL Governing Council; which by the look of things may never happen.

Author also writes on http://www.isport.in/

MI vs CSK at Wankhede - An IPL 2011 Experience

First ever Guest article on Straight Drives. Shruti Mehta pens her first piece about her experiences at the Mumbai vs Chennai IPL match played at the Wankhede Stadium. 

It’s rare to find a household in India where cricket fever does not exist. I come from one where my younger brother, as every young Indian boy, once aspired to become Sachin Tendulkar. After the introduction of IPL, 4 years back, the atmosphere in my house would be electric, with each one of us choosing our favourite teams and players and cheering on. IPL 3 for me was quite an experience, as not only did I follow it religiously, I also went for 2 matches, including the spectacular finals at the D.Y. Patil stadium. However, the excitement for IPL 4 was dulled after the super exciting World Cup journey of the Indian cricket team.

The teams I decided to support this year are Mumbai Indians (I’m a Mumbaikar), Rajasthan Royals (for my marwadi roots and Dravid love), Pune Warriors (I studied there plus new found love for Yuvraj) and a wee bit support to Delhi (for the Morne Morkel love of course). So I jumped when my cousin called saying he had tickets for MI v/s CSK at Wankhede. 

This being my first visit to Wankhede left me super excited (and of course, the excitement of watching Sachin and Dhoni play live again). The atmosphere was electric with MI fans shouting away. The tickets in the Sachin Tendulkar stand offered a spectacular view and we were all set to scream our lungs out and cheer for the God. MI’s innings started off slow with a brilliant bowling attack by Albie Morkel. It was heart breaking to see Sachin get out so soon and miss the orange cap. Rohit Sharma however, chose this day to prove to others why the Ambanis paid him that huge sum.  Rohit and Ambati set the pitch on fire with their shots. Symonds also made the needed contribution to set up a somewhat achievable total of 164 for Chennai Super Kings.

CSK made a start with a boundary but what stays in my mind is the way Pollard lunged to try and stop that four. That man just stands out anywhere, not only with his height but also his excellent fielding. He just reaches out and grabs the ball where others run behind it. Mike Hussey and Badrinath seemed to have set the momentum in place when out went Hussey and the game swung back in favour of India. Harbhajan Singh was in top form, probably inspired by looking at someone holding a poster saying special ‘Pav bhajji’ for Dhoni with a very cute caricature of Bhajji.

Excellent catches and brilliant fielding led to Harbhajan Singh walking away with 5 wickets and the man of the match. I must mention that every time the commentators talked about the Mumbai Indians fielding, the camera zoomed in on a grinning Jonty Rhodes enjoying the match.

Needless to say, Mumbai Indians won the match, leaving most people in the stadium happy (except the uncle sitting behind us who insisted on abusing the MI team in a most unsporting way). 

Post this match, my interest in IPL this year is slowly coming back. It might not evoke as strong emotions as for the match winning Indian cricket team, but it’s still a joy watching my favourite players on the field. I hope to go back to Wankhede for one of the play off matches. Till then, I will be happy yelling at the TV and cheering for my favorite teams. 

Follow Shruti Mehta on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/shrumehta

Delhi Daredevils: Team Preview & Expectations

Indian Premier League III ended with much fanfare with Chennai defeating Mumbai in the finals. And what followed it was mayhem. Corruption charges, Lalit Modi, endless speculation etc. Chirayu Amin took the post of the Commissioner of the IPL and then took place the auctions of 2011, where two new teams too had a chance to buy players for their team. All teams got reshuffled. Delhi Daredevils, the team I look forward to, retained their marquee man Virender Sehwag. Delhiites will be sad to have lost Gautam Gambhir who will now captain Kolkata Knight Riders.

Sehwag has a strictly good team at his disposal. On paper, he has the most explosive top three in his team in himself, Warner and Aaron Finch, but as we go down the middle order, the team lacks firepower. Travis Birt, youngsters Matthew Wade and Robin Bist who was a part of Rajasthan's Ranji Trophy winning team & Colin Ingram, the bright Protean youngster, will be expected guard the slide if the openers fall early. Middle order could also be manned by India rejects Sridharan Sriram and Venugopal Rao. One big advantage this team has over any other team in this IPL is the presence of many all rounders and utility cricketers. Irfan Pathan, Roelf van der Merwe, James Hopes, Andrew McDonald make for the most lethal lower middle order in the competition. In Naman Ojha, Delhi has a fine wicket keeper option, somehow who can bat explosively and can even open the innings. That gives the captain a lot of options. Spin department is where Delhi is going to suffer the most. Except for van der Merwe and Rajesh Pawar, the team only has a few slow bowlers in reserves. Shahbaz Nadeem maybe tried and might even get the success Shadab Jakati has got for Chennai in the last few editions. Morne Morkel will by far be the captain's go to bowler. One of my favourite Indian bowlers, Agarkar, Salvi, Umesh Yadav and Ashoke Dinda will be Morkel's support with the new ball.

Delhi has a good mix of youth and experience. But what's missing from the team is an assurance. Top order looks promising, but the middle order weak. Pace bowling department looks well equipped, but spin department totally bare. They have all rounders in numbers but none that could change the course of the game like an Afridi, Symonds or Yusuf Pathan. Delhi, looking at the team, on paper it would do enormously well for itself getting into the semi finals. Getting through to the finals and winning it will just be a huge bonus. Chennai, Mumbai, Pune looks the most balanced team in the competition. Delhi, along with Kolkata, Deccan, Bangalore look an unstable unit. Rajasthan, Punjab and Kochi, by the looks of it lack firepower. They don't enough impact players to make an instant difference to the outcome of the match.

Here's to an amazing Indian Premier League 4.