If you assembled a completely different set of five selectors, and they honestly picked 15 Indians for the World Cup, it would not be much different from this one

George Binoy

25-Feb-2013

by Anand Vasu

When a team for a big tournament is announced with no surprises, it could be for a variety of reasons. Firstly there's the Australia situation, where a team has been winning consistently over a period of time, and wears a settled look, only needing tinkering when someone is injured. Then there's the Sri Lanka situation, where a team has sorted out its combination, has had plenty of time to test it, and believes it gives them the best chance of success. And finally there's the India situation, where there are simply no other viable choices. Now, this isn't the ideal position to be in, but that does not automatically mean that the team chosen is a bad one.

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Managing the media

Players who hit the spotlight thanks to the media must be prepared for the harsh glare, writes Aakash Chopra

Nishi Narayanan

25-Feb-2013

In another game, where it generally pays to whack the ball as hard and as far as you possibly can, another often misunderstood sportsman once distinctively remarked, "Slump? I ain't in no slump. I just ain't hittin." Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra is now 80-plus, but many of his pithy 'Yogiisms' would be happily taken up by many of my cricketing colleagues. With the same spirit.

Case in point: Ever since India's tour to South Africa ended, Virender Sehwag has been the talk of the town. First for his omission in the series against West Indies, then for his inclusion in the side for this series (which, doubters believe, apparently bettered his chances for the World Cup), and now for an alleged manager's report that is said to reveal a lot of damning secrets about his behaviour in South Africa.

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A question of faith

Cricket's latest crisis must be settled fast or the game will be hostage to cynicism

Nishi Narayanan

25-Feb-2013

Sambit Bal

The details are too insubstantial and hazy to frame conclusions or even attempt to comment with any degree of authority. But this much can be said: for the sake of the game, let's hope this is a rare case of smoke without fire and the conversations that the Nagpur police claimed to have taped between Marlon Samuels and an alleged bookie are no more than a temporary indiscretion from a gullible player. Cricket can't afford to have its foundations shaken once again.

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Capital punishment

Delhi cricket's crisis, with top players considering moving out, is the result of years of apathy and politics

Nishi Narayanan

25-Feb-2013

Aakash Chopra and Virender Sehwag are two players who're contemplating moving out of Delhi © AFP

Kadambari Murali

Step into the Ferozeshah Kotla this week and you will hear the story of how a desperate couple, at their wit's end over how to get their son into an age-group team, came up with a strategy that was as simple as it was smart.

Having heard about how a certain selector had made salacious suggestions to the mothers of several young aspirants, they took the man to dinner. Midway, the father got an urgent call and left, asking the lady to drop the selector home. Along the way, she and the selector made a private date and sure enough, soon after she obliged him, the boy made it to the age-group team.

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We want less

Cricket, like the food in British supermarkets, has lost a lot of its seasonality

Nishi Narayanan

25-Feb-2013

Tim de Lisle

Cricket, like the food in British supermarkets, has lost a lot of its seasonality. It rolls on remorselessly, year-round, and doesn't care if it loses flavour as a result. There are still certain fixed points in the calendar, giving shape to the year, like the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne. But even things that come round annually aren't always cheering. Early February has taken on a particular character: it's when lovers of one-day cricket lose the will to watch.

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Most questions answered

India returned from South Africa a destroyed one-day side and the home series offered a chance to get things back on track by finding answers to the various questions the team composition posed

George Binoy

25-Feb-2013

by Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

"When people score runs, it solves a lot of problems." Rahul Dravid's forthright assertion at the end of the opening game against West Indies at Nagpur summed up India's series, one which they began with several questions and ended with most answered. The margin of victory (3-1) conveys their dominance and it was mainly the shocking middle-order collapse at Chennai that prevented a clean sweep.

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A batting line-up to die for

The time will come soon to see the back of Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly and Indian crowds will then be left sampling what riches the next generation of batsmen has to offer

George Binoy

25-Feb-2013

by Anand Vasu

When it comes together like it did today, it is as irresistible as it is beautiful. The Indian batting line-up, for some years now, has been one of the most imposing teamsheets around. Even without Virender Sehwag, who will no doubt be back when the Sri Lankans come to India in a week, the top three batsmen in this team bring to the table 35003 one-day international runs and 75 centuries. In some cases whole teams don't boast such numbers. And when even two of the three fire, forget about all three backed up by some serious firepower at the death, big scores are inevitable.

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Close but no cigar

Bob Woolmer reviews Pakistan's Test performances against South Africa

George Binoy

25-Feb-2013

by Bob Woolmer

So near yet so far is, I guess, the story of Pakistan's Test series against South Africa. I used a figure of 5% as the likelihood of a subcontinent side winning a Test here before. The figure for a series win is, of course, lower.

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