India in England

Saw the match. Never during the chase did England panic. They were so assured from the word go that they almost knew someone will win them the match. Really impressed with Bopara - impressed to see the debutant perform so confidently hitting sixes at will and with such composure. Tells about the depth in the current English setup.

It amazes me that Jonny Bairstow was only 8 when his dad committed suicide. That could send so many children off the rails. What a wonderful performance by him. He's the sort of player that England could really do with in the last 20 overs of an innings or in 20/20. They used to try and get Luke Wright to do that job but he never really sufficed for me.

And so India's torment is complete - who would have predicted 4-0 and 3-0 before the series ?  The batsmen did well but  they simply don't have an attack allowing England to coast to another easy win.  
         The powers that be in India need to address the structures in place becuase it seems obvious that the pipeline is barren and in a country of a billion people that must mean that something is seriously wrong.

Originally posted by Sledger Originally posted by Amal Wow!!! India didn't lose the 4th game. Anyway i think India is still a good ODI side because they are giving tough time to Eng in odi's A tough time ??  If what we've seen is tough then I suggest you don't tune in to the world cup rugby !

Originally posted by Amal Sam i don't understand why India is not able to produce some good bowlers? I mean is there any problem with selection or are they not able to groom up their bowlers well at small level?

 That's my thinking too Amal , the cupboard seems bare in all bowling departments. There's plenty of experienced ex-players out there and they should be brought in.   Things aren't great now , but there's going to be even bigger problems when all the star players call it a day.

You don't have to be muscular to bowl fast. McGrath was a beanpole when he first started in tests, so damn skinny, yet he was at his fastest at that age - probably bowling 140kph+.

It could however has something to do with genetic make up, Indians are not renowned for being particularly athletic and this could be from generations of poor diets and minimal physical labour. Who knows, I'm not an expert on natural selection or whatever...

I don't however think it's a coincedence that two of India's faster bowlers of the last few years are both Muslims, and consequently not vegetarians, in Zaheer and Munaf. But then again Sharma is probably the quickest and Srinath as well and both are Hindus - but perhaps not vegetarians. Not sure to be honest. Kamran Khan is another guy who is rather quick and he is Muslim.

But realistically, just look at Bangladesh, they are all meat eaters and they don't produce any fast bowlers either. While Sri Lankans are known for being very athletic, I went to school with a number of Sri Lankans and they are absolute machines I must say.

Dead right. And if you notice, it's those of West African descent who are the best at sprints and those of East African descent (e.g. Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania) who dominate long distance running.

Eastern Europeans are also strong in gymnastics , like the East Asians, who also dominate in diving. Certainly has to do with their light, slim physiques and great flexibility.

What about spin bowling? Are subcontinental Asians more flexible in their arms and wrists?

I do agree with you guys, genetic make up has a lot to do with it, the thing that surprises people though is that there is not much of a difference in the genetic make up of Pakistani's and Indian's but Pakistan are able to produce so many good fast bowlers and India don't. 

  Genetics might have a part to play in performance , but more important is environment .  The long distance runners of Ethiopia and Kenya live and/or train at altitude which makes running at sea level with so much more oxygen a massive advantage.   There is no scientific proof that meat eating is a better muscle builder than a balanced vegetarian diet. Genetics are a proven science though and if your parents/grandparents were gifted athletically , then your chances of reproducing those skills are significantly higher. 
             As to India's lack of fast bowlers , the climate and the lack of any wickets of genuine pace must have a marked influence on youngsters wanting to become cricketers.  Add to that that the average wicket turns square and has even bounce is it any surprise that youngsters want to be spinners and batsmen rather that quicks ?


Edited by Sledger - 21 September 2011 at 6:36am

I think that's the reason. Pakistan has always had some good fast bowler to look upon to entice the youngsters to model them. From Fazal Mahmood to Sarfaraz, Imran, Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib etc. Indians have mostly had batting idols and there is  little surprise the generation wants to model them.

Just how heavy is that taped tennis ball - I've never come across cricket of this nature.

I played a fair bit of tape ball cricket as a youngster here in Australia. The ball is a tad heavier than a tennis ball because of the tape, and the 'hair' of the ball is usually shaved. If you don't have any pace on the ball it's just easy picking for the batsmen, particularly if you're playing on concrete. It probably explains why Pakistani batsman have traditionally had poor defensive games because with the tape ball you'd play your shorts every ball.

I love playing tape ball Cricket, due to the devastating swing it produces, it really tests you out as a batsman.  Bowling it is much better than facing up against it if the bowler has speed.  The reverse swing is much bigger than normal hard ball own too...

Indeed is. Another interesting observation that I would like to share that the tape ball cricket might or might not have to do with is the sub-continent players being comparatively stronger than the other players off their pads and on the on side in general. 

interesting stuff guyz!