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August 7, 2002 | 1120 IST
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India's game plan for the second Test

Chat transcript

Prem Panicker | Faisal Shariff

Faisal Shariff : Hi guys! Great to have you guys back on chat!
superstarksa : hey Faisal
Faisal Shariff : Hey, whats up?
nikhil : faisal,Will it take another dismal performance forthe selectors to permit the team managementto allow Kaif and Mongia to play - what is the pointof having a match winner benched ?
Faisal Shariff : Firstly, let's not lose hope on our present eleven with the exception of Harbhajan Singh coming in. But if India lose this Test then I see a huge chance for Kaif to come into the team for the third Test. As for who he will replace, just pray that Laxman does not flop in the Test.
superstarksa : Hey Prem/Faisal..... Are the selectors brave enf to keep Agarkar out of the Nottingham test and proabbly bring in Yohananan ? Ofcourse with Bhajji replacing Kumble .....
Faisal Shariff : I asked the selectors the question about Agarkar playing in the next Test and they believe that after the hundred at Lord's he will bowl better (beats me how).The selectors believe that he is the all-rounder they have been searching for.
Sheila : Hi Prem/Faisal,Looks like it is gonna be a batting wicket for T2. Chances are for a draw. What say?
Faisal Shariff : Well, the weather forecast seems quite disappointing. I guess it might be a draw.
PPTisback : Faisal JAFAR only plays in second innings and even that he is not very convinsing what you like about his batting?
Faisal Shariff : I think his defence is organised and he has it in him to be a successful opening bat. He just needs the backing that Das enjoyed. Unfortunately he overstayed his welcome without scoring the runs.
amit : faisal why would laxman be dropped, they would drop jaffer most likely
Faisal Shariff : The openers should not be played around with too much. Laxman is the only scapegoat in the team who can be dropped. Can you drop Dravid, Ganguly, Sehwag and Tendulkar?
Srinath : i AND pRASAD ARE THE SLOWEST FAST BOWLERS INDIA HAS EVER PRODUCED
Faisal Shariff : You must be kidding. Don't forget Abey Kuruvilla ;)He was slower than you guys!
superstarksa : Faisal/Prem.. I read that statement from that joker Ashok Malhotra abt Srinath... and seems that there is a lot of confusion... I thought he had retired from tests.... now.... suddenly Ashok Malhotra and just now PREM too, said he did not wanna play ODIs... So time for some clarifications... atleast from what u guys know.. whats going on ?
Faisal Shariff : Srinath has lost his zest for Test cricket since the Windies debacle. He claims that his body refuses to take the strain of the five-day game. Well, that is the official stand, as for the real story keep watching this space and you will know soon enough. As of now Srinath still hopes to play in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.
IndianCricketInUS : Prem/Faisal, Do u think Sachin can score 300 tomorrow!?
Faisal Shariff : I have my doubts India can score 300 tomorrow, if the ball seams around, forget Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Well, I think it is not so important that he scores 300. Even a knock of 100-150 that wins India a Test there is welcome.
superstar_ksa : Prem/Faisal...what abt the fact that Ganguly will bat above Laxman ? Will u guys tell Ganguly that we are just as bored as him ?
Faisal Shariff : Till Ganguly is the skipper he will bat above Laxman. That si a given. The team swaps at the moment for grabs are if Dravid flops exchange places with Laxman at six. Four and five are sacred spots for the sacred men. In India cricket is still awaiting the 'team' status.
joey : Hey Prem/Faisal, I have a very off-the-track question. There are scores of cricket sites on the net but I think that Prem's & Faisal's columns are a cut above the rest becoz they don't just give an account of the physical action on the field but also try to understand and explain the psyche of the players. 1 of the best accounts by Prem I remember is the account of 3rd day's play at Eden in the famous comeback test against Australia in 2001. So here goes. I hope u find time to answer this. Statistically, 1 of the best Indian player in Tests is Vinod Kambli (remember him???) In his short test career, he scored at such a prolific rate that his name stands next to the Don & Walter Hammond in record books (2 consecutive double centuries in back to back tests) What do you think/know happened to this guy in terms of performance? Ramakant Achrekar himself has said in an interview (posted on the Rediff website in Mar/Apr this year) that between Sachin & Kambli, Kambli was more talented. Then
Faisal Shariff : Vinod Kambli only has himself to blame. He was easily a prolific batsman and yes Achrekar has always mantained that he was more talented than Sachin. But Kambli made the cardinal error when he failed to rectify his weakness against the rising delivery against the West Indies in 1994 (if i'm not mistaken). He never ever managed to play with the same fluency again. He was too distracted by his personal life.
karoyamaro : what went wrong with Dahiya ? he seems to have disappeared
Faisal Shariff : That poor keeper didn't have any backers. He did little wrong behind the gloves though he was no More or Kirmani. His batting was much better than any of the recent keepers. But he was a man alone in the Indian team.
MJ : PREM / FAISAL - What do you think of dropping NEHRA if 2 spinners need to be included. because agarkar has a 100 and Nehra is not bowling that GREAT !
Faisal Shariff : If the conditions are overcast, then the two spinner theory won't work. But Ganguly commented in his column about Nehra's spell against Worcestershire and said that he bowled well to make his cause for a second chance in the Trent Bridge Test.
PPTisback : Faisal I have seen you favoring little more than required to Muslim candidate in Indian Team.. Is that true?
Faisal Shariff : If you want to believe that please don't be my guest ;) I don't harbour any such biases for any players becasue of his caste or sect!
Dadad : PREM/FAISAL: It would be fun to read something written by you guys, where each of you takes an opposing stance on an issue...example Faisal for Dravid to keep, Prem against it!
Faisal Shariff : Not Dravid again! I think Prem and I have spent a good part of our working lives arguing that point. We have finally agreed to disagree on it.
nikhil29 : faisal, who would select as test captain assuming ganguly is the one day captain
Faisal Shariff : Without doubt Laxman. Accoridng to one of the selectors, Laxman's name as been raised a couple of times but is quickly pushed under the carpet. The selectors wanted Tendulkar to become captain after the Zimbabwe series in India late last year but he refused. So they had to retain Ganguly as captain.
hello : Faisal?prem this is my 6th Question .. plz answer ..i have thought of a Indian side like this S S Das and Shehwag opens tendulkar at 3rd ... dravid .. laxman ... ganguly .. and ratra ... bhaji . agarkar.. khan .. nehra wot do yaa think ?
Faisal Shariff : I don't quite agree with it. Firstly why do we have Das back in the side? and secondly why Dravid at four instead of Laxman?
Naveen : Hey Prem/Faisal. This my first question of the day and I repeated it 6 times now. How about sending Laxman to open with Kaif/Jaffer at no.6. You know Laxman is the only guy right now who can play VV Big innings of 150-200-300. So why waste the resources as done in the previous tests. In this way, even Dravid retains his place.
Faisal Shariff : Laxman in the opening slot will be a huge step in the wrong direction. He has categorically stated that he does not wish to open and middle-order is the address he prefers. I think the Sehwag and Jaffer at the top might just click though I still believe S Ramesh is my first choice opener ahead of Jaffer.
church12 : hey prem/faisal i think tendulkar needs to be dropped for a tour. this would serve as a tonic to him. then when he comes back, he would do it with a bang. what d ya guys think about it??
Faisal Shariff : That to my mind is a very radical and impulsive suggestion. Tendulkar needs to sort out the demons in his head. I think pushing him down to five might be enough to fire him up. Not drop his from a tour for heaven's sake.
ramindc : BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...PLEASE...PLEASE ANSWER MY QUESTIONFrankly, I think the selectors should ask the big guns in the Indian cricket team to shut up and bring Mondia back. It is not as if we are winning without him and have an awesome keeper. By all accounts Mongia is still the best we have by a long mile. If people dont like him in the dressing room....to bad..they have to put up with him for the good of Indian cricket. I dont know why we allow cricket to be blackmailed by a bunch of super egoistic cricketers who dont perform when it matters
Faisal Shariff : It is not only about the seniors preferences. Mongia is not a team man and has on several occasions let the team down. Against Australia, Gillespie had the new ball and Mongia walked as soon as they appealed for a catch behind. Gilchrist later told the Indian players that there was more than broadlight between the bat and the ball. Secondly, he was the guy who retired hurt and forced Tendulkar to come out to face the last few balls of the day against McGrath. He does not talk to his team-mates after the game is over, stays aloof all the time. Now you tell me!
splguy_001 : Faisal, what do you think about India's chances in the ICC trophy
Faisal Shariff : India play Zimbabwe and England in their opening games, tough opponents before we go ahead in the tournament. But the wickets there will be loaded with runs and offer turn because Lanka will want to take the home advantage. After the NatWest trophy, what can we say. This young team can chase anything.
CuddyQut : Hey Faisal/Prem,I strongly believe Ganguly doesnt shuffle his bowling options effectively(not introducing the part-timers at right time and using them for good quota etc..,) what do u think? i believe that makes huge difference in captaincy between Sourav and Hussain.................................................................Reply Please!!!!!!!!!!!!
Faisal Shariff : Bang on target. I think Ganguly loses heart too early if his bowlers get picked for runs. Hussain displays his confidence in the bowlers even when they are being battered. Hussain used part-time off-spinner Michael Vaughan very effectively. Ganguly didn't utilise Sehwag and Tendulkar well at all.
TheBigK : PREM/FAISAL this qn is aimed at both of u. I think Azharuddin handled Murali the spinner better than Sachin. Comment
Faisal Shariff : Not true. No doubt that Azhar has played Murali better than most world batsmen have but don't you remember the hundred that Tendulkar scored against Murali in Delhi in the 1996 World Cup game? Murali didn't know what hit him.
baaluradha : hai faizal, why don't we introduce one non playing captain so that he will help Ganguly in the strategy?
Faisal Shariff : Strategy... what strategy?
par : Prem/Faisal, Why India chockes against debutants???? Especially against Genuine Fast Bowlers??? Any comments???
Faisal Shariff : It is a mystery, i am sure, the Indian think tank is still trying to figure out. I think more than the quality of the pace bowlers, the batsmen cave in to the hype built around them. Bret Lee and Simon Jones are two sparkling examples.
jagan : Prem/Faisal, Do you guys expect any surprises from the next test...starting from the team selection to an Indian victory !!
Faisal Shariff : The biggest surprise will be if Harbhajan is not picked in the squad tomorrow. An Indian victory --i'm game for that.
HELLOMRPREMANDSHARIF : FAISAL BHAI, WHY CANY INDIA PRODUCE FAST BOWLERS LIKE PAKISTAN HAS. WHAT AND WHERE DO WE LACK?
Faisal Shariff : We never really had too many role models in the country unlike Pakistan. Starting from Fazal Mahmood to Sarfraz Nawaz to Imran Khan to Wasim Akram to Waqar Younis to Shoaib Akhtar *phew* Pakistan has always had a legacy of fast bowlers. India has always been dubbed as the land of spin and several youngsters have been influenced in the nets at an early age to learn the guiles of spin bowling.
MJ : PREM / FAISAL - Haven't we been too HARD on AZZA ??
Faisal Shariff : I don't know what that means. If we have been harsh on Azhar then we have been equally harsh on Ajay Jadeja. I feel that the Indian board was forced to take hasty decisions whereas the other countries let their players guilty of the same crime go scot free.
rb : VVSLaxmanHere ROCKS VVSLaxmanHere ROCKS VVSLaxmanHere ROCKS VVSLaxmanHere ROCKS
Faisal Shariff : We heard you mate!
Faisal Shariff : ok guys! time to go. Catch you next week to celebrate an Indian victory (hopefully). Cheers!
Prem Panicker | Faisal Shariff