Arjun
Cricketer Of The Year
Two groups or spots in the national side have often been rotated regularly, to the point of being revolving doors. One is the roster of pacers, which should have been locked firmly. The other, is the number six batting position. This one shouldn't have been there at all.
The position got opened up after Ganguly's retirement. Here's what it looks like. They have tried more than a few batsmen, but none have been impressive, bar Laxman again. A collective average will make it look like the position average is 40, but take Laxman out of it and it falls to 36. Clearly, any batsman at six struggles. The same batsmen, promoted higher up, are thriving- like Kohli and Pujara. A few advocate Badrinath and Tiwary there, but it will not make a difference. Already Badrinath, with just one innings at six, is out of contention for the Test side. Another point to note is that apart from Dhoni, a full-fledged wicketkeeper, none of these blokes address the concern of an overworked, weak bowling attack- while four bowlers manfully sweat it out sending down thirty overs an innings, these blokes won't even go beyond three.
It's a position to call upon only when there is trouble, with wickets falling. In the past, that man was VVS Laxman. Now, it is someone not good enough to fit in the top five. When things are going good for the batsmen, this bloke won't be needed at all. In fact, Dhoni is sufficient. However, those are also the times when the bowlers struggle, and the number six becomes a waste of space.
Dhoni himself averages 37, and Ashwin, over 40. This should open up an alternative to a batsman at six. They should scrap that position altogether and play a full-fledged bowler there. You have options other than Irfan, Yusuf and Jadeja- Ashwin is a much better bowling option at present, and you have a choice between Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Rishi Dhawan in the domestic circuit. It will, at the very least, take off thirty overs from the regular bowlers' stock, so they can stay fresh, and not beg for rank turners or seamers between 22 yards. As for the batsmen, let them work harder for places in the top five.
The position got opened up after Ganguly's retirement. Here's what it looks like. They have tried more than a few batsmen, but none have been impressive, bar Laxman again. A collective average will make it look like the position average is 40, but take Laxman out of it and it falls to 36. Clearly, any batsman at six struggles. The same batsmen, promoted higher up, are thriving- like Kohli and Pujara. A few advocate Badrinath and Tiwary there, but it will not make a difference. Already Badrinath, with just one innings at six, is out of contention for the Test side. Another point to note is that apart from Dhoni, a full-fledged wicketkeeper, none of these blokes address the concern of an overworked, weak bowling attack- while four bowlers manfully sweat it out sending down thirty overs an innings, these blokes won't even go beyond three.
It's a position to call upon only when there is trouble, with wickets falling. In the past, that man was VVS Laxman. Now, it is someone not good enough to fit in the top five. When things are going good for the batsmen, this bloke won't be needed at all. In fact, Dhoni is sufficient. However, those are also the times when the bowlers struggle, and the number six becomes a waste of space.
Dhoni himself averages 37, and Ashwin, over 40. This should open up an alternative to a batsman at six. They should scrap that position altogether and play a full-fledged bowler there. You have options other than Irfan, Yusuf and Jadeja- Ashwin is a much better bowling option at present, and you have a choice between Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Rishi Dhawan in the domestic circuit. It will, at the very least, take off thirty overs from the regular bowlers' stock, so they can stay fresh, and not beg for rank turners or seamers between 22 yards. As for the batsmen, let them work harder for places in the top five.