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Home > Cricket > VB Series 2004 > Chat Transcript
2nd Final, India v Australia, Sydney
February 8, 2004
ramagesh : Anyone in?
Prem Panicker : Nah. Just the two of us for now :-)
kub : where is prem
Prem Panicker : Right here. *L* U sound like my old school teacher...
yogi : Hi prem, disappointing performance of indian team, huh?
Prem Panicker : Hey, all. Yeah, Yogi... actually, India generally starts slow and improves towards the end. Irony 1 -- this time, we started the tour well, and tapered off. Irony 2, usually we are rated a better odi team than Test team -- this time the test team did us proud, and the one day team went off the boil.
sam : r u dissapointed by india's performance today
Prem Panicker : I'm disappointed that they forgot all that they had figured out earlier in this series. In the first few games, if you noticed, we piled up huge totals by starting slow, conserving wickets, and launching big time towards the end. These last three games, we went the reverse route -- lost too many too early, and could never recover. And that surprises me -- not being able to figure out the way to go is one thing; figuring it out perfect, then losing your way, is something else again
surya : I dont think we went into the game with a strategy like the Ausies..
Prem Panicker : We presumably had strategies. Not sure they were the right ones, though, too many elementary errors out there meant we lost the game in the first half itself
jith : hello ,why indians lack playing spirit like aussies.i am amazed to think about it. australia with its small population and small country producing good quality players, while india with its 1oo crore population difficult to find players .why is this so. our good players are not coming up
Prem Panicker : I dont think population mass translates into performance. What the hell, Brazil is a much smaller country than ours, but they have four, five football world cups and we cant even win an Asian gold.
yogi : They say our team is tired, home-sick, whatdya say?
Prem Panicker : Maybe... but those things dont become excuses, frankly.
anupam : What good things we can take home from this series Prem?
Prem Panicker : Oh, we can take, first up, Balaji and Pathan as finds. We can take Badani as a person to keep your eye on. We can take the fact that despite frontline bowlers dropping like flies, the younger ones kept us competitive for most of the tour. And we can take away the fact that finally, the Test team appears to be jelling -- it isnt there yet, but it is getting there, and that is a huge bonus for a country that for 16 years has been struggling overseas
Dalmiya : Hi Prem India's score was 49/1 and then 59/6 in no time...what do you say...I dont think bowling of Austraila was that good..what's your comment?
Prem Panicker : No it wasn't that good -- but the ground fielding and catching was amazing. I think that Sehwag catch is the kind of thing, when a fielding team pulls it off, it lifts the entire side, and demoralises the batting side. Amazing take, that, plus the Damien Martyn run out... it really made the difference, i thought.
Amit : Prem, do you think this will continue in Pakistan?
Prem Panicker : Which? The earlier good performance or this bad one? *L* Actually, I think Pakistan will be a whole other ball game -- different wickets, more like home... different conditions, more off field tension and on field niggles...
vswami : Prem, the first thing to improive is to acknowledge that aussies are the best. No point in Ganguly pretending otherwise.
Prem Panicker : Oh sure. Even Ganguly, mercifully, only said we were number two looking to go higher. *L*
jith : then whats u r opinionabout not producing players from india,not only in cricket any sport .not consistency in any sport
Prem Panicker : No one PRODUCES players by accident. Australia, when it went through its lowest point, got together, swore it wouldnt happen again -- and since then, the administration and players have worked together on that. Through the strructure, the academy, through the way players are blooded and fostered and nurtured through bad times... it has been a concerted, sustained effort, not an accident. Compare that with our team, or West Indies, or teams like that that do not have a regular, sustained program -- we have flashes of brilliance, but it takes more than that to go to the top and stay there
ramagesh : What is this with Tendulkar when it comes to finals? No arguing that he is a good player, but is there some mental block in him when it comes to "Finals". He has an average of 21 or so in finals in the last 3 years.
Prem Panicker : He's had a bad trot right through, not just here in the final. Today in fact I thought he played better than in the recent past in ODIs... the shots were good and closer to his normal self, but then he had one of those amnesiac moments -- witha leg gully in place, you dont want to go across and flick behind square...
faaqer : how come nobody talks about how bad sachin is playing and how come he never gets dropped
Prem Panicker : No one talks about it? An entire team lost, and it seems to me sachin is the only one everyone is talking about.
lostsoul : I think someone should be made accountable for such a miserable performance..wat do you say?
Prem Panicker : Look, friend, yes it was a very bad performance. But tell me this -- when they did well in the Tests, what did you do, that you now want to hold someone accountable when they fail?
sharmahimanshu : According to u wat is the main weakness of our team?
Prem Panicker : The single weakness? we are not good at thinking on the ground. One example -- sydney is a fast outfield. the hill part makes the ball race to the fence lightning fast. you knew in the first ten overs, once the ball cross the infielder, there was no pulling it back. so that meant there was no point keeping fielders on the rim of the circle -- from there,you cant save fours. nor can you save singles. Want a stat? Australia scored 160 runs in fours and sixes -- and 164, count them, 164, in singles and twos. When we batted, Australia did not worry too much about fours,they just pulled the field right in and cut off all singles. In other words, they knew fours dont win games, big scoring games -- it is the singles and twos and threes that do.... we didnt realize that, and we lost.
ab : The problem with india is their attitude. They go there too cautious. u should have the guts to take risks and go over the top.
Prem Panicker : You know, when you have 360 staring at you, there is pretty much nothing you can do. My view was, we lost the game in two spells -- one was when hayden was batting and we failed to see the very obvious ploy; the second was in the middle phase, when we gave singles like they didnt matter, and allowed aussies to keep ticking it over and building towards that dash at the very end
anupam : Hi Asoka de Silva is dropped by ICC finally. Any one remembers him? On that note any comment on Umpiring today?
Prem Panicker : The umpiring was decent I thought -- barring the one time Koertzen didnt hear that nick off hayden, the refereeing has been good otherwise, didnt you think?
Shibu : Prem, Tendulkar didn't perform that well in the tests too. Why does the media finds it hard to blame him for his mistakes?
Prem Panicker : Who finds it hard to blame him? Not I. What I said just now is this -- we allowed a team to score 360 -- a score that has never been chased successfully before. We allowed 117 to be scored off the last 10. We lost 6 wickets for 56. Yes, Sachin is to blame, but why are we talking of one guy alone? whatever happened to the others? Or doesnt that count? Remember when last Ganguly had a double digit score? Or how Dravid has slumped? Or Lax? Or how people kept bowling wide of off and wide of leg? Or fielders fumbled? and so on and on?
ravishankar : Hi Prem,Do you think the team needs to be revamped?
Prem Panicker : Not really. I am not sure what the scene is with Zaheer, but we obviouisly miss him. we miss having the option of Bajji. And we need to tighten up on our basics, especially in the field and with the ball. To give you another example - look at the early games, each time hayden got out to away going balls outside his off. look at how he played today, even balls on off he was whacking to on, his first 50 didnt have a single off side stroke. we forgot what his weak point was, and kept trying to feed his strength hoping he would make a mistake. u attack weakness, not strength
MS : I agree Prem, but it all just left a very bad taste in the end..With the performance in the test and a couple of earlier games in the series, a lot was expected...Steve Waugh must be really ruing his fate...
Prem Panicker : Of course. It was a sorry end... and what was really sorry about it was that we started the VB series so very well. We won one against Aus and even when we lost, it was very very competitive. What sucks is the complete surrender at the end, really. not that we lost, but the way we lost
george : whenever a opposition has scored 300 or more runs Tendulkar has always failed.
Prem Panicker : most times, when someone has scored over 300, all the top order has failed, pal. look, why cant we get over this tendulkar obsession? 360 runs are smashed against our bowling, and for the last half hour all we have to talk about is one bloke?
ramagesh : When Sachin got out, there was some discussion by the commentators whether where Lee was standing was actually a catching position or not. Was it a case in which the umpire should have no-balled?
Prem Panicker : You must have been listening to ESPN commentators, who were forever trying to find some excuse. Please! Leg gully is a catching position, just as much as short cover or short midwicket
ramagesh : As a regular rediff reader, I know you supported Murali Karthik when he was in and out of the team. And it has been an ordinary tour for him. Will he be now again thrown out of the team for Pak? What should he do now to get his confidence back? Back to Railways and Ranji?
Prem Panicker : I doubt that is going to help. Actually, Richie Benaud made an interesting point today -- when Karthik began bowling today, he had a short square in place for hayden, and hayden kept sweeping and not getting it through to the fence. At that time, Benaud said Karthik seems to have won a battle with his captain for that position, and that it was strange he had been bowling throughout this series without a basic position to guard against the sweep or take out the batsman on the top edge. Not suggesting that is the only reason, but karthik is pretty much that way -- he works well if allowed to work on batsmen his way, but deny him that and he goes to pieces. actually that is one thing he needs to work on, he is not as mentally strong as say bajji can be
DowningStreet : is Munaf patel going to pakistan?Guys, looks like Prem's gone! anyone else wanna chat ?
Prem Panicker : what's with this prem's gone stuff?
guru : why is murali kartik, nehra in the side, when a bowler like bangar and gavaskar is much more consistent in the slog overs and both can bat.
Prem Panicker : Murli Karthik and Nehra both did well today, excpt for the death. heck, it was those two who choked aus back from 99/2 in 15 to 113/2 in 20 and 138/2 in 25. That was a good point for us to attack, actually, the two bowlers had managed to build pressure, but we just spread the field around and sat on our haunches waiting for something to happen
Dalmiya : Prem, you did not come up after the first final?? whatz the matter? Dile pe maat lo Yaar...
Prem Panicker : I was around, pal. Check the trasncript. *L*
TENDULKAR : Why does Ganguly seem to lose the plot when the side is down . As a captain , he is uninspirational. His fielding and drooping shoulders do not do well for the morale of the team. What are your thoughts on replacing the captain with Laxman ??
Prem Panicker : *sigh* when i first said in a column that laxman would probably be a good captain for the future, readers ripped me to shreds, and said lax wasn't even good enough to be on the team!!
ravishankar : Prem, do you think this is the end for Bangar? Given that he did not play much, he may not get more chances. Now we also have Gavaskar and I do not see anyone dropping Gavaskar for Bangar
Prem Panicker : I doubt Bangar will find too many more opportunities, yes. Badani has done decently, Gavaskar has a couple of halfway decent knocks to his name, there is Kaif waiting in the wings, there are young kids like Ambati Rayudu who deserve to make the grade... i doubt a bits and pieces player who is more bits than wholes has much of a scope. most certainly not in the one dayers, and i dont see where he fits in the tests either
Wilson : Dont you thing Ganguly was very defensive when we were bowling?
Prem Panicker : extremely, yes. firstly in setting the field spread out, which neither stopped singles, nor fours. secondly, in staying back when new batsmen came in -- for instance, martyn's form and confidence were short, but we just allowed him to keep taking singles to the deep set field, get his legs moving, get his sight in... and that partnership really cost us after we had taken two of the dangerous batsmen, gilly and ponting, out cheap
DowningStreet : to be fair to india..we've played most of our crickt with Australia in the last few months..give the guys a break..I am sure the Pak tour will be a nice level playing field. (neutral umpires I hope)!!Prem, any predictions for pak tour?
Prem Panicker : Not at this point, friend. ACtually, I want two things before I can write the piece I want to on the Pak tour -- one is the complete, final intinerary. The other is the medical report on just who is fit and who is not. Zaheer and Bajji will have big roles to play, but will they play? AGain, i am not convinced nehra is fully fit yet -- he did better today, buthe is still bowling around 131, 132 k and this was the guy who was hitting 142s in New zealand regularly
Vishal : Prem are in love with somebody?
Prem Panicker : Can I take the fifth on that?
Dalmiya : HEY PREM what is the *L* Yaar?? Plz tell me..
Prem Panicker : Chat shorthand for *laughing*
Rittick : Prem, why Rahul has peformed in this manner in last few matches? I am very disapointed in his poor performance.
Prem Panicker : I dont know... I think he let that incident with the boiled sweet get to him; I'd think that, plus he must be one incredibly weary man after all he has had to do starting with the tests
vj : i think this is a sad end to the tour. But what a tour its been!!!. Bravo Team India! Pardon the few people who can call for your upheaval because of two fag-end matches!
Prem Panicker : You're right.... it would be a pity if these two matches, bad though they were, overshadowed the tour as a whole. ask people to be honest, and 99 out of 100 will tell you that before the tour began, they expected india to be whitewashed.
KurianP : r we being too polite to the aussies.when they came here we wernt short of words.
Prem Panicker : I think sledging is being frowned on, all round... even the aussies have been very quiet, if you notice.
Dalmiya : HEY PREM come on I don't support your idea Appointing Lax as Captain...In modern day cricket you need an agressive cpatain not too soft captain...Ganguly has playe dthe mental game very well...Dravid,Sachin,Lax are unift to be captain...rather i would bet for Yuvraj...what do you say??
Prem Panicker : I wouldn't make Yuvi a leader for another year at least. actually, what i would like to see is the team including him in its test plans, first, and letting him show what he can do there. the last thing i personally would want is for the lad to be burdened just now, when he is getting his game back together
MSR1 : What is John Wright's contribution to the Indian team's efforts so far. I believe we are back to square 1. Comments Prem?
Prem Panicker : for 16 years, we have had coaches who frustrated the players to such an extent, they demanded that a foreigner be hired. since wright has been, we have come back from every foreign tour with at least one win... we are a lot more of a team than we used to be... we have gotten over the era of the one man team... i think for now, those are major contributions, wouldnt you say?
ramagesh : Based on this tour, which 3 would you have picked if all had been fit - Irfan, Balaji, Agarkar, Nehra. It was a blessing that Agarkar was injured today, Nehra bowled well today, and I think if Agarkar was fit, Nehra wouldnt have been in the team. Any surprises that Nehra made 14(4) with a six and 2 fours?
Prem Panicker : Agarkar, Irfan to open and Balaji coming behind them would be my ideal combo. As for the Nehra six, heck, that is what I meant after that sydney league game -- the fact that we lost there was mere happenstance, thanks to that lee six. tailenders step away and swing, if it connects off the middle it looks spectacular, but it is not something you can build strategy around, saying ah, okay, now nehra -- or lee -- will come in and belt the ball around
tendulkarslave : Instead of blaming our ourselves, which we do traditionally like always blaming the politicians for the current state of the country, what is the real solution for the INDIAN TEAM TO BECOME THE WORLD BEATERS?
Prem Panicker : Learn to think! Especially on the field of play. Team meetings and strategy sessions are only half the story -- most times, the one area we always seem pathetic in is, on the field, we are ordinary except when things are really going for us. We operate by rote, there is no strategic skills shown, no thought put in to field placing and choice of bowlers and lines, no proactive attempt to work with the bowlers -- I mean, when you see a batsman score 50 runs through the on side and just 2 through the off, what the heck stops the captain and senior players from setting an off field with at least one slip,and asking the bowlers to attack hayden outside off? I was frankly apalled at the way his strength was fed -- 50 runs on one side of the wicket, that too the first 50 runs, shows someone is not thinking.
rAJ : While at the outset, it looks like Ganguly has done a good job(I dont disagree) but a deeper insight would reveal that we are now at the another threshold and we need different kind of leadership.Some one who is tactically good on the field( Ganguly is not as it has been repeatedly proven) and also some one who can lead from front ( by performing regularly). Its a bit harsh on Saurav but time for a change guys......... Switch to Sachin again....
Prem Panicker : Nope, I wouldnt think sachin, frankly. firstly, he lost his stomach for leadership quite a while ago. and secondly, as of now he is struggling for form, and giving him the captaincy will only make things that much worse.
rehan : hi ! Why dont we drop Sachin, Sehwag and Ganguly. I think these players have taken their places in the team for granted and feel that they are by default in the team always.
Prem Panicker : Right. And who would you pick?
KurianP : today umpire harper had a word with pathan on his jesture at martyn.but lees jesture at sachin at mcg was worse and there was no umpire to warn him
Prem Panicker : I think Harper didnt overstep his limits, frankly. he merely told pathan to cool it a bit, which is fair.
MSR1 : Well Prem, I am not saying we go back to the Indian coaches but, in my opinion even after 3 year stint (almost) Wright has not made much inroads into making this team a good winning unit. May be it is time to check someone better than him, say Marsh or Simpson?
Prem Panicker : Geoff Marsh? I doubt he will be as effective. The thing with Wright -- the single biggest thing -- is that he has broken that culture of some people being stars and others being nobodies. He has produced a spirit of unity that this team has lacked, and he has done that by being openly tough, and unbiased. For insance, I remember I was with him in Chennai once, the evening before a camp. A member of the chennai cricket association brought him a fax from sachin saying he couldnt make it next morning for the camp, but would be there a day later. wright immediately scrawled off a fax saying, either be here tomorrow morning, or dont come to the camp. guess what, sachin came on time... and that is just one example, not really the only one
chimps : OK Prem just did a team India act everyone.. vanished like a fart in the wind
Prem Panicker : Nice gift of metaphor. If only it had been as accurate as it was colorful
KurianP : do u think sachin underrates the merits of the rest of our batsmen that he puts too much pressure on himself.he shud play freely he has top batters around him
Prem Panicker : he used to do that, before, but i dont think that is true any more. he has seen the team pull off wins without him, both in tests and odis. this tour, i think he has struggled with his form, and some things -- like his timing on the off, his almost completely cutting out the cover/extra cover drive -- makes me wonder if the injury he had earlier, and the operation he went through, he has fully recovered from. his single biggest problem this tour has been an inability to put away balls he hits in his sleep, and that is somewhat surprising, and makes you think
vj : one more thing. whats the big deal with sledging anyway? And aggressive gestures should be encouraged! :o) what do u think?
Prem Panicker : Nothing really wrong, if it is not meant to denigrate. But soem of the stuff players have slung around out there, tell you what, if someone told you those things, you'd by now be standing trial for manslaughter. I think "gamesmanship" is not an excuse for using sex and the opponent's mom in the same sentence
Rittick : Do U think Ganguly is the player at number 4? I think, he should come after Rahul & Yuvaraj. Again he will score a few centuries against Zim or kenya & will be granted as a great batsman as well as captain. Does our board overrate Ganguly & underrate Rahul???
Prem Panicker : That is a subject we discussed threadbare after the last game as well. :-) Nope, I dont think on current form, Ganguly should be in at four... Yuvi -- told, expressly, that his brief was to bat through -- going in there would be the ideal player for that position, with ganguly coming in lower down, against the older ball
mark : poor effort today, lousy series really....who do you think can challenge australia in the one day game? can anyone?
Prem Panicker : At this point, I don't see any team consistently challenging the aussies in odis, frankly. they are struggling a bit with players off, yet they have the self belief to pile it on in this fashion... and i dont see any team on the horizon that can consistenlty match that
saion : Ganguly has good leadership qualities. But a captain has to lead by example. There is no other way but to perform. If Ganguly's current form continues, his days are limited. Do you think he should be the captain in Pakistan tour?
Prem Panicker : i would personally think not, but then again, i dont see the selectors opting for change, this close to a crucial tour. besides, dont forget, ganguly took a side to australia to face the best test team in the world under its iconic captain, and held them to a draw -- would be a bit odd to drop him as captain immediately after that. and it is not as if he didnt contribute -- i honestly believe that if not for his 144 something in brisbane, the aussies wouldhave wrapped that game up, and then run roughshod over us. that draw gave us our breather, and we picked it up from then on.
anishman : Prem, do u think that the boys may have run out of steam for Pakistan?
Prem Panicker : I dont think so, frankly. I think they can all use a week or two of rest.
chimp : the way mr prem panicker is rated is amazing
Prem Panicker : Ah, from metaphors, to philosophising? :-)
Dalmiya : Prem, you are saying Aus have stopped sledging..di you see what Harvey told to Pathan after the short ball he bowled at him.....to be honest The moment of Indian batting was PATHAn HITTING 3 CONSEcutive 4s TO HARVEY..What do you say..
Prem Panicker : Not that they ahve stopped sledging, no one has, not them, not the indians, not anybody. but it has become a lot more discreet now, and not as in your face. but yes, i thought pathan taking on harvey, and nehra vs gillespie, were magic moments -- gillespie's face as nehra stepped forward and clubbed that huge six was worth preserving on canvas. *L*
Wilson : What do you think of this Team and Order for Pak tour?ChopraSewagLaxman(Cap)TendulkarYuvrajKaif / BadaniPatelPathanKhanBalajiKartik/Bhajji
Prem Panicker : For the odis? That is what I meant when I said earlier that you cant do this without being sure of fitness in some cases. We dont know what level Kaif is at. Not sure what's with bajji, and Zaheer. That's three we cant count right there
Sudhi : Hi Prem/All,This is Sudhi from Germany..have spent the last 2 months staying up all night to watch these games..really we, indian fans have been let down time & again by our team..we deserved a better ending. It's about time, they started being more accountable and displaying more mental courage!
Prem Panicker : Sure, Sudhi. But I thought barring the finals, the team actually did everyone proud? they had a great test series, for starters
kub : prem why dont you offer your anaylitical services to john wright
Prem Panicker : If you read an earlier column -- i think about two, three weeks back, on singles -- u will find that when wright has needed us, we have in fact helped.
chimp : Prem I dont mind telling you on your face , you are here 99% for hte cash ... face it ... if you luved indian cricket u wud do something to help India .. donttell us they need to see replay of matches .. go tell the team
Prem Panicker : When you say "I dont mind telling you"... do you also keep in mind that you can say anything you please, knowing you are just an anonymous handle and no one will hold you to it? I mean, Prem Panicker is my name, in my birth certificate, passport, everywhere. Surely your name isn't "chimp", is it? I dont mean to be rude, but I do object to people who take what is meant to be a friendly discussion, and turn it into an essay in needless aggravation.
don : HI PREM, DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY THAT INDIA HAD A GOOD SERIES TO ANSWER/COMMENT MY PREVIOUS QUESTIONS?
Prem Panicker : No, but I genuinely didnt see your previous questions, pal
Dalmiya : Prem, I think Pathan will be the future of indian bowling attack if does not get caarried away with early fame and start running after girls etc. Aussie commentators are really appreciating him... what do you say?
Prem Panicker : He's been outstanding.... good bowler, but more to the point, is a fighter, has a huge heart, and never seems to give up or, to quote that cliche, take a backward step.
raya : hello Prem,Good to hear views from you either with Cricket or otherwise.I followed this tour of India's quite keenly and it does feel bad that we could not finish it off at Sydney in the tests and could not fight harder in the finals now. But, it is very important to realise that this team has played outstanding cricket throughout the summer..and sometimes, you do well with effort, but still don't get what you want. So, we should relax about this...and not overanalyse every thing.
Prem Panicker : Exactly my sentiments, friend
Dalmiya : Prem what is your typing speed man?? you are amazing...how can you type so fast that too thinking so much about millon dollars question from die hard fans...
Prem Panicker : *LOL* when i was younger, there was this cute typing instructor i got interested in, so I took typing classes. didnt get the girl but what the hell, i learnt to type.
Akash : Hi Prem, am a cricketer and have played ranji for vidharbha. Dont u think that the domination of australians in cricket frm last so many years is dng harm to cricket as a game and reducing its popularity and interest?
Prem Panicker : Hi, Akash. I know that is the current view, but look at it another way -- shouldnt teams be finding more gears to play at, and taking it as a collective challenge to stop australia? you'v eplayed for vidharba... would you just sit back and say what the heck, bombay and karnataka and maybe delhi dominate ranji, so there is no point? I bet you guys want to pull out all stops when playing the stronger teams, wouldnt you love to see the same attitude among the itnernational outfits goinog up against australia?
lbalaji : hi prem, so which position do u think is the best to bat for ganguly? 3rd , 4th or 5th??
Prem Panicker : behind sehwag, tendulkar, lax and yuvraj, certainly. i'd like to see yuvraj being given a more pivotal role, and the chance to build innings. he is a very good striker, sure, but more than that, he is superb at placing the ball, at taking singles, and bringing that sense of bustle to our batting that it normally lacks
don : I FEEL THAT IT WAS HIGH N DRY AS USUAL. IT'S A LONG WAY FOR US TO REACH THE CONSISTENCY LEVEL OF AUSSIES.WE ARE A BUNCH OF RAW TALENTED CRICKETERS WHO LACK HARD WORK, CONSISTENCY, FOCUS, CONSISTENCY AND MOST IMPORTANT ATTITUDE/GUTTS.
Prem Panicker : agreed. entirely. :-) was that the question i didnt answer?
indyarocks : Prem, Don't you think Sehwag is being given too much leeway? Even Nehra and Agarkar can blast the ball if they want to. The openers job is to see the new ball off WHILE keeping the score ticking. Shouldn't he be sent back to the domestic circuit???
Prem Panicker : I don't think so, frankly. I think Sehwag is useful where he is, we have had tame openers for far too long. he's done well enough in the past, i would think, to deserve some perseverance. guys, think of it this way, if our teams were reversed, wouldn't we have been going on and on about damien martyn having to be dropped?
raya : Hey Prem, It is ridiculous to keep talking about Sachin Tendulkar's form. This crap talk has been going on for years because we are obsessed with the idea of a hero and we expect something every time. There is nothing to suggest he played bad cricket this summer except that his scores weren't there till the last test. His one day form has been quite outstanding the last one.
Prem Panicker : Again, I agree. I would have understood the obsession say two years back. but over the last couple of years, others have been coming up, playing well, and yet to have sachin be the single focus is a bit silly, really
0-X : Prem - if Ganguly was no longer captain - a) whom would you tip to be the captain (if not Dravid) and vice captain in his place, and b) do you think he'd retain his place in the ODI/Test sides?
Prem Panicker : assuming ganguly is not the captian, i would personally want to see laxman lead for now... with yuvi as a possible for the future. not because lax scores runs, but because every time i have seen him lead, in challengers, in the irani, etc, i've been struck by his field placings and his handling of his bowlers. in fact the first time i wrote that he could be a future captain was when i saw him lead a below strength team in a challenger tournament, and win it despite the india seniors playing the full team. he was outstanding then -- time and again, he had the right plan for the right batsman, got his bowlers to change strategy, etc.
chimp : fine prem .. peace ... but tell us have u communicated anything from here to the indian cricket team?
Prem Panicker : yes. when i have had something concrete to contribute, i have -- to individual players who i know and who know me, and to the coach. i dont feel the need to either write about those things, or tom tom it, what would be the point?
mujrim : prem panicker have you ever played school cricket properly? I dont think so when i read your opinions
Prem Panicker : assume i haven't held a cricket bat. tomorrow, when you take up the morning paper and you see a correspondent writing about the prime minister's latest policy, i hope you ask that reporter if he has ever been the prime minister of india.
mujrim : prem panicker someday you will be contributing to NASA as well.
Prem Panicker : *grin* What's your problem, mate?
crickfan : Hi Prem! The way Sachin's form is running since 2003 isn't it time to drop him from the team on the basis of form?
Prem Panicker : 1600 ODD ODI RUNs in 2003, you mean? *LOL*
Prem Panicker : GUYS, BEEN FUN, BUT I NEED TO LOG OFF, IT IS 6.3O IN THE MORNING AND THE BED LOOKS QUITE INVITING. WE'LL BE DOING CHATS AHEAD OF THE PAK TOUR... SEE YOU THERE, THEN... MEANWHILE, TAKE CARE, STAY SAFE ALL
Prem Panicker : OVER AND OUT, GUYS... ADIOS
LG CDMA Fourth Umpire Chat | Previous Chat Transcripts
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