India Vs South Africa: The pitch isnt a Pitch to Play on Anymore

source: Times of India Blog

Dean Elgar signaled for the physio, injured and battered completely. This wasn’t the first time that he had been hit by a fast bowler today, but he had somehow made it out with his grit. But when Kumar swung in a sharp bouncer that almost broke Elgar’s finger, he was genuinely concerned. Now, if a completely new person came and saw, he would be aghast at the sudden increase in quality of pacers. But there has been a hidden Bramhastra for all of the pacers: the pitch itself. The Wanderers pitch has suddenly become extremely unpredictable, with huge bounce and corky swing that could undo even Don Bradman. The Indians, at the end of the day, told everyone that they were prepared after the rage turner pitches in India to face this. The South Africans were frankly in a state of confusion, a bit bewildered by the pitch. However, the pitch is just not a pitch anymore. It’s a hell-bed filled with varying bounce that can hit you anywhere, and it’s just flat out dangerous. This shouldn’t happen at all.

There’s been enough signs on this pitch that it was a dangerous pitch. It started the first day, when edges came out of nowhere and snorters ripped through the Indian batsmen. There was a bit of resistance, but generally, the quartet of Rabada, Ngidi, Philander, and Morkel terrorized the Indian batsmen. There was nothing suspicious, but the commentators and a keen observer could see the snaking and unpredictability of the pitch. Then the second day, the pitch came out into the open. When prolific batsmen such as du Plessis and De-Villiers lost their wickets to swingers that swung the whole length of the pitch, everyone could judge the effect the cracks had. When a simple seam ball suddenly zipped through and broke the stumps in a flash, everyone could gauge the randomness of the pitch, especially the pace. When a loopy ball bounced up to the helmets, but a speedy ball bounced below the sneakers, one knew the various bounce of the pitch. The pitch played a huge part. Edges flew out of nowhere, and it was here were keepers such as De Kock and Patel were brought under scrutiny. I pity them. It was definitely not easy in any circumstances. The third day, well, no words. Everything possible was there. Like the only thing missing was ponies flying out of the sky with unicorns. Man, I still can’t believe that India is placed that well after that many edges. A considerable amount of this went to South Africa’s inability to catch anything, but still India showed some good skill. Then came SA. It was clear that they were battered and bruised. But Elgar man what grit! He somehow defended the bullets the Indian team was spewing. At the end of the day, he was profusely hurt, the only thing missing was blood. But he’ll push on. The thing that will get worse is the pitch.

Now, the play will resume on the fourth day. But can we allow to risk more and more injuries to the physio on a raging pitch like this for a simple victory?

Was Bailey right to not allow Alex Ross to be saved from obstructing the field?

Source: The Indian Express

                                   

This week, in the Big Bash League, there were multiple matches that caught our attention. Probably the most exhilarating match this week was Hobart Hurricanes vs Brisbane Heat, where a century from D'Arcy Short proved to be just enough, as Hobart won by just 3 runs. But another point of debate in that match was the controversial obstructing the field dismissal, where Alex Ross was given out from obstructing the field with the Heat needing 49 off 14. He was on 27 off of 19 balls, and Bailey was definitely keen on getting him out in any way out. But should Bailey have upheld the value of sportsmanship and pardoned Ross? Or was he right in focusing on his team's victory? 

                                       Firstly, let's look at the incident and analyze each and every detail of the whole incident. It started with Tymal Mills bowling a short outside off ball at 136 kph, his normal speed, and Alex Ross calmly pulled it to deep midwicket. The fielder there threw the ball so outstandingly bad that as Ross was diving, it hit his leg, causing him some pain. Immediately George Bailey appealed for obstructing the field. There was no tangible evidence of him deliberately blocking the throw, as he was trying to get away. But the umpire thought otherwise; he gave him out after thoughtful consideration. After the incident, McCullum showed visible displeasure and criticized George Bailey for not being sportive and rebuking the dismissal. George Bailey responded by saying that he thought he did what was right for the team. So was Bailey right? Or was McCullum right?

                                     Now let's look at Bailey's supporters. If you look at it, cricket is not the game it was millions of years ago. It has huge money at stake and just the sheer volume of the game has increased by folds. If the franchise's owners do not see victory, then they will not even try to invest in a team that is failing. In this huge tussle, victory is a necessity. Bailey knew that this one reprieve of Alex Ross would cost him the game. At that point, he was at a fixing spot. But he chose with not going with the reprieve because victory is the whole aim of the game. Bailey's logic behind this was that: with victory in his hands, Hobart's owner would fume at Bailey for letting it go in the name of sportsmanship, which doesn't earn any money for them. At that point, to do what was best for his team, he rebuked the reprieve. To an extent, I support this as well. It is like when a batsman tries to play a cut and the ball unintentionally takes the edge. The batsmen cannot say, I did not mean for the ball to hit my edge, it just somehow hit it. That is still an out!! So when that can be considered as an out, why would this not be?? To summarize the pro argument, it is: Bailey did what was best for his team and brought in a victory that helped them.

                                      But now, we also have to look at McCullum's supporters. What Bailey did was not fair, and even supporters of Bailey know that is true. Alex Ross, by no means, purposefully obstructed the ball. The role of fairness is slowly disintegrating in cricket, and this is an example of it. The value of sportsmanship should be always considered, and cricket is also known as a gentleman's game. It is the job of the players to uphold a fair respect at all times an do what is best for the game as a whole. That's where the debate differs. You see, many supporters of McCullum argue that while Bailey did what was best for his team, he didn't do what was best for the league as a whole. Because of this one incident, many critics are slamming the BBL for their lack of ethics when it comes to the field. This is not the only time that the BBL has been accused of straying away from ethics on the field(the infamous Gayle-reporter incident), so some people have come lashing out at the BBL. Not only that, Hobart's reputation has taken somewhat of a hit. So, to summarize the con argument: Bailey, by acting selfishly, strayed away from ethics and dented the BBL's reputation to some extent.

                                     At the end of the day, we can't change time. What Bailey did was in some ways right and in some ways wrong. Obstructing the field is a very weak area to go into, and the outcomes may be shocking. Both sides have their pros and cons, but in my opinion, Bailey shouldn't have done that. However, the BBL still has a lot to offer. Hopefully, in the upcoming BBL games, we can avoid all these controversies, see some good ethics and hard work on the screen, and enjoy thre game as it is. 

The Confidence India Built over an Entire Year, suddenly disintegrated in 45 minutes

  Source of Pic: ESPNCRICINFO

Getting South Africa all out on the first day in South Africa is no ordinary task. No kidding, it was an outstanding effort from the Indian bowlers. But do you remember the Zimbabwe match? South Africa had a huge collapse. The lower order fell like a pack of cards, and Zimbabwe bowlers were lauded and praised for their outstanding bowling. But then what happened? All the confidence Zimbabwe mustered and scrapped just went POP!! And that is exactly what happened to India, ditto. The bowling of the Indians was praised and applauded. But what they didn't know that it was the pitch doing the magic. But what they didn't know was that the South African bowlers love this kind of pitch. The pitch that can crumble a whole teams confidence.
                             A lot was said about this Indian team. They changed completely, they had a huge streak of wins, and their bowling had considerably improved. However, this test proved it completely wrong. A keen cricket observer could see some shades of the old Indian team. They couldn't cope with the strength of the South African team. The starting was up to the standard of the Indian team. But then entered the might of AB. The man who terrorizes India singlehandedly and relies on others for all other teams. And when he pairs with Faf du Plessis, its a show all right!! The bowling confidence that they brought off from every single tour just completely shattered. On that kind of a pitch, every ball that they threw was calmly held off by the two. AB just hit 65. But the flow of boundaries he hit wore them down bit by bit by bit. Faf only hit 62. But the "score" he had to settle with India fuelled his pleasant strokes in the day, leaving India bewildered. After they both got out, courtesy some pretty good balls from Bumrah and Pandya, nobody got that score. But everyone had that flow. Look at the scores after them. Every single person made some double-digit score. It was as if confidence transformed from India to South Africa.  Despite being 12/3, they made 286 on a pitch which if utilized, can get them out below 150. The Indian's team underutilization can be attributed to one thing: lack of confidence. Half of their confidence crumbled already.
                          But no problem. they still had their invincible batting right? Kohli, Vijay, Dhawan, Pujara, my oh my!!! They will make a pickle out of the opponents!! Or so they thought. BOOM! Philander strikes and gets the  Vijay! 1 pillar gone. But no problem. its ok, we have Chiku and Dhawan!! Dhawan completely tucked in, with 3 boundaries. But then, gone!! Steyn was gone?? BOOM!! Pace and speed fooled Dhawan completely and he is gone. Kohli uncomfortably defends and fends off Philander and Steyn. But then, out of nowhere, Morne Morkel comes and first ball, BOOM!! picks up Virat Kohli!! Silence from the Indian fans at the stadium. What?? Where is their confidence now!! See, the main problem with the Indian's team confidence: they weren't tested on outside pitches besides the West Indies, where even there they didn't show their full strength. The confidence built up from Asian pitches just crumbled on a raw South African pitch filled with bowler support. It's been three years, and the sheer pace of the bowlers burst through almost everyone, even Virat Kohli. The rest of the batsmen half-heartedly defended some balls, had some scares, but finally they got through. But even there, you could see that old vigor and confidence slowly and steadily leaking out.
                           So, as Rohit and Pujara walk out with zero expectations, little hopes, and a heavily damaged confidence, they will try to take this mess and stitch it into some kind of miracle. It's not impossible, but it looks very hard. So, from here on out, here is some honest advice to the Indian cricket team: go with zero expectations, zero egos, and zero overconfidence. Just play hard and try to master the pitch. Have confidence, but be wary: this South African team can destroy your confidence just like they did today, and every time there wont be a Rohit, Pujara, and Saha to try and save you.

INDIA VS BANGLADESH TEST DAY ! REPORT

The top order batsmen of the Indian team set India at a great position on the first day in Hyderabad against Bangladesh. Vijay, Kohli, Pujara and Rahane helped India reach a score of 356/3 in 90 overs. Among the players, Murali Vijay was the main star in the day, striking a flamboyant 108 to give India a good start. Virat Kohli contributed with a priceless 111* at the end continuing his fine run of form, while Cheteswar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane played good supporting hands to Vijay and Kohli respectively. As for Bangladesh, they could not capitalize on the early chances given by the Indian team and bowled too many loose balls, which India fully capitalized on. If they have any chance of at least drawing the game, they need to step up their performance in the upcoming days.

            In the beginning of the match, Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat on a green Hyderabad pitch. As expected, they exclude Karun Nair, the triple centurion in the last match, for one of their most consistent performers Ajinkya Rahane. KL Rahul took strike first, while Taskin Ahmed opened the bowling. Rahul started confidently on an inswinger onto the pads first ball, which was easily clipped for 2 runs. On the fourth ball of the over, Taskin Ahmed bowled a full outswinger. Rahul, who saw the chance to make some runs, drove fiercely at the ball, only to find that the ball took the inside edge and crashed into the stumps for India’s first wicket. Rahul was out for 2 and India were in an early state of bother at 2/1 in 0.4 overs.

            Pujara, one of India’s most solid batsmen, came in and started defensively. He tucked his first ball to midwicket for a single, but showed signs of aggression on a mellifluous cover drive timed perfectly. However, Bangladesh had the chance to claim Pujara when Kamrul Islam Rabbi bowled a short ball which surprised Pujara. The ball lingered in the air for quite some time, but fell just short of short leg. Rabbi then again produced a chance later when he got the outside edge of Pujara, but Mushfiqur Rahim, the wicketkeeper, did not go at it resulting in the ball falling just short of slip. Pujara, visibly shaken by these two incidents, went back to playing defensively.

            At the other end, Vijay was firm as usual and rarely got tempted. While he also showed solid defense and technique, he unleashed three pulls on Rabbi’s short balls, showing his hunger for runs. However, luck played a role in his innings as well when Mehedi Hasan Miraz drew the outside edge of Vijay off a turner, but the ball once again fell short of slip. Bangladesh had three chances, but unfortunately none of them sent the batsmen back to the pavilion.

            The duo gradually went to a 50 partnership, a mix of Pujara’s classy punches and drives, and Vijay’s ruthless pulls and cuts off short balls from the pacers, and wall-like defense from both batsmen. India was looking settled for the time being. However, Bangladesh missed a HUGE and fairly easy chance in the 19^th over which they could never really recover from and gave India a clear upper hand in the contest. Vijay tucked Mehedi Hasan Miraz around the corner for a single but Rabbi once again came into the contest when he dived and stopped the ball. Pujara, who was eagerly looking for a single, already bolted across while Vijay was still at his crease. Vijay realized that there was a danger of a runout and darted back, but Rabbi threw the ball straight to Miraz when Vijay was miles away. Miraz however, dropped the throw, allowing Vijay to come back into the crease and be safe. Miraz’s big error resulted in the Indian’s getting one more chance at a big total.

            Right before the lunch break, Vijay hit a classy boundary off Takin Ahmed for a little late momentum. At lunch, India were at 86/1 with a settled duo at the crease (Vijay on 45*, Pujara on 39*), and were looking for a big score. Bangladesh frankly had been lackluster after the wicket of Rahul and clearly missed some easy chances to set India on the backfoot.

            Post lunch, Pujara set the tone with a sharp cut that raced to the boundary. Vijay reached his fifty off 82 balls with a sweetly timed off drive of Shakib Al Hasan and was looking confident and set. Vijay continued his smooth innings, showing both stubborn defense but not sparing any loose ball. Kamrul Islam Rabbi became an easy target for Vijay due to his lackluster line and pace. Vijay capitalized on every opportunity and regularly kept scoring runs. Meanwhile, Pujara tapped Rabbi for a single and reached a defensive fifty off 108 balls. With an increasingly aggressive Vijay, and a solid Pujara at the other end, the duo looked unstoppable. The duo then changed their focus to the spinners for quick runs, with Vijay cutting Shakib for four and then straight driving him for a huge SIX!! Pujara pulled two consecutive fours of Miraz. Both impenetrable defense from both batsmen and signs of aggression from Vijay and Pujara made the Bangladeshi bowlers toil hard at all times.

            Pujara continued his assault on Miraz and pulled him for another four. But two balls later, he got carried away, resulting in Miraz procuring the outside edge of Pujara with a spinning flighted ball. Mushfiqur Rahim then caught the ball on the second attempt behind the stumps, and Pujara was dismissed for an outstanding 83. Bangladesh had a slight opening in which they could slide in and take control of the game.

            But it was not any batsmen, but Virat Kohli, the masterful Indian captain, who came to the crease next. He made his intentions clear with a powerful square drive on his very first ball. A few balls later, he drove a full inswinger from Taskin Ahmed straight to the straight boundary to assert his attacking game. Vijay, at the other end, got another outside edge, off Taskin Ahmed that rolled straight to the boundary. In the support of Kohli, the duo reached tea at 206/2 with Vijay on 98* and Kohli on 17*. Although India had lost the wicket of Cheteswar Pujara at a key stage, India’s score was at a strong position and they were not in a spot of bother thanks to Kohli’s audacity early in his innings and Vijay’s cautious play. For Bangladesh, this session was another session of toil. Despite taking a wicket, could not really instill fear into the batsmen’s mind.

            Post tea, Kohli drove Rabbi once again to the boundary, continuing his tough day. An over later, Vijay cut a length ball from Rabbi for 2 runs and reached a superb century. Vijay built his century on the base of defending good balls, but attacking loose balls. He reached his 9^th test century in 149 balls with a moderately good strike rate. Vijay’s jubilation was clear, as he took off his helmet and raised his bat in front of an electric Hyderabad crowd.

            Vijay decided to raise the runs, and swept Taijul after a few balls for four. However, he attempted to sweep a straight ball 2 balls later, and was bowled for 108. Although his dismissal was rather soft, Vijay played an excellent innings. However, his dismissal gave Bangladesh elation as a slight opening was created.

            Rahane then came in, and after a slow start, pulled Taijul for 4. Kohli then showed his range, by flicking Shakib for four and repeatedly rotated the strike to avoid uneasiness. Bangladesh could not seem to capitalize on the opening created by Vijay’s wicket due to the stability of Rahane and Kohli. Kohli eventually pushed Shakib to long on after hitting a few boundaries and reached a strokeful 50. He had stabilized India after Vijay’s loss, and was looking set for a 100. As soon as Kohli reached his 50, he and Rahane changed gears. They went after the loose balls, almost every ball going straight to the boundary. The duo eventually wore the Bangladesh bowlers out, who, due to the toil, began to bowl more and more width and length balls, which were promptly smashed by the duo. The run rate began to accelerate, and it went up to the point where even a slightly loose ball was smashed straight to the boundary.

            In this assault, Kohli smashed a cover drive to bring up a pristine hundred. He had done wonderfully to continue the Indian dominance after Pujara and Vijay’s wickets. He had impeccable timing and placement, didn’t spare any bad balls, and kept on rotating strike, eventually tiring the bowlers. He raised his bat aloof, in joy of a 16^th test hundred. He reached the 100 in 130 balls with a strike rate above 75.00. The Indian captain once again led by example.

            Rahane finished play with a few cuts and drives in the last over before stumps. India’s score was a daunting 356/3, with Kohli and Rahane looking as confident and set as ever. The top order batsmen wore out Bangladesh, didn’t lose any chances to score runs, and on top of all, showed some solid defense. Bangladesh gave up early chances, letting India establish an aura of dominance over the test match. Bangladesh should step up their game and bowl and bat well for the rest of the Test match, or India have the test match safely in the bag. 

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM REVIEW

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM REVIEW

Confusing but Intriguing

 

Story:

The year is 1926, and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident, were it not for a No-Maj named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, the escape of some of Newt's fantastic beasts, and a dangerous wizard, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

Positives:

The cinematography is definitely top class. Special mention needs to go out to Philippe Rousselot for his superb visuals. They completely take the movie to a new level and make you actually feel that you are part of the movie. The second half of the movie completely changes the tone and keeps you hooked. The movie becomes intriguing and captivating because of the second half. It is fair to say that the second half lifts the movie up on its shoulders. The story is another bonus. It has so much depth that you are unintentionally hooked. Lot of comedy is generated in the movie which is a fresh breath in times of confusion.

Eddie Reymane is good. His expressions perfectly suit the role of Newt Scamander. However, his expressions are a bit stone-faced in expressive scenes. Dan Fogler is definitely the star of the movie. His expressions as the innocent Kowalski steal the show, and you can’t help but think that he is going to go places. He is just wonderful in the emotional and funny scenes. Katherine Waterson is expressive and is tailor made for a role like this.  Collin Farrell performs his role nicely. Ezra Miller shows his talent in the role of a pained teenager. Johnny Depp makes a short cameo as the dark wizard.  

Negatives:

One of the biggest drawbacks is the confusion. Three stories are run at the same time which leaves you kind of flabbergasted. The entire first half has no point and is very, very confusing. Looks like the director put his entire focus on the second half. I actually lost interest in the movie until the second half hooked me in. The first half is boring with irrelevant scenes and a whole lot of confusion. The story also plays a part in this. It has so much depth that it can lead to a lot of confusion in the proceedings. However, you still are somehow hooked to the movie.

One thing that needs a mention is the dialogues. Eddie Reymane is the main character and has so many dialogues, but along with his stone-faced expressions, he also mutters half of his dialogues, which are hard to understand. Alison Sudel, or Queenie Goldstein, has no point in the story except to serve as another wizard and the love interest of Kowalski. Colin Farrell did well, but his role is not powerful enough as the main villain.

Another thing is the visual effects. They are definitely below par. In a time where movies like Doctor Strange and Arrival are releasing, the visuals need to be top notch. Sadly, for a movie that is based on visual effects, they are not good enough as the average movie-goer can see the blemishes of the visual effects.

Other Departments:

There are no songs in the movie, but the background score by James Newton Howard is top notch and play a major part in the presentation of the movie. As mentioned, cinematography by Philippe Rousselot is a major positive in the movie. Editing is okay, but the movie is a bit lengthy. Some scenes should have been easily cut out. Production values are top notch as expected from HeyDay films and Warner Bros.

Coming to the story by J.K. Rowling, it is definitely deep, but maybe too deep for this subject. However, the director did a good job in the handling. He(being the director) put too much emphasis on the second half, leaving the first half very boring and bland. But the emphasis put on the second half is worth it, as it is very racy and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

If I had to rate the first and second half, I would rate the first half as 2/5. But the second half, I would rate as 4.5/5. This says a lot about the movie.

Final Verdict:

Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them leaves a horrible first impression, but you leave the theater with a smile. Positives are the second half, few performances, cinematography, and the intrigue factor. Negatives are first half, confusion, few pointless characters and scenes, and visuals. But despite the negatives, the second half leaves so much of an impact that you want to watch the movie more than once.

Rating: 3.25/5

Conclusion: Start the movie bored, end the movie fascinated!!!

PUNE SUPERGIANTS REVIEW

VIVO IPL 2016
Rising Pune Supergiants
7th in the IPL

                      M.S. Dhoni's Superigants did not fare well at all this year, failing in one too many aspects.

Rising Pune Supergiants   14 matches  5 wins   9 losses  0 washouts 10 points  Run Rate-0.015


Overview:
Everybody knows Rising Pune Supergiants had the capacity to win the IPL. Star players like Rahane, Ashwin, Dhoni, Pietersen, and Perera could have easily carried the team forward to the title. But, despite all the hype, the Supergiants could not build on a strong start and became the first team to be eliminated from the Vivo IPL.
            In close encounters, the Supergiants faltered away. Although the Supergiants finished so low, their run rate was barely in the negatives, because they could not finish a few close encounters. And, like adding salt on a wound, their injury list grew literally day by day. Some of their strong players such as Faf du Plessis, Kevin Pietersen, and Steven Smith were taken out by injuries. Their replacements, Usman Khawaja and George Bailey couldn't exactly bring the same feeling to the Supergiants.
           There were a few silver linings. Steven Smith scored the only century of the season, and him and du Plessis were in fantastic form. Adam Zampa proved himself as possibly the next Shane Warne, and Dinda rediscovered his mojo with fiery pace and pinpoint death bowling. Mitchell Marsh was probably the allrounder they needed, with his beautiful pace and zippy batting. Rahane was probably the only batsmen throughout the season who scored consistently, and M Ashwin was outstandingly good. However, many times Supergiant's bowling and batting didn't click at the same time, which is needed for a consistent team.


Superb Performers:

Ajinkya Rahane: Literally the soul of the Supergiant's opening duo. he scored and scored on like a run machine. Many times, he lifted the batting failures up, and helped them post a good score. If he got a bit of support at the other end, he would have been unstoppable.

Ashok Dinda: Pumped up the bowling with his fiery pace and awesome yorkers. Batsmen who would have creamed him a season ago found it hard to play shots against him. One can safely say he is back in form again.


Low Performers:

Ishant Sharma: Supergiant's third most expensive buy at the auction could not perform well at all. He sometimes took wickets, but his length was random and his lines wayward. He could not trouble the batsmen as much as he used to. He needs to rediscover his mojo, or this could be a hard year for them.

Thisara Perera: He started off well, with 3 wickets and a quick 34(13). However, his wicket taking abilities were overshadowed by his horrible lengths. Batsmen found his lack of pace easily hittable, and Perera struggled against beautiful pinpoint death bowling by teams. He needs to practice better lines and hitting the ball cleaner.

M.S. Dhoni: Barring a few scores, a half century, nice captaincy, and amazing wicketkeeping, M.S. Dhoni could not live up to the fan's expectations. He clearly cannot hit the ball as good as he used to, and is trusting himself too much. His 8 of 20 against Knight Riders highlighted his struggling batting. He needs to think of a plan to deal with superb death bowlers before it is too late.


Suprise Packages:

Adam Zampa: This Australian leggie made a huge explosion into the IPL. With 15 wickets in just 6 matches, he completely terrorized the batsmen with his spin and accuracy. Adam Zampa is definitely a spinner people should watch out for. People have already started calling him "The Next Shane Warne".

M Ashwin: Supergiants second most expensive buy performed well this year. His accuracy, slight spin, and awesome lengths highlighted the success this lad would have in the future. He started faltering, but still kept taking wickets at regular intervals.


Why Didn't They Play?

Ravichandran Ashwin: Although this star spinner played in all of the Supergiants matches, he was rarely bowled out and had little work to do. Dhoni stooped trusting Ashwin because of his flight and okay line, and it showed. He tried batting, where he didn't fare too good either. Made some futile impacts with some good spells at the end, but the question still remains: Why wasn't he bowled out?

 Ishwar Pandey: This fast bowler is a really good asset to any team. So why didn't he play? He has troubled the batsmen even when they are in good form. It wouldn't have hurt Dhoni to use him when they were knocked out. He would have probably been a silver lining.

Peter Handscomb: This lad has proved himself as a vital asset to the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League. That being said, he was dropped after one failure with the Supergiants and wasn  replaced promptly by George Bailey. While it was a risk to play a lad who is getting used to Indian conditions for the first time, they could have played him in some dead rubbers.


How can they improve next season?
Supergiants have the players. They have the elements needed to win the IPL. But Captain Cool needs to make sure of three things. He needs to make sure the batting and bowling both are good in one match. He also needs to devise a plan to counter this new skill of death bowling, and how his team can finish close matches positively. Lastly, he needs to use his star players more. If he can fulfill all these requirements, Supergiants can prove themselves as a real, big Supergiant in the IPL.

COOK'S BACK IN FORM, NEEDS TO IMPROVE ON CAPTAINCY

Alastair Cook's form has tremendously improved after being sacked from ODI's.. However, the England test team are still losing lots of series.

There is a danger that by listening too intently to the braying of his detractors, English cricket will forget what it has got. Not just a batsman who saved, and then helped win, this Test, but also a captain whose leadership is in no way as woeful as it is made out to be.

Ever since Cook got sacked from ODI's, his form has improved. This is a fact. He averages 48.54 in tests now, and when he was in ODI's he had meagre averages in both ODI's and Tests(23.34 and 29.81 respectively). Maybe it is because he has been relieved of ODI captaincy. He can now focus way more on Test cricket, in Cook's words "the classic cricket". Many great cricketers have been evolving under Cook's captaincy, such as Joe Root and Ben Stokes. And not to forget that he has become a calm man. If you notice, he is watching the ball better, and his shots are more fluent. He made the record of England's leading run scorer in Tests after he was removed from ODI's. That should tell a lot about Cook to himself, that he is more of a test player. So it is vital that he stays in place for the Ashes this summer, and vital that the furies swirling around English cricket do not take a debilitating psychological toll on the man who is the glue holding this team together.

England’s deterioration as a Test team can be dated to the moment Cook began to struggle. After the India tour in 2011, Cook began to merge into the world of luxuries, and lose concentration on cricket. As a result, England's test team became chaotic, and the ODI team was even more. ECB did the right thing by sacking Cook. Although the ODI team is floundering now and then, they are set under the leadership of Eoin Morgan.

Yet if today was about the batsman, tomorrow was about the captain. As an opener he has no ochallenge in this country — but there are plenty who would excel his tactics in captaincy. He needs to watch out for those people, for his captaincy is hanging thinner than a stick. ALthough he has made amends in his form, the test team as a whole is still floundering, though less then before. This should be a wake up call for Cook, to rethink his strateies as well as approach the game differently. But he has no contention in the opener aspect because of his form, and if he just rethinks his captaincy method then there will be no stopping Alastair Cook.