The 'Supposed' Sachin slump
There has been much talk about Sachin's supposed slump during this CB series, and some people are even going to the extent of saying that he should be dropped. It seems as though some people seem very jealous of the little master's achievement and are desperate to see him failing.
So why has this topic come up at all. Ofcourse Sachin would be the first one to admit that he has not made as many runs as he would like to. Then there is the talk about his poor average while chasing over the last few seasons. And some others are even suggesting that he is unable to handle the new ball which is simply ludicrous.
Lets have a look at what Sachin has done this series so far:
Game 1:v Aus: Batting 1st - 10 - Freak hit-wicket - Match abandoned due to rain
Game 2:v SL : Batting 1st - 35 - Played on to Malinga - Match abandoned
Game 3:v Aus: Chasing 160- made a brisk 44 - sent India on its way to a win.
Game 4:v SL: Batting 1st - 32(30) - Gave a quick start in a rain curtailed match.
Game 5:v Aus: Chasing - 5 lbw to an inswinger from Bracken.
Game 6:v SL: Chasing - Duck - Bowled by an unplayable Malinga delivery.
Game 7:v Aus:Chasing - 2 - lbw to a quick one from Lee - was late on the ball.
So it is actually just two dismissals in the last 2 games against Australia that has caused such a silly debate about his form. He has got 3 starts out of which one was as good as match winning, another was in a rain curtailed game where he was trying to score quickly.
Now that we have seen Sachin's scores,lets see how the other openers have fared in this series:
Hayden - 6 matches - Avg:26.83
Gilchrist - 7 matches -Avg:32.85 (which includes 1 hundred also)
Sanath - 6 matches - Avg: 9.20
Sehwag - 5 matches - Avg: 16.20
This just goes to show how difficult the conditions have been for the openers and also how good the bowling has been. It is just because we are used to big runs from Sachin that there is a feeling that he is in a slump. There is absolutely no reason for worry and it is only a matter of time before he fires in a big way. Given the support Yuvraj got from Dhoni when he was not even able to put bat to ball, he should zip his lip with regards to Sachin.
Just thinking about Sachin's lack of runs while chasing in the last couple of years and the modes of his dismissal while chasing it occurs to me that he is getting a bit weary after fielding for 50 overs (and bowling a bit) and hence his reactions are not upto speed when he comes out to bat. Dhoni needs to make sure Sachin is fresh when he comes out to bat by giving him a break towards the end of the first innings. These days the over rates are so abysmal that the openers dont even get the alloted 40 mins between innings. That is definitely a concern.
Class is permanent, form is temporary.
So why has this topic come up at all. Ofcourse Sachin would be the first one to admit that he has not made as many runs as he would like to. Then there is the talk about his poor average while chasing over the last few seasons. And some others are even suggesting that he is unable to handle the new ball which is simply ludicrous.
Lets have a look at what Sachin has done this series so far:
Game 1:v Aus: Batting 1st - 10 - Freak hit-wicket - Match abandoned due to rain
Game 2:v SL : Batting 1st - 35 - Played on to Malinga - Match abandoned
Game 3:v Aus: Chasing 160- made a brisk 44 - sent India on its way to a win.
Game 4:v SL: Batting 1st - 32(30) - Gave a quick start in a rain curtailed match.
Game 5:v Aus: Chasing - 5 lbw to an inswinger from Bracken.
Game 6:v SL: Chasing - Duck - Bowled by an unplayable Malinga delivery.
Game 7:v Aus:Chasing - 2 - lbw to a quick one from Lee - was late on the ball.
So it is actually just two dismissals in the last 2 games against Australia that has caused such a silly debate about his form. He has got 3 starts out of which one was as good as match winning, another was in a rain curtailed game where he was trying to score quickly.
Now that we have seen Sachin's scores,lets see how the other openers have fared in this series:
Hayden - 6 matches - Avg:26.83
Gilchrist - 7 matches -Avg:32.85 (which includes 1 hundred also)
Sanath - 6 matches - Avg: 9.20
Sehwag - 5 matches - Avg: 16.20
This just goes to show how difficult the conditions have been for the openers and also how good the bowling has been. It is just because we are used to big runs from Sachin that there is a feeling that he is in a slump. There is absolutely no reason for worry and it is only a matter of time before he fires in a big way. Given the support Yuvraj got from Dhoni when he was not even able to put bat to ball, he should zip his lip with regards to Sachin.
Just thinking about Sachin's lack of runs while chasing in the last couple of years and the modes of his dismissal while chasing it occurs to me that he is getting a bit weary after fielding for 50 overs (and bowling a bit) and hence his reactions are not upto speed when he comes out to bat. Dhoni needs to make sure Sachin is fresh when he comes out to bat by giving him a break towards the end of the first innings. These days the over rates are so abysmal that the openers dont even get the alloted 40 mins between innings. That is definitely a concern.
Class is permanent, form is temporary.
posted by Raj at 3:22 pm
3 Comments:
Very well-balanced post. It's funny how short public memory is, and how a slightly more penetrating analysis can clear misconceptions. A partial failure and people look for faults where there are none. He'll live this one through.. as he has in the past.
Insightful. Need more.
Oh, and as I write, Tendulkar just cracked three boundaries in the same over, and is racing to a fifty. Slump my foot.
hahaha...Now that is what I call a statement!!
Bats, When I wrote the post I had a small inkling he would fire today :)
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