Jayasuriya's bowling saved Mumbai

Sanath Jayasuriya's 3 for 14, the best figures of the tournament, the Mumbai Indians put their off-field troubles aside and pulled off their first win. On a slow Eden Gardens pitch, though not the minefield of the previous game, Mumbai had a nervy start and were 25 for 3 before Dwayne Bravo and Robin Uthappa put on a century stand to see them home.
Good to see a figures like that and Bowler winning a match for his team. Jayasuriya was one of the over-rated players according to me, in the IPL auctioning system. His batting has not clicked so far in the tournament. In the absence of Sachin, he was supposed to be the king pin of batting. Hopefully this bowling performance will pep him up and we will see old Jayasuriya. Although I think Mumbai won't reach the knockout round. - post by landmine

Cruel game of cricket

Symonds gave away the fate stealing 17 runs of the last over to fellow Australian that included 2 6's and a 4. The other night, Sehwag clobbered him for 30 in one over. Cruel isn't it. Cricket has always been like that. A great leveler. In the same match, a player becoming a hero and a villane is seldom seen though. This match was a perfect example. Symonds is going to leave at the end of the month for Australian tour of West Indies. There is nothing much left for him to redeem. His pride and image of a great player has been dented a little bit. Good luck fella, for the next IPL series.

IPL - Most "under and over" rated players.

Cricinfo - Indian Premier League 2007-08

Based on the initial bidding price for the players, few names have come out in the list of Over Rated and Under Rated players. Of course, this is after a week's worth of cricket. There is still a lot of cricket to be played and balance will swing in favor or against many players. It is still worth analyzing at this point, the money offered to these players (in dollars) vs their performance or likely performance in T20 league.

MOST OVER RATED:

1. R.P. Singh (875K)
2. Md. Kaif (675K)
3. Jayasuriya (975K)
4. Irfan Pathan (925K)

MOST UNDER RATED:

1. Glenn McGrath (350K)
2. Ricky Ponting (400K)
3. Mike Hussey (350K)

Cricinfo - Deccan felled by Sehwag fireworks

Cricinfo - Deccan felled by Sehwag fireworks

Bowlers can make a difference. McGrath and Asif restricted a massive batting line up of Hyderabad. Rohit Sharma played a gem in the end but just not enough to restrict Delhi. Sehwag went nuts and chased the score in 13 overs.

In photo: Rohit Sharma. We all know him.

Hogg, Not a test bowler

Hogg is a better one day player. He reminds me of Michael Beven. A more than useful bowler and a solid lower middle order batsman. He was never ready for tests and his weaknesses were exposed when he played against a quality spin playing team like India.

clipped from content-usa.cricinfo.com Hogg cuts lonely figure While one Western Australian bowed out to overflowing praise for an outstanding career, another must have crept off wondering if he had performed in his last Test. Brad Hogg's re-trial as the first-choice spinner failed again and if Stuart MacGill doesn't regain his fitness in time for the winter tours the selectors need to gamble on the next generation. It's been a deflating series for Brad Hogg who has been shown up as a Test bowler © Getty Images

Series round up and 4th Test

{Photos: Courtesy Cricinfo.com}

player of the series - Brett Lee

Gilly bids Adieu

Well 4th test ended in a draw but not without generating some interest during India's second innings. That goes to show, how soon Aussies can turn things around. Had Sehwag's catch being taken, it would have been a different story. But they themselves have to blame for that. They were sloppy (not at all Aussie standard) in the whole series. Nevertheless Australia retained the Border Gavaskar trophy. Here is my take on the 4th match.

• Both the teams played safe/negative cricket in their first innings.
• We don't know Australia that scores 3 runs per over for the whole innings.
• Australia missed a golden chance by dropping Sehwag's catch.
• Harbhajan had a disastrous match. Never looked threatening.
• Sachin's century was the best of the match.
• Sad to see Gilly retire.
  

Probably a more lively pitch would have made a real game out of it. There was nothing much for the bowlers. Pick of the bowlers were Lee and Ishant. They showed how to bowl on a dead rubber. Spin department of both the teams failed.

As for the series, it was a well fought series and a lot of positives and negatives came out for both the teams. I think Australia showed signs of slump. They were not as lethal as they used to be with Warne and McGrath. They don't have a world class spinner. Their back up pacers are not good enough to support Lee. They have to improve or shall I say concentrate on catching. Also they should get prepared for Hayden's retirement. Should look for good openers soon. These chunks were well exploited by Indians.

Veeru's Ton helped India save the match

Ishant Sharma - Not just fast but talent too.

After being written off by most, Indians displayed a refreshing variety of cricket. Their bowlers looked capable of taking 20 wickets and their batsman showed class. Specially, Sachin . Laxman proved to be a better batsman against Aussies on Aussie soil. For me, pick of the tour was Ishant. I have not seen any Indian bowling his heart out like this. He earned good respect from all. Specially from Australian greats. I heard them saying good things about him. I wish him good luck for future. Sehwag proved to be a match winner/saver again. You can't have such a talent sitting on bench for years. I hope he continues to play in future and shows more control over his innings like he did in Adelaide. He has to believe that he can make big scores, even by playing a solid and safe cricket. India has to pick good spinners and think about future. Kumble and Bhajji are not going to stay forever. Rahul's confidence has to come back. Sourav has to think beyond. Its time for him to say a graceful good buy and contribute to Indian cricket in other ways. Lets hope this healthy rivalry stays there forever between two teams.

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Gilchrist announces his retirement

• Finest Wicket Keeper batsman I have ever seen.
  

He will be missed greatly. Saw some glimpses of his brilliance in Perth against India but bowled cheaply by Sehwag. Had he stayed in that innings, the result would have been different. He is the man of big occasions. So many times Gilly has given us a treat of aggressive batting.

As cricinfo notes - "Adam Gilchrist, who revolutionised the role of the wicketkeeper-batsman, Gilchrist played 96 Tests, the same number as Rod Marsh, and has collected 414 dismissals, currently one more than South Africa's Mark Boucher"

He has been instrumental in Australia's one day success. Coming as an opener and thrashing bowlers all over the place is his trademark style. His game against the short bowling is next to nobody in contemporary cricket. Gilchrist brought a limited-overs approach to Tests, becoming the first man to launch 100 sixes in the format, registering the most centuries by a wicketkeeper-batsman, and scoring at a phenomenal strike-rate in the low 80s.

He is truly the best keeper of his times or may be in the history of cricket. Peter Roebuck notes "Yet to characterise Gilchrist as a cavalier is to underestimate his craftsmanship and his contribution. Guarding the stumps was his primary duty, a role he carried out with an athleticism and skill that spoke of substantial skill and unfailing stamina. It was no easy task to replace as superb a gloveman as Ian Healy, into whose hands the ball nestled like a bird in a nest. Gilchrist met the challenge with aplomb, not so much ignoring the hisses that greeted him as turning them into cheers by sheer weight of performance and freshness of character."