Ok - so the quality and quantity of the submission...

2010-04-06T00:06:23.508-07:00

Ok - so the quality and quantity of the submission makes up for the delay:-) Few quick thoughts.

1. 300 odd runs cant be a fluke - so he's on but i dont think he will make the list or perform at the same tempo heronin
2. Notice that 7 (8 if you count the occassional Yousuf) of the top ten scorers are openers. (and i think 16 out of top 20) Stands to reason in some ways in this format but also why Dravid at no 7 etc is a bit much.
3. Dada will take KKR ahead - by hook or by crook. Whether he scores much this week or not
4. Kallis - your comments are precisely the reason why i wrote the Kallis & Dada article. Its all about the role. If your opener and 1 drop dont score at 150 then its a problem - not Kallis. For the last game that BRC lost , White+KP scored 20 in 30 balls!!!! So hardly fair to blame Kallis. And in the game against Chennai - sure he was slow (Pandey scored at 70 strike rate - though short) but KP gave 26 runs in 2 overs while Kallis gave 21 in 3!!! So its all about the role.
5. Oh and in case it wasnt clear by now - Kallis will retain the cap at the end of this week as well :-) Dark horse new entries who will scrape through top 10 will be Gilchrist & Jayawardene (who's far behind at the moment)
6. Vaas will nudge back into top 10 & the spin triplets will fight for the top spot with Mishra holding on by a whisker.
7. Bowler of the IPL - Malinga?? Not Mishra , Not Murali???. I think those two are more deserving - particularly for the reason you call out. ie Mumbai has a fantastic bowling attack and its always easier to bowl in formation with pressure on both ends. Murali has had a disastrous bowling attack at the other end and while Mishra has it slightly better - he's certainly had some relative unknowns to bowl alongside (Sangwan, Yadav, Bhatia, Yo, Ladda)
8. While i pray for the Royals , for now i am sticking with my heartbreak tag - though Shane will make it to the ten this week.

Comments on The Cricket Nation: IPL 2010: The best batsman & bowler; Aloke Gupte’s...

Ok - so the quality and quantity of the submission...