SA tour decision on Oct 26, Srinivasan on board | Cricket News

India's much-anticipated tour of South Africa is all set to go ahead in December with BCCI President N Srinivasan and his CSA counterpart Chris Nenzani agreeing "in principle" for the series during discussions on the sidelines of the ICC Board meeting.

"The BCCI president N Srinivasan and his CSA counterpart Chris Nenzani have in principle agreed for India to play three ODIs, a warm-up game and two Tests in South Africa in December," ESPNcricinfo reported.

The series has already been curtailed after BCCI took exception to the Cricket South Africa's "unilateral" announcement of the itinerary in July.

CSA, desperate to cut down the financial loss that it would incur if the series does not go through, has offered to send its CEO Haroon Lorgat on long leave due to the BCCI's differences with him.

The series will be formalised when the BCCI's working committee meets in Chennai on October 26.

Meanwhile, the BCCI is expected to take up the issue of former ICC legal Head and CSA advisor David Becker criticising BCCI's stand on the Future Tours Program.
    
The BCCI reportedly suspects Becker of acting at the behest of Lorgat, a former CEO of the ICC. Becker has, however, denied this.

"For the avoidance of any doubt, Lorgat had nothing to do with my comments. They were my own personal views and neither he nor anyone else at CSA had anything to do with them," Becker said.

Unfair to axe a player on basis of one-two performances: Dhoni | Cricket News

Despite some dismal performances by a few players, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on  came out strongly in their support, saying that frequent changes might hamper the team in the long run.



"It will be unfair that all of a sudden when you lose 

one or two matches and you want playing eleven bowler to be removed and thrown out of the team by saying he is not good," said Dhoni at the post-match press conference.
   
"It's very important to persist with them, to give them experience because they are the part of the side. They are the most talented people and let's back them," he added.
   
Dhoni defended his decision to entrust struggling pacer Ishant Sharma to bowl the 48th over, which yielded 30 runs to hand the third ODI to Australia from a winning position.
   
"If you see the performances, then you may need to change the whole team. There are some batsmen who have not made runs, there are some bowlers who have gone for runs.
   
"If you compare bowlers of the two sides and you feel they (Australians) are better and quick, even they have gone for runs," the skipper pointed out.
   
Dhoni made it clear that with regard to the team selection he will speak only to the selectors and not at a press conference.
   
The 32-year-old Dhoni said that the new bowlers waiting in the wings can wait a bit longer.
   
"It is often seen that once somebody goes out of the side, tendency is that he is forgotten and people talk about the new bowler. I always feel that people who are in the side should be given the rope, doesn't matter if he is a bowler or a batsman.  Once he goes out of the side, the new guy who comes in you again, the principle should be applied.
   
"Otherwise if you start having (demanding) 'yeah hona chaiyee who hona chahiye, phir mushkil ho jaata hain' (there is a clamour this should be done or that should be done and later on it becomes difficult). I think this is one principle that works the best for all the players," he explained.

Hoping all will fall into place | Cricket News

Ishant Sharma bowls during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy semi-final match against Sri Lanka in Cardiff, south Wales. AFP

A packed stadium and a billion plus television audience; his every stride dissected by some of the biggest names in the game. He begins the over with India in the driver’s seat, but after two big hits off the first two balls, Ishant Sharma freezes. He is downcast, shoulders droop and the

eyes are blank. For the rest of the over, he goes through the motions against the rampaging James Faulkner.

Ishant was hit for 30 runs in the 48th over -- turning the match in Australia’s favour -- and finished with one for 63 from eight overs in the third ODI in Mohali. India have lost two of the three games, conceding 300-plus runs each time. Yet, in the squad named on Sunday for the last four ODIs, Ishant retains his place.

Stark reality

Those who know the situation in Indian cricket, though, are not surprised. MS Dhoni is in the best position to judge his stock. That he keeps going back to Ishant says it all. In the first two ODIs too, his economy rate was eight and 7.77 runs per over, yet Dhoni asked him to bowl the final over in Pune and Jaipur.

At the moment Ishant is bowling well below his potential, he doesn’t have the skill to operate in the death overs and doesn’t come across as a thinking bowler. But looking beyond him is not an option for Dhoni as India’s pace cupboard is bare.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose economy rate has been under six in all three matches, is incisive with the new ball. But for a bowler of his pace, he is easy meat at the death when the ball stops swinging. Vinay Kumar has been equally unimpressive and lacks speed. Mohd Shami, still to play, is sharp but is yet to prove his mettle.

Pacy pitches

The next World Cup is in Australia and New Zealand, where speed and hitting the deck will be the key. The other two who can generate decent speed, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron, have been injury prone.

It means Dhoni, coach Duncan Fletcher and Joe Dawes have no option but keep working on Sharma — the only one in this line-up who consistently clocks 135 plus — till he’s ready. 

Their immediate challenge will be to get his confidence up quickly. And apart from practice it will be about saying the right words to him.

Dhoni explained how he intends to deal with Ishant. “When you are disappointed, it’s always better to give the individual a bit of time to think by himself. The ideal time is after going back to the hotel. That’s when you have a chat. When you are representing your country in front of 30,000 people, if you bowl a bad over, the individual is more disappointed than anyone in the stadium or in the team. When the right times comes, you have a talk.”

A lot of time, effort and trust has gone into project-Ishant.

It’s all in hope that the investment pays off at the 2015 World Cup.