India v http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 – 1st T20I – Indian batsmen to watch out for
With the monumental ice-breaking India-Pakistan series due to kick off today on December 25, starting with the first of two T20Is (scheduled to be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore), the home team will be gearing up to compensate for their
poor performances against England, and reconfirm their dominance on home ground.
Having displayed an embarrassing inability to stand up to England’s spin duo of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Monty-Panesar-c2024 most recently, the Indian team’s batting order has been the target of a fair amount of criticism. However, a victory against Pakistan is likely
to be potent enough to redeem them completely, and the Men in Blue will be banking on a few key players to get the job done.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028
If pressure brings out the best in a man, skipper MS Dhoni is likely to be India’s star performer against Pakistan. Under immense strain after the current defeats on home soil at the hands of the touring England team, Dhoni’s captaincy and his mediocre performances
of late have been the subject of much criticism.
The Pakistan-India series provides Dhoni the perfect opportunity to silence his critics, and the skipper is likely to grab at the chance. Past records suggest that he is more than capable – in addition to having played 40 T20Is (with 714 runs to his credit)
for the national side, Dhoni has also scored 2864 runs in 137 T20s, and has been an active participant in the Indian Premier League. The 31-year-old proved his prowess in the format by leading the Chennai Super Kings to the IPL title twice (in 2010 and 2011),
as well as lifting the Champions League Twenty20 trophy in 2010. If he can tap into that form and humble the visiting Pakistani team, Dhoni may find his recent failings forgiven.
Yuvraj Singh
India’s star all-rounder, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Yuvraj-Singh-c98364 took a brief break recently to deal with a lung tumour, but has since come back swinging and made a promising return to the national side. The 8 T20Is he has played since his return have seen him scoring a total of
142 runs, and having played a total of 31 T20Is (with 709 runs to his credit) and 103 T20s (with 2301 runs) throughout his career, Yuvraj’s past record suggests that he is bound to come out fighting against the Men in Green.
In addition to consistent wicket-taking, the southpaw has recently played some solid outings, including a 38 against England at Pune, during the first T20I of a two-match series, which saw India going on to clinch a 5-wicket win. The Men in Blue will be
banking on him to continue in a similar vein as they look to tackle the Pakistani bowling attack.
Suresh Raina
Among India’s most successful batsmen in the T20I format of the game, Suresh Raina is likely to prove an asset for the Men in Blue, with his big hitting, his agile fielding, and his handy part-time off-spin. With 829 runs from 34 T20Is at a strike rate of
136.57 to his credit, Raina has played the highest individual innings for India in the T20I format – a 101 against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 in 2010. He also has the best batting average in the format (34.54), and the cherry on top of the cake is the fact that he has been
a superb fielder, having taken the most catches for team India in T20Is – 15.
In addition to national commitments, Raina has also played 131 T20s, and has 3495 runs (including a massive century - 101) to his credit. He has been active in the domestic circuit and has also featured in the Chennai Super Kings XI, for whom he is among
the top run-getters.
In his most recent performance, Raina provided the team an extra boost and remained not out on 35 in the T20I against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 went on to lose that one, they will be hoping for an improved performance against the Men in Green, and an
in-form http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SK-Raina-c2539 could do wonders for the team.
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