Off Stump

Now that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has essentially announced his decision to stay on as skipper of the side till at least the 2015 World Cup, every ODI series India plays hereon is a stage for defining the plans and alternatives for that tournament. And none of them will be more critical than the current series against New Zealand given its the closest the team will get to play in conditions resembling that in the actual World Cup. A lot gets written about India's poor record in Test cricket away from home even though its improved hugely since the turn of the millennium. Their one-day record away from home is not outstanding either with a win-loss ratio well below 1 (though only Australia and South Africa are better). What is more concerning is the fact that Australia and New Zealand are two of the three worst venues for the team thereby making the title defence even more challenging. Their recent record and especially the win in the Champions Trophy certainly gives cause for hope ...

The announcement (finally) of the Test Championship gladdened my heart as I'm sure it did for all other cricket lovers who still favour the format over the limited overs ones. And while the minimum requirement of 16 Tests in each four year cycle feels really low, at least its good news for the likes of Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe who struggle to get enough Tests scheduled otherwise. The increased gap between world T20 tournaments will also ensure the right level of desire in the teams for that title. What is not so good news is the selection of the venues for the different world tourneys. The list puts down on paper for the first time a fact that cricket fans world over have known for some time, which is that all the power and control at the ICC sits in the hands of the Indian, English, and Australian cricket boards. Bangladesh are the hosts of the next World T20, and New Zealand get a share of the next ODI World Cup in 2015 but after that the hegemony sets ...