Deep Backward Point

Blog against the machine.

The Kirsten Era: In Numbers

The Duncan Fletcher era is upon us. The Gary Kirsten era in Indian cricket has been quite something to watch. Especially when coupled with Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Here are some highlights, as I’ve been combing through the statistics of the past few years:

Test record:

  • India played 33 tests under Kirsten, won 16, lost 6, drawn 11.
  • In the previous 3 years, India won 11, lost 6 drawn 13.
  • Basically, India learned how to convert potential draws to wins. What Australia learned under Steve Waugh.
  • At home: 10 wins, 2 losses, 7 draws. Away: 6 wins, 4 losses, 4 draws.
  • Sri Lanka and South Africa are the only test teams to have beaten India in the Kirsten era.
  • Only 1 out of 12 series was lost (Sri Lanka in ’08). No test series have been lost under Dhoni.
  • In the previous 3 years, 3 out of 11 series were lost.

One Day record:

  • India played 93 ODIs under Kirsten, won 59, lost 29 and tied 1.
  • In the previous 3 years, India won 48 and lost 42. The win percentage has gone up dramatically.
  • India won 14 out of 21 ODI series, including the World Cup.
  • Home: 24 wins, 7 losses, 1 tied. Away: 35 wins, 22 losses.
  • In the previous 3 years, India lost more away ODIs than they won. This is where their improvement has been most obvious.
In a way, this is merely a continuation of the 21st century revolution.
Advertisement

All the High-Paying Jobs Have Moved to Bangalore

Fake Royal Challengers Bangalore Advertisement

West Indies have learned what other industries have known for some time-- all the high-paying jobs have moved to Bangalore!

The Objective of Playing in the IPL

Ducking Beamers asks: what is the objective of a domestic player in the IPL?

But does it ever really translate into something more meaningful for these players? [..] Is it worth it for most of these players? Look at the top run getters and wicket-takers of 2009 — not many no-names there. A cursory look at the other seasons shows the same trends — a few low-fame players (Vinay Kumar, N. Ohja, A.T. Rayadu) — but not much else.

So, what is the objective?

Short answer: to increase your salary next year.

Long answer:

  • There’s an off chance they make it to the internationals.
  • They make a considerable amount of money.
  • It’s not like they don’t contribute to a win, just because they don’t figure in the top 10 wickets/runs. Just take a look at today’s RCB v. DD match: Ojha, Rao, Mithun, Mohammed all played significant roles. And that’s where it gets interesting– if they do well this year, even if they don’t get selected for India, their IPL salary next year will go up considerably.

In fact, I would argue that in a tournament like the IPL where there is no real allegiance to the team, the goal of every single player is to be worth more next year.