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Q&A With Stani Army & MTJAG
By TJ for Stani Army in International Cricket
Stani Army was recently approached by the guys at MTJAG, who are avid Indian fans, to take part in a question and answer exchange. They asked if I would ask them questions on Indian cricket for which they would provide answers for, and they would in turn do the same on the subject of Pakistan cricket for which I would provide the answers. We had hoped to have it done and posted on the respective sites before the India v Pakistan game but …errm, just like the governments of the two countries we had a few communication problems but obviously not of the same nature, thankfully.
‘MTJAG’, though it may sound like a luxury car that’s run out of petrol, it does in fact stand for ‘More Than Just A Game’. They occupy a pretty unique niche among sporting blogs covering both football and cricket, something many sports fan, including us at Stani Army, can identify with. Big shout out to all West Ham fans across the world, come on you Irons!
You can find their answers to my questions on Indian cricket below. You will find their questions and my answers on Pakistan cricket at More Than Just A Game any time soon so be sure to visit their great blog!
Q&A With Stani Army & MTJAG
Stani Army:
Do you think Virat Kohli was an over cautious replacement for Yuvraj Singh and will he even get a game even with injuries? I understand he scored well in an Emerging Players tournament in Australia but the Champions Trophy stage is a different level. Please also consider Yuvraj’s useful contribution with the ball taking 12 wickets at 30.91 this year.
MTJAG:
Yuvraj Singh is one of the ONLY irreplaceable players in the Indian team right now. In my opinion, he’s the only guy with the right combination of power,technique, experience, and might to really scare any opposition at any point of time in a game. A tremendous fielder and a sometimes useful bowler too , as you pointed out. Kohli is a curious choice. He has played well at the youth level, but at the international level (T20s included) he has not done anything of note , except trying to look cool on camera. At first look he doesn’t look extra special against pace or spin. He does have the confidence though. Look for him to do nothing of note (as validated in the Pak match just now) in this tournament. Nayar, Mishra or even Karthik might have been slightly better choices in the final XI.
Stani Army:
I think the Indian batsmen will have trouble coping with Mohammad Aamer who likes to utilise bounce. Do you think that bounce is one thing the Indian batsmen have trouble with the most and why?
MTJAG:
Aamer is definitely a talent to watch out for. He has got a good angle , especially against the right handers. Not to mention the fact that we’ve got Ravi Shastri literally jerking off on the mic over his ability to generate bounce. However (and believe me, this opinion was BEFORE the game itself 
) , I think he’s still very very young , and can get a little too rattled, or too enthusiastic and lose his way. He’ll be a pain in all the wrong places in a year and a half from now, but right now, he’ll be someone who can be watched and milked a bit for runs. The bounce is something the Indians have a weakness against (yes, even more than voluptuous women). However, without Yuvraj, the team is without an experienced threat in the middle order. The lack of a good start will do them in.
Stani Army:
Why does Dhoni try to be sexy? Is his mirror telling him lies?
MTJAG:
Dhoni is the alpha male. Women want him, men want to be like him. Amongst his many talents, he is also rumoured to gulp down 4 litres of milk in the morning. It is hence not a surprise that in his garage lies 2 hummers, a few high end motorcycles, a ferrari, and 8 full grown cows. What’s more, AgarkarDhoni looks “OK”. Now, with an endorsement like that, WHO can resist such a man? is reported to have said that
Stani Army:
After the first edition of the IPL, it seemed as though India would take the cricketing world by storm with the likes of Suresh Raina, Siddharth Trivedi, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja etc showing their skills. Why have these youngsters not quite taken up the mantle and what could be the reason for their inconsistency?
MTJAG:
I think one of the big reasons is the format they succeeded in – the IPL. It goes to show that T20 is not everything, and that batting performances (more than bowling in fact) in T20 can be vastly overrated. T20 can also hide a few deficiencies that one has as a player. Sharma and Raina definitely do have the talent till they got sloppy with a little too much attention, and then, they also got exposed like cheap porn against short pitched deliveries in the T20 world cup gone by. Jadeja is too young and inexperienced. A lot rests on the shoulders of Raina, Sharma, Nayar, Badrinath etc to stop playing around and take on the role. Such a situation also emphasises why Yuvraj is such an important cog in the Indian team right now.
Stani Army:
India recently took the number one ranking spot. What would you guys prefer, consistent trophies or the number one ranking in Tests and ODIs?
MTJAG:
As flattering as it is, it’s nothing more than a back-door entry for the number 1 spot by default. I think neither the players nor the fans were celebrating (in any form ) of the recent ranking. Successes in a series, tournaments are the main indicators, the rankings will automatically come.
Stani Army:
Who do you find most irritating of the Indian players and why? For me it has to be Harbhajan Singh….especially after he slapped poor Sreesanth.
MTJAG:
As much as I personally dislike Harbhajan as a character (also an overrated bowler who has been making a career based on that 1 Eden garden performance), I also find Sreesanth quite irritating. The dude can’t help but make an ass of himself by simply existing. Can I pick both?
Stani Army:
Should the toss before the game be televised particularly after Gary Kirsten’s alleged sex dossier? Is Dhoni aware of what kind of ‘toss’ will be required and will he prevent himself from taking the opportunity of a performance enhancing light relief as recommended by the coach? My concern is born from the fact that Younis has a fractured finger and may follow suit….obviously.
MTJAG:
As funny as it might look, do you really want to see a bunch of sub-continental men pleasuring themselves on global television? Let’s not kid ourselves into thinking that we’ll actually get to watch hot chicks in action too. It will be another time where a cricket game might be given a “R” rating (normally reserved for games involving Dilshan since he causes so much violence). Such a gruesome, horrific sight might actually trigger off an alien invasion.
It’s been a pleasure Stani!
Pleasure eh? If it wasn’t for Kirsten’s dossier I wouldn’t have minded you using that word. Now I must pray you meant it in the right way.
So my fellow Stanis, go read my answers on Pakistan cricket and give the guys at MTJAG a hard time. Don’t tell them I sent you.
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September 28th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Hey Stani, your questions were really good. I decided to answer them myself as well. Let me know what you think. Here goes……….
Ans 1: Unlike MTJAG, I dont think Yuvraj is irreplacable. He is still TOO inconsistent with the bat. I personally have been missing Sehwag. Sehwag absence showed on the team at the T20 WC and Champions Trophy. Also as much as people hate Sachin nowadays, its still the same old story – Sachin performs in crucial games – then we win. He fails, we lose or choke in the end.
Also Virat Kohli doesnt even deserve a place in the B team. When will we learn making quicks 30′s in T20 games is not the same as being a top class player in ODIs.
Ans 2: I dont think the Indian batsmen get troubled by pace anymore. I sincerely believe in that. Our performance in the past few years worldwide is proof of that. Our problem is inconsistency – not bounce or pace.
Ans 3: No Idea – Try to get more ads I guess. Sick of seeing him on TV all the time.
Ans 4: Those youngsters have proved themselves only in T20. We all know ODIs and of course Test cricket is a whole new ball game.
Ans 5: Prefer trophies any day. Anyways the ICC ranking system seems weird to me.
Ans 6: Sreesanth, Sreesanth, Sreesanth. Harbhajan should have been given India’s biggest honour for slapping Sreesanth.
Ans 7: Lol, I like your comment on this topic in your previous blog post. The players need to stop using their hands
I look forward to your answers on Pakistan cricket. I have a lot of my own as well. Will post them here soon.
September 28th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Hey Rayden, top stuff mate.
1) I think Yuvraj could be much better than he is. I know he has recently started taking things seriously but in the past he has looked disinterested, slightly heavy like he was taking his talent for granted. There is no doubt he has the talent, ask Stuart Broad, but he could be a top top player if he focuses on his cricket in a professional way.
I agree Sehwag is difficult to replace. Yuvraj does contribute well with the ball and in the field though but has only relatively recently realised this. Come to think of it, Viru’s off breaks are not too bad either; he extracts a lot of bounce and this is always good for the close-in fielders.
I don’t want to be over critical of Sachin but in terms of winning matches for India, I think he could have done more but he does have a lot of pressure on him. Here’s a interesting article in The Hindu which compares Sachin, Ponting and Inzi. It’s an interesting read and surprised me too.
Kohli really had an opportunity against Pakistan to make a name for himself. He got himself into a great position but gave it away. I agree with MTJAG about Kohli worrying about how he looks too much. Possibly influenced sub-consciously by the likes of Dhoni, Yuvraj etc
3) You think Dhoni has taken his eye off the ball a bit? Sometimes he looks frustrated to me. I remember when he first took over, everyone was talking about him but I suppose the captain is as only as good as his team.
4) Yes, I agree with you and MTJAG that t20 can hide a lot of deficiencies in a players game. How do the same guys compare in domestic ODIs though, before and after the first IPL?
6) …and then they should have got Sreesanth to slap him back and then honoured him too!
Definitely ask away when you’re ready Rayden!
September 29th, 2009 at 5:35 am
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September 29th, 2009 at 6:15 am
I’m repeating myself:
Witty and informative. Keep it up.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:16 am
Mates, great stuff.
@ Rayden, I definitely find your opinion interesting on Yuvi. I agree, he is inconsistent and he definitely can improve. But in my opinion he’s that 1 guy in the middle order who can genuinely turn the tide when we’re either chasing a big score, or in deep shit (or both , since it so often happens to us). I feel he has been there really long enough to realize that he needs to be the man. Sachin, Sehwag and Gambhir are supremely important too, but all the guys are top order batsmen, and sorta kinda established themselves, and even if 1 gets injured, the other 2 can fill in.
Sehwag (and in recent times Gambhir) are extremely dangerous. Just like Yuvi, I feel Sehwag has started to flourish in ODI format too ( remember , he strangly didn’t have a great record at it despite the nature of his game being well suited to it), but we lost him at the wrong time. I just feel that outside India, between Sehwag, Gambhir, Sachin, and (don’t through stones at me now), even Karthik/ Dravid, we’ve got 2 guys in there who can put up a decent 1st wicket partnership.
On Sachin – it’s true that he may not have won the number crucial games that he would have liked, but there’s no comparing the pressure and expectations on him versus the others during the course of his career . He had to deal with not just fan expectations, but some very incompetent teammates, extreme bureaucracy (yup more than now), and a whole lotta other shit that Ponting, Lara etc have hardly even heard of. In my opinion, Ponting will get the record, Lara is the most attractive, but Sachin wins the heart with just going through such circumstances and coming out of it in style. I’d also like to add that he is what gets India to the SF and finals stages.
But it’s at the middle order right now that the Indian batting line-up lacks stability, fizz and danger of late ( other players haven’t really established themselves), and this is why I picked Yuvraj as irreplacable. Think of the Pak game. Dravid dropped anchor, and Kohli , Pathan, Dhoni all deceived. Yuvi would have been critical. He has that good mix of talent, experience, stamina (very underrated), and courage to be a player. Has he put it all together consistently yet? Perhaps that’s debatable. But at this stage of middle order transition that India’s going through, I find him to be the most important cog on the (flimsy) wheel.
With all the great names discussed above, Kohli is insignificant, and doesn’t warrant a discussion right now.
Our questions to Stani and their responses are up:
http://morethanjustagame.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/stani-army-and-mtjag-spew-their-load-all-over-the-internet/
September 29th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
@Stani and @MTJAG – Yuvraj is still too inconsistent but I do agree with MTJAG’s comment that Indian middle order suddenly looks very vulnerable and hence we need Yuvraj there although he doesnt do complete justice to his talent!!
As for Sachin, I totally agree with MTJAG – The pressure the guy is in all the time, no other cricketer can even imagine that kind of pressure. And its not his fault and for a major part of his career, he was in a team where there was him and 10 other useless players.
Mind you even though Ponting will get all the records, I would put Sachin and Inzi at the top, then Lara and then Ponting.
One other thing on Sachin – he is the most down to earth celebrity in India. Think of how the other cricketers, movie stars etc behave and compare them with Sachin. There is no comparison. I have seen Sachin a few times in Mumbai and he is the most well behaved and polite celebrity I have ever seen.
September 29th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Yes, Yuvraj is the fulcrum in the batting line up but I think had Rohit continued to progress then the importance of Yuvraj’s role would have been shared between the two. Unfortunately, Rohit seems to have stalled a bit.
You raise an important point Rayden about Sachin’s personality. Most sports people who are at the top of their tree show a single mindedness and will to win at all costs that can sometimes be rude and hence are not always loved by the masses. Sachin on the other hand has managed to be successful and remain humane.
September 29th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Stani
I think one reason due to which India couldn’t translate Sachins 100′s into more wins for the team is because India’s bowling has always been weak, Ponting was a part of very strong team and Pakistan although never had the batting stregth as India but their bowling has mostly been the best in the world.
As regards Yuvraj I would say that there is no one in the current lot on the bench who can replace him but that doesn’t mean that he enjoys the stature of being irreplaceable.
Inida’s bowling especially the pace department is toothless and can be regarded as friendly, other than Zaheer khan none of the bowlers can be regarded as World class they can’t bowl yorkers they can’t bowl vicious bouncers and their pace declines soon after they get into the team this is something which I fail to understand, normally when a pace bowler joins the national team because of better training facilities and professional coachin normally pace bowlers add to their speed but that doesn’t happen in India.
Spin has always been their biggest weapon but Harbhajan is no better than Shoaib Malik these days and that is hurting them a lot.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Nice initiative folks!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Hey Wasim,
I think all your points have hit the nail right in the head.
Perfect Analysis !! Its something I felt as well but could not express in words
September 30th, 2009 at 12:56 am
Wasim,
You make a very good point about how India’s bowling hasn’t helped in making Sachin’s record look good. Every top team needs a bowling attack that can clean up and India…well I can’t really remember when they last had one. There was one short period where the three lefties, Zaheer, RP and Irfan Pathan were playing well but it didn’t last. Irfan Pathan in particular was on fire during that period with his early innings swing and his deadly slower balls.
You also touch on another issue about how Yuvraj feels about himself in regards to his place in the team. I think if he does feel he is irreplaceable then that can have negative consequences.
Scorpi,
Thanks!
Rayden,
Start using those words! We want to hear them!
December 17th, 2009 at 4:16 am
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