‘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.

Pakistan’s victory was set up due to a brilliant partnership of 206 between Mohammad Yousuf (87) and man of the match, Shoaib Malik (128). The pacing of the partnership left MS Dhoni scratching his head but you have to feel for the guy as only Ashish Nehra and Yusuf Pathan did anything of note with the ball for them.

It is a well held belief that if Pakistan’s batsmen fired then they’d be a force to be reckoned with as the bowling usually takes care of itself. Unfortunately for India, their bowling was their weak link and many of their bowlers looked devoid of ideas and played into Pakistan’s hands. The most frustrating of them for Indian fans must be Ishant Sharma. After bursting onto the scene he has flattered to deceive even though he posses all the attributes you’d need to be a top quality fast bowler. India’s main selection conundrum is the bowling all rounder spot. It means that their bowlers have to do their job and their batsmen likewise. If either fails, then it becomes difficult for them to make it up.

Of Pakistan’s bowlers, the normally reliable Umar Gul had a surprisingly off day giving many extras and conceding 55 of his 6 overs. It must be said that Younis should have dragged him out of the attack earlier as it was quite clear he was having an off day and there plenty of bowlers to make up his overs. The captain himself had a relatively poor showing after all the build up about him playing with a fractured finger although he must be given credit for persevering with an unconventional slip for the dismissal of the dangerous Yusuf Pathan in the 39th over of the Indian innings. A special mention must go to Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi who bowled superbly well in containing India at vital times and on a pitch where Harbhajan had a shocker.

But this day belonged to Mohammad Yusuf and mainly to Shoaib Malik with their match winning 4th wicket partnership which is the highest of the tournament thus far. Shoaib Malik has recently been criticised, some fair, mostly not, but I’ve always felt he has a mix of attributes that our other batsmen, current ones or those waiting in the wings, do not possess and therefore is a vital team member. The most obvious is his cricketing intelligence and ability to play according to the situation. The reassuring thing about Malik is that when he gets in he looks twice the player he looks early in his innings. If he could be more consistent then it may get some critics off his back but today he played the perfect ODI innings.

Congratulations to the Pakistan fans and commiserations to the Indian fans who are not yet out of it and still have lots to play for.