International Team of 2025

Despite all the dire predictions of its imminent demise, I applaud the persistence of international cricket, in particular the traditional red-ball formats. The franchise stuff continues to rake in sponsorship and TV cash but when leading countries accept the opportunity and challenge of a series spanning more than three Tests, cricket invariably rises to the occasion. If only other nations could embrace take note of England’s battles against India at home and the ongoing Ashes barney in Australia, producing high drama and great entertainment lasting several days, although a few Aussie groundsmen seemed hell bent on preparing Test match pitches geared to a T20 duration. 

Australia ended the year atop the ICC Test rankings but were undone in the World Test Championship Final at Lord’s. In a low-scoring encounter in June, South Africa, fired by Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada, at last scooped a major trophy. Both sides defeated India in five-day cricket series, while the Aussies inflicted an ignominous humbling of West Indies in Kingston, reducing their second innings to 27 all out. Mitchell Starc took 6-9. At the other end of the scale, England took the Indian attack for 669 at Old Trafford and Australia plundered their Sri Lankan hosts for 654-6 at Galle. 

I am amazed and encouraged by the plethora of nations participating in T20 internationals around the world. Many of them rely on the Asian diaspora but it’s great to see the likes of Austria, Bahrain and Rwanda playing so much cricket. However, I am not sure what their attendances are like. 

In women’s cricket, Australia barely broke sweat to take the multi-format Ashes without a single victory for England. However, Alyssia Healy’s squad were unexpectedly defeated by Harmanpreet Kaur’s India in the World Cup. The delight on their faces in triumph was a joy to behold. 

India also picked up the ICC Champions Trophy, but only after being allowed to play their fixtures in Dubai rather than Pakistan. The small-scale tournament contained its share of surprises, not least Afghanistan’s historic victory over England, whose Bazball boasting produced not silverware but nul points. Perhaps England weren’t as good as they thought they were…. 

So what about my Team of the Year? In first-class cricket, nobody outscored KK Nair or took more wickets than Mohammed Abbas. West Indian batters Nicholas Pooran and Shai Hope seemed to be everywhere in T20. Compatriot Jason Holder garnered 97 T20 victims, the most by anybody in a single year.

Neither South Africa nor New Zealand played much Test cricket but their players nonetheless made an impact on the world stage. For the Proteas, Markram and Rickelton made runs, while Jansen and Maharaj looked dangerous with red ball in hand. The Black Caps’ Matt Henry was the top wicket-taker in ODIs and Daryl Mitchell proved himself one of the best batters. 

A new record was set by NZ openers Devon Conway and Tom Latham when they each scored a ton in both innings against the Windies in December, and Wiaan Mulder opted to avoid what he considered an undeserved place atop the list of individual Test match innings. On 367 not out, and Brian Lara’s world record at his mercy, he declared South Africa’s first innings against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo. Many criticised him, and I understand why, but to cricket fans, any record achieved against a side as weak as Zimbabwe’s would inevitably come with a mental asterisk against it. 

For openers, KL Rahul and Travis Head are leading contenders. The Indian remained a formidable scorer in Tests and ODIs, and the South Australian proved to be a brutal hitter in any format. He may be inconsistent but saves his best performances for the biggest stage, not least when promoted as emergency opener in the ongoing Ashes series. NZ’s Rachin Ravindra announced himself in the Champions Trophy, nailing down the opener’s spot. 

Shubman Gill was a revelation with the bat in England and was by far the most prolific batter in men’s Tests, albeit 17 shy of the 1,000 mark. Who needs Rohit or Kohli? Harry Brook is clearly hammering on Joe Root’s door as the premier Yorkshireman in cricket but 2025 was the senior man’s year. His 805 Test tally was pretty useful but he surpassed that in ODIs: 808 was superior to anyone else’s. The unbeaten 138 at Brisbane filled a glaring gap in his CV and only Tendulkar has more Test career runs. Root’s average tops 50 and he now claims 22,000 runs in England colours across all senior formats. I don’t normally dwell long on T20 specialists but even I cannot ignore the splash created by Indian Abhishek Sharma, who ended the calendar year with a T20 strike rate above 200. Not even the likes of Gayle or De Villiers managed that but, as boundaries shrink, scoring continues to accelerate. 

Aussie Alex Carey‘s brilliance behind the stumps and decent return with the bat cemented himself as the best ‘keeper in Test cricket and, for me, Ravi Jadeja retains his all-rounder spot in 2025, although he seemed to improve his batting at the expense of his left-arm spin. Ben Stokes demonstrated that he is not finished yet, but fitness issues restricted his appearances to major Test series. 

Last year, bowlers could claim to receive a bum deal. Jasprit Bumrah was given some much-deserved breathing space, allowing Mohammed Siraj to capture 43 Test wickets. Jofra Archer’s return to England’s attack was hailed as the Second Coming but, although miracles weren’t forthcoming, the old fore and pace were much in evidence. However, that old Aussie warhorse Mitchell Starc was relentlessly brilliant, hoovering up 55 wickets in eleven Tests at barely 17, driving the Barmy Army nuts. 

Amongst slower bowlers, it was also nice to see Simon Harmer back in the South African Test fold at the age of 36. In the series success against India, he finished with a superlative seventeen wickets at a mere 8.94 apiece. However, my attention has strayed to the women’s game for my final pick. England may not have enjoyed the best year but Sophie Ecclestone had no peers when it came to limited-overs spin bowling, and she is still only 26. 

My 2025 Team of the Year:

Ravindra (NZ), Head (Aus), A Sharma (Ind), Shubman Gill (Ind), Root (Eng), Carey (Aus +), Jadeja (Ind), Starc (Aus), Henry (NZ), Siraj (Ind), Ecclestone (Eng). 12th: Rickelton (SA)

India Still Top of the World

Congratulations, India! Not only have they consolidated their number one status in Test cricket with a 2-1 series win over second-ranked Australia but they managed it having been comprehensively crushed in the first game at Pune. In fact it’s only the fourth time in India’s history they have come from behind to clinch a series.

The eight-wicket margin at Dharamsala looks impressive but, not for the first time, the match was won in the second innings when India’s attack was simply too much for the Aussie batsmen. For much of 2016-17, India’s dominance has largely been the result of Ashwin’s bowling and Kohli’s batting. However, both have been uncharacteristically quiet in the battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The home side’s captain aggregated a paltry 46 runs in five innings, while Ashwin was overshadowed by team-mate Ravi Jadeja and even, on occasions, Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keeffe. Umesh Yadav picked up five wickets in the final Test and 22 year-old Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the first innings bowlers, marking his debut with 4-68. Yet Ashwin, with Jadeja, could still teach the Aussie slowies a thing or two about bowling on the fourth and fifth days.

Kohli’s lack of form and Fourth Test absence was compensated for by the excellence of Pujara and Rahul. This week, the latter made it six half-centuries out of seven, a display of remarkable consistency not achieved by an Indian since 1982-3. As the bowlers, especially the spinners, were so on top, there were only six hundreds scored across the whole series. What really stands out is that half of them flowed from the bat of Aussie skipper Steve Smith.

While the ‘brain fade’ incident left a sour taste in the mouth, Smithy was brilliant at the crease. He accumulated 499 runs at 71, remarkable on largely bowler-friendly pitches and seems to be in a golden patch right now. He has the rare gift of converting half his 50s into 100s and also boasts 40+ averages in every country in which he has played. Leading his country has not hurt him one jot either. As captain, his Test average is an amazing 73.27, and his strike rate is a none-too-shabby 57 per 100 balls.

He said he feels pride despite the latest defeat in Asia, and that’s fair enough. It was a great series and I hope there will be many more in the coming year. I particularly look forward to seeing how Kohli and co fare in their next away Test series.

Smith, Shakib, Jadeja and Pujara at the top of their game

With apologies to South Africa, who took an unassailable series lead against New Zealand, this has been a week when cricket’s focus has been on events at Colombo and Ranchi.

First of all, congratulations to Bangladesh for recording only their fourth away Test victory in their 100th match. Beating Sri Lanka by four wickets was arguably their best performance on foreign soil, and coming fewer than 6 months after giving Alastair Cook’s England a momentous hiding. To some extent the result in Colombo this week is an indication of Sri Lanka’s regression as much as Bangladesh’s progression, but let’s not take anything away from Mushfiqur Rahim’s side.

Whilst not being one of the three centurions in the game, Tamim Iqbal was named Player of the Match. Whilst never really fulfilling his early potential on the global stage, Tamim remains an important part of the Bangladeshi line-up. And yet the world’s undisputed number one all-rounder Shakib al Hasan still had a major role to play in this latest triumph. He has participated in almost half of his nation’s Tests, accumulating almost 3,500 runs at over 40 and 176 wickets at barely 34 apiece. That’s pretty good going, especially as most of his performances have come in a losing cause.

India’s spin kings Ravi Jadeja and R Ashwin are hot on his heels, and both stand on top of the ICC bowling rankings. The former has emerged from the shadow of his team-mate over the winter, and added a further nine wickets and a rapid half-century in the latest contest with Australia. After the surprise thumping in the series opener, Kohli’s men seem to have regained the upper hand. It’s been an impressive period for Cheteshwar Pujara, too. Amidst all the headline-catching six-hitters and tight slowies, the 29 year-old right-hander has grown in my estimation. It’s brilliant to see a five-day specialist adding a third double-century to his tally, boosting his average to almost 52.

The opposition skipper Steve Smith may be heading for a series defeat but his personal stock as ace batsman continues to rise. His imperious first innings 178 not out did, in hindsight, probably saved his side in the 3rd Test although it was the resilience of Shaun Marsh and Handscomb which kept the Indian attack at bay on the final day.

In 98 Test innings, Smith has already amassed 19 hundreds and 20 fifties, boasting an incredible average of a shade below 61. His ICC ranking score of 941 is also up here with the best batsmen not only of his generation but any era. Not bad for a much maligned converted leg-spinner! Not bad, either, for someone burdened with captaincy of the green baggies, forever in the media spotlight. Few can outshine Virat Kohli but, at least in the five-day format, Smith is doing just that.

The Smith-Kohli battle in the remaining two fixtures will be almost as fascinating as that of the two teams, and I’d love the overall result to rest on the final match. Five-Test series outside the Ashes are rare but this one thoroughly deserves it.

Steve Smith’s Brain Fade, Australia Outplayed

At Pune, planet Earth was almost jolted off its axis when India suffered their first home Test defeat since Alastair Cook and co wrought havoc in December 2012. Indeed, it wasn’t so much a defeat as an annihilation by Australia. The opposition spin attack, so long derided by the cricket world, suddenly became world beaters, outclassing Ashwin and Jadeja at their own game on their own pitch.

Could Virat Kohli’s men put that embarrassment behind them, shake off the Pune dust and get back to winning ways at Bengaluru? Absolutely! For the first few days, it looked like a Test match of old. Spinners bowling maiden after maiden and batsmen concentrating on keeping their wicket.

However, whereas back in the Seventies, visiting batsmen often had the wherewithal to withstand such pressures, the current crop of Twenty20-softened strokemakers are often unable to grind out a score and save a match. When their mental resolve is further tested by exceedingly ungentlemanly, yet apparently legal, conduct (i.e. sledging), performances seem to suffer more. Which I guess is why the likes of Kohli, Warner and many other leading cricketers continue to indulge in the practice.

As for the cricket itself, Nathan Lyon’s sensational 8-50 on day one seemed to be setting the scene for the Aussies to make it two out of two. But on the next three days, India remembered why they were the world’s top cricketing nation and they fought back. Even Ishant Sharma conceded fewer than two runs an over as Australia struggled for runs. Ravichandra Ashwin twirled away for 49 overs but it was fellow spinner Ravi Jadeja who completed a six-four, restricting the opposition to a lead of 87.

When India batted next, it was the quicks, Starc and Hazelwood who did the damage. Rahul again passed 50, as did Pujara and Rahane, but the rest capitulated. The outcome was that Australia were left with almost two whole days in which to knock off the required 188 to win. However, they knew that this pitch was proving decidedly tricky with uneven bounce and lateral movement. It wouldn’t be easy.

In the event that was an understatement. David Warner signalled his intent not to block and nudge by striking an early six but he was second out, for 18, in the tenth over. As the day progressed, the wickets tumbled but it wasn’t just the batting which was disintegrating; so were relations between the two sides, sparked by the use and blatant misuse of DRS.

Kohli pointed out to the umpires the tendency of Steve Smith to glance towards the dressing room for guidance before deciding on any reviews. This is banned under the laws of cricket. When the Aussie captain did it again after being given lbw, umpire Nigel Llong wasted no time in sending him back to the pavilion. India were fired up even more, and Ashwin proceeded to his 25th five-wicket haul. More than that, his 6-41 meant that for the first time EVER, four different bowlers had achieved six-fors in the same match. Unlike in Pune, Steve O’Keeffe was not one of them.

That would be quite a record, one to remember this match by. However, instead it will go down in history as the one when Kohli said the Aussies had “crossed the line” and made it clear he reckoned Steve Smith had cheated. Smith was unconvincing when he described his look to the balcony as “brain fade”.

We all know that technology has its place when used to aid umpires in coming to difficult decisions. Nevertheless, it is encumbent on players and officials to ensure that DRS is not abused. If Steve Smith and others have been caught out, they should be punished, and umpires will unfortunately have to add checking players’ eye movements to their already long list of duties. I can see captains demanding a review on whether the opposition illegally sought a review. What next? Team A demanding a review of whether Team B sought illegal assistance on whether or not Team A had sought illegal assistance on whether or not to review a decision on Team B? Aarrggghhh!

Let’s just say that India deserved to draw level 1-1 and hopefully common sense will prevail when the sides next meet at Ranchi. Somehow I anticipate another dearth of runs, spinners in the ascendancy and more grumpiness from Kohli. I just wish the game is played in the proper spirit and is remembered for cricketing reasons.

Nair and Jadeja Grind England into the Dust

And so to Chennai, and still no respite for England. Another city, another crushing defeat. Until this week, it had been Ravi Ashwin and Virat Kohli lording it over the tourists. Now it was the turn of some of the Indian supporting cast to shine.

It was all looking so good when Alastair Cook won the toss and saw century stands from Moeen Ali/Joe Root and Liam Dawson/Adil Rashid advance England to a creditable 477 all out. At last, a decent platform from which to secure a consolation victory.

However, on the Sunday, the match swung the other way, or at least in the direction of a draw. Lokesh Rahul produced a splendid innings, yet appeared devastated to be caught, top-edging high to Buttler. He may have joined an elite club of batsmen to be out on 199, yet the young opener almost scored as many runs in that innings as the entire England side managed in their second outing.

On the fourth day, things went from bad to worse for Cook and co. Karun Nair took over where Rahul had left off. In only his third Test, the 25 year-old from Jodhpur converted his first ton into a triple, scoring more and more rapidly as the day wore on. He was still there on 303 when Kohli called time. He didn’t do it all on his own. He’d been part of three century partnerships as India piled up 759-7, a record total for India and more than anything previously conceded by England.

On such a flat pitch, it certainly wasn’t beyond England to see out a day and a bit to at least avoid defeat. In Mumbai, it was a much harder task: two and a bit days, and of course they collapsed to an innings defeat. Cook and Jennings did what was expected, putting on 103 for the first wicket. Both openers fell within four overs. Then the big blow was Joe Root missing a sweep on 6. Ravi Jadeja had nabbed all three. He promptly made it four, this time completing a terrific running catch to despatch Jonny Bairstow.

Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes had to knuckle down and bat for just a couple more hours. Unfortunately, with the score on 192-4, the former decided he needed to attack Jadeja and, seeing plenty of open space beyond mid-off, went for a lofted drive. The ball didn’t carry and it seemed as if the whole team deflated. The last six wickets tumbled for a pathetic 16 runs. Still 75 short of making India bat again, England had broken another unwanted record; their 477 had become by far the highest ever Test first innings total made by a side going on to lose by an innings!

After a relatively even challenge in the first two or three matches, the final couple were horrendously one-sided. So who was to blame?

Many are calling for Cook’s head. Ludicrous! He’s done pretty well, apart from the autumn encounters in Asia. England also need his runs too much to discard him altogether, which is what usually happens to outgoing skippers on these strange shores. Hameed and Jennings have each shown promise, but a couple of Tests doesn’t make them the answer to a nation’s prayer. Joe Root is certainly a captain waiting, and he was perhaps the biggest plus on the tour. It’s true he has a poor record when it comes to converting 50s into hundreds. But at least he is consistent at racking up the 50s!

A glance at the England batting averages suggests little to worry about. No fewer an six men averaged over 40. The problem leaps out of the bowling stats. Only Adil Rashid captured more than 10 wickets. Moeen Ali, in theory the ace spinner, took ten at almost 65 apiece! Anderson and Broad, when not injured, enjoyed little success either, and fellow seamers Woakes, Stokes and Ball were even worse.

As for India, only two of their bowlers took more than ten scalps, too. However, Ashwin and Jadeja were masters of their universe, knowing when to apply the pressure and induce false strokes, and having the skills to actually do it. Nair, Rahul, Pujara, Patel and Vijay proved that the makeshift batting line-up was up to the task, with Yadav and Ashwin providing sterling support lower down the order.

Moeen Ali’s rash stroke at Chennai didn’t lose the series, neither did Cook’s captaincy nor any other individuals. There does seem to be a severe issue with fourth innings collapses. That must surely be more mental than a physical failure against spin. At home, England remain a formidable unit, and the emphasis on attacking strokeplay has improved our limited-overs performances no end. But that may well have had a negative impact on the qualities required to play negatively when needed, and it will be needed in five-day cricket. Just watch what Pakistan did in scoring 450 in a magnificent yet ultimately unsuccessful run chase in Australia at the weekend. That took guts!

The selectors had few alternatives on the spin front, but Batty’s inclusion was a daft decision. So was bringing Gary Ballance. I don’t blame them taking Ben Duckett, though. Giving his summer form, that was a gamble worth taking. I just think England’s concentration on T20 skills has tipped the scales too far. We could just accept that India are currently unbeatable in Asia, have a go in the ODIs, work in the nets and re-group for the 2017 summer.

India Rub It In

An eight-wicket victory inside four days would seem to be a sign of total dominance. Yet I’m not totally convinced there’s a chasm between India and England.

So much these days can rest upon the toss of a coin, especially if the pitch is set up to be a raging turner or a seamer’s paradise green top. Mohali was neither, and Alastair Cook’s side failed miserably to turn what advantage there was in batting first into a win. All of India’s bowlers took wickets as, Jonny Bairstow apart, their opponents struggled to establish themselves at the crease.

At the end of Day 2, India were only three runs ahead of England’s first innings total, with six wickets down. Keeping them to 350 would keep the match nicely balanced. However, Ashwin, Jadeja and Jayant Yadav proceeded to do what no other Indian seven, eight and nine have done in their history: score half-centuries. Indeed, Jadeja came close to three figures as his side built a healthy 134-run lead.

Nevertheless, if England could set a target of 200+, all was not completely lost. This was another situation perfect for Cook and young Hameed. Knuckle down, get to stumps then construct a platform on which Root, Bairstow et al could push the score past 300. Except that Hameed was absent with a mysterious injury. And except that Ashwin, Jadeja and Yadav were simply too good for the English top order, just as they had been too good for their bowlers the day before.

Root had opened and lasted 66 overs before Jadeja beat him with spin and Rahane took a fine slip catch. Meanwhile Hameed made a belated appearance to pass 50 and hold the tail together for a bit longer. However, fine bowling by Shami and a dodgy call for a second run left the Lancastrian high and dry on 59, and India requiring a mere 103 to take a 2-0 lead.

The Barmy Army clung to a shred of optimism when a Woakes bouncer induced a run-less Vijay to edge to second slip with the score at 7. However, that simply brought Pujara to the middle. He and Parthiv Patel, recalled after an eight-year absence, seemed very keen to finish things off by stumps. Patel thumped 11 fours and a six and it was all over.

I’m not sure if they celebrated silently but they’d have been well within their rights to remind Ben Stokes about the result! Even worse: Australia ended their dreadful run against South Africa.

So what can England do to pull it back? Well, that’s a tough one to answer. Jos Buttler couldn’t produce the runs and Gareth Batty certainly wasn’t going to do any more than join any sledging war that might have been taking place. Ballance and Ansari are no better alternatives and Duckett has been removed from the firing line ‘for his own good’. That just leaves a choice of bringing someone in from the Lions (are they even allowed to do that?) or making more of an effort at Mumbai.

The task has been made even harder because Hameed’s hand injury requires surgery and his tour is prematurely ended. Kohli and co must be laughing. More so since Pakistan, rivals for the ICC number one spot, suffered a 2-0 defeat in New Zealand. In Mumbai, England have nothing to lose.

India Ravi-ge South Africa

Before the start of the Freedom Trophy series, you could be forgiven for predicting a reasonably close encounter. South Africa were the number one Test nation but India’s home advantage would inevitably result in spinners’ wickets. In the end, reputation counted for nothing and the Indian slow bowlers enjoyed extraordinary success.

I can’t recall a series of any length when two bowlers each took more than 20 wickets at under 12 apiece. Ravi Ashwin wasn’t even content with 31 scalps at 11.12; he even weighed in with 56 runs first innings runs at Delhi – more than the South African top seven (AB excepted) combined! Ravi Jadeja was also brilliant, and the visiting batsmen (AB excepted) were totally outplayed throughout.

Only seven days’ play was possible from the first three Tests, four lost because of rain, four lost because the Saffers’ batting (AB excepted) was so frail. Then at Delhi, Indian fans were treated not only to five days’ cricket but also their side’s record margin of victory in runs terms in history!

I had become concerned at the future of Test cricket with so many abbreviated games. Batsmen thrashing the ball in T20 mode, giving away their wickets, does not make for interesting Test matches. A bit of short-term entertainment perhaps but leaves you wanting more. That’s what made the Delhi climax so unusual.

When perusing the scorecard I thought I must have accidentally come across stats from the 1920s not 2015. 143 in 143.1 overs?! The top two spinners bowling 95 overs for 87 runs??!! AB De Villiers, of course, top-scored in both South Africa’s innings and in that epic defensive effort broke the record of the most balls faced in a sub-50 Test innings. For a player so brilliant in limited overs cricket – he scored those three hundreds in the ODI series, remember – this was an amazing statistic. And they so nearly survived the marathon spin attack.

Yet amidst the carnage when SA batted, Ajinkya Rahane conjured up an unbeaten century to set up the declaration. That was only the second three-figure score of the whole series, and Rahane had also scored the first. Credit to Kyle Abbott, too, claiming a rare five-wicket haul for the pace brigade. Dale Steyn may have been largely missing from action but he wouldn’t have made the slightest difference to the overall result.

A great series for India, an even better one for slow bowling but a major headache for South Africa who must now dust themselves down and recover some poise before meeting England. I wouldn’t rule out a few surprises but I’d lay odds that it won’t be Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid deciding the result!

Team of the Week: AB and Taylor Prosper

The week ending 29th August was one bereft of first-class cricket but there were important limted-overs matches played, from ODIs to the Royal London quarter-finals and the Nat West T20 Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston. Despite the lack of innings played, there were easily sufficient performances worthy of gracing any of my Teams of the Week.

I'll start with England's skipper. No, not that one; the ever-reliable Charlotte Edwards. Her 108 was her ninth ODI century and helped secure a win against India's Women. On the other side of the world, Aaron Finch produced his own hundred for Australia against South Africa in the Triangular tournament.

With England's middle-order stuggling against India at Cardiff, James Taylor's magnificent unbeaten 146 in 154 balls for Nottinghamshire was a timely advertisement for his growing reputation as a one-day batsman par excellence as well as a consistent run-maker in the four-day game. AB De Villiers has seen it and done it for SOuth Africa but this week he did it again. This time, Australia were on the end of a 111-ball 136 in a game where Faf DuPlessis also reached three figures.

There was an even bigger partnership in the West Indies' third ODI against Bangladesh. The outstanding contributor was wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, plundering 169 from only 121 deliveries. And I can't ignore Suresh Raina's 100 in 75 balls here in Cardiff, where England were a distant second best. I also note that Glen Maxwell enjoyed an easy ride against Zimbabwe last week, too, whacking 93 in 46 balls, but it's not enough to make my team.

Sri Lanka and Pakistan were locking swords in an ODI series, and the former's captain Angelo Mathews continued his recent form. He served up scores of 89 and 93, allied to a few useful wickets. His seamer team-mate Thisara Perera is also becoming a star all-rounder. A 36-ball 65 and 3-19 were the highlights of his week.

My final three selections are all spinners. 'Ooh, Ravi Jadeja' was the frequent cry from the India fans at Sophia Gardens, whether he was taking wickets, fielding or facing his 'handbags' opponent Jimmy Anderson. 4-28 in an ODI victory does indeed merit a few 'oohs'. Warwickshire (aka Birmingham) may have won the T20 Blast but I rate Lancashire's Steven Croft as the player of the day. In the semi, he hit 22 in 12 balls and took 2-11 in three overs. His 1-17 in four was the most economical bowling statistic even if he ended up a runner-up. Then there's another loser in my XI. Zimbabwe may have been defeated by SA but the intriguingly monikered Prosper Utsaya lived up to his name by capturing five wickets.

A one-day-dominated week thus yields the following star Eleven: Edwards (Eng W, *), Finch (Aus), Taylor (Not), De Villiers (SA), Raina (Ind), Ramdin (WI, +), Mathews (SL), Croft (Lan), Jadeja (Ind), Perera (SL), Utseya (Zim)

Raina and Ravi blow England away at Cardiff

I've just got back from Sophia Gardens where India made it three out of three ODI victories in the past year or so. They even took the final wicket just minutes before the rain pepped up - timing as impressive as that of MS Dhoni's batting. Maybe the BCCI should pay me handsomely to attend all their games around the world as I was in Cardiff for those Champions Trophy successes, too. Please get in touch, guys, and don't forget to include travel expenses!

It wasn't all plain sailing for India today. Jimmy Anderson and Chris Woakes bowled beautifully in the first ten overs, the latter rewarded by the wickets of Dhawan and poor Kohli, thumping a great off drive straight at the only fielder in the arc, Alastair Cook. After his earlier new-ball struggles, Rohit Sharma began to settle and, with Rahane, built a useful third-wicket partnership.

However, it was oves 38 to 41 which destroyed England. Woakes' second spell began with an over in which he conceded twenty runs, including two sixes from Suresh Raina. The next over seemed to go on forever as Chris Jordan served up no fewer than five wides, each greeted by even greater derision by the massed ranks of India fans in the Foster's stand. Jordan's stuttery run-up seemed even more forlorn by the end. Meanwhile Raina flayed all bowlers and reached three figures before holing out to Woakes on the cover boundary. His was the star innings but credit to his captain, too. Dhoni seemed to crawl in comparison but he produced some delightful shots and excellent running to reach fifty at more than a run a ball. It was inevitable that Ashwin and Jadeja would take their side past 300. and so they did.

I did despair when the rain started to fall just as Cook and Hales were on their way to the middle. They did a smatr about-turn with the Indian side still on the pitch. The weather forecast had been dismal but the skies turned slightly less dark and England's innings did finally get under way half an hour late, giving me time to see the ICC World Cup trophy on display in the Fan Zone!

Cook hit the first two balls for two on the leg side but he and Hales, batting in an ODI for the first time after the Bristol washout, played, missed and edged frequently against Shami, Mohit Sharma and Kumar. They were well ahead of India's scoring rate until things went wrong in the eleventh over. Shami had Cook LBW and bowled Bell whi inexplicably left a straight ball on his off stump. Root was beaten by a Bhuvi nip-backer, leaving Hales and Morgan to sink into a slough of despond. Even the introduction of spinners Ashwin, Jadeja and Raina failed to ignite them into going for their strokes.

When Hales and Buttler fell in quick succession, Duckworth-Lewis had England miles behind, and the required target of 295 from 47 overs was also lookig more and more remote. Dhoni rotated his attack frequently, the result being no opportunity for England to build any momentum. Sixes from Woakes and Tredwell came far too late and the death knell came mercifully for the home side elevn overs and about an hour early when Tredwell swung Ashwin to Jadeja.

India were best for batting, bowling and, I should add, fielding and they seemed to feed on the growing noise and energy from the boisterous but never menacing fans in orange, white, green and blue. Swann, Vaughan et al can't point the finger solely at Cook and Bell, as most of the others failed to deliver on the day. Bad day at the office? Maybe. Jordan must surely be dropped but perhaps he others deserve another shot. Meanwhile, Indian confidence must be a helluva lot higher than it was a few weeks ago, although I'm afraid I don't have tickets for the remaining ODIs. Find me on Facebook, Duncan and Ravi: Mike Smith's the name. I take cheques.

Sharma the charmer cooks the hookers

There was a time back in the '80s and '90s when England's opposition always seemed to raise their game at Lord's and come away with victory, even if they got hammered elsewhere. India did it in 1986 when a combination of Dilip Venhsarkar's unbeaten century, Kapil Dev and a mean spin spell from Maninder Singh secured a five-wicket win.

However, until this week's encounter, the home team had turned things around and contrived to lose only once in sixteen attempts, since the heady days of McGrath, Lee and Warne. Is it the pitch, England getting better or a greater familiarity with HQ making it less of an event? I don't know, but after all the criticism of the Trent Bridge groundsmen preparing a five-day batting paradise, the greentop seemed ready-made for Anderson, Broad, Plunkett and Stokes. A shame that quartet didn't fulfil the roles set out for them!

On the first morning, they were pilloried for bowling too short instead of going fuller to invite the edged drive. Four days later, it was short-pitched stuff which won the match - for India. Delicious irony there, I feel. Nevertheless, without Ajinkya Rahane's excellent 103 - ended just as magnificently by Anderson's caught-and-bowled - things may have panned out rather differently. He helped add 150 crucial runs for the last three wickets. On Friday and Saturday, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was supreme, yet Yorkshire duo Ballance and Plunkett somehow earned England a slender first-innings lead.

Three partnerships dominated India's second outing: 78 for the sesond wicket (Murali Vijay and Pujara), 79 for the fifth (Vijay again and Jadeja) and 99 for the eighth (Jadeja and Kumar). The only real triumphs for England came when Plunkett bowled Kohli for a golden duck, but that Jadeja-Kumar effort really kicked Cook and co in the teeth.

The 319-run target would, if successful, have been England's best ever at home. They had four sessions in which to achieve it but, remember, the Lord's pitch was not prepared for a fifth day runfest. This was surely the stage for Alastair Cook to demonstrate why he has been, until recently, one of the world's best Test batsmen. Could he, Ian Bell and Matt Prior, with that wise head on young shoulders, Joe Root, play sensibly and marshal the less experienced players and sneak that much-needed triumph?

Sam Robson fell early but Cook and Ballance seemed to be sticking to the script. Then came the first horror show, as they and Bell were each despatched for just two runs. Root and Moeen Ali proceeded to steady the ship and even contributed a three-figure partnership. Then came arguably Ishant Sharma's greatest spell of his career. In terms of numbers, anyway. That he ended up with a remarkable 7-74 owed more to cretinous playing of bouncers by batsmen who frankly should have known better.

After being softened up by Mitch Johnson last winter, you'd have thought the array of coaches would have ensured England had practised against the short ball in the intervening period. Perhaps they could be forgiven for thinking Shami, Kumar and Sharma offered little danger in that area but this was not the time to put on your Twenty20 brain and swing the bat instead of ducking or swaying away from the ball.

The Jadeja-Anderson 'handbags' sideshow delivered an appropriate denouement as the Indian fielder ran out the England number eleven to wrap up a 95-run win and hammer another nail into the captaincy of Cook. Prior was so shell-shocked by his own performance that he made himself unavailable for the Third Test. A genuine injury or a touch of the Swanns? To their credit, Cook and Peter Moores stood their ground and declared their faith in the squad (Kerrigan apart). The opener has endured poor sequences before and was very nearly dropped for the Ashes series which ultimately made his name. That he is now the skipper makes him a little more secure, and axing him mid-series would surely signal a white flag to MS Dhoni.

I can't imagine Cook's future and the series result resting on Jos Buttler's call-up. He may be an aggressive batsman but then so is Prior. There's no evidence from Lancashire that Buttler's keeping has noticeably improved either. However, the media are playing up his talismanic qualities although if Cook and Bell play it cool and do what they have done so many times before, the turnaround will come. If India go 3-0 up by next month, or two up with one to play, that will probably be the time to sign the death warrant of Cook's leadership, but not before.

Instead of Anderson and Broad it has so far been all about Kumar and Sharma, and Dhoni must be laughing. Something tells me he won't be quite so celebratory by the end of next week.

2013 One-day Players of the Year

With just a few days to go in 2013, here's the first of my reviews of the past calendar year. South Africa are firmly esconced as the leading Test nation in the ICC rankings, while India's dominance in the Champions Trophy helped them to top spot in the ODI table, albeit closely followed by Australia, England and the Proteas. The West Indies have looked sadly meek and Sri Lanka have a tired reliance on Sangakkara, Dilshan and Jayawardene, even if it were Chandimal and Malinga who helped them to a consolation victory over Pakistan today. But who would make my ODI Team of 2013?

This was the year which brought two very different opening batsmen to global attention. Shikhar Dhawan announced himself on the Test scene with a blistering 187 on debut, very different from the two-ball duck he suffered on his first ODI appearance three years earlier. In 2013, he built on that record-breaking innnigs against the Aussies by outscoring every other batsman in the 50-over format and all bar four in ODIs, notching five centuries in the process. I watched his silky hundred in that Champions Trophy opener at Cardiff with particular pleasure. Accompanying him at the crease should be South Africa's new kid on the block, Quinton de Kock. As well as relieving AB of some of the 'keeping pressure, he has produced some superb innings, highlighted by three successive three-figure scores in the recent series against India. He keeps out Dhawan's usual partner Rohit Sharma from the team, but only just.

Virat Kohli and Misbah-ul-Haq each represented their contries 34 times during 2013. The Pakistani captain may be, at 39, nearing the end of his career but nobody in world cricket was more consistent at scoring valuable half-centuries. Incredibly, he has never reached three figures in ODIs but this year alone he reached 50 fifteen times! Not a big hitter he has carefully kept the scoreboard ticking over while others have gone for their strokes. At 1,373 runs, nobody scored more in ODIs. Not even Kohli who, aged 25, may not yet be in his prime, an ominous thought for opposing bowlers. Scoring at almost a run a ball, and also a brilliant fielder, Kohli is an obvious choice for my middle-order.

So is AB De Villiers, who edges out Sangakkara from my team this year. Topping both Test and ODI rankings, he is simply the best batsman in world cricket right now, despite his wicketkeeping duties in most games. Mohammad Hafeez's late burst of runs for Pakistan and Shahid Afridi's occasional all-round fireworks have pushed for selection but I've gone for Australia's promoted captain George Bailey as another specialist batsman. In 22 matches, he produced more than a thousand runs at exactly a run a ball, including some impressive scores in India a few months ago. Somehow I can't find room for MS Dhoni. Maybe next year....

Hafeez and Sharma offer the option of fill-in spin bowling but India's Ravindra Jadeja was the outstanding ODI all-rounder of 2013. 52 wickets at 25 and almost 500 runs at a respectable lick bring him in to my side as left-armer. Topping the ICC ODI rankings as well as the wicket table for 2013 is Saeed Ajmal, once again the most successful off-spinner in world cricket.

Junaid Khan of Pakistan has developed in to a very useful one-day swing and seam merchant and his 52 victims and average of 21 propel him into my XI of the year, if not yet the ICC top ten. Aged 24, he has the young legs which Umar Gul no longer possesses, and hopefully he has a long future ahead of him. England's Finn and Anderson both sit in the official top ten but that relies on past glories. Two Mitchells, McClenaghan and Johnson each enjoyed great years but the sheer brilliance of Dale Steyn makes him a definite new-ball man. He played only 13 ODIs yet took 27 wickets at just 16 apiece, conceding fewer than four an over. End of argument. My final choice is another Pakistani late developer, Mohammad Irfan. Not just a giant fast bowler, he took cheap wickets all around the world throughout 2013.

Therefore, at risk of being a batsman short (make Rohit Sharma or Afridi the twelfth man), my ODI XI is as follows:-

Shikhar Dhawan (Ind), Quinton de Kock (SA), Virat Kohli (Ind), George Bailey (Aust), AB De Villiers (SA +), Misbah-ul-Haq (Pak*), Ravi Jadeja (Ind), Dale Steyn (SA), Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan, Mohammed Irfan (all Pak).

So what about Twenty20 in 2013? Best summarised thus: Brisbane Heat, Mumbai Indians, Northamptonshire and Chris Gayle. Special mentions to veterans Azhar Mahmood (top wicket-taker), Brad Hodge and Alfonso Thomas, Sunil Narine (whose 54 wickets came while conceding barely five an over) and Aaron Finch, who plundered that world record 156, including 14 sixes, for Australia against England last summer.

India champs but are England chokers?!

Congratulations, India! Boy, did they cut it fine! After all that waiting for the Edgbaston rain to subside, I was disappointed at India's progress as Bopara and Tredwell invited mishit or mistimed thumps to fielders. Some late strokes from Ravi Jadeja advanced the score to 129-7 but that looked such an easy target I grudgingly handed over the remote to my cricket widow certain of the result. How wrong was I, and how miffed that I hadn't clung to the gadget so as to witness the thrilling climax of the Champions Trophy final.

The spin of Jadeja and Ashwin throttled the top order then Ishant Sharma, while expensive, claimed the wickets of Bopara and Morgan. Cue the collapse and India had triumphed by a mere five runs. Brilliant that we had experienced any play at all, so perhaps the groundstaff and umpires deserve some thanks, too. With Edgbaston turned into another home game for Dhoni et al, I don't think anyone could really begrudge India this success. Following their World Cup triumph, they can now call themselves the one-day kings. In the past fortnight they won games over 20, 40 and 50 overs, twice chasing down targets in only 35!

The Champions Trophy threw up great performances by numerous players, but a team of the tournament would surely consist largely of Indians. Shikhar Dharwan compiled 363 runs, over 50% more than the next man, Jonathan Trott. And he scored them at more than a run a ball. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were alos amongst the runs, so much so that the rest of the line-up barely had a look-in. Ravi Jadeja's double in the final earned him the Golden Ball, or whatever is awarded to the highest wicket-taker of the competition. An economy rate of under four an over was equally impressive. Indeed, there were no real weak links in the side ove rthe past few weeks. Even the much-maligned Ishant Sharma played his part, and all fielded brilliantly. I know Test cricket poses a different challenge but suddenly life without Tendulkar, Gambhir, Yuvraj, Sehwag, Harbajhan and Zaheer Khan doesn't look so bleak.

But what about England? Their run of failures in proper ODI tourneys continues. Poor South Africa have been lumbered with the 'choker' tag but surely England are more deserving of the unwanted label. They've lost far more finals than the Proteas! Actually, I think that description is just lazy. Sometimes you have to concede defeat to a better team on the day. I don't think England weren't trying; it's just moments of bad luck or a fine line between a superb boundary and an outfield catch which decide a finale. With KP predictably smashing a big century for Surrey in his comeback match, would he have made a difference to England's side? Possibly, but he would probably have taken Bopara's place, and he had a pretty good tournament. No, just hand it to India. Played five, won five. Simply the best in June 2013, and young enough hopefully to thrill spectators in limited over cricket for years to come.

Dhawan dominates again

Well, it's all looking so good for India again. World Cup holders and now they seem to be the team to beat in the Champions Trophy. I enjoyed being in Cardiff to watch their opening triumph against South Africa and, unless Pakistan beat them in what would normally be called a 'dead rubber', I should be seeing them in semi-final action at the same venue next Thursday.

Shikhar Dhawan collected another century today, Rohit Sharma another fifty and Ravi Jadeja more plaudits for his bowling as the West Indies crumbled. Half-centuries from opener Johnson Charles, in for banned cheat Ramdin, and Darren Sammy were nowhere near enough to set Dhoni's men a testing target at The Oval. It was all over with more than ten overs remaining. England's easy victory over Australia at the weekend sets them up for the clash with Sri Lanka who came close to denying New Zealand in that memorable match in Wales a few days ago. In my mind, it's all set for an India v England final but of course this is one-day cricket and anything could happen. A Malinga blitz can change a game in minutes so Cook, Trott, Buttler and co need to practise digging out yorkers.

Pakistan have been very disappointing. Dark horses for the tournament, their batsmen - other than skipper Misbah-ul-Haq - simply haven't turned up. Ryan McLaren's 4-19 finished them off yesterday after Hashim Amla looked back to his fluid best. Misbah's men were so bad that even Lonwano Tsotsobe conceded only 23 from his nine overs! South Africa now meet West Indies to decide who advances to the semis. The former badly missed Dale Steyn in the India match and if he fails to recover for the final group fixture, the supporting cast of seamers will need to be at their best. However, the Windies are so unpredictable and if Chris Gayle finally comes good, no bowler can contain him.

The Aussie-NZ contest could be an interesting one. The green-and-yellows looked a shadow of their former selves against England. The big hitters at the top flopped and the experienced England line-up stood up well to the young Aussie quicks. The Black Caps only just scraped the two points in the Cardiff nailbiter so it's difficult to assess their chances. If the side which gave England a bloody nose a few weeks ago turn up at Edgbaston, they could spring a surprise and send their neighbours home early. Martin Guptill and Shane Watson are potential matchwinners but wickets for Daniel Vettori would make a nice story. His comeback from injury looked premature the other day, while his team-mates were in competitive mode. It's Michael Clarke's current back injury making more of the headlines at the moment and his middle-order stability and leadership which the Aussies miss most. Pup's absence must give New Zealand real confidence of winning the game and proceeding to another tournament semi-final.

India's CT win - a view from the stands

The Champions Trophy has to me been another example of a superfluous tournament, draining the cricketing calendar of spare dates and domestic cricket of the big names. However, with my new home town of Cardiff hosting five of the 2013 tournament's fixtures, I made sure I secured a couple of tickets. As a result I was privileged to have been present at today's opener. Block 29, Row E didn't offer the greatest view ever but good enough to appreciate batting, fielding and bowling of the highest order.

With at least 95% of the spectators supporting India, the atmosphere was amazing, with some dazzling costumes and dodgy drunken dancing and chanting. Once the sun broke through and the cool breeze died down in the afternoon, the weather played its part, too, and the SWALEC-cum-Cardif Wales Stadium looked a picture. The opening ceremony was hardly up to Olympic standards but the local schoolchildren did a grand job with the giant flags, Only Men Aloud did their Welsh vocal heritage proud and the drummers provided rhythm, as they did throughout the match, even if the pseudo Guardsman uniform didn't seem appropriate somehow!

Once South Africa won the toss and Morne Morkel took the ball it became apparent that Dale Steyn had not recovered from injury. Already lacking Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, India must have been favourites. However, Morkel's short-pitched deliveries were troubling openers Dhawan and Sharma and it was a slow start. However, once the big man gave way to Ryan McLaren, the Indian duo began to play their shots and the run rate built steadily. Before we knew it, the century stand was achieved and first Rohit, then Shikhar reached their 50s.

McLaren made the breakthrough in the 22nd over, but the left-right patrnership of Dhawan and Virat Kohli, so revered by the spectators, continued to make life difficult for seamers and spinners alike. The former stroked some delightful boundaries while Kohli picked up the ones and twos with practised ease. However, 210-1 became 260-5, and Jadeja was accompanying skipper MS Dhoni at the crease. There were more strokes to admire, the orthodox and the more creative, and Tsotsobe and Kleinveldt were carted all over the ground. AB De Villiers was as athletic as ever, but the outfielding was looking particularly tired in the latter stages as India closed the innings on 331-7.

The crowd were rejoicing, already satisfied that the game was theirs. That feeling was reinforced as first Ingram, then the dangerous Amla fell cheaply with the score on 31. However, in contrast to the Indian innings, they set off like a train before it later came off the rails. The stadium atmosphere started to fade and the exuberant optimism waned once De Villiers and Robin Petersen stabilised things and really punished Yadav, Kumar and Ishant Sharma. With the likes of Kohli, Raina and Jadeja patrolling the covers, the Indian fielding was always going to be top-notch but when Petersen was run out for 68, it owed more to farcical running than an expert pick-iup and throw from Jadeja.

Indeed, although AB seemed to be cruising for his 70, the mid-innings collapse smacked of irresponsibility. South Africa were ahead of the required run rate so why did they throw their wickets away. One fan behind me found the dismissals so suspicious he spent the rest of the game telling anyone who'd listen that the match was rigged: "You have not been watching a genuine game of cricket, my friend... the ICC must investigate it for irregular betting...." Well, I sincerely hope this allegation was borne of a little too much beer and brandy rather than clear insight into the twilight world of Asian bookies. De Villiers was out to a mistimed hook, Miller's run out for a duck was a terrible shambles, Duminy was trapped LBW to Jadeja's spin while Du Plessis was caught in the deep. The spin trio of Ashwin, Jadeja and Raina had slowed the run rate significantly and, while McLaren whirled the bat defiantly, the tail was unable to wag. Poor Morkel came out at eleven but, having retired mid-over earlier in the day, he could barely run. Almost all singles were declined, but even McLaren had no chance of scoring 70-odd in boundaries. He was entirely responsible for getting the Saffers past 300 but the game had long passed them by.

So, apart from the handful of SA supporters and the over-suspicious chap in Row F, it turned out to be a highly entertaining start to the Champions Trophy. Maybe it has finally won me over. I have a semi-fnal ticket so I look forward to enjoying more of the same, whoever qualifies to play at Cardiff in two weeks' time. India v England has a certain ring to it, perhaps...

Record Whitewash for India

With the plethora of Test series these days, and bearing in mind India's recent spell as world number ones, it is perhaps surprising that this is the first time they have ever won a rubber 4-0. To do so against Australia must be particularly pleasing to Dhoni and co coming barely a year after the same opposition achieved the same result against them Down Under.

In 2012, it was Michael Clarke - supported by the now-retired Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey - who simply dominated the Indian bowling attack. In the last month, spin has mostly been king on the Asian pitches, and the new-look Aussie battig line-up has come up distinctly second-best. Nathan Lyon has had his moments but it has been Ravi Ashwin's turn to shine, taking 29 wickets to claim the Man of the Series award. Ravi Jadeja picked up 24 in all, and was notably successful in nullifying the threat of Clarke in the first three Tests. His 5-57 this weekend helped set up the run chase which Pujara led convincingly to secure the fourth win out of four.

It wasn't just with the ball that India dominated. Murali Vijay top-scored with 430 runs, Cheteshwar Pujara and even MS Dhoni notched double-centuries and Shikhar Dhawan stepped into the side and thrashed one of the highest innings by a debutant in Test cricket history. Should Sachin Tendulkar take this opportunity to retire with dignity and after a thrashing of the Aussies, he will leave the Indian top order looking more solid than it did last year. Rahane failed on his debut but has the ability to merit another chancPerhaps we need to see how they fare overseas before delivering a final verdict. We know Ashwin, Ojha and Jadeja can do the business on spin-friendly tracks but they were thumped in Australia last year and will always struggle in England and South Africa. Kumar and Sharma are hardly world-class seamers although Ishant was pumped up - too much! - on what proved to be the final day of this series.

As for the Aussies, they will surely bounce back. 'Homework-gate' should be forgotten. That only became an issue because heads were down following a battering. Few players like to analyse their own performance in defeat but in private surely everyone needs to diagnose their own weaknesses in order to improve their game. Australia certainly miss Ponting and Hussey and their tail looked embarrassingly long in the Fourth Test when Steve Smith replaced then injured skipper and Shane Watson was recalled to number four. Peter Siddle, though, outscored them all, becoming the first number nine ever to score fifties in both innings of a Test. Maybe he needs to swap places with Phil Hughes?!

Congratulations to India on their wonderful series victory, their biggest since crushing England twenty years ago. They must hope to take this new-found confidence and turn it into another assault on South Africa's current dominance of Test cricket.

India need to be bold to save the series

Well, it's all about England now. After gettin a bloody nose in the First Test, they have bounced back superbly, leaving India's confidence in tatters. Their Ahmedabad victory proved they're not a bad team but the decisive defeats at Mumbai and now Fortress Kolkata also revealed their soft underbelly.

There have been a few successes. Ojha has proved he is more than a T20 specialist but his spin partner Ashwin has looked a better batsman than bowler. Yuvraj and Harbajhan Singh weren't successful in their restoration to the side and they, alongside fellow veteran Zaheer Khan have been jettisoned for the Nagpur finale. I'm not writing off their careers just yet. I fancy the 'Turbanator' will get his 100th appearance and remain the highest Test wicket-taker still in the game for a bit longer. Yuvi's character may yet be useful in the dressing room while India's cupboard of good seam bowlers is sadly bare at the moment.

Maybe Parvinder Awana can prove me wrong in the next match. He got the nod after some useful performances for Delhi but he's not exactly fast. OK, neither is Zaheer these days, but on the right wicket he could cause problems. Leggie Piyush Chawla made a real splash in his teens in India and also for Sussex but he failed to impress at international level. Like Harbajhan, he can bat a bit, too, and may have extra variation to make KP's life difficult. But what about Alastair Cook? Nothing seems to faze him. Neither bowler nor captaincy has deflected him from the day job of scoring runs, and loads of them. Compton is finding his feet and Trott is due a big innings.

Ravindra Jadeja is of a similar age to Chawla but his all-rounder credentials have ensured more ODIs for India. This will be his first Test appearance, though, and he has leapfrogged A team regulars to make the Nagpur squad. This is presumably on the back of not one, but two triple-centuries for Saurashtra in the last month or so, allied to some slow left-arm wickets. I wish him good luck, because Anderson, Finn, Swann and Panesar have an air of effortless superiority at the moment and they are also imbued with a spirit of togetherness I didn't think possible while Pietersen was amongst them. It helps when KP's tweets are pro-England.

While many eyes will be on the new recruits, Nagpur also offers another opportunity for the tried and tested legends of the Indian batting order to show what we all know they can do, yet have not done so for ages. Gambhir, Sehwag and Tendulkar have rarely sparkled and Kohli, in his six innings so far, has yet to pass 20! Captain MSD has also disappointed. Only Pujara has shione with the bat, and let's hope they weren't two flashes in the pan.

India can't sit back but this new England of Flower and Cook will go for a decisive 3-1 series triumph rather than bask in record-breaking back-to-back wins in India. They must be favourites to pile on the pressure on Dhoni et al.

Man of the Moment: Ravindra Jadeja

To be honest, I don't really 'get' the IPL. Maybe it's because I'm an Englishman. Maybe it's because I'm into the more traditional forms of cricket. To me, it's always been promoted as glitz and glamour, the franchises mere playthings of the super-rich elite of India. The dodgy dealings of Lalit Modi and now the sudden withdrawal of the Pune Warriors' backers serve to reinforce my view. However, when attention turns to the players the IPL becomes more interesting.

I can't deny that some of the world's most exciting cricketers take part, along with many promising young Indian talent. Yes, the auction process represents much of what I dislike about the competition, yet it is horribly fascinating at the same time. I don't understand why some players aren't part of the whole charade and some are, but it's a bit of a drama. Many international stars put themselves forward, lured by $ signs and lots of 0s for a month or two's cricket, with much of that likely to be sitting around on the benches. For some, there is the embarrassment of failing to reach their reserve price (Jimmy Anderson, Owais Shah, VVS Laxman, et al), which must surely be worse than not having joined the auction in the first place. For others, there is the hugely ego-boosting outcome of attracting a bidding war and being 'sold' for enormous sums.

The most expensive player of the IPL 2012 auction was not the likes of Murali, Jayawardene or McCullum but Ravi Jadeja. Chennai SuperKings secured the all-rounder's services for an estimated $2million+ in a secret tie-breaker. So can he deliver?

Twenty20 is a bit of a lottery, of course. The likes of Gayle and Warner may hit a 20-ball half-century one day and be bowled for a first-ball duck the next. Similarly, the opposing bowlers may go for fifteen an over in one game and on the next emerge with four overs, four wickets for ten. At just 23, Jadeja has 50 ODIs behind him but only 12 T20 internationals. With the bat, his record is unremarkable. In fact he has a more impressive set of statistics for first-class than one-day cricket. Indeed his triple century a few months ago made him my Player of the Week. His strike rate in 57 T20s is a mediocre 117. His bowling figures are no better. However, attacking batsmen who can spin the ball and field brilliantly are like gold dust. The Super Kings are presumably banking on Ravi's previous 'bad boy' (or 'rock star' according to Shane Warne) image selling a few more tickets, too.

As I have written before, the IPL has been the first tournament to make stars out of otherwise ordinary slow bowlers, something unheard of in previous private competitions like WSC in the '70s. The likes of Ashwin, Mishra, Rahul Sharma and Iqbal Abdulla were amongst the stars of IPL 2011, and will probably feature strongly again. Sunil Narine's exploits in last year's Champions League have encouraged KKR to shell out £700,000, fourteen times the West Indian's base price.

The tournament doesn't begin until April so I hope Ravi Jadeja comes back down to earth in time to try and justify his price tag. Actually I don't think it matters much if he doesn't. The auction has served its purpose. I just hope that the IPL serves up some decent cricketing entertainment and turns up some surprise new stars along the way.