Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been doing exceedingly well, both as a captain and as a batsman. His wicket keeping skills are also improving. His handling of the young leg spinner, Amit Mishra has been quite good. Has Indian cricket found a new superhero? It all depends on how long he can last. If Dhoni can carry on like this for another 5-8 years, he may go down in the history books as one of the most influential Indian players to have played the game.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni reportedly earns as much as Sachin Tendulkar, if not more. If money is a bad criterion to judge him by, then how about his cool attitude towards the game? How about Dhoni's never-say-die spirit? How about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's humility, something that is often cited as one of Sachin Tendulkar's greatest quality?

Am I a big fan of Mahendra Singh Dhoni? Well, not really. But how can I ever forget what he did for us at the T20 World Cup? How can I ever forget how he taught the rude Aussies a lesson in the ODI Tri-series in Australia? And Mahendra Singh Dhoni has got great leadership qualities, something that Sachin Tendulkar failed to exhibit when he captained the Indian cricket team.

Just for the record, I am die-hard Sachin fan too.

Amit Mishra takes 5 wickets

Amit Mishra has struck again, his 5th wicket- Siddle. Earlier, Shane Watson also got out to Amit Mishra, after scoring a brilliant and much useful 78 runs. Australia has not managed to avoid follow on (268 all out). But I don't think that India will impose follow on.

Amit Mishra has taken a 5 wicket haul in his debut test match. What will Kumble do next? Will he sit out and allow Amit Mishra play? On form and fitness grounds, Amit Mishra scores better than Anil Kumble.

Australia avoids follow on

It looks like Australia will be able to avoid follow on. But they still have to do a lot to come out of the hole, they have dug themselves in. Amit Mishra, the debutante, has done well for himself in the first innings. Will Australia be able to bat well in the 2nd innings? For that first we have to see if Australia avoids the follow on. Even if Australia avoids the follow on, they have to bat last on a 5th day pitch. LoL, either way, it doesn't sound too good for the Aussies?

Should Anil Kumble retire now

Should Anil Kumble retire now? I know it's just the first match for Amit Mishra, but let's be practical. How long can Anil Kumble continue like this? He's injury prone and not getting any younger. Let's face it, had Kumble not been made the captain of the test team, he would have retired long time back. Remember what he said, when he was made the Indian test captain? Anil Kumble said that being the test captain motivates him to continue playing for India.

That means, prior to his becoming captain, he was not feeling motivated enough to play for India. Now that's just not acceptable! Kumble's comeback is likely to mean that Amit Mishra will be going out, despite a good performance by the lad. Again, that is just not acceptable. Let's wait and watch how things will pan out over the next few days.

Amit Mishra or Kumble

Amit Mishra's strong performance against Australia will start a debate over Anil Kumble's inclusion for the next test match. Sunil Gavaskar has already stated that he'll prefer Amit Mishra over an unfit Anil Kumble. In the 2nd test match, Dhoni has also come good, both as a batsman and as a captain. That is sure to raise another issue- Should Kumble come back as captain? Or should Dhoni be allowed to captain India in the third test match too?

Common sense would suggest to go with Amit Mishra in the next test match. But then, when did commom sense ever have a role to play in Indian cricket? I wouldn't be surprised to see Anil Kumble make a comeback and Amit Mishra , despite a strong performance, being shown the door.

Amit Mishra (A Mishra)

So who eaxctly is Amit Mishra? He was born in Delhi, but plays for Haryana. He also plays for the Delhi Daredevils. A right hand batsman, Amit Mishra's area of expertise lies in leg spin. The Australian team is finding it difficult to play him. It's a pity that Amit Mishra will have to make way for Anil Kumble in the next test match.

Amit Mishra has also played 3 ODIs for India and holds 2 wickets under his belt. In first-class cricket, Amit Mishra has taken 303 wicktets in 77 matches. His bowling average is also quite good in first-class matches- 24.91.

Amit Mishra played his first ODI match against South Africa at Dhaka in 2003. He's only 25 years of age and could be a good replacement for Anil Kumble.