Category: Test Cricket

And we are No.1

On December 6, 2009

Not justified? Why should anyone justify – ICC put a ranking system in place 8 years back agreeable to all test playing nations and we passed through that system to gain the top spot. So all those who are shouting hoarse as to how India does not deserve to be at the top, please shout more and lose your voices. Fact of the matter is we are at the top and that’s it!

The details of the ranking system and calculation here.

We have had 3 series wins outside – WI, Eng (2007) and NZ ( 2009). We beat Aus at home in 2008 and drew with SA. Barring SA, the only team to have challenged the Aussies during their decade of dominance was India. Only the 2004 home series was forgettable; while in all others we dominated equally. We won the epic 2001 series, we levelled 2003 series in Australia, 2007 was almost ours if not for that awful,awful Sydney test, and in 2008 we decimated the Aussies at Home.

We won test matches in Eng, WI , Zimbabwe, SL, NZ, Pak and SA in the said period and recorded our first test series wins in Pak(2004) and NZ(2009) and series wins after ages against England(2007) and WI(2006).

Statistics below in terms of matches played and series played.

Particulars	Ind	Particulars	Ind
Total no. of tests played	97	Total no. of test-series played	33
Won	38	Won	17
Lost	24	Lost	9
Drawn	35	Drawn	7
Overall Success %	39.17	Overall Success %	51.52
Home	43	Home	15
Away	54	Away	18
Won – Home	20	Won – Home	10
Won – Away	18	Won – Away	7
Success % Home	46.51	Success % Home	66.67
Success % Away	33.33	Success % Away	38.89

We were given a paper to solve, we knew the marks per question and we knew what answers would fetch what amount of marks. The formulae were spelled out and all we had to do was to deliver the results. So we did, we did not cheat or copy like Australia did in the 2007 series in Sydney which would’ve been ours. We solved the paper to the best of our knowledge and we scored the top marks.

So now you think the paper and marks system is a farce cause finally an Asian country got to the top and the big daddies of world cricket stand defeated. Isn’t it the same system by virtue of which Aus and SA ruled at the top. No system can be foolproof or perfect and will always have its pros and cons. This one was accepted and now we are at the top. The equation is fairly simple isn’t it?

Take a hike – all of you. Yeah we are inconsistent, yeah we don’t have a great bowling attack, yeah our batsmen may not fire all the time and yes we will lose the crown cause our stupid board thinks that test cricket is boring with no tests for 10 months in 2010. But yet, we passed with flying colours and proved a point to the world and our stupid board.

Test cricket is where our heart lies and I speak for all those true cricket fans and for the players. This is where the real skill is tested – it’s now time to say Wake Up BCCI. We need more tests to ensure that we prove it was no fluke and we can sustain ourselves at the top.

A big thank you to Jumbo, The Fab Four – Dada, the Wall, the God & Laxman, the Mad-Man, the New Wall – Gambhir, the Speedsters – Zaheer, Ishant, Pathan, Sreesanth, the spinners – Bhajji,Ojha, Mishra, the Fill-in Guys – Karthik and M. Vijay & Captain Cool. To the entire support staff of the team. To Robin Singh and Venkatesh Prasad. To Mr. Greg Chappell for the turbulence you brought, which helped the team unite against you and prove your crazy proclamations false.

To you Mr. John Wright for showing us the way – for believing in the crazy team when no one did – for instilling that self-belief and finally to you Gary Kirsten, for carrying on the fine legacy of John Wright.

Thank you all for this proud moment– a moment carved in history – one that will be remembered for a long time to come!

Day 4 and 5 @ Wankhede:

By Minal

On March 22, 2006

In Cricket, Test Cricket

India had probably done all the wrong it could on the first three days of the match and with the track assisting spinners somewhat here was a chance to redeem some pride in the match.
With my husband scheduled to fly home in the evening, I could only watch the first two sessions of the day. The two sessions yielded 3 wickets in addition to previous night’s two and somewhere there was an inkling that it would be very tough for us to come back.

It seemed that England was looking more to save the match than win it. Yes the pitch was making stroke play difficult (A fact Dravid should have taken into account when he went out to the toss) and any target above 250 would mean that India would be shut out of the match (Their batting wasn’t in the best form) A 121 run-lead proved handy and reaching close to 200 was just what England had hoped for seeing the nature of the track. So 312 to chase was a tough tough task.

Nevertheless the fan in me did not want to believe otherwise. I thought maybe on the last day:

Sachin will grab the opportunity to shut up those who booed him. After all it was his home ground
Dravid will be his solid self and hold fort
Dhoni will produce the required blitzkrieg and get some assistance from Yuvraj

The whole of Mumbai seemed to think the same. The queues outside the Bombay Hockey Stadium (Where tickets for the match on that day are sold) stretched to the Asiatic Store and beyond! I know people are crazy but this crazy? To stand in queue for long hours and also incur a stampede! No thanks. Taking the season pass well in advance is the right decision else I’d rather watch the game at home. Though I had a fine brain wave to sell of one of the 5 tickets I had for a huge sum (which I’m sure any idiot would have paid for considering the situation of the match) but I did not! So we entered the stadium on day 5 amidst huge cheering and high security alert.

I didn’t quite get it why we chose to open with Pathan on day 4. Agreed that we have done it before, he was even successful, but Hoggard, Flintoff and Anderson are no jokers with the new ball! What’s worst he got out to a full toss! And who do we send in next? Anil Kumble. I fail to understand Dravid’s thinking.

Anyways as day 5 began I got the feeling India were playing for a draw. Now in all probability that means a good chance we will end up losing. It seemed so when Jaffer got out. In came Sachin Tendulkar and he changed the face of the match. Gone was the awkwardness and hesitation seen in the first innings. He was looking at ease and getting back to doing what he does best. On the other hand the worrisome factor was that Rahul Dravid had gone into his shell. 9 runs in 2 hours is not something the Indian captain will be proud of. Anyways 75/3 at end of first session. With Sachin playing well, and Rahul rock solid, India looked good to draw the match.

Post-lunch a lot more people poured in anticipating some good knocks. Ball 2 after lunch Rahul got an unplayable delivery from Flintoff. There was nothing he could have done and the only real award that delivery deserved was w wicket which it did get! The real shock came in the next over when Sachin got out to Udal (Of all the bowlers) playing forward. There it all ended. There was not a single batsman left who could put his head down and last the next 4 hours!

But what followed after that was highly unimaginable. I’ve not seen such poor capitulation by the Indian batting in a long time. Players simply walked in to declare their presence and walked back having done so. They had decided not to trouble the poor scorers much! How the hell can you get 100 all out after being 75 for 3 in matter of an hour! The manner in which we played was indeed shameful and England with half-their side out due to injury put up an extremely spirited performance. The track was difficult to bat on (How Bhajji and Kumble must’ve cursed Dravid for opting to bat first.) but certainly not one where a team could get 100 all out!

Seeing the luck the Indian team had at Wankhede, I won’t be surprised if the venue is blacklisted by the team henceforth! The performance on the final day was a huge let down.

The Mumbai crowd was harsh on Dravid during the presentation by chanting shouts of ‘We Want Saurav’. They seemed to have a short memory; they were the ones who had booed Ganguly post the defeat Vs Australia in 2001! It’s tough indeed to please the crowds!

In banter or good humor shouting, whether intending to mean it or not, “Flintoff is a B******, Hoggard is a B******, C****** Banaya Bada Maja Aaya” is definitely not in good taste. The behavior of the crowds in this match has gone a long way in tampering the image and reputation of the Mumbai crowd. It’s the worst crowd I’ve ever seen and I am definitely sad about it. Sorry I’m not impressed neither do I fail to see the ‘humor’ in these chants. I’m being a spoilsport, call me that, but if this continues it would mean going downhill for the Mumbai crowd. Please don’t set such precedence for the rest to follow.

I think India has forgotten to play test cricket. If you cannot last 90 overs in both innings you certainly should not be playing it. And India did not deserve a win after dropping almost 12 catches in the field. Is Greg Chappell paying any heed? In their obsession to concentrate on the world Cup 2007, they have forgotten to play test cricket. Mumbai test match is ample proof of that following the recent Karachi debacle.

They will come back well in the ODIs, England is not the best team in ODI. They will even win the series but to me it won’t matter! Like it or not history remembers you more by the way you played test cricket and unfortunately India has been playing it pretty miserably in the last couple of series!

Boys are you listening?

Day 2 and 3 @Wankhede:

By Minal

On March 20, 2006

In Cricket, Test Cricket

Day 2:
Day one wasn’t perfect and gave the crowd all the more reason to show their disappointment with Dravid for depriving them of watching Sehwag and Sachin’s batting on a fine Sunday. Every mistake committed by the captain was followed by chants of ‘We want Dada or Saurav’. And believe me that was not music to Dravid’s ears.

India began day 2 in the hope of making amends for the mistakes done on day one. One over from Munaf to Flintoff though proved that nothing had changed. Two regulation catches went down on successive deliveries. The first by Sehwag in slips and second by Kumble in the gully. First you let off Strauss and if that wasn’t good enough you give Flintoff two lives! Is that pardonable?Fortunately he didn’t make us pay with a hundred. England kept losing wickets at regular intervals once they crossed the 320 mark and India looked good to pull the plugs before the side hit 400 but the tail wagged a bit and England just managed to get that psychological advantage.

India needed a steady start, time was not an issue and if they applied themselves there was no reason to not achieve the 400 mark on a wicket that was still playing the same as day one. Well I had mentioned in one of my posts that Sehwag will have to face the music once the oppositions begun to figure him out. This is exactly what happened. For heaven’s sake he is also going the Ganguly way. Either gets bowled through his gate or is out fending a short-pitched delivery. If he does not sort out his problem we will see him more in the pavilion than outside! Tell me why is his place not in danger? If Laxman can be dropped I see no reason why Sehwag is still playing!

Then came in Dravid to partner Jaffer and I thought now is the time for a good a nap. But it was no to be as Jaffer to got out and Jones pulled of the first of his brilliant catches. In walked Mumbai’s hero and lad and the Wankhede stadium had gone berserk at his arrival. What we saw then was the most unsettling batting display. Not once did Sachin look comfortable and though I tried to convince myself that he will somehow see the day through and come out blasting the ext morning it was not to be. And what followed later was a sad day in Indian cricket. Sachin Tendulkar being booed out of the ground.

Honestly having been to the stadium for the last 13 years, this is the worst crowd I’ve seen in terms of its attitude. Yelling abuses at all players has become a habit and must do to fit into the crowd. They care little for the influence they have on the young kids around and the embarrassment they cause to the elderly. Respect to age and ladies is long forgotten and am not being biased when I say these youngsters are from the rich-hip crowd with little regard for anyone else. I was shocked to see a ten year old behind me mouth abuses like B******with his dad being around simply to follow the other group. And abuses like Ch***** and Freddie F&*^ O** went on and on. Is this what we have come to? And are hurling abuses impressive? Cigarette in one hand and Indian flag in another, chanting the national anthem like any other slogan, are these signs of showing patriotism? Disrespect to elders and creating a nuisance for one and all in the stands, is this the way to enjoy matches? I’ve never seen such a degraded crowd and that too in one of the most decent well behaved stands in Wankhede, the Garware Pavilion! What a shame they have brought on to the rest!

And on the other hand I met a few Britishers who have exemplified great sporting spirit and I have had some fine cricketing discussions with them. They are courteous enough to greet every policeman and security when they enter the stands, a warm morning handshake to one and all around them and enjoy every moment of the game; appreciating everything about the Wankhede despite its shortcomings. I know there will be a bad apple everywhere but the behavior I’ve seen from a section of the crowd is indeed shameful!

Anyways back to the match, Yuvraj walked in at the fall of Tendulkar’s wicket and brought the crowd alive with some fine shots on the offside. Dravid and he held fort till end of day but England had clearly dominated the day though my moment of the day was Munaf’s Patel ball that yorked Hoggard. What a lovely sight that was!

Day 3:
All that India needed to do was show some patience, a lot of resilience and common sense. The wicket was not devilish. Dravid and Yuvraj started well but after half-hour of the morning play Yuvraj lashed out at a delivery outside off-stump and was on his way back. Then Dravid and Dhoni had some what weathered the storm but Dravid was out again to a brilliant catch by Jones on the leg side, this after being let off at gully in the previous over and it was the sign that this would not be India’s day.

Dhoni and Pathan offered some resilience but it did not continue like in Multan and Pathan gifted his wicket to Udal. Dhoni then started to take things in his own hand and after a calm 50 went back to his old days. 3 fours of 3 balls and instead of simply playing the next one ran for a non-existent single! At 217 I thought it’s all over but Shreesanth who is having a great match walked in with other thoughts. The young lad hung around with Kumble to take the score past 275 at a time even when 250 looked impossible. One particular moment will stay etched in my mind. Flintoff knocked him up and the next over what does the little kid do? Dance down the track and hit him for a four. No one expected that and Flintoff was stunned

India’s innings wrapped up few minutes after tea. England’s tactics were perplexing when they bowled Udal and Panesar in tandem at a point when India was under tremendous pressure to void the follow-on. Some things can never be explained!

Having conceded a 121 run lead, India has some chance in the game provided they bowl out England under 180. A chase of 300 in 100 odd overs could do the trick for India. India have begun its fightback well with sending back the openers and well could have sent back Udal had Yuvraj not dropped a catch again! I just hope it does not prove too costly for us. Night-watchmans have always done well against us.

All and all interesting day’s play and the next two days will be interesting enough.

Will keep you all posted!

Day 1 @ Wankhede

By Minal

On March 18, 2006

In Cricket, Test Cricket

If you are watching a match at the stadium there are a few norms you must follow:
– Get to the stadium early to see the players practice
– On day one do not miss the toss
– Never ever miss the first and last ball of each day in the test match!
– On the last day don’t miss the presentation ceremony!

So there, as is the norm I reached the stadium well in time anticipating that there would be a felicitation ceremony held for the three biggies of Indian cricket:
1. Rahul Dravid for his 100th test match
2. Sachin Tendulkar for becoming the most test-capped Indian player
3. Anil Kumble for claiming 500 wickets in test cricket, the first Indian bowler to do so!

Little did the MCA (Mumbai Cricket Association) know that having this ceremony before start of play and delaying it by half hour than the usual would hit India later in the day.

Indian team went again with 5 bowlers. I don’t get why. After the performance in Mohali India needed to play an extra batsmen and Bhajji could have well sat out. Anyways, so India did what they did. Dravid is not as lucky as Saurav or Azhar in winning the tosses for matches that matter, and this time when he did, he disappointed by opting to bowl first. Well he thought Wankhede pitch known to assist seamers on day one, morning session could prove fruitful for India; or on the other hand he would have gone by history and avoided taking any chances. In the last 5 years in matches played in Wankhede, India’s batting has not had a great first day!
You can see for yourself:

Year 2000: India Vs SA
Year 2001: India Vs Aus
Year 2002:Ind Vs WI (Exception)
Year 2004: India Vs Aus

So there, choose to call it or attacking move or defensive either way I was not too happy with Dravid’s decision. With the start delayed by half-hour some advantage would be lost and Mumbai isn’t exactly cold at this time of the year for any dew to last longer!

The other reason for the Mumbai crowd’s disappointment with Dravid’s decision was that they would not get to see Sachin bat on Sunday, a holiday here. And when Sachin bats you won’t have any place to even stand in the stadium, it gets that jam-packed!The stadium was quite full than what you would expect for a test match and with the first two days nicely placed on a weekend most Mumbaikars made sure they were present to witness it.

England started steadily and only last one wicket to Shree Santh in the first session. I thought England won the first session cause when you are put into bat the opposition is expecting to get atlast 3 wickets in and when you don’t let them achieve that you go one up.

Session 2 belong entirely to England and Owais Shah. I agree Strauss batted well (and very lucky too. He got 3 lives, one by Dravid and 2 by Dhoni) but Owais Shah stole the show. Here is batsman who has class. The second ball he faced; he danced down the track to Bhajji. No England batsman would do that and Owais should attribute his confidence against spinners to the Asian blood running in him! He drove, cut and moved his feet to perfection. Not once did he look nervous or out of sorts. Confidence from the word go! Although I found his stance a bit odd, just as I find Pietersen, Chanderpaul and Gillepsie’s. Fortunately Owais is pretty steady and does not shuffle too much.

A trifle sad that he did not come out to bat after tea, but what a fine debut! Pitersen came and was his usual self. But boy was he ruffled up by Munaf. My heart went out to the lanky bowler. He bowled his heart out and was probably the best among the lot but sadly no wickes to show against his name! He was the reson why the crowd after falling asleep in the session after lunch woke up again post-tea. In that spell he indeed spit venom and how disappointed I was when he did not get that lbw appeal against Strauss. Simon Taufel why are you so damn accurate!!

Pitersen got out to a very poor shot and he will curse himself for not hanging in there, for there was only half-hour’s play left when he departed. Flintoff looked assured but I hope Munaf can shake these blokes again! Well if you can’t get them, hit them! Let them smell the leather, our batsman do it all the time.

India disappointed. The bowlers never made the batsmen play and fielding was average. How can you give a batsman three lives; that’s truly unpardonable. Dhoni’s keeping was not upto the mark; he failed to gather some pretty regulation takes. Bhajji’s dive to stop the off-drive was hilarious; he dived before the ball came in and only to see the ball shoot past him for a four. Nice way to make a complete fool of yourself. Even Sachin missed one! So you knew it was not going to be India’s day. I wonder why Dravid did not try Tendulkar for an over or two? It would have been worth the risk, any which ways the regular bowlers failed to get a wicket or stem the run-flow.

Well in all not such a great start to this historic test for India but the England batsmen can pat themselves on the back for putting up a good show. And did someone tell me that England was fielding its second best batting line-up? It definitely did not look like they did.

Wankhede was pretty much the same. Stands and facilities for public still in the pretty bad shape!

No water allowed inside and food and water being sold at 5 times the amount of their MRP. (On a serious note, can anyone tell me if we can take this matter up up to any authorities? This is daylight looting! A glass of water costing Rs 2.25 was being sold at Rs 10, Ice-cream costing Rs 12 at Rs 30. It’s ridiculous!)

Rude policemen and add to it the newly appointed private security guards. When we were standing in the gallery to watc hthe felicitation closesly, one guard kept pestering us to sit down on our seats! He didn’t even let us enjoy the proceedings! Fortunately they did not ask us to sit down when we were dancing at the fall of the wicket or ask us to shut up when we were cheering.

An announcement made very seriously caught my ears, ‘People in the north stand stadium are requested not to give any kind of abuses to any player’. This I think was a result of the unfortunate incident during the 2002 test match against WI were Harbhajan was humiliated by a few jerks in the North stand. But this announcement seemed to have had no effect on anyone! I’m personally against any kind of abuse towards the players or any person. And it was pretty bad to hear youngsters give a mouthful to players. Purely in bad taste and paints a very sorry picture to the touring English crowd. I see no reasons why people need to abuse players. Cheering can be done in good sense and with some fine clean humor, mouthing abuses not good. And most of it came from the so-called sophisticated blokes! The rich-spoilt brats, maybe their parents use the same language at home and if they don’t maybe they need to teach their kids how to behave in public! The most disheartening aspect at the stadium, that seems to increase very year. I’ve been to the stadium every year for 13 years now and only of late have I noticed this trend of abusing players. It’s got to stop!

I met a couple of Brit folks and had a great time talking about the game and the atmosphere at the stadium. When they heard chants of ‘Gali Gali mein shor hain, Pakistan chor hain’ from North stand, they asked me what was that all about; I told them it’s practically a ritual at the Wankhede stadium where Pakistan is cursed irrespective of the oppostion! The smile on their faces was worth a picture!

I wonder how pack the stadium will be tommorow after India’s no-show today. No Sachin batting either. Monday should be the day to watch out for! I’ll be there throughout and keep you all posted as well.Till tomorrow then!

Back to my Love Affair…

By Minal

On March 17, 2006

In Cricket, Test Cricket

I started viewing cricket in the 1991-92 season and took a keen interest in the game thereafter. I kept pestering my father as to why we could not see a match live at a stadium in Mumbai. He told me that for quite sometime now India was touring abroad and had not hosted any series at home. The day Mumbai was granted a match, he promised me he would take me to watch it “Live”

Finally 13 years ago, India played host to a full fledged series with England and with the last test match scheduled in Mumbai from Feb 19-23 my father kept his promise. I went for my first live match at the Wankhede to watch the already shattered and cribbing English team under Graham Gooch; with no exciting players except Graeme Hick to watch. It was the series famous for Kumble’s rise as India’s strike bowler (He claimed 21 in that series and the Man-of-the-Series award) return to form by Azhar( his 182 in Eden Garnden was a delight!), young Tendulkar’s consistency and Kambli’s rocking debut!

13 years, many matches and teams later each moment of that match is vividly present in my memory. 3 Mumbai batsmen were part of the Indian batting order. Tendulkar–Kambli had a great partnership. Tendulkar played too patiently but Kambli brought the house down with his double hundred; Graeme Hick’ s 178 being clearly overshadowed in the process but good enough to earn him the Man-of-the -Match. The Indian spin trio then brought about the collapse of the England team in the second innings and India whitewashed England for the very first time!

Like one never forgets the first date, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the beginning of my love affair with Wankhede!

Tomorrow I get a chance to revisit those moments yet again. It’s the same team with much more exciting players, I don’t know the last time I was so excited about seeing an English team. Andrew Flintoff was around in the 2002 ODI and I distinctly remember his famous shirt-off gesture (I was in the stands near the pavillion at pretty close quarters when he chose to do what he did!) Though Ganguly does not make a pretty sight with his bare torso, I was ecstatic when he gave back the Poms in their own fashion 5 months later at Lords!
Only if you had been at the stadium, you would have realised how much it had hurt to lose a close game yet again and later see Flintoff dare to bare!

But Flintoff has come a long way from that episode and so has his team. I’m excited to watch some fireworks from the Pieterson-Flintoff duo. Though I’m a trifle sad that Pietersen has shaved off his hair. Now I won’t get to brag to my friends about how I got to see the famous skunk hairdo!

The only team that excited me was the Australian Team. They interacted amazingly well with the crowds. The crowds simply loved them. I remember distinctly in the 2001 test on day 2 when Gilchrist –Hayden hammered centuries, the Mumbai crowd was up on its feet cheering them. Allan Donald in the 1996 Titan Cup final and 2000 test also was a hit with the crowd while responding to the sounds of ‘Quack Quack Donald’. I hope the English players have some fun as well. The crowd would love that.

I’m just too thrilled to witness important milestones in the careers of two of my favourite batsmen. When India takes field tomorrow Rahul Dravid will become the 6th Indian player to earn 100 test caps and Sachin Tendulkar will surpass Kapil Dev’s record of most tests played by an Indian. I’m hoping they decide to celebrate the occasion with some blitzkrieg attack on the English bowlers.

So there, it’s back to Wankhede and back to my love affair. It’s not the best stadium in the world and the security can get to you, but once you are in and you view the lush green ground; all you want to do is relax, grab a sandwich, shout yourself hoarse and yes enjoy the game of cricket!

P.S: Will try to post regular EOD updates of my experience at the Mumbai Test match

England – India: Review and Preview

By Minal

On March 9, 2006

In Cricket, Test Cricket

Offline activities are simply not giving me enough time to blog! But I’m a strong believer in better late than never and so we go to the current series being played. In the quest for World Cup 2007, I think we are forgetting the real essence of the game, the lifeline, the highest form of the game. The real test of a cricketer, players would kill for to play atleast once in their lifetime on the international scene. Test Cricket!

In the last five years we were not a strong force in the ODIs but those losses never hurt( the final at WC 2003 did, but that’s an exception!) as were building ourselves into a potent force in test cricket. Right from 2001 we played some super games in all parts of the world and earned victories across continents, though a series victory outside the subcontinent remains elusive (I do not consider the one against Zimbabwe recently anything to brag about!) So why this sudden loss of form in test arena? The loss at Karachi was heartbreaking because we did not even have the patience to pull off a draw! And Nagpur seemed no different!

How do you allow a team that steps in demoralized, to climb upto 393 after having 7 wickets for 240 odd? How do you manage to get yourself in a position of 190/6 against a team without their best bowler in Indian conditions? Only the India team has answers to these! And who were you trying to fool when you go for a non-existent win at the end of day’s play when all day you were clearly playing for a draw! Although the dash at the end was good to lift the spirits and to scare away the Poms (I cannot believe Flintoff actually got scared by India’s late charge and decided to play safe. Half the team was on the boundary!!! Oh for heavens’ sake it’s not an ODI where 8 an over is a very manageable target! There is difference!)

Though I did not see the match in its entirety, one person who needs to do some serious thinking is Harbhajan Singh. His performance in the last few series is dismal and unless he starts getting wickets I don’t see him keeping his place in the side for long, what with Piyuh Chawla following him on close heels. The little I saw of that lad in the U-19 World Cup Final I feel he will give these blokes a serious run for their money. The guy can tease, and deceive the batsmen with his turn and flight!

England won the battle in Nagpur 3 out of 5 days with India taking the honors on day 1 and day 5. When I saw the target of 368 in 90 overs it seemed so tempting; but there was a very slim chance that India would go for a win from the word go. However they did think of it later but then it should have come an hour earlier (Dravid candidly admitted that) and definitely not at the expense of sending Sachin Tendulkar at no. 6! Did anyone see the shots he played in his 28! The guy was on a roll and I hope he captialises on this form at Mohali and Mumbai. A century in his home ground is long overdue! He got one here way back in 1997 Vs SL and came tantalizingly close Vs SA in 2000. I’m praying he gets one and praying even hard that I get to see it live!

As I end this, something unexpected has happened or was it waiting in the wings for sometime now. VVS Laxman hasn’t been in great form with bat or in the field and this did come as a bit of a shock! In the larger interests of the team the move looks worthwhile, but I’m not too sure of roping Yuvraj in immediately and not giving him time to adjust after his injury! Kaif will rue his luck but he must realise he was never the first choice and to become that, he needs more 3 figure scores on the test arena when presented with the opportunity! He blew away one in Nagpur. And yes can anyone please dare to hang a sword on Sehwag’s head now? Why do I get the feeling he is taking his place for granted! That attitude will help none and as a senior player now he needs to show some amount of patience and steadiness in his approach!
Let’s see how the 5 bowler strategy works out, having Dhoni in the team sure gives Rahul Dravid that extra option and it seems a good move to go ahead with the 5 –bowler option when the situation seems right.

England might have it to their liking at Mohali but definitely not at Wankhede. Although I’m praying hard they do not prepare a minefield of a pitch as they did the last time around! For heaven’s sake the last time a game of test cricket last a full 5 days was way back in 1994 against the WI. Sanjay Manjrekar and Sachin Tendulkar had demonstrated the art of batting on wickets that did not suit the batsman at all! If you were getting cricket coaching your coach would have definitely taken you to show those innings live! I was there and the two were among the best knocks I have witnessed at the ground for their sheer technique, patience and brilliance! I’m hoping we get better this time around, Mumbai has been starved for a long time now!

Agreed for once

By Minal

On June 2, 2005

In Cricket, Test Cricket

I actually think it’s a good suggestion by Miandad. I was thinking of writing an article on why Bangladesh needs to go back to being a non-test playing nation and start from scratch. Ever since their debut in 2000 against India at home. They have shown no sparks or talent to be up with the test-playing nations. Their record till date is dismal.

Why has the ICC been lenient towards them really puzzles me? Zimbabwe has had its own share of troubles with politics and player’s boycott. ICC put them on warning that their test-status could be taken away, and then why spare Bangladesh?

You have to earn your test-status, you have to keep it through your performances. Too many unimportant records get broken or new records are made against Bangladesh. Even the opposition knows that they are insignificant and would rather have them against the other nations to merit some attention.

Have a look at this record (more details go here) and you all will agree with Miandad too….

Played: 37

Won: 1

Lost: 32

Tie: 0

Draw:4

Win/Loss Ratio : 0.03