Broken Fingers and Hands - MCG 2012

Mitchell Johnson produced 2 brutal deliveries as he broke the hands of Kumar Sangakkara and Prasanna Jayawardene in the Boxing Day Test at MCG. Its nothing new for Mitch as Greame Smith will vouch!!

And There Ends The Vengeance

A Special Guest Post from my friend Leo (Vinay) who writes wonderful poems, stories and haikus at his space - I Rhyme Without Reason and is an ardent cricket fan...

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Hype. That was what I felt when the ads of the soon-to-start England tour of India began to air on multiple channels. The ads were an insult to the talent the English team possessed, and one which, having home advantage, India underestimated. It was touted as the revenge series, four test matches which would show why India's blip, the whitewash of 4-0 against the same opposition, was nothing but a bump in the road of the world champions. Come to think of it, I personally am not going to refer to them as that any more. It seems to be, and probably is, an excuse and a reason to brush off any loss, or series of losses that the Men in Blue come by. 

I think ego comes a lot into play when I see India play nowadays. The fact that they have a brilliant home record always seems to affect their play, and affect their selection for that matter. Be it the BCCI or our charismatic (?) captain MS Dhoni, ego seems to be a problem. You'd think one test match was proof enough to show this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. England's second innings resistance at Motera was the signal to the Men in Blue that be wary of the English Lions. Though the match went in India's favor, it was in no way one sided, and whatever the pitch did or didn't do, it got 5 days of enthralling cricket. From the four pitches, it perhaps ranked the best, and the performance of Pujara and Ojha in particular impressed. Apart from Pujara, the batting held no plus points, and once again, the future of the out-of-form players like Sachin, Sehwag, Gautam, Yuvi, Zaheer and MS Dhoni was called into question. Yet it was, as usual, met with resistance from BCCI who retained the squad for the next match as well.

Fitness is called into question during every series, I agree, but I think calling for a super-spinning pitch so the match couldn't go into 5 days was showing off, underestimating England's ability to play spin right from the get go. To top that, India went with 3 spinners to complement Zaheer as the lone pacer. Would all that help notch another win and the series? No. That was an emphatic no. Panesar and Swann together notched 9 wickets between them on a spinning track to restrict India to 327. Had it not been for Pujara and Ashwin (yes, a spin bowler), India wouldn't have had even half that score. Even at the end of India's first innings, the onus lay with England. Surely, Indian spinners could thrive on a spinning track in home conditions? No. Another emphatic no. England's batting prowess played with patience, and accumulated a high score, taking their lead to just over 80. India had to battle for a day atleast to get a solid lead. If England, unfamiliar and mostly uncomfortable with subcontinental pitches could bat with patience, India definitely could. They had the batting strength to do it. But Panesar had other ideas, as by the end of day 3, India had been reduced to a paltry 117 for 7. a lead of just over thirty, with two days to hold England off, and their batsmen all returning to the pavilion for single digit scores. Ashwin (yes, a spin bowler) managed 11, and Gambhir for the most part, battled with a patient fifty. Panesar who had 5 in the first innings, went one better with 6 in the second. India folded for a meager 142, leaving England with well over a day and a half to notch 58 runs. Easy work. They did so with ease, by ten wickets, and calls once again resounded for a change in the line-up, dropping of out of form players, and yes, the retirement of the little master. 

India's battling batting lineup had misfired with much gusto, yet no change was seen in the attitude of the captain, or the BCCI, who selected the same lineup. The only change was including Ishant for Harbhajan Singh. India continued to underestimate the Englishmen, and much controversy resulted in the days prior to the game, with MSD's demand for a spinning pitch similar to Mumbai being pushed through, even against the will of the curator. Batting first, India made a lowly 316. The headlines on the second day morning read, "Tendulkar answers his critics". Really? Scores of 13, 8, 8 prior to this innings, a patient 76 wasn't indicative of form, of any kind. One score in the fifties was enough to satisfy the media and the nation atleast. Gambhir continued atleast his run of some form with another fifty. But if anyone was in form, it was Panesar. Another 4 wicket haul for the in-form spinner. If India was hoping for an English collapse, they had another thing coming. Top 4 English batsmen made past the fifty mark, and Cook took it to their spinners, going till 190 before a quite unfortunate leave saw him run out. England played on, and went to 523. A lead of 206. India behind the 8 ball. If it was spin that made the difference in the first innings, pace did in the second. India folded cheaply again. The out of form batsmen continued their form, Tendulkar gone for 5, Pujara unfortunately getting run out for no fault of his (Gambhir getting a second partner run out in as many innings). At one stage, India were 159 for 7, and an innings loss looming. It was Ashwin (yes, a spin bowler) who put up his hand, and struck 91 to get England a target of 41. It wasn't going to challenge England. After a couple of early hiccups, England strolled home, and were now leading 2-1 in the series. Cue those calls agin for the out of form players.

BCCI somewhat took a stand, or so the media said. "Axed" from the squad were Harbhajan (he didn't play in Kolkata though), Yuvraj (why was he there in the first place?) and Zaheer (one sane axing). Incoming players were Parwinder Awana (he was just named), Piyush Chawla (another spinner? what for?) and Ravindra Jadeja (two triple hundreds in the domestic season). People were somewhat satisfied. But I ask... Dhoni wasn't in form, one fifty in much innings, and captaincy that was no longer cool. Tendulkar had one fifty plus score, and 4 scores below twenty. That's no form either. Why weren't they dropped? If anyone was in batting form, it was Pujara, Ashwin (see the irony) and Gambhir (atleast he got consistently past forty). India needed a win, a must win game in Nagpur. Would these changes make a difference? 

On a slow track, England felt uncomfortable against 4 spinners. (Yes, India went one better with playing Chawla, Jadeja, Ojha and Ashwin). But patience from Pietersen, Root and Prior saw England end Day 1 at 199/5 and then Swann's blitz on the morning of day 2 got England past 300 with a final total of 330. On the slow track, where runs were hard to come by, it was a chance for the Indians to be patient and take a big lead, but Anderson got 3 and Swann 1 to leave India at 87/4 at the end of day 2. Sehwag and Tendulkar had their mid stump uprooted and for scores of 0 and 1. India's chances were slim, but Kohli and Dhoni finally showed a resistance to the collapse, and stitched together a partnership. India managed to go the entire 3rd day without losing all their wickets, and ended day 3 at 298/7, just 33 behind. All logic called for an immediate declaration, giving their rested bowlers a shot at the English batsmen, and Dhoni opted not to. India ate a little more into the lead, declaring at 326/9, one hour into day 4. For any chance at a win, India needed quick inroads into the English top order. They got it courtesy two howler of decisions from umpires Dharmasena and Tucker, the former giving Cook out caught behind when the ball was nowhere near the bat, and the latter giving Compton leg before when there was an inside edge. The latter one was agreeable, coz it was caught anyways. but India couldn't capitalize, and England got through the day to 161/3 and then batted out the rest of the match, with Trott and Bell completing hundreds. Dhoni's decisions are again under scrutiny. Jadeja (in the team for his batting) got more overs than Ashwin in the first innings, and nearly the same in the second innings. Though he was miserly, it didn't help in taking wickets.

This was touted as a revenge series, yet after 4 matches, this series can only be called the continuation of the nPower 4-0 whitewash. England winning 2-1 in the subcontinent is as good as winning 4-0 in England, if not better. This series calls for change in the lineup, and wholesale ones at that. It is about time either Tendulkar thought of retirement, or the selectors spoke to him and put country ahead of player. I understand his not wanting to go out when he was on top form, but he isn't in form and that's affecting the team. I am the first to agree, respect and honor the record he has in world cricket, it is one that will be unmatched for a long long time, but the more time he stays out of form, the more time we are losing to blood youth like Robin Bist, Badrinath and Rahane. One score of 99 in the series isn't enough to put past what Dhoni didn't do in the other innings. That, plus his decisions like playing 3 and 4 spinners, demanding spinning tracks and openly questioning Gambhir's form and calling him selfish one day before the decisive test (when he himself was in no excellent form) affected the team's morale too. Gambhir and Sehwag are openers who are lacking in form. "Sehwag will play like Sehwag" is no longer an excuse to keep him at the top, and Gambhir has had blotches too. No longer can Zaheer be called India's spearhead, that baton must now be passed to the likes of Ishant and Yadav. If you ask me "Have we found the replacements for Tendulkar or Dhoni that you tell they must go?" I ask you, "How long will we keep hunting? How will we know Bist or Badri or Rahane aren't the replacements if we don't give them the chance at the highest level?" No. This isn't the time to keep them on so we can "look for replacements". We have been looking long enough, now it is time to act. 

This final test at Nagpur has now ended the vengeance. If instead of touting it as a vengeance series, we focused on playing excellent cricket and on balanced, challenging tracks, this furore might not have happened. It is our pride, and a false one at that, that we are unbeatable on Indian pitches which led to our downfall. Next time, when we play the Aussies, it should be cricket that takes the centre stage, not a revenge for the 4-0 whitewash down under. Else Australia can, and yes they have the strength for it, beat us as well. It's time for change, and it's high time BCCI realized that and stopped hiding from the issues that need to be sorted out.

India go from Bad to Worse...

England tour of India, 3rd Test: India v England at Kolkata, Dec 5-9' 2012

DAY 3

Day 2 ends with England still 100 adrift India's total of 316. England have 9 wickets in hand but if India can snaffle a couple of wickets early then anything can happen. A collapse is always lurking around on these Indian pitches. With these thoughts I sleep yesterday, possibly even dreaming of a come-from-behind Indian victory.

What a fool I was!! The morning session came and went, India remained wicketless. The misery piled on for the fans. Cook reached yet another 150, Trott got to his 50, the 100 stand was raised which soon reached 150!!! The fielding was ragged, bowling mediocre and the captain looked like he would better be on a vacation then on the field. Trott got out sweeping. Cook fell as he tried to evade a throw from Kohli, a lucky break for the Indian team. It was a splendid innings from Captain Cook as he entered the record books as the English batsman with most centuries. Its astounding that he already has 23 tons at an age of just 27!!!

Yuvraj came on as KP strode out to the crease but all he did was chuck a few pie's at the batsman which were gobbled with much delight and relished with joy!! Meanwhile Ashwin who had proclaimed before the series that he had a magic delivery to unleash on the English completed his very own 150!! The delivery has magically stayed away and he has only a couple of wickets in his last 250 odd overs!!! Zaheer might have lost the pace and venom in his bowling but he effectively retains the irritating habit of opening his mouth to have a chat with the batsman whenever he bowls a good ball once in every 20 overs. I still remember him sledging Gilchrist and Hayden in the opening over of the 2003 WC and being taken to the cleaners. He is yet to learn his lesson. My all time favorite fast bowler, Curtly Ambrose, never sledged. When the team came back after tea and was in a huddle, MSD probably cracked a joke because I saw everyone having a nice little chuckle. When your team is struggling to effect even one breakthrough, this sort of a thing looks extremely bad.

The day ended with England almost 200 ahead and still have the last 4 wickets in hand. I yesterday talked of a miracle saving India. The miracle men, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, sadly no longer play for the Indian team. The inspirational captain, Sourav Dada Ganguly, has also retired and is now seen in the commentary box. Perhaps the seasons for miracles is long over.

English Skipper Cooks up his 3rd Comp(ertable)ton on a Trott!!

England tour of India, 3rd Test: India v England at Kolkata, Dec 5-9' 2012

DAY 1

Dhoni won yet another important toss on day 1 of the third test at the Eden Gardens and as expected had no hesitation in deciding to bat first. The ball was moving a bit but the first wicket was gifted to England on a platter when Virender Sehwag was left stranded as he steamed down for a comfortable 3rd run. Gambhir was the culprit as it was an easy three. This, while he himself has not scored a century for India in tests for almost 3 years now!! Yes, 3 long years!! How and why the Indian selectors are still persisting with him is beyond me. And when they replace either Sehwag/ Gambhir (due to injury) they pick the useless M Vijay. When will guys like Rahane and Mukund get a chance??

Pujara had a rare failure as Sachin strode out amidst huge pressure. He was keen on defense and looked resolute to turn the corner. Gambhir fell after a scratchy fifty (hope it does not guarantee him a place as the opening batsmen for another 10 tests!!) and Kohli failed yet again in the series. Sachin opened up a bit after tea and eventually fell for 76, his first fifty in the last 10 months!!!

Yuvraj, after surviving a lbw shout that would have uprooted the middle stump while he was still on duck and another when he had a solitary run made 32. Dhoni, playing as ungainly as he does against the spinners, barely survived until stumps were called for with India at 273/7.

DAY 2

India were all out for 316 even as MSD eked out a painful fifty.

England openers Cook and Compton began extremely cautiously as England made just 20 odd runs off the first 11 overs. That was only the calm before the storm that was to follow. After lunch both Compton and Cook began to look out for runs, and runs they got!!

The Indian spinners looked as far away from picking up a wicket as a tourist is far away from water in the arid Sahara!! The fielding looked school boyish and the captaincy bereft of any new ideas. Cook reached yet another fifty, the hundred stand was raised, Compton got his fifty too, the one fifty stand soon ensued before Cook completed the annihilation his customary hundred!!! Compton finally departed with the English score reading 165.

Cook and Trott then rubbed it in further and were involved in an unbeaten 50 run stand of their own when stumps were finally called, much to India's relief!! England ended the day on 216/1, just 100 behind India.

India needs a miracle at the Eden in the next couple of days or else the scoreline will be 2-1 to England after 3 tests.

Whitewash Looms for Team India - Have we watched the end of an era?

As Indian famed batting line up was being swept away by precise English bowlers, one test after the another, excuses flew thick and fast from the Indian camp... It was said that the pitches were far too green, there was too much seam and swing on offer, players were injured, some others tired after playing the IPL... The hard earned number 1 tag was snatched away from them as the Indians capitulated to lose 4-0.

Pressure grew steadily on the team but it was the senior players, namely Sachin and VVS Laxman who were blamed the most. Sachin kept searching for the 100th 100 but it kept on evading the great man. Laxman looked a pale shadow of what he was in the early 2000's leading up to 2008-2009. Dravid was in imperious form on that tour and escaped backlash from the fans.

The series against West Indies came and went without any significant performance from these three players. India could not even win 3-0 against a young and struggling West Indian team at home in spinning conditions. Surely something was wrong. But, NO, winning 2-0 was enough for the Indian team... The signs were there for all to see... Unfortunately, the team were still blinded... By the IPL riches, by past performances, by thinking that this was just an aberration...

The tour of Australia was next. It was said that this is the best chance for the Indian team to win a series down under. People expected the experienced Indian team to steamroll the young Aussie team in transitional phase. As I type this at the end of day 4 of the last test of the Australian series, India are just 4 wickets away from a humiliating whitewash!

Sachin seemed burdened by the thought of the 100th 100 throughout the series. He seemed in good form in the first two tests but he always had an eye on the scorecard - "How far more to get that 100".

VVS Laxman still played those wristy flicks that defy gravity and laws of physics once in a blue moon, but more often than not his feet seemed stuck in cement. The hands went hard towards the ball instead of the soft touch that was associated with his batting.

Dravid, The Wall, crumbled match by match, bowlers finding ways to penetrate his defense as he kept getting bowled. He seemed baffled as the ball found newer ways to sneak in between the bat and the pad onto the timber. The death knell had been sounded.

"Have we watched the end of an era?", This is the question on every cricket fan's lips, whether he is Indian or just a cricket lover from around the globe.

This is definitely the end of an era, for me. These three may or may not play together in the Indian test team again. Well, they should not, logically. But I hope that they are given farewell matches. Let us, for a moment, remember that perfect straight drive from Tendulkar, the textbook forward defence from Rahul and the ball being flicked from way outside the off stump towards the mid wicket fence from very very special Laxman... I am getting all nostalgic, well lets leave that for some other time...

2nd Test Match, India Vs Australia, SCG - 3-7 January 2012

2nd Test Match, India Vs Australia, SCG - 3-7 January 2012

India won the toss and elected to bat in the 2nd test match Vs Australia. Both the teams were unchanged for this match. Gambhir woefully short of runs, continued his wretched run of form scoring a duck!! Dravid who has been the saving face of Indian batting in recent times was also out early making just 5. Sehwag and Sachin began solidifying the innings but Sehwag too was out just for 30. Laxman departed early too, making just 2. Pattinson was the pick of the bowlers making life difficult for the batsman scalping 3 before lunch.

After lunch, Kohli and Sachin too departed, leaving India tottering at 124/6... Pattinson has taken 4 wickets and Siddle has taken 2 wickets till now... India are struggling at 161/6 at the moment... Tea is still 20 minutes away...

India have cut a sorry figure so far in the series Vs Australia... They have lacked the application and patience required to play a test match... Just like the England series of 2011 they seem to have no fight and tooth... Gambhir and Kohli must soon play a substantial innings or else they must be replaced... Even Laxman has looked below par till now...

Lets see what happens in the rest of the match...

Fan Speak - 1st Test Match, India Vs Australia

We all have our views on how India played and what they should have done to fare better... All the introspection, ideas, thoughts just post the Boxing Day Test Between India Vs Australia at the MCG...

Here I am giving a few of those thoughts which fellow Indian bloggers have shared!!!

Abhi

Pitches down under are much different from the subcontinent, the batsmen need at least two to three weeks to get adjusted to it. Dravid, Sachin and Sehwag were able to bat well because of their experience. I was expecting a bit more from Laxman, though.

I admire Dravid because of his persistence. He is one guy who doesn't easily get affected whether it is aggressive bowling or the other batsman hitting fours and sixes, he plays his natural game and keeps the scoreboard ticking. That requires a lot of maturity.

Dhiraj Shenoy

Most important is to spend time in the middle with bat and not being to flashy, which our batsman failed to do. A few few of our batsmen are yet to get out of Catch (Giving) practice mode... Totally disappointed...

Santosh BS

Recollecting the humiliating losses we have suffered in Oz, I thought this was the best time to turn the tide, but unfortunately... not to be...When would we defeat Oz 4-0 or 5-0 in Oz? I would love to die that day after seeing that...

Arti

The way India's Experienced Batting line up collapsed twice Vs the Young Aussie bowling line up was just so disappointing to watch... Considering that Australia were without their top bowlers, to see this happening to our famed Batting line up was really sad...

But its a game, I hope that in the coming year, they can take the field with a positive frame of mind, come back with the cup and make us all proud.. Let's cheer them and hope for the best to come!

Leo (Vinay)

In cricket, losses are normal, and I'm not sad that we lost. It happens. It saddens me that having 145 overs at least, chasing down a target of 292 at just over 2 runs an over wasn't possible. I don't blame the bowlers, not a bit. Umesh Yadav especially impressed me, and I was sad that he didn't get the fiver he deserved in the second innings.Seeing the way the men in blue went about the chase, was appalling. Such high strike rates.. I was at one moment contemplating that it was aT20, seeing how Ashwin and Zaheer, even Sachin were hitting the shots. Virat for a golden duck??! But, even with MSD and Ashwin batting, I was hopeful of the recovery, but alas, not to be.

They (Aussie's) didn't win the match according to me, we handed to them the win on a platter. I pray for better result at the SCG, but they need composure in the fourth innings.. Changes are afoot perhaps, but I'd retain the same team. We played well in three innings, but lost it in the fourth when it mattered. That's it. No one player can be placed blame I feel.

STE-TSW

After watching the 1st match, I believe that this would be another white wash for India after England series. Lol, the match was in their pockets they just gave it.

Sankar

They spoilt a chance to win in the 1st test , maybe over confidence , hope they mend it and go in and win the next match...

Umesh Derebail

Basically Indians are slow starters on overseas tours going by the track record. I feel the media has to take off the pressure on Sachin for his 100th hundred and focus on winning Test series in Australia. Dravid seems to having vision problem according to me, both the innings he was bowled between the gates.  I am happy that Indian bowling has come up to the expectation.  Now the fabled batting prowess has to be exploited. I hope Laxman, Virat and Dhoni come to party. I am sure at Sydney it will be a better team, with the team keeping off from Media bytes, the bat has to do the talking after all. Good Luck guys...

DS

Most of these players went to Australia about 2 weeks earlier to get accustomed to the conditions, but they have failed. This is so irresponsible batting display. We lost the last 8 wickets for 62 in the first innings, that lost us the game... Also Virat has struggled big time on fast bouncy pitches, I think we can try Rohit... Or how about playing a 5th bowler instead of him and pushing Ashwin up, he batted well...

What are your views?? Add them in the comments section. The above Bloggers, if you too want to add anything more, do so in the comment section.

The Year That was In Numbers - Test's 2011

There were some great test matches witnessed in 2011. It was an awesome year for the longest format of its own...


Here is a summary of the top 5 batsmen, top 5 bowlers and the team records for the year 2011.

Test Match Team Records for the Year 2011

India - 12, 3, 5, 4 (Played, Won, Lost, Draw)

Pakistan - 10, 6, 1, 3 (Played, Won, Lost, Draw)

Sri Lanka - 11, 1, 4, 6 (Played, Won, Lost, Draw)

Australia - 9, 4, 3, (Played, Won, Lost, Draw)

New Zealand - 5, 2, 2, 1 (Played, Won, Lost, Draw)

England - 8, 6, 0, 2 (Played, Won, Lost, Draw)

South Africa - 5, 2, 2, 1 (Played, Won, Lost, Draw)

West Indies - 10, 2, 4, 4 (Played, Won, Lost, Draw)

Bangladesh - 5, 0, 4, 1 (Played, Won, Lost, Draw)

Test Match Top 5 Batsmen for the Year 2011

Rahul Dravid (India) - 12, 1145, 57.25 (Matches, Runs, Average)

Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) - 11, 1034, 49.23 (Matches, Runs, Average)

Ian Bell (England) - 8, 950, 118.75 (Matches, Runs, Average)

Darren Bravo (West Indies) - 10, 949, 49.95 (Matches, Runs, Average)

Alastair Cook (England) - 8, 927, 84.27 (Matches, Runs, Average)

Test Match Top 5 Bowlers for the Year 2011

Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan) - 8, 50, 23.86 (Played, Wickets, Average)

Ishant Sharma (India) - 12, 43, 36.69 (Played, Wickets, Average)

Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka) - 10, 41, 29.07 (Played, Wickets, Average)

Devendra Bishoo (West Indies) - 10, 39, 36.23 (Played, Wickets, Average)

Abdur Rehman (Pakistan) - 8, 36, 26.27 (Played, Wickets, Average)

Whats happened to Australia???

Well exactly a month ago, on the 10th of November 2011, Australia were shot out for 47 after being 21/9 at one stage against South Africa. Today on the 10th of December, they were bundled out for a measly 136 after being 75/7 at one stage and staring at another sub hundred score!!!

Australian team of the early 1990's and 2000's inflicted such scars on opposition teams, they shocked them, humiliated them but now its all going wrong for them. Who would have imagined this would be the state of the Aussie team a couple of years ago... Life has come full circle for them, they do not possess the same firepower in the batting department!! There is no Hayden and Langer to rattle away at the start, Ponting is only a pale shadow of what he was, there is no steel of Steve Waugh, no counter attack of Gilchrist... Not to mention Damien Martyn and Darren Lehmann!!!

Warner and Hughes are good players but they are more suited to the shorter formats of the game. Marsh and Watson are injured too often to make a consistent impact on the team performance. Khwaja only gets a chance if some of the players are injured as Ponting is not keen on retirement!! Hussey and Clarke can only do so much when the rest of the batting is so frail and tentative...

Australia Vs New Zealand - 2nd Test, Hobart from 9-13 December 2011

Lets wait and watch if Australia can stage a comeback in the second innings or if New Zealand win this one comfortably. As of now New Zealand lead by 153 runs with 7 wickets remaining and 3 days to go!! It is shaping to be another close match and I love Test Cricket for matches like these!!! No One Dayer or T-20 can give you the thrill or joy as a good, hard fought Test Match can...

India Vs West Indies/ India Vs Australia

India was expected to sweep aside the West Indian Team in the one days but they are yet to put up a commanding win. The first match was a thriller which Indians managed to win by a solitary wicket. The second match too was close though not as close as the first one. India lost the third match by 16 runs, which looks close but they had lost the match long back when they collapsed to 105/6.

The big question is will India be able to fight on the Australia tour. Its going to be a very tough tour as Aussie's might be weakened but they still have high caliber players like Watson, Ponting, Clarke and Hussey. India did not look that convincing in the tests as well vs the West Indies. Sehwag and Gambhir seem to have lost the golden touch. Sachin is bogged down by the 100th 100 expectations. Laxman plays only in crisis. Dravid was the only consistent batsman both against England and West Indies. West Indies twice took 1st innings lead in the test series. Bowling is not penetrative enough. Ashwin and Ojha capitalized on the West Indian batsmen weakness against the spin. Australians will not collapse like that against spin neither will the Australian pitches help them that much. The signs are not looking good ahead of a tough tour.

I hope the Indians hit their straps in the last two one days and get some much needed form going before the all important tour down under. Cant wait for the Aussie tour to begin. Share your views here.

India Vs West Indies - 2nd Test Match at Eden Gardens, Kolkata

India Vs West Indies - 2nd Test Match at Eden Gardens, Kolkata from Nov 14-18, 2011

So Indian batsman finally came into their elements and posted a mammoth 631/7 before finally declaring. India won the toss yesterday and Dhoni had no hesitation in electing to bat first. Although Sehwag and Gambhir started briskly but both fell trying to be a bit too adventurous. They scored 38 and 65 respectively. Sachin arrived then and there was a sense of expectation whether he would finally get his 100th 100!! But he too flattered to deceive and fell for 38.

This brought the pair of VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid on the Eden Garden wicket invoking memories of the 2001 series against Australia!! And they did not disappoint. Rahul made a classy hundred, his 36th. Laxman ended the day unbeaten in his 70's and looking good for much more.

Day two brought the early wicket of Yuvraj and Dhoni joined Laxman in the middle. They both batted without any difficulty on a benign surface and Laxman soon reached his hundred. Dhoni batted in a positive way and hammered 5 huge sixes on his way to a blistering 144. India declared soon after tea with Laxman remaining unbeaten on 176.

West Indies were 34/2 when bad light interrupted play on the second day, still trailing India by 597 runs. India are in the drivers seat and should win this one comfortably. Lets see what the next three days have in store for us. Give your views on the same.

Chaos at Cape Town - South Africa Vs Australia, 1st Test 9-13 November, 2011

First, Let me catch my breath back!!! Its been almost 12 hours since the drama at New Lands, Cape Town unfolded last night but I am still feeling that unknown anxiety, thrill, joy... Call it whatever but it is because of days like these that test cricket remains a favorite of mine like so many others...


Australia started the day at 214/8, with Aussie captain Michael Clarke still batting after reaching his ton on the first day. He batted superbly with the tail to take the Australian score to 284. He made a masterful 151!! South Africa were coasting at 49/1, when all hell broke loose.... What was to happen in the next couple of hours was madness, chaos and frantic cricket... Events which have not happened in a 100 years happened, events which have happened only twice in over 2000 tests happened....


South Africa collapsed to 96 all out, loosing their last 9 wickets for just 47 runs!!! The Aussies got a huge lead of 188 runs. They must have thought of putting the match beyond the South Africans.... But, they were soon brought down to earth, their dreams shattered, they were reeling at 21/9, in a sense of disbelief.... They threatened the lowest test score of all time but the last wicket added 26 valuable runs to more than double the score!!! They were all out for a measly 47!! Thus South Africa needed 236 runs to win, they are 81/1 at stumps...


Some Fast Fun Facts -

1. Shane Watson, Australian opening Batsman took most wickets in South African 1st innings while their number 11, Nathan Lyon made the most runs in the Aussie 2nd innings!!!
2. Watson took a five wicket haul in just 21 balls!!
3. There were nine referrals for the day, DRS made its presence felt amidst all the excitement!
4. All 4 innings were played in a single day of a test match, it has happened only 2 times in the entire history of tests.
5. Michael Clarke made 151 in the first innings, a score better than the combined score of South Africa and Australia (96+47=143)!!!!
6. It was Australia's lowest test score since they made 36 in 1902!!
   

What a day it will be today, today is 11-11-11, a day which occurs only once in hundred years!!!
Cricket celebrated its own once-in-a-hundred-years-day yesterday!!!!

India Vs West Indies - 1st Test Match at Delhi, Nov 6-10

India Vs West Indies - 1st Test Match at Delhi, Nov 6-10, 2011

So India made just 209 in their first innings and gave the West Indies a lead of 90 odd runs. Considering that the Kotla pitch is playing low and slow this lead could prove to be the deciding factor in deciding the outcome of this test match.

West Indies have made 180 in their second innings with Shivnarine Chanderpaul again top scoring with a valuable 47. The lower order of the West Indies too did their bit with the bat on the increasingly difficult pitch to bat on with Sammy plundering 42 runs and Rampaul making 18 runs. R Ashwin took 6 wickets in his debut match.

So India need exactly 276 runs to win this one. It will definitely not be easy but Sehwag is batting on a different pitch it seems. India is currently 72/1 with Gambhir back in the pavilion and Sehwag batting on 42 along with Rahul Dravid.

This promises to be a very good test match with an exciting finish on the cards. I am watching it with bated breath. What are your thoughts on the match as of now?

Also read - India Vs West Indies (Day 1-2)

India Vs West Indies - 1st Test Match at Delhi, Nov 6-10, 2011

So the stars are back in the Indian team (and as I type this they are out too, sitting in the pavilion!!!)... West Indies won the toss and elected to bat first. It was that man again, Shivnarine Chanderpaul - who scored his 7th test ton against India and continous to torment India...

West Indies finally got all out on the second morning for 304. India's reply was swift as it always is when Sehwag and Gambhir open the Indian innings but they soon crumbled. As I type this India is 154/7 with, an embarrassing situation to be in at home conditions. Dravid is still there as he was, all series in England, fighting alone....

India will require to make a strong comeback and fight hard if they have to win this one..

India Vs England - 2nd Test Match, Trent Bridge Nottingham - 2011

So India lost the 2nd match too, convincingly!! This is not how teams which are ranked number 1 play... They are expected to put up a fight, exchange blows even when down and not give up until the end... The Aussies were rarely humiliated in the last decade or so, surely they were beaten sometimes but in a gracious manner, after a tough battle with the opposition... Rarely the opposition ran away with the game or rarely did they look hapless and helpless...

It was a shameful performance from the Indian team and I am really sad that they gave up so early and at so many stages of the game when they were on top!!! I hope that they pull up their socks for the remaining two games of the series and atleast show some teeth... We, Indian fans deserve atleast that much!!!

The number 1 rank and the crown of the best test team is all but gone too... For starters they must take the practice match seriously and if Sehwag and Gambhir and Zaheer are going to play the 3rd test then they must play in the practice match...

Hoping and Praying that whatever ails the team is soon sorted out and the team is back to winning some games!!

India Vs England - 1st Test Match, Lords - 2011

The big question after 4 days of compelling cricket is "Can India save the match?". Sachin cannot bat until 5 wickets have fallen or about an hour after lunch, Gambhir was hit nastily on the wrist by a Matt prior sweep , Zaheer is injured!!!

This is precisely called having your Backs to the Wall!! The duo of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman are at the crease... They have rescued India from precarious situations before... All hope is still not lost...

India will have to dig deep if they are to save this one, but they have done that in the recent past... Not crumbled under pressure like in the 90's and early 2000's...

I love TEST CRICKET for days like these... Today we will see hard, uncompromising cricket from both sides desperate to be at the NO. 1 position of Test Rankings!!

All 4 results are possible - 

England Win

India Win

Draw

Tie

On which one is your money on??

SOS---SAVE TEST MATCHES

If Test Matches Are To Be Saved From Getting Extinguished Then Better Pitches Should Be Provided.

The Richest Cricket Board In The World Can Do At Least This Much.