Nov 28, 2009

Australia v/s West Indies - Test 1 - Brisbane - Day3 - Session 2

At the time of going to post West Indies are 72/3 in their second innings of the match, as they have been asked to follow on! We know, with Sri Lanka v/s India on at Kanpur, we had been unable to talk more about this match!

[Score Card]

But then, for us, a match between the two of the top three sides was more important then a Windies v/s Aussies! And then again, we are a blog from the sub-continent!

For those who haven't been following this match closely, Australia had scored 480/ 8 dec. riding on fifties from 4 of their players! West Indies bundled out for 228 in the first over, with Ramdin being the only fifty at 54 and all Aussie bowlers coming back with wickets!

With 3 Windies batsmen back into pavilion while they trail by 180 runs on Day, Australia's win seems assured! What will Windies do, come up with a miracle?!

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Nov 27, 2009

India v/s Sri Lanka - Test 2 - Review


India record their 100th Test Win and in style! While Sri Lanka lost by a huge deficit of an innings and 144 runs, Indians celebrated the fact that they have gone 1-0 up in this 3 match series, as they come to Mumbai, for the third test!

[Score Card]

This match, in retrospect seems to have been decided, in the very first over itself, when Mahela dropped Sehwag, while the latter was still at Zero, as was reported in this post!

If you were to a little further back into the past, you could also add, that the match was decided on the toss itself, as the pitch became heaven for bowlers, the Lankan ones, and the Indians!

The match was Advantage India, all through the five days! Day 1 had ended with India scoring over 400 runs at 2 wickets, Day 2 had ended with Lankans short off target by almost 580 runs, and Day 3 had ended leaving the winning as a mere formality, as Lanka had already lost 4 wickets while following on! Thus, it can not be said that the Lankans were ever in the match!

But, then who wants to say so, when the deficit is so huge!

Impact Player of the Match:

This match again had a large number of performers! The top three batsmen of India, viz, Sehwag, Gambhir and Rahul Dravid had got big centuries. Among the bowlers, Harbhajan got 5 wickets off the match, Pragyan got 4 and Herath got 5.

But the man whose wickets created the most havoc for the opposite team, as these were top order batsmen, was Shanthkumaran SreeSanth. The comeback man took 6 wickets in the match, 5 off which came in the first innings.

Honorable Mention: MSD needs to be credited for calling the toss right, and making the decision to bat first! Had he taken a decision other wise, well who knows!

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Nov 26, 2009

India v/s Srilanka - Kanpur - Test 2 - Day 3 - Review!

While Srilanka did manage to have a better second day after a embarrassing first, the match was still well and truly under India's control at the beginning of the third day. One always knew that if India bowled well, Srilanka would be in trouble. Well, India, led by an unexpected hero in the comeback kid Sreesanth, bowled beyond expectations and all but sealed the match on Day 3 itself.

Starting at 66/1, Srilanka were never allowed to get away as an inspired 9 over burst from Sreesanth in the morning broke the back of Srilanka's batting, accounting for Paranavithana, Sangakkara and Samaraveera and reduced Srilanka to 111/4. After that, there was no looking back for India as they kept taking wickets and bundled out Srilanka for just 229. Sreesanth took a superb five-er, making a grand comeback after 18 months and Ojha, on debut impressed with 2 wickets too. Bhajji chipped in too with two.

This lead of 413 runs is the highest ever for India against Srilanka. Quite expectantly, the Follow On was enforced and out came India again to push for the victory. Once again, it was Sreesanth who got the ball rolling, dismissing Dilshan by an absolute jaffer. The wickets continued to tumble, with even Sehwag coming in and taking a wicket in his first over. The day ended with Srilanka in a hopeless position at 57/4, still needing a massive 356 runs to avoid an innings defeat.

The result is inevitable and the only question now is whether the match ends before tea or after tea tomorrow. Whatever be the case, India would have achieved a great victory tomorrow. And a well deserved one too. Cheers...

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Nov 25, 2009

Pakistan v/s New Zealand - Test 1 - Day 2 - Review!

Pakistan were supposed to feel cold when they reached New Zealand, as they had come directly from Abu Dhabi, with out much of the sweater stuff!

Then, they troubled the Kiwi batsmen, with Ross Taylor making the only notable contribution on Day 1, which ended with Daniel "Harry Potter" Vettori and Brendon McCullum at the crease! Yes, it seemed at the end of the day's play that Pakistan, who were facing cold, made the Kiwis face the heat!

And then the second day's play started! Brendon and Vettori went on to score a brilliantly grafted 165 run partnership with Vettori falling at the end of the play on 99! Must have ended the day on a sour note for him, for sure!

All Pakistani bowlers are among wickets, and special mention can be made for Asif and Aamer!

New Zealand are now at 404/8 and two days have gone! Seems like Kiwis have saved this one?! I think they have!

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India v/s Sri Lanka - Kanpur - Test 2 - Day 2 - Review!

While Day 1 was India's day all the way, Sri Lanka have pulled this test match towards competitive level on Day 2!

Day 2 has ended with India bowled out for 642, and Sri Lanka managing a 66/1 scoreline, after losing Dilshan on the first ball!

What that really implies, according to me, that bowlers are back into this match! Rangan Herath got a five for, even managing to run out RD in a very bizarre manner, and Zaheer struck on the very first ball! Coming from a match at Motera, and ending the first day with such a batting feast, I was glad to see, some evenness in the contest!

Talking about the Rahul Dravid dismissal, though it is a little necessary! He got out standing at the non striker's end, when Herath dropped a Laxman catch, off his own bowling! The ball went through Herath's hands and hit the stumps, while RD was caught out of his crease! Why?! Why did such a wonderful innings have to come to such a stupid end?! Probably, that is what RD asked himself, while going back!

Sangakkara and Paranavitana have done a decent job of building a partnership, after losing the dangerous Dilshan off the first ball. It could still be a good batting surface, but India's bowlers look threatening. With Pragyan Ojha now in the bowling line up, there is at least one spinner in the team, who will be looking for wickets AND have a chance of being effective!

All in all, an even day! Rahul Dravid's hundred and half-centuries to Yuvraj and Laxman came up, while Rangana Herath got a five-for at Kanpur against his name!

And Indian bowlers, a cushion of 642 to bowl against! Lankan batsmen, you seem to have your job cut out!

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Nov 24, 2009

India v/s Sri Lanka - Kanpur - Test 2 - Day 1 - Review!

Last ball of the day, RD gets a ball to be hit and it is hit wide off mid-off for four! That is what has been the story for the first day of the second test being played between India and Sri Lanka, where India has scored 417 runs off their day's 90 overs losing only 2 wickets in the process!

[Live Score Card]

While they went to lunch, we came to report about the happenings until then, and we had asked the openers to capitalize on the first session start that they had built! Capitalized they did and how! Both the openers scored remarkable centuries, with Sehwag scoring 131 and Gambhir going to score a 167! This is Gambhir's fourth consecutive century in obviously as many matches, and he shares this feat with two of the greatest Indian batsmen, namely Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar!

Rahul Dravid, himself, is close to score another of those special hundreds, as at stumps, he was agonizingly close to the century at 85*! Sachin is giving RD company from the other end!

Yes, I haven't spoken much about the Sri Lankan effort! But what effort are we really talking about here?! An effort that hasn't yielded anything resembling a result, and that in my opinion, would not be counted as one! Murli is the sole bowler to return on day 1 with both wickets of Gambhir and Sehwag!

Had Sehwag been caught when he was on Zero, the story would have been so different! But, then this is quality test cricket, one let off, and the score is above 400!


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India v/s Sri Lanka - Kanpur - Test 2 - Day 1 - At Lunch

131 / 0 in 26 overs! How do you read that?!

Well, I read it as AWESOME! And that is what Virender Sehwag is! Combine that with grit and determination of the little man, Gautam Gambhir and such a score is something India can build upon in the next two sessions!

[Live Score Card]

Lanka has gone for a 3 spinner, 2 seamer combination and that seems to have proved costly to them! While the seamers have been able to contain the two batsmen to some extent, the spinners have gone for 73 runs in 9 overs! Mendis has been given special treatment and Herath was blasted for 14 runs in the one over he was given! That puts added pressure on Murli!

What needs to be noted though, is the fact that Sehwag was dropped in the first over, when the Boxer with the Bat was still on Zero. Sehwag took full toll and shrugged off the early scratchy phase to return to what he does best! Bat as if, he was boxing in the ring!

At Lunch, both men have scored fifties! Sehwag is on 70* and Gambhir 59*! They should capitalize on this!

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Nov 21, 2009

India v/s Sri Lanka - Test 1 - Review!


When you want Tests to come to life, you can not give the audiences an inconsequential match! You can not give the audiences a pitch, that would not cracked had another entire test match could be played there!

But sadly, that was what was on offer at Motera for the First Test of Sri Lanka Tour of India, and we got the result in the form of the Score Line reading 0-0, with the teams going to Kanpur for the next match, beginning from March 24!

[Score Card]

There is nothing that any of the two teams can take from this match, with conceding a similar point to the opposition!

While Sri Lanka dominated the 1st session, India bounced back in 2 and 3, giving the Day 1 upper hand to India! Day 2 and Day 4 were interestingly poised, while Day 3 was advantage Sri Lanka!

When the first 4 days of the match get divided so evenly, it is only fair that the match ends in a draw! There is no advantage that any of the teams can take into Kanpur! Psychological or other wise!

Impact Player of the Match:

In a match that created no impact on the series, there were 7 players who came up with centuries!

Tendulkar, Dhoni, Gambhir, Dilshan, M Jayawardene, P Jayawardene, and Dravid were the 7 players who took the wonderful chance of improving their already inflated records!

Hence, choosing one player who created an impact on the match is a little difficult!

I would still like to go with Rahul Dravid! While Mahela came up with a 275, and never let Sri Justify FullLanka face any trouble batting, RD came up with a very special innings of 177, when India were 32/4! It has been RD's bane, that when he comes with a Very Special knock, there is somebody who comes with a Very Very Special knock!

But still, I would still stick to choosing Rahul Dravid! Had it not been for him, this would not have been such an inconsequential match! With out his innings, Sri Lankans would have been so much happy!

And a special mention for Sachin Tendulkar! For crossing 30,000 runs in International Cricket!For scoring 43rd century!

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Nov 19, 2009

India v/s Sri Lanka - Day 4 Review

Alright, it does not get more interesting than this! India have 8 wickets in hand, a maximum of 90 overs to go, while they trail the Lankan total by 144 runs, as they would go in to Day 5 tomorrow!

So, back to talking about Day 4! Sri Lanka decided to go into the second innings of the match with an ample amount of runs, to act as cushion! Can't say I blame them! With the first innings going for so long any how, any chance of a result would have been to hand over India an innings defeat or some what close to that!

Indian openers decided to show some character in the second innings of the match, and had a stand of 81 runs, when Sehwag decided to leave Gambhir alone, with Dravid! The savior of the first inning had a decent enough partnership of 88 runs, and just when, everything seemed beautiful, fell to a leg before decision!

So, India go to the fifth day with Gambhir and Amit Mishra (Nightwatchman, you know how it is, right!) at the crease and most of the batting line-up still to come!

India should save this match, from here! Over to you, MSD and Men!

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Nov 18, 2009

India v/s Srilanka Day 3 Review

When I said in the Day 2 Review that the match was interestingly poised, I didnt know that Indian bowlers, especially the two spinners, would be so too toothless even on a 3rd day wicket. India's bowling effort was so ordinary that Srilanka piled on 316 runs on Day 3 for the loss of just 2 wickets. There is only 1 team which can realistically win the match from now on and that is Srilanka. With a lead of 165 and 5 wickets still in hand, they are handsomely placed to push for their maiden test victory on Indian soil. India would do well to bat a very good second innings and save this match.

Day 3 belonged to none other than the ex-captain Mahela Jayawardene, who scored an excellent double century and is unbeaten on 204. This knock has effectively ended chances of an Indian victory. He was well supported by Samaraveera (70) and Prasanna Jayawardene (84*) and the partnership between the two Jayawardene's is already 216 runs.

I am beginning to wonder for quite some time now that India is supposed to have world class spinners led by Harbhajan Singh now after the retirement of Kumble. But, somehow, our spinners are not taking enough wickets in ODI's especially and to some extent in tests and are being outperformed by our counterparts. Something to ponder upon for sure...

What is in store for us on Day 4? Well, I guess lots and lots of more runs on this placid wicket and hopefully India do not cave in the second innings and manage to save the match.

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