First things first - the toss was not as vital as made out to be. I don't believe India would be too chuffed if they had to bowl on the fifth day's wicket if they had lost the toss.
Secondly, England have , over four innings, spectacularly imploded from positions of strength and it is India,not England, that have taken 20 wickets in both tests.
And in this test, the rub of the umpiring green went England's way.
India has its problems, no doubt. Sreesanth needs to get his act together, India needs to play the ebbs and flows of the game better, the captaincy needs to be a touch more proactive and there is a tendency of getting overconfident after a win ( and India has the track record of losing a test right after winning one).
India has 9 days to get these issues sorted out and a happy dressing room from the Lords test will be happier still.
A pretty comprehensive victory in the end, though people may point out to the 3 wickets lost and hint at a stutter.
1 Test and 8 ODIs remain to win then, for India.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Test 2 Day 5 - One down, Nine to go.
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13 comments:
You mean 8 to go? We have 1 test and 7 ODIs still to go, if I am not mistaken. But then, going by your code words, you may still be right!
I agree, not much should be read into those three wickets.
Well played India
Cricket Guru,
There is also the Scotland ODI :)
Well played India! And well done Homer for being positive thoughout.
England tried to go the bodyline way in the 2nd hour with Tremlett and then Anderson too, when Sachin was at crease. I felt a bit disappointed that Sachin fell in the trap set. But this will allow him to think about how to counterattack this if England tries it again in the 3rd test.
chandan,
on a wicket with variable bounce and the ball rearing up from a length, batting was difficult.
And as you said, it will give Sachin pause to consider how he will take the attack to England.
And India did well to target Madhusuden.. Augurs well for the rest of the series.
Cheers
Great omen for the future. India can stand anything now jelly beans, mental disintegration, sledging, swinging, whatever.
The key is not to loose the Oval Test as it has been the trend in the past. Oval has been a belter in past few years, but again nothing can be said in a series which has rubbished the forecasts and expected trends.
Nasser was saying on Star Cricket that Oval has a traditional tennis ball kind of bounce. And it'd be better if England exploited that with bowlers like Tremlett in their rank as Indian batsmen didn't look very comfortable against bounce.
It'd be interesting to see how India tackles such situation if England indeed tries the tactics.
SA bowlers had succeeded at Durban with this tactics. What will English bowlers try?
Homer
for all the talks going on elsewhere of india losing momentum during this 9 days break...
on contrary i think it will serve india well. it will first sooth out nerves and will give them enough time to relax and prepare...i also must add that calming influence of veteran borde who will ask them to look forward boys...
also i would like to retain sree santh (as if we have choice by selection bizarre) this period will also give him enough chance to reflect, introspect, work and devise approach for future game and i am sure all seniors will be talking to him to calm down a bit and focus more on ball...
and i have this gut feeling that oval pitch seemingly offering more bounce he will provide good platform for sree's exploits!!
ZAK de india!!!
Every one seems to be talking about how England narrowly missed winning at Lords and how India got the toss advantage at Trentbridge.. Has everyone forgotten that it was Vaughan who won the toss at Lords, got a magnificient day and pitch to bat on, which laid the foundation for his near miss?
lol Rahul :)
"India needs to play the ebbs and flows of the game better"
True. There were times when India didn't ride with the flows and stalled in the ebbs.
The surprise element, if any, is off now for both teams. The Oval pitch may be more South African in nature, with lesser movement in the air and a bit of bounce off the pitch. While it blunts one weapon for India, it brings Kumble into greater play. The same goes for Monty and Sidebottom.
It is even more important that India is in tune with the ebbs and flows of the game here.
Soulberry,
True, but I would not be too concerned on that account. India has two things going for it - momentum and confidence.
India has always been a confidence team and since Lords, when the played long enough for the weather to be a factor, the team has had the confidence that it can go toe to toe with the Poms.. And winning at Trent Bridge is a huge momentum shift.
It is England that has to do all the running now. And they have to do the running with the knowledge that two of their 4 pace bowlers are swing bowlers and that the Indian batsmen are in form. And also that none of the Indians have scored a 100 and are due.And they know that our bowlers are adept enough to come to the party, irrespective of the wicket.
Add to it the whole "jelly bean" controversy and the pressure is squarely on them.
India, on the other hand, have to sort out Sreesanth but that is a minor problem. Also, the Atherton column would have done enough to motivate the players, if they needed motivation.It would have certainly done enough to jolt the Indians from their complacency.
And while I am not suggesting lax cricket, it will also not help our cause if we are wound up too tight.
One good day at the Oval is all that it is going to take to seal the series for us. And if that day is the opening day or the last day, nothing could be better :)
Cheers
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