Game that mesmerizes me every day

Yes. It has been really long since I wrote a blog. Well, the whole week till today was extremely tight. I had absolutely no time to spend time blogging around. I was getting desperate to write something crap, but I felt like being jailed. But,Sandy and RB made amends for my absence.

They wrote the blogs for me :) :)

Truly humbling!!



Now, let me post some of view points on the events that have happened on the cricket field before, events that are getting unwound slowly now and events that would soon unwound.

WHISPERING DEATH

Michael Holding was among the fierce cricketers you can witness on the field. When RB got this dazzling over in his blog, I just imagined how deadly Holding would have been 25 years ago. Holding was something special. Among a pack of ultra-dangerous bowlers, Holding held his degree of ferocity to a level that I don’t find among many bowlers nowadays. Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Michael Holding and Colin Croft formed a pack that would never say die anytime. West Indies would repudiate conquest for the opposition when these four are in full flow. Holding, according to me was the best. Holding had one of the best bowling actions you could ever see. Long strides, silky run up and a very cool follow through made Michael Holding. His entire pace was engendered from his very long run up. If Shoaib does it nowadays, Holding did it even more efficiently then.

Yesterday, I got a chance to see the video of that unparalleled over that RB posted. Do check here. It will not work @ office. May be you can watch this at your home. Also available in You Tube – Search for :- “Holding to Boycott”.

Those six balls were just out of the world. The crowd was completely behind and whatever footage we get to see, we only see a very tiny object whiz past Boycs every time around. He was lucky to survive the first ball of that over. But, the last ball was just too good for even the likes of Bradman. No wonder he is called “whispering death”.

WHITE LIGHTNING

If people say, Holding was too good in that over, Donald was fumingly furious during those 45 minutes at Trent bridge in 1998. Star cricket showed that video footage yesterday. Rough decisions, not one but two against Donald did not go well with him. What followed was, the best cricket White Lightning has ever played. Well, that’s what he believes. South Africa went on to lose the test match, but those 10 overs that Atherton played were of the top draw. Edges were dropped; Hussain could have well walked back, leaving Atherton in the middle. A hugely resolute Atherton played exceedingly well to just survive. I must say, Steve Dunne helped him time and again that session alone. If South Africa got a chance to refer to the TV Umpire, Atherton would have been back and we wouldn’t have seen such a spectacular display of fast bowling. Atherton must have had lots of ice packs, pain relieving sprays and anti-inflammatory capsules that night. He received a barrage of bouncers that he took head on!!!

Donald says, “He (Michael) is playing very well at the moment and it only takes one ball. The eight or nine over spell at Trent Bridge was bowled with the adrenaline pumping and it was the fastest that I have bowled consistently in any one spell. The pace that I was bowling at never really bothers me; if it happens on the day then it happens. The speed gun has never been foremost in my mind. There is more to bowling than breaking speed records.”

Keith Lane in his article writes, “A nine over spell between Alan and Michael at Trent Bridge, regarded by some in the know as one of the best bit of test cricket ever, where a suspected glove to Boucher from a short ball sparked off one of the most ferocious fast bowling and one of the most resolute batting displays ever seen in the test arena.”

Nick Hoult's blog in Telegraph gives an even more closer view to that brilliant spell of magic.

Donald is still the most fearsome bowler, I have seen LIVE. Brett Lee has been in that bracket alongside Simon Jones, Shane Bond and Dale Steyn. But, Donald was different. When I started following cricket, I never saw as fast as white lightning. Donald was the best fast bowler in picture for me. Mcgrath, Walsh and Ambrose were of different school of fast bowling.

FAB FOUR

As I write, India is now getting into self-destruction mode. Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Gambhir are back to pavilion within minutes after play resumed.

I was just about to write, how India have got into a great position after the first session @ Galle.Galle is the epitome of struggle, loss and the rise. The very picture of the tsunami hit Galle , sends down shivers across my spine. The way it has got itself resurrected back, should inspire the Indians. Sehwag and Gambhir took India to a great position, and I reckon destiny is taking India somewhere else. Rain interrupted proceedings and concentration was diluted. That happens every time rain is on. Viru is stranded in the middle with Laxman. It is very tough to regain the concentration back in the game, after a long halt. You would be picking up the cricket ball like a foot ball, and all of a sudden the same cricket ball, looks like a ping-pong ball. That’s what concentration does to a batsman.

Team India look like the troubled state of Gujarat now. They really don’t know when Mendis-Murali duo would blast their next bomb in the form of Indian wickets. Usually, India build their innings really well after a 100 run opening stand. Rahul Dravid was a key figure to take the innings on from a great position that the openers would have left. Dravid’s career has gone into the final chapter. England 2007 was the beginning of the end. 12(96) @ Oval summarized his performance in England . Dravid usually is at his brilliant best in England . Tours to England in 1996 and 2002 fetched him loads and loads of runs. Sadly, the same country where he started his test career has marked the dawn of his dusk. 2, 9, 37, 11*, 55 and 12 are Dravid’s scores in England . Dravid has scored just 4 fifties and one hundred in the last year. 15 test matches and 28 innings have just fetched 758 runs from the wall. There is a big dip in his average and strike rate also. 54.13 is his career average and in the last 12 months, Dravid averages a mere 31.58. His strike rate has also gone down from 41.92 to 35.99. To say the least, Dravid looks most probable to retire first among the Fab Four. Dravid has been a brilliant servant of Indian cricket and no one is going to take credit from him. He must be really privileged to be a part of that golden era. Sooner than later, we would have to search the next No.3 batsman for India . Rohit Sharma is a definite prospect. Subramaniam Badrinath and Shikhar Dhawan are also seasoned campaigners. But, to fill Dravid’s boots is going to be a titanic task.

How many times, will Laxman save India ? VVS must be really tired of this. And the position he is in, VVS would score a 50 and the team on the other side would disintegrate. Dinesh Karthik has got his last chance. These five days will redefine his career. His performance is also very important in the team’s perspective. If India ought to win this test match @ Galle , Karthik must contribute with the bat and behind the stumps. With four wickets tumbling in quick succession, Karthik’s innings becomes even more significant. I am really happy with the team management. They have not chip-chopped with the team. Karthik has been given one more chance and if he does well, Kumble and the think tank can be proud (even more if India wins as DK performs) of their selection. But, if it back-fires, DK would be betraying a lot of his team mates.

Who would want to be in DK position? Certainly, not me!!!

Ganguly, right now, is resting on his past performances. He has just completed a year of wonderful cricket. From South Africa in 2006 to South Africa in 2008, Dada has been scoring runs at a prolific rate. If Ganguly doesn’t wake up from his sleep, he would find himself out of reckoning for the longer version of the game also. Yuvraj Singh, Badrinath, Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are waiting in the wings.

IN PIPELINE....

The days gone by has been sweet to some and sour to others. I just hope Kumble and his warriors break the Murali jinx that they face in the island nation. South Africa has been really wonderful in England post Lords' test. If they emulate India 's record, Michael Vaughan would have lost two home series in as many years. McKenzie is slowly getting into the groove again.

WHAT'S HAPPENING FROM MY SIDE???

Two days of skills practice has been wonderful for me. During my spells in the nets Arun nicked twice and was bowled once off my bowling. Arun doesnt usually play that flashy. But, yes. On more than occasion, the ball swung severely and he had to just leave it alone. I was happy about my bowling on Tuesday. Yesterday was even better. Bharath was bowled twice, one that moved slightly in and the other delivery was bowled at a very slow pace, that he mis-judged the pace of the ball. Saurabh was also beaten on more than one occassion.

If there was one batsman who played me authoritatively, then it was only William. He treated my bowling with utmost disdain.

Tonked over and over again !!!

Hoping to bowl better at him today.

Infosys,Mysore begin Corporate Cup 2008 with a bang

ARUN, DEVANG LEAD INFOSYS TO VICTORY

On a day when everything Devang touched would have turned gold, WIPRO were humiliated at Infosys cricket ground by Infosys. WIPRO lost the first match of the Infosys Corporate Cricket cup 2008 by 128 runs.

Wipro went into bat with a humongous target of 222 in 20 overs. Sachin and Harish.K.Choudhary started off the proceedings for Infosys. Sachin soon scalped Wipro opener, Manjunath in his 2^nd over. The off stump went for a walk. Sachin’s reaction looked as if this was such a normal routine day in and day out. Wipro had just added 11 runs before losing their opener in just the 3^rd over of the innings. A strong LBW appeal was turned down soon after the fall of the first wicket. After the tight first spell by both the bowlers, Suyash.K.Srivastava and Sandeep Somasekharan took the attack to the opposition. There were no boundaries scored in the first 6 overs, during the field restrictions. Bharath Bhaskar stopped almost two certain boundaries. Captain Devang also managed two stop a couple of certain boundaries during the same over. The ground fielding on display was top notch with the offside field protected by the best of Infosys. It looked almost certain that the ball would never pierce the offside field with Rahul standing in slips, Vinay, the best fielder in Infosys standing in gully, and young turks Saurabh, Suyash in point and covers. Devang completed the offside field, by standing in mid-off. Runs were choked and the boundaries dried up. Wipro never looked up to the task in hand. Sucheet provided the much needed breakthrough as he stopped the single at square leg and threw back the ball on time to dismiss the other opener, Chirag for 12. Wipro were 41 after 9 overs were completed. There was no urgency showed by other batsmen as well. When a dot ball is considered golden in Twenty20 format, Vinay bowled an astonishing maiden over. The pressure showed on the batsmen as they tried to sneak a single which was not at all there. Bharath with a smart presence of mind ran out Wipro captain, Deepesh and the score card read 48/3 in 11.1 overs.50 came up in 12 overs. Infosys had reached the same landmark off a mere 27 balls. In the meanwhile, Pramod, Wipro’s mainstay had to retire after he had sustained an ankle twist. Dharmendra was later bowled by Vinay when he tried to up the ante. The score read 64 when Wipro lost their 5^th wicket. Sucheet castled Thyagu’s off stump in the 16^th over of the innings. When the match was almost lost, 3 boundaries were scored off Vinay’s final over. Anantha tried to make some match of it, but it was too late. When there were 6 balls left, Wipro needed 136 runs.

Earlier in the day, Wipro won the toss and elected to bowl first on a slow, dead pitch. The conditions were sunny and the openers were expected to make the most of it. Devang was joined by a new partner, Arun for this tournament. After the loss of big players due to various official commitments, Infosys’s batting was felt to be weak and jittery. But, it took just one over to prove the detractors wrong. Arun was dropped in the 1^st slip off the 2^nd ball of the day when he was on 0. That miss proved very costly and Arun just had too many gifts that Wipro were to offer him on the day. Devang made the bat talk with a crisp boundary through covers followed by a six over midwicket. Arun bludgeoned Anantha, Wipro’s opening left arm bowler towards midwicket as he flicked a boundary. The signs were ominous and Wipro had to take a beating now. Two consecutive boundaries off the legs by Devang towards the fine leg saw Infosys race to 44 off just 4 overs. Some sloppy fielding and shoddy wicket keeping allowed Infosys reach 52 off just 27 balls. Arun matched shot to shot with Devang. There was never a dull moment when this pair was in the middle. All of a sudden, 100 came in just 54 balls. Arun first reached 50 with 8 sparkling boundaries. Arun smashed boundaries all over the park. His straight drive, flicks towards midwicket, and cuts over point were too classical too be missed. Devang followed suit as he reached his 50 off just 27 balls. Devang had 7 boundaries and 2 huge sixes studded in his 50.

Arun was finally dismissed when he was on 75. There were 2 more reprieves for Arun after he reached 50. Arun’s dismissal brought an end to a stunning first wicket partnership of 171 runs off just 88 balls. Devang never looked to slow down as he collected boundaries over point and fine leg in one over.

Infy soon lost its way as they stumbled to 196 /5. Vinay was run out after a stupendous fielding effort. Devang lost his wicket when he was on 73 trying to increase the score. Saurabh was also castled and returned to the pavilion with a duck. Rahul came, scored a four with a slice over gully and was run out off the next ball.

Bharath on the other hand, took the late charge with a cameo of 30*(13). Bharath made most use of the opportunity he got when he was dropped on 0 at mid on. Bharath’s late flourish meant Infosys ended the innings on a high note. Infosys made sure that they never lost on the run rate. The target of 222 was just too many for Wipro to chase and they surrendered meekly without any effort.

Infosys have started their Corporate cup campaign in style. It is the perfect start for a team in any tournament. Infosys would like to keep up this momentum going for their next encounter as well.

Infosys XI: - Devang Praful Vasani (c), Arun (wk), Vinay.K.Chandra, Harish Kumar Choudhary, Rahul Garg, Bharath Bhaskar, Saurabh Dhawan, Sucheet, Sachin, Suyash Kumar Srivastava and Sandeep Somasekharan

Match summary

Infosys beat Wipro by 128 runs.

Infosys Wipro

Arun 78(51) Anantha 1-30

Devang 73(39) Donald 1-46

Bharath 30*(13) Thyagu 1-54

Wipro Infosys

Anantha 23* Sucheet 1-8

Pramod 23 Sachin 1-17

Chirag 12 Vinay 1-20

Last Leg of the Great Australian Tri Series

So the final leg of the Australian tri series is about to kick off. This will be the last time that Adam Gilchrist will feature in the Tri Series event. Infact, this is the last tri-series that will be played in Australia. The fixture is a wonderful event every year and every year we witness great skills displayed by the touring teams and the world champions. This will be the last time that India will also fight for this coveted trophy, which I reckon is the most important ODI trophy other than the ICC tournaments.
The history pretty phenomenal, but there are a lot of series which will always be in our mind. The 1999-00 edition saw India and Pakistan fight out against Australia. India were butchered,devastated,demolished by the strong Australian and Pakistan sides. India could manage only one victory out of the 8 matches they played. The 2001-02 edition saw a new winner emerge in South Africa.It was only the first time in 5 editions that the Australians lost this trophy. That was the year, when the hosts were removed out of the finals for the first time in 6 years. The same series saw the emergence of Shane Bond as a big fast bowler. Bond took 21 wickets in that series. The other series, I remember a lot is the next Indian tour in 2003-04. India could only beat the Australians only once in the whole series. While, the Indians thrashed the hapless Zimbabweans. Another young talent emerged in the form of Irfan Pathan. Pathan was the leading wicket taker in that edition. The last year's edition was a power packed event. Australia smothered England and New Zealand. But, it was after a long time that the Australians lost this event in the finals 2-0!!!! England played the finals really well and lot of that credit goes to the gutsy performance put up by Paul Collingwood. It was the last time Glenn McGrath played a ODI in Australia.
As this series comes to a close,we are witnessing a rather closely fought CB series for a long time. Australians were beaten twice in the space of 8 matches with a couple of matches being washed out. One of the matches went down till the end against India.
India can show the steely resolve and deliver the knock out punch, one last time in the last week of this long Australian tour. Australia have been knocked over by Srilanka today. Indian bowlers are in good shape and they will know that cometh this Sunday, we will have the battle royale lined up for this historical tournament, one last time.

Unsung Heroes

TEAM INDIA’S UNSUNG HEROES

India has always been celebrating their batsmen over the moon for too long. I wonder if Kapil Dev would still have got his share of fame and respect had he been just a bowler like young Ishant Sharma. Kapil’s exploits with the bat earned him a lot of respect. The perception about the bowlers has not at all changed after so many of years of cricket in India.

This raised a question in my mind. Why don’t Indian bowlers don’t get their fare share of recognition even after some stupendous performances whenever India has won a big tournament? India’s recent successes in test matches abroad can definitely be attributed to the efforts put up by the Indian pace battery and the experienced spin twins. The wins at Johannesburg and at Jamaica are just examples of how good the Indian bowling attack has been. But what recognition have they received for these match winning displays?

If we go back just a few years down the line we may also find that Harbhajan’s performance were never thought back, as much as the 281 from VVS Laxman in that famous Kolkata test match against Australia in 2001. Harbhajan took 16 wickets in that test that included a hattrick as well. I have no qualms that the batsmen get the recognition in this cricket crazy country, but without the bowlers performing, the win would be meaningless. The same goes with the recent Perth test victory. People laud the batting efforts that India put up. The 93 by Rahul Dravid, 71 by Tendulkar and 79 by VVS Laxman still outweigh the crucial wickets that RP Singh, Irfan Pathan and Ishant Sharma took along with Kumble. It was truly a Jumbo performance by the bowlers as well. But they have always remained the unsung heroes of this team.

When we find the other great bowlers in other countries, we do find that many bowlers achieve stardom and they truly deserve it. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis are just a few people, across the border, who get recognized and reach the stardom with their sheer bowling efforts. Muralitharan is another example close to India’s border. Nautical miles apart, South Africa, Australia, England, West Indies and New Zealand all have a separate place of respect and recognition for their bowlers be it McGrath, Warne, Ntini, Pollock, Ambrose, Walsh, Gough, Bond, or anyone else. In fact, Makhaya Ntini is supposed to be the favorite cricketer of the crowds in South Africa. Graeme Smith or Herschelle Gibbs isn’t the crowd favorite!!! Srinath and Prasad hardly received accolades for their efforts. Agarkar’s 6 / 41 against Australia in Adelaide is a forgotten story. Agarkar was the second fastest to reach the 50 wicket mark in one-day cricket. But, these heroes have always been sidelined by the likes of Tendulkars, Dravids, Laxmans and Gangulys. I will never blame the batsmen for this mismatch. The fault is with the people who love their cricketers and the media who get higher TRPs while showcasing news related to Sachin Tendulkar, rather than news related to Sreesanth.

Ishant Sharma has come off age so quickly. Zaheer Khan has made a stupendous comeback. Stats again say a lot of things about Zaheer. He has taken the maximum number of wickets (44) in the one-day internationals played in 2007. It is just an irony that India failed to cross the first round in the Cricket World cup held in Caribbean. It shows that the bowlers have done reasonably, but the batting let us down in West Indies. What it still shows is, India has managed to play a lot of cricket after the world cup debacle and in those matches Zaheer has given the team the early breakthroughs quite consistently. Zaheer’s new ball partner, RP Singh has grown so well over the last one year that he was ready to lead India’s attack in Sydney and Perth tests against Australia. And, boy dint he manage to do that role well!!! RP’s injury gave way to Irfan and Sreesanth, who has also made a comeback from a shoulder injury, open the bowling in the T20 match and the first ODI against Australia at the Gabba. Sreesanth never looked rusty and immediately got the world’s best batsman nicking to the slips!!! Ishant’s bowling is for the whole world to see. The boy gives a sheepish smile every time he picks up a wicket, which is quite strange when we consider the current nature of cricket being played. People talk about sledging, aggression, staring, racism and a lot more, but Ishant just concentrates on the job given to him. Many people even say that, Ishant is only next to Tendulkar, to have made an impact in Australia against Australia as a teenage sensation. Consider even this to make it even a greater feat. This is Ishant’s first major tour (other than Bangladesh series) abroad.

Kumble’s efforts as a bowler is always something India will be proud of. But, as I have said earlier, these efforts are still not recognized. Tendulkar’s 15,000 ODI runs or Yuvraj’s 6 sixes outweigh the magnificent 600 that Jumbo has taken. Every wicket in test cricket is hard work. We must ask Irfan Pathan to know how much it takes to get to the 100 wicket landmark. Only then, people will know how much Kumble has done for the Indian cricket. No one, not even Sachin, would have helped India win test matches more than him.

The saddest part is, these bowlers are respected worldwide. Even, cricinfo awarded RP Singh with the best bowling performance (4-13 in T20 World Championship against South Africa at Durban) in a T20 match. Zaheer was also honored with the best bowling performance (5-75 at Trent Bridge against England) in test matches. But we Indians do not recognize these invaluable efforts by our unsung heroes.

Team India has come a long way in test cricket. They are now officially the second best side in the world. In fact, stats reveal that only Australia have a better away win record more than India since the start of the new millennium. It clearly shows that the batsmen have made their bat talk and more importantly, India have developed a potent force to destroy the world’s best teams inside 4 days, given the pitch that suits the bowlers, unlike the dead subcontinent pitches.

Time has come to give these hard-working bowlers some respect and recognition.

A PHENOMENON CALLED GILLY

A PHENOMENON CALLED GILLY

Adam Craig Gilchrist has called it a day and the cricketing fraternity will have mixed emotions running through. Fans will be deprived of some stunning stroke making, while the bowlers and the opposition captains will be a lot relieved to see Gilly’s back finally!!! Gilchrist has been a true phenomenon and he has completely changed the texture of the game. At this point of time, I felt it would be really great to pen down five of his best knocks, according to me. Gilchrist has smashed many a ball around the world but the world hasn’t still recovered from these innings of character and power.

5. South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Johannesburg, 204*(213)

At number 5 is the sensational double hundred that Gilchrist made in Johannesburg. Gilchrist’s immediate impact in an innings was very evident from this match. Churchy, as he is fondly called adapts to the conditions very quickly, unlike many batsmen around. But yes, adaptation to the climate and conditions is just a secondary thought for Gilchrist. A knock out punch was delivered to the Proteas in their home territory by the demolisher on the second day of the test series itself. Australia finished the day comfortably at 310/5 with some gritty knocks by Hayden and Mark Waugh. The second new ball was taken and the ball was swinging around as South Africa picked itself slowly until the Western Australian entered the bull ring. Donald, Ntini, Nel, Kallis… bring ‘em on… who do you have??? Gilchrist just smashed everyone around the park. He made a really huge partnership with Damien Martyn in very little time. Gilchrist came in and went undefeated. But, the storm had hit South Africans badly. He scored the then, fastest double hundred. 200 off 212 balls is an amazing feat in any format of the game. Gilly just took the game. When Gilchrist joined Martyn in the middle, it was 293-5 in 79.1 overs. When the partnership was eventually broken by Kallis, the score board read 610-6!!!! What is more interesting is the pace at which Gilchrist and Martyn scored the runs. 317 runs came up in 63 overs at a rapid run rate of 5.1 runs per over!!!

Gilchrist paced his innings quite brilliantly. His 50 came up in 89 balls; next 50 came up in 32 balls; next 50 in 61 balls and the final 50 in 30 balls!!! With his innings, Australia demolished South Africa by a whopping innings and 360 runs!!! To add to his knock, Gilly had 3 catches and 1 stumping to his name in this match.

4. Australia v Sri Lanka, ICC World Cup Final, Barbados, 149(104)

At number of 4 is another sterling innings from Gilchrist that demolished the Lankan hopes of the 1996 WC repeat. It was never going to happen. A dull cricket world cup had a great innings in waiting to be unleashed!!! The man for the moment, Adam Gilchrist seized the opportunity when Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat. Sure Mahela Jayawardene had lot of headaches during the game. With just 38 overs a side in a grand finale, Gilchrist took the attack to the opposition straight away. His impact in the final could well be described with the stat: - Hayden strung a partnership with Gilly at the top. Strung a partnership??? What was that…? Hayden was actually the silent partner J J J. Haydos-Gilly partnership made 172 runs off just 22.5 overs. Hayden contributed a mere 38(55)!!! Gilchrist was all over Sri Lanka and dashed all their hopes of even touching the coveted prize once more in their history. Gilchrist was finally dismissed after 30 overs but the score board read 224-2 in 30.3 overs!! Gilchrist pummeled the Lankan bowlers for 13 boundaries and 8 huge sixes!!! Sure the spectators got their money back with this innings… A brilliant entertainer of the game later revealed that he has used a squash ball in his gloves for better gripping and hitting J J J. You cannot keep him out of action. He came back to do what he usually does best…Wicket keeping!!! He took two important catches of Upul Tharanga and Russel Arnold along with a stumping of Lasith Malinga.

If anyone deserves three world cups it would definitely be Adam Craig Gilchrist. The spirit with which he played his innings in addition to his desire to entertain the crowds is phenomenal.
Srilanka just couldn’t come back from what could possibly be best described as another tsunami, this time in Bridgetown!!!

3. India v Australia, Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 1st Test, Mumbai, 122(112)

At number 3 is Adam Gilchrist’s first test innings in Indian soil. It couldn’t have been better than this. India were bowled out cheaply for 176 on Day 1. Gilchrist pouched 3 catches of Ramesh, Dravid and Tendulkar. Day 2 beckoned a brilliant innings from Churchy. The setting was perfect. Australia were tottering at 99-5. Slater, Langer, Ponting and the Waugh brothers were all back in the pavilion. Rahul Sanghvi and Harbhajan Singh purchased a lot of turn from the Wankhede pitch. Hayden was joined by Gilchrist in the middle. Gilchrist started pouncing on the lose deliveries from the Indians. He raced to 50 off 55 balls with 42 runs coming off boundaries (9X4; 1X6). Hayden was going strong in the other end. As he usually does, Gilchrist reached his 100 in the next 29 balls!!! By the time Gilchrist reached his 100, Hayden was still hovering in 90s!!! Gilchrist was finally done in by Harbhajan Singh when he was stumped, again out after reaching to hit the ball out of the park. Gilchrist’s innings gave the required impetus to the Australian innings and took them to another resounding victory. It was their 16th consecutive victory and Gilchrist had contributed a lot for this victory. By the time he got out, he had scored 122 off mere 112 balls with 15 fours and 4 sixes. Ganguly was bemused and so were his team mates. They had believed a lot in them to rip off a defeat for the Australians. Gilchrist showed why the Aussies were the world champions. India lost the test match by 10 wickets.

Although Gilchrist’s test average against India (29) remains well below his overall test average (48), his innings in Mumbai showed his class and showered a lot of appreciation from all fronts for his approach to the match situation.

2. Australia v England, The Ashes, 3rd Test, Perth, 102*(59)

At number 2 is a Gilchrist phenomenon that was witnessed in his home ground. Gilchrist went through a rough patch like many other greats. He failed time and again. He was even out for a duck in the first innings of this test. Pressure mounted on Gilly and he just opened up in a fashion that only he could do. England were on the receiving end and Madhusudhan Singh Panesar’s truck was crashed when he scored 24 runs off one over!!! Gilchrist went to top gear swiftly and packed four huge sixes out of the ground. Perth witnessed another 12 boundaries in his short stay. Fierce cuts and ferocious drives were the order of the day. He had he swiveled a number of pulls and hooks!!! He had stayed for around 100 minutes and the crowd witnessed a mini Twenty20 innings inside a hard fought test match. Gilchrist reached his 100 off just 57 balls. It was the second fastest in the world. Only Sir Vivian Isaac Richards was faster than this man. Gilchrist’s innings again sealed the match for Australia.

Many batsmen around the world make their comeback in some style with a lot of patience and grit. Gilchrist found a unique way to get back to form. Gilly truly lived up to the expectations of his home crowd.

1. Australia v Pakistan, 2nd Test, Hobart, 149*(163)

At number 1 is what Wasim Akram and co. watched from close quarters than anyone. Pakistan hoped of winning a test match in Australia. The hope remained a hope. Gilchrist, playing only his 2nd test match smashed everything thrown at him. A true test of character for a new comer!! When a bowling attack comprising Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq and Azhar Mahmood couldn’t much do against Gilly, then which bowling attack can??? The variety that they had and the form that each of the Pakistani bowler was in clearly showed in the match. With a target of 369, Australia had a mountain to climb. The task became even steeper with the fall of the top order barring Justin Langer. Australia were starring a defeat after the close of 4th day’s play. They were @ 188-5, but Gilchrist already had his eye in. Langer supported him from the other end. Gilchrist started Day 5 from where he left. Shoaib and Akram were hit really badly. At the end of the match, when Gilchrist returned back to the pavilion he made sure that Australia won the match and the series. Pakistan couldn’t come back from that hard defeat and lost the 3rd test match also. Gilchrist also pouched 4 catches in the match. But, his innings of 149 helped Waugh’s men march on to their record 16 consecutive victories.

Without Gilchrist’s contribution, Australia could well have been similar to many teams. When Gilchrist made his debut for Australia, not many teams had such a wonderful batsman-keeper. India had chip-chopped with many keepers. MSK Prasad, Nayan Mongia, Sameer Dighe, Parthiv Patel, Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni were all part of the Indian team when Gilly was the only keeper for Australia during the same time. England had altered their choice of keeper also. Alec Stewart, James Foster, Chris Read, Matt Prior, Geraint Jones and Paul Nixon were all a part of the England XI during the same tenure of Gilchrist’s. It was the same case with every other team in the world, except for South Africa and to an extent, New Zealand.
The deadly combination of the batsman-wicketkeeper will be missed in the future and it will be hard to beat this man, in terms of stats and the spirit with which he played his cricket.

Hail Gilly!!!

Something special is happening against the world-beaters...

Something special is happening against the world-beaters...

People say that Twenty20 and One-day cricket are different ball games. Even cricket experts believe the same and echo that Test cricket is the real place for any cricketer in the world. I love these statements because the endurance of the players is tested in different conditions under different circumstances and against some tough teams. Wow!!!! Test cricket is not dead. The crowds for the current Border-Gavaskar series has been quite a booster for the test match supporters. What we have witnessed is some tough fight for the World champions in their own den. India has been a very good team touring down under Anil Kumble. Kumble must be given the credit for his team’s performance. What a display of character and skill….. Simply outstanding. In one of my previous posts, I had put that it is not impossible to beat, but don’t be disheartened if we lose the series because we are up against the best team in the world.

I am delighted seeing India perform like this in the Australian stronghold. I had also spoken about winning sessions quite convincingly. Yes. India has done it very well throughout the test series. Let us just analyze to see, how remarkable India had actually performed. Let us first dissect MELBOURNE….. Boxing Day test match and Australians had packed the stadium to full. 70,000 was the crowd on the first day of the test and the pressure was on India when they bowled first.

DAY 1:-
Morning Session (LUNCH) - Australia 111/0 in 27 overs with Jaques on 57* and Hayden on 49*. Australia clearly dominates the proceedings in the first couple of hours of the test.
Post-Lunch Session (TEA) - Australia 213 / 3 in 56 overs. Clarke 14* and Hayden 121*. India comes back with 3 wickets, but the session was evenly fought as Hayden took Australia past 200.
Post-Tea Session (CLOSE OF PLAY) – Australia 337 / 9 in 90 overs. India makes a tremendous comeback, courtesy Kumble with 5 wickets. India picks up 6 wickets and dominates the session.

DAY 2:-
Morning Session (LUNCH) – India 31 / 2 in 21.4 overs. Australia is again all over India in this session.
Post-Lunch Session (TEA) - 122/5 in 47.4 overs (SC Ganguly 21). Australia slowly pick up wickets and the session again belongs to them.
Post-Tea Session (CLOSE OF PLAY) – Australia - 32/0 in 8.0 overs (PA Jaques 10, ML Hayden 22). India have lost another session by losing the lower half quite easily.

DAY 3:-
Morning Session (LUNCH) – Australia - 135/2 in 37.0 overs (PA Jaques 49, MEK Hussey 29). India make a comeback after the strong opening partnership. An evenly fought session.
Post-Lunch Session (TEA) - Australia - 248/5 in 63.0 overs (MJ Clarke 52, AC Gilchrist 1). India pick up 3 wickets in the session, but Australia stretch the lead. Another evenly fought session.
Post-Tea Session (CLOSE OF PLAY) – India - 6/0 in 8.0 overs (R Dravid 3, W Jaffer 2). India pick up another 2 wickets in this session, but find an uneasy day coming up with a target of 499.

DAY 4:-
Morning Session (LUNCH) – India - 56/2 in 35.0 overs (VVS Laxman 21, SR Tendulkar 2). Australia dominate another session in the test. India find it hard to comeback.
Post-Lunch Session (TEA) - India - 134/5 in 61.0 overs (SC Ganguly 36, MS Dhoni 1). India are on the verge of defeat. Australia dominate another session.
Post-Tea Session - India 161 all out. Australia win the test in the final session of 4th day.

When you win just one session in 4 days (12 sessions of play), you cannot win a test match. Australia were all over India and it showed when they had won so many small battles and won those sessions so well. India gave it away very easily without any fight in 9 sessions of play. Gone!!! Australia 1-0 up….

SYDNEY came in next for the tourists. A good batting pitch and also some poor umpiring awaited them.

DAY 1:-
Morning Session (LUNCH) - Australia - 95/2 in 25.0 overs (RT Ponting 36, MEK Hussey 37). Evenly fought session. India pick up the openers while Ponting and Hussey stabilize, courtesy some stupid umpiring.
Post-Lunch Session (TEA) - Australia - 214/6 in 52.0 overs (A Symonds 39, GB Hogg 48). India bowling superbly but again umpires come in way along with gritty Hogg and Symonds. Another evenly fought session goes about in Sydney.
Post-Tea Session (CLOSE OF PLAY) – Australia - 376/7 in 89.0 overs (A Symonds 137, B Lee 31). Australia get to great position as they dominate the session scoring 162 runs in 37 overs losing a single wicket of Hogg.

DAY 2:-
Morning Session (LUNCH) – India - 0/0 in 3.0 overs (W Jaffer 0, R Dravid 0). India get rid off the tail, but only after conceding 87 runs. Another evenly fought session in Sydney.
Post-Lunch Session (TEA) - India - 101/1 in 30.0 overs (R Dravid 18, VVS Laxman 73). India dominate the session by not losing wickets and by stringing important partnership.
Post-Tea Session (CLOSE OF PLAY) - India - 216/3 in 62.0 overs (SR Tendulkar 9, SC Ganguly 21). India had a firm hand in this session, although they lost 2 wickets.

DAY 3:-
Morning Session (LUNCH) – India - 322/5 in 88.0 overs (SR Tendulkar 52, MS Dhoni 0). India lose wickets, but score at a brisk pace. An evenly fought session.
Post-Lunch Session (TEA) - India - 424/7 in 113.0 overs (SR Tendulkar 106, Harbhajan Singh 41). India consolidate and dominate the session.
Post-Tea Session (CLOSE OF PLAY) – Australia - 13/0 in 5.0 overs (PA Jaques 8, ML Hayden 5). India on top after scoring 532 runs. India dominate another session in Sydney.

DAY 4:-
Morning Session (LUNCH) – Australia - 90/2 in 28.0 overs (ML Hayden 39, MEK Hussey 0). India comeback in this session after Australian openers give a strong opening partnership. Honors even.
Post-Lunch Session (TEA) - Australia - 177/2 in 50.2 overs (ML Hayden 77, MEK Hussey 43). Australia resurrect their innings and dominate a session after 7 hard-fought sessions in which they never completely dominated.
Post-Tea Session (CLOSE OF PLAY) – Australia - 282/4 in 83.0 overs (MEK Hussey 87, A Symonds 14). India make a minor comeback, but Australia had another good session. Honors even as India give away 103 runs in 31 overs.

DAY 5:-
Morning Session (LUNCH) – India - 6/1 in 2.0 overs (R Dravid 4, VVS Laxman 2). India fight hard on the final day making Australians earn their runs. Jaffer is dismissed. Honors even as India prolong Ponting’s declaration.
Post-Lunch Session (TEA) - India - 79/3 in 26.0 overs (R Dravid 27, SC Ganguly 18). Australia dominate as India lose important wickets and make runs at snail-pace.
Post-Tea Session - India 210 all out. India lose 7 wickets in the last 2 hours of the test, courtesy some erratic shot making, stupendous bowling and outrageous umpiring.

Although, India won 4 sessions completely, they did fight hard and did not allow Australia to dominate in 6 sessions in the test. Infact, Aussies won just 5 sessions in the match. That just shows why India should have at least drawn this game.

The tour moves on finally to what was called the bounciest track in the world. Perth hosts the 3rd test in this series. India win the toss and bat first. Sehwag comes in the line up along with Irfan Pathan.

DAY 1:-
Morning Session (LUNCH) – India - 74/2 in 24.0 overs (R Dravid 2, SR Tendulkar 13). India on top after early speculation of India losing wickets quite easily.
Post-Lunch Session (TEA) - India - 177/2 in 51.0 overs (R Dravid 52, SR Tendulkar 59). Dravid and Tendulkar take India on top after going through a full session without losing a wicket for the first time.
Post-Tea Session (CLOSE OF PLAY) - 297/6 in 84.0 overs (MS Dhoni 8, IK Pathan 8). Australia crawl back after picking up 4 wickets in no time. Australia dominate the session.

DAY 2:-
Morning Session (LUNCH) – Australia - 22/3 in 8.0 overs (RT Ponting 6, MJ Clarke 4). India dominate the session after scoring some valuable runs with the tail and breaking the Australian top-order.
Post-Lunch Session (TEA) - Australia - 148/5 in 31.0 overs (A Symonds 56, AC Gilchrist 34). Australia dominate the session after losing 2 wickets.
Post-Tea Session (CLOSE OF PLAY) - India - 52/1 in 11.0 overs (V Sehwag 29, IK Pathan 2). India pick up 5 wickets in Australia’s 1st innings and stretch the lead up to 170.

DAY 3:-
Morning Session (LUNCH) – India - 158/5 in 33.0 overs (IK Pathan 45, VVS Laxman 18). Australia comeback with 4 wickets in this session. Honors Australia.
Post-Lunch Session (TEA) - India - 245/8 in 65.0 overs (VVS Laxman 57, RP Singh 7). India stretch the lead to 250 as Dhoni and Laxman string an important partnership.
Post-Tea Session (CLOSE OF PLAY) - 65/2 in 15.0 overs (RT Ponting 24, MEK Hussey 5). Australia face an improbable 413 and lose 2 wickets at the end of the day. India dominate another session.

India has dominated 6 sessions of the 9 played as of now and it shows how good they have comeback into the series after the Melbourne drubbing. If India can dominate 2 out of the 3 sessions tomorrow, Perth will be conquered by a touring side for the first time in 10 years and the great Aussie run will be broken. Who knows, may be they would be bundled out inside 4 days after long long time. How long has it been since Australians lost a test match, even without looking into the final day?????

Waiting for the weekend to unfold brilliantly for India. :) :) :)

P.S. India have completely dominated Australia in 11 of the 36 sessions so far, while the Aussies have managed to do it 17 times. 9 of the sessions have been evenly fought.

Blunder Down Under

BLUNDER DOWN UNDER

The Sydney test will be remembered for all wrong reasons. India lost the match not just because of some stupid umpiring but also because of some inept batting displays. The Sydney test shaped up to a near perfect test match with both sides on top for sometime consistently throughout the 5 days. Kumble's face showed it all in the post match conference. The Indians were a dull faced side with a lot of anger. But, everything is history now.

India will have to face the reality now. They cant shy away from the real test now. It is the test of character at Perth and Adelaide. No Australian team has lost consecutive test matches at home since 1978. If India will have to level the series, they will have to do this improbable act of defeating Australia two times continuously in a test series. India have got some justice in between the test matches. The ICC have accepted their plea to remove Steve Bucknor for the Perth test. Harbhajan's ban is also held up for the time being. With just 3 days to go for the Perth test, India will have to pull their socks up very quickly.

It is the last time that the famous five will fight out for glory in the Australian soil. If India loses this test match, then Kumble & co. will not get another shot at Aussies in Australia. This should be the motivation for the veterans to perform even better than they have performed in the last 2 tests. Only these players have performed in the tests at Melbourne and Sydney. The youngsters have really been well below par. Jaffer has been completely out of sorts against Brett Lee with the new ball in hand. His 92 against ACT Invitational XI would have got him some confidence back, but I would back Virender Sehwag to play in the Perth test. Sehwag raced away to 113 off mere 78 balls in the practice game. Sehwag does not actually perform well in the 2nd innings in a test match. His 113 would have got some relief for Kumble's headache. Sehwag averages a phenomenal 70 in the first innings and 20 in the second innings, in his whole career till date.

Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are next in the line for proving to be the nemesis for Anil Kumble. Yuvraj's hapless batting display in the 6 innings in Australia will definitely make way for either Dinesh Karthik or Irfan Pathan. Pathan seems to be the more likely option as he can definitely open the bowling attack with RP Singh. Dhoni's case is different. Although, Dhoni has been close to perfect behind the stumps, his batting has not been attractive at all. His batting display in the 2nd innings of the Sydney test has got him more criticisms than appreciations. He will have to perform tremendously with the bat and more importantly should support the in form batsmen now. Perth will be the biggest test for Dhoni in his test career.

Gary Kirsten's presence in Perth will definitely help Kumble and the support staff to regain some confidence and the killer instinct for the Perth test match. India should bowl first, if they win the toss. Indians have the firepower to rattle the Aussies, if they find some tinge of green on the turf that promises to offer a lot of bounce for the pacemen.

A test win in Perth will be a big slap on the face of Ponting and his ego would be thrashed if India does win.

This is the perfect combination to go for the Perth test according to me.

1. Virender Sehwag
2. Rahul Dravid
3. VVS Laxman
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Sourav Ganguly
6. MS Dhoni
7. Irfan Pathan
8. Anil Kumble
9. Harbhajan Singh
10. RP Singh
11. Ishant Sharma

12. Dinesh Karthik

The batting order cannot be chip-chopped in the middle of the series now. Dravid looks steady and settled now as an opener. Laxman relishes his no.3 position in Australia. Tendulkar and Ganguly are performing well. It is upto players on the top and after these stars to play well and perform well as a batting unit first. The bowling unit will be a force to reckon with. Kumble is just short of 600 wickets and Perth should be the place to get his 600th scalp.

Waiting for the Perth test to kick off !!!!