By hammering the hapless Kiwis by an innings and a lot, India have sealed their place at the Top of Test Rankings for some more time. Unless they get humiliated in South Africa, they might stay there. Do India deserve to be No. 1 Ranked Test Team ?
Let us take a look at our Assets and Liabilities first...
The Assets
India has on paper the strongest batting line up and perhaps one of the all time best.
Just two Guys have scored more than 26000 Test runs. Another two take the tally up to nearly 40000. Awesome, Right ?
One Opener has created the fear of God in the minds of atheists.
And the God after all comes to bat after the Wall !
Every time there is a crisis, the Man stands up and there is nothing Lax about him.
A young Tyro who has played more ODIs than any 23 year old bats at No.6 for India. If not battered by good short stuff and not bettered by his own impetuousness, is a damn good No. 6.
The Captain Cool is indeed Cool. He will face his sternest test next month.
Not many teams can boast of a No. 8 with back to back test centuries and 300 runs in a 3-Test Series. India do !
Zaheer Can get Smith and rattle any batsman in the world with new ball. If the new ball doesn't get you, the old will !
Ishant has rattled Ponting before. He has rattled Chris Martin now. If his hair doesn't obscure his vision, he should be able to pitch the ball in right areas.
Sreesanth is India's Best test Bowler on pacy pitches. If he makes batsmen dance to his tunes rather than dance himself, he should be India's Triumph Card.
Ojha can smother the run rate and frustrate any batsman. No reason why he should not be able to do it to Amla and Co.
If a Team can keep Pujara and Vijay on the bench, that speaks of the Bench Strength ! Not to forget Yuveraj Singh who is not even on the Bench.
But are these the reasons for India's Supremacy ? As much as I would like to believe, there is more to it than meets the eyes. So here we go...
The Liabilities
This team has only one bowler who can be called World Class today; Zaheer Khan. And he is 32 years old and is unlikely to improve from here.
Bhajji is hardly a bowler now. Sreesanth and Ishant are too erratic. Ojha at best is a restrictive spinner.
A Team that has a No. 3 batsman who scores at 35 - 40% strike rate is not a great asset in modern day Cricket. He actually brings the scoring to a grinding halt and there by undoing all the gains of Sehwagging.
Gambhir and Raina will be tested severely with short stuff and will find out how different is the life of a Test Cricketer outside India. Hope they will be wiser for that.
Sachin doesn't boast of a great record in South Africa. He too has had problems on those pitches.
Laxman has to make sure he doesn't leave big gaps through his stance. It looked as big as the margin with which New Zealand lost. Dale Steyn must have seen his dismissal in the Nagpur test.
Question: Can we trust Bhajji to bat to win or at least save a test for us ?
Anwer: No.
Question: Why is he in the team ?
Answer: To Take wickets.
Question: Is he doing that regularly ?
Answer: No.
Question: So what do we do with him ?
Answer: Replace him... Err Wait !
Question: But with Whom ?
Answer: Ojha...
Question: Oh Really ? Can he take wickets ?
Weren't we talking about Bench Strength ?
So how do they manage to stay at the top in spite of this ?
Answers:
1] Australia: In serious decline after the retirement of the Great Bunch. The current lot would not have qualified to carry drinks during the 1999 - 2007 Period.
2] South Africa: Great batting and the world's best fast bowler. But a bit too one dimensional team. Somehow falter when everything looks great. And Smith can author a book titled, "1001 ways to break your fingers". Take out Steyn and the bowling isn't way much better than the Kiwis.
3] England: The Best equipped Test Team now. But some loopholes still not plugged. Batting can crumble against good spin. And that has restricted their progress too often.
4] Sri Lanka: There are more than 800 reasons to believe that with Murali is gone, they will find it tough to win away from home. Malinga, please forgive me. But the ICC rules don't allow you to bowl from both sides. Even Anil Kumble wasn't allowed. Their batting can come unstuck against good quick bowling.
5] Pakistan: If anybody can inspire Pakistan Cricket, Younis Khan. But they have a Butt as the Head of the PCB. So what do you expect other than serious shit ? Send this man to Afghanistan to live with Taliban. They might surrender thanks to this Pain in the Butt of a guy.
6] West Indies: Gayle storm can engulf opponents once in a while. But overall they suffer from Sreesanth Syndrome. Absolute Brilliance one moment and Nadir of Mediocrity the very next.
7] Bangladesh: One season doesn't make a Champion team. They have done well in shorter formats of late. But the Lions are an Ordinary Team in Test Cricket. Apologies due to Sehwag !
8] I am Happy Zimbabwe aren't playing tests. Else Chris Martin would have scored a Test Century and Ishant Sharma would have batted all 5 days of a test without getting out, why without even getting beaten once.
So this reminds me of an old Hindi adage:
Andhon ke Gaon mein Kana Rajah !
In the land of the blind, one eyed man is King !
India Deserve to be the No. 1 Ranked Test Team !
I rest my Case.
S-Pun Doctor
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Team India after Nagpur: Where do they stand?
India finally managed to offload the Kiwi monkey off their backs at Nagpur. Over a decade without a home test win against the No. 8 ranked test team is not something any No. 1 team would like to boast of. So when they won, they did that with considerable style and some help from the Umpires.
What are the Positives from this series ?
Mahendra Singh Dhoni said a lot of things. He was happy about Dravid, Sehwag, Ishant, Bhajji and so many things. He found there was a need to show some more character in the field and wanted the fielding to improve. But is that all ?
When you win, all your follies will be glossed. Let us not get carried away. I prefer to look at what are we lacking when Team India embark upon a journey to the land where Gandhi became Gandhi !
Sehwag: Come rain, shine or swine flu, Sehwag is Sehwag and he will continue Sehwagging. Leave him alone to do that. Let us not complicate the matter.
Gambhir: He tried some wagging of his own type and fell flat. A gestational period without a Test Fifty must have taught him to tighten his technique and his vocabulary. He will still have some work to do on the short stuff.
Dravid: New Zealand are easy meat in spite of Martin and Vettori. Dale Steyn is something else. I doubt if RD still has all the answers to the late swinging quicker ones. I hope he will prove me wrong.
Sachin: Doesn't boast of a great record in South Africa. Perhaps his last chance to set it right. Can he in the process get his 100 No. 50 ? Wait and watch !
Laxman: He will have lot more batting to do than he did in the recent past. The Saffers might be struggling to bowl out Pakistan right now. But they will be different in home conditions. And Steyn when fully loaded has more ammunition than entire bowling armies of most of the other teams.
Raina: Unless he learns to leave the short ball alone or duck properly, he will score many more ducks and will have to swap places with Bhajji as Specialist Off-spinner.
Dhoni: Dhoni finally has started taking the toll on Captaincy or vice versa. The much needed break should load him again. He is much better a batsman than his records say. India will require the Captain to fire more often than not.
Bhajji: The Born again Batting All-rounder will do well to remember Irfan Pathan was a better batsman and actually was dropped after scoring a Century in a tour match during India's last visit to South Africa. In spite of the wickets today, he still is far away from his best. Has he lost his Nip ?
Zaheer: Fitness problems and Zaheer have been co-passengers ever since he burst upon the scene by bowling out Steve Waugh. If anyone can manage to help India beat Saffers in Saffer-land, only Zaheer Can !
Ishant: Looking better and better since the Laxman - Ishant Houdini act. If he manages to keep it going, that will be a great news for India.
Ojha: A restrictive bowler at best may not get to play any tests in South Africa. Sreesanth will be the second bowler and Bhajji will probably play through the series thanks to his batting exploits.
Sreesanth: We have to remember it was he who won India the first ever test on South African soil. He will be a handful if things work out well for him.
Vijay: Ideally he should walk into the team ahead of Raina on account of his technique. But with Raina's popularity with Dhoni and his wicket taking acts, he is the Bhajji's opposite version and will be tough to be replaced before the third test.
Pujara: His time will come sooner than later. As of now, he will have to hold on to all those catches at the short-leg.
Yadav and Unadkat: will be traveling without much to do unless Zaheer fails to recover or any other Pacer gets injured. Let us hope Sree-Is-hant manage to hold well.
Saha: Is a Reservation candidate. I wouldn't like to comment on him because on form and on talent, he doesn't deserve a place in the first 28 of Indian Team.
Let us hope Team India manage to break another barrier and come out winners from the Springbok Land !
S-Pun Doctor
What are the Positives from this series ?
Mahendra Singh Dhoni said a lot of things. He was happy about Dravid, Sehwag, Ishant, Bhajji and so many things. He found there was a need to show some more character in the field and wanted the fielding to improve. But is that all ?
When you win, all your follies will be glossed. Let us not get carried away. I prefer to look at what are we lacking when Team India embark upon a journey to the land where Gandhi became Gandhi !
Sehwag: Come rain, shine or swine flu, Sehwag is Sehwag and he will continue Sehwagging. Leave him alone to do that. Let us not complicate the matter.
Gambhir: He tried some wagging of his own type and fell flat. A gestational period without a Test Fifty must have taught him to tighten his technique and his vocabulary. He will still have some work to do on the short stuff.
Dravid: New Zealand are easy meat in spite of Martin and Vettori. Dale Steyn is something else. I doubt if RD still has all the answers to the late swinging quicker ones. I hope he will prove me wrong.
Sachin: Doesn't boast of a great record in South Africa. Perhaps his last chance to set it right. Can he in the process get his 100 No. 50 ? Wait and watch !
Laxman: He will have lot more batting to do than he did in the recent past. The Saffers might be struggling to bowl out Pakistan right now. But they will be different in home conditions. And Steyn when fully loaded has more ammunition than entire bowling armies of most of the other teams.
Raina: Unless he learns to leave the short ball alone or duck properly, he will score many more ducks and will have to swap places with Bhajji as Specialist Off-spinner.
Dhoni: Dhoni finally has started taking the toll on Captaincy or vice versa. The much needed break should load him again. He is much better a batsman than his records say. India will require the Captain to fire more often than not.
Bhajji: The Born again Batting All-rounder will do well to remember Irfan Pathan was a better batsman and actually was dropped after scoring a Century in a tour match during India's last visit to South Africa. In spite of the wickets today, he still is far away from his best. Has he lost his Nip ?
Zaheer: Fitness problems and Zaheer have been co-passengers ever since he burst upon the scene by bowling out Steve Waugh. If anyone can manage to help India beat Saffers in Saffer-land, only Zaheer Can !
Ishant: Looking better and better since the Laxman - Ishant Houdini act. If he manages to keep it going, that will be a great news for India.
Ojha: A restrictive bowler at best may not get to play any tests in South Africa. Sreesanth will be the second bowler and Bhajji will probably play through the series thanks to his batting exploits.
Sreesanth: We have to remember it was he who won India the first ever test on South African soil. He will be a handful if things work out well for him.
Vijay: Ideally he should walk into the team ahead of Raina on account of his technique. But with Raina's popularity with Dhoni and his wicket taking acts, he is the Bhajji's opposite version and will be tough to be replaced before the third test.
Pujara: His time will come sooner than later. As of now, he will have to hold on to all those catches at the short-leg.
Yadav and Unadkat: will be traveling without much to do unless Zaheer fails to recover or any other Pacer gets injured. Let us hope Sree-Is-hant manage to hold well.
Saha: Is a Reservation candidate. I wouldn't like to comment on him because on form and on talent, he doesn't deserve a place in the first 28 of Indian Team.
Let us hope Team India manage to break another barrier and come out winners from the Springbok Land !
S-Pun Doctor
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Random musings after two Murdered Tests !
After two immensely forgettable Tests with New Zealand, what have we got to remember, learn and carry home ?
Indian Cricket is so very complex: Quite like Harbhajan Singh's Technique. You can never say Bhajji lacks technique. But neither can you you say he has it. Just like Team India. You can't say they are No. 1 Test Team. You can't say they aren't No. 1 either !
They always play on level ground: They play every opponent at their level; that is the opponent's level. Never expect Team India to crush weaklings. Never expect them to capitulate easily against the best. There will be a fight. Nothing less, nothing more.
Why is the Indian middle order confused ? Answer is simple. First Jatman Viru Sehwag goes out and bashes everything in sight as if he were Dharmendra and the bowlers, the baddies. And then Rahul Dravid comes out with his brand of Gandhigiri and refuses to hit anything ! No wonder Dhoni, Raina and even Sachin look lost in the middle.
The Great Indian Run Rate: India have over the past 3 years maintained a better run rate compared to all other teams in Tests. What is the secret ? This has been partly explained above. Sehwag wags to attain a strike rate of 100% or an average of 6 RPO. Dravid lags and attains a strike rate of 25% or about 1.5 RPO. The other confused lot fall in between at 42% or 2.5 RPO. Thus India manage to keep the total scoring rate above 3.3 RPO.
The All Rounders problem solved: Bhajji is the answer to India's long standing prayers for a Batting All-rounder. Sending him to bat at No. 8 is a master-stroke. India's middle order actually starts here with very competent batsmen like Zaheer, Ojha and Sreesanth to follow. And just think of it, Ishant Sharma is not even playing. What an embarrassment of riches.
Suresh Raina finally has arrived as the Bowling All-rounder. So what if he has got more wickets than the runs he has scored of late ? Anyway we now have two genuine All-rounders !
Taking responsibility, Indian style: Whenever Team India are in trouble, someone or the other stands up to be counted. The 'Someone' is Laxman and the 'Other' is Harbhajan Singh !
This series is not about the 50th Century: Whom are they trying to fool ? Every member of the Team is so preoccupied with this number, they have actually forgotten there is a Test series going on. Anything else happening out there is an irritant. No wonder the Kiwis have taken flight after being grounded by Bangladesh !
Bhajji: People threw brick-bats at me and I used the bricks to construct Milestones in Mohali and the bats to score two centuries !
Gambhir: I owe my performance in this test to Viru and Rahul. While Viru went on like Viru, nobody noticed me. Those who did notice, thought Rahul batted left handed at the other end.
Dravid: I am relieved now because there is someone to take over my mantle now. I was totally confused while I watched Gambhir bat. I often felt I was out there in the middle and batting left handed.
Sehwag: New Zealand is an ordinary team. It is just that some of us are wasting too many four balls. I have to make up for everyone including Sreesanth. I would prefer if Bhajji comes out to bat at No. 3 and Rahul comes out only if we have to face follow on.
Raina: I play my natural game as Dhoni has asked me to. What if they keep three men on the boundary ? I can always come back and play the next innings or the next or the next...
Laxman: I enjoy playing under pressure. I am forever indebted to my team-mates for providing me with ample opportunities to do so. It is such a pleasure, almost like sitting inside the pressure cooker used by my Mom to prepare idlees. What if you are steam cooked practically every test ? Idlees do taste Delicious !
Dhoni: We have to accept we have not batted well and our bowlers have tried their level best to match the batsmen. Our fielding can be better and the wicket-keeping particularly needs some improvement. Overall though I am satisfied with our performance. You win some, you draw some and you can always drop some catches.
McCullum: Bhajji inspired me to go for the Double Ton. If he can score two hundreds in two innings, I can score two hundred in one innings. Impossible is nothing !
Vettori: We have come back strongly after the Bangladesh debacle. Aussies lost 2-0 in 2 Tests in India. So we are better than them now. I believe my new born baby deserves all the credit for this.
And last but not the Least !
Curator: I hoped I will be remembered as the man who prepared the pitch on which Sachin Tendulkar scored his 50th Hundred. Alas, Everyone else scored here except Sachin !
S-Pun Doctor
Indian Cricket is so very complex: Quite like Harbhajan Singh's Technique. You can never say Bhajji lacks technique. But neither can you you say he has it. Just like Team India. You can't say they are No. 1 Test Team. You can't say they aren't No. 1 either !
They always play on level ground: They play every opponent at their level; that is the opponent's level. Never expect Team India to crush weaklings. Never expect them to capitulate easily against the best. There will be a fight. Nothing less, nothing more.
Why is the Indian middle order confused ? Answer is simple. First Jatman Viru Sehwag goes out and bashes everything in sight as if he were Dharmendra and the bowlers, the baddies. And then Rahul Dravid comes out with his brand of Gandhigiri and refuses to hit anything ! No wonder Dhoni, Raina and even Sachin look lost in the middle.
The Great Indian Run Rate: India have over the past 3 years maintained a better run rate compared to all other teams in Tests. What is the secret ? This has been partly explained above. Sehwag wags to attain a strike rate of 100% or an average of 6 RPO. Dravid lags and attains a strike rate of 25% or about 1.5 RPO. The other confused lot fall in between at 42% or 2.5 RPO. Thus India manage to keep the total scoring rate above 3.3 RPO.
The All Rounders problem solved: Bhajji is the answer to India's long standing prayers for a Batting All-rounder. Sending him to bat at No. 8 is a master-stroke. India's middle order actually starts here with very competent batsmen like Zaheer, Ojha and Sreesanth to follow. And just think of it, Ishant Sharma is not even playing. What an embarrassment of riches.
Suresh Raina finally has arrived as the Bowling All-rounder. So what if he has got more wickets than the runs he has scored of late ? Anyway we now have two genuine All-rounders !
Taking responsibility, Indian style: Whenever Team India are in trouble, someone or the other stands up to be counted. The 'Someone' is Laxman and the 'Other' is Harbhajan Singh !
This series is not about the 50th Century: Whom are they trying to fool ? Every member of the Team is so preoccupied with this number, they have actually forgotten there is a Test series going on. Anything else happening out there is an irritant. No wonder the Kiwis have taken flight after being grounded by Bangladesh !
Then some 'Random' acceptance Speeches...
Bhajji: People threw brick-bats at me and I used the bricks to construct Milestones in Mohali and the bats to score two centuries !
Gambhir: I owe my performance in this test to Viru and Rahul. While Viru went on like Viru, nobody noticed me. Those who did notice, thought Rahul batted left handed at the other end.
Dravid: I am relieved now because there is someone to take over my mantle now. I was totally confused while I watched Gambhir bat. I often felt I was out there in the middle and batting left handed.
Sehwag: New Zealand is an ordinary team. It is just that some of us are wasting too many four balls. I have to make up for everyone including Sreesanth. I would prefer if Bhajji comes out to bat at No. 3 and Rahul comes out only if we have to face follow on.
Raina: I play my natural game as Dhoni has asked me to. What if they keep three men on the boundary ? I can always come back and play the next innings or the next or the next...
Laxman: I enjoy playing under pressure. I am forever indebted to my team-mates for providing me with ample opportunities to do so. It is such a pleasure, almost like sitting inside the pressure cooker used by my Mom to prepare idlees. What if you are steam cooked practically every test ? Idlees do taste Delicious !
Dhoni: We have to accept we have not batted well and our bowlers have tried their level best to match the batsmen. Our fielding can be better and the wicket-keeping particularly needs some improvement. Overall though I am satisfied with our performance. You win some, you draw some and you can always drop some catches.
McCullum: Bhajji inspired me to go for the Double Ton. If he can score two hundreds in two innings, I can score two hundred in one innings. Impossible is nothing !
Vettori: We have come back strongly after the Bangladesh debacle. Aussies lost 2-0 in 2 Tests in India. So we are better than them now. I believe my new born baby deserves all the credit for this.
And last but not the Least !
Curator: I hoped I will be remembered as the man who prepared the pitch on which Sachin Tendulkar scored his 50th Hundred. Alas, Everyone else scored here except Sachin !
S-Pun Doctor
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Zulaqrnain Hyder goes into Hiding; The Real Story !
Five unrelated headlines that perhaps are closely related !
Now let us see if and how they are related...
1] I was Rubbish 5 years ago: Swann !
Swann says he 'was' rubbish 5 years ago. Which should mean he doesn't think he is rubbish now. That definitely is a great or ominous sign before the Ashes depending upon which side you are supporting !
2] Best Still to Come: Strauss !
Strauss believes 'their best' is yet to come. Which means the progress from rubbish to Swann is not the end of progress ! And that implies Aussies have a job on hand.
3] My Teammates respect my Captaincy: Clarke !
Clarke in the meanwhile doesn't want to sound intimidated. But he isn't confident about his own Teammates. So he says his 'Aussie Teammates' respect him. So are there 'Non-Aussie Teammates' in the Aussie Team now ? People from the other world believe this team is full of them !
4] Tendulkar Better than Bradman: Zaheer Abbas !
Zaheer Abbas for one is one such chap. He has no respect for the current Aussies including Mike Hussey and Marcus North. So much so, he has gone on record and declared 'The God' to be better than 'The Don' ! Last heard that Obama is planning to hire Zaheer Abbas to solve all the outstanding Indo-Pak issues !
5] PCB Send Legal Notice to Arthur !
And as a clear indicator of Pakistan softening its stand towards long-standing enemy India, PCB has warned Mickey Arthur with dire consequences. There is no mention of India, BCCI or any Indian in any part of their latest salvo. That is such a big relief !
As a further goodwill gesture, PCB has offered to play India in a home series to be played in Sri Lanka. The team will be lead by both Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan. MoYo will lead from one end and Y2K from the other. As usual, Afridi will be the Captain !
The PCB's Arthur threat package includes bombarding Arthur with Bigg no balls courtesy Dolly of Bigg Boss with Veena Malik for expert help. They also plan to fix him in a match with Rakhi Sawant on next edition of Rakhi ka Swayam-war ! Appointing him as the next Pakistan Coach too has been mooted as one of the harsher punishments.
No wonder the poor guy got scared beyond words. If anyone talking against 'Match Fixing' has to face all this, it isn't worth it. If Mickey Arthur can be subjected to such unbelievable torture, what will a puny little substitute of Kamran Akmal do ? He has to 'Hide' because his name says so...
So...
Zulaqrnain Hyder goes into Hiding !
S-Pun Doctor
Now let us see if and how they are related...
1] I was Rubbish 5 years ago: Swann !
Swann says he 'was' rubbish 5 years ago. Which should mean he doesn't think he is rubbish now. That definitely is a great or ominous sign before the Ashes depending upon which side you are supporting !
2] Best Still to Come: Strauss !
Strauss believes 'their best' is yet to come. Which means the progress from rubbish to Swann is not the end of progress ! And that implies Aussies have a job on hand.
3] My Teammates respect my Captaincy: Clarke !
Clarke in the meanwhile doesn't want to sound intimidated. But he isn't confident about his own Teammates. So he says his 'Aussie Teammates' respect him. So are there 'Non-Aussie Teammates' in the Aussie Team now ? People from the other world believe this team is full of them !
4] Tendulkar Better than Bradman: Zaheer Abbas !
Zaheer Abbas for one is one such chap. He has no respect for the current Aussies including Mike Hussey and Marcus North. So much so, he has gone on record and declared 'The God' to be better than 'The Don' ! Last heard that Obama is planning to hire Zaheer Abbas to solve all the outstanding Indo-Pak issues !
5] PCB Send Legal Notice to Arthur !
And as a clear indicator of Pakistan softening its stand towards long-standing enemy India, PCB has warned Mickey Arthur with dire consequences. There is no mention of India, BCCI or any Indian in any part of their latest salvo. That is such a big relief !
As a further goodwill gesture, PCB has offered to play India in a home series to be played in Sri Lanka. The team will be lead by both Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan. MoYo will lead from one end and Y2K from the other. As usual, Afridi will be the Captain !
The PCB's Arthur threat package includes bombarding Arthur with Bigg no balls courtesy Dolly of Bigg Boss with Veena Malik for expert help. They also plan to fix him in a match with Rakhi Sawant on next edition of Rakhi ka Swayam-war ! Appointing him as the next Pakistan Coach too has been mooted as one of the harsher punishments.
No wonder the poor guy got scared beyond words. If anyone talking against 'Match Fixing' has to face all this, it isn't worth it. If Mickey Arthur can be subjected to such unbelievable torture, what will a puny little substitute of Kamran Akmal do ? He has to 'Hide' because his name says so...
So...
Zulaqrnain Hyder goes into Hiding !
S-Pun Doctor
Monday, November 8, 2010
Oh Kiwis, They Know Not What They've done !
The Bhajji, The Kiwis and The Peace of Mind of a Country !
New Zealand have always tormented India. Much worse than the South Africans, Steve Bucknor, Maoists and Pakistan sponsored Terrorists. India's records against Australia, Pakistan, England and West Indies have shown significant improvement over the past decade. But the Kiwis somehow have maintained a kind of enviable hold over the Indian psyche. Something like the Post-Miyandad Pakistan did for a long time.
This is true in spite of the fact that India managed to beat the Kiwis in Kiwi-land the last time they visited. But that win was a labored one. This can be explained by the fact that India always play at the level of opponents. Never crushing wins; almost always hard fought wins !
Chris Martin gave a glimmer of hope of an unbelievable win for the Kiwis last evening. But that perhaps was a ploy by the Indian top order to fool the visitors and then unleash Laxman once again on a day five pitch.
Laxman did what he is best at. He batted on and on and on till the frustrated Umpire Davies got him out. How can he remain not out for the third time in three tests on a day five wicket ? There should be some kind of respect for that dreaded entity !
But what the Kiwis have managed to do or rather not managed to do is what is going to hurt us Indians more and more in future.
No, it isn't Chris Martin's spell on day-4. We have seen and survived worse !
No, it isn't Kane Kane Williamson's maiden hundred on debut. We have seen that too !
No, it isn't Jesse Ryder either. Ryder somehow likes Indian bowling like Srisanth loves to make faces.
No, it isn't about denying Sachin Tendulkar his 50th test century. He will get that and we aren't worried.
No, it also isn't about Rahul Dravid managing to survive and thus keeping Pujara out for some more time.
It is about Harbhajan Singh's Century. For a long time now, he has threatened us with his 'All-round' abilities. The Aussies managed to keep him at bay. He has played some cameo knocks before and has saved some matches or helped in some wins.
But a Test Century had eluded him. It was this distinction that allowed us to sleep in peace. The peace assured by the fact that we can always ridicule Bhajji for his 'tall claims'. Alas, the peace of mind is decimated now.
Bhajji had declared himself as 'All-rounder' before the recent Australia series. And we all had a good laugh when he failed with the bat. Imagine a Century on a last day track for Bhajji. How will we survive the Centurion Harbhajan now ?
Oh They Know Not What They Have Done !
S-Pun Doctor
New Zealand have always tormented India. Much worse than the South Africans, Steve Bucknor, Maoists and Pakistan sponsored Terrorists. India's records against Australia, Pakistan, England and West Indies have shown significant improvement over the past decade. But the Kiwis somehow have maintained a kind of enviable hold over the Indian psyche. Something like the Post-Miyandad Pakistan did for a long time.
This is true in spite of the fact that India managed to beat the Kiwis in Kiwi-land the last time they visited. But that win was a labored one. This can be explained by the fact that India always play at the level of opponents. Never crushing wins; almost always hard fought wins !
Chris Martin gave a glimmer of hope of an unbelievable win for the Kiwis last evening. But that perhaps was a ploy by the Indian top order to fool the visitors and then unleash Laxman once again on a day five pitch.
Laxman did what he is best at. He batted on and on and on till the frustrated Umpire Davies got him out. How can he remain not out for the third time in three tests on a day five wicket ? There should be some kind of respect for that dreaded entity !
But what the Kiwis have managed to do or rather not managed to do is what is going to hurt us Indians more and more in future.
No, it isn't Chris Martin's spell on day-4. We have seen and survived worse !
No, it isn't Kane Kane Williamson's maiden hundred on debut. We have seen that too !
No, it isn't Jesse Ryder either. Ryder somehow likes Indian bowling like Srisanth loves to make faces.
No, it isn't about denying Sachin Tendulkar his 50th test century. He will get that and we aren't worried.
No, it also isn't about Rahul Dravid managing to survive and thus keeping Pujara out for some more time.
It is about Harbhajan Singh's Century. For a long time now, he has threatened us with his 'All-round' abilities. The Aussies managed to keep him at bay. He has played some cameo knocks before and has saved some matches or helped in some wins.
But a Test Century had eluded him. It was this distinction that allowed us to sleep in peace. The peace assured by the fact that we can always ridicule Bhajji for his 'tall claims'. Alas, the peace of mind is decimated now.
Bhajji had declared himself as 'All-rounder' before the recent Australia series. And we all had a good laugh when he failed with the bat. Imagine a Century on a last day track for Bhajji. How will we survive the Centurion Harbhajan now ?
Oh They Know Not What They Have Done !
S-Pun Doctor
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