For a 5 test match series! I’m really pleased that the shortsighted money grubbers in the Indian board have finally organised a 5 match series. The Indian team is fairly untested, with Kohli and Pujara being the only batsmen that I expect to do well(although Vijay has started off with a century). Dhawan, Rahane, Dhoni are not really good enough batsmen to survive a moving ball on a fast pitch. I have read some articles claiming that English pitches are not very supportive of pace and swing anymore, but I don’t know how much weight to place on these claims. I expect the Indian bowling to be weak as usual. They’ve gone with five bowlers in the first test, none of them match winners on their own. I do not know much about the English team’s recent form. How have they been playing? Who’re your players to watch in this series?
India weren’t impressive in the field over here in New Zealand earlier this year. They’ll get plenty of runs but barring a collapse by England I think they’ll struggle to take 20 wickets.
India are at 309/5 as I write. They’ll probably be good for 450 odd.
As a Pakistani(-American) this might be the first time I’m cheering for India in cricket, at least. I’m hoping England lose badly, and this ends Cook’s career, or at least his captaincy.
Finally got them all out.
Really frustrating passage of play for an England fan. 450 isn’t actually that huge a score on this pitch when they won the toss and batted first, but they really should have been bowled out for 360ish. Fair play to the Indian 10/J though, they played sensibly on a flat track and accumulated, lifting their teams total up to par.
England kinda want 600 now.
Yeah, unusual for the Indian tail to score as many as that, and not a good sign for the English bowling.
I watched some of the highlights last night. The pitch is dead, dead, dead. Two bounces to reach the keeper dead. Bouncers not clearing waist height dead. As England are highly reliant on seam bowling right now, they were always going to struggle. I think they’ve adapted as well as they can - they’re clearly trying to make something happen - but bar a dodgy LBW and a courageous attempt at a single, India would still be in now.
Sad to see Cook get out. He’s got to come good at some point (surely?) but it’s heartbreaking watching him walk off yet again.
This morning should be a good test of England’s batsmen. There pitch is still fairly benign, so it’s whether they’ve got the concentration to accumulate at a good pace without doing anything stupid. Robson is very solid and Ballance showed at Lord’s that he knows how to pace an innings so I’m hoping they’ll be able to get stuck in.
…and we get to lunch. 30 overs, 88 runs, no wickets. Safe, dependable, competent batting.
Not dramatic, I’ll grant you, but England have seen a lot of drama lately. Another session of 3 runs/over tedium would be a tonic. (He says, not having paid to be there.)
Ha ha ha ha ha.
And again ha as Root, Broad and Anderson pull it back to 352-9 at the close. Interesting video clip where Chappell is discussing the Prior dismissal, his line being that if you can see there was room for another bat between the bat and the ball then you’ve no business appealing and his Indian counterpart wagging his head and saying “well, with all the gamesmanship these days…”. :rolleyes:
A draw looks likely now, though never say never when it comes to England’s ability to snatch a defeat against the odds.
Yes, it finished better than it might have. And as you hint, it’s unfair in the extreme to count Prior’s wicket as part of the collapse. But it was yet another unnecessary collapse, leaving too many runs to come from the bowlers.
However, we’re still in. There a chance to close the gap further tomorrow am and then we’ll see what the new ball does. India will want to score fairly quickly if they’re looking for a result so that may open the door a crack.
I think an Indian win is more likely, I’ll be honest. They’ll get the last wicket early on tomorrow, bat for most of the day and then maybe think about a declaration late in the day, maybe having 45min-hour at the English batsmen this evening. That should see Cook gone. And then on Sunday they have all day, with a tempting target set for England, to get them all out. England have not been good under that pressure recently.
I find it interesting that when the umpire couldn’t see that room between bat and ball, and gave it out, Chappell finds it necessary to insinuate that the Indian players who appealed did so dishonestly.
With the scores now level, I repeat, with a very different inflection: ha ha ha ha ha.
What a match. That stuff Anderson advertises on the back of buses must be bloody good.
Probably because the umpire was 22 yards away and Dhoni was in the batsman’s back pocket. Incidentally I saw the Chappell discussion and I didn’t think he insinuated a thing… :dubious:
Anyhoo, Root and Anderson have been doing as they please with the Indian bowling so it looks like there’s such a thing as karma after all.
I hope Joe Root can keep his head until Anderson gets his 100.
Love the photo on Cricinfo of Jimmy reverse sweeping.
Wow - how many twists and turns has this match had already? First India seem to be in absolute control at 350-odd for four. Then a flurry of wickets sees England hopeful of having them all out for not much more than that. Then a ridiculous last-wicket stand puts India firmly back in the driving seat. Then England seem set fair despite the early loss of Cook, before yet another collapse makes it looks as if we will be 150 behind. And now an even more ridiculous (well, that’s unfair to Anderson and Root - “wonderful” is a better adjective) last-wicket stand, which has just surpassed the all-time test record score for the tenth wicket, means England have hope once more. Though I think the comment on the BBC website at 1308 (“England now have a genuine chance of winning this match”) seems a touch optimistic, with only 5 sessions of play to go (assuming the weather holds). It would take a special performance with the ball to make that a possibility, I think, especially as we don’t have a proper spinner. As Boycott keeps saying, India do, but he’s in the dressing room.
Just one of the reasons cricket is the most awesome sport on earth.
Who would have ever predicted Jimmy Anderson being given a standing ovation as he walked off the ground, for his batting.
Quite a crazy match, unfortunately almost certainly heading for a draw. Cricinfo’s people were still coming down very hard on the pitch though. Too dead apparently.
Yep, Binny’s selection is pretty inexplicable. I haven’t been able to watch the match at all though. Is the pitch taking spin as the match wears on?