And the Sojourn Continues...

Well, maybe it is a little late to be talking about this topic, as enough has been written as well as said about this one. Nonetheless, it never gets old.

A fresh breath of life

It was a refreshing Test season. Sure, it was quite a bit long. But, it was still one of the most scintillating seasons of cricket, particularly Test cricket, in recent years. Even for a team like India, which has absolutely dominated its opponents in its own backyard, it was an engaging experience. And much more importantly, this grand home season of Test cricket breathed a fresh ease of life into the beleaguered format that Test cricket had become, facing dwindling interest and low attendance. This season also hoisted India to the top of the Test rankings, and with a long limited-overs season ahead, this mace is set to remain with the land of Hanuman for a long time to come.

India vs. New Zealand

First up was New Zealand. A strong team, but one that tends to lose momentum at crucial intervals. This series was a crucial one for newly-appointed captain Virat Kohli, to justify his claim as an inspirational leader. And that he did. India romped to a series whitewash, with their captain in red-hot form. There was a short pause to the Test cricket, because of an ODI series, after which action resumed against England.

India vs. England

This series was a special one for me, as it was my first experience inside that little world that goes by the name of the Wankhede stadium. Team India, as well as its captain, were on song, resulting in drawn first Test and a 4-0 whitewash. The spin twins, Ashwin and Jadeja, were spot-on, as they were in the previous series. The consequent limited-overs series resulted in the only series loss for India this entire season. But what it also witnessed was the emergence of young man named Kedar Jadhav; and the resurgence of an old faithful, Yuvraj Singh. It also has to be noted that the Test series produced India's second triple-centurion, Karun Nair, the first, of course being the great Virendra Sehwag.

India vs. Bangladesh

There was the one-off Test against Bangladesh.This match was historic in its own right, as it was the first India-Bangladesh Test carried out on Indian soil. The result, however, wasn't as historic; India trounced Bangladesh by 208 runs.

India vs. Australia

Then came the cherry on top of the cake. The Border-Gavaskar trophy. This climax to the Test season was the most engaging of all. Two firsts happened here which hadn't happened in the season gone by: India lost a Test match; and Virat Kohli did not score a double hundred in this series. Both the teams swung back and forth, both by sessions and words, but it was India who had the last laugh, at least where it was important:on the field. This series was a standout because of a fact which was quite unprecedented in India: In this series, the Indian pacers came to the fore, specially Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, also Bhuvaneshwar Kumar in the last match. This series also brought India's first male chinaman bowler to the limelight - Kuldeep Yadav. This was probably the best Test series played on Indian soil in the past 7-8 years. With the conclusion of this series, India extended its unbeaten run at home.

Something to look forward to...

The differences that were created during this intensely-fought series have since ceased to exist, as the IPL goes beyond geographical barriers of the nations.
This season, particularly this series, has fed an elixir of life to the ailing old man that Test cricket has now become, prolonging its life even further.

Yeh Das Saal Aapke Naam

Ah! Here comes India's annual festival! And like most of our festivals, this one doesn't occur on the same date every year. But unlike other festivals, this one isn't ancient. In fact, it just turned 10 years old.

Yes, I am talking about the decennial celebration of the world's first-ever T20 league, the IPL. And as we gear up to welcome this festival once more, I can only ponder and exclaim in wonder at the lightning-speed at which this phenomenon has spread across the world. 

Even the most hardcore Test cricket purist will have to admit, albeit forcefully, that T20 cricket has struck a chord with a fan from every age-group. The IPL has simply amplified this in our over-populated, cricket-crazy nation. 

There is a second side to this coin, though. The glitz and instant glamour of this world has left the door open for the unfortunate practice of match-fixing and rendezvous with bookies having criminal tendencies.Young players get instantly attracted to such short-term infatuations, as was seen with some young players in 2013.

Even though this problem cannot entirely be sidelined, a more efficient administration can help restrict such incidents from occurring. What may not be under the control of these good administrators, and is a good thing, is the impact the IPL has on Indian cricket, largely. More players are being produced by the IPL than the traditional first-class establishment. The IPL is also a vital test of form for already-established players. On a much broader spectrum, it has established India as a financial superpower, which is an unprecedented phenomenon. Never before did India see itself as a truly global frontrunner.

So, as India gears up to welcome what was described as "the best cricket league in the world" by RCB captain Virat Kohli, I hope this season throws up some unexpected surprise packages. I hope that it inspires the same amount of confidence in players and fans alike. So, let the celebrations be on a different level altogether! Because, as it was said by the IPL promoters themselves, "Yeh Das Saal Aapke Naam". 

  

Yet Another Masterclass!!

This World T20 is setting up contests like no other. The epic clashes, the challenges and that feeling of glory after you have taken the team past the line is being seen more in this World T20 than perhaps very few world events in the past.
Particularly, India is throwing up surprises and contests like no other. And the latest addition to this flurry of matches was the symbolic quarterfinal against Australia played at Mohali.
First off, this was the first time in this tournament that India were playing on a batsman-friendly wicket. Not that this was a challenge, though. The batsmen who were out of form had a quality opportunity here to get their stream of form up and running. In a way, it was a win-win situation for the both the teams.

The Early Shivers
Australia chose to bat first after winning the toss. The openers Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch absolutely smashed the Indian bowlers Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah. Even Ashwin, Dhoni’s go-to man in these tense situations, went for 22 runs off his first over. As a result, India were hammered for 59 runs off the first 6 Powerplay overs. It looked as if Australia would trot to 200 runs, but it was not to be.

A Brave Fightback
The Indian bowlers backed up their abilities to restrict Australia to a score of 160, which means India gave away only 101 runs in the 14 overs remaining after the Powerplay. Though, Australia had some consolation in the fact that they had achieved the par score of 160 on a tricky pitch.

Again, Some Early Jitters
Now it was India’s turn to bat. The Indian opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan failed yet again despite playing on a pitch that was helpful to them. Suresh Raina, too got out very early, edging one to the wicket keeper off a Shane Watson delivery. On the crease were Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli. Yuvraj Singh, though after some time, twisted his ankle and was hopping. In spite of this, he showed great character and determination by continuing playing. Though, he got out after scoring 21, holing one to Watson off Faulkner. It was a very tense situation, both for the entire nation and its only hope, the pair of Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Here Starts the Master ClassVirat Kohli got an able partner in MS Dhoni, taking quick singles and doubles, a thing that he wasn’t able to do with Yuvraj Singh due to his unfortunate injury. Anyways, this partnership slowly steadied the sinking Indian ship.

The Last Few Overs
The figure came up to 47 off 4 overs. Veteran Shane Watson bowled the 17th over, giving away just 8 runs. Here, the ‘just’ is only in accordance with the situation of the match. Moving on, 39 need of 3 overs. This James Faulkner over is where Virat Kohli showed his true class, hitting Faulkner for a massive 19 runs off that over. Perhaps his fast friendship and frequent discussions with Chris Gayle in the IPL helped. Now the figure came down to 20 runs off the last 2 overs. Still quite a difficult figure to achieve. Here, too, Kohli was the savior, hitting Nathan Coulter-Nile for another 16. He practically handed over the winning runs over to his captain in the last over. Dhoni, being the quintessential finisher that he is, finished off the match with a four, not a six, for a change. Virat Kohli was undoubtedly the Man of the Match for his brilliant, match-winning, amazing, fabulous, fantastic, stunning, breathtaking, dazzling……. (I’m at a loss for words) 82 off just 51 balls.

To be frank, I had goosebumps after the match got over. I had gone cold all over. That was the amount of high-level cricket that had been displayed in front of my eyes.

The Future Is Near
Now India face the West Indies in the semifinal, to be held on the 30th of March. I certainly do hope that India make it into the final and consequently win the title too. I wish Team India all the best!!

Hat- trick does the trick!

Yes! What a match that was. There was everything in it- suspense, twist, anti-climax, climax, thrill. It was like a classic Agatha Christie mystery. This match still made it just a little bit easy for India to qualify for the semis. Though it still is a long haul, just a little bit easy.

Batting Below Par
India batted first. Some of the top order got starts, for example Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, but none of them carried on. Hardik Pandya was a surprise at no. 5, but he did his job, that of hitting the ball out of the ground, hitting 15 runs in 7 balls, with three boundaries. The batting was a bit under par. Even Suresh Raina, the top-scorer of the Indian innings, was looking low on confidence and bite. For a change, Virat Kohli did not convert his start into a half century. India still made 146 runs on a different Chinnaswamy wicket, a par score according to Sunil Gavaskar.

The Giant-Killers Brandish Their Weaponry
Then came the Bangladeshi batting. Though opener Mithun was dismissed early by Ashwin, it was his partner that was the real threat. Having a reputation of coming good against India time and again, Tamim Iqbal went about his usual business, hitting the first ball of the innings for four because of a misfield by Jasprit Bumrah. Then sabbir Rahman and Tamim Iqbal stitched a good partnership, almost putting the game into Bangladesh’s hands. And lo and behold! Enter Sir Jadeja! He dismissed Iqbal on a ball that was delivered at such an angle and speed, one could be mistaken that the ball was coming from Lasith Malinga. Nonetheless. Dhoni just peeled the bails off, giving no time to Taim to react. Then came their star for many some millennia, the great Shakib-al-Hasan. Though just fourteen runs later, Sabbir was dismissed off a wide ball by Suresh Raina, coming on for just the one over. Here, though the credit goes to MS Dhoni for his brilliant presence of mind and observation. The moment Sabbir’s feet left the ground, and mind you, this was just for a millisecond, Dhoni touched the bails with the ball in a flash. Here, I think is where India came into the match for the first time. Here too, there were some hiccups. Bumrah dropped a lolly by Indian fielding standards, and was having kind of a hellish day on the field, both with bowling and fielding. Ashwin too, dropped one but this was comparatively difficult. Ashwin also accounted for Shakib now, getting him to edge one at slip. Mashrafe came and went. Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim were at the crease, both good batsmen. They started playing their shots, and it was looking as if India were going to lose a T20 match for the first time against Bangladesh. But it was not to be.

The Over Before The Final Over
Bumrah was given this over. He just stuck to his basics and did what he does best; bowling yorkers. The result being, of the 17 runs required off the last two overs, he gave away just six, thus putting pressure on Bangladesh.

The Final Over
The final over was bowled by Hardik Pandya. Many cricket pundits would have banished this decision and confirmed Dhoni’s removal from captaincy. Still, Pandya was a risky but necessary choice. He had given 20 runs off his first two. And here, was holding the reins of the hopes of 1.32 billion people in his hands. And, he went for 9 runs off his first three balls. 2 runs required off 3 balls. He would have gone for more, had Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah not been over-confident. They mistimed his two wide full tosses, and went straight into the hands of Shikhar Dhawan and Ravindra Jadeja respectively. 2 runs off 1 ball. Two new batsmen at the crease. 1 run and the match would go into the super over. Veteran Ashish Nehra and Ms Dhoni began to talk to Pandya, telling him how to best handle this pressure situation. It was feeling like the climax of an amazing action thriller. Dhoni even removed one of his keeping gloves, in anticipation of collecting and throwing the ball. Keeping all the advice given to him in mind, Pandya bowled one outside the off-stump. The batsmen just edged, it bounced, going to the keeper. The batsmen were a little slow to move. Meanwhile, Dhoni, as soon as he received the ball, sprinted towards the stumps and dislodged two of the stumps along with the bails, thus winning the match for India by a ridiculously close margin of 1 run.

The speciality of this match was that till the last over, everything was in Bangladesh’s control, until the last over changed it all. Overall, what a spectacular match it was! 

The next match against Australia will decide who goes into the semifinals. If this match is not won, all work done till here will go waste. So, India, put your heart into it and let’s win this cup for India again!

And the score is 11-0!!

You must be thinking; this title belongs to football! But read it right, it indeed is for a cricket match. Through this, another question arises. Even for football, this is insane! Just wait. I’ll explain.

A Humbled Team
All the highs before the World T20 were humbled. India had just been defeated by New Zealand, by a huge margin of 47 runs, and that too while chasing a paltry score of 126. Sure, the pitch was doing things, but it wasn’t unplayable. This meant that the high profile encounter versus Pakistan was a do-or-die match.

A Positive Start
Pakistan, on the meanwhile, were riding high after demolishing Bangladesh by 55 runs in their first match, with ‘Boom Boom’ Shahid Afridi, Mohammed Hafeez and Ahmed Shahzad all coming good with the bat. So this match-up was indeed very interesting, in which, for the first time, India were under more pressure than Pakistan. Don’t get me wrong, India – Pakistan encounters are never devoid of pressure and intensity, but this time Dhoni and Co. had their entire World T20 campaign. A hypothetical loss against Pakistan would virtually destroy their title hopes, and far worse, the flak faced back at home would be unbearable.

Frenemies
So the match was held at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, with India’s Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Virender Sehwag and Pakistan’s Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan representing a symbol of peace by assembling onstage as friends. Many celebrities from the film fraternity were also present.

India, bowling first, bowled well and on a viciously turning Eden track, restricted Pakistan to a score of 118. Still I think India would have finished off the innings much quicker and to a lower total had they played an extra spinner, say Harbhajan Singh, instead of the extra pacer. Anyways, that didn’t happen.

A Win Notwithstanding Obstacles! 
Now came the run – chase. It was not a 230-odd target, but given the track, 118 was much like a 200. India were shaky to start off, losing Rohit Sharma very early. Then entered Virat Kohli. He is the hero of our story here, but he was dormant in the beginning. Perhaps he was preparing for the run chase ahead. Sami then struck with two wickets consecutively, dismissing Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina. Yuvraj Singh then came on strike. Here is where I think that India actually started to play the game. Searching for the quick single, the occasional double and the consequential boundary, India were chipping away at the score, much like a rat nibbling off a cake. Slowly but steadily, the required run-rate decreased, and finally came below run-a-ball when Virat hit a six and a four in the same over. Yuvraj Singh was caught going for the biggie, but he had supported well and had brought India to the doorstep of victory. Dhoni came when hardly ten runs were left and he hit the winning runs. When 7 runs were left to be taken, he hit one of his signature sixes over long-off, and levelled the scores. Just by nudging the ball towards the on-side, he finished off the match. Virat Kohli was very rightly adjudged Man of the Match for his march – winning 55 off just 37 balls.

Because of this win, two major positives came out for India: Firstly, they maintained their unblemished record of 11 wins in World Cup and World T20 matches, which means Pakistan haven’t been able to beat India in an ICC-organized, all-nation participating event since 1992, and believe me, that 1992 team was the one that won the World Cup.

So I hope India do win their next two matches against Bangldesh and Australia and qualify for the semis.

Till then, goodbye and follow the journey #CupTak!

Asia Cup the VIth

Hurrah! India won the Asia Cup for the sixth time! Now, instead of writing about all the matches in turn, I will give an overall view of the entire tour, from India’s perspective.  Frankly speaking, I expected India to lift the Asia Cup. The team composition was excellent, they had won back-to-back series, therefore the morale was high, no major injuries worried them, and most importantly, their bowling was firing from both ends. Not only the spinners, but also the pacers. In short, it was a perfect combination. In contrast, Pakistan’s batting was not quite up to the mark, in their bowling, they had only Md. Amir firing. As for Sri Lanka, the team was quite inexperienced, except for some known names in the form of Dilshan, Malinga, Perera, Kulasekara to name a few. I felt that in this tournament, Bangladesh was the only relatively balanced side other than India. Sure, they had the home advantage as all the matches were played on the same Sher-e-Bangla pitch, but still their performances were worth noting. And the UAE. Who can ever forget the UAE? As expected, they were the favourite whipping boys of each of their opponents. You can’t blame this on them. They still are a relatively developing country in cricketing terms, they will take time to improve. The fact that they played the 2015 World Cup itself was a big thing.
India were right on the money from the very start. They only stuttered a little in the match against Pakistan when the bullets of Md. Amir reduced them to 8/3. But thereon, Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh carried on and chased down the paltry score of 83 set for them with ease. It was also heartening to see the Prince of Indian Cricket back among his famed shots. Dhoni also showed his true form, if only a glimpse, that the fire of the finisher within him has not still extinguished. Due to rain, the final between India and Bangladesh was reduced to 15 overs-a-side. India comfortably won that game, with the only weak link in their necklace performers, Shikhar Dhawan, firing a swashbuckling 60 runs off just 44 balls. Virat continued to essay his role of the mainstay with poise again, as he did in almost all the matches.

Though all the other Asian teams have much to ponder upon various problems within their unit, I see no major problems in the Indian camp.  Perhaps an injury here or there, but nothing to improve or think upon. All the players seem to have understood their role to perfection, and are working according to it with ease. India are, as Captain Cool MS Dhoni said in the “sixth gear.”
Let’s certainly hope that this “sixth gear” state of mind is helpful in winning the World T20. I do certainly hope that India lifts the World T20 Cup for the second time and brings those memories of the long-haired, inspirational and unorthodox captain back.  

And the Journey Begins....

Ha! That was one good series, wasn’t it? Gave a lot of us some meat to chew on, maybe some nails too. Recognize what I’m speaking about? Of course, the recently concluded India – Sri Lanka bilateral T20 Series.
This series was kind of a dress rehearsal for the upcoming World T20 to be held in the Indian sub – continent. It is a good thing that the Indian team is getting quite a few matches to play before the World T20, which of course is a morale – booster. It allows the team management and the captain to decide on the roles of the players in the team, which is ever – important.
Okay, let’s move on to the matches. India carried forward their winning combination from the Australia series. As the squad that was announced was common for the recent series, the Asia Cup as well as the World T20, it was pleasantly surprising to see Pawan Negi in the squad. The squad is a perfect mixture of youth and experience, with the old warhorses Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh all coming in from the Australia series. Virat Kohli was rested for this series.  As for Sri Lanka, it was a very inexperienced side to boot, with Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thisara Perera and Dinesh Chandimal being among the recognized faces. Dilhara Fernando was one of the seniors making a comeback. 
  
Though inexperienced, this side gave a tough fight to Big Brother, defeating India comprehensively in the first match. But thereon, it was India all the way as they cruised to two consecutive wins, the second one being the standout. India restricted Sri Lanka to its lowest T20 total ever, a paltry 82. Obviously, India cruised through the match.

 A particular standout from the second match, especially, from Sri Lanka’s perspective, was Thisara Perera’s hat – trick. He got Hardik Pandya, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh off consecutive balls to become the fourth man to achieve this feat in T20Is. Even the youngsters of Sri Lanka such as Dushmantha Chameera and Dasun Shanaka, who created an impression.

Overall, it was a good series for cricket. After suffering a few hiccups in the first game, India backed themselves to clinch the series. This win further consolidates India’s No.1 ranking in T20Is. Now, the next big thing in Indian cricket will be the Asia Cup, again a T20 series. So, revel in the T20 fervour, until the IPL. Cheerio!

The Saving Grace

Australia. The place where India went to last year itself and had much of a demotivating tour in the backdrop of the World Cup. The Indian team had not even won a single match, be it the Tests, or the tri - series involving England as the third team, going into the World Cup. Though the World Cup was not as bad as its precedent, but that series still raised some very serious issues about the Indian team.

Then came the series against Australia this year. A five – match ODI series followed by a three – match T20I series. As it is expected in every tour Down Under, a stellar effort by the Indian team resulting in loss was expected. And that happened too. India put up some really good efforts when it came to the batting, but it was their bowling that lagged behind. Though India put up 300+ scores in two of the three matches that they batted first in, still Australia chased it down like it was a par score. The irony is that they put some pressure in the match in which they didn’t put up a score of 300+ batting first. The Indian team lost the series 4 – 1. This figure may look very disheartening, it was not as bad it seemed. By winning the last match of this series, India ended Australia’s 19 – match unbeaten streak. Rohit Sharma got the Man of the Series title for his amazing performances.

Then came the T20 series. This was kind of a dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup about to start in March. If India would achieve a whitewash in this series, they would climb to the top of the ICC T20 series.

There were some seniors returning to the squad, for example, Harbhajan Singh, who was in the squad recently, Yuvraj Singh, who entered the Indian line – up on the back of some very good first – class performances, and finally Ashish Nehra, who played international cricket after six years. It is amazing how destiny gives you déjà vu. Three players who were part of the disastrous World Cup in 2007 were back in the team after nine long years.

 So the series began. And the unexpected happened. India won all the matches by a comprehensive margin. The last match, though the series was decided, took the cake:

Last over. Yuvraj on strike. Raina at the other end. 17 were needed. Yuvraj hadn’t batted for the last two matches, and of the last four balls he only scored 1 run. Things were looking tense for India. But then something clicked. The vintage Yuvi rose. In royal style, he hit a four off the first ball and a six off the second. He then gave the strike to Raina, who despite some pressure did the rest. Virat Kohli bagged the Man of the Series award for scoring fifties in all three matches.

This provides the perfect backdrop for the World T20. With India as favourites, Australia almost through with their combination, and all the other teams gearing up, I hope to see fireworks in the phenomenon that is India. So best of luck and play on!!  

Glory at the Orange City

This Test was a historic one. Many records were broken in this match. The most significant record was the one which broke South Africa’s 9-year unbeaten streak on away tours, the highest after Australia’s 15-year streak. This test got over in just three days, which meant low-scoring encounters.

First off, it was a dismal performance on the part of South Africa. They registered on of their lowest scores ever when Ashwin and Co. bowled them out for 79. What an extra-ordinary Test this was! The first innings of the Indians who batted first ended at 215. Then, at stumps, South Africa was 11/2. On the second day, South Africa was bowled out for 79. Thereafter, India’s second innings ended at 173 on the same day. Then, at stumps, South Africa was at 29/2 with a target of 310 and three days of play left.

South Africa, though avoided further damage and humiliation by putting up some resistance. But, alas, they were bowled out for 185 and India comfortably won the match as well as the series.

Coming to India’s performance, I was disappointed bigtime by the Indian batting. Though their batting was far better than that of the South Africans and the highest individual score of the match, a knock of 40 came from India in the form of Murali Vijay. But, they more than made  up for it by restricting the Proteas to negligible scores. Ashwin was the chief perpetrator on an assistive wicket, capturing 12 wickets to take his tally of this series to 24. Ashwin could break his personal tally from a four match- Test match series; the best being 29 during India’s 4-0 thrashing of Australia at home in 2013. And going by the way Ashwin is bowling right now combined with the mighty unpredictable pitch at the Ferozshah Kotla, a fifer shouldn’t be a problem.

I think what Indian captain Virat Kohli said about the third day sums up the match perfectly. He said that on the third day, there was a team which was trying to stay alive in the match while the other was trying to win it.

This Test was special for me in a different way as it was played at my home town and it was the first time in the last three encounters at Nagpur against South Africa that India has won a match.      

I hope that India wins the fourth Test too and manages a whitewash of the Proteas. This would also mean a change in the ICC rankings. So, hope for the best and play on!!

A look-back on Zak

There was a time in Indian cricket when it was said that India does not have the ability to produce any real pacers, barring the likes of Kapil Dev. Even as India’s batting as well as fielding improved, this question seemed to haunt them everywhere: Where is that one bowler who we can look up and say: “This guy is a pacer.” And then the millennium turned. Come 2000, a young lad by the name of Zaheer Khan made his debut for India. People were getting an answer for their long-standing question. A new star had just entered the Indian team.

After being on the sidelines for roughly six years, he finally cemented his place in the ODI as well as Tests as India’s frontline pace bowler. According to me, this was mostly because of a turn of good fortune as he lost his place because of the arrival of two new bowlers and got his place because of the departure of two bowlers. After getting this valuable opportunity, he never let go and we saw the emergence of one of the world’s most prolific fast bowlers and the best just after Kapil Dev.
His high came in the 2011 World Cup where he emerged as India’s most successful bowler. The famous ‘knuckle ball’ reaped rewards.

He is right there with all the greats of cricket. If in Indian cricket, the 20th century saw the emergence of Kapil Dev, the 21st was the arrival of Zaheer Khan. He announced his retirement from international cricket after a career spanning 15 years. Hats off to him on a bravura career and I hope that there is another ‘Zak’ for the advancement of Indian cricket.

Finally, the Revelation

Ah! Finally the day has come. India has won a series overseas after a gap of four years and won a series in Sri Lanka after 22 years. Here are some of the things that I felt clicked for India in this recently – concluded series and made them a formidable team.

The ‘Aggressive’ mentality: India had not won any overseas Test series, and had hardly won any Test match against any strong team. Morale was down. In the middle of all this was MS Dhoni. Who was termed as Captain Cool in ODIs was blamed for lack of decisiveness in the longer format. As a result, he retired from Tests after the fourth Test in Australia and in came the rock star of the Indian dressing room, Virat Kohli as captain. And he brought a swagger into the team. He was determined to play the ‘aggressive’ brand of cricket and promised to bring vigour to an uninspired team. But whether that will work was not fully tested as the assignments he got were only of one Test. His first full – fledged assignment as Test captain was the tour of Sri Lanka. It presented to him an opportunity to prove his leadership as a captain. And how it worked! Apart from a few minor glitches, it worked wonders. Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra were in top form, and were successful in restricting the runs as well as taking wickets at regular intervals. Ashwin specially was in top form, picking up the highest number of wickets, 21 in 3 matches. Ishant Sharma too, was really good with the ball, constantly bowling bouncers and making optimum use of his Herculean height. He perhaps went too far with the aggressive attitude and was charged with a one – match ban for giving a send – off to some of the Sri Lankan batsmen. Well, something better than nothing.
The five – bowler theory: Virat Kohli actually implemented the aggressive mentality by bringing in five specialist bowlers, which worked wonders for the team. Even if substantially, this did add pressure to the inexperienced batting order and sometimes did fail. If not for some batsmen who stuck around and drove the innings, the results could have been entirely different than they are now.

Better fielding: Now, you can say that this was expected of this young squad. But in this series, they upped the ante, especially the slip cordon. And in them, Ajinkya Rahane is a name worth mentioning. He took an astonishing 8 catches in a match, setting a record. So, as a result, most of the wickets were ‘caught and bowled’. And the bowlers were indeed happy. In fact, of Ashwin’s tally of 21 wickets, 14 were catches. Of those, 4 were caught by Rahane.

People may debate that Sri Lanka was a comparatively easy team to beat as it is in a period of transition. But for all those who say this, India is also in a period of transition. And there were moments in the series from where even Sri Lanka could have won, but the Indians fought back on the basis of their merit and talent and clinched the series after trailing 1-0.

I wish good luck to the Indian team for the upcoming South Africa series starting from the 2^nd of October, which is at home. This is where the mettle and skill of this developing team will be tested to the fullest.

The Spectacular Fall of the Indians in the Gala at Galle

Its monsoon in the subcontinent and the new sporting season has just started. Every sport has just begun full- fledged. So has cricket for India. After what you can call a short break, India began with a short tour of Bangladesh. Though the hosts were defeated in Tests, they spectacularly trounced the Indians in the ODI matches. After that came a home series against Zimbabwe, which India obviously won. The next tour and their first comparatively strong opponent was Sri Lanka. This was, or rather is, Virat Kohli,s first full – fledged tour as captain of the Test team.

The first Test was held at Galle. This iconic ground, always known to be a happy hunting ground for the spinners, was no exception this time. The pitch was a beautiful turning track, a paradise for spinners. So Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra would be the trump cards for India.

India went into this tour with a different interface, one that of aggressiveness. And abiding by this strategy, the Indian team went into the first match with five bowlers (Four bowlers are the generally preferred option).

Now let’s turn to the match. The Sri Lankans, put to bat first on a damp wicket, surrendered meekly to the power of Ashwin. R Ashwin recorded his best Test figures, 6- 46 and bundled out the hosts for 183. Thereafter, the Indian batsmen also performed very well with Shikhar Dhawan scoring 134, Virat Kohli scoring 103 and Wriddhiman Saha supporting them ably with 60 runs. As a result of this, India scored a massive total of 375 and amassed a lead of 192 runs. And after this, at the end of the day, the Indian bowlers again showed their magic, reducing them to 5/2 at stumps. An easy Indian victory seemed on the cards.

But as they say in cricket, every match is played to the very last ball and no one knows what will happen at the end of the match, what will turn in whose favour. And that exactly happened in this match.

From where they could have easily won, one will be astonished to see the Indians threw their own easy win. After the hosts were reduced to 5/2, Dinesh Chandimal put on a valiant and consequently match-winning knock of 162 with able support from Mubarak, Thirimanne and Kumar Sangakkara, who is incidentally playing his last Test.  Here too, the bowlers displayed some vigor, with Ashwin picking up four wickets once again to take ten wickets in a Test match for the third time in his career, though he went for some runs. The Sri Lankans put up a score of 367 and India needed 176 runs to win the match.

But it was not to be. The factor which had troubled the hosts in the first innings troubled the Indians in their second innings, and that was spin. What Ashwin did for India in the first innings, Rangana Herath did for Sri Lanka in the second. Picking up 7 wickets for 47, he single – handedly gifted Kumar Sangakkara a dramatic win in his last match.

Perhaps, the India was over- confident after dominating the first 3 days of the match. Or perhaps it was Sri Lanka’s grit and determination, which clung on to the one chance that they got and sealed the match. Whatever it was, it was a humiliating defeat for India. Moreover, they lost the match on the 69^th Independence Day, which must have been excruciatingly painful for Virat and Co. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, might have won one of their most dramatic wins ever, and certainly their best win in the past two or three years.

If India already one down, it makes the second Test a do-or-die match as it is a three-match series.

Personally, I certainly hope along with millions of Indian fans that India wins the next match as it certainly has the potential of a match-winning unit.  

Photo sources: www.gettyimages.com, zeenews.india.com, www.rediff.com, www.firstpost.com, tribune.com.pk.

India Makes it Six Out of Six

Today, something historic happened on the world stage. India defeated Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval in the World Cup 2015. India has always been the better team while playing Pakistan, especially in the world cup. As a result, it has never lost to Pakistan in World Cups. This match was no different. It is interesting to analyze what worked in favor of India today.

Great cricket is all about a team performing well in all departments. At the end of the day, India proved to be a better team in all prospects: batting, bowling, fielding and Captaincy. Here is why I think so.

Batting 
Traditionally India’s strength has always been its batting. Today was no different.  Shikhar Dhawan, who had been struggling since a while, fired in this match. Virat Kohli, who had been given the responsibility of carrying the team through, executed his role perfectly with a swashbuckling century. Suresh Raina also provided the shots while Kohli was anchoring the innings. While scoring the runs, they maintained their wicket. This resulted in the formation of two important 100- run partnerships. The team also played risk- free without getting tempted to fire big shots during the mid-overs, while consistently maintaining the run rate. Pakistan, on the other hand, could not build a solid partnership barring a 68 – run stand between Ahmed Shahzad and Haris Sohail. Even the potentially dangerous Shahid Afridi got out for a measly 22. Misbah, as always, was the lone ranger, with a solid 76. Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals which cost Pakistan the game.

Bowling
Indian bowlers have constantly been criticized for their performance recently. Bowling is often cited as India’s weakness. More so, on the Aussie conditions. However, in this match the bowling became one of India’s strength. Instead of restricting runs, they decided to go for the wickets and it paid off. The bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals, which eventually whisked the match out of Pakistan’s hands. Pakistan bowlers on the other hand could hardly maintain that pressure on the batsmen. They did well in the end, though, picking up wickets. If those wickets had been taken earlier, the result might have been different. The only silver lining was Sohail Khan. He captured five Indian scalps on World cup debut.

Fielding
India already is a very good fielding unit. They did well in this match as well. They created chances out of nowhere, even getting some of them. As a result, Pakistan was under pressure. Meanwhile, in Pakistan’s innings, the fielding was fairly good, but Umar Akmal, who was keeping wickets even when he wasn’t a specialist, missed a chance of Virat Kohli which cost them the match.

Captaincy
Dhoni’s captaincy proved to be superior again. Apart from winning the toss, two of his decisions paid off well. First was to review the Umpire’s decision on Umar Akmal. And second was to send Raina earlier in the order.

A champion team is one which does well in all areas: batting, bowling, fielding and captaincy. India played like a champion today and won. The tradition of crushing Pakistan on the World Cup pitch remains intact.

A look at the History of the World Cup

Welcome to the second biggest single – sport event in the world! The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Four years ago, it was held in Indian subcontinent. This time around, it has crossed the Indian Ocean and has come to Australasia. Yes, this time, it is being held in Australia as well as in New Zealand. The World Cup was held here last time in 1992, the year that Imran Khan’s Pakistanis lifted the Cup. The World Cup has travelled a long journey, and hopefully the journey will be unending. The World Cup has started from today, with the New Zealand – Sri Lanka clash kicking it off. 

So here is a look-back at the journey of the World Cup. Let’s see how the idea of the World Cup took fruit.

The Start of the World Cup

The man who dreamt of the World Cup was Kerry Packer, who was the owner of Australian TV Channel 9. He contracted well – known cricketers from around the world and paid them huge sums of money to play for his channel. He formed two teams – Australia and ‘Rest of the World’. Ian Chappell was the captain of the Australian team. Tony Grieg was the captain of the Rest of the World team. It consisted of famous players from England, South Africa, Pakistan and West Indies. It was called World Series Cricket (WSC). These players were banned from playing for their country. That is why; there was not a single Indian player on this team. Of course, that rule was relieved afterwards. Taking Packer’s idea a little forward, the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to organize the World Cup in 1975. Most of the countries which played Test cricket regularly till 1975 participated in the First Prudential World Cup. It was held in England, which is where cricket started.

The First Prudential World Cup: 1975

The West Indies were one of the best teams at that time. Its squad consisted of the likes of Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding in the bowling department and Clive Lloyd, Vivian Richards, Gordon Greenidge among others in the batting line – up. As a result, the West Indies won the First World Cup by 17 runs by defeating Australia in the final held on the 21st of June, 1975.

 

The Second Prudential World Cup: 1979

The second Prudential World Cup was held in the English subcontinent again. We can say that this is a carbon copy of the first World Cup with some minor changes. The name of the World Cup was the same, so was the venue. And so was the winner. West Indies was again the winner. The only changes were; instead of Australia, there was England in the final along with the West Indies. Another change was the exit of East Africa and the entry of Canada into the World Cup.

   

The Third Prudential World Cup: 1983 

Things and fortunes were about to change for India.

It would have been a miracle if anyone had even thought of India winning the World Cup. Even though it had the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Roger Binny, and Sandeep Patil in their team, they were not so good a team in the fast paced ODI format. They were a decent Test unit. Cricket had come to India because of the British. Oh, and what they did in that British land! The World Cup was played in the English subcontinent for the third time. Zimbabwe had entered the World Cup this time. West Indies, once again, were the favorites to win the Cup and make it a hat – trick of World Cups for Clive Lloyd. But thing were about to change. And how!

 

The finals of the World Cup 1983

What a peculiarity! The strongest team in world cricket, the West Indies on one side and one of the weakest cricket teams at that time, India on the other side. But still India won. They won because of they were lion - hearted. The ability to put everything into a match is one of the reasons because of which India won the Cup.

 

Fourth Reliance World Cup: 1987

The World Cup shifted from subcontinent to subcontinent. This time it shifted from the English subcontinent to the Indian subcontinent. With the new venue, came the new winners. Australia won the Cup for the first time in 1987 by beating England in the final.  One more significant change was that the duration of a match changed from 60 overs to 50 overs. India made it to the Super Six Stage of this World Cup.

 

Fifth Benson and Hedges World Cup: 1992

Imran Khan’s Pakistan won this Cup after losing their first two matches and then winning all their remaining matches continuously, right till the final. Pakistan defeated England in the final. This World Cup was held in the Australian subcontinent. India finished seventh in this World Cup.

 

Sixth Wills World Cup: 1996

The World Cup returned to the Indian subcontinent once again. Sri Lanka won this World Cup and a third Asian giant in World cricket after India and Pakistan emerged. India made it till the semifinal stage of this Cup.

 

Seventh World Cup: 1999 - An era of domination begins.

This Cup was held in the English subcontinent and in Holland (present day Netherlands). England was one of the favorites to win this Cup and Australia was just a possibility. England never made it to the final and Australia lifted the World Cup for the second time in 1999 by beating Pakistan in the final. India made it till the Super Six stage of this World Cup.

Eighth ICC World Cup: 2003

This World Cup was held in the African continent, mainly in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. Australia and India were at their peak, and were considered favorite. Incidentally, the final was played between the same two teams, with Australia making a landslide victory, to equate the record of two consecutive World Cup wins with the West Indies.

Ninth ICC World Cup: 2007

Australia continued their invincible run at the World Cup, by remaining unbeaten for two consecutive World Cups by beating Sri Lanka in the final. This World Cup was held in the Caribbean. India had a first round exit in this World Cup.

 

Tenth World Cup: 2011

Both the World Cups returned to India: the tournament and the trophy. India lifted the World Cup after 28 years after beating Sri Lanka in the final on the 2nd of April, 2011.

Now the World Cup has just started. I’m analyzing India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as the favorites to win the World Cup. I will be following the World Cup extensively. On 15th February, India will start its campaign against Pakistan, which is always a high – profile game because of the political tension between the two neighbors. So, India will have to give their best from the very start of their title defence.

How England got stumped in their own backyard

All the people in the world were thinking that India had become lost as a side and that Dhoni should be replaced as captain after India lost 3-1 to England in the Test Series, which, according to my information, is happening for the third time that India have been washed out overseas. They had not even shown inspiration in the last two tests. God knows what had happened to the India that won the second Test at Lord's. But, history was going to be re-written. India made changes to the coaching department, bringing in their go-to man in trying times, Ravi Shastri. Even the bowling and fielding coaches were "rested", giving way to Indians Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar.
Boy, and what magic it worked. India defeated England in their own backyard, clinching the series 3-1.

The First ODI

The first ODI was washed out without a ball being bowled as rain interrupted the proceedings.

The second ODI:

This looked like the vintage, all- conquering Indian team. India put up 304/6 on the board, thanks to a 100 off 75 balls by Suresh Raina and 52 off 87 by Rohit Sharma. In response, England were shattered, with nothing going their way.And, as it happens, spinners usually struggle on foreign wickets,which support pace bowling. But, in this match, the Indian spinners spun a fine web around the English batsmen, bagging 7 of the 10 wickets. As a result, England folded up for 161, handing India a victory by a massive 133 runs by D/L method. India lead the series 1-0.

Third ODI:

England were looking to redeem themselves after their first ODI debacle, but none of that happened. India, who won the toss, put the English to bat first. Again, similar to the first match, the spinners dominated the proceedings, taking six of the ten wickets. There was one bowler who stood above all and that was India's frontline spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, taking 3 wickets and giving away just 39 runs in his 10 overs. England crumbled to 227 all out. In response, India played well, with Virat Kohli playing his highest score on the tour so far, 40 and Raina made 42, Ajinkya Rahane made 45, and the most significant contribution came from the young man Ambati Rayudu, who made 64, and deservedly bagged the Man of the Match award. Ashwin did not get it because Rayudu had also taken a wicket while bowling his 2 overs. India won by 6 wickets with 42 balls remaining and lead the series 2-0.

Fourth ODI:

Dhawal Kulkarni made his debut in this match. England had now lost hope, because the maximum they could do on this series now was to salvage a draw. But even that draw could not be salvaged. A distraught England team just did not show any interest to play, except for Joe Root who made 44 and Moeen Ali who made 67. England folded up for 206. In this match, though, the pacers showed what a pace - friendly pitch can bring about in them. Mohammed Shami took 3 wickets by giving away just 28 runs in 7.3 overs. In response, India, riding high on confidence, lost just one wicket in what resulted in a dream innings for Ajinkya Rahane. He made 106, his first ODI hundred while Shikhar Dhawan made a spirited 97. India won by 9 wickets with 117 balls to spare. India was now aiming for a whitewash, already leading the series 3-0.

Fifth ODI:

This was when England final,y woke up. Not wholly, but substantially. They kept losing wickets at intervals, but Joe Root kept on going and was ably supported by Jos Buttler who scored 49 and Alistair Cook, who scored 46. Joe Root himself scored 113. As a result, England scored 294, their highest on this tour. India could not hold England this time. They folded up for 253, despite a spirited 87 from Ravindra Jadeja and 53 from Ambati Rayudu. Now, the series stood 3-1, giving some sense of relief to the English team.

So, this is how this great series went. It was raining R's, the first match by Rain, the second by Raina, the third by Rayudu, the fourth by Rahane and the fifth by Root.

There is still one match remaining on this tour, the lone T20I. So, play on, people!

When God Retires....

On 16th November 2013, an unforgettable event occurred in cricketing history. Just one day after his historic debut 24 years ago, the God of Cricket retired from all formats of competitive cricket. Sachin Tendulkar, one of the greatest players of the game of cricket bid adieu to Cricket. There are unbeaten records to his name. Some examples are:
1. Most number of runs in the history of cricket. (34,357 runs)
2. Maximum number of international centuries. (100 centuries)
3. Most number of matches played by any player. (664 matches)
There are many more. This blog is too small to accommodate all of them.

Sachin Tendulkar was a young lad, 16 years old when he made his debut for India. He started playing cricket at the age of 11, as a punishment from his brother Ajit Tendulkar. There, at the coaching club, he met Ramakant Achrekar or Achrekar Sir, Tendulkar’s first coach. From that moment, he fell in love with the game. He would go to Shivaji Park every day, first batting in three different nets, then batting for some time, then taking throw downs from his friends and then batting again in different nets before finally hitting the sack.
You might have read the word ‘batting’ in the above lines many times. This was Sachin Tendulkar’s life. Batting, batting and batting. Yuvraj Singh has written in his book, that first his life was cricket, cricket and cricket. Then, after cancer, his life was cricket, cricket and cancer. It was similar with Sachin, just there was no change in the three words.
The magic that started right from his debut innings when the little boy faced the fierce attack by Wasim Akrams, Imran Khans and Waqar Younises of the world; and continued till his last innings at the Wankhede. What happened in between is possibly the biggest history created by any individual on a cricket field. When the Little Master retired there were tears in everyone’s eyes. But the tears were of joy, not sadness. He had inspired a generation of players and people, inspiring them to play for India and giving them the belief that Indians can beat other countries in their own backyard, not only at home.
This is his retirement speech:

Now comes perhaps the biggest question in Indian cricket history: Who after Tendulkar? There are many talented young batsmen in the Indian squad, like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara in Test cricket. But none of them can fill the boots of Sachin Tendulkar. Many fans have said that Virat Kohli is the replacement for Tendulkar, but Virat Kohli is still struggling in Test cricket. Some say Cheteshwar Pujara, but he still has not been tested on foreign soil and not even in One-Day cricket. Some say Shikhar Dhawan, but he is still in the start of his career. And some say Rohit Sharma, but even he has just started his Test career. We will have to see how these batsmen fare in the upcoming South Africa tour.
Rest assured, I bid adieu again to Sachin Tendulkar for inspiring so many generations of people. As it is said, God can retire from the field, but he will never retire from our hearts. 

The Mumbai Indians’ massive win over the Delhi Daredevils

When the fans of Mumbai came to the Wankhede on 9th April 2013 for the match, they expected home boy Sachin Tendulkar and legend Ricky Ponting to blast up the innings against Delhi. But this is what they saw:

Ricky opened up the batting with Sachin Tendulkar after choosing to bat first. He came on strike. He defended the first five balls of the first over, and wanted to go over the fielder to relieve the pressure, but instead popped it into the hands of Mahela Jayawerdene. Ponting dismissed for a duck. In came man-in-form Dinesh Kartik.

Tendulkar ran a run, Dinesh on strike. He hit a shot, but Sachin was desperate for a run. Kartik said no, but too late. Mahela saw this confusion, and hit a direct throw to direct Tendulkar back to the pavilion. When the umpire went for the review, Sachin, being a good judge, already knew that he was out. More disappointment for the Mumbai fans. In came Rohit Sharma.

Dinesh Kartik and Rohit Sharma put on a solid partnership which had three stages: Delhi dominating, to both the teams having an equal share, to Mumbai dominating and Mumbai maintained that position till the end of the match. Back at the game, Dinesh was smashing the bowlers for sixes, fours, everything. He reached his fifty in no time. It was as if he was well on his way to a century, but he misjudged a Morne Morkel ball to hand his wicket in to Jeevan Mendis on 86. The danger man gone.

In came Pollard. He got out on 13. In came Ambati Rayudu. In the one over that he played, he scored 21 runs. The bowler was Ashish Nehra. Then Rohit Sharma reached a magnificent fifty. He remained not out on 74. The Mumbai Indians reached a mammoth score of 209. Delhi needed 210 runs to win.

On the first ball, Unmukt Chand would be very disappointed as he was at the receiving end of an unbelievable catch by Ricky Ponting which defiled all age and logic. He was 40, but that catch barely showed that he was 40. Then Delhi collapsed like a pack of cards to be bundled up for 165. Mumbai enjoyed a 44-run win over DD. Mumbai also reached first position in the IPL standings. Good for Mumbai! Go Mumbai Go!!!!!

The Famous ‘Third’ Win

India enjoyed the famous Third test win against Australia. But it was not easy as in the previous two Tests. Australia at least put up a fight in this test. This was greatly because it was not the same pitch as in the previous Tests. This pitch favored pacers and it was green, so it was a swinging pitch. Australia won the toss again and chose to bat first. Australia’s batting showed its true potential as the openers Ed Cowan and David Warner put on a solid partnership and both scored above 50 runs. It looked as if Australia were coming back into the game, before Jadeja, India’s top left arm spinner, got David Warner back into the pavilion by getting him out on a beauty which was caught by Dhoni behind the stumps. Then came Clarke, star for Australia in the previous two Tests. He looked to attack from the first ball, but played down the wrong line, getting out stumped by Jadeja on Clarke’s very first ball. Australia in some trouble, and Jadeja on a hat-trick.

Phil Hughes got out on 2. In came one more debutante and one more rescue act, Steven Smith. The old rusty, unbeatable batting of Australia shone through him. Brad Haddin made a useful contribution, adding 21 runs to the score. Moises Henriques and Peter Siddle got out on zero runs, while Smith was playing a solid game at the other end. In came another rescue act, in the form of Mitchell Starc. They strung a solid partnership till the end of the day, a day which was shared as India took many wickets, at the same time, and Australia put on good runs in the last two sessions of play. India seriously needed a wicket the next day.
India failed to get a wicket in the starting moments of play, but beat the two Australian batsmen on the crease many times. Then came the prized wicket by the prized bowler: Pragyan Ojha. He put a good ball before getting Steven Smith out stumped on a score of 92. Australia became really depressed now.  Ojha had given the necessary breakthrough at the needed time, and the Australians now knew that it was just a matter of time before the Indians ran through the remaining Australian batting order. In the meanwhile, Starc got to his maiden Test half-century under pressure, and kept the runs coming. But his end was near. After deceiving him for two deliveries, Ishant Sharma finally got him out caught by Dhoni when Starc was on 99. What a turn of events! After the final wicket, Australia were on a massive but achievable 408. India’ turn to bat now.
Dhoni gave Shikhar Dhawan a Test debut in place of the under-performing Sehwag. He did not fail to impress. He was always ahead of the number of runs than the number of balls faced. He was ably supported by Murali Vijay who was also playing good. They put on a solid partnership before Nathan Lyon got him out on a beauty on a score of 187. In came the last Test’s hero, Cheteshwar Pujara. He got out unfairly when a mistake by the umpire caused him his wicket. In came The Little Master. He put on flurry of boundaries before getting out on the last ball before lunch off a Steve Smith delivery. Then came Virat Kohli. Then Vijay got out lbw off a Mitchell Starc and got out after playing a magnificent knock of 153 runs. Then Kohli went on to register his half century while the other batsmen after him collapsed like a pack of cards. India got all out on 499 runs, a lead of 91 runs.

In Australia’s second innings, except Phil Hughes’ 69, nobody played a worthy knock, mainly because of India’s superior bowling. The Aussies got out on 223.

India wound up the innings, with Captain Dhoni hitting the winning runs, which were 3 continuous fours. India had gained a 3-0 unassailable lead in the series, which had never happened to Australia in the last 48 years. Debutant Shikhar Dhawan got the prestigious ‘Man of the Match’ trophy for his fastest hundred ever by any Test batsman, off 85 balls! This was sweet revenge for India, and a red alert for Australia in the upcoming Ashes.
Truly ENTERTAINING!! 

India’s second Test win against the Aussies

In my last blog I had written about India’s formidable win against the Aussies but this one takes the cake. India won this match comfortably by an innings and 135 runs. India was never in a state of intense trouble except for the partnership between Michael Clarke and Matthew Wade. Now let’s start.

Australia won the toss and brought in their openers Ed Cowan and David Warner to start. As for the changes, India maintained the winning team of the first Test with no changes, whereas Australia dropped pacer Mitchell Starc and spinner Nathan Lyon to give a debut to Xavier Doherty and IPL’s million dollar baby Glenn Maxwell. As the spinners had dominated the last match, it was not so in this match.

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar proved that he is a guaranteed swinger by picking up the first three wickets of David Warner, Ed Cowan and Shane Watson in quick succession. In came skipper Michael Clarke and Phil Hughes. Like in the first match, Phil looked clueless against the spinners and especially against Ashwin. The young offie once again proved that he is India’s top spinner and has the ability to take wickets anywhere, everywhere, anytime and every time. He dismissed Hughes. Then came wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade. Both of them put on a solid partnership to get the Aussies some control of the match. Both went on to register their half-centuries. Then Wade got out after he gave Sehwag an easy catch at slip at a beauty bowled by Ashwin. The other batsmen did not persist much whereas Michael Clarke played the captain’s innings again by missing narrowly on century as he was bowled on a beauty by Jadeja. The Aussies, surprisingly declared their innings on 237/9. India had to chase 237 runs to get a lead.

India’s openers Virender Sehwag and Murali Vijay took guard. Sehwag got out early on 6 and came in the New Wall Cheteshwar Pujara. Vijay and Pujara started off slowly and built on steadily. Slowly they freed their arms and began to play the shots. It looked like a competition between Pujara and Vijay: Who will get to a century first? Finally it was Pujara who won the battle as he reached to his hundred much earlier than expected. There was no stopping him now. He wanted the next big milestone. Vijay had taken the defensive mode for his last 20 to10 runs before his hundred, so he was just rotating the strike. The boundaries kept coming in substantial measure for Vijay, but they were a regular in Pujara’s choice of shots. Pujara got out on a massive 204 while Vijay got out on a controlled 167. The pair put on a partnership of 370 runs, just 6 runs behind the highest partnership of 376 runs put on by Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. In that partnership, VVS was the dominator. In this Test, Pujara was the dominator. The rest of the Team barely had to do anything and they did mostly nothing to contribute to the score of 503/10 by India.

India hoped to finish the Test in Day 4 itself. And they really did. The Aussies were all out for 133 runs and India won the second Test match against Australia. Ashwin again took 5 wickets. He is turning out to be the best player in this Test Series. Cheteshwar Pujara won the prestigious Man of the Match award. India now lead the four Test-series by 2-0.

Source of Statistics: CricBuzz

India defeats the "Formidable" Aussies

India had a lot to celebrate as Dhoni and Co won the first Test match against Australia. This Series is the annually held Border- Gavaskar Trophy. It has a very rich history. One such historic moment is Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman’s magnificent partnership against Australia in their own backyard. But since this India’s first major Series without the magic of The Wall and Mr. Dependable, the media has given this series the tagline “Asli Test Baaki Hain” and they are indeed true. The new Team India has some very talented young batsmen like Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Suresh Raina and Ajinkya Rahane and bowlers like Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma. They also have all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja. Though they do not have much experience, they have pure talent. Australia also has an inexperienced team, with Captain Michael Clarke being the only experienced Test batsman.

Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. Many were surprised by this decision as the Chepauk pitch had a lot of vicious spin and was a rank turner. Dhoni also surprised everyone by bringing the spinners to bowl with the new ball, not the pacers. But it worked like a charm. Ashwin ran straight through the Australian batting order, picking up 7 wickets before Micheal Clarke and Test debutant Moises Henriques put on a good partnership. Clarke scored a controlled 130 while Henriques scored a patient 68 before Henriques succumbed to Ashwin’s and the Chepauk’s dangerous spin. After that Michael Clarke misjudged a short ball by Ashwin and got out Lbw. India wrapped up Australia for 380.

India’s openers Virendra Sehwag and Murali Vijay failed to make an impact. After them Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara put on a brief partnership before Pujara got out on 44. In came the Little Master. Sachin and Kohli weaved their magic together to create a good partnership before Sachin missed out on a 101th hundred when he got out bowled by Nathan Lyon on 81. In came Captain Cool MS Dhoni. Kohli and he put on a solid partnership. In this partnership, Dhoni and kohli kept the runs coming at regular intervals. Kohli registered his 5th Test century and his 2nd against Australia. Then Kohli got out. Ravindra Jadeja did not much an impact. Nor did Ravichandran Ashwin or Harbhajan Singh. Then entered Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. Dhoni kept the runs coming and Kumar ably supported him. They put on a 100-plus partnership. Ironically, Kumar scored around 15 runs while Dhoni did the rest. When Dhoni got out, he was on 224.
In Australia’s second innings, they barely managed to score 188 runs before Henriques and Lyon denied India an innings win. But both succumbed to the vicious spin of the Chepauk.

India needed just 50 runs to win. But again the openers failed. But the Little Master came in and smashed 2 sixes to hand India a comfortable win. Dhoni was adjudged ‘Man Of The Match’ because of his top-class innings and amazing captaincy.
Important Points the Match:
• A dangerously spinning track.
• Ashwin picks up 12 wickets.
• Tendulkar in splendid form, 81 in the 1st and sixes of first 2 balls in the second innings.
• Virat Kohli sizzles; scores 103 runs.
• Dhoni notches up high score and first double – hundred.
• One of the rare Indian matches where spinners have taken all the wickets.
• Michael Clarke’s century in vain as The Men In Blue defeat the “Formidable” Aussies.