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I have waited a long time for this day ! 4 Indian fast bowlers, terrorizing the opposition batters with pace, bounce, accuracy and movement ... and winning a test away from home. 20 wickets were taken for the test, 60 wickets for the series ... opposition batters were hit on the head, body and fingers. Bumrah ... pace, bounce, accuracy and seam movement Shami ... pace, bounce, swing and seam movement Bhuvi ... accuracy, swing and astuteness Ishant ... tall and economical workhorse with decent pace Lots of new fast bowlers coming up ... Saini the best prospect for tests. Good days ahead for Indian fast bowling fans ! Cheers ! A lot of credit goes to Kohli too ... Kohli ko pace pasand hai !

Say what you want but its very commendable the way Inzy & co (Pak selectors) giving chances to young players regularly. Their U19 world cup squad was atrocious with only 1 good player Shaheen Shah Afridi. They realized his potential and straight away drafted him into national side. They make no bones of it. And here we are with our ignoramus selectors. In the same world cup, the likes of Shubhman Gill and Prithvi Shaw flared better than Afridi. But we choose to give more chances to Raina rather. The star of previous U19 world cup Rishabh Pant is still on the awaiting list. I am a huge Dhoni fan but what is he still doing in T20 team with no WC in sight? What happened to likes of Mavi, Nagarkotti etc? Lokesh Rahul forced his way back onto the team...else we would still have Rahane playing at no.4 for us in LOIs. Indian selectors

Imad Wasim " This time we will beat India because I am playing". Result - Got murdered by Pandya and got out on golden duck Sarfraz Ahmed "India is afraid of Playing against us". Sarfraz Ahmed - "We have few out of the box idea for India tomorrow " Result - Starts with a left arm spinner under overcast English conditions Ahahahahahahahahahaha

Long time ago before the Border Gavaskar trophy begin we were calm and composed human beings enjoying the beauty of nature. Then a coward kangaroo came from behind and pushed our captain into the sea of humiliation. Turns out kangaroo was using special shoes that did not make any sound while they hopped. Also he was using a mobile GPS referral system controlled from his zoo to give exact location of our captain and take right decisions. This transformed our captain into a wild bear. Dangerous if provoked. Meanwhile the cheating kangaroo transformed into gorilla since his cheating was the talk of the jungle news next morning. A fight ensued between them: But ended up being a draw. Bear is disappointed and livid with the result. He goes back to the place wher he was pushed to take an oath of complete revenge in the next match. Below bear taking his oath : He is ready now and roaring to go against all odds with a need for speed: To be continued after the action days....

Not as world class as Amir's at Lord's.

Manish Pandey has played some classic test knocks, albeit in T20s. He could be the next one. Perhaps he will play some classic T20 knocks in tests ... like 8 off 5 balls.

Congratulations to India on a well played and well deserved series win This has been such an interesting series to watch, I went into it with pretty low hopes, but I am very happy with the fight Australia showed, it's nearly an impossible task to win a test series in India but we gave it a good crack. I'm not gonna lie, apart from Smith and the odd one off innings here and there by Renshaw, Marsh, Maxwell & Handscomb our batting was poor, Smith was obviously sensational but the rest of our batsmen are what cost us the series in the end. I am very happy with our bowling effort though, they toiled hard and kept India to some totals that not many bowling attacks can manage. But in the end, the Indian team were too good, even with Kohli not performing they managed to win the series, I seen a lot of people bagging Rahane after the 3rd test but honestly I thought his captaincy was sensational in the final match, his management of the bowlers was perfect. Thanks to the Indian fans on here for the banter over the series, it's been fun! I think honestly the cricket rivalry between Australia and India is nearing the same level for us Aussie fans as Australia v England, which is great for cricket, Twenty 20 cricket is the flagship of the sport these days but test series' like this one really show that test cricket is still the fundamental top form of cricket, at least for me it does anyway. Anyways, thank you all for the hospitality, and congratulations to India, well played indeed! See you all next time we battle Peace!

I remember the year 1989 very well. Gavaskar had retired a couple of years earlier and Kapil had lost pace. We were losing to Pakistan more often than not in ODIs. The 1983 World Cup and 1985 Benson & Hedges Cup twin wins were things of the past. Crickets fans were feeling directionless. Then came the tour to Pakistan , where a baby-faced 16 year old stole the hearts of the entire nation with his brave batting against the Pakistani quicks. Watching cricket was a pleasure once again for Indians ... and this euphoria lasted for more than fifteen years. In the 1990s, when Tendulkar batted, the whole nation " batted " through him. In 1991, a tall, thin guy, with flailing arms while bowling , burst onto the scene and bowled really quick ... and India had its first genuine fast bowler, Srinath. The year 1996 saw an elegant left-hander score a century on test debut at Lords. This was followed by another century in the next test match. While this was happening, another young man with impeccable technique missed his centuries by a few runs in both those tests. Indian cricket fans were brimming with excitement once again at the emergence of these twin gems. Be it a wristy Hyderabadi scoring 3 centuries in his first three tests in 1984-85, a bespectacled Kumble taking a 4-fer in in Sharjah in 1991, Zaheer and Yuvraj sparkling in Nairobi in 2000, a dashing Sehwag scoring 105 in South Africa on test debut in 2001 ... these memories will stay with us for ever. More than these moments and memories, every time a special talent emerged, it gave us reasons to watch cricket for the next few years. No one will forget the dabaang innings of 148, that a long-haired keeper-batsman played in 2005 against Pakistan ... and a new star was born. No matter what one feels today, every Indian cricket fan felt a connection with that young man, which would stay with us till the time he won us the 2011 World Cup as captain. Then came Kohli, who would go on to become one of the biggest superstars. entertaining us in all three formats with his spectacular batsmanship. Rohit, Rahane, Pujara, Dhawan, Ashwin, Jadeja, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Bhuvi etc. ... all of them inspired interest among certain sections of fans. Seeing a young Shami debut, combining genuine pace with reverse swing to floor the West Indians in 2013, was very exciting. Fast bowling fans just loved it when young Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron bowled at 150 kph. Sports survive and grow in stature and popularity because of superstars and stars. Thirty-one years have passed but people still talk about and remember Maradona winning the football world cup. Fans need to find a connection with individual players. They are happy when that person does well and sad when he fails. They realize their own sporting dreams through him or her. Cricket is facing competition from other sports in India like never before and needs star players more than ever. In Indian cricket, we are recently seeing a trend of trying to introduce thirty-plus players as a matter of priority, especially the batters and keepers . Youngsters are getting chances but only when an " elderly " is not good enough or is injured or fails the yo-yo test or rotation policy demands more players. If the current ODI batting line-up makes it to the 2019 World Cup then we will have six batters who are 30+. Dhoni 38, Karthick 34, Jadhav 34, Dhawan 33, Rohit 32, Kohli 30. I am not suggesting that thirty plus players should all be be dropped or not given fresh chances. But, there should be a mix of experience and youth. Too many youngsters mean lack of experience and too many older players mean lack of new direction and dwindling fan interest. Moreover, there is no point in promoting mediocrity when it comes to selecting fresh players. We have seen young spinners and all-rounders being introduced and backed though ... and the result is there for all to see. Be it the wrist-spin twins, Kuldeep and Chahal, or the charismatic all-rounder Hardik Pandya, they have given new direction and new energy to our team. I hope that some talented youngsters are allowed to flourish in the batting, keeping and fast-bowling departments too. If they receive the same backing as the young spinners and all-rounders are getting, they will also do well . KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Vijay Shankar, Karun Nair, Md. Siraj, Basil Thampi, Avesh Khan, Kamlesh Nagarkoti etc. etc. are waiting. It never was and and never is about choosing the top performers in domestic cricket or the well known names. It is always about spotting and backing the players who have the potential to achieve something extra at international level from now on.

In light of the recent FIFA World Cup, thought of comparing the cricket teams with football teams based upon history/ability/achievements/mindset/resources yada yada. 1. West Indies: Brazil Calypso/Samba...free spirited Greatest teams of all time once upon a time but not so successful in the last 20 odd years Greatest players....all time XIs will have max players from their countries Loved by all Immense natural talent which drives them to success without a strong domestic set up Swag/Flair 2. Australia: Germany Overall very successful Competitive in every era Very consistent in World Cups Many ATGs (2nd highest) Very organized, disciplined with high precision and scientific approach to the game Ruthless Excellent domestic structure and youth programmes which was/is able to consistently churn out high quality players 3. India: Italy Probably in terms of big success behind only Australia (Germany) and WI (Brazil) Punched above its weight and knocked out fancier teams in the past to win big trophies Mediocre for large parts but still a great history with a few top tier ATGs Both are very defensive teams (bowling=attack, batting=defence ) with max ATGs in defensive department (India=batsmen, Italy=defenders and GK) For most parts in big tourneys both are mentally tough units, very dogged India often stopped mighty WI('83)/Australia(ATG test streak) just like how Italy stopped many pre tournament favorites like Brazil, France, Germany in the past. Good domestic structure.....Ranji=slightly below par, IPL=best in the world, average it out 4. Pakistan: Argentina Chaotic, mercurial, unpredictable Have won the big trophies but not yet as successful as 1-3 Individual brilliance, X factor Lack of cohesion, full of controversies and soap operas Achieved success under strong dictatorial leaders Propensity to cheat with innovations like ball tampering, chucking, Hand of God, fixing... Unapologetic about cheating incidents in the past, they wear it like a badge of honour Domestic Structure LOL 5. England: England Invented the sport but watched other teams excel more Rich history but most greats from bygone era English media Historically the best domestic structure with great prestige, finest of the game have polished their skills in England.....finishing school for many ATGs Boring sides Nostalgia tards Ugly yet effective style of play, tenacious spirit which helped them perform beyond their capabilities 6. Sri Lanka: France Won all their trophies post 90s, since then possibly most consistent teams in big events Produced many freakish talents Very successful in a short span At their best as good as any of the other ATG units Tactically top notch Nice fakers, often resort to underhand means 7. South Africa: Netherlands Never won a WC in spite of being favorites many times, greatest nations to not win the ultimate prize in their disciplines Exceptional talent, very skilled Cryuff=Kallis...objectively greatest but not rated as GOATs by pundits 8. New Zealand: Belgium Punch above weight No standout ATG but many excellent players who gel well Never came close to winning a WC Honest triers Universally liked 9. Bangladesh: Some African country (Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria????) Lots of funds pumped in by governing body 1-2 high quality players surrounded by a bunch of mediocre players Occasionally upset higher ranked teams Too many false dawns Very passionate fanbase Perpetual victim mentality Feel free to add your choices...I don't follow football like I used to as a kid. I may have made some wrong assumptions and got a few observations wrong. But honestly quite difficult to find equivalents which everyone will agree upon . Pretty sure many ICFers are more knowledgeable in this regard !!!!

This post inspired me to make this

Maybe Bravo was suppose to Credit Dhoni once again. HE must have refused.

Can we turn the commentators' mics down when Manju is commentating, please?

It was heartening to see Pandya elevate his game in the final. What really impressed me was his desire to win the game for Ind on his own despite Ind being in a desperate situation. Who knows if not for the unfortunate run out, we may have seen another 175 not out The experience of single handedly taking on an entire team in a final but losing out unfortunately will only make Pandya a stronger cricketer. I am sure he will make this up by achieving many more wins for Ind

Dhawan may be lost in the post match analysis after the easy win over Pakistan but IMO I wanted to give kudos to one of the best "big tourney" player we ever had. He gets slated by fans for his inconsistency and if most fans would have it, he wouldn't be there in the in the team and most probably somebody like Rahane would be opening instead of him. But no matter what the guy shows up when it really matters. He won the CT in 2013 and was the best Indian batsman in 2015 WC and showed up against bigger teams. And today he looked the best and most fluent batsman before he got out - should've hit that full toss for a 6 though. He accelerated at the right time when Rohit was struggling a bit and if he had continued, India probably would've put up 350 or thereabouts on the board. What a player and I hope he continues to play the same way the rest of the tourney

Yes, probably. Sreesanth's biceps may have changed, but Bhajji's IQ is the same.

this is worse than "target mushkil to nahi hai, haaan Lekin difficult jaroor hai" by kapil

This series is like what I'd imagine sex to be like with the same partner after 60 years of a relationship. You're doing it, you don't know why you're doing it even as you're joylessly doing it, and you, your partner and the rest of the world are thinking - 4 GAWD'S SAKE, Y U DOIN' IT BUB?????

After ICF staff members @Trichromatic and @Malcolm Merlyn attended the OPPO F3 and Indian Jersey Launch on the 4th of May in Mumbai, ICF and OPPO India are delighted to extend and deepen their partnership to boost interaction between fans and the Indian cricket team. To this end @Trichromatic shall be travelling as the guest of OPPO mobiles India to represent Indian Cricket Fans during the crucial game between India and Pakistan at Edgbaston, UK on 4th of June this Sunday. He shall be commenting on his experience via a blog for OPPO and will have the new revolutionary OPPO F3 phone to aid his process as he mixes with peers from the Indian sports journalist community. Team ICF would once again like to thank OPPO India for this opportunity and wish @Trichromatic and safe and enjoyable journey. Team ICF

Shastri the PR Bot... Will say whatever has been programmed into it!

What the goras and Pak did was understandable and on expected lines. Sri Lanka, at least they voted on same side as BCCI on proposed changes in governance model. And to their credit in 2014 when Windies pulled out of India tour SLCB filled in a 5 match series in India when their team was in the middle of a WC training camp. We repaid them by touring there next year and have bailed them out many times in the past. At least SLCB can work with BCCI, we need to monitor them in the future but no need to boycott as of now. The real backstabbers apart from the skunk Shashank Manohar are: 1. WI- Pulled out of 2014 tour, we forgave the $ 42mn fine and toured them last year. Guess what they do now: stab us in the back whilst surrendering themselves before their white masters. Not for the 1st time either. If you go back to the last 30 years when BCCI wasn't financially powerful, Windians have always voted in favor of Eng-Aus and against the brown folk. They even protested when the 1987 WC was awarded to India. We must STOP touring them henceforth. As such they are a 3rd class, gutless piece of wreck who will get their behinds handed by our Ranji teams. We have a scheduled tour of 5 ODIs, 1 T20 in July. I say forget the bloody tour. We can always buy their mercenaries for IPL, just make their board beg for money when their coffers dry out. And when they come with a begging bowl slap their asses right back. I am done with WICB. 2. Bangladesh- Most ungrateful nation on Planet Earth. These beggars were freed by Indian soldiers and we helped them out in 1971 including taking in 10 million refugees. We gave these no hopes Independence from their Pakistani masters. But the Kangladeshi slaves still hate India and worship their Pakistani masters. Not just in the political and social scene, these people are equally ungrateful on cricketing matters. They hate our team, they hate BCCI in spite of the fact that BCCI gave their crap team test status. We tour them so often whilst exposing our players to that filthy country and filthy, abusing Toyger fans. No need to expose our players to that hell hole of a joke country in the future. Stop all bilateral tours with Toygers. Let us see how they replace BCCI with PCB and gora boards in the future. Pakistan, Australia and maybe NZ in the future are unlikely to tour them....how long before the beggars just like the illegal Bangla immigrants run over to India with begging bowls only for BCCI to spit and poop in their bowl. 3. Zimbabwe- Worst on the list. A trainwreck of a country with no future. A shipwreck of a board who were all along surviving on BCCI dakshina. Australia, NZ and England will never tour there because of restrictions imposed by their governments. Only India with annual tours was keeping them afloat. No more annual alms to these traitors, not a single paisa. I want to see the death of Zimbabwe cricket now.

I went to the Afghanistan v Ireland match in Greater Noida and got some pics clicked with the cricketers :D

Just watched the pre match show by dr nauman with viv lara and chappel, the fraud daaktar desperately tries to show kohli's performance in bad light :- This is what he said about kohli:- His average in England is pathetic ( which is 38 in odis btw, he thinks an average of 38 in odis is bad oh the irony) kohli was flop in IPL He flop against australia He has just 2 tons against pakistan in 10 innings Junaid khan owned Kohli, he bowled 22 balls to kohli and gave away just 2 runs while picking him 3 times Sir Viv shuts the doc by saying that if kohli is in such a bad form than pak should be even more worried because he will click against them, Ian chappel gives an epic slap to the doctor by asking him that why does he think an average of 38 is bad in odis, he says it is a very good average to have in odis

Dravid got so many Indian youngsters under him and along with some other Indian senior players, has formed a formidable team combo. You do not have to be a Delhi Daredevils fan to like this team which has so many Indian future prospects. You can not root against such team which has so many future Indian players. Let's bless this team. Hail Dravid Mohammad Shami Shreyas Iyer Rishab Pant Karun Nair Sanju Samson Navdeep Saini Khaleel Ahmad Jayant Yadav Pratyush Singh Shahbaz Nadeem Milind Chama Amit Mishra Zaheer Khan