Well done India

[Dhondy]

Pleasantly surprised by one heck of a fight put up against almost overwhelming odds from 51 for 4. That was the highest 2nd innings score at Sydney ever. That's saying something.

[Chandan]

Very well played India. I never thought they'd reach that far after the dire state they were in . Sachin is extremely tired. I have been calling to rest him from the match when he sent a ball flying between Hayden and Gilly and none of them took it. Which match was that? Please rest him and give one last chance to someone else. Sehwag and Gambhir can handle the opening job. And the new fellow won't perform worse than what Sachin has been doing since these last few match. Gambhir really took me by surprise in this series. He has done well. And Uthappa did well on a good batting track as well. We shouldn't forget that Indians were batting under lights.

[IndianRenegade]

I didn't watch the match. I was traveling during the entire duration of the match. :(( From what I hear this has been a great match. For a change India seems to have done well chasing a big aussie total, though they lost. Good work!

[Anakin]

Great comeback. Never expected them to get that close.

[ludhianvi]

wow, turned out to be a lot closer than when I slept. Even though India lost, they put up a good fight.

[beetle]

They played well.Didn't expect them to reach thus far..... Gambhir was super......:two_thumbs_up:

[msb1991]

:thumbs_down: to Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh (experienced Yuvi, but stuck his bat out really poorly) These two are crucial in 300+ chases, experience, talent, etc etc. BUT let us down!!! poor hanging the bat by Rohit Sharma too, but hopefully he'll learn I do want Uthappa to play on bowling trackz as well. Otherwise he'll remain FTB

What rubbish! Tendulkar and Yuvraj carried us through 2006 and 2007 and you criticise them when they go through a run of bad form. Everyone goes through bad form, no one can constantly hit fifties. Talking about Uthappa as a flat track bully as if it completely strips all of his positives is also rubbish. Flat track or no flat track, he weathered the storm of a strong Australian attack whilst scoring quickly. The fact is that there are flat pitches all around the world in ODIs; England, Australia, India, West Indies, South Africa, you name it, batting pitches are the future of ODIs. They draw in the most crowds and are most exciting to watch. Bowling tracks are good for a change but the reality is that they will not be common in ODIs in the future.

[Bumper]

I switched off at 51/4 & went to bed. I didnt expect us to cross 150. Was pleasently surprised to see us reach 300. This is the first time in a long while an Indian ODI team has given the Aussies a run for their money consistently. We dont wanna sneak a win or two, reach the finals & get mauled. Such performances, will help our spirits, come the finals. Win a friggin toss, Dhoni!

[amits]

well played to india. to almost win a match despite being 51/4 and even the required run-rate above 8.5 for more than 20 overs is a superb effort. gambhir & uthappa played well under pressure and almost pulled off a thrilling win. if we had won it it would have been a even bigger win than the natwest win in 2002 as india was in a worser position against a stronger opponent. would like to c india post some thrilling comeback wins in finals. even after gambhir was out for a well made 113 with about 100 runs still to get at a rrr of 10, the lower order alongwith uthappa stepped upto the challenge and took to within 18 runs of a win

[S.R.Tendulkar]

Yea we came so close, almost there, better luck next time. Lets just beat Lankans and give berth to a place in the finals in next match.

[Zakhmi]

At the end MSD has asked the seniors to perform/deliver with all their experience when the time demands. In this match also, we find that freshers have come up for the re-construction of early damage done.

[Predator_05]

For a team like India to compete with the best ODI side in the world on an even keel is quite amazing in itself. I don't really care if India loses these matches - the fact that these tykes can fight it out against the best in the business and push them all the way tells me that Indian cricket has a bright future. The Aussies are a fine team but they are getting old and their replacements won't be as good as these all-time greats like Gilchrist, Ponting, Hayden, etc. Big shoes to fill and all that. It's only a matter of time before the Indian cricket team takes over from them and establishes itself as the DADDY of world cricket :D

[Zakhmi]

For a team like India to compete with the best ODI side in the world on an even keel is quite amazing in itself. I don't really care if India loses these matches - the fact that these tykes can fight it out against the best in the business and push them all the way tells me that Indian cricket has a bright future. The Aussies are a fine team but they are getting old and their replacements won't be as good as these all-time greats like Gilchrist, Ponting, Hayden, etc. Big shoes to fill and all that. It's only a matter of time before the Indian cricket team takes over from them and establishes itself as the DADDY of world cricket :D

Thats right, but their domestic cricket gives fully prepared cricketers to their national team. We, in India need to develop our domestic cricket. Isn't it?

[Predator_05]

Thats right' date=' but their domestic cricket gives fully prepared cricketers to their national team. We, in India need to develop our domestic cricket. Isn't it?[/quote'] Yes, but that will never happen. Too much corruption, bureaucracy, and apathy amongst the fat cats at the top. And now with all the IPL stuff emerging, the Ranji, the Duleep will get shoved further into the background. Journalists might not even cover it periodically because they will be too busy chasing the latest IPL scoop. But that doesn't matter, since good players will find their way into the national team no matter what. After all, Indian cricket has standards to maintain and with all the talent we have, there will always be good players around (and people to watch them).

[Zakhmi]

but onething is sure that aussies will never short of talent at once, isn't it? as you told that talents will find their way out for India, but we cannot get handful of it at a time.

[Predator_05]

No, the Aussies will still be a good team. Just not good enough to win 16 tests in a row again, 4 world cups, etc. They will be up there, but they won't be the undisputed #1 like they were throughout this decade. At this point in time, India has more than enough young talent in the ranks to become a formidable side even after Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Lax call it quits

[Zakhmi]

agreed. Lets hope that the same spirit and talent remains after the IPL phase to serve and play for the nation, then only we will get a successful team in India.

[prince40]

what an amusing thread- so the posters have lowered their standards and are happy coming 2nd best as long as we compete:haha: quite a distance from the ganguly captaincy haydays and even the present test team standards when we walked/walk the field expecting to beat aus not just "compete"

[suraj]

what an amusing thread- so the posters have lowered their standards and are happy coming 2nd best as long as we compete:haha: quite a distance from the ganguly captaincy haydays and even the present test team standards when we walked/walk the field expecting to beat aus not just "compete"

And ganguly ass lickers like you must have thrown a celebration party anyway- India minus your Dada means **** to you :finger:

[Sachinism]

please selectors give raina a chance now dhoni win the damn toss