That was insane!!!

[achilles]

who two,Kumbles gone now:(( we tend to give Bhajji lot of rope on reputation,i wonder they should give some rope to one of them,i'm sure it'll be much better.they'll develop

Bhajji is India's spearhead in the spin department. He will come good sooner or later. As for Sreesanth and Zaheer, I think Sree can learn a thing or two from Zak, who uses his tongue too but knows how to balance it all out by bowling jaffers at will and sending the batsmen packing.

[gaurav92]

It will take the Gods eons to find a post' date=' just on ICF, more moronic and irrational than this one. Harbhajan Singh needs to reborn several times over before he can match 1/2 the grit that Kumble showed in tough circumstances. Here's a spin bowler who can't take a guy hitting him for a six and instantly starts bowling darts on leg stump - and you're comparing him with Kumble - bravo. Your intelligence couldn't possibly go lower - or could it?[/quote'] I can understand your emotions Gra, that was seriously lame comparison :((

[Ram]

After that rather promising start against Australia in 08, he has been rather disappointing. Don’t want to get too harsh on him though - Its not easy for spinners out there. The tracks are getting slower and lower, we don’t get these raging turners anymore (due to the constant whining from ICC) and the batsmen seem to be getting more and more accomplished at playing spin these days.

[gaurav92]

After that rather promising start against Australia in 08' date=' he has been rather disappointing. Don’t want to get too harsh on him though - Its not easy for spinners out there. The tracks are getting slower and lower, we don’t get these raging turners anymore (due to the constant whining from ICC) and the batsmen seem to be getting more and more accomplished at playing spin these days.[/quote'] Batsman are getting more and more accomplished due to the tracks getting slower, making it easy to read a bowler off the pitch and cut down the turn. Also the bowler seeing such tracks, normally go defensive and starts bowling defensively once he isn't getting wickets due to frustration

[Show_stopper]

SL batsmen have traditionally owned our spinnners..even Kumble on his last tour couldn't do much.

[jusarrived]

I actually thot he bowled pretty well & infact dont remember the last time our spinners having an impact on a first day pitch of a test match

[saneindian]

After that rather promising start against Australia in 08' date=' he has been rather disappointing. Don’t want to get too harsh on him though - Its not easy for spinners out there. The tracks are getting slower and lower, we don’t get these raging turners anymore (due to the constant whining from ICC) and the batsmen seem to be getting more and more accomplished at playing spin these days.[/quote'] The biggest reason for Mishra's fall is his own fitness. The paunch was looking shameful. For someone trying to cement his place in the side, one would expect him to be at the peak of his fitness. But in Mishra's case (and for Ojha as well), there seems to be a complete disregard for that aspect. And the results have shown, Mishra , with a poor fitness, got hammered in the Zimbabwe tri series and has lost his rhythm completely. And the disappointing thing is he has not been able to shed that extra flab in the last 45 days despite knowing fully well that he would be playing tests for India in the coming days.

[Ram]

The biggest reason for Mishra's fall is his own fitness. The paunch was looking shameful. For someone trying to cement his place in the side, one would expect him to be at the peak of his fitness. But in Mishra's case (and for Ojha as well), there seems to be a complete disregard for that aspect. And the results have shown, Mishra , with a poor fitness, got hammered in the Zimbabwe tri series and has lost his rhythm completely. And the disappointing thing is he has not been able to shed that extra flab in the last 45 days despite knowing fully well that he would be playing tests for India in the coming days.

I hear you dude, but lets keep things in perspective – He’s not a fast bowler, nor is he a batsmen who needs to run up and down the pitch and still find the strength/stamina to score runs. He’s spinner, and quite frankly, you need to have chisel jaws and have a sub 16 bf % to be a good one. Of course, that is no reason for an elite athlete representing his country at the international level to look horribly out-of-shape, but still.. Speaking of fitness – This is the fittest I have ever seen Virender Sehwag look. He was obviously not kidding when he posted all those tweets about him training at the gym and eating a sugar-free diet. Sachin looks in a great shape as well.

[Ram]

Batsman are getting more and more accomplished due to the tracks getting slower, making it easy to read a bowler off the pitch and cut down the turn. Also the bowler seeing such tracks, normally go defensive and starts bowling defensively once he isn't getting wickets due to frustration

Its weird how spinners keep getting tonked all over the place these days. Bhajji/Mishra look toothless, Mendis looks like a basketball star whose talents were sucked away by mystery aliens in the movie ‘Space Jam’, Kaneria was whooped even by the traditionally-suspect-against-spin English.

[saneindian]

I hear you dude, but lets keep things in perspective – He’s not a fast bowler, nor is he a batsmen who needs to run up and down the pitch and still find the strength/stamina to score runs. He’s spinner, and quite frankly, you need to have chisel jaws and have a sub 16 bf % to be a good one. Of course, that is no reason for an elite athlete representing his country at the international level to look horribly out-of-shape, but still.. Speaking of fitness – This is the fittest I have ever seen Virender Sehwag look. He was obviously not kidding when he posted all those tweets about him training at the gym and eating a sugar-free diet. Sachin looks in a great shape as well.

I am not saying he should be fit like a pro athelete, but still putting on 7-8 kgs in 2 months doesn't help. Look at Mishra's bowling action (especially the time he releases the ball), the pivot and the landing step after that are quite important. With so much flab on his waist, obviously he is struggling to pivot as much as he used to earlier (which helped him bowl with a side-on action and get more turn and control) . That looked to have completely messed up his rhythm. Anyways he cant reduce his weight overnight, so lets hope and pray that he is somehow able to bowl some magic deliveries and get quick lankan wickets.

[Ram]

I am not saying he should be fit like a pro athelete, but still putting on 7-8 kgs in 2 months doesn't help. Look at Mishra's bowling action (especially the time he releases the ball), the pivot and the landing step after that are quite important. With so much flab on his waist, obviously he is struggling to pivot as much as he used to earlier (which helped him bowl with a side-on action and get more turn and control) . That looked to have completely messed up his rhythm. Anyways he cant reduce his weight overnight, so lets hope and pray that he is somehow able to bowl some magic deliveries and get quick lankan wickets.

How some of these guys have the guts (pun intended) to turn up on pre-series, boot-camp day, looking the way they do, simply blows my mind. 90% of the people I see in gym are fitter than some of our cricketers and that’s an unspeakable shame. You don’t have to look all ripped and muscular like the Aussies, but at least, look fit and sturdy. (Sehwag’s a great example of a guy who’s in the process of making that transformation)

[kabira]

Confidence is big thing. Mishra has lost the confidence.

[thevortex]

The least of Mishra's problems is his paunch! He has to think like an attacking leg spinner. Not like he is doing a job in a T20 match. Bowling fast, flat and without any loop or drift. Forget turn. I will be very surprised if he turns over a new leaf in this Test. I remember when people were praising him, I was still far from happy with him as a leg spinner. None of those concerns have been addressed - looking at him today. Ojha seems to have garnered some praise. But Sangakkara's wicket was a gift given by the batsman. I will give him some benefit of doubt because this is the first day.

[achilles]

It will take the Gods eons to find a post' date=' just on ICF, more moronic and irrational than this one. Harbhajan Singh needs to reborn several times over before he can match 1/2 the grit that Kumble showed in tough circumstances. Here's a spin bowler who can't take a guy hitting him for a six and instantly starts bowling darts on leg stump - and you're comparing him with Kumble - bravo. Your intelligence couldn't possibly go lower - or could it?[/quote'] If a moron like you can state his "opinion" er... rant, er... opinin, I'm entitled to my opinion as well. Bhajji shows fight and I believe he does. I really don't care what you say.

[graphic23]

If a moron like you can state his "opinion" er... rant' date=' er... opinin, I'm entitled to my opinion as well. Bhajji shows fight and I believe he does. I really don't care what you say.[/quote'] Oh, you can hold your opinion. Its the fact that your belief has no evidence that makes you an idiot. My reasoning is simple. Harbhajan Singh is a bowler. To show that he has grit means that he strives to get a wicket in any condition possible, and is always looking for one. Out of the plethora of tests he has played thus far, you can show me only a handful in which he has truly attacked the batsman and not chickened out, which is his default state. Ergo => Not even close to someone who can compared to be .5*Anil Kumble. Math doesn't lie. You're just an idiot for having a "belief" or "opinion" that is not based on evidence. You realize opinion is saying that one food tastes better than another - not saying Harbhajan is a Punjabi guy, and therefore he's strong hearted by default - thats just stereotyping and being an.. idiot. Funny how that word keeps popping everytime I have to refer to you and your (lack of) intelligence.

[Chandan]

The least of Mishra's problems is his paunch! He has to think like an attacking leg spinner. Not like he is doing a job in a T20 match. Bowling fast, flat and without any loop or drift. Forget turn. I will be very surprised if he turns over a new leaf in this Test. I remember when people were praising him, I was still far from happy with him as a leg spinner. None of those concerns have been addressed - looking at him today. Ojha seems to have garnered some praise. But Sangakkara's wicket was a gift given by the batsman. I will give him some benefit of doubt because this is the first day.

So why do you think he was a bit successful in 2008, even 2010 against SL was struggled to bowl even one good ball in an over?

[achilles]

Oh, you can hold your opinion. Its the fact that your belief has no evidence that makes you an idiot. My reasoning is simple. Harbhajan Singh is a bowler. To show that he has grit means that he strives to get a wicket in any condition possible, and is always looking for one. Out of the plethora of tests he has played thus far, you can show me only a handful in which he has truly attacked the batsman and not chickened out, which is his default state. Ergo => Not even close to someone who can compared to be .5*Anil Kumble. Math doesn't lie. You're just an idiot for having a "belief" or "opinion" that is not based on evidence. You realize opinion is saying that one food tastes better than another - not saying Harbhajan is a Punjabi guy, and therefore he's strong hearted by default - thats just stereotyping and being an.. idiot. Funny how that word keeps popping everytime I have to refer to you and your (lack of) intelligence.

I'd like to state a short story which makes me believe that Bhajji's got the grit in him- Bhajji was thrown out of the NCA, was on the verge of becoming a truck driver in Canada and things had fallen apart. Then Dada picked him, fighting all the selectors and the sheer tenacity that young boy showed on the Australian tour changed his life. Bhajji became a force-to-reckon-with since that series and everyone started taking him seriously after his consistent exploits over the years with the ball in most cricketing nations, at home and at international tournaments. Not only is he a decent bowler, he's also a handy bat who has on more occasions than one helped the team out in a spot of bother, more recently being the match against Pakistan. He's having a rough time, due to injury or loss of form, or both. However, you would concede that writing him off and speaking against my support for Bhajji is not going to stop him from standing up and delivering again. Ups and downs are a part of cricket. Even Sachin paaji has had his critics, his leaps and falls and so has Anil bhai. The difference between the ones who give and those who don't is "FIGHT". Bhajji has it in him to be the next Anil Kumble, the next leader of the pack and he's going to fight it out to the end. You know it, I know it.