Viru

[DomainK]

Only Viru is capable of pushing a team in a position like England's on the back foot. It was amazing to see how England was bowling the negative defensive line outside the leg stump and India was on the attack. With a lead like that, no team would want to do that....but for when they run into Viru. That was total madness in the middle. England trying to save their aching backside and Viru chasing them with a bat all over the ground. That was carnage. Hayden needs to learn a lesson from Viru here about how you go out attacking in the second innings when the opposition has a big lead. Hayden tried to do the same to India and ended up looking totally clueless setting the perfect loss up for his team. Viru went out and made an example of how you totally tear the opposition out against all odds. That was incredible. I can not remember another incidence of an opener attacking like this defending such a lead. Almost any opener would go out there to bat slow and long. But not Viru.:adore: Most of the remaining batsmen in our lineup are capable of scoring fast. If the first session goes well, we can well win this match. And if we win the match, we will owe it to Viru.

[Cricketics]

Seriously, this guy is just Class. the way he batted last night, i mean just wow.. no one would have played this well. OnlY this guy is capable of playing like this for India, and he did and team needed that

[Dhondy]

The remaining batsmen will make sure we lose the match. You can try and act like Viru for a few minutes, but you have to think like him to pull it off. Once the wickets start falling, the defensive mindset will kick in. We are likely to lose this match one hour into the last session. Could we have won it if Viru was still in? Heck, yes. There can ever be only one Viru.

[Parth]

If he was still in I would say India had a 60% chance of winning, now only 40% chance.

[Cricketics]

The remaining batsmen will make sure we lose the match. You can try and act like Viru for a few minutes, but you have to think like him to pull it off. Once the wickets start falling, the defensive mindset will kick in. We are likely to lose this match one hour into the last session. Could we have won it if Viru was still in? Heck, yes. There can ever be only one Viru.

i think we have a good chance Dhondy because of the damage done by Sehwag. now the reading shows just 256 which is gettable. let's hope Gambhir and Dravid can score runs and that at good rate which can put pressure on england, who i am sure would be planning to bowl panesar and swan with negative lines

[Dhondy]

Cricketics, take it from me dude. I've been watching cricket for a lot longer than you, and India just don't do these kind of chases. There are people out there scarred from myriad past failures- the ghosts of Bombay, Durban, Bangalore. It doesn't matter that they are capable of doing it...they simply don't think they can do it. This will be a humiliating defeat for sure; who can take being beaten by an English side at home after whipping Australia 2-0? But unless rain intervenes, that's exactly what's going to happen. The English press will (rightly) hail it as the greatest feat since Ashes, and you, my dear friend will almost inevitably suffer a very cold turkey, the way you are going.

[Shane]

I think we will find it tough to script a win from here, coz that was a blinder by Viru on a pitch where the demons are setting in, unless some divine intervention (SRT)

[Lord]

i'm a huge viru fan,the way he thinks and plays is just awesome.unlike what boycott,he does have brains.he has a clear way of thinking and is always positive.in the interview b4 today ,he said 300+ would be possible easily.i just dont have words for his courage about the match,it'd be difficult to win from here.wew should have sent laxman at 3.now we shall be able to draw it.

[Fontaine]

This is still a good pitch. Our spinners didn't do so well but that's because the line for spin is still good and the pitch hasn't cracked or deteriorated on that line but it's cracked in other areas.

[DomainK]

I think we should send in YS at no4 instead of SRT this once(not because he can do it better than SRT, but because he is totally useless lower down). Whenever the first wicket falls, we should send in Yuvi. He can score fast, but if a defensive batting is required later when the pitch would be real bad, YS would be a total waste while SRT can still do it. YS's hitting abilities should be used at the top before the pitch gets too bad.

[Fontaine]

I think we should send in YS at no4 instead of SRT this once. Whenever the first wicket falls' date=' we should send in Yuvi. He can score fast, but if a defensive batting is required later when the pitch would be real bad, YS would be a total waste while SRT can still do it. YS's hitting abilities should be used at the top before the pitch gets too bad.[/quote'] Well whoever is batting now it all depends on who can score a century. If we're even come close in this match someone will have to score a century out of the remaining batsmen. I know history is against us but looking at the pitch and the England bowlers there's nobody there apart from Flintoff who worries me. Panesar, Swann, yeah they're decent bowlers but given how often our batsmen see spin and that Gambhir is still there, I'm not too concerned about it. It's not like we're up against McGrath, Warne or some of the West Indians. England are without the use of Harmison and Anderson because they've bowled useless stuff. KP is reliant on his spinners and Flintoff really and our batsmen have to keep the pressure on England.

[Lord]

This is still a good pitch. Our spinners didn't do so well but that's because the line for spin is still good and the pitch hasn't cracked or deteriorated on that line but it's cracked in other areas.

then tell me how swann was turning it miles and bouncing too,while bhajji didnt look threatening a all.bhajji is supposed to be better than krejza n swann but has been outbowled by them in two consecutive matches

[manoj_admlab]

Sehwag causes a racket http://blogs.cricinfo.com/tourofduty/archives/2008/12/sehwag_causes_a_racket.php December 14, 2008 Posted by Paul Winslow Wow. That was intense. I've been fortunate enough to have watched cricket all around the world but never in my life have I experienced anything like the bedlam in the ground today as Sehwag was smashing our bowling to all parts of the ground. The barrage of noise was intense. The Barmy Army is renowned for being loud and some might say rowdy, but compared to the Indian fans we're fairly quiet. Never have so many plastic bottles been banged against so many seats and made so much of a racket. It's a privilege to watch Test cricket overseas but this was something else. To witness such a great innings and to be party to the crowd's reaction is something that will live with us forever. And the nicest part of it all? When Swanny took Sehwag's wicket half the Indians in the crowd turned round and shook our hands. Much appreciated and our relationship with the Indian fans is a real highlight of this tour.

[manoj_admlab]

Inimitable Sehwag continues to astonish S Aga December 14, 2008 At the press conference after the day's play, Andrew Strauss spoke of a stroke that Virender Sehwag had played off Jimmy Anderson. The ball had pitched on off stump, but Sehwag had run it off the face of the bat between first and third slip. "There's not a lot you can do about that," Strauss said with a shrug. Fortunately for England, the Sehwag conundrum won't tax them on the final day, but there's a real possibility that the two hours of mayhem he unleashed might have transformed this game. The shot Strauss described wasn't even the most extraordinary Sehwag played. When Andrew Flintoff returned to bowl from the Pavilion end, he pitched one on a good length in the off-stump corridor. Sehwag rocked back and bunted the ball into the ground short of the slips. It looped over them and sped to the rope, bringing up India's 100 in just 18 overs. Ridiculous. Nothing's more fascinating than comparing how two people view the same event. When asked about his 68-ball 83, Sehwag suggested that he hadn't done anything differently. "It was my normal batting and I was not going after any particular player," he said. "They were giving me width for the cut and I just played my shots." Strauss saw it very differently. "He plays a game most people are unfamiliar with," he said, with something approaching amazement. "He almost manipulates the field. You change it, and it's like he says: 'Right, I'm going to hit it somewhere else now'." At times on Sunday afternoon, his execution was impeccable. A full toss from Monty Panesar was clipped through midwicket so precisely that the fieldsmen running across the rope met each other just as the ball squeezed past them and over. There were certainly echoes of Sachin Tendulkar and the flurry of shots that he unleashed against Pakistan once his back started to give way during that ultimately heartbreaking game in 1999. The motif of Sehwag's game is its simplicity, and those that reckon he has a wind-tunnel between his ears probably have simple minds. To compare him with the various crude sloggers that the game has seen is also woefully inaccurate. You don't score a century every four Tests that way, and you certainly don't do it across the variety of venues that Sehwag has. Apart from the Jayasuriya-like flail over third man, there's little unorthodox about his batting. He keeps his head beautifully still and plays the drive as fluently as he does the cut. And as he pointed out himself, it's a fallacy that he operates only at one tempo. "In Adelaide, I had played a full session without scoring a boundary and saved the game for India," he said, speaking of the remarkable innings that kept Australia at bay last January. "I can change my game to suit the conditions but today, the demand was there. I had to play aggressive shots, especially against the fast bowlers." Few teams, except those in baggy green, would seriously consider a tilt at 387 in 126 overs, on a pitch where the ball is turning sharply. To not give it a go though is anathema to the Sehwag way. The mantra is so simple. "If it's there to be hit, hit it." When you have such hand-eye co-ordination, it's as easily done as it is said. To compare him with the various crude sloggers that the game has seen is woefully inaccurate. You don't score a century every four Tests that way, and you certainly don't do it across the variety of venues that Sehwag has By the time he was dismissed, some of us were already looking at the scorecard for Lord's in 1984, when West Indies chased down 342 in 66.1 overs. Gordon Greenidge made 214 from 241 balls that day, though Vic Marks, the Observer correspondent who played in that era, said: "Even Gordon can't have started off like that!" For India to win from here - and thanks to Sehwag it has become a real possibility - the rest of the batting line-up must think in the same positive fashion. Sehwag's prescription for success was as uncomplicated as his batsmanship. "We need to bat for another 90 overs," he said. "If we bat 90 overs, we can score 250 or 260 runs. The wicket is still good to bat on. If you settle down, you can score runs." What India can't afford is a repeat of the all-fall-down-after-Sehwag mentality that cost them a Test match against Pakistan in Bangalore three years ago. By staying true to his character and trusting his natural instincts, he has given India an outstanding chance of winning a game that appeared to have drifted far out of reach on Sunday morning. His team-mates must now ensure that their minds aren't cluttered with doubt, their feet paralysed by indecision and their bats stilled by fear. Then again, they aren't Sehwag. He's inimitable, and one of a very special kind.

[The Outsider]

Cricketics, take it from me dude. I've been watching cricket for a lot longer than you, and India just don't do these kind of chases. There are people out there scarred from myriad past failures- the ghosts of Bombay, Durban, Bangalore. It doesn't matter that they are capable of doing it...they simply don't think they can do it. This will be a humiliating defeat for sure; who can take being beaten by an English side at home after whipping Australia 2-0? But unless rain intervenes, that's exactly what's going to happen. The English press will (rightly) hail it as the greatest feat since Ashes, and you, my dear friend will almost inevitably suffer a very cold turkey, the way you are going.

Why only this team? Chasing 400 in the last innings of a test match is fantasy in general and a super fantasy in India. We lost the test match in the first innings by collapsing to 100-5 but to blame the line up for collapses in the last innings of a test match in India is pointless. Pitches in India become nearly impossible to chase 300 in the last innings forget about 400 by the time the last round of a test is being played. Can you name any line up which has chased down substantial last innings scores in India?

[Lord]

Why only this team? Chasing 400 in the last innings of a test match is fantasy in general and a super fantasy in India. We lost the test match in the first innings by collapsing to 100-5 but to blame the line up for collapses in the last innings of a test match in India is pointless. Pitches in India become nearly impossible to chase 300 in the last innings forget about 400 by the time the last round of a test is being played. Can you name any line up which has chased down substantial last innings scores in India?

nope,the highest run chase in india is 275.

[Dhondy]

Why only this team? Chasing 400 in the last innings of a test match is fantasy in general and a super fantasy in India. We lost the test match in the first innings by collapsing to 100-5 but to blame the line up for collapses in the last innings of a test match in India is pointless. Pitches in India become nearly impossible to chase 300 in the last innings forget about 400 by the time the last round of a test is being played. Can you name any line up which has chased down substantial last innings scores in India?

Doesn't matter. Cricketics will still be one sad dude tomorrow.

[The Outsider]

Doesn't matter. Cricketics will still be one sad dude tomorrow.

Then he would have enjoyed a good 3 days of being happy because we lost this match on day 2.

[Bumper]

Oops sorry prof, i thought i was replying to your post, but actually ended up editing it:--D

[Bumper]

Why only this team? Chasing 400 in the last innings of a test match is fantasy in general and a super fantasy in India. We lost the test match in the first innings by collapsing to 100-5 but to blame the line up for collapses in the last innings of a test match in India is pointless. Pitches in India become nearly impossible to chase 300 in the last innings forget about 400 by the time the last round of a test is being played. Can you name any line up which has chased down substantial last innings scores in India?

But the deficit has been reduced to 256 now. The situation is equivalent to chasing a fourth innings target of 260 & us reduced to 4/1. Still a tough target for 4th innings, but if we dont fancy our chances against an English attack (that does not have a strong spin attack) in a supposedly spinner friendly pitch at home, how can we claim to have a great batting lineup ? Am not concerned about the ultimate result, but more about our attitude. The Aussies when faced with a 370+ target, came out attacking. While they werent successful, they had the self belief. Thats what make them champions. Even the weakest Aussie test team visiting India in close to a decade, with its chief opener (Hayden) out of form, came out swinging. Indian ODI side has started to think like that. But our test stars are still old fashioned. I reckon once the first wicket falls in the morning, we'll start playing for a draw.