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Things you will never forget about this Test match

Predator_05

By Predator_05
in Cricket Talk

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graphic23 Newbie

graphic23

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-i'm not watching the match but are England taking a LOT of time between overs or is CI just slow ? -They are taking their time...why aren't you watching it ? -Nah, I watched over the past 4 nights and we didn't do so well. I'm not watching and just following it on CI (for the past 5 hours) and we're doing well. So I'd like to keep it this way. -EVERY Indian cricket fan must WATCH this. -atleast ur better.. im not even following cricinfo....
Me! Me! Me! :-D I watched the last 25 runs though, and I wouldn't miss Sachin's final shot and reactions for anything. It was awesome
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Dhondy Newbie

Dhondy

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Every shot Sehwag played will stay long in memory, but so will three drives by Laxman. First, the inside out shot against Panesar, the shot he made his own against Warne. Next over, Freddie was driven through extra cover with flourish, and four balls later, a deadly straight drive off England's best bowler. Three boundaries on a pitch where nobody had dared drive for 3 days apart from one solo shot by Sehwag down the ground.

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Guest Hiten.

Guest Hiten.

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Every shot Sehwag played will stay long in memory, but so will three drives by Laxman. First, the inside out shot against Panesar, the shot he made his own against Warne. Next over, Freddie was driven through extra cover with flourish, and four balls later, a deadly straight drive off England's best bowler. Three boundaries on a pitch where nobody had dared drive for 3 days apart from one solo shot by Sehwag down the ground.
Laxman has to be promoted to #3 position. Imagine Veeru on a song and Laxi joining him. Laxman is a stroke-maker and will make sure the scorecard is ticking.
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Fontaine Newbie

Fontaine

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Ravi didn't just hug Tendulkar, he actually ran towards him and stopped just short, and then gave him a hug. What a moment. Also, Zaheer reverse swinging the ball BOTH ways. Especially that 140+ swinging thunderbolt of a yorker that nearly got Strauss. I'll never get tired of watching that kind of skill.

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Rajiv Enthusiast

Rajiv

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91.2 Saqlain Mushtaq to Tendulkar, FOUR, down the wicket, slams it over mid on 91.3 Saqlain Mushtaq to Tendulkar, FOUR, another cracker from sachin, this time towards deep midwicket region He was OUT after this =================== 95.2 Panesar to Tendulkar, FOUR, into the nineties with a cute little paddle sweep to beat fine leg 95.3 Panesar to Tendulkar, FOUR, classic shot, full and driven through the covers with interest The 2 4's reminded of that day

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Shehezaada Newbie

Shehezaada

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Leaving aside the quality of the cricket, which was truly exceptional, there were small things which i made a mental note of while watching this epic unfold. Collectively, they will all contribute to making this test an all-time classic. 1. Sehwag and Gambhir sitting in the pavilion, laughing to themselves at Amit Mishra who nonchalantly whacked Panesar over mid on for 4. India were trailing England by some 90 runs at this stage yet judging by the demeanor of these two, you would think they were 200 ahead. It was a shot Sehwag would have been proud of 2. Gary Kirsten talking about how India was, in his words, "a team is capable of anything", equipped with players that could do some "special stuff" on a cricket field after day 3, a day which was dominated by England. How right he was 3. Flintoff constant staring and chirping at Yuvraj in an attempt to get him rattled. Yuvraj would uncharacteristically walk over to square leg and avoid any eye contact. A sign of how much there was at stake. Flintoff also changed his bowling action at the release once - not raising his non-bowling arm in an effort to confuse the batsman...desperation ? 4. Harmison picking a ball up after it played back to him by Yuvraj and then throwing it straight at his toes. I wish bowlers wouldn't do this, one of these days those throws may cause some grievous bodily harm...:winky: 5. Sehwag and Kirsten chatting happily to each other in the pavilion, without a care in the world for anything. Their enthusiasm and carefree attitude is infectious 6. Tendulkar stuck on 49 for what seemed like 5 hours. The crowd would build up the noise, only for him to delay the inevitable. The tension while Harmison appealed for a close lbw which struck him just outside off-stump (but rising over only marginally) was palpable - the cheer from crowd following the Englishmen's frustration even more so. 7. Pietersen smiling cleverly in Yuvraj's direction during a drinks break, as if to say, 'awww come on, don't you fancy it', as the umpire walked in between them. Yuvraj was then seen talking to Pietersen, must have been pleading for him to play the game fairly without any verbal BS. So much restraint 8. The crowd, growing by the minute as India closed in on a historic victory, vociferously cheering every dot ball Yuvraj played with Tendulkar a run or two away from his hundred at the other end. Then the massive gasp as Tendulkar nearly knocked one back onto his stumps on 99...the crowd wearing their heart on their sleeves, feeling every move their adopted son made, willing him towards his hundred... 9. The reaction after Tendulkar paddle swept 4...the groundstaff - barefooted men in green shirts and shorts, diminutive women in sarees running over to Tendulkar just to touch him as he walked back, random people hugging him...and the master acknowledged them all. There was also a crippled boy whose hand he shook on route to the pavilion, and then Ravi Shastri embracing him as if he was a member of the team...commentator neutrality be damned, i'm an Indian cricket fan too, just for this one second. This is probably how nutty Evangelicals would greet Jesus if he ever returned...the world will never see another cricketer capable of commanding such strong, emotional reactions from the crowd. Now that's how you win a game. Needless to say, I hope the DVD comes out soon. INDIA 4 EVER
Great Post. And yes the great moment when Tendulkar wasn't afraid to acknowledge the groundspeople that just swarmed onto the pitch. Other cricketers in the past have shunned them away, Tendulkar never has. India Zindabad!
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Bumper Newbie

Bumper

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This is a watershed moment in Indian test history, not just because of the mamoth nature of the total, but more because of the manner in which it was won. 1) Indian teams of recent times were quite content to just win a series by bare minimal margins. After securing a 1-0 lead, we would be quite happy with a string of draws. All the while we lacked the ruthlessness that made Aussies a great team. It meant that opponents respected us, but were never shyte scared of us. By going for an unlikely total in the 4th innings, this team has not only successfully exorcised the ghosts of Bangalore, Durban, Karachi, Mumbai et al, but has also made a strong statement about its character. I hope this victory nspires us to go on & achieve greater things in the years to follow. At least we will no longer dismiss 300 & thereabouts as unchasable targets in the 4th innings. 2) This test will be remembered as Sachin's greatest test match in his 20 year career. A 4th innings ton chasing the highest ever total chased down in India & getting to the three figure mark while hitting the winning runs is as close to fairly tale as it gets. It is all the more special for Sachin, because this was one elusive stat that was missing in his resume that every other great player had. Besides these two highlights, some other things that interested me: 1) Dhoni's 4-0 winning streak. Lucky SOB! 2) Yuvraj's reentry into the Test XI: This is important, as he can fill in Ganguly's spot without compromising the experience part (as Yuvi has played international cricket for 8 years). While his potental is questionable abroad, I've always believed that Yuvraj will do well in subcontinental conditions. Just one peek at his record in the subcontinent tells the tale. All of his 3 tons come from the subcontinent. Average of 43 in India & 57 in Pakistan. More power to the selectors for picking Yuvraj ahead of other domestic bullies. 3) Ishant & Zaheer: Its easy to overlook the contributions of these two. Am convinced these days that if these two cannot take wickets, most bowlers would struggle in such conditions. And even when they arent taking wickets, they impact/turn the game with econimical spells for prolonged periods of time. 4) The Veeru effect: How do you better 150+ in Australia to save a test match ? By registering the first 300+ score in India ? How do you better that 319 in Chennai ? With a 201 in Lanka ? How do you top that 201 ? His 83 here is almost as good as his other knocks, if not better, for it inspired India to entertain thoughts of creating history, when we should have been scrambling to save the test match on Day 5. Whatta playah! 5) The Chennai effect: Similar to the effect Kolkatta had on captains enforcing follow ons, I want Chennai to remembered by opponent captains while setting 300ish 4th innings totals.

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Rajiv Enthusiast

Rajiv

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Awesomeness :two_thumbs_up: Sachin's speech about Mumbai was the most emotional part for me. The saddest part was all the groundsmen shaking Tendu's hand. Why saddest? For some reason it reminded me of all the poverty and suffering in India :((
For me it was the lady in sari..she felt that she shook hands with GOD ( touche ) - but I see your point, convert it in a positive manner..they have a job in this economy and how different is it than a groundskeeper elsewhere who would have a jersey and sneakers.
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