Discussing the 2nd test between India and SA at Kolkata, 2010

[Guest Hiten.]

ARGH! I wanted India to bat out SA and score around 550ish. India had to make use of the batting advantage on Day 2 and 3 pitch, I really hope we can somehow stretch our batting till the tea. A lead of 150-200 is what I am expecting/looking at.

[achilles]

He's not Punter, so he might get banned, if his team's overrate remains abysmal all test.

[achilles]

Alviro Peterson, take a :bow: Sir.

[riya]

Yes playing debut in Eden Gardens itself is a challenge and scoring a century is very special.Well done.

[vvvslaxman]

I agree. Manjrekar that "over analytical" POC (piece of crap) will not hesitate to put down Sehwag when things don't go right for him.

[azanian]

He batted like so0meone who has been oplaying international cricket for many years. The selected chose him a few years back but Smith was against the selection and chose his buddy Neil McKenzie

[jusarrived]

Manjrekar is a two-faced fickle *****, who would in no time start questioning the players' caliber as soon as his forms dips. I never take anything seriously when this bastard gives out his opinion. As I said earlier, had Sehwag not played a rash shot in the first innings at Nagpur there would have been talks about dull and boring draw. His centuries not only come faster but are bulkier. The faster you wipe out your deficit or get closer to opponents' score, the more pressure you put on them. This man is sheer genius

haha cos he criticized Tendulkar ?

[dial_100]

Realistic lead? Guys. What do you think should be enough lead that we can get with remaining batting line? In my view, the first two seasons are quite easy to bat on so, we should try to extend the lead beyond 200. This way we can safely win this game, even by an innings but at least it gives us sufficient control. Dhoni needs to take the responsibility along with VVS and take us beyond 490. Not whole lot to ask, just another 150 with 50+ from Dhoni and VVS. Looking forward for Day 3. B->B->

[Karan114]

All things considered, I would be happy with a lead of 100 from here. The tailenders can be blown away by Steyn pretty quickly and neither Dhoni nor VVS has a good record against SA. Unfortunately both Veeru and SRT got out with just 15-20 minutes left on day 2. That has given South Africa a chance to get back into this game unfortunately. If even one had made it through, things would have been different. Of course I will be hoping VVS or Dhoni makes a decent score and we can stretch the lead to 150+, but realistically, 100 would be decent from this position. As for chances of winning...well let's not forget for large chunks of this series the bowling has been a one man show. Should the Saffers get off to a good start things could get pretty ominous for us.

[gult]

I am very sure one of Dhoni and VVS gets fifty this time. And our tail is good enough to take the lead to 200+. A few overs of caution in the first session is all that's needed.

[kabira]

actually this could be good for India. If we survive initial spell from Styen and Morkel especially if Laxman and Dhoni survive. they will ball only 12 hour in an hour. There were 5 overs behind today, they took 5 wickets and each wicket means 4 mins time deducted, so each wicket is equal to an over. By the first hour, they will be 8 hours behind, and Smith will have no choice but to use spinners just like Ponting had to in Perth and Nagpur.

[jusarrived]

anything less than 150 , we would have allowed SA to get back into the match . Smith is very dangerous in such situations & he is due for a big one ..hope Zaheer can take care of him , one last time !

[Anakin]

200 Watch Misra and Bhajji torture them

[Sachinism]

we are 50 ahead already, I believe we can manage 100 more

[kabira]

slow over rate from SA will help us

[Karan114]

Smith is very dangerous in such situations & he is due for a big one ..hope Zaheer can take care of him ' date=' one last time ![/quote'] This is true, especially if they rip through us quickly tomorrow morning, the momentum will be with them and Smith can really race away and knock off the lead in no time...damn, this could go all very wrong from the high of 330/2 with SRT/Veeru battering them around...

[davidcooper]

we need 150 minimum, would be nice to get upto 200+.

[dial_100]

I think, Viru and SRT did their parts. It was unfortunate that they got out but lets not under estimate Dhoni and VVS. If they manage to stay for 10-15 overs in the morning, then with Bhajji and Zak, another 150 is very much on the board.

[dial_100]

With substantial lead, Saffies will be under preasure. Only with added preasure, we can win it easility. Or it will be bit of a struggle.

[Fontaine]

With the old ball reversing, morning conditions helping the fast bowlers and a new ball due in a few overs we would have batted very well to get a lead of 150. I doubt that happens though, SA have the bowlers to fully exploit the conditions and the new ball and our tailenders including Mishra aren't going to put up much of a resistence against the new ball. The partnership of VVS and Dhoni is the crucial one.