Well the one-off T20 match between India and England was just another instance of one team over estimating itself and in the process taking the opposition or granted. This time, it was not a hare-tortoise story that was the case with India but this was a result of the wrong selection of the playing XI which proved costly for India. The match definitely was a costly one for India where the loss was not restricted to one match alone but was as good as a series loss where India lost all the T20 games it played. Loss record for India is 100% in the T20 tournament against England this series.
Though only one T20 game was played, a loss in that means India lost 100% of its matches. Coming to the game, it was not a good decision to include someone like Robin Uttappa in the playing XI when one has to take a long route to trace back when exactly did Uttappa last play an international T20 match. That was not a bad decision as well when Uttappa has been a player on the to be included lists but, yesterday's scorecard says it all. All that Uttappa could score was a single before Kieswetter caught him behind the stumps.
There have been matches in this bilateral series where huge totals have been chased down but there have been no games where small totals have been defended successfully. And, with that fact in front of us, it should come in as no surprise that a total of 120 stood nowhere when it comes to chasing and England did exactly that. Though Suresh Raina was successful to a little extent, the batsman with the highest strike-rate happened to be Ashwin who scored 17 runs at a strike rate of 154.54 runs. The generosity of the Indian batsmen was evident when they gave away 2 overs maiden.
There was surprisingly nothing much to complain about the English batsmen when they had the match well in their chance. Thanks to the total of 120 set up by the Indian batsmen which didn't make any of the English batsmen to fear for. Though here were initial strikes of Hales and Kieswetter, the batsmen who came in later had little to do with most of the damage being done by the bowlers. One can go through the scorecard to see who the major wicket-takers were. If not for Jadeja, the rest of the players who returned with a wicket were part-time bowlers.
Showing posts with label India vs England. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India vs England. Show all posts
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
England had come to lose
It is nothing but a well sought after loss to England when they couldn't even come close to the target of 272 despite at one stage of the game being in a comfortable position at 129-0. With such a start, most of the teams in the ICC's list would have played a spoilsport to a team that had plans to whitewash their opposition rather than support the same. Keeping that initial grip apart, England could manage only 47 runs from 15 overs at a run-rate of just over 3.00 runs an over. One has to doubt whether it was the same England who whitewashed India on their previous tour.
With such a dismal performance, it is difficult to say where the problem lies with England. Was it because of the fact that the powerplay got over which was responsible for their batting debacle or was it that the Indian bowlers got their rhythm only after the 21st over or last but not the least, if not for their openers, no one had come prepared for the game? One can understand the problem the English batsmen have playing spin bowling under sub-continent conditions. But, if someone like Ashwin and Jadeja can tackle players with a decade old experience, there can be little said about such team.
There were the likes of Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara who could have done a bit to save some face for their team. Earlier as well, things didn't go on as smoothly for the Indian batsmen when Gautam Gambhir and Rahane had to be patient when facing the new ball. In the end, it was Dhoni's quickfire 75* runs that saw the Indian total cross the 250 run mark. In my opinion, Mahendra Singh Dhoni should have been the man of the match along with Ravindra Jadeja. But, Jadeja was also not a bad choice for the award.
First of all, it was a wrong decision to allow the hosts to bat on a pitch that was tough for the batsmen which was evident when hard hitting batsmen like Dhoni and Gambhir had to fight with patience initially until the could settle down. Due to that mistake from Alistair Cook, Dhoni and with that India got the advantage of slog overs towards the end of the innings which Dhoni efficiently used. But still, losing 9 wickets for 47 runs speaks it all for England to have got used to losing or donated the match to India. With a T20 game left, one has to see whether India can make it 6-0.
With such a dismal performance, it is difficult to say where the problem lies with England. Was it because of the fact that the powerplay got over which was responsible for their batting debacle or was it that the Indian bowlers got their rhythm only after the 21st over or last but not the least, if not for their openers, no one had come prepared for the game? One can understand the problem the English batsmen have playing spin bowling under sub-continent conditions. But, if someone like Ashwin and Jadeja can tackle players with a decade old experience, there can be little said about such team.
There were the likes of Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara who could have done a bit to save some face for their team. Earlier as well, things didn't go on as smoothly for the Indian batsmen when Gautam Gambhir and Rahane had to be patient when facing the new ball. In the end, it was Dhoni's quickfire 75* runs that saw the Indian total cross the 250 run mark. In my opinion, Mahendra Singh Dhoni should have been the man of the match along with Ravindra Jadeja. But, Jadeja was also not a bad choice for the award.
First of all, it was a wrong decision to allow the hosts to bat on a pitch that was tough for the batsmen which was evident when hard hitting batsmen like Dhoni and Gambhir had to fight with patience initially until the could settle down. Due to that mistake from Alistair Cook, Dhoni and with that India got the advantage of slog overs towards the end of the innings which Dhoni efficiently used. But still, losing 9 wickets for 47 runs speaks it all for England to have got used to losing or donated the match to India. With a T20 game left, one has to see whether India can make it 6-0.
Monday, October 24, 2011
A totally clueless England
Looking at yesterday's game between India and England, one has to pinch himself to see whether it was a dream that he was witnessing when India crushed England yet another time despite winning the series for the fourth consecutive time to return the favor back to the touring nation. That was not the Indian team with the likes of Sehwag and Yuvraj doing the trick with the bat but some Varun Aaron whose name was felt only yesterday when he grabbed 3 wickets returning with a spell that read 6.1-1-24-3. As an Indian cricket fan I wish there were more than 5 games.
Had the series been a 7 match one, India would have made history when they would have become the first ever team to have won all their matches in a 7 match one day series. Players like Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin make their names felt only once in a blue moon. But, against a team like England and especially yesterday, they had their ball do the talking. Though Praveen Kumar and Vinay Kumar proved comparatively costly with the ball, they had a wicket against their names and an over maiden. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were the most successful bowlers with 3 and 2 wickets respectively.
It was confusing whether the pitch aided the bowlers or the batsmen when India were on the top in both the departments while England were at the receiving end in both. Had the pitch aided the batsmen, England, with the likes of Pietersen, Cook and Bopara should have made it count. But, all England could manage was 220 on the board finishing their innings with 4 more overs still to go. And, had the pitch been a bowler's paradise, then still the Indian batsmen should not have seen the match end with 10 more overs still to go. Does England have an answer?
India had three quick wickets falling when Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane and Parthiv Patel fell early. Thanks to Greame Swann who grabbed three wickets out of the four that fell to see at least one English bowler returning successful. With that initial success, though a win was far from reach, the match should not have ended so early when there were ten more overs left. May be the English captain wanted to prove that England batsmen played more than the Indian batsmen could manage. To put an end to the sweet revenge, all India now require is a win in the fifth ODI and a win in the one-off T20 match.
Had the series been a 7 match one, India would have made history when they would have become the first ever team to have won all their matches in a 7 match one day series. Players like Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin make their names felt only once in a blue moon. But, against a team like England and especially yesterday, they had their ball do the talking. Though Praveen Kumar and Vinay Kumar proved comparatively costly with the ball, they had a wicket against their names and an over maiden. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were the most successful bowlers with 3 and 2 wickets respectively.
It was confusing whether the pitch aided the bowlers or the batsmen when India were on the top in both the departments while England were at the receiving end in both. Had the pitch aided the batsmen, England, with the likes of Pietersen, Cook and Bopara should have made it count. But, all England could manage was 220 on the board finishing their innings with 4 more overs still to go. And, had the pitch been a bowler's paradise, then still the Indian batsmen should not have seen the match end with 10 more overs still to go. Does England have an answer?
India had three quick wickets falling when Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane and Parthiv Patel fell early. Thanks to Greame Swann who grabbed three wickets out of the four that fell to see at least one English bowler returning successful. With that initial success, though a win was far from reach, the match should not have ended so early when there were ten more overs left. May be the English captain wanted to prove that England batsmen played more than the Indian batsmen could manage. To put an end to the sweet revenge, all India now require is a win in the fifth ODI and a win in the one-off T20 match.
Friday, October 21, 2011
No total is big for Dhoni's men
It is now a matter of past that India have won the series after won the third ODI at Mohali yesterday when they were the favorites to not only win the series but also to whitewash the England team that is touring the sub-continent nation. Yesterday, needless to be said, India beat England after chasing a total in excess of 300 for yet another time. It is non countable the number of times India have successfully chased down a 300+ total in one dayers. The only difference between the third ODI and the previous two one dayers was that this time England put up a better performance with the bat.
For a change, Alistair Cook who did the damage to a little extent with the bat was found to crash when he fell with the scoreboard reading just 8 runs with his contribution being 3. However, the incoming batsmen did a fab job by bringing up a total of 298 which may was the maximum the English batsmen could manage at least in this series. But, needless to be said, that total was too less for the likes of Dhoni, Jadeja and co when they had the target with four balls to go and with 5 wickets still in hand.
It is obvious for someone like Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli to inflict a damage on the opposition bowlers. But,for a change, even some Ajinkya Rahane was able to do the same along with a decent support given by Parthiv Patel from the other end. Rahane scored 91 which was his maiden effort that won a match for India and was awarded the man of the match. Earlier in the day, it is not sure whether Dhoni was experimenting with his bowlers when he repeatedly tossed the ball to Umesh Yadav who went in for over 7.00 runs an over.
Luckily, for Dhoni and India, all those bowlers who did not bowl their full quota of 10 overs had a wicket against their name when Kohli, Vinay Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja returned with a wicket each. The England captain was never found taking any sort of risk when he didn't hand the ball to Ravi Bopara despite going for just 4.00 runs an over. Four bowlers from England completed their quota of 10 overs which proved costly for them. Everything apart, if someone like Rahane, Parthiv Patel etc start scoring quick runs, the caliber of the England has to come under scrutiny.
For a change, Alistair Cook who did the damage to a little extent with the bat was found to crash when he fell with the scoreboard reading just 8 runs with his contribution being 3. However, the incoming batsmen did a fab job by bringing up a total of 298 which may was the maximum the English batsmen could manage at least in this series. But, needless to be said, that total was too less for the likes of Dhoni, Jadeja and co when they had the target with four balls to go and with 5 wickets still in hand.
It is obvious for someone like Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli to inflict a damage on the opposition bowlers. But,for a change, even some Ajinkya Rahane was able to do the same along with a decent support given by Parthiv Patel from the other end. Rahane scored 91 which was his maiden effort that won a match for India and was awarded the man of the match. Earlier in the day, it is not sure whether Dhoni was experimenting with his bowlers when he repeatedly tossed the ball to Umesh Yadav who went in for over 7.00 runs an over.
Luckily, for Dhoni and India, all those bowlers who did not bowl their full quota of 10 overs had a wicket against their name when Kohli, Vinay Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja returned with a wicket each. The England captain was never found taking any sort of risk when he didn't hand the ball to Ravi Bopara despite going for just 4.00 runs an over. Four bowlers from England completed their quota of 10 overs which proved costly for them. Everything apart, if someone like Rahane, Parthiv Patel etc start scoring quick runs, the caliber of the England has to come under scrutiny.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Sweet revenge 1 for India
It is needless to be said about the way Indians will take on the English team on their return series to India where they are scheduled to play 5 one dayers and one T20 game. Luckily for England, there will be no test matches to worry about. Had this been something similar to the Ashes, they would have retained the title for a mere 2 months before surrendering the same to India. Yesterday, at Hyderabad India registered a first win against England by 126 runs which was more than any margin of victory for both teams in the last two series played against each other.
The English bowlers had absolutely no answers to the helicopter shot by Mahendra Singh Dhoni who top scored with 87 and was awarded the man of the match. There were contributions from other batsmen as well that included Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Gautam Gambhir to a greater extent. The only bowler from England who tasted success a little bit was Graeme Swann who had an over maiden and a wicket to his name. Of course, even Steven Finn and Jade Dernbach also returned with a wicket but were at the same time belted for more than 6.0 runs an over.
If the batsmen did their work by scoring runs and keeping the scoreboard ticking, even the bowlers were not short of performing their duty when no bowler bowled his complete quota of 10 overs and still saw all 10 wickets from England tumbling as though it was a day 5 of a test match. If not for Alistair Cook, no other batsmen had a worthy contribution with the bat though Jonathan Trott stayed there at the crease for a decent amount of time. 6 out of the eleven English batsmen who made it to the crease (obviously) returned back scoring single digit scores.
England's innings got over with close to 15 overs of their game still to go. Scorecard suggests that only Praveen Kumar had an over maiden under his name though other bowlers were no short in tackling their opposition. Umesh Yadav was the most expensive bowler who gave away runs at a rate of 6.40 runs an over which can be forgiven, given India's victory over the trouble torn team and with Umesh Yadav being in his early cricketing days. The first six in the English innings came from the blades of the number 10 batsman - Steven Finn who luckily remained unbeaten.
The English bowlers had absolutely no answers to the helicopter shot by Mahendra Singh Dhoni who top scored with 87 and was awarded the man of the match. There were contributions from other batsmen as well that included Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Gautam Gambhir to a greater extent. The only bowler from England who tasted success a little bit was Graeme Swann who had an over maiden and a wicket to his name. Of course, even Steven Finn and Jade Dernbach also returned with a wicket but were at the same time belted for more than 6.0 runs an over.
If the batsmen did their work by scoring runs and keeping the scoreboard ticking, even the bowlers were not short of performing their duty when no bowler bowled his complete quota of 10 overs and still saw all 10 wickets from England tumbling as though it was a day 5 of a test match. If not for Alistair Cook, no other batsmen had a worthy contribution with the bat though Jonathan Trott stayed there at the crease for a decent amount of time. 6 out of the eleven English batsmen who made it to the crease (obviously) returned back scoring single digit scores.
England's innings got over with close to 15 overs of their game still to go. Scorecard suggests that only Praveen Kumar had an over maiden under his name though other bowlers were no short in tackling their opposition. Umesh Yadav was the most expensive bowler who gave away runs at a rate of 6.40 runs an over which can be forgiven, given India's victory over the trouble torn team and with Umesh Yadav being in his early cricketing days. The first six in the English innings came from the blades of the number 10 batsman - Steven Finn who luckily remained unbeaten.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
A last smile on English faces
I have written in my last post regarding the way Western teams struggle on their tour to the sub-continent and England being one among them, their days of misery will soon start with the first ODI scheduled on 14th of this month at the same venue where England have won two games on the trot against Hyderabad Associations XI with the second match having a huge margin of 253 runs. Needless to be said, there are no teasers for the team who have lost and I personally congratulate the Hyderabad Associations XI for sacrificing for a good cause by losing both the games.
There was absolutely no chance of the domestic team winning over an international team but, had England beaten Hyderabad Associations' XI without the services of Pietersen and co, one might have considered their guts before facing the real threat. There are hardly any chances of England grabbing even one game away from the Indians which will see the likes of Gambhir and Zaheer Khan making a comeback after they were ruled out of their previous tour to England. The match that happened yesterday would no doubt be cheered by the tourists who would be thinking of achieving a milestone here.
England have in the past done it against the West Indies when they won both series, one at home and the other away without losing a single test. But, India is no West Indies and no matter how bad the team has been, hardly any team from the West has been able to trouble India on their home soil. The only team that has been able to do so has been Pakistan and no one else. Of course, South Africa have tasted victory on Indian soil in the 90s when they were the favorites under the leadership of late Hansie Cronje.
Jonny Bairstow scored a quickfire 104 from just 53 balls which would have been a bowler's nightmare had it been in an international match. 7 bowlers from Hyderabad were looking helpless with most of the hits going out of the fence in one way or the other. With all that at stake, there was one bowler in Medhi Hassan who scalped 3 wickets out of the four that fell. In the end, England put up a better performance compared to their previous one and Hyderabad put up a more dismal performance by playing one over less than what they could manage in the previous game.
There was absolutely no chance of the domestic team winning over an international team but, had England beaten Hyderabad Associations' XI without the services of Pietersen and co, one might have considered their guts before facing the real threat. There are hardly any chances of England grabbing even one game away from the Indians which will see the likes of Gambhir and Zaheer Khan making a comeback after they were ruled out of their previous tour to England. The match that happened yesterday would no doubt be cheered by the tourists who would be thinking of achieving a milestone here.
England have in the past done it against the West Indies when they won both series, one at home and the other away without losing a single test. But, India is no West Indies and no matter how bad the team has been, hardly any team from the West has been able to trouble India on their home soil. The only team that has been able to do so has been Pakistan and no one else. Of course, South Africa have tasted victory on Indian soil in the 90s when they were the favorites under the leadership of late Hansie Cronje.
Jonny Bairstow scored a quickfire 104 from just 53 balls which would have been a bowler's nightmare had it been in an international match. 7 bowlers from Hyderabad were looking helpless with most of the hits going out of the fence in one way or the other. With all that at stake, there was one bowler in Medhi Hassan who scalped 3 wickets out of the four that fell. In the end, England put up a better performance compared to their previous one and Hyderabad put up a more dismal performance by playing one over less than what they could manage in the previous game.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
England yet to face the heat
Beating any sub-continent team especially India on their home soil definitely needs a lot of talent and effort regarding which Steve Waugh would be the best man to tell you. And, keeping in mind England's whitewash over India just a couple of months back and their most recent 56 run victory over Hyderabad Cricket Association XI might just make them take the Indian players for granted which does not happen to be the case more often. Despite India being an ordinary team in the 90s, Aussies had it tough to even win a single test match in India. And, the caliber of England team need not be cited specially.
Yesterday at Hyderabad, England won the match by 56 runs as mentioned above. That was a state team with none of the players having making it to the Indian team whatsoever. Winning against such a outplayed team needs no effort of any sort which is needless to be said. There were no bowlers of the caliber of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra to bowl the English batsmen and no Harbhajan Singh to confuse the same. At the same time, the likes of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar were found missing from the playing XI. This was a decent way of welcoming England who are guests here.
With all those advantages going England's way, they could not post a decent total when all they could score was just 219 on the board. This was included with 5 wickets falling even before the scoreboard reading 100 runs for England. Scoring for England started from the number 5 batsmen when Ravi Bopara top scored with 73. Added to that, the English batsmen were bowled out in the 48th over which is another drawback for the guests. Looking at the scorecard, it is evident that none of the players' names have been heard before by Indian cricket fans who are followers of the game.
Let alone any international match, the names of those players who welcomed the England team didn't even make their presence felt in domestic tournaments also like the IPL. There was no point in highlighting the Hyderabad's closure of their innings in the 37th over itself with Hyderabad winding their innings scoring just 163 runs to fall short by 56 runs. However, I don't find any point in Hyderabad winning the game with there being no man of the match award in the match. None of the teams would have gained anything by winning or losing the match. In the end, England should think twice before taking Indians for granted.
Yesterday at Hyderabad, England won the match by 56 runs as mentioned above. That was a state team with none of the players having making it to the Indian team whatsoever. Winning against such a outplayed team needs no effort of any sort which is needless to be said. There were no bowlers of the caliber of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra to bowl the English batsmen and no Harbhajan Singh to confuse the same. At the same time, the likes of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar were found missing from the playing XI. This was a decent way of welcoming England who are guests here.
With all those advantages going England's way, they could not post a decent total when all they could score was just 219 on the board. This was included with 5 wickets falling even before the scoreboard reading 100 runs for England. Scoring for England started from the number 5 batsmen when Ravi Bopara top scored with 73. Added to that, the English batsmen were bowled out in the 48th over which is another drawback for the guests. Looking at the scorecard, it is evident that none of the players' names have been heard before by Indian cricket fans who are followers of the game.
Let alone any international match, the names of those players who welcomed the England team didn't even make their presence felt in domestic tournaments also like the IPL. There was no point in highlighting the Hyderabad's closure of their innings in the 37th over itself with Hyderabad winding their innings scoring just 163 runs to fall short by 56 runs. However, I don't find any point in Hyderabad winning the game with there being no man of the match award in the match. None of the teams would have gained anything by winning or losing the match. In the end, England should think twice before taking Indians for granted.
Monday, March 21, 2011
A tough task for India
Well on one hand if as an Indian I rejoice my team's victory over the West Indies, on the other hand, troubles begin or have set to begin for team India for, their victory over the West Indies in yesterday's game means that India finish at number three after South Africa and England, with the West Indies finishing at number four. As a result, India will now have to face Australia who are positioned at number 3 after Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the group A points table. This is a difficult task for India who have thrashed by the Aussies 5 times since 1992 world cup.
Of course, the Aussies were unbeatable in 2003 when India lost to them twice. And, as for all bright faces to cheer for, India has been beating Pakistan since 1992 world cup. No matter whether Pakistanis are crowned the world champions (in 1992 world cup) or have been declared the runners-up (in the 1999 world cup), their record against India in world cups is nothing but a zero. Moreover, India can play Pakistan better compared to Australia despite Australia being just another team unlike when they were two world cups earlier. Had India lost yesterday's game they would have been paired with Pakistan.
Pakistan has been placed in the number one position in group A after their wins over Australia and Sri Lanka. If this could be a concern for any team about to face Pakistan, it would be worth mentioning their 11 run win over Sri Lanka that involved an uncountable number of misfield and drop catches. Easy catches have been dropped at crucial stages against Sri Lanka. And coming to the match against Australia, Pakistan lost 6 wickets en route to their successful run chase of 177. There was no need to lose so many wickets in chasing such a small total.
India's chances in the quarter finals would be 50-50 with Australia being a decent squad compared to Pakistan keeping the past results apart. If anyone would cite Australia's lack of match winners like in the past two world cups, one has to keep a check on the Indian batsmen who lost 9 wickets for 29 runs against South Africa and tied with England. Both big games were assisted by Sachin Tendulkar who scored 100s in both the games. A win against West Indies is as good as a win against Bangladesh, Holland and Ireland. Accepting facts, past need not repeat itself in India-Pakistan matches also.
I can correlate India's situation to The Simple Life of a Baghag.
Of course, the Aussies were unbeatable in 2003 when India lost to them twice. And, as for all bright faces to cheer for, India has been beating Pakistan since 1992 world cup. No matter whether Pakistanis are crowned the world champions (in 1992 world cup) or have been declared the runners-up (in the 1999 world cup), their record against India in world cups is nothing but a zero. Moreover, India can play Pakistan better compared to Australia despite Australia being just another team unlike when they were two world cups earlier. Had India lost yesterday's game they would have been paired with Pakistan.
Pakistan has been placed in the number one position in group A after their wins over Australia and Sri Lanka. If this could be a concern for any team about to face Pakistan, it would be worth mentioning their 11 run win over Sri Lanka that involved an uncountable number of misfield and drop catches. Easy catches have been dropped at crucial stages against Sri Lanka. And coming to the match against Australia, Pakistan lost 6 wickets en route to their successful run chase of 177. There was no need to lose so many wickets in chasing such a small total.
India's chances in the quarter finals would be 50-50 with Australia being a decent squad compared to Pakistan keeping the past results apart. If anyone would cite Australia's lack of match winners like in the past two world cups, one has to keep a check on the Indian batsmen who lost 9 wickets for 29 runs against South Africa and tied with England. Both big games were assisted by Sachin Tendulkar who scored 100s in both the games. A win against West Indies is as good as a win against Bangladesh, Holland and Ireland. Accepting facts, past need not repeat itself in India-Pakistan matches also.
I can correlate India's situation to The Simple Life of a Baghag.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
India to get chokers tag?
Well in the beginning of the tournament, India were ranked as favorites to at least be on top at the end of the league stage matches putting them ahead of South Africa, England and West Indies. But, with two out of the three matches slipping away from their hands, the only game left over is against the West Indies. It should not be a surprise if India win against the West Indies but all is hidden in the way they win and chances of losing are also on a high. India have most of the times been on the receiving end in big games and tournaments.
India should have won against England after there were big scores from the blades of Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir. At one stage, it was as though England would get away with a win when equation read England needing 67 runs from 60 balls which were gettable with 8 wickets in hand. Finally, India should be relieved to have got away with a tie than to lose after faring so good with the bat if not the ball. India's wins against Netherlands, Ireland and Bangladesh can hardly be relished considering their loss against South Africa and England against which they were expected to win.
If one could take pains to go through the match Bangladesh, it was a one man show from Virender Sehwag though towards the end even Virat Kohli got a hundred. It would be tough to say whether Sehwag would have reached the magical figures had he not been gifted with a runner. Moreover, Bangladesh managed to score 283 which was not acceptable considering the caliber of both India and Bangladesh. Neither was the score satisfactory nor were the Indian bowlers able to take all ten wickets from the Bangladeshi side. I just happened to go through emanon, road to the unknown after seeing India's plight.
One can go through India's performance in the recently concluded world tournaments namely the world T20 2009 and 2010 and the ICC champions trophy 2009. India were successful initially in both world cups. In 2009 India as expected won the group stage matches against Bangladesh and Ireland and flunk in games against South Africa, England and West Indies in the super eights. So was the case in 2010 where India won games against South Africa only to lose in the super eights to Sri Lanka, West Indies and Australia. In the champions trophy 2009, India had a win only against a depleted West Indies with loss to Pakistan before the match against Australia was abandoned.
The only word that comes to my mind with all these facts is "CHOKERS".
India should have won against England after there were big scores from the blades of Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir. At one stage, it was as though England would get away with a win when equation read England needing 67 runs from 60 balls which were gettable with 8 wickets in hand. Finally, India should be relieved to have got away with a tie than to lose after faring so good with the bat if not the ball. India's wins against Netherlands, Ireland and Bangladesh can hardly be relished considering their loss against South Africa and England against which they were expected to win.
If one could take pains to go through the match Bangladesh, it was a one man show from Virender Sehwag though towards the end even Virat Kohli got a hundred. It would be tough to say whether Sehwag would have reached the magical figures had he not been gifted with a runner. Moreover, Bangladesh managed to score 283 which was not acceptable considering the caliber of both India and Bangladesh. Neither was the score satisfactory nor were the Indian bowlers able to take all ten wickets from the Bangladeshi side. I just happened to go through emanon, road to the unknown after seeing India's plight.
One can go through India's performance in the recently concluded world tournaments namely the world T20 2009 and 2010 and the ICC champions trophy 2009. India were successful initially in both world cups. In 2009 India as expected won the group stage matches against Bangladesh and Ireland and flunk in games against South Africa, England and West Indies in the super eights. So was the case in 2010 where India won games against South Africa only to lose in the super eights to Sri Lanka, West Indies and Australia. In the champions trophy 2009, India had a win only against a depleted West Indies with loss to Pakistan before the match against Australia was abandoned.
The only word that comes to my mind with all these facts is "CHOKERS".
Saturday, March 12, 2011
England play a spoilsport
Any random blog can now tel you where the English team now stands in the ongoing ICC world cup after losing to first Ireland and then yesterday to Bangladesh. I just had a bet that the West Indies might just flatter against Bangladesh for they were facing Bangladesh on their home soil and then the team is an outdated one after Brian Lara retired 4 years earlier. No one needs to feel sorry for England not being able to make it to the quarter finals in case they fail to do so. One can realize the fate of the team in earlier matches as well.
If one can take pains to go through the 2007 world cup, England's major win was only against the West Indies where they chased down 302 in the super eights. England failed in the games against Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa. A win against Bangladesh and Ireland cannot be given such a preference which I suppose you will agree to. Of course, even West Indies' major triumph was against Pakistan in the league stages which was followed by a series of losses against Sri Lanka, Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa. Now, England has a game only against West Indies to prove their myth.
I just cannot believe that England has secured a win against South Africa and a tie against India after seeing their performances against Ireland and Bangladesh. If Ireland comes in for all praises for coming back from being 111/5 at one stage to chasing down successfully 326, other finger points to the reckless bowling of the English bowlers who couldn't make the match theirs. If one could go through the match against Holland, England narrowly missed a defeat first after allowing them to pile up close to 300 runs and then failing initially during the chase. Did South Africa and India fare badly or did England play better cricket?
This has never been the case in the past where a team fares well against strong oppositions and goes for selfdestruction in the games against weaker teams. It would not come as a surprise if England fail to reach the quarter finals in case they lose to the West Indies because, West Indies is a weaker opposition like say Bangladesh and Ireland. A match against will always be considered a tie and not a win for England. Bangladesh now has three wins against England, Netherlands and Ireland which makes them eligible to qualify for the quarter finals. England on the other hand have only two wins and at a lesser run rate.
If one can take pains to go through the 2007 world cup, England's major win was only against the West Indies where they chased down 302 in the super eights. England failed in the games against Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa. A win against Bangladesh and Ireland cannot be given such a preference which I suppose you will agree to. Of course, even West Indies' major triumph was against Pakistan in the league stages which was followed by a series of losses against Sri Lanka, Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa. Now, England has a game only against West Indies to prove their myth.
I just cannot believe that England has secured a win against South Africa and a tie against India after seeing their performances against Ireland and Bangladesh. If Ireland comes in for all praises for coming back from being 111/5 at one stage to chasing down successfully 326, other finger points to the reckless bowling of the English bowlers who couldn't make the match theirs. If one could go through the match against Holland, England narrowly missed a defeat first after allowing them to pile up close to 300 runs and then failing initially during the chase. Did South Africa and India fare badly or did England play better cricket?
This has never been the case in the past where a team fares well against strong oppositions and goes for selfdestruction in the games against weaker teams. It would not come as a surprise if England fail to reach the quarter finals in case they lose to the West Indies because, West Indies is a weaker opposition like say Bangladesh and Ireland. A match against will always be considered a tie and not a win for England. Bangladesh now has three wins against England, Netherlands and Ireland which makes them eligible to qualify for the quarter finals. England on the other hand have only two wins and at a lesser run rate.
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