***Official*** India in England

[Prince EWS]

Not really sure Vaughan deserves too much FFSing, TBH. Didn't do a hell of a lot wrong, was just an excellent ball.

Indeed. I've been one of the harshest critics of players playing dire shots to get out in recent times, but Vaughan didn't really do a lot wrong there. In theory he didn't need to play at it, but if it had moved the other way, he'd have been in trouble. Just a good ball.

 

[NUFAN]

Yeah whoever it was who was saying don't bowl cause Kumble wont be able to grip the ball was crazy tbh. It's the first day of the Test in England not Calcutta.

Kumble doesn't even spin it anyways, he'd be fine, should show more confidence in your seamers I think.

 

[Richard]

Superb stroke from Pietersen, that.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Zaheer bowling pretty well here.

Forget everything I said about the ball not swinging

 

[NUFAN]

11.4 Singh to Cook, 3 runs, punched through mid-on, sweetly timed, to bring up Cook's 1500 runs in Tests, the youngest English player to get to that landmark

Cook is 22 years 214 days ... Tendulkar was 19!

 

[Richard]

As would you say, nothing but pure luck if it pays off, and a poor decision regardless.

I honestly don't think he deserves much criticism, in all seriousness. There's no way you could say there was an obvious decision at this toss, there were pros and cons of both batting and fielding. Either one could have paid-off or backfired IMO. Dravid could quite easily have brought his own coin and, upon winning, tossed it again for heads-field, tails-bat.

And he'd have about as much chance of getting it right there as he would by what he did, really.

Either way, I hope for his sake if he thought there was good reason to field then he feels he's vindicated.

 

[Richard]

11.4 Singh to Cook, 3 runs, punched through mid-on, sweetly timed, to bring up Cook's 1500 runs in Tests, the youngest English player to get to that landmark

Cook is 22 years 214 days ... Tendulkar was 19!

Well I can't - quite - ever see Cook being a Tendulkar, but Tendulkar was brought in at a stupidly young age, an age when Cook would have been halfway through Year 12 (or "lower sixth" to use an old term).

 

[Jono]

Good session for India so far. Zaheer has bowled very well.

 

[Fiery]

Well I can't - quite - ever see Cook being a Tendulkar, but Tendulkar was brought in at a stupidly young age, an age when Cook would have been halfway through Year 12 (or "lower sixth" to use an old term).

It wasn't too stupid though was it?

 

[NUFAN]

I honestly don't think he deserves much criticism, in all seriousness. There's no way you could say there was an obvious decision at this toss, there were pros and cons of both batting and fielding. Either one could have paid-off or backfired IMO. Dravid could quite easily have brought his own coin and, upon winning, tossed it again for heads-field, tails-bat.

And he'd have about as much chance of getting it right there as he would by what he did, really.

Either way, I hope for his sake if he thought there was good reason to field then he feels he's vindicated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nXXP7sFmCg

 

[Richard]

It wasn't too stupid though was it?

Well, um, yeah actually. 16-year-olds have next to no chance of success in international cricket, and Tendulkar was no different.

It took him a fair few games and a bit of growing-up before he was ready.

 

[Prince EWS]

I honestly don't think he deserves much criticism, in all seriousness. There's no way you could say there was an obvious decision at this toss, there were pros and cons of both batting and fielding. Either one could have paid-off or backfired IMO. Dravid could quite easily have brought his own coin and, upon winning, tossed it again for heads-field, tails-bat.

And he'd have about as much chance of getting it right there as he would by what he did, really.

Either way, I hope for his sake if he thought there was good reason to field then he feels he's vindicated.

I think the cons far outweigh the pros though. The only advantage that Dravid could have been thinking of is the overhead conditions... but on-and-off rain is predicted throughout the game, so I'd be guessing that overhead conditions would be everpresent anyway.

The fan factor, for me, is the wet outfield. It certainly isn't going to get any wetter than this, because then they won't play. The ball will turn into a cake of soap soon enough and once England get past this early period, there will be virtually no movement for any of the bowlers with it.

Then there's the Kumble factor. Someone said something about him not gripping the ball, but that isn't my concern. My concern is the simple fact of the matter that, rain or no rain, Kumble is at his best in the final innings of a test. Kumble is India's main bowling weapon and he has been a key figure in most of their wins - giving him the best possible opportunity to do so by allowing him to bowl on a 5th day pitch.

Obviously it's looking like a fair decision at the moment, but I'll see what happens later in the day when the ball is absolutely rubbish, and then what happens in the second innings in regards to the state of the pitch for Kumble and Panesar respectively before backflipping my original stance.

 

[Richard]

Saved from an lbw by an outside-edge, now there's one I've not seen before!

 

[Fiery]

Saved from an lbw by an outside-edge, now there's one I've not seen before!

you haven't?

 

[Fiery]

No edge that time

 

[DCC_legend]

Bowling R.P.

 

[Richard]

I think the cons far outweigh the pros though. The only advantage that Dravid could have been thinking of is the overhead conditions... but on-and-off rain is predicted throughout the game, so I'd be guessing that overhead conditions would be everpresent anyway.

The fan factor, for me, is the wet outfield. It certainly isn't going to get any wetter than this, because then they won't play. The ball will turn into a cake of soap soon enough and once England get past this early period, there will be virtually no movement for any of the bowlers with it.

Then there's the Kumble factor. Someone said something about him not gripping the ball, but that isn't my concern. My concern is the simple fact of the matter that, rain or no rain, Kumble is at his best in the final innings of a test. Kumble is India's main bowling weapon and he has been a key figure in most of their wins - giving him the best possible opportunity to do so by allowing him to bowl on a 5th day pitch.

Obviously it's looking like a fair decision at the moment, but I'll see what happens later in the day when the ball is absolutely rubbish, and then what happens in the second innings in regards to the state of the pitch for Kumble and Panesar respectively before backflipping my original stance.

You never know, though, there's always the chance you can bowl your oppo out for 150 if you stick 'em in in these conditions (and with Pietersen just gone that looks possible now, superb ball), and if you do that, it doesn't often matter whether conditions remain bowler-friendly, you're still ahead of the game.

 

[Richard]

you haven't?

No, it's almost always inside-edge.

 

[silentstriker]

Big big wicket.

 

[Turbinator]

YES!!!! OH DEAR YES!!!!! KP GONE!!!!!

India get the crucial wicket. Beware England, you'll have to be at your best to beat an Indian team who's been criticized for quite some time now. The giants have woken up!



C'mon India make my 1-0 prediction come true!