*Official* Australia in India - ODIs

[Pratters]

Choking is an uncharitable term here.

You can use another word for it if you like. It was definitely an unnecessary shot which was blatantly stupid to play given the situation of the match. You can call it a moment of madness. You can call it any thing you like. The shot was just not on in my opinion.

When he played the unconventional shots earlier, the required run rate was of above 7, so he needed to make that extra effort to keep up with the run rate. He didn't when he played the shot which got him out.

I am not taking any thing away from his inning though for I think it was a fabulous inning.

I am one of the biggest Tendulkar fans on this forum but I will criticise him when I think he needs to be criticised.

 

[Jakester1288]

Wow, what a game. Australia performed so well with the bat, good on you Marsh, then Tendulkar. Tendulkar, you legend. You. Bloody. Legend. Good game overall, India should have won from the postition of 19 needed from 17, Tendulkar gave it away, but top knock nonetheless.

Watson, good alround performance. Don't understand all the Watto hate, when I was younger (and stupid) I joined in because it seemed the popular thing to do. He's going great guns, scoring runs, and very quick runs, with the bat, and cranking up the pace with the ball, and getting wickets, without going for tons of runs. If he can stay fit, he should be able to do this on the Test stage too. We can only hope...

 

[Pratters]

I do not agree with you Pratters. He played a true gem of an innings and 99.99% of other batsmen would not have even made past 100 in such pressure and at his age.

Would be the highest score by a batsman at his age. Another record.

 

[Sir Alex]

You can use another word for it if you like. It was definitely an unnecessary shot which was blatantly stupid to play given the situation of the match. You can call it a moment of madness. You can call it any thing you like. The shot was just not on in my opinion.

When he played the unconventional shots earlier, the required run rate was of above 7, so he needed to make that extra effort to keep up with the run rate. He didn't when he played the shot which got him out.

I am not taking any thing away from his inning though for I think it was a fabulous inning.

I am one of the biggest Tendulkar fans on this forum but I will criticise him when I think he needs to be criticised.

Yet you seem to be dwelling upon only his dismissal and not giving the deserved attention to the preceding 175 golden runs in your critique of him dear friend. Anyway I do not want to prolong this discussion on this and thanks.

 

[Uppercut]

I see where this is going though. As long as I say the Indian team choked, it is fine. Then, when I say Tendulkar choked, people are up in arms because it is Tendulkar. Meh.

He's choked more than a few times, particularly when he's in the 90s as earlier discussed. Awesome player but there's no need to avoid that fact just because you risk a bunch of militant fanboys going nuts because someone said something slightly negative about Tendulkar.

 

[Jono]

No one is going nuts here though. They're disagreeing, which they're entitled to do, and replying with thier own arguments as to why they don't believe it was a choke.

I personally think it was a choke by Sachin (and I'd be lying to myself if I denied it), but 3 other individuals in that team had the pressure get to them even more... Raina, Jadeja and Nehra.

Sachin played a shot that was on considering the field and the team's position, but wasn't necessary. Jadeja and Nehra in particular just played dumbarse shots because the position of the game was too much for them.

 

[Uppercut]

No one is going nuts here though. They're disagreeing, which they're entitled to do, and replying with thier own arguments as to why they don't believe it was a choke.

I personally think it was a choke, but 3 other individuals had the pressure get to them even more, Raina, Jadeja and Nehra.

Sachin played a shot that was on, but wasn't necessary. Jadeja and Nehra in particular just played dumbarse shots because the position of the game was too much for them.

Tendulkar obviously wasn't the worst offender. But I think it has to be remembered that Raina and Jadeja are 22 and 20 respectively and Nehra has a List A average of 8. You do expect more from international cricket's most experienced player.

 

[Burgey]

Well, that was entertaining!

Can feel a big productive day at work coming on after that!

 

[Jono]

Tendulkar obviously wasn't the worst offender. But I think it has to be remembered that Raina and Jadeja are 22 and 20 respectively and Nehra has a List A average of 8. You do expect more from international cricket's most experienced player.

Yep true, but we don't know how Sachin was feeling physically to be fair.

I just reckon he had been playing some interesting/risky strokes his whole match, but was clearly 'in the zone'. He assumed he'd get the ball over short fine leg to the boundary, and take advantage of the powerplays while he could. Problem was it was a slower ball and he got owned.

Sucks, big choke... but if that ball isn't a slower ball... Sachin probably paddles that to the boundary.

Earlier in the innings Sachin played a woeful shot off Watson (tried to paddle from outside off then adjusted, Watson laughed). If he nicked that to the keeper, that would have been worse than what he did. But because of the situation (i.e. if he went out then, it would have been "oh well they never had a chance anyway unless Sachin went on).

I, as much as many others, have criticised Sachin's shot. But even with him out they still should have got home.

The opening batsmen, who is 37, shouldn't have to bat 50 overs for his team to win.

 

[Jono]

Btw where is that sirj guy who said Sachin is unlikely to perform this series , and India rely solely on Dhoni, Sehwag and Yuvraj

 

[Uppercut]

Yep true, but we don't know how Sachin was feeling physically to be fair.

I just reckon he had been playing some interesting/risky strokes his whole match, but was clearly 'in the zone'. He assumed he'd get the ball over short fine leg to the boundary, and take advantage of the powerplays while he could. Problem was it was a slower ball and he got owned.

Sucks, big choke... but if that ball isn't a slower ball... Sachin probably paddles that to the boundary.

Earlier in the innings Sachin played a woeful shot off Watson (tried to paddle from outside off then adjusted, Watson laughed). If he nicked that to the keeper, that would have been worse than what he did. But because of the situation (i.e. if he went out then, it would have been "oh well they never had a chance anyway unless Sachin went on).

I, as much as many others, have criticised Sachin's shot. But even with him out they still should have got home.

The opening batsmen, who is 37, shouldn't have to bat 50 overs for his team to win.

Yeah. You can't be critical of the innings as a whole- if anyone else in the top five had played even decently they'd have got home. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the one choke at the end was enough to make the entire innings worthless. Entertaining, but still ultimately worthless.

 

[Jono]

Anyway, mentioned it earlier, but Cam White's drop off Raina, which at the time seemed like it would be meaningless... almost cost Australia the match.

 

[Sanz]

Yeah. You can't be critical of the innings as a whole- if anyone else in the top five had played even decently they'd have got home. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the one choke at the end was enough to make the entire innings worthless. Entertaining, but still ultimately worthless.

Worthless, only if one values an inning's worth in terms of winning and losing. I would have liked India to win but at the end of the day I was happy that my team fought well to chase a total that is almost impossible to chase or at least a rarity in international cricket. I wish we had fought like that in 2003 in world cup final. That was a choke,

This one is a classic and belongs in the group of knocks/matches like the Sachin's Desert Storm knock in 1998 or the Chennai Test knock in 1998-99.

 

[Jono]

Yeah. You can't be critical of the innings as a whole- if anyone else in the top five had played even decently they'd have got home. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the one choke at the end was enough to make the entire innings worthless. Entertaining, but still ultimately worthless.

Interesting p.o.v

Would you have classified Ponting's knock at Old Trafford vs. England as worthless has England managed to have got out McGrath?

Actually, considering Australia lost the series anyway, can't one say the knock was worthless?

 

[Burgey]

LOL, "famed Australianism". Always comes up when chips are down - like when they have to defend 350.

Had to call you on this one mate - they've got half their regular side or less in. It's been a great effort this series, not just in this game.

McKay was very good on debut - what a game to start off in.

Personally don't see Tendulkar's shot as a choke. He'd scored runs there before in the innings and was playing at that tempo all along. If, say, he'd played a big cover drive and nicked it behind, no one would be saying anything, when in fact it's the same mindset which would have brought him undone. The shot was on imo, but the pace of the ball did for him.

On a general note though, India ought to have gotten home from the position they were in, with two set batsmen and a power play to come.

But all-in-all it was an insane game of cricket. Probably summed up by that over Doug bowled where he snared a big wicket 1st ball, then Praveen Kumar hit him for six next ball. By the time you took in what you'd just seen, the next ball seemed to provide a new highlight.

No doubt a heap of Watto pics will be seen around here in the next few days.

 

[Black_Warrior]

This is where Yuvraj's weakness as a batsman was highlighted. This is what differentiates him from a Steve Waugh, Inzamam or Dravid. All India needed yesterday was 40-50 runs from someone in the middle, and thats where Yuvraj completely let his team down. Problem is,the next time he scores a flashy 60 with amazing strokeplay through the offside, people are going to forget about this altogether and hail him as a great player which he is not.

 

[duffer]

Seriously a choke? Heh, bloody hell they don't stop.

Much love to Sachin though, shame about the rest of the vadges in his team. Next time they come down here I might quit my job and take them on a Harbour Bridge climb. Very 90's feeling to last night, and not in a good way.

 

[four_or_six]

Just watching the highlights. The change in crowd noise over the over that Watson gets Raina and Harbhajan out is incredible. At the beginning it's deafening and then at the end it's almost silence.

 

[four_or_six]

Haha, crowd booing Ponting as he came up to the presentation ceremony. Love the wry smile he gave.

 

[morgieb]

Wow, what a game.

Gun knock by Sachin. Fortunetly it wasn't enough.