***Official India in New Zealand***

[profernity]

It baffles them as completely as a boundary-and-sixer-less match does an average Indian spectator.

It baffles the average spectator full stop. Nothing to do with nationality I think.

 

[Jono]

I have a couple of friends visiting from out of Mumbai. We got up at 6 and settled down for a run feast. Inspite of the late start my friends were licking their lips with India winning the toss and the boundary even shorter - 53 meters on one side - yes thats right just 53 ffffing meters.

It was O'Brien's first over and he bowled one that swung in from the off. Sehwag played it with the straightest of straight bats. A ball or two later another big swinger, bowled from closer to the stumps and heading towards the second slips, curled in sharply and cut Sehwag in half. I told my two non-cricketing friends, I think today we will see the difference between the men and the boys. And now I was smacking my lips.

Five minutes back they told me they would like to watch a movie. Being the good host, I pulled out Michael Clayton from my shelves and left them to enjoy Clooney and company as I came out of the theatre room.

Yuvraj is also gone since then and my friends must happy they did not 'waste' any more time on the cricket and I am here thinking how much this tells about Indian fans and the batting of even the best batting side in the world and the in general and how they cope with lateral movement.

It baffles them as completely as a boundary-and-sixer-less match does an average Indian spectator.

Get better friends

j/k

 

[Nutter]

Nothing wrong with a pitch that suits us. Home advantage is supposed to be that - home advantage.

 

[SJS]

I have a couple of friends visiting from out of Mumbai. We got up at 6 and settled down for a run feast. Inspite of the late start my friends were licking their lips with India winning the toss and the boundary even shorter - 53 meters on one side - yes thats right just 53 ffffing meters.

It was O'Brien's first over and he bowled one that swung in from the off. Sehwag played it with the straightest of straight bats. A ball or two later another big swinger, bowled from closer to the stumps and heading towards the second slips, curled in sharply and cut Sehwag in half. I told my two non-cricketing friends, I think today we will see the difference between the men and the boys. And now I was smacking my lips.

Five minutes back they told me they would like to watch a movie. Being the good host, I pulled out Michael Clayton from my shelves and left them to enjoy Clooney and company as I came out of the theatre room.

Yuvraj is also gone since then and my friends must happy they did not 'waste' any more time on the cricket and I am here thinking how much this tells about Indian fans and the batting of even the best batting side in the world and the in general and how they cope with lateral movement.

It baffles them as completely as a boundary-and-sixer-less match does an average Indian spectator.

During the time it took me to write that India have managed to lose Dhoni and Pathan too and my friends who stopped watching because of Rohit Sharma's "boring" batting (India were only 3 down when they switched to George Clooney) would be delighted with their decision since the last of the big-six hitters is gone.

Wonder if the electronic media is going to say tomorrow that we need players who can play the moving ball or are they going to curse Rohit for causing everyone else to get out - after all he is still batting. I suspect it just might be the latter opinion that we will get from our idiot box pundits and even some in the print media who nowadays seem to graduate from the same cricket-punditry-academy.

 

[Xuhaib]

I have a couple of friends visiting from out of Mumbai. We got up at 6 and settled down for a run feast. Inspite of the late start my friends were licking their lips with India winning the toss and the boundary even shorter - 53 meters on one side - yes thats right just 53 ffffing meters.

It was O'Brien's first over and he bowled one that swung in from the off. Sehwag played it with the straightest of straight bats. A ball or two later another big swinger, bowled from closer to the stumps and heading towards the second slips, curled in sharply and cut Sehwag in half. I told my two non-cricketing friends, I think today we will see the difference between the men and the boys. And now I was smacking my lips.

Five minutes back they told me they would like to watch a movie. Being the good host, I pulled out Michael Clayton from my shelves and left them to enjoy Clooney and company as I came out of the theatre room.

Yuvraj is also gone since then and my friends must happy they did not 'waste' any more time on the cricket and I am here thinking how much this tells about Indian fans and the batting of even the best batting side in the world and the in general and how they cope with lateral movement.

It baffles them as completely as a boundary-and-sixer-less match does an average Indian spectator.

Even Don Bradman will struggle with lateral movement, Indian batting line up is one of the few that I would back to do well in good bowling conditions especially if you have the likes of Sachin and Dravid playing.

 

[_Ed_]

Wonderful fielding by Vettori, but that was poor running. Rohit to blame there.

 

[Jono]

Nothing wrong with a pitch that suits us. Home advantage is supposed to be that - home advantage.

Don't think any Indian fan is complaining tbh

 

[Flem274*]

Loved how the wicket column ticked to 7 as I read that (Eds) post.

In other news, odds on NZ collapsing their way to a 1 wicket win?

 

[SJS]

Punishment by death, imo. The test of touring NZ is handling swing and seam, India will roll out the turners when we go, as they should, I'd be gutted if they didn't.

Nothing wrong with a pitch that suits us. Home advantage is supposed to be that - home advantage.

It is not even the pitch. Even the slimy Kiwi curators cant create a wicket that allows the ball to swing in the air.

 

[shankar]

Wonder if the electronic media is going to say tomorrow that we need players who can play the moving ball or are they going to curse Rohit for causing everyone else to get out - after all he is still batting.

The commentators on tv are saying this right now...

 

[Flem274*]

Don't think any Indian fan is complaining tbh

Think he was more chiming in with the fact we've rolled out the flatties as soon as India have turned up, and obviously disagrees.

 

[Xuhaib]

Good to see Ryder doing well I was afraid that the NZL dibbly dobblys of the 90's are a thing of the past now.

 

[profernity]

Wonder if the electronic media is going to say tomorrow that we need players who can play the moving ball or are they going to curse Rohit for causing everyone else to get out - after all he is still batting. I suspect it just might be the latter opinion that we will get from our idiot box pundits and even some in the print media who nowadays seem to graduate from the same cricket-punditry-academy.

Hey, you might be lucky - maybe NZ will go down in flames, then the TV "experts" will ignore the batting effort and pretend there's absolutely nothing to be concerned about.

 

[Flem274*]

It is not even the pitch. Even the slimy Kiwi curators cant create a wicket that allows the ball to swing in the air.

Thats true, but we can make one that will provide O'Brien and Oram with their main weapon-seam.

If it swings, then Franklin will be smiling.

 

[_Ed_]

I was afraid that the NZL dibbly dobblys of the 90's are a thing of the past now.

Never.

 

[_Ed_]

The crowd's gone really quiet all of a sudden.

 

[Flem274*]

Good to see Ryder doing well I was afraid that the NZL dibbly dobblys of the 90's are a thing of the past now.

Wouldn't mind them dying out a bit tbh, perhaps have the odd one.

Really annoys me now though that all our fast medium bowlers are now stereotyped " hard working medium pacers" though. Harris and Larsen were awesome, but they became too popular.

 

[Flem274*]

The crowd's gone really quiet all of a sudden.

Haha really? I'd be absolutely estatic to see Sehwag out live.

 

[SJS]

Even Don Bradman will struggle with lateral movement, Indian batting line up is one of the few that I would back to do well in good bowling conditions especially if you have the likes of Sachin and Dravid playing.

Really. You think Bradman would struggle against this Kiwi attack on this wicket ? I do not have any words to say anything to you my friend.

You are right about Dravid and Sachin though but they are not playing unfortunately.

Lateral movement is more difficult to play than a ball which does not deviate at all in the air or off it but its not impossible to play. You need different skill sets and a different approach to batting. You may not be able to score at 8 runs an over but you dont have to. But you cant do anything if you do not have the game to play it.

Even in this disastrous show by India, the in form Sehwag and the out of form Rohit have shown how they are different from the others. Of course Sachin and Dravid would have coped better. But of course Bradman is no batsman compared to those two - right ?

 

[Xuhaib]

Wonder if the electronic media is going to say tomorrow that we need players who can play the moving ball or are they going to curse Rohit for causing everyone else to get out - after all he is still batting. I suspect it just might be the latter opinion that we will get from our idiot box pundits and even some in the print media who nowadays seem to graduate from the same cricket-punditry-academy.

Indian fan on another forum

'But this is Rohit's mistake, his inability to rotate strike is frustrating others.'