***Official*** India in Sri Lanka

[Lostman]

If India lose this game, Indian authorities should really consider shifting the G.I Janes from Dhoni's house to Karthick's.

 

[ret]

dear-o-dear, one more collapse .... is it a surprise?

07-08 season

1. Melbourne 196 & 161
2. Sydney 2nd innings 210 [this can be debated wrt umpiring decisions]
3. Adelaide 2nd innings 269 [saved by Sehwag's ton]
4. Chennai Ist inning 481/2 to 627 [again a triple by Sehwag saves the day]
5. A'bad Ist inning 76
6. Colombo Ist inning .... struggling

 

[Migara]

Indian batsmen chat:

Batsmen One: "Watch out for that Mendis guy his spinning it both ways and then a few balls that do something different in the air and pitch.
Batsmen Two: "What the other guy like at the other end."
Batsmen One: "Just an average offie, you be alright watch out for the doorsa. Apart from that nothing really."

Haha loving this.

Sehwag: "Watch his fingers"
Sachin: "Play him off the pitch"
Dravid: "Sht, play it straight"
Laxman: "Use your wrists"
Gambhir: "Anil Bhai what could we do?"
Kumble: "Can't you pick him?"
Every body: "No Bhai"

 

[Migara]

Murali is really taking to the Indians. We can now imagine what deadly force Murali had been if there was a bowler like McGrath or Pollock in the team.

 

[Majin]

Really wish I could watch this series. My favourite team and second favourite team facing off. Though apparently my favourites are getting had, ahahaha.

Looking at the cricinfo commentary makes it seem like Sachin was having a good go at playing Mendis and Murali before he got out, anyone watching tell us what it was like? It sounded like a fascinating passage of play anyway.

 

[Arjun]

Just caught the whole highlights package. The fab four of the Indian batting lineup need to realise who they are, what they're made of and why they are here. There's a reason why they are playing yet another Test series, while younger batsmen are sitting out. They should know what they have that is not there in Raina, Yuvraj, Kaif, Uthappa and Rohit. Practically, they never lose their places in the Test team, for a reason. They need to take stock of what they've done so far, all these years, and what they are recognised as, and play to it. In other words, what on earth are these over-hyped great players doing, batting themselves out of the match like mere novices?

A discussion between a presenter on NDTV and Ajay Jadeja reveals this- the real difference was the bowling. The Indians looked blown out, fallen flat and out of contention, giving away loads of easy singles, setting silly fields and fielding well below minnow class. This is why they get owned by ordinary teams and upset by minnows. The Lankans, on the other hand, stuck to a gameplan and didn't look like a team under threat, and challenged the famed batting lineup head-on. The Indians don't have a single mediocre bowler in their lineup- an opening bowler and a stock spinner are not Test standard. Jadeja said (actual quote) that the Indians lack a fifth bowler, and don't have a defensive bowler who can bowl wide outside off, with a seven-two field, so their main bowlers are compelled to do this- which compromises on their role as attacking bowlers. In fact, an injury is on the cards here. Clearly, Ganguly and Sehwag could have done more?

 

[Mahindinho]

It's all shaping up NICELY

 

[SJS]

If India lose this game, Indian authorities should really consider shifting the G.I Janes from Dhoni's house to Karthick's.

It was amazing to see four Indians getting out to ill advised strokes. Sehwag to a ridiculous hook off a short ball about a foot outside his off stump and still rising that he tried to hit to square leg and Kaarthick for all his ridiculous attempts at imitating Harbhajan Singh at the crease stand out. But even Ganguly with his gentle sweep straight to the square leg fielder and Gambhir (who was batting so well) hitting against the spin to Murali's doosra were the others who played a pro-active role in their own dismissals.

As for getting Yuvraj, Raina, Uthappa and company back - well what can one say except that, the only way India can ever save this match (and the chances are slim) is not to bat like those four gentlemen.

Indian fans and the electronic media not being able to distinguish between the shorter and longer version of the game is sad but still manageable, it is because the players are not bating in the Test mode that we find ourselves in this mess.

Getting the boom-boom's of Indian cricket to salvage is laughable.

 

[Jono]

I'm shattered, but so happy for Murali.

What an absolute champ! If anyone in world cricket was going to run through us, I would want it to be Murali.

 

[Lostman]

From cricinfo;

Of the 108 balls that Mendis bowled, he induced false shots (beaten, rapped on the pads, edged) 22 times. His percentage of 20.37 was much higher than Murali (13.33%), Harbhajan (11.63%) and Kumble (9.46%).

Great stat, really shows the impact of Mendis on his game, even though his #'s are not that great. The pressure he created made Murali that much more deadly.

 

[Ikki]

Murali making up for years of getting tonked here. Rare to see India completely destroyed by spin like this.

Maybe they did focus on Mendis too much?

Murali has a great record against India in Sri Lanka actually. In 2001 he owned you guys - although Tendulkar wasn't there.

Mendis has been really special. He looks like the person that will take spin forward into a new generation.

 

[Sanz]

From cricinfo;

Of the 108 balls that Mendis bowled, he induced false shots (beaten, rapped on the pads, edged) 22 times. His percentage of 20.37 was much higher than Murali (13.33%), Harbhajan (11.63%) and Kumble (9.46%).

Great stat, really shows the impact of Mendis on his game, even though his #'s are not that great. The pressure he created made Murali that much more deadly.

Indeed, but unfortunately 50 years from now, this stat will be lost and no matter how many praises he gets today by fellow players, it will not be enough for some people to understand how well he bowled today because all that matters is 18-3-58-1.

 

[Anil]

enough already, let's move on to the 2nd test...

 

[silentstriker]

Indeed, but unfortunately 50 years from now, this stat will be lost and no matter how many praises he gets today by fellow players, it will not be enough for some people to understand how well he bowled today because all that matters is 18-3-58-1.

Well, if he keeps getting those figures for the rest of his career, then he will be judged accurately. Thankfully, with a large enough sample size, the stats do tend to reflect the performances very well.

 

[Jono]

Yes but he could have had 20-0-88-3 and actually bowled much worse than he did yesterday. Sanz point is bowling figures, even with large sample sizes, can be misleading.

Akram good example IMO.

 

[lionheart]

Last I heard he was injuried, but with his lack of pace and inability to bat, he will struggle.

are you talking about the same player?

He does not have a lack of pace, he looked pretty sharp when he bowled against England, got up to 140kph.

^ what he said.

he was consistently hovering between the high 130's and low 140s and getting good movement in the air. why does he need to be able to bat? a bowlers job is to take wickets.

 

[Top_Cat]

Yes but he could have had 20-0-88-3 and actually bowled much worse than he did yesterday. Sanz point is bowling figures, even with large sample sizes, can be misleading.

Akram good example IMO.

Yep and this is exactly when when threads get to the point of people arguing over individual innings' performances, the debate has devolved into pointlessness unless they themselves saw each and every ball. Mendis' performance yesterday could indeed be misinterpreted in years to come as ordinary when people who actually saw him bowl would know differently.

Sports stats in general are pretty much a guide. Batting/bowling averages in particular aren't anywhere near a comprehensive enough measure of performance to argue minute differences. Doing so is a waste of time.

 

[chaminda_00]

are you talking about the same player?


^ what he said.

he was consistently hovering between the high 130's and low 140s and getting good movement in the air. why does he need to be able to bat? a bowlers job is to take wickets.

Injuried regardless though, last A tour he was bowling in the low 130s, but was probably half fit or basically injuried.

 

[silentstriker]

Yes but he could have had 20-0-88-3 and actually bowled much worse than he did yesterday. Sanz point is bowling figures, even with large sample sizes, can be misleading.

Exactly, that's why no one tries to extrapolate based on one innings. I would say that figures with a large enough sample size are very accurate (depends which figures and how you use them, obviously), with very few exceptions.

I don't think Akram's figures are really misleading.

 

[silentstriker]

In any case, I am just watching Tendulkar's innings again. He played Mendis very well. It will be interesting in the second innings.