Raghav
International Vice-Captain
ONE of the reasons Pakistan lost at Delhi is because they played bad cricket whenever they got an opportunity to come back into the match. Believe me, they got plenty of them. The only way a team can win a game after scoring only 231 in the first innings is by seizing every opportunity that comes its way.
It is not that Pakistan haven't done that in the past. The Asian Test Championship game at Kolkata in 1999 is one that comes to mind.
Pak were 26-6 on the first morning, but the lower order rescued us to 185, and ended up winning. The current Pakistani team needs to draw inspiration from that Test when it reaches Kolkata for the second Test of the ongoing series.
Shoaib Akhtar bowled well in the second innings, but then, he had no support. The other bowlers could have done better. What also went against Pakistan was the fact that he has had a long break before this series.
Hence, he is finding it tough to bowl long spells.
The Kotla wicket was easy to bat on. It was obviously prepared after taking into account the thoughts of the home team.
However, I do feel that this needs to be changed. To the best of my knowledge, the home team has little or no say as far as wicketpreparation is concerned, in countries like England, Australia and New Zealand, to name just three.
It is entirely the local groundstaff's call.
That is how it should be. We need more ‘cricket' wickets, which accord equal assistance to the bowlers and batsmen. Such strips facilitate the all-round development of the cricketers themselves.
Unfortunately in the subcontinent are only interested in short-term solutions. The results might be immediate, but they will do us little good in the long run. What nobody would like to witness is the ball keeping low and posing problems to not only the batsmen, but also the wicketkeeper and slip-cordon, on the very first day.
The Indians will be delighted after the win.
I suspect that all those who were calling for the heads of some of the senior players, if not all of them, will have sheepish looks on their faces. Even they will agree that the outcome could have been different had VVS Laxman not scored 72 in the first innings and Sourav Ganguly 48 in the second.
Rahul Dravid also batted well, and Sachin Tendulkar was brilliant in the second innings. The quartet is still going strong. Nobody should think about doing away with the four batsmen just because they are in their mid-30s.
Congratulations India
But I cant stop supporting Pak even though!
It is not that Pakistan haven't done that in the past. The Asian Test Championship game at Kolkata in 1999 is one that comes to mind.
Pak were 26-6 on the first morning, but the lower order rescued us to 185, and ended up winning. The current Pakistani team needs to draw inspiration from that Test when it reaches Kolkata for the second Test of the ongoing series.
Shoaib Akhtar bowled well in the second innings, but then, he had no support. The other bowlers could have done better. What also went against Pakistan was the fact that he has had a long break before this series.
Hence, he is finding it tough to bowl long spells.
The Kotla wicket was easy to bat on. It was obviously prepared after taking into account the thoughts of the home team.
However, I do feel that this needs to be changed. To the best of my knowledge, the home team has little or no say as far as wicketpreparation is concerned, in countries like England, Australia and New Zealand, to name just three.
It is entirely the local groundstaff's call.
That is how it should be. We need more ‘cricket' wickets, which accord equal assistance to the bowlers and batsmen. Such strips facilitate the all-round development of the cricketers themselves.
Unfortunately in the subcontinent are only interested in short-term solutions. The results might be immediate, but they will do us little good in the long run. What nobody would like to witness is the ball keeping low and posing problems to not only the batsmen, but also the wicketkeeper and slip-cordon, on the very first day.
The Indians will be delighted after the win.
I suspect that all those who were calling for the heads of some of the senior players, if not all of them, will have sheepish looks on their faces. Even they will agree that the outcome could have been different had VVS Laxman not scored 72 in the first innings and Sourav Ganguly 48 in the second.
Rahul Dravid also batted well, and Sachin Tendulkar was brilliant in the second innings. The quartet is still going strong. Nobody should think about doing away with the four batsmen just because they are in their mid-30s.
Congratulations India
But I cant stop supporting Pak even though!
