Cricket India

What a fabulous gift the Pakistan team has given its skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq on his hundredth test appearance! They played well as a team and made great use of the opportunities that came their way. Personally also, Inzy himself had a wonderful test, scoring a huge hundred in the first innings and marshalling his resources in a very astute manner, especially on the crucial last day.

The proceedings began quite tentatively for both the teams. While the Pakistan bowlers were able to put some pressure on the Indian batsmen, aided by the pitch which began to bare its fangs quite openly, the very presence of Virender Sehwag and his daring approach regardless of the situation, made the Pakistanis a bit tense.
Sehwag's dismissal-quite an unnecessary one at that - started it all. Soon, Gambhir after a competent show and Dravid were dismissed and three wickets in the span of about twenty runs put tremendous pressure on India.

After lunch, Lakshman and Ganguly-his dismissal was off a brute of a ball- exited quite cheaply both in terms of runs and time, India was looking down the barrel. Tendulkar stood there waging a solitary battle against the Pakistani bowlers and the vagaries of the pitch. But this was not the kind of pitch which would allow one to stay at the crease for a long time. A snorter of a ball claimed him also. From there, it was only a matter of time for India to succumb. But Kumble with his stubborn frontfoot play, delayed the inevitable with a doughty unbeaten innings of 30-plus.

The last day's play panned out to be slightly different from the expectations. It was not Kaneria who destroyed India. It was a combined effort by the Pakistani bowlers. In fact, the maximum damage was done by the third spinner in the team, Shahid Afridi who took the important wickets of Tendulkar, Lakshman and Ganguly.
For one player, this test might be quite unforgettable. Yes, for Younis Khan. What a test it has tuned out to be for him! 262 in the first innings and an unbeaten 80-plus in the second. Plus a couple of sharp catches at bat-pad. Bangalore was Younis Khan's test.

So is is 1-1 now. Technically India retains the series but none can ignore the fact that Pakistan managed a brilliant comeback in this series after yielding the upperhand to India in the first test at Mohali initially. At Kolkatta, the toss went in India's favour and they managed to win that test. Here at Bangalore, Inzy won the toss and Pakistan made maximum use of that advantage. Which means there is not much of a difference between these two teams both in the batting and bowling departments.

There was an initial perception that India would have an upperhand in the test series but that has been proved wrong by the spirited fightback by Pakistan at Mohali and now the great win at Bangalore.

The ongoing cricket series between India and Pakistan has been immensely entertaining. The cricket lovers did not have anything to complain about both the drawn first test at Mohali and the Kolkatta test which India won. The final test also proved to be quite absorbing on the first three days and today crowned all previous efforts.

Hopes in the Indian camp received a boost when, after an initial collapse, Lakshman and Kumble staged a great, almost match-saving recovery which ended only after they posted a half-century partnership which was worth its weight in gold. And more significantly, these two consumed a lot of time also. They batted about twenty minutes into the post lunch session.
But even after this effort by the last wicket pair, Pakistan managed to have a lead of 121 runs which was quite sizable because Pakistan had the time and resources to add to it and make a timely declaration. And that is what they did also. With more than useful contributions from Shahid Afridi, Yasir Hamid and Younis khan, they ran up a big second innings total of 261 for two. Which meant Pakistan had set India an insurmountable target of 382 runs.

Pakistan has shut India out of the test. Though India has managed not to lose any wicket, things are not going to be easy for the Indian batsmen tomorrow. The pitch, instead of giving a little extra bounce on the third day, has started to develop cracks which have led to uneven bounce. And some of the spots are in the good length areas also.
Moreover the huge lead would allow Inzy to attack relentlessly with a number of close-in fielders throughout the fifth day. And Kaneria with his deep turn and subtle variations would pose a major threat to the Indian batsmen who are usually known for their skill in handling quality spin.

Only a great back-to-the-wall fight by the famed Indian batting lineup can save the game for India. It would be quite exciting to watch such a determined batting display. And 261 for two in fifty overs by Pakistan should give some confidence to the Indian camp that they also might be able to manage a creditable though defense-oriented display. But the ever increasing influence of limited over cricket may not permit the Indian batsmen to refrain from exotic stroke play and allow them to dig deep into their reserves and manage a draw.

Even after a reasonable performance on the third day's play of the final cricket test between India and Pakistan, the Indian innings ended up quite short of its expectations and the hosts should start the fourth day's proceedings on a slightly uncomfortable note. India avoided the follow on alright but a 191 run lead for Pakistan could only mean one thing. India is in trouble.

Lakshman is the only recognised batsman left. He, along with the tail has to take India to safety on the fourth day which now looks quite difficult. Any lead in the region of 150 would spur the Pakistanis to make an all out effort to get a result in their favor. As things stand today, the Indian innings could come to a close before lunch and Pakistan may force India to bat for at least seven-eight overs on the fourth day followed by the last three sessions of the match.

The ball has started to turn and bounce a lot more. Danish Kaneria could be quite a handful on the last day's pitch. India could lose the match.

All this, despite a brilliant double hundred by Virender Sehvag who as usual scored at a brisk pace, his 201 taking just 262 balls. It is only sad that such a formidable effort should end up hastening an Indian defeat. Yes, the pace at which Sehvag scored by itself has made things a little more difficult for India. But that of course is not his fault. If any one of the stalwarts in the Indian lineup had kept him company for some time, intead of raising false hopes of a long partnership, India could have saved the test today itself. But Gambhir, Dravid and Tendulkar played themselves in and then got out playing grand strokes. All of them excluding Sehvag and including the skipper, threw their wickets away and allowed Pakistan to have a vice-like grip on the game.

Yes, India could lose the test unless Lakshman leads a miraculous fightback with the help of the tail tomorrow or Danish Kaneria bowls quite disappointingly on the fifth day on a pitch which would give him turn and bounce. Everything would hinge on Pakisan's ability to rattle up a sufficient lead so that a declaration becomes possible half way past the third session tomorrow.

Sanity returned to the proceedings on the second day of the final cricket test between India and Pakistan. Pakistan, with the centurians still unseparated, was expected to post a huge total, huge enough to crush India into abject submission. It did of course went on to make 570 but took about 75-plus overs to add 210-plus runs to its overnight tally. They are in a commanding position alright but they looked to have lost their way a wee bit and have, it seems, wasted more than an hour. Aggression crept into their game only towards the fag end of their innings.

.
COURTSEY: ESPNSTAR
A word about Younis Khan, especially about his temperament. His hunger for runs did not abate even after his century, that too his second consecutive one. Remember his Kolkatta ton was a big one too. He after Inzy's departure off the first ball by Balaji, held the innings together and made this score possible. His reluctance to push the gas down when the situation demanded it was the only flaw of this great knock.

That may not mean much in deciding the fate of the match as India started their reply quite confidently. 55-0 again may not mean anything in the background of the larger picture of the match. But a reasonably spirited batting display by India could stretch the Indian innings well into the fourth day and quite past the follow on point. From then on, the match may meander its way to a draw.

But of course, these are early days and anything could happen to the test. The pitch after ignoring al the earnest efforts of the two world class Indian spinners, has started to respond to those who could tweak the ball hard. Harbhajan after a poor first day came back strongly and made a powerful statement on his resilience and skill. This six-wicket haul was his sixteenth five-wicket collection in an innings.

Sehvag has begun as usual confidently. He along with Gambhir, Dravid and Tendulkar is in good form and if a couple of them do well, India may have a good third day and thus lay the foundation for a decent draw. Talking about India's gaining an upper hand against this impressive Pakistan score in this test might be a little too much as the pitch has already thrown enough hints of planning to have a little more say in the proceedings in the remaining three days.

A good toss it was for the Pakistan captain to win at Bangalore. On a day when the ball in both its avatars- new and old- beat the bat on less than half a dozen times, Pakistan moved into the driver's seat ensuring that any trace of an Indian dream of a victory has been wiped off the possible scenarios. India may draw the Bangalore cricket test or worse an insipid batting display can even mean a ignominious loss.

All this was made possible in the course of 90 overs by a magnificent third wicket partnership between captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and his deputy Younis Khan. Both scored centuries. While Inzy majestically strode past the highest score by a batsman on his hundredth test appearance, Younis scored his second consecutive ton with a confident show of strokeplay. His innings was simply overshadowed by the sheer splendour of his skipper's brilliance. Inzy needed just 131 balls to reach his hundred, a good fifty balls less than Younis. The comfort of batting on such a featherbed was evident in Inzy's batting but that could be an unfair statement. He was like a colossus- figuratively also- swatting everything that came his way, dismissing even decent balls out of his sight with utmost disdain. A little more mundane was Younis- a shade more, that is.
Pakistan lost its wickets in the span of seven balls- in fact, the first seven balls. Yasir Hamid and Afridi chasing good length but avoidable deliveries only managed to provide the keeper and first slip some catching practice. Then came the centurians together. They are still there. Pakistan is sitting pretty with a three hundred run partnership, still unbroken.
And it could mean one more day's leather hunt for the Indians. All the Indian bowlers- the pacers and the spinners- toiled hard without any success. The pitch gave uniform bounce and the ball refused either to swing or turn.

India has done it in style!. After controlling proceedings for the first four days at Mohali, India surrendered the advantage on the fifth day marked of course by a spirit-reviving batting display by the Pakistani batsmen. At Eden Gardens also, India, after two good sessions on the opening day, let Pakistan come back into the game and control it for the next few sessions. Actually it was only on the final day that India regained the reins and got into the driver's seat. The Indian pacemen found the going tough as their counterparts did but Balaji bowled a good line and made the ball jag back into the batsmen. But the match had to be won by the spinners.
COURTSY:ESPNSTAR
And the old warhorse, Anil Kumble, with tons of experience behind him, read the pitch very accurately and brought about significant changes to his bowling style. Knowing that the pitch was not for any fancy flighted stuff, he kept a sharpish pace and made the pitch respond to his demands. The ball when Kumble bowled , darted in like a cobra and occasionally kept mortally low. And the poor Pakistani batsmen didn't have the wherewithal to counter his cruelty.
But all this was made possible by the ever-reliable Rahul Dravid. His two centuries spoke of the growing maturity of this master batsman. While the first was a typical Dravid innings, built on solid defense punctuated by great strokes, the second innings effort was quite different in its composition. With a seldom- seen- before judgment of the situation and a methodology to handle it, Dravid took his game to a higher level and set things up in such a way that the bowlers had a realistic chance to wrap it up. He was of course aided in this effort by the still greenhorn Dinesh Karthik.
The disappointment of the series so far is Irfan Pathan. In the team primarily for his ability to make the ball bend into the right hander, Pathan seems to have lost this skill at least temporarily. And he seems to have lost couple of yards in pace also. An effective spell by him would have seen India through at Mohali also.