India out of reach after Kumble ton
India ruthlessly snuffed out any distant hopes that England might have harboured of levelling the series by recording their against them.
Michael Vaughan's team stuck to their task as best they could but, with Ryan Sidebottom nursing a side injury, they were roasted in the sunshine; their predicament compounded by Andrew Strauss's dismissal before the close.
After so much talk about the powerful Indian middle order, what irony that the only hundred - to date, at least - should be scored for them by the quiet, unassuming Anil Kumble.
First, he played a sensible second fiddle to Mahendra Dhoni who took the game by the scruff of the neck after lunch.
Dhoni's fireworks brought the game to life after it had followed a somewhat predictable course in the morning, and he only missed out on a century because of an uncontrolled adrenalin surge.
Having hit Kevin Pietersen for two successive sixes, and with two balls left in the over, Dhoni went for another huge mow through the leg-side and was caught at deep mid-wicket.
His innings gave India the momentum they needed, and allowed Kumble time to reach his memorable landmark.
The boundary which took him to three figures was unusual, to put it mildly. Advancing down the pitch to Kevin Pietersen, he got a bottom edge, the ball shot through Matt Prior's legs and Kumble was celebrating long before the ball hit the boundary edge at fine-leg.
For an awful moment, it looked like a missed stumping.
Fortunately for Prior, this was not the case because the wicket-keeper - whose tally of 33 byes equalled the record conceded by a specialist wicket-keeper in Test cricket - had also dropped another crucial chance earlier in the day.
VVS Laxman was the batsman to escape off Sidebottom when Prior made a dreadful error of judgement and dived directly in front of Strauss at first slip and grassed the catch.
Unlike the miss on the first day, the ball was going directly to Strauss, who appeared to have it covered. While a number of the byes Prior conceded were not his fault at all - they were fired well down the leg-side - it is clear that he has some serious work to do on his footwork if he is to continue at this level.
Rahul Dravid's decision not to declare when Kumble reached his hundred betrayed India's approach to the game: a win would be great, but they will be more than happy with the draw.
"Rahul Dravid's decision not to declare when Kumble reached his hundred betrayed India's approach to the game: a win would be great, but they will be more than happy with the draw."
On the other hand Aggers, if India needs the extra 60 minutes to take 20 England wickets, it's a shame really..
3 full days left in the game, enough and more for Sachin and Kumble. If Kumble can sizzle with bat, maybe Sacihn wil loutdo him with the cherry in hand!
Complain about this postNo reason to declare. There is sufficient time to bowl out England twice. Additional 30 runs scored after his century would help big time.
Congrats to Kumble on his maiden century. Great knock from Dhoni, painful one from sachin, cameo from sreesanth.
Thanks to strauss for bloodrush so close to end of play.
Complain about this postA very frustrating day culminating in Sree Sreesnath hitting Monty for six, and Strauss appearing out of his depth. The Indians have scored well in this test and the last and battled just well enough at Lords showing an excellent fighting team spirit (with only Kumble's hundred) . Can England do the same, with the wicket keeper supposedly setting the standards in the field and the opener showing a modicum of patience, the team spirit is going to be put under pressure. Time to show us how good you are and that you are a team!
Complain about this postIndia scored at a rate nearby 4.00 runs per over... that indicates their intention a lot more than their decision not to declare..
Dravid and India will definitely go for the kill to eliminate any whatifs.. Considering the moanings and whinings from most of the English cricket fans is slowly reaching a crescendo... after the rain-saved Lords test...
Dravid certainly has a point to prove.. and I have no doubt he would be playing for a win.. rather than a tame draw....
That should shut a few ppl up... am sorry to say.. that the list includes u aswell aggers..
Complain about this postEngland will be hoping for a draw from now. Kumble will have men around the bat. It looks like the English are gonna lose a series at home for the first time in 6 years.
Complain about this post"Rahul Dravid's decision not to declare when Kumble reached his hundred betrayed India's approach to the game: a win would be great, but they will be more than happy with the draw."
His batsmen were enjoying themselves in the middle and were scoring at a nice rate as well. Why spoil the fun? The runs were a bonus as well. 70 odd for the last wicket in no time.
3 days to go and 20 wickets to get. I think its India's game - given the woeful batting display of the English in this series. My statement is vindicated by the nature of Strauss's dismissal. 8 overs to play and why go for an expansive pull?
Complain about this postIndia's superb batting line-up was just too much for England.
Anil Kumble getting a century!? Who would have imagined that!
He'll be waiting to steal the headlines again on Day 3.
Complain about this postWell done India!
Kumble has one us so many matches with the ball- now with the bat! he's been india colossuss for so long and i'm glad he got a ton.
Sachin and Laxman both played well and set up a great platform.
Dhoni was brilliant - pure entertainment and that innings destroyed England.
Lets hope India can get 19 more wickets and complete a memorable win!
Complain about this postIts all come down to Sachins dropped catch..India were on 189 at that time..and when Sachin got out...the score was 418!!
the little master surely did play a very big part..had the catch been held ...India might have folded at 350 under pressure...
Complain about this postWow- what a masterclass in batting- the superstar line up finally delivers, dhoni deserved a century though.
Where do england go fro here? they need there bowlers back especially freddie, anderson is far too expensive & tremlett and sidebottom are just not up to international level.
Also the batting needs a change, perhaps owais shah and maybe even chris read need to be given a go.
Complain about this postWell done to Kumble (and India) but I was wondering what is the highest score somebody batting Number 7 or below has made?
Also has any England 'tailender' reached the 3 figures?
Complain about this postWow- what a masterclass in batting- the superstar line up finally delivers, dhoni deserved a century though.
Where do england go from here? they need there bowlers back especially freddie, anderson is far too expensive & tremlett and sidebottom are just not up to international level.
Also the batting needs a change, perhaps owais shah and maybe even chris read need to be given a go.
Complain about this postDhoni's fireworks provided the impetus to Indian innings and entertainment to the crowds. But, sitting here on the other side of the pond, I was most appreciable of the innings Anil 'Jumbo' Kumble played. It is indeed quite amazing to see that he was the only one who did not get out in 80s or 90s. He thoroughly deserves this milestone in his ilong and mpeccable service to India. I am sure his maiden test 100 will turn out to be one of those 'where were you when Jumbo hit his maiden test 100' kind of starter questions in Larry King Live. Let's salute to this great Indian cricketer, competitor and a simple human being!!
Complain about this postExcellent day by India. Indeed, they have now batted England out of the game and the series. Again, I ask if the toss was a crucial difference between the two sides? I heard Aggers and Boycott talk about bowling on the wickets and that is all England bowlers should have done. The number of extras is shocking. I really wish England go for their shots tomorrow and hit 700 by close of day 4 and give India something to bat for. But will they have the bite? Come on England, show us what you can do!!
Complain about this postA bit biased and naive I would think. Have you ever heard that batting a team out of a game, could make them unsure of what to do and end up ultimately losing the game much faster than otherwise? If england have a sniff, they would know what to do, play natural cricket and probably survive. Now they will probably go into their shells and lose much more easily.
Vinod
Complain about this postIndia 2 - England 0. We've fallen short against a world quality side. This reminds me of the 5 - 0 drupping that was inflicted by Australia...
Complain about this postIndia's much haunted batting line up made you eat your words and I am loving it....
Complain about this postIndia hav virtually batted England out of the game. I don't think they hav batted this well in a long time. All players got to double figures, and the tail put the world-class top order to shame. I think with the wicket of Strauss, India shud look to get england out by the end of tomorrow's play and almost certainly forc ethem to follow-on.
India have played superb throughout the series and the speculation that the toss was crucial and played a very important part in India's win at Trent Bridge shud not diminish this great achievement by India.
Complain about this postI think India are gonna win this test match by taking 19 English wickets! You have seen kumble with the bat, and tomorrow will see his skill with the ball. England have 3 fulls days to save the test match and india have 3 full days to go 2-0 series victory what could be the best series win considering the fact of how they drew in Lords!
But i would love to see some fight back from the English team and at least a blistery century from KP if not prior who os far had a night mare of series!
hope to have a cracking day tomorrow!
Cheers!
Complain about this postDa Rock
Can't believe Kumble was capable of a ton...
Complain about this postKidding me! Declare at 9 down! come on man....if England are still going to bat for the next 2 days...why would any Captain declare with all sanity....you disappoint me.
Complain about this postKumble thoroughly deserves this achievement for his professionalism and dedication to Indian cricket. Also after this day I bet Matt Prior will be better advised to chew on jellybeans than to speak any further!
Complain about this postDravid should have declared earlier!
The irony escapes the fact that it must be great to bat with the freedom from a responsibility to score runs knowing full well that any runs gotten will be a bonus. And so it was with Kumble and he made hay, and wonderfuully too. Kudos to him.
The middle order is always under pressure to produce runs and they have done it wonderfully well the entire series after being written off by English papers, but the expectation to come off each time must weigh a lot!
Complain about this postAll said, England have lost a series at home, what a shame ! Instead of blaming it on luck, may be its time for introspection and getting the selection criterion right... Congratulations to India, its a bidding farewell to the famous five (Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman and kumble) from English shores !!
Complain about this postIts fascinating day of cricket. India completely took the game out of the England's reach. Bravo to them. I don't mind not seeing any batsman raising their bat for the personal records against them celebrating victory at the end of the test with TEAM. Bravo to Kumble, Zaheer & Sree Santh as well for contributing to the team's tally.
Though, after seeing Andrew Strauss getting out in the most irresponsible & horrible fashion and considering his statement in the press yesterday that England can still win, I wonder it would be better for the sportsman to let their performance speak for themselves rather than their mouth.
Complain about this postWell boys what is the excuse today, lets blame luck again, or maybe it was a bit too hot, or maybe the Indians were not sporting enough that they batted as long as they did becuase it wipes out any chance the English had of squaring the series. What a load of rubbish, the team is horrible, how do you a allow a number 8 to score a hundred.
Complain about this post"Rahul Dravid's decision not to declare when Kumble reached his hundred betrayed India's approach to the game: a win would be great, but they will be more than happy with the draw."
Isn't three full days enough to take 20 wickets?! I'm guessing the plan was to put England in with about 10 overs to face and grab an early wicket and that is exactly what happened! I don't see any intention of a draw here.
Everything points to batting only once and bowling England out twice and with the wicket looking like its going to spin, methinks India are in with a big chance of victory, what?
Complain about this postAgnew you forgot to mention that England got lucky again when Howel didnt give Anderson out LBW to sreesanth and England didnt stick to their task , they gave up too many easy runs which you failed to mention, dravid decsion is very good one I think becuase India could had just five overs more to bowl but not to declare when other team is expecting you to delcare is the mind game which worked in india's favour,they were unlucky that they didnt get the second wicket becuase of poor umpiring
Complain about this postre: Rahul Dravid's decision not to declare when Kumble reached his hundred betrayed India's approach to the game: a win would be great, but they will be more than happy with the draw.
i dont see how you come to that conclusion. if this had been the third day of the match, i can see where you're coming from. but it wasnt. there are 3 full days still to go. plenty of time to get 20 wickets. the idea was to get to a score so that india dont have to bat a second time. if india had wickets in hand, i could have seen dravid choosing to keep on batting halfway through the morning session on the third day.
the idea is to get into the heads of the english players and convince them that an english win is out of the question... and once you convince your opponents they cant win, its that much easier to beat them
Complain about this postDravid's decision to continue batting is actually a good move because of the way the tailenders are batting, we can see the frustration on the faces of the England team. The tailenders have extended the score by almost 200 runs which will be the real difference in this test match outcome. It will be a tough challenge to get England out twice in 3 days unless the pitch starts to help the spinners on Day 4 and 5. Anyway, India has played responsibly and I wish they win this test.
Complain about this postI hope that Matt Prior isn't about to go the way of Geraint Jones. The latter had a fairly good start in test cricket, scoring runs and keping to a reasonable level; then the keeping deteriorated, and after that the runs seemed to dry up, and finally people were asking why on earth Duncan Fletcher kept picking him? Let's hope that Prior can pull himsef together. or that this is only a temporary blip. Can't your or Geoffrey have a word with him about his stance behind the stumps Aggers, or get Simon Hughes to show him some tapes of Gilchrist keeping?
Charles Evans.
Complain about this postIndia wasted time once Kumble's century was complete. At the end of two days out in the field, England would no doubt have been tired and letting them bat about 25 overs in the end should have been the ideal thing to do. This may turn out to be a missed opportunity if this turns out to be a close finish between a draw and an England defeat.
Complain about this postI must say Mr. Agnew I am a huge fan of this blog.
Complain about this postThis match will inevitably end in a draw because England too have depth in their batting lineup with the likes of Vaughan, Pietersen, Collingwood, and Bell yet to come.
In my opinion, Matt Prior should be dropped in favor of Chris Read who has never really had a chance to cement his place in the England side. Lets be fair to Chris Read and give him a chance.
I would look to RP Singh and Zaheer to make a big impact in this match.
Full marks to India. They played to a plan and stuck with it. The teaser was not declaring when Kumble got t his century (Gods must have been crazy tooday....!!!!) . That really showed a approach that India really wanted to make sure that if there is a victor in this match then it is they. Another sad day for Matt Prior and a dreadful day for umpir Lowell. England would have lost two wickets but for a horrible descision by this umpire . Sreesanth's delivery clearly stuck the pad before it hit the pad and was palpably shameful that it was ignored by the umpire. This is one of those series where both sides suffered beacuse of in experienced umpiring.
Complain about this postAggers,
I agree with much of what you wrote except the following: "Rahul Dravid's decision not to declare when Kumble reached his hundred betrayed India's approach to the game: a win would be great, but they will be more than happy with the draw."
I thought the reason for RD's relucance to declare was that he wanted his bowlers fresh, which they would be in the morning. If the Indians were playing for a draw, their RR wouldn't be close to 4 and normally placid batsmen like RD and Laxman won't play like they were playing in an ODI. RD's captaincy is to be appreciated vis-a-via our own. Vaughn's captaincy was unquestionably uninspired in spite of all the excuses we have provided for him.
I don't want to give up yet, but it's been a good series even if we lose it. I hope we learn our lessons, including our captain, players and fans.
Complain about this postEngland have been out thought and out witted in their own backyard! India will win this test.. the sheer pressure of having to score 400+ to avoid follow on will buckle the English batsman.. I predict an innings defeat to England team
Complain about this postGreat Day of cricket for India. Wonderful piece of batting. I am very impressed with the way Sachin batted. When he came to crease, the game was drifting towards England's hand. He put all his patience out there and played a painful innings for the team. Congragulations for Kumble. I think this will motivate him to play more and take more wickets.
All set for an impressive series victory.
Question now is how well England can bat under preasure on this flat pitch. I hope they will give a fight and make it worth watching.
Complain about this postEnglish media is Biased. Thats the only thing I would like to say. This is not specific to JA comment but in particular, whenever I read , I get feeling that they write something to please english audience.
Complain about this postLOL ...what intent? India scored at 4.35 runs per over on an average on day 2. Not aggressive enough? Thats bordering ODI runrate. Dravid and India will go for the jugular and frankly 2 days is all thats required to knock out england twice.
Complain about this postplease aggers, give india some credit for posting such a magnificent score. 2 years ago i lost count of the number of people who refused to condemn england for a negative attitude just so long as it resulted in them winning the series. now the boot is on the other foot, u have no real reason to moan.
Complain about this postEngland are well and truly outplayed in this match. It will require a Bradmanesque effort by one of the England batsmen to save this match and thatis unlikely. India have humbled them and ground them to the dust. I don't see how the England batsmen will be able to cope up against the skills of Zaheer Khan, R.P. Singh and Kumble. This is Kumble's last Test in England, the country where he made his debut way back in 1990, and he would surely like to round off his career in great style. After all he has hit his first Test hundred after 18 years of playing Test cricket and he sure won't go out without leaving his mark.
Complain about this postAggers, I respect your views and I know that you have been watching this game well before even I was born. But, the last line in your blog you went wrong. I respect your views, but, I think that India are looking to humiliate England and they are seem hungry for success which will be satiated with decent win over here in Oval. By saying that, even if India manage to win this series by 1-0 they can still hold their heads high. They looked to be more hungry for success. I expect a tough fight from England and if they have to make match of this mammoth total, everyone has to contribute. This would be an ideal opportunity for Bell to prove his detractors wrong. I really love his technique and poise which is so rare to see these days. He should be persisted with, he along with Cook and Pieterson are future trio of England batting. By saying that, I expect at least one of these three to make a big hundred and some sort of contributions from remaining batsmen. Prior, well, if he wants to be on plane to Sri Lanka where keeping would be much more harder, I think he has to make most of this game. Some people say that he should be dropped altogether, but, I think that he is good enough player for one day games, but, for test matches, you need to have specialist wicket keepers. Leave job of batting to batsmen and if last 4 can contribute 50 that would make up for extra runs that specialist wicket keeper will score..
Complain about this post"After so much talk about the powerful Indian middle order, what irony that the only hundred - to date, at least - should be scored for them by the quiet, unassuming Anil Kumble."
Funny statement is in't it? After umpires eat wickets of dravid in first test, sachin, ganguly in second test and karthik, ganguly in third test where some of them nearing their centuries!!!
Complain about this postIndia's batting has been exceptional this entire series. They have silenced every critic that said the side was ful of fossils. They thorouly deserve to win the series 2-0.
Complain about this postAggers ,
your comment on india not declaring is little strange , they batted for just five over extra after kumble reached his hundered and still they should have had two wickets which you failed to mention , which is even on ´óÏó´«Ã½
I am pasting it for your reference
Complain about this post1800 - Eng 23-1 RIGHT! SAM LYON! GET BACK IN YOUR BOX! I must apologise, I go off for a smoke and a bit of a stroll and the pesky Lyon starts masquerading as me and talking a load of old rubbish. I wouldn't mind, but he didn't even cap up Life on Mars. Right, Santh goes up for an lbw against Anderson but umpire Howell says that was missing leg. Then there's a bizarre sequence, the ball ricocheting off Anderson's pad, onto his bat and through mid-off for four. Odd, and it should really have been lbw. Anderson nicks the strike with a single off Santh's final delivery.
I am confident now that Team India will win the series cosidering the score. Sensational start from Team India. !!!!!!!
Complain about this postForget the India' betrayal and declaration' theory....
It is England's responsibility to get India out - or have a bowling attack capable of taking 10 wickets without any help from the umpires.
If anything about betrayal, that came from English bowlers and 'ever chatter box' wicket keeper!
Complain about this postCould it be that Kumble does not get any wickets and still gets to be the MOM?
Kumble did very well to drive home the advantage with admirable support from the tail. But let's also not forget the effort of the batsmen who made that situation possible. Tendulkar's innings was very importrant too. It was he who took the punches and then Dhoni provided the blow.
Complain about this postWhy is there so much chippiness between contributors on this site? Lets let the players have their spats, but us fans should always be able to appreciate and recognise the merits of the competing sides [this isn't football you know, shoulder barges or not].
Facts are; England could and probably should have done enough to win the first test. India used a day of extremely useful conditions to set themselves up for a win at TB, which they then ruthlessly exploited [partly because England goaded them so pathetically]. And now, India have racked up a massive total on a ground where Massive totals are racked up. Thus England cannot win.
Thats it. There you go. A good, tight, tense, closely fought series won by the side that clearly won 3 or 4 of the 15 days of the series, but they were the ones that mattered. Far better that than 15 one sided days. Good luck india, to come and win in England is still [and I'm not being condesending, but congratulatory] a massive achievement given the difference in pitches etc. from the subcontinent.
Lets all have a nice cool beer, and relax eh?
Complain about this postWell to sum up England asked for a Mild Korma curry, but they got the real taste of Vindaloo
THE ONLY PLUS FOR ENGLAND FROM THE SERIES I THOUGHT IS RYAN 'BRAVEHEART' SIDEBOTTOM
Complain about this postJonathan!.
Complain about this postit seems India has done much mor than enough with the bat in this match!!.
but what about such a disaster of a pitch? generally, teams from outside when they tour the sub-continent complain of the lack of quality of pitchs!. what about this one? wherever they are, all these flat tracks are killing test cricket!!.
in the first 2 matchs of this series, the pitch did offer something to the bowlers as well, and the result is there for everyone to see!. for god sake, just dig up such useless flat tracks!!.
Hi Aggers,
Umpire Howell. Does he really deserve to be at this level? It's amazing how the critics jump on Players for one mistake and Umpire goes un-questioned. Anderson was trapped LB in the penultimate over but Howell didn't even bother to answer Bowler and Fielders’ question. Why all this fuss about Prior and nothing said about repeatedly failed Umpire Howell ?
Complain about this post"Rahul Dravid's decision not to declare when Kumble reached his hundred betrayed India's approach to the game: a win would be great, but they will be more than happy with the draw."
I beg to differ Aggers ... the 22 yards has been a belter thus far... amply shown by the Indian lower order ... with hardly any lateral movement through the air for the fast bowlers and still a long way to go before it gets helpful for the spinners. Hence, to have declared at 550-600 would have just been plain idiocy. India would want to bat once in this test and put England under immense pressure to come up with enough runs to avoid a follow on ... and with all due respect - getting 350 is psychologically and realistically much easier than getting 450 to avoild a follow on. The other thing being that now England's mindset would have completely changed to saving the test match which is always a plus for the fielding side (India), since the batsment will on more than one occasion look to curb a natural free flowing style of play keeping in mind the gravity of the situation and that there's still pride to play for ... this definitely will be magnified tommorrow especially after the manner in with Strauss gave his wicket away.
Hence, I truly do believe that India's done the right thing by running England ragged. It could easily have been 2 down today for England had Dhoni not messed up that tough catch in the last over. I think the next 3 days is ample time to bowl England out. India have had the best use of the pitch while batting, and now in all probability are having the best use of the pitch while bowling, with lots of dust kicking up each time the ball is tossed not only in the footmarks but also on good length spots.
My judgement - England is definitely going to follow on and unless someone plays an innings of a lifetime, this series is 2-0 India.
Complain about this postbeing optimistic England could score a brisk 650 by 5.30 on day 4. Take 3 Indian wickets before the close , wrap the rest up at on day 5 bowling them out for 140 before tea then smash the winning runs in the final session...........
Complain about this postAgnew,
Your last statement isnt correct at all. India played positively throughout this match. Today the RR was almost like an ODI. Dravid has three whole days to get another 19 wickets. So he probably wanted to keep his bowlers fresh for tomorrow.
The way the last sentence is written makes it look like India want to play out for a draw. The next three days will show who wants to play out for a draw.
Complain about this postStrauss should be ashamed of himself, what terribly poor shot to play knowing we needed a good start.
Complain about this postAnderson has played better than him maybe he should replace Strauss.Totally disgusted that Strauss should be allowed to get away with such poor shot selection time and time again.
I made a comment that strauss should be ashamed of himself and you would not accept it on the blog !!!!
Complain about this postRubbish England, is this the improvement we were promised ?
Complain about this postteam scred 664 fond fault in middle order . what a comment!
Complain about this postteam scred 664 fond fault in middle order . what a comment!
Complain about this post"England stuck to their task but roasted in sunshine."
Roasted in sunshine??
Complain about this postPerhaps they were roasted by the Indian assault than by the sunshine -- I see in all the pictures that Indian batsmen were wearing swaters!
People who accuse the umpires of being biased just because of the colour of a players skin should grow up and stop playing the race card at every opportunity.
Complain about this postHowell is a very very poor umpire but he should be dropped not because he is biased but because he is inept.
Im Indian and proud that the boys batted superbly today. But Im also annoyed by the people who are so eager to play the race card, cause division, and give us a bad name.
Aggers - I dont understand why English always complaint about the attitude of the touring teams! The English are the worst losers to be honest. RD was correct in continuing even after Kumble got his century to ensure they bowl around 5-8 overs and not beyond that. Drain out the English players and have a crack! Declaring 2-3 overs wouldnt have made a difference to be honest-maybe Indians would have got Anderson back in the pavilion.Well he would be back anyways tomorrow morning within the first 3 overs.
I am an Aussie and your columns can never praise the touring team without any unnecessary criticism! Time you start being a sport rather than find faults in everyone. Look at your own backyard before pointing fingers..
Cheers matee
Complain about this postno i disagree aggers,, in fact it was a great tactic,,
no reason to declare man,, i thought punishing england all the way till the end was a superb tactic and it was fun to watch sree santh hit those 4s off anderson,, real humiliation.....
prior's has been an unlucky test,, but so also it has been for the likes of ganguly, tendulkar and the rest...
i am very happy for kumble though,, and i think he might still be able to help india get those 19 remaining wickets...its just a matter of wait for the them before that i think...
on the other side, i find sending of anderson as a night watchman a very negative and defensive tactic... that wicket is for india's to take any time tomorrow morning, and once they do that... they will need just 8 good balls to put the counterparts' back to their walls...
i think prior still might have lots to prove by batting real good , and saving england a test match if it comes to that...
Complain about this postWell done India. Kumble is a good example of a first class wicket keeper, his batting just a bonus. Watching him in the last overs, he never needed to dive, he always seemed to be behind the ball no matter what it did. Enough of the highlight reel diving left and right, it looks impressive but unfortunately is not efficient. Surely there is a better keeper available in terms of technique alone, disregarding today's mistakes.
Complain about this postCalm down (post # 50) must be watching different series if he thinks that India only won 3-5 days in this series! I think without a question 1st two days of this match belong to india. 4 and possibly all 5 days of second test belonged to India. That itself makes 6 or 7 by my math. I give India atleast the 2nd and 5th day of Lords' match. You can dispute this last assessment, but still you are wrong by long 22 yards my friend!
Complain about this posti can think of a few reasons why dravid did not declare - one, sreesanth was batting with a high strike rate and not timidly prodding as is a tailender's wont; two, despite the fluency of his strokemaking no one expects sreesanth to have the tenacity to hang around for long anyway; three, as graham thorpe mentioned in his commentary, openers would rather have around fourteen overs to play at the end of the day than six or eight; four, why not keep as much of the shine and hardness on the new ball for the next morning when there may be different, perhaps more bowler-friendly weather conditions and some moisture in the pitch?
i do think that dravid would have declared in another over or two if sreesanth had not lost his wicket. i don't think it was defensive, i think it was more of a no quarters attitude a la ricky ponting.
Complain about this post1. Kumble took over from Ajit Agarkar. Last time around, Ajit Agarkar almost spoiled England's party with his century. Kumble hammered the final nail this time around.
2. There is nothing in the pitch to suggest any demons. If Kumble can do it, so can all teh English batsman. All a matter of backing up the jelly-beans and "competitive chatters" with scores.
3. Howell seems to have forgotten that he is not playing for England. It would need very special talent to not rule Anderson out to a plumb LBW. But then looking at the way he has been giving Indian batsman out, he does seem to have special talent.
4. My heart goes to Ganguly. Not the best of the middle-order quartet, he seemed theto be at his fluent best in terms everytime the umpires decided to disgrace themselves and cut his innings short.
Complain about this postPrior made a poor wicket keping display but you cant go to hard on him he tok some catches the only problemb is footwork and diving.India could win but they would have to get England out fairly quickly.
Complain about this postKumbles shot was lucky but he ade a good centry.
Loads of 4s and 6s were hit India had a healthy run rate.
Tremlet has had a god opening 3 mathches he just needs to work on his ful pitch.
Thats all for now.
I hope the young boys in India's team understand how important this test is to all the stalwarts of Indian cricket, and give a fighting performance for the next three days. The team needs to get these remaining 19 wickets as a tribute to the service Kumble, Laxman, Dravid, Ganguly and Tendulkar have provided to Indian cricket over the years. It will be a fitting final England series for them!
Complain about this postPrior is shoddy but you can't blame him for all the byes. The umpires were not easy on him calling what even a top notcher will have tough time to stop as bye.
I also thought Dravid will declare as soon as kumble hit the ton. But i guess he made up his mind to put England for 10 odd overs today and nothing more than that.
Complain about this postOverall I have to say that i am very surprised by the indian openers throughout this series. They stuck to it very well in tough conditions.
So England's pace bowlers have had a hard day. Well, as far as I am concerned it serves them right, since their laziness on the last day at Lord's cost their side a win. It was patently obvious that play was threatened by the weather, but they carried on as if time was no object. Now they are reaping what they sowed - a series defeat for England and the first for Michael Vaughan as captain. I wonder what he will do if a similar situation arises again.
How is it that players seemed to put more of themselves into the game and got injured less when they were low paid and without all of these back room staff?
Complain about this postIndia played well and it appears that the Indian team has jelled after the last coach resigned.. I forget the name of the coach from australia.
Any thoughts on the +/-ve impact to Indian cricket team work after the coach's departure.
BTW - good job by the Indian team - when was the last time all players scored in double figures.
From Ann Arbor, Mi USA.
Complain about this postI don't think you are being fair to Dravid here......Do you really think England are going to try and score faster than India (c. 4 runs an over ) or consider a 'sporting declaration' after they pass the follow on mark?......England are probably going to try thier best at simply staving off an innings defeat rather than win the match here !! On the other hand India might try and bowl them out twice and force a decision, hence it made sense to eat up time and put as many runs on board as possible.
Complain about this postA hard day for England
Complain about this postMany congratulations to India not only for posting such a formidable first innings total but also for showing how to excel at good, old fashioned test cricket. Their performance on the first two days at the Oval and their magnificent win at Trent Bridge have, I am afraid, shown England up as no better than mediocre at this level of the game.
Whilst England's comfortable defeat of the West Indies gave us a heartening start to the summer, I think it can be seen that the West Indies were indeed very weak opponents. Players such as Prior, Strauss and even Panesar need more time to work on their game and show they can really compete at test level consistently and over a period of time.
Complain about this postA hard day for England
Complain about this postI think it was a toss up between declaring earlier or going on to compile the largest total possible so as to demoralise England as thoroughly as possible. Judging by the body language of the England side in the last 90 minutes or so, Dravid certainly achieved the latter.
Complain about this postGreat Performance India!
The only sore spot is that Tendulkar was woefully slow in accumulating his runs in comparison to his team-mates.
He should take a cue from this and retire immediately after this series. That way he would have left on his own terms and with a bang. It would also serve him far better than if he were dropped for bad performances with his bat, that based on his recent batting displays culminating in this one, appear so likely to accompany him in the future...
Complain about this postEngland got "Roasted". Great performance from India.
I am surprised that pitch is prepared so lifeless considering it was a must win match for England. The momentum shift was when Dhoni changed gears. That is when last 1% hope of England was dusted. I saw Panesar so low first time since he started playing. Sidebottom was clearly unfortunate throughout the series without wicket. But the most unfortunate of all were legend trio - Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly. How sad that in their last series in England all of them were victim of bad umpiring decisions. This Howell guy has to go back to umpiring in domestic games.
Complain about this postAgnew is wrong with his last sentence;India wanted to put Eng.to the sword & score every last run.
Hopefully they can continue to chip away at their wickets on a fairly flat pitch, so they can get them to follow on? If that happens, a win is a possibility, though they may be wary of batting last to win, if Eng.can score 800? in two innings?!
Though a draw is probable as taking 20 wickets may be out of reach.
Anyway 2005's blip seems a long time ago & maybe not just the Aussies can turn over the Eng. in convincing fashion........
Complain about this postThis reminds me of what India did to Australia in Sydney in 2003-2004. Australia needed to win the test to win the series, however had to settle for a draw after India made over 700 batting first.
Brett Lee went for over 200.
Lets see whether Indian can continue this form when they play Australia this Xmas.
Complain about this postI was impressed by Dhoni and no wonder why he is a super star in India. I only wish he has got a century he deserved in this innings.
Overall, it was a good showing by India and from here they should surely go on and win the match and hence the series unless of course if the weather intervenes.
Complain about this post"Rahul Dravid's decision not to declare when Kumble reached his hundred betrayed India's approach to the game: a win would be great, but they will be more than happy with the draw"
Aggers, you do not realize that it does not require India too much time to bowl England out twice. The sun does set on english empire, it always has , you pompous englishmen are merely blind and ignorant, that's all.
Complain about this postThere's not much to say here.
It's a depressing situation to be in as an England fan. India batted brilliantly although that's not to say England bowled poorly.
Still aggreived that England didn't win the first test but that's life. England to lose their first home series for a few years but its not as if it's to a team that didn't warrant it.
Oh, apparently some football league starts tomorrow. Does anyone actually care though?
Complain about this postWell now - england staring down the barrel of a gun?
After the debacle of the last Ashes and the buffoonery of the world cup, I predicted in a TMS blog that England would cream WI and come up against it with India.
Once the Indian team had aclimatised, they came out firing on all fronts. Their attack who couldnt bowl was suddenly being called 'top class swing bowling' and when the batting started to come right, well, here we are now.
The England players stuck to it and played with passion. They are a young mob and inexperienced compared to the Indian team. Lets give them credit and also acknowledge that India are one hell of a good side!
Complain about this postA rest to remember , highlights :
POSITIVE
1 Kumble , brilliant effort with the bat , bowling still to come .
2 India's Team effort , focused control , they where always going to bat to the end , declaration was not considered .
3 Tendulkar's concentrated effort , suvibal at all cost , for the benefit of the Team .
NEGATIVE
1 Howell , discracefull , no excuse should not be considered in future for internationals , Irepeat NO EXCUSE!!
Complain about this post2 out of place , send him home !!
3 Howell , dishonest??
A rest to remember , highlights :
POSITIVE
1 Kumble , brilliant effort with the bat , bowling still to come .
2 India's Team effort , focused control , they where always going to bat to the end , declaration was not considered .
3 Tendulkar's concentrated effort , suvibal at all cost , for the benefit of the Team .
NEGATIVE
1 Howell , discracefull , no excuse should not be considered in future for internationals , Irepeat NO EXCUSE!!
Complain about this post2 Prior ,out of place , send him home !!
3 Howell , dishonest??
In the year 2004, against Aussies, in Sydney, Dravid declared Indian innings when Sachin was on 194.
I really can't believe if the same Dravid can *betray* someone by continuing to having a 'ball' - with the #11 batsman hitting the notorious English bowlers all around the park black and blue.
Wonder what does a hard-core English fan call it- say Vaughny declared when Freddie is on 194 against Aussies in Australia?
MURDER???
LOL of the day Aggers!
BTW, Dravid's sense of Cricket and dedication to the game are just unmatchable (ref. to my earlier eg in Sachin's case where he put Winning first to personal records).
Complain about this postAs per usual the media go looking for scalps. If If If
Complain about this postRegardless of who should have declared,who should have caught what catch and whether or not india will go for the win--the much hyped English cricket team need to understand their limitations...they are at best a B grade team an assortment of Sunday afternoon knockabouts with dubious English heriatge.
It's time to call it as it is. D+
I watched some of this game and some of the last. When two teams are evenly matched as these are, it comes down to the invisible things called spirit and sometimes that same spirit is called luck.
We had no luck with the first test when weather stopped the easy win, and Sidebottom has bowled very well without getting into the wickets as he would have liked.
The england team will get better and develp this thing called spirit or 'luck' over time. Be patient and cheer loudly, we need that!
Complain about this postHi Srikanth
No need to be hard at Aggers. In his opinion India should have declared earlier and in our opinion it was to bat to add insult to the injury.
Also the movie Lagaan came to my mind today.
Complain about this postToo much crying over spilled milk. It's cricket and catches will be dropped. No one is dwelling on teh way Ganguly was given out
Complain about this postWhy is Strauss being criticised for being positive? A draw is no good to England, they need to win to tie the series (being one wicket away from victory in the first test does not mean victory can be assumed). If Pietersen got in this fashion no fuss would be made, this is just kicking a man when he's down.
Complain about this post'you pompous englishmen are merely blind and ignorant, that's all. '
´óÏó´«Ã½, isn't that racist?
Complain about this postIndia have played very well, and it would be wrong to deny them credit for making the most of their luck. That said, in twenty years of watching cricket I have never seen a team enjoy as much luck in the course of a series as India. The following are the crucial areas:
1) Injuries to all of England's first choice seamers and their talisman Freddie Flintoff.
2) Escaping with a draw at Lords when they deserved to lose.
3) Winning a vital toss at Trent Bridge. India played very well in that match, but anyone who knows anything about cricket knows that had England won the toss they would probably have won that match.
4) The freakish dismissal of Vaughan at Trent Bridge. Vaughan looked set for a huge score and the Indians had no idea how to get him out. If he had stayed in long enough to post another 100 runs England would have had a defensible total. India's diificulties in chasing 73 prove this.
5) Winning the toss at the Oval. If ever the toss of a coin ruined a whole match it was this one. If England had won and batted they would probably have made a decent score and be looking for the win, but India would have a good chance of winning too. Because India had the luck again the game is a complete waste of time.
Before I get abused by Indian fans, I am not saying that India have not had bad decisions, there have been some shockers on Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly. However, India's bad luck has not been at key times, whereas England's has.
Well played India. Luck alone does not win a series. However, I think the series scoreline is more reflective of the sides' contrasting luck than different levels of skill.
Complain about this postIam just wandering wat reason is England gona give for losing this test. might be banana peel would be the reason
Complain about this postGreat day of cricket. As someone who has been watching Jumbo (Kumble) play since his debut, I couldn't be more happier for the big man of Indian cricket. Congratulations. Awesome team performance overall. Rahul did the right thing by not declaring. Now the onus is on England to make a match out of this and try to force a win. Afterall their proud reputation stares them in the face!! I am really excited about the next three days. Defensive field setups will frustrate the batsmen forcing them to make errors, resulting in wickets. This is my prediction. However, whether India forces a follow on (afterall Eng need 495 to avoid follow on), or decide to bat in their second dig, the match will head to a draw. England praying for rain is not going to help them either. What would be great, is to see Vaughny and Pietersen score really big centuries (or double centuries) by end of day tomorrow, may bring about a result. Lest we will see a draw/India win.
One word about the England team though. I sometimes wonder why their team is filled with such fragile one-match (one-series at the most) wonders? When was the last time you had a full compliment of proven bowlers? Why is it that nothing is done to address this problem? Are English genetically built to be that weak? Well, other teams suffer injuries too, but besides English players, not so many enmasse!
And finally, will all the English cricket supporters stop looking for excuses? Yes, India got lucky at Lords and with the toss at the Oval. Well who doesn't know that good cricket needs some luck? It is good to see India getting lucky finally, after having watched them deprived of many deserving wins just coz they lacked that sliver of luck. Never mind. The same can be said about England's ashes win too.
Anyhow, stop whingering and start enjoying good cricket mates. Who would have thunk that India will be in a position to win the series on the last day at Lord's? This game is full of uncertainities and only those who love for what this game is, can truly appreciate the turn of events witnessed in this series.
Bravo India. Good luck England. Come on, you guys can do it.
Complain about this post'Rahul Dravid's decision not to declare when Kumble reached his hundred betrayed India's approach to the game: a win would be great, but they will be more than happy with the draw.'
Spoke your heart, not India's mind!
Complain about this postAll I have to say to bulldozer's last post is: EXCUSES! EXCUSES!
Complain about this postNobody has played Test cricket more and longer than the English, but it baffles me how graceless English are in aftermath of a Test, especially one which is lost. The term here doesnt only include fans, who i think should not be bound with ethics, but it also includes media, which mainly include a large chunks of former English players and captains.
After a hard fought day of cricket and behaviour only they consider appropriate Aussies sit down and appreciate any and all good performances over the evening. English on the other hand look for excuses for their poor performances and belittling the opposition's achievements.
Nasser Hussain, Llyod, Botham and Atherton have so much knowledge and make so much sense as long as the game is in the balance, but once English lose an upper hand they leave no tear unshed and no snorty remark unmentioned.
I am sorry I may have gone a bit over the line but England and its cricket fraternity can do lot lot better given their rich cricketing history.
Complain about this postAs far as perinnel excuses about not having their Dream attack, believe me Jones is gone, career over never coming back. Harmisson finished, doesnt have the commitment required to get back to what once was his best. Giles has just retired. The attck England has now is the best possible, Tremlett has bowled better than best Harmisson has in 3 Tests in last 2 years. Anderson & Sidebottom have bowled as well as Hoggard & Jones could have. Panesar has long exceeded the performance Gile was capable of.
One doesn't really know what shapes this blog.....Is it the English (rather the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s) cricket mannerism of always trying to see faults with the opposition, or is it the sentimental mindset of a Sub-continental cricket fan that won't take any criticism sportingly? I think both play varying roles at different times!
Complain about this postReally hoping for an India win as I see so few of them overseas. However, to offer hope to the English point of view, lets look at what England have do to either draw or win this match.
First, rather than look at overcoming 664 in a single innings, lets look at England trying to overcome the run total in *2 innings*. That thought would be easier to digest for England's players and would go a long way to relieving them of the pressure they currently feel. This means that with less pressure upon any single individual player, each player can go out and play "a less tense game" while concentrating on applying themselves. And if Vaughan and 2 or 3 others were to go on to big scores then surely the momentum would start reverting.
Second, lets look at specific targets. Lets look at the draw scenario. I think for England to draw they need to obtain a minimum 750 from their two innings (lets say 400 in the first and 350 in the 2nd or vice versa). Why 750? Well, after accumulating 750, it is likely we would be into the middle of the final day, before India really got a chance to bat and if so, England might be able to escape with a draw. Furthermore, even if India had a minor total to chase, on a 5th day Oval track, with India's batsman quite tired from fielding for 2 days straight and with demons in the pitch while facing Panesar, chances are significantly improved for India collapsing and therefore India reverting to playing defensively while attempting to preserve a draw rather than go for a win.
Digression: Now that we've cut England's task in half - ie, producing just 375 runs/inning rather than 664 all in one shot, isn't that much easier to digest?
Third, lets look at the win scenario for England. As aforementioned, I believe if England were to post a decent double innings total, India's task would be mammoth just to preserve a draw themselves. In fact, I believe if England managed to exceed 800 runs in their 2 innings, England would indeed have a sniff at victory. And if England scored even higher than 800 that would simply increase the odds in their favour.
There are still 3 sunny days to go. I believe there is plenty of time to post a result. May the best team win!
Complain about this postbulldozer, how many more excuses you want!!!
Complain about this postI remember exactly that in the first test when all the bad desicions were against India some of the english had justified it by "Luck favours the better".
And now many of the English are bemoaning about bad luck, which frankly speaking makes for a very lousy excuse and makes them disgraceful loosers.
Immaturity and lack of self retropection are seeping out of the English right now. Stop being cry babies and accept the fact. However I can see that it all started with their stroke of luck in the Ashes.
Complain about this postresponse to bulldozer's list of excuses:
Complain about this postwell if india's first choice players were fit and firing then you would have run out excuses mate.If Sehwag,Harbhajan,Munaf & Pathan were in this squad then india would have been up 2-0 coming into the Oval.
I think we have to remember that england's test team have been pretty undistinguished for almost two years! Since losing the first test in pakistan in 2005 (chasing less than 200 when our egos got the better of us!!) we have had the following results winter 2005 - pakistan lost, india drawn, sri lanka drawn, pakistan won, australia lost, west indies won, india lost! This is moderate form by anybodys standard!Also dont underestimate the loss of marcus trescothick in all this. not only for his batting, averaging almost 45, but his first slip catching and chief ball shiner! the last point is significant as we have been poor in recent times. he worked significantly on the ball and was an outstanding first slip fielder.
Finally the wicketkeeping!! we have NOT got a gilchrist/sangakarra in england. when will we realise that this is a KEY area and cannot be played around with! prior, jones etc are not significantly better than read at batting and therefore the best keeper should keep wicket. its pretty obvious to all and sundry! literally!
Complain about this postAgain what is the cost of priors errors. approx 100 runs!! inc byes, dropped catches etc. what is the % chance he will redeem this batting!! Reid last kept in australia for the last two test matches and although his batting was only reasonable HE DID NOT CONCEDE A SINGLE BYE IN TWO TEST MATCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats work 40 a test match compared to prior before dropped catches . the main differences are that he doesnt catch the ball, he takes it !(with great aplomb) and his footwork is head and shoulders above the other contenders. he isnt fussy and demonstrative but efficient! major difference. lets get back to basics!
To bulldozer (98)
What surprises me is that the normal vagaries of cricket are blamed as 'luck' leading to English defeats.
Let me answer all of your points:
1) Injuries - This goes to show more of a lack of bench strength than anything else. I don't think Freddie has been at the top of his game for some time now and Harmison's waywardness puts Sreesanth to shame. Jones is as injury prone as Ashish Nehra and Ajit Agarkar, two bowlers who could have been playing today but have been out because of injury. The only one England really missed was Hoggard, but then India missed Munaf Patel too, again because of his injury. RP Singh was a substitution.
2) Lords' test - Sure India deserved to lose that match. They didn't. But the weather looked ominous from the first day itself and England were guilty of not hurrying up knowing the weather might intervene. But what doesn't get mentioned here was the toss England won. So is the toss crucial only when england loses it? Or does the england team allow the toss to become crucial. In any case, one of the two teams has to win the toss and all cricket matches have tosses.
3) Again, the toss being 'vital'.
5) Same as 3. If India wins the toss, the game is a 'waste of time'. Not so when England wins it.
4) Vaughan's dismissal was freaky but at least it was fair. And that was after he should have been adjudged out on two previous occasions. Here I'd like you to point to you your comment about India's bad luck (Tendulkar, Ganguly given out when batting really well). You say it was not a crucial time whereas Vaughan's was crucial. The truth is England allowed it to become 'crucial' by folding like a bunch of cards. What if India had collapsed when Tendulkar/Ganguly had been given out? In India's case, Laxman and Kumble added valuable runs whereas Bell, Prior and co. offered no resistance.
Maybe it is about making your own luck.
Complain about this postFlat wicket like this can allow any player to build a 50. Why should RD take a chance in allowing the game to be taken away from India's hands. There is a long history of ruining the plot against India favour, just when India is hoping to win. So, RD was only ensuring that history never repeats itself in this case. If the pitch cracks up, then it will spin bowling all the way thru to take 19 more England wickets. I guess surrounding the batsmen for the next 3 days will do the trick. I remember the test matches in India, when India won 3-0 agianst England, when Rajesh Chauhan, Raju and a third spinner took the whole series for India. Does anybody remember the third spinner?
Complain about this postSports column must not be overtly supportive of one team. This is not a local newspaper, but a website, read by millions anywhere in the world. What say chaps??
English coach , advocating sledging , now seems to have caught foot in the mouth disease .
Complain about this postWell being a cricket fan more than an Indian supporter, I would like England to use their 20 wickets and score at a pace of 4.5/over, which will count to 400 runs per day /10 wickets. England should look to follow on and pose another 400+ runs tomorrow and make India bat for 150-200 on the last day. With some help from the pitch curator, I think England should give it a shot. England should fight! After all is int it British to go down fighting?
Complain about this postgood luck to both teams.
To "bulldozer" (comment #98) who suggests that luck favoured the Indian team just as much as their skills (which in his/her opinion are not substantially better than those of the current English side), I have only one thing to say:
Fortune favours the bold! [Remember Ashes 2005? - what if McGrath hadn't sprained his ankle and what if many other lucky incidents in game hadn't gone your way?]
As for you suggesting that India's poor luck occured at insignificant moments whereas England's at key moments, I think no one will know that for sure. For instance, Ganguly's incorrect dismissal could have restricted an innings that could have possibly exceeded 200 runs. Or he would have gotten out the next ball anyway... the point is, one can only speculate at best, and yet, there is no clear verdict, be it an expert or a novice that makes the judgement.
In my opinion, the first test match was more like a warm up for the Indian side, and in many ways, a rude wake up call for its many big names who've been underperforming for a while now. That was perhaps England's best (if not the only) chance in this series to have won a match.
What happened thereafter is a result of 9 parts exceptional/superior work on the part of the Indians and 1 part luck (no more that what happens usually). The Indian players have stepped up to the act and done so very responsibly.
I think the situation calls for the English media to gracefully accept that their side has been out-thought and out-played rather than for them to make meek excuses and elaborate theories as to how a better English side lost to a mediocre Indian side in England...
If you will have lost by the end of Day 5 of this match, have the humility to applaud your opponents, and don't harp about how poor luck did you in. You have only your poor performances to blame for that!
P.S.: "Bulldozer", I don't know why you'd think you comments would invite abuse? : p
Complain about this postWhy not they play with one standby additional day in test, enabling a clear result, one way or the other.
Better, in first innings, there should be only 80 overs per team, and in their second innings, they can play as long as they afford via their batting.
In this way, the dull cricket became little more attractive and positive in giving results.
Complain about this postAndrew Strauss should be ashamed of himself, how many basic stupid mistakes and poor shot selection should we allow him, can you imagine an opening batsman for OZ playing like that.
No and until we find one that can play with his head and not his ego we will continue to be second rate.
Complain about this postHello,
Complain about this postMoores says the key for mistakes like Prior's is 'how you bounce back'. This is mere self serving nonsense. The 'key' is not dropping the chances in the first place. Is Moores blind re Prior as Fletcher was re Jones? Bell and Strauss must be dropped but wont be and Collingwood is obviously not good enough. The Test team is like a club that's harder to get out of than into. Its not as if there arent decent young players out there vying for places; there are. It would be nice one in a while if there was a bit of humility and a preparedness to admit mistakes, and not just when the captain is caught lying on tape.
Rant over
KS
Congrats to Anil Kumble,u deserve for that.u r a great player. u have name in my Indian Great xi list.Ofcurse u r going to be the third most wicket taker in test cricket,best of luck.my suggestions to u is ,after retirement coach for young ones for the furure of indian bowlers,cos every citizen of india wants and love a win for india, perhaps iam one of them.i salute u mr.kumble.stll cricket leftin you for another 1-2 years.i hope u can reach the milestone of 700 and above if u keep work hard.my prayers always with u being an i ndianbeing a true cricket lover.
Complain about this postMR.ANSER BASHA
Indian
Kingdom of saudi arabia
I thought the decision to send Anderson as the nightwatchman was a bit cruel considering that he had bowled a lot of overs during the day and he was always England's No.11. Or was it becuase Vaughan wanted to prove to the Indians that it was is a big deal scoring 664 on this patch and even Anderson could score on this pitch?
Complain about this postI back Monty to do the same as Kumble!!
Complain about this postAs an Indian, i don't wanna count my chickens before the eggs hatch. The game is still open though not as open as day 1 and definitely not as open as day 0.
At 100 runs per session or 300 runs/day, 900 runs are possible. With some urgency, an extra 100-150 can be added above those 900.
If England bats 7 of those 9 sessions and makes around 810-820 runs (some urgency in scoring and 2 innings combined score), it will be ahead by around 170-180.
Last 2 sessions and around 170-180 to get - it can be quite interesting.
Complain about this postThe simple point is - match is not over yet and neither is the series.
Congratulation India... try your luck to come up in your recent set backs in international cricket specially World Cup...Feel pity for England they have lost in all the corners of the game despite having great bowlers like Harmison...it is not too late for England to assess themselves with actual facts & figures to improve than listening to self jabbering pundits, exaggerated media who blindly attempt to false show off of English cricketers poor capacity...good luck English team
Complain about this postNo better (batter?) person than kumble deserved this century. Its time we give this highly competitive and throughly gentleman his due recognition.
As for "Rahul Dravid's decision not to declare when Kumble reached his hundred betrayed India's approach to the game".
Is the famed english jealousy into play again,huh?
Complain about this postTo all the Indian fans. When any team loses its fans look for excuses its human nature. In among the whinging I think that most sincere fans have pointed out that India have used the conditions brillantly.
If England need to learn anythig from yesterday it is how to play as a team. The Indian players looked like a team they all came in and did their job and that is what I would like to see England do.
I see some people thinking we should aim to get 400 and get India to enforce the follow on. Dravid has no reason to enforce the follow on and if I were him I wouldn't.
Complain about this postI think the boos will be resounding around the Oval once England fall to a heavy defeat here. It's 1999 all over again! No way should we be 0-1 (0-2??) down to India at home. None of their top order have scored a ton. Their bowling attack is very mediocre, especially without Harbijan. I fear the worst for English cricket at the moment! Hey, Mr. Bell, when are you gonna score some second innings runs for us, then?
Complain about this postIn regards to Andys comments
"No way should we be 0-1 (0-2??) down to India at home. None of their top order have scored a ton."
It doesnt matter that none have scored a ton - they've all contrubuted - more than can be said for England. Englands batsman have talent but lack skill to apply it.
"Their bowling attack is very mediocre, especially without Harbijan."
Kumble Mediocre? he's one of the greatest bowlers of all time - your best player in the series has been Sidebottom - he seems like a great bowler but still needs to prove himself (hope he does)
Zaheer has spearheaded the attack and england havent had a clue with him- plus didnt he take over a hundred wickets when playing in English county cricket?
Sreesanth and RP Singh- both have shown as much potential as Tremlett and Anderson
The fact is it doesnt matter how many century's your team gets as long as they all contribute- i'd rather have 3 score 60-80 than 1 century and 3 failures.
and a bowlig attack with Khan and Kumble is far from mediocre.
Cheers!
Complain about this postI loved the comments from Bulldozer (98)! So typical of the England team, English media and English supporters. In fact, its great to see how the media and supporters keep finding excuses for the team's poor performance! I wish the Indian players were as fortunate.
After all India were not unlucky that Rahul Dravid was wrongly given out in the Lord's test keeping in mind that there was only a 100 run difference between the teams. Of course England were not lucky to win that toss and bat on the only sunny day during that test.
India were not unlucky that both Tendulkar and Ganguly were given out when well set in the second test and Vaughan, Pietersen and Cook were all out once before actually being given out.
And Anderson was of course not lucky that Howell seems to be a part of the England team rather than an impartial umpire. If he had been given out, Vaughan would have had to come to the crease and who knows whether he would have survived....
Keep crying about some injured players! India has such a good bench strength that we could produce an England beating team without Sehwag, Pathan, Patel, Harbhajan
It is interesting that rather than some introspection and a desire to improve, England spend time looking for excuses for poor performance, cheating (a la jelly beans) etc and do not have the grace to accept defeat from a team who has outperformed them in every dept.
Complain about this postThy will be done!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The English teams arrogance since 2005 has surely reached it's nadir in this series. I always felt India would win this series but the England teams performances have surprised even me.
Forget the excuses about the bowlers, (where are Munaf, Ifran, Harbhajan,), the batsmen are to blame. For the last 10 years I've heard West Indian batsmen telling us they don't need to adapt their game. That they've got to this stage playing this way and that's the way they'll carry on. Well, look at WI cricket now.
England are on the same path until they realise you need to bat to the situation, (as India did in the 1st inns at Trent Bridge.) However, their arrogance will not allow it.
The chance was there, against an under prepared India at Lords, when the first session was a disaster for the tourists. England blew it, and have been outplayed practically every day since. A victory that will be savoured by all Indians.
Thanks to the Indian lads. Not only did they bring the sun with them, they put a huge smile on the face of every Indian supporter.
Complain about this postPoor wicket keeping anf bowling by england has robbed us of an interesting match. This match has just become one sided now with england trying to save the match. Not interesting for a sporting viewer. Vaughan should have used Collingwood more, he looked like taking a wicket.
Complain about this postby not declaring early - soon after kumble got his century- dravid had ensured that he will start the day 3 with the new ball - thats certainly going to be advantageous.
Complain about this postPOOR OL'GANGULY...WHAT IS HE TO DO,WHEN ENGLAND TEAM CONSISTS OF 12 PLAYERS INSTD OF 11 INCLUDING THE UMPIRE HOWELL OF'COURSE!!
Complain about this postCan Indian supporters take off their rose-tinted specs for one moment? You have dominated the last 1.5 Tests and are deservedly going to win the series.
Complain about this postHowever, Aggers comment about Dravid's intentions is palpably correct - it's not even a criticism and yet many still react like he's insulted the whole nation. Ask yourself this, had rain not intervened at Lord's and the score been 1-1 would he have batted for so long?
Declarations can be risky. Ask any English expat in Adelaide.
The run-rate shows that that India are going for the victory but, since they only need a draw, are making sure that's the worst outcome they'll get.
If you believe that not declaring is a mistake, you're wrong.
Complain about this postWhy all the fuss about whether India declared or not.
Let me make it plain for everyone. India are 3 days away from a series win in England. This, the team that is continually accused of being tigers at home at pussy cats abroad. They're playing it safe and it's upto England to force the game.
That said, they have made nearly 650 in two days. That leaves three days to bowl out what I feel is a very brittle England batting line up.
If Rahul had declared and lost, ala Gilchrist at Headingley a few years ago, he would have had to take some fearful stick. (Englishmen really can't imagine.)
Win the series first. Then win the test if you can. India's run rate and aggresive start to England's 1st innings tells me all I need to know. THEY WANT TO WIN, BUT NOT AT THE COST OF THE SERIES.
Oh, and by the way, does anyone know how often a player has scored a hundred and taken 10 wickets in a match.
Complain about this postThe top is coming off the pitch.
Those 60 minutes may not matter as much as the pressure thrust upon England by the extra runs.
Complain about this postAlways a pleasure when a low order batsman makes a ton.. Kudos to Kumble
Complain about this postThank God Fletcher and now Moores are not running the football team. They wouldn't pick a goalkeeper as clearly these two jokers refuse to pick a wicketkeeper who can catch! We wont retain the ashes until someone picks the best 5 batsmen, an all rounder, a wicketkeeper and four bowlers...its not rocket science but it may be a conspiracy.
Complain about this postAussiesarelessboorish!!!!!!!!
Oh dear, you really aren't happy are you.
Well, next time England are on the verge of a series win I hope they'll declare when they don't really need to, just to make you happy. If the do go on to lose I hope you won't be back here moaning at the decision!!!!!!!!!!!
As for the rose tinted specs, it's impossible to get them off the English I'm afraid. If it's not their cricket team being the best in the world after 2005, it's the football team about to win the world cup or Henman/Murray to win Wimbledom........... need I go on.
Complain about this postDear Aggers,
Scafell pronounced as: "the 'score fell' far below the required amount" !
Complain about this postJonathon - "Esse Quam Videri" - To Be rather than to Seem to Be - how apt for this English team in general, and Andrew Strauss in particular . Contrast India - veterans playing as such and newcomers giving their all - in short a true 'Team Effort'. England have flattered but to deceive for far too long as their loyal but poorly rewarded legion of fans will attest. Why is Strauss still in the team? Any batsman, if you indulge him by continuing to play him when out of form will turn it round but at what cost to the team, and to Match results. Drop Strauss and re-promote Vaughan to open with Cook, bat Pietersen at No3 and bring in any other young, hungry and talented batsman at No5 or 6. Strauss is not alone but he is the best example for me to use in this suggestion/question. For so long as Engalnd fail to play as a team, pick players out of form, not committed or talented enough, results will be illusory (viz Ashes 2005), dissapointing and England will continue to languish as non-achievers. Truly seeming to be, rather than BEING. QED!! Michael McInnes.
Complain about this postOh well, whatever the case that is a very impressive score card for India.
Complain about this postHey bulldozer,
After watching India's performance in three tests, you put it all down to luck? Come on man.
1. Lord's test: India are always slow starters at away series. It is more about England's impotency than India's luck that England couldn't force a win. Still, I agree that India got a little lucky at Lord's.
2. TB: I honestly think that if England won the toss and put India in, the result will still be the same. Two reasons: 1. England has no batting (please give me a break about the over rated KP - he didn't do didly in the second innigs..did he?. The only real batsman you have is MV and by that match, he was out of form). 2. Remember that India's bowling attack, though nothing to write home about, gave them enough headaches already at Lord's.
3. Umpiring: Overall, India suffered more in this series because of bad umpiring than England did anyways. Compare how many good innings were sawn off by horrible decisions.
So, England can go and beat up on the hapless WI, Bangladesh and some one else. It is not India's fault that you didn't have your bowlers. It is definitely not India's fault that your one-series wonder Flintoff is not available. As someone in this post asked, English are weak bodies. Also as someone else said, the bowling line up you seem to be raving about is passe. Same can be said about Indian bowling line up too mate. But do you hear anyone complaining?
Come on. Be a sport and appreciate the real performances. With a team that has only one real batsman in MV and only two real bowlers in Sidebottom and Monty, what do you expect?
Complain about this postJUMBO WE WERE NOT AWARE ABOUT THIS!! CONGRATS- HOW WOULD U LIKE TO BE GET SELECTED IN THE NEXT SERIES- AS A BATSMAN OR A BOWLER???
Complain about this postDJ wrote
The simple point is - match is not over yet and neither is the series.
Hope now it is finished for you and England or you are a dreamer.
Only rain can save England and there will be some rain and showers on Sunday and Monday
Complain about this postAnil Kumble is one of the greatest cricketers India has ever produced and is a true ambassador of cricket who has never ever accused the oppositions throughout his long career unlike most of other cricketers. Being an Engineer he has the world all over his excellent qualities in his long and illustrious career
He will definitely do the trick for India and England batsman cannot escape him especially in the second innings.
Well done India and hats off to Great Anil
Syed Mansoor – Jeddah
Complain about this postFinally, Finally we will hear no more of the those Ashes triumphs. Average team with no bottle and with no apparent incentive to perform.
Complain about this postyup another madd day for india here after putting england on the back foot n riding comfortably to a series win ...kumbles inings was realy astonishing as he played sensibly..givin a boost to all the playerz in the team....every1 hav contributed towards the score...n ya not to forget the english team who hav been very deciplined in the field not argueing with the indian batsmen......lol....nice game folks ...india on the drivers seat...all set for a win....
Complain about this postCongratulation India. I presume, that England will follow on and the most interesting aspect will be the competetion between England´s batting spirit against India´s young pace bowlers. It will be very hard for England to draw the match. I wish Tendulkar to score a few centuries to get the highest scorer in the world.
Complain about this postOne of the things that annoys me most is cricket commentators who want the game to finish early when the game is drifting towards a draw.
When will these people start to think about the spectators.
Many people - myself included - go to one or two days cricket each year. Surely we deserve to see a full day's play when the weather conditions permit.
Complain about this post