At the end of the game, an amazing statistic was read out: Dhoni has remained unbeaten in 22 successful run chases!
That takes nerves of steel; admit it haters, Dhoni was never just a show pony.
I started watching the match from when the Beauty and the Beast started batting. It was all calm and composed, but really good to watch. I particularly liked how the Ritz cracker was treated with respect, and the “hammering” spared for the "Spaniard". Did you notice how Yuvi went into conquistador mode against Moises?
Speaking of Yuvi, there was an effortless six he hit against M, which I thought would get caught in the deep. Yuvi is a bit of a characterless insaan but these are the times I feel all mother-hennish and proud of him.
Meanwhile, all of you who said India did not deserve to win in the first match admit it, in that case, if Australia had won this one, it would’ve been plain Unfair (yup with an uppercase “U”).
Though I admit, when Yuvi got out I went into nervous mode (“Abhi Dilli door hai.”)
On a different note, Team India has this habit of khuda meherbaan toh ghada pehelwan (literally: by the almighty’s grace even an ass can be a horse)… remember how they turned Mr. Anorexia (Clarke) into a spinner?
However, the converse is true too. Watson did not bowl even a single ball!!!!
:P.
So the Singhs were Kings tonight and my Chennai nice guy Hussey played well too.
All in all, a good day.
2-1!!!
p.s. Stupid Willow TV; no post-match presentation. Hmpf.
Pakistan's Muddle Order.
1 hour ago
23 Maidens bowled!!:
To start with - India IMO didn't Outplay Aus today, like what Aus did to India last Sunday. Chalk and cheese miss !!
A couple of minor quibbles on the umpiring, which IMHO could have swung the match Aus way !! 53/3 chasing 230 - not quite convincing then was it ?
Step forward Mr Sahiba, and would love his explanation on how White was OUT to Raina and yet Yuvraj was not given LBW to Hauritz !!
While even after a dozen hotspot replays you couldn't notice ANY edge on the White decision, the Yuvraj one was definitely more clear.
While this might be clutching at straws, White would definitely have been a better proposition that Voges to get some more runs for Aus.
Hauritz needs to learn from Warne on the art of appealing. Was a bit miffed that he didn't appeal strongly enough !! Aw mate YOU NEED to believe in YOURSELF ;-)
9 times out of 10, Warne would have convinced the umpire and got that decision. 100 odd for 4 and game on, and frankly my £££ would have been on an Aus win from there on.
And how on earth Yuvraj was eventually LBW again only Mr Sahiba would know !!!
Ah well, injuries, dew , wet practise pitches, and what else would be needed to defeat Aus :-) I'll still fancy them to steal this series, 1-2 down..
I'm an incorrigible optimist when it comes to Aus and cricket :-)
TG,
This miss agrees that in the 1st match, Australia were dominating for 80% of the game, until Bhajji and PK turned it around and took it close.
In this match, it was more or less even-stevens and the balance tilted in India's favor slowly but steadily.
However, IMO, there is nothing like "deserving" or "not deserving" to win in a sport (which is the point I was trying to make) unless someone has been playing unfairly, like claiming 1-bounce catches.
The beauty of sport, often times, is to see a down and out team/sportsperson rally back and win.
So, if the #8 and #9 could run the Champions Trophy winning team so close, Iam more than happy.
The one who eventually won deserved to win.
And if India would've won that match, I would not have said, But the Aussies deserved to win!
Best of luck for the next one TG!
:-)
This is arguably the weakest Aus side to have played since the ODI squad that lost defending 430+ (mick lewis lol). Watto, Punter, Hussey, White, Voges, Henriques, Johnson, Manou, Haurrors, Siddle and Bollinger. Picking Voges and White seems daft, I honestly think Shaun Marsh should have opened with Watson and either Voges/White should be dropped, but then Aus's selection has been messed up of for a long time. That said, for a side missing 5 of their front line team, they didn't play badly.
ok, who am I kidding, I might as well say it, well done Dhoni! I checked up his stats, this is the third time he's averaged over 50 in ODIs for a period of over three games. Since becoming captain his average is 60 and strike rate 84 (compared to 47 and 90 before I think) and over the last two years his average is 64 and I even think since its around 75 since the end of 2008. RESPECT! People may not like the new approach, but its winning India matches, and everything seems to be under control.
I've got a lil match here, so I'll just say what we really need is to have an Indian/sub-continental panel find an Aussie cricketer guilty of racism based on what three people 2 miles out of earshot heard. And then maybe Mallya can cook up a story about some plane being booked and a shocked Lalit Modi can release a story to Indian journos about a the Aussies threatening to pull out. But not in the open. Just sayin. /fuse lit
Yeah Ache. Total RESPECT.
I've got a lil match here, so I'll just say what we... Just sayin. /fuse lit
LOL!
@TG
I was there at the Kotla today and somewhat agree with Yuvraj's LBW Decisions. I could have given one out from the stands(the haurtiz appeal) and do remember the Indians were also turned down a lot of LBW appeals.BUT would any of that matter as Yuvraj was Notout when he was given out by Mr.Saheba..it all evens out at the end of teh day and ANYHOW MSD was playing well if not a flawless innings and as he has done in the recent past saw India through.They could have attacked the bowlers and finished the game quickly to convince you that they "outplayed" Australia but they took the safer approach and a win was never in doubt after they crossed 150 and with ricky getting voges and Moises to bowl when strike bowlers should have bowled OR maybe it was ricky accepting to the fact that nothing can be done it's done and dusted, so he accepted that and repeated not once but thrice that they were outplayed by India in the Post match presentation. Tell me one department where the Indian's did not outplayed the Aussies in this match (fielding is an exception here!)
and i oompletely agree with Achettup here : seriously a very weak auusie line up as I had said earlier 5-2 to India!
why wasn't Marsh picked today and some very poor bowling changes..and why wasn't Watson allowed to bowl?
How White and Voges have kept out Marsh and David Hussey is beyond my understanding. How do you not pick a specialist opening batsman who has batted insanely well in India???
TG
Whatever happened to Australia not relying on individuals and being able to come up with the goods even when they're missing some of their top players? The game was well and truly in the bag even when Saheba (One of the crappiest umpires around) didn't give Yuvraj out. India don't do spectacular collapses too often nowadays.
PS: Henriques isn't Spanish, he's Portuguese.
Mahek,
Henriques isn't Spanish, he's Portuguese.
I thought he is Australian.
I was just trying to weave in some clever (OK all in my head) cultural references...
;-)
Ahem, Aditya
Last checked fielding is also one aspect of cricket that is important, and you are conviniently saying don't include that when comparing Aus and Ind's performance today. Strange to say that ... Ah well
Mahek
Yep expected you to come up with that query. Wait till the series is over. Two swallows don't make a summer.
Pretty much half the first X1 unavailable and I'll still fancy Aus to steal this one.
Ind might not collapse like old - but they ain't unbeatable either. At 53/3 they weren't in too flash a situation tonight were they.
Game, well and truly in bag when the Yuvraj decision didn't come ? Sorry were you watching the same game ? It would have mean India would have been 110 odd for 4, and Raina and rest to get the remaining runs. I know who would have been odds on to win then !!
Still not all lost, come Mohali and a 2 - 2 series looks a good bet.
Leela,
1) I picked up on that Dhoni factoid, too. (And was happy that *ahem* Azharuddin and Sachin were higher than that). I was envying the American sports coverage where that would have been on-screen, numbers and photos and all, in seconds to drive home the point. No such luck with Robin Jackman and co., though.
Dhoni as a finisher who stays not out at the end is something I picked up on as far back as the Greg Chappell era. Honest. (Here's some proof from my blog (note the date on it): http://jauntyjaywalking.blogspot.com/2006/02/not-so-manic-punisher.html)
I subsequently updated it after they stretched the winning streak while chasing to 17 (or 18).
By the way, he is also way up there in the list of folks who have won matches with sixers as the last stroke (naturally the last one being decades ago when he still had streaks in his long hair. :-)
2) On WillowTV, if you had switched to the third channel after the game you could have seen the post-game show, squealing Shastri and all (on the NeoSports feed). In hindsight, tough, you were lucky to have been accidentally spared that.
3) I have a blog formatting question. I went ahead and placed labels on all my posts but when I click on the labels, it shows only the last 20 posts with that tag. Do you (or anyone else here) know how to make Blogger show all the posts with that label. As an incentive for you, Leela, on my blog I have labeled 35 posts with Dhoni's tag, but Blogger only pulls up the last 20. Intense grr-ment follows when that happens. :-(
JQ,
1. I picked up on the Sachin and Azhar mention too; both much superior batsmen to MSD.
And while I don't hold that (their superiority :-)) against them, I am amazed that Dhoni, "flawed" batsman n' all, continues to do well.
I know... way back in 1942, when he launched those sixes, he had streaks in his hair.
2. Thanks for that. I'll check it out with the help of my good friend "replay".
3. Someone pls respond. As I have mentioned before, I am technology-challenged. I still use an address book to store phone #s!
Last I checked, India and Australia have split their wins and losses since Dhoni took over. It's 7-7 with two no results. There isn't much to separate the two in the post Ganguly/Dravid period. Come to think of it, India under Dhoni has had the better of Australia when those two weren't playing.
We'll see about Australia pulling through inspite of their injuries. Fair play to them if they do, but I don't see it happening. Maybe we should have a small bet, whaddya say?
Just checked the commentary for the last game since I was pretty sure that LBW shout didn't come when India were 110. Here it is,
37.6 Hauritz to Yuvraj Singh, no run, Yuvraj looks to sweep, misses and is hit on the pads, stifled appeal for lbw, did that ball pitch in line or was it outside leg? Hawk-eye suggests that was out, but even the Australians didn't go up whole-heartedly
End of over 38 (3 runs) India 174/3 (56 runs required from 12 overs, RR: 4.57, RRR: 4.66)
So India needed 56 off 72 balls when Yuvraj would've been given out. Yeah...I do know who would've been odds on to win. The collapse I said wouldn't come would have been at 174/4, not 53/3. The game was very much in the balance when Dhoni came to the crease, but it was in India's hands when Yuvraj wasn't given out.
Leela, Henriques was born in Funchal, Portugal. So he's Portuguese and Australian :)
Mahek,
Lemme explain.
I wasn't even thinking of Henriques' heritage when I wrote that.
I just thought Henriques .. Spanish (because Henriques or its variations are common Spanish last names)... which in turn made me thing of conquests/conquistadors.
Only, because the match was being played at the Feroz Shah Kotla (love the name!) as in Feroze Shah's Kotla (citadel).
And then I started thinking about Delhi's past with conquests and the Tughlaqs. And the Sufi poet Nizam-uddin Auliya and that apocryphal story abt "Abhi Dilli door hai"...
So I wove all that into the post and managed to squeeze in the word "king" too!!! (Though I agree "Emperor would've been more appropriate.)
Like I said, it was all in my head.
Sorry, but I love history... I start rambling sometimes.
Lol, as much as I didn't want India to win I am glad they did...but only because of this post. I like it when you go in mother-hen mode. Quite funny :).
@TG
what i meant was India fielded well than they usually do so why point that out and the aussies had a normal day i mean with their standard of fielding.
Anyhow does bowling and batting better than the other team not qualify to Outplaying the other team...I think not!
Purna,
If my getting into mother-hen mode makes you cheer for India, then...
go drink milk (good for the bones) and don't forget to eat green vergetables, specifically spinach.
p.s. to all the kids out there, Leela maasi says no to drugs.
;-)
Cheers!
@ Mahek
56 needed of 72 balls, and with Yuvraj out, my money would certainly have been on Aus. Simply because, even in the brief time Raina was at the crease, he didn't show too much promise did he ? Then it was Jadeja and the tail. While all this is conjecture, Aus would definitely have fancied their win. Ah well.
Sure up for the ' small bet'. Would never back away from anything to do with Aus and cricket. Why only this series, I'm willing to bet right here, right now that Aus WILL progress further than India in the WC 2011. If that means winning it for the fourth time consecutively, even better !!
@ Aditya
What I didn't quite understand from your first post was how you just ' brushed' off the fielding aspect. I'm amazed that you say that India outplayed Aus in both batting and bowling - they did that in the second game. Not last night.
Anyway till the 2-2 scoreline tomorrow folks !
Cheers
@TG
I clearly mentioned about the fielding aspect in my first post itself.I'm only concentrating on the batting and bowling.
Yes, they outplayed Australia in the last oneday in both those departments as well. The aussie attack did not look penetrative to take wickets and they could jut contain the Indian Batsman. The scoreline suggests the match to be a bit closer than it was 10 balls to spare they could have done it with 25 balls to spare as well they were in control all the way.
Anyhow 3-1 and the No 1 Ranking as well by tomorrow :)
remember 5-6 players from the Aus full strength eleven are missing!
and why aren't the Aus selectors picking Manou ahead of Luke Ronchi ??
TG's fighting a losing battle here :-)
It's okay, TG. It's no disgrace to be outplayed twice in a row. The LBW shout was definitely fifty-fify at best: Yuvraj had a huge stride in and missed a sweep on a pitch that was turning quite a bit. It was not like he was caught on the crease to an arm-ball or something.
And it was definitely not as if he thick-edged a ball to the keeper and was given not out (purely random example. Any resemblance to an actual incident, Sydney 2008 for example, is purely coincidental).
Besides, even if Yuvraj HAD been given out to that ball, 56 off 12 overs with six wickets in hand - and you would have fancied Australia?
Strange.
TG,
Simply because, even in the brief time Raina was at the crease, he didn't show too much promise did he
I'll take you up on that one.
:-)
I think Raina was fidgeting around only because just a few runs were left. Otherwise, even at that time (despite the nervousness I mentioned in the post), I too would've bet my money on India.
To steal from Mahek, I am not sure what else Raina needs to do to prove himself. He is a good player and he would've applied himself if more runs were reqd.
I know that one can always think of a collapse, however, the body language of the Indians was much positive than anything we've seen in the recent past.
Sharath
Pray how exactly was I fighting a losing battle ? The rest of you think, even if Yuvraj was out and with 56 needed of 12 overs, India would have won.
I disagreed and said no Aus would have won.
Difference of opinion and I'm fighting a losing battle ? That's a strange statement to make.
Leela, I'm afraid I don't quite buy the argument that Raina was fidegty because less runs were needed. I would say , with the runs he made in the prev match, he should have knocked off the rest relatively easily. He didn't and that's why my money would have been on Aus to win. Ah well..
Good win for the Aussies. Both teams bowled and fielded brilliantly on a really good batting surface. India's chase was doomed once Kohli came in at 3. The game was ripe for the taking and it should have been Yuvraj, Raina or Dhoni coming in to ensure the scoring rate remained healthy without losing wickets. Nothing against Kohli but he shouldn't be batting that high up the order in international cricket.
I was worried when Tendulkar was happily hogging the strike while Sehwag seemed to be in the mood to finish the game before the 9:30 PM show at the local multiplex. This combination has never clicked and the sooner the team management realises it the better.
Jadeja had a good game in the field. Unfortunately people will look at his batting and say he didn't do his job. It was a bad call from him but it was his call. Harbhajan should have either declined straight away or gone for it. Unfortunately, he seems to suffer from brain cramps every time the game is in the balance.
TG, looks like it's game on now :)
TG
I think a full-strength Australian side is better than a first-choice Indian outfit. I say first-choice because that squad features Harbhajan and I don't think India's best XI has a place for him right now. Also, the side would have Tendulkar open with Sehwag and I don't think that's the right option either. If India get these two right then I think both sides are equally matched.
However, the Australian squad for this series isn't as good as its opposition. So let's have a bet: If I win you buy me tickets to an el Clasico at the Camp Nou, if you win I buy you tickets to a United-Liverpool game at Old Trafford :)
@Mahek
"Nothing against Kohli but he shouldn't be batting that high up the order in international cricket"
Some would argue he should not be batting AT ALL in international cricket. Under-19 stars should slog it out in first-class cricket (which is the next level up) and show some mettle there before they are considered for national selection.
@TG
No offence, TG. When I said you were 'fighting a losing battle', I meant that you were in the minority of one when it came to believing that India would not have been able to get 56 in 12 with six in hand. I am not saying we would have done it 100 times out of 100, but surely, 90 times out of 100 at the least?
I suppose you would start saying 'I'd fancy Aus to win' only if there is a more than 50% chance of them winning. Are you saying, then, that this Indian team will fail to get 56 in 12 with six in hand more than fifty times out of hundred?
Also, Yuvraj Singh's LBW shout was not that dead-on. It was 60-40 at best when watched real time. Surely the Aussies thought so too, and that was why there was no real appeal.
Whereas today's dismissal of Tendulkar...
Once again, though, didn't mean any offence when I said you were fighting a losing battle. I just meant you couldn't possibly hope to convince many people that any top-seven team - not just India - chasing 56 off 12 with six in hand are not odds-on to win.
Post a Comment