The gods must have a twisted sense of humor.
:-(
For those who watched the game, I guess this is what the elders meant when they said your previous janam ka paap will catch up with you.
Sigh.
I dunno what else to say, but this is sorrow.
An excerpt from CI:
Nobody does solos better than Sachin Tendulkar, nor, perhaps, has anyone endured as much heartbreak during those solos. It was India of the 90s all over again: Tendulkar almost chased 351 on his own but, with the target in sight, he got out and the rest choked, falling short by three runs with two balls still to go. In Chennai in 1998-99, Tendulkar, having played an innings as incredible as this, left the last three wickets 17 to get; tonight he left them 19 off 17.
So near yet so far does not quite sum it up for me.
Perhaps Uppal shouldn't host anymore matches.
Pakistan's Muddle Order.
1 hour ago
36 Maidens bowled!!:
Liked the "pichhle janam ka paap" angle. I think Sachin, in previous birth, had snatched lollies from Poting's, in Punter's previous birth of course, toddler son and he met his comeuppance last night.
I just finished watching Sachin's innings.
Ok that was heart-breaking.
:-(
nobody expect you to chase down 350 score and you do the things in middle without much pressure it the reality it hits you that you can win and what he does after that makes the man... unfortunately they choked as they could not cope with it... as for tendulkar though i am still in awe of his innings but the reality is he had no business to play that percentage shot when there was no need of it specially after that chennai experience... he should have closed the game... and i know in deep he will be repenting that shot too...
Why blame Uppal because the home team loses? Naach na aave, aangan teda?
I thought MSD's comments on CricInfo were brilliant. 'Fessed up to the faults, refused to throw Jadeja under the bus, and admitted that they were outplayed in the critical moments of the game.
In spite of SRT's coruscating innings, I thought Watson deserved the MoM award. Not that he'd begrudge SRT that little trinket in return for the win.
Does anyone else smell a Tendulkar redemption on its way? Unlike the Test (Chennai) where he waited a decade before exorcising the demon, I sense it coming in the next two matches. (But my track record of late in sensing these things has been awful).
By the way, since SRT is almost at 17,200 runs, how much longer before Sunil Gavaskar begins the countdown to 18,000?
SP,
Not making excuses for Sachin, but he was off the strike for a while by then and had that 1 lapse in concentration. I just cannot nit pick for that.
Poor guy.
And did PK have the saddest expression ever!
JQ,
Beliefs and superstitions are not grounded in logic.
Of course, it's not Uppal's fault that the match was lost!
I agree, I don't wanna wait another 10 years.
The only thing that gives me happiness today is that I did not have to hear SMG go on abt the 17k.
Don't be sad - with mose teams, you amass 350 in an ODI and the fans sit back and relax. India very nearly chased it down - that's something to be proud of, I say.
I think India will still win the series, Leela, but I think I will be proud of how well my Aussies played against the odds.
Jaunty, SMG started the countdown to 18,000 when Tendulkar was on 127. He said "And now he's only 880 runs from 18,000". Good thing I hadn't had breakfast till then because I'd have thrown up.
Leela, that shot was on. It's just that McKay beat him with a slower ball. He has one of the best slower balls you'll ever see - seam up from the back of the hand. We should have still won from there but it was a collective brain failure from the team. Terrible bowling, sloppy fielding and mindless batting.
Did you not get to watch the game live Leela? I thought Canada had the worse cricket coverage ever!
Take out SRT from last night's match, and you can comfortably say that India choked big time. 52 of 46 balls, 6 wickets in hand, batting powerplay to come, and a second string Aus attack. Not sure what more you need to close out the match !!
Not sure the Bhajji promotion was warranted. See it from his mindset - in the first game and the game in Mohali he was whacking it around because that was the ONLY option.
Last night, with SRT still at the crease, the onus probably wasn't that much ON. The shot he played to get out reflected it as much.
Like Jaunty alluded to - MSD's response to last night's defeat was spot ON. Didn't mention the choke, but he basically said that was what had happened. I'm glad he stood up for Jadeja.
It rankled me enough to hear SMG basically lose his cool when Jadja got run out. The guy is 20 (?), it's pressure situation and he will only LEARN from it.
Btw how many of you wanted to choke SMG last night ? I know I did after his statement that SRT was the first to each 1000, after 10, 000. He didn't stop there, but went on saying first 11, 000 and so on till 17, 000. Like the listening folks are rank idiots.
I think SMG will have a heart attack when SRT retires.
Great pitch though! 700 runs in a day - can't ask for more than that.
Misery, Leela, utter misery. I was watching the match with a friend and at the end we were sobbing on each others' shoulders.
I mean, it's okay if we get crushed. 150 run loss? No problemo. I'd go so far as to say they kind of deserved it.
But with the kind of innings Sachin played? To have brought India to the cusp of victory, only to hole out to what I can only describe as a ridiculously unnecessary shot under almost all circumstances...
... maybe he figured this team was different. Maybe he figured somewhere deep down that the leftover work, little as it was, would be taken care of.
I can only say: the more things change...
I'm just still in shock right now. The last part was like watching a horror show all over again.
We've got an article about Sachin and yesterday. Do let us know what you think:
morethanjustagame.wordpress.com
2 points -
1- The cricinfo bulletin initially (immediately after the match) ran something like this - Nobody does solos better than Sachin Tendulkar, except for Brian Lara, nor, perhaps has anyone endured as much heartbreak during these solos, except for Brian Lara.
Thankfully better sense seems to have prevailed with the editor.
2- SMG did mention 18k in commentary when SRT was on 119 saying he was 888 away from 18k :)
cheers
Namya,
CI keeps changing their stories... so irritating!
Mahek,
Agree about the rest of the 10 not showing up. This game just proves that SRT could never do it alone.
Purna,
I had to leave for work. I have the Willow package; great coverage.
But work...
:-(
Francois,
The pitch, the stadium...the crowds. Great place for cricket, if only the home team jinx is broken.
Sujith,
I actually had a funny post in my head... but when I caught Sachin's innings... was so saddened by the whole thing.
TG,
MSD always says the right things.
Maithreyi,
MISERY.
:-(
Sid,
Your team and its fans should be mighty proud; they've been really good so far. No wonder so many Indians cheer for the Aussies.
(Though I agree with Purna, the Indian team might as well show up in canary yellow for the next match.)
It was strange revisiting the 90s; I thought those days were over.
"It rankled me enough to hear SMG basically lose his cool when Jadja got run out. The guy is 20 and he will only LEARN from it..."
That's one of the gripes I have about our recent selection policies, TG (and by 'ours', I mean 'Indian'). Why are we picking 20 year olds and giving them a chance to 'LEARN' at the international level?
Surely, surely, there are 24-25 year old cricketers out there in India that can actually keep their cool when chasing at 6 an over without madly rushing down the wicket with the ball in a fielder's hands? Twice?
I am sure he will learn. Everybody does. The only problem is that he should not be 'learning' at this level. Players should be arriving at the international scene with a basic knowledge of their game. The step up from first-class to international cricket is one of ADJUSTMENT - and that is impossible until you know your game.
Jadeja (and Kohli, for that matter) doesn't appear to know much about his game at the moment. Send him back to the grind of domestic cricket for three or four years. He should be 'learning' over there. Not in Indian colours.
The IPL is soon turning out to be such a red herring for talent. Let's look for REAL cricketers, please.
TG, I want SMG to choke every time he says a word. Fortunately there was no Shastri or else those two would have filled the commentary box with their drool.
To all those who pointed out the SMG countdown to 18,000 (Mahek and TG come readily to mind): you know things are getting surreal when things said in jest actually start coming true. Sad.
TG: I agree with your thoughts on SMG's disrespectful way of calling out Jadeja. This from a guy who once scored 36 not out in 174 balls in an ODI because he felt the target was too big to get (a target smaller than what India nearly chased down and in 60 overs, not 50). Ugh!
Leela and namya: I would cut CI some slack here. What they do is put in paragraphs adding to the "bulletin" every few overs as the game goes along. Sort of like a "running blog" and then after the game is done, the person writing the report collates those thoughts into a cohesive narrative. It takes them an hour or two after the match to get it in place, so if you happen to catch them then you probably just waded into a half-finished product.
Overall, I think CI is the best sports website I have seen. The writing is routinely top class and the commentary is funny and engaging, evocative enough for you to imagine how it is going on. Often, I keep two windows open, watching WillowTV and following along the commentary.
By the way, aren't half the bowlers on the Indian team candidates to star in a movie that is the reverse of the Curious Case of Benjamin Button? I swear they are ageing by the day. What a liability they are. And to think we mocked Laxman for being a bad fielder and lost his ODI skills at the altar of Dinesh Mongia in 2003. *sigh*.
I watched the Australian innings yesterday (yes, I know..glutton for punishment and all that jazz) and noticed numerous misfields that gave away more than two dozen runs. I am surprised that aspect did not get any coverage in light of a narrow 3-run defeat. The Aussies effected every runout and catch they had to while the Indians went back to the bumbling routine after one incandescent fielding performance.
Looks like Sachin was the only one that took Gary's advice seriously.
Not just Tendulkar, no one can win matches on their own.
JQ,
I too think CI is pretty good; no wonder I keep reading. The point is that they "refresh" their stories based on viewer reaction!!
Mahek,
True, no one can win on their own... however, Tendulkar for some reason is picked as the one who can!
Mahek
When I can expect the tickets for the Manchester United - Liverpool game at Old Trafford ??? :-) The game is on March 20'th 2010. Would expect the tickets a week before, thanks !!!
I guess you might now accept that Aus players do rise to the big time/occasion, right ???
Yeah just direct me to the website and I'll buy them :)
I think Australia hardly ever beat themselves, big occasion or small. To be honest, Bollinger should have been ahead of Siddle in the pecking order. Nannes should've been in for McKay too. Seeing them bowl with such discipline yesterday was good to watch from a cricketing point of view. Credit where it's due.
Perhaps Uppal shouldn't host anymore matches.
I'm actually rather jealous of Hyderabadis now, Sachin seems to come up with a special every time he's in town - 186 vs NZ in 1999, 102 vs NZ in 2003, and now 175. Granted, the first two were not at the Uppal, but still almost worth the price of defeat!
Suhas,
but still almost worth the price of defeat!
Oh no you dizint!
I would take an Indian victory over a special innings any day.
:-)
@ Suhas
Yeah, Tendulkar does love his pitches nice and flat :-)
One of the great innings of all time in one of the most meaningless series of all time.
Fred,
Despite Team India's loss, I did enjoy the series.
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