posted Sep 6, 2007

Much depends on Tendulkar and Ganguly. If they can bat freely without being overly circumspect and give India about a hundred run opening partnership, Indias' chances are bright.

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posted Sep 6, 2007

The series is evidently very nicely poised at the moment and could go either way. I completely agree that both teams are playing very good cricket.

Couple of pointers:

India's addition of batsmen (Gambhir, Uthappa) in the middle and lower order seem to have worked in their favour. Before that, a bottom 5 of Powar, Chawla, Z Khan, Agarkar and RP Singh was hardly the most reliable, even behind such a good top 6. Such stablilty may just edge it for them in the final match.

England's new found batting form owes much to their lower order (Mascarenhas, Shah, Bopara, Wright, Broad etc). Wright and (in particular) Mascarenhas' big hitting in the last match shows what England have previously never had at the end of an innings, and sorely missed. (A few months ago, England would certainly have petered out from 137-5 to 200ish all out)

The previous statement is without neglecting the consistent contrubutions from the captain, and particularly Ian Bell, who has constantly recieved criticism on this board for scoring too slowly.

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posted Sep 6, 2007

Yes India can clinch the series provided they play same as they played at Oval and they must improve fielding and bowling.

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posted Sep 6, 2007

Is Flintoff going to play? If he does then Eng have a slight advantage, and can be greater if Sidebottom is also in contention though Siders can go for runs

I do not see a role for Panesar

Same with Powar, Wright hardly saw him but handled him very well. Chawla as a leggie will get better response from a Lords wicket but Powar could go for runs. If conditoons favor seamers India should go for 7 bats a spinner and three seamers

I would defintly leave Aagrakar out, as some pointed out he fires only 1 in 4 games so he would still be in the incubation period at Lords

Munaf, RP Singh and Zaheer should be the seam attack

I expect a low scoring game 225 and the teams that bats second would probably scrape through, so it might be a good fortune to lose a toss!

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posted Sep 6, 2007

Patel's lackadaisical attitude concerns me. He comes across as a person who doesn't have the kind of passion that Tendulkar is showing in this series. Even Powar has improved his fielding. I might prefer Powar over Patel and make just one change - RP Singh in place of Agarkar.

If Flintoff is not fully fit, it would not be in the best interests of his health and future career to ask him bowl now. I suspect the only change in the English side will be Sidebottom in place of Monty.

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posted Sep 6, 2007

I suppose Patel has some grey matter to realize he must show more committment

If he does not India should have sent him back and asked for a replacement

I think the Bowling Coach has painted him in bad light and should have kept his comments in house even if patel's obvious lackadaisal approach was visible to all. I know a final is too risky to make a change so I have to agree SC, probably RP Singh for Agarkar would be the only change

Two spinners at Lords in ODI! Has that ever happened before?

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posted Sep 7, 2007

Neither Agarkar nor Munaf deserve a place, RP should come in for Agarkar. Powar is a better bet than Munaf, even in fielding. If you see Munaf fielding and throwing the ball you will know what I mean.The guy has no fire, and for a fast bowler, that is saying a lot.
As always India's chances will rest on the batsmen, particularly the top order, because the bowlers and fielders have not been known to do very well under pressure. And boy, there is some pressure !
England look a much more balanced side even with Freddie missing.

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posted Sep 7, 2007

The pressure on England now,they lost the tests first, and was 3-1 up in this series,i cant see them losing 3 on the trot now

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posted Sep 7, 2007

u shut up, tendulkar has been given out wrongly 3 times, ganguly twice, SO U SHUT UP!!!

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posted Sep 10, 2007

I have seen numerous messages on these boards by India fans during the past several months that suggested that Tendulkar is not a team player, he plays for his own records, and India seldom wins when Tendulkar posts a good score.

On this tour, Tendulkar played with passion and intense concentration. He was the best batsman for India on the tour that just concluded. His team benefitted immensely whenever he performed well. Those fans who frequently criticise him should give him a break and appreciate the great player.

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