posted Apr 6, 2008

Complacency has cost India this match and possibly the series.

Hope the guys bounce back!

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posted Apr 6, 2008

Rentose
Dont get upset I wl be able to provide,stay there.It would be nice to use a decent code for I can multiply rubbish by something else and you can continue with something else.

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posted Apr 6, 2008

I suggest in the mean time go thru
The enigma called Jacques Kallis cricinfo 6jan2006.

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posted Apr 6, 2008

Hi folks, and thanks for all the comments. Great to see such interest in the Test format of the game. The ultimate and purest form of cricket. And the best form of the game to watch. (Why don't people say that often enough? The ODI and 20/20 games are different and good but anaemic pretenders. Do we agree?)

Surely, the gentleman who has suggested I have been very biassed in my opinion on threads in the past was pointing the obvious. I make no apology for being a fan of cricket and then of the Indian side. But I will give credit and criticism where its due.

This Indian side has performed badly. The news filtering through that many members of the Indian side were actively pursuing advertising and commercial activities for the forthcoming IPL cricket tournament is a damning indictment of the Indian preparation for this test.

I do not live in India. But I am acutely aware that the public interest generated by the SA test series is paltry. The BCCI has made some major errors in judgement in recent times: The cricket board obviously chases and craves money. It sees the success or otherwise of the IPL as its main priority currently. The likelihood is that the league will be over-hyped and will not match the success of the 2007 World 20Twenty tournament. This test series could easily have been billed and presented in India as a money spinner. However they chose to deliberately dampen any commercial interest. Sadly the free-to-air channels were not allowed coverage in India. This, coming after the great battles against the Aussies was surely a tragic error. More importantly the players were not banned from leaving the camp. Why oh why were the players not travelling as a squad between the 1st and 2nd test. The rest period should have been a squad affair to give time for team bonding and a chance for Kirsten to 'coach' his side.

The news regarding the Indian preparation is a stinker. I really feel that the heavy beating they received was the only way the team could possibly be roused from its slumber. The lion hearted stand by Ganguly is a testament to that. There are plenty of good cricketers in this Indian side. Its typical of the Indians to bring out their best only when their backs have been firmly compressed against the wall. Perhaps a whopping defeat in the 1st test would have been better.

We should see a tighter, more unforgiving Indian side in Kanpur. As for those who will doubtless regard this match as evidence of India's sudden decline, and there have plenty of comments to that effect, just think back a few months to the loss suffered by SA at the hands of the West Indies. I saw that match and SA were outplayed there. How things change. Overnight. Well done SA for the win here. Professional and hard working. But write off Kumble's men at your peril.

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posted Apr 6, 2008

I really hope that India can bounce back and make it a worthwhile contest, but even in the first test, South Africa were on top for 4 out of 5 days, and it was only the spectacular Sehwag and dull Dravid who made it anything resembling a contest.

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posted Apr 6, 2008

SA are improving but are still way off the Aussies

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posted Apr 6, 2008

Ravi i think you have no life whatsoever. All you do is go around looking at any anti Indian comments and cry to the BBC about them being mean. No doubt you got my comment deleted. And yet you complain about freedom of speech when the only speech allowed in your fantasy world is that there is no team but India. I think its more a case of reality is a hard pill to swallow for you... and the reality is that India are nowhere near as good as you think they are. So you create your little fantasy world where ms dhoni is the best keeper in the world, and Ishant sharma is the best thing since cheese. Reality however is a totally different story... Since gilly's retirement Boucher is now the best keeper in the world and before you go ranting on about dhoni's avg. i emphasise the word KEEPER, and sharma has a long way before he gets to the likes of steyn, lee, malinga etc. And no i'm not anti Indian I have the greatest respect and admiration for your greats such as Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and co... The supporters on the other hand... well lets just say you giving them a terrible name. Get off BBC, get off your fat lazy behind and go and shop for some common sense cause to me and countless others you sorely need it

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posted Apr 6, 2008

hahahahahahahahahaha
I consider myself Nostradamus.
I predicted that India will perform poorly the minute they leave Australia! Why? Because the same thing happened in the past. India played brilliantly in 2004 in Australia. Then they left and started to deteriorate. I feel that Australian conditions are ideal for Indian bowlers but not anywhere else.
I said that the same thing would happen this time around and it already has!!!
I hope that now people realise how overrated the Indian cricket team is. They played very in Australia and full credit to them. But until they can dominate in every country and in every condition they cant claim to be the next team to dominate world cricket.

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posted Apr 7, 2008

An eerie silence from the Kallis-killers?
Where is the much-vaunted 'proof' you were to supply to back your pointless criticism and thinly-veiled resentment of a player who is already one of the greatest ever, and who will certainly go on to set even higher standards.
What of his enviable record as a partnership-breaker? He has an uncanny ability to remove stubborn batsmen when the frontline SA attack fails. Having seen and heard him speak on a number of occassions (at corporate functions, etc) I can tell you that he is an absolute gentleman and a credit to the game.
As regards his 'bubble batting' or lack of 'team-sense', he was dropped from the one-day squad after a particulary pedestrian sequence of innings and, when eventually reinstated, came back with [vs WI] 121 no off 133; 71 off 76; 7 off 8 (lousy score but made quickly!);
[vs NZ] 30 off 46; 26 off 60 (but he came in with both openers falling for ducks, and AB De Villiers going cheap to leave them SA on 20/3!); not to mention a test innings of 133 off 173...

Kallis will never be a Sehwag or a Greabatch or an Afridi - but, as a Jack of All Trades... I'd have in my side any day of the week (as, I would guess, if you're are at all honest... would you.)

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posted Apr 7, 2008

HAHAHAHAHA - iNDIA WORLD CHAMPIONS ??

I HEAR SEHWAG IS VEGETARIAN, WHAT SUBSTANCE IS HE ON ? ....

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