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Aug. 10th, 2007
LUNCH: India 6/429. (Karthik 91, SRT 82; Anderson 3-130)
Tragedy struck The Oval at 12:46pm, as SRT fell short of yet another century! This could well have been his last Test innings in England. In the context of the game however, he has helped India into a position from which it seems, they cannot lose. For their part, England will not feel completely down and out yet. They've exposed the Indian tail, and will be expected to leave enough hunger in their bellies, to mop it up after lunch. (With 100+ runs from the session however, despite the two important wickets, you'd still have to hand the honours and momentum to India). A lot will now depend on Dhoni's ability to shepherd the lower-order and India into an impregnable position. Who knows, if they can bat for at least an hour before tea, and the medium-fasts pick up a couple early wickets, Kumble might become a factor and get stuck in. The Oval spun for Monty even yesterday, and if I heard correctly, there was a little puff of dust just before lunch. We could still have a result, even though India seem more interested in preserving their series victory first.
TEA: India 7/559. (Dhoni 92, Karthik 91, SRT 82)
Thanks to a whirlwind 92 from MS "Gilchbevan" Dhoni, and a mature, patient, 60 from Anil Kumble, India produced their best session of the match so far! Records came tumbling down as India broke their own record for the highest innings total without a century. (Needless to say, unless Kumble or one of other three tailenders truly accomplish the seemingly impossible, the record will stand). The session began with Dhoni completing his half-century in style, and then going berserk. His last 44 runs came off just 17 deliveries and by the time he got out, trying to hit a third consecutive six off Pietersen's first over, India had virtually pushed victory out of England's reach. India still need another 27 runs to surpass the highest innings total by a losing team, but considering they already have 85 more than the highest such total at The Oval*, I think we can safely assume that India will not lose the match from here. Notably, thanks to Dhoni's wicket, Pietersen's bowling average was virtually halved to a more respectable 118, while interestingly, his only two wickets have been South Asian wicketkeepers. (Actually, nobody really cares about that). Anyways, after Dhoni got out trying to emulate Kapil Dev's heroics at Lord's 17 years ago, Zaheer Khan gave good company to India's greatest-ever Test-match winner. Kumble made his debut in this country 17 years ago, but if you'd asked me how I thought he'd make a difference in this match before it began, I don't think I would've even considered the possibility of him doing it with the bat. As it happens, he has helped India produce the 7th, 50+ partnership of the innings, and as India return from a well-deserved tea break, they will expect to add many more runs and bat England out of the game. No acts of individual brilliance, and for a team that's well-known for its poor record abroad and inability to play as a unit, this series bodes extremely well for the future. For the nerds, it might well be a good time to hunt down the last time a team won a series without an individual century. What a match it's been so far.
STUMPS: India 664. England 1/24. (Kumble 110*, Dhoni 92, Karthik 91, SRT 82; Anderson 4-182)
Wow, where do I begin?! I congratulate the madmen who might've had the opportunity to put money on Anil Kumble scoring not only the first Indian century of the series, but most possibly the only one. You are all unbelievably lucky rich buggers. In what has possibly been one of the greatest examples you'll ever see of a batting team-effort, India produced their fourth highest total of all-time, the highest in all India-England encounters since they began playing in 1932, the 7th highest total at The Oval since matches began there in 1880, and the 28th highest total of all-time! It was also only the 12th time in 1,824 Tests since they began in 1877, that all eleven batsmen reached double figures (Incidentally, India has achieved this feat four times!). Kumble's century in his 118th Test meant that he broke Chaminda Vaas's record of taking 97 Tests to score his first one; while the 10th wicket partnership of 73 with Sreesanth, was the best in an India-England Test. And the records tumbled on and on. To make matters worse, Matt Prior, the English wicket-keeper, allowed the 2nd most byes slip past him in an innings, 33. All in all, India surpassed my expectations of yesterday and scored more than 650, and if I may say so, rather comfortably. Jaffer will be kicking himself for throwing away his wicket, while the bowlers prepare for the kill tomorrow. With Strauss back in the dressing room, it'll be a monumental effort on England's part to avoid losing their next 19 wickets without losing the match. India's record of not losing a Test at The Oval since 1959 doesn't just look impregnable, but given the way The Oval has played since I began following cricket, it doesn't look like it will ever be broken. ;-)
(* not including the forfeited Test last year)
--Thoughts on Day 1
Tragedy struck The Oval at 12:46pm, as SRT fell short of yet another century! This could well have been his last Test innings in England. In the context of the game however, he has helped India into a position from which it seems, they cannot lose. For their part, England will not feel completely down and out yet. They've exposed the Indian tail, and will be expected to leave enough hunger in their bellies, to mop it up after lunch. (With 100+ runs from the session however, despite the two important wickets, you'd still have to hand the honours and momentum to India). A lot will now depend on Dhoni's ability to shepherd the lower-order and India into an impregnable position. Who knows, if they can bat for at least an hour before tea, and the medium-fasts pick up a couple early wickets, Kumble might become a factor and get stuck in. The Oval spun for Monty even yesterday, and if I heard correctly, there was a little puff of dust just before lunch. We could still have a result, even though India seem more interested in preserving their series victory first.
TEA: India 7/559. (Dhoni 92, Karthik 91, SRT 82)
Thanks to a whirlwind 92 from MS "Gilchbevan" Dhoni, and a mature, patient, 60 from Anil Kumble, India produced their best session of the match so far! Records came tumbling down as India broke their own record for the highest innings total without a century. (Needless to say, unless Kumble or one of other three tailenders truly accomplish the seemingly impossible, the record will stand). The session began with Dhoni completing his half-century in style, and then going berserk. His last 44 runs came off just 17 deliveries and by the time he got out, trying to hit a third consecutive six off Pietersen's first over, India had virtually pushed victory out of England's reach. India still need another 27 runs to surpass the highest innings total by a losing team, but considering they already have 85 more than the highest such total at The Oval*, I think we can safely assume that India will not lose the match from here. Notably, thanks to Dhoni's wicket, Pietersen's bowling average was virtually halved to a more respectable 118, while interestingly, his only two wickets have been South Asian wicketkeepers. (Actually, nobody really cares about that). Anyways, after Dhoni got out trying to emulate Kapil Dev's heroics at Lord's 17 years ago, Zaheer Khan gave good company to India's greatest-ever Test-match winner. Kumble made his debut in this country 17 years ago, but if you'd asked me how I thought he'd make a difference in this match before it began, I don't think I would've even considered the possibility of him doing it with the bat. As it happens, he has helped India produce the 7th, 50+ partnership of the innings, and as India return from a well-deserved tea break, they will expect to add many more runs and bat England out of the game. No acts of individual brilliance, and for a team that's well-known for its poor record abroad and inability to play as a unit, this series bodes extremely well for the future. For the nerds, it might well be a good time to hunt down the last time a team won a series without an individual century. What a match it's been so far.
STUMPS: India 664. England 1/24. (Kumble 110*, Dhoni 92, Karthik 91, SRT 82; Anderson 4-182)
Wow, where do I begin?! I congratulate the madmen who might've had the opportunity to put money on Anil Kumble scoring not only the first Indian century of the series, but most possibly the only one. You are all unbelievably lucky rich buggers. In what has possibly been one of the greatest examples you'll ever see of a batting team-effort, India produced their fourth highest total of all-time, the highest in all India-England encounters since they began playing in 1932, the 7th highest total at The Oval since matches began there in 1880, and the 28th highest total of all-time! It was also only the 12th time in 1,824 Tests since they began in 1877, that all eleven batsmen reached double figures (Incidentally, India has achieved this feat four times!). Kumble's century in his 118th Test meant that he broke Chaminda Vaas's record of taking 97 Tests to score his first one; while the 10th wicket partnership of 73 with Sreesanth, was the best in an India-England Test. And the records tumbled on and on. To make matters worse, Matt Prior, the English wicket-keeper, allowed the 2nd most byes slip past him in an innings, 33. All in all, India surpassed my expectations of yesterday and scored more than 650, and if I may say so, rather comfortably. Jaffer will be kicking himself for throwing away his wicket, while the bowlers prepare for the kill tomorrow. With Strauss back in the dressing room, it'll be a monumental effort on England's part to avoid losing their next 19 wickets without losing the match. India's record of not losing a Test at The Oval since 1959 doesn't just look impregnable, but given the way The Oval has played since I began following cricket, it doesn't look like it will ever be broken. ;-)
(* not including the forfeited Test last year)
--Thoughts on Day 1
The Battle at Kruger
Aug. 10th, 2007 02:05 pmThis is one of the best videos I've seen in a while, and in case you haven't seen it yet (because it has already received more than 10 million views(!!)), it is totally worth it. I only came across it because of the Beeb yesterday. Check it out!
Exactly 90 days ago, Manchester United were crowned champions of the 2006/07 English Premier League. After one of the busiest summer of transfer, a new season begins tomorrow afternoon. The first match at noon, is between the 'home' team for my Borough, Tottenham Hotspurs, and Sunderland. Not surprisingly, almost all the local pubs have been marketing their house as the best place to kick things off. I will no doubt go down to one myself and see English football fans, in action, at home. But unlike a week ago when I unwittingly found myself in a train full of Man U and Chelsea fans on their way to Wembley while wearing my brand-new Torres LFC shirt; I will probably wear something as secular as an England away shirt tomorrow afternoon. Although I don't support Spurs, I'd like them to win. Even if I didn't, nobody would want to know, lest I plan to make a trip to my dad's old hospital down the road with a broken nose and fractured jaw. So, in light of the fact that the World's Greatest Football League begins tomorrow, I leave you with a prediction poll. Will this be our lucky Premiership breakthrough? Only time will tell! (For now, we have the no-small matter of overcoming Villa at home).
[Poll #1037025]
[Poll #1037025]
India's Railway Minister, has publicly voiced his support for the Indian Cricket League (ICL). This is significant because the Railways Ministry owns more than 50 cricket grounds in the country, while its cricket team has won the premier domestic competition twice in the past five years. Now, Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav, is offering the ICL the use of his ministry's grounds, news that will no doubt come to the breakaway faction like music to its ears. (Especially since the official Indian Cricket Board (the BCCI), has coerced other ground-owning associations to spurn ICL initiatives). Shri Yadav is one of India's notoriously famous and influential politicians, but it is rather shocking to find him and cricket in the same sentence, let alone as part of the same headline story on Cricinfo. That being said, given some of his expert comments, it seems like the simpleton knows a thing or two about the sport. Could he be the unlikely saviour of a tournament that looks like fizzling out even before a ball has been bowled? What a twist to the tale that would be, and I wonder what Lalu's ministerial colleague at the Agriculture Ministry, and President of the BCCI, Shri Sharad Pawar, has to say about this. Not very good things, I presume. How lovely it is to see politics making a direct appearance in Indian cricketing matters, again. If it wasn't already enough that the cricketing establishment was highly politicised. Oh well, life would be dull without such comedy.
I captured this at last year's 11th Annual Chocolate Festival at Ghirardelli Square, near San Francisco's Fisherman Wharf.
I captured this at last year's 11th Annual Chocolate Festival at Ghirardelli Square, near San Francisco's Fisherman Wharf.