India 7/613d (161ov; Gambhir 206, Laxman 200*) v Australia 0/50 (15ov), Day 2 of 3rd Test @ Delhi

[mcgillianaire]

VVS Laxman celebrates another double-century against the Aussies | Close but no cigar, Gambhir edges closer to his 1st double-century
[SCORECARD]
It's the first time India have had two double-centurions in the same innings and the first time Australia have conceded two double-centuries in the same innings. In the course of his second double-century (both have come against the Aussies), Laxman passed a number of milestones, including overtaking Gundappa Vishwanath's 6080 Test runs and becoming only the second Indian (after SRT) to score more than 2000 Test runs against the Aussies. The latter is an incredible achievement, almost Terry Aldermanesque in its proportion of runs against Australia to his total number of runs. If memory serves me right, half of Alderman's 180-odd Test wickets were against England and they came in only two Ashes series, separated by nearly a decade or something funny like that. Laxman's record against Australia is somewhat similar. Nearly a third of all his Test runs have come against the greatest team of his era, an astonishing record. Interestingly, this was only his second century against the Aussies at home and 6th overall. The first one was obviously that unforgettable 281 at Kolkata in 2001. Speaking of which, it will take the Aussies a similar herculean effort to come anywhere close to leveling the series. India are in an impregnable position and should reclaim the Border-Gavaskar trophy by the end of the weekend. Oh and before I forget, a special mention to Gautham Gambhir for becoming the first Delhiite to score a century at home since Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi in Feb 1964. Incidentally, Pataudi also scored a double century then. Gambhir has now scored back-to-back centuries against the Aussies and has cemented his place in the team. It remains to be seen how he will fare on non-Subcontinental pitches but if recent Indian performances abroad are to be taken into account, the confidence gained from this series should serve him well on our next such tour. COME ON YOU INDIANS!! JAI HIND!!

Comments

[loganberrybunny.livejournal.com]

the scum down the M62

That's actually one reason I'm not a big football fan; the virulence of the language between rival clubs puts me off a good deal. You don't get rugby supporters calling opponents scum. Yes, I know in this particular case it's an established and time-honoured ritual. I just wish it wasn't.

They don't care about becoming the best team in the world.

I think that's rather harsh, though perhaps it might not have been in the fairly recent past. I think the "resting on laurels" thing was certainly true after 2005, and we deserved what we got in Australia. I don't think Pietersen thinks like that; I was rather sceptical about his appointment to the captaincy, but my opinion of him has grown a lot since then.

[mcgillianaire.livejournal.com]

>the scum down the M62
Actually, I agree with you on this. One of the good things about not being a true Liverpool fan, in the sense I'm not actually from there and therefore do not share the same sense of hate towards Man U and Everton, is that I don't actually think of them as scum whatsoever. I tend to write such stuff as a way to poke fun at the "established and time-honoured ritual" while also partaking in it, if that makes sense.

>I think that's rather harsh
Yes it is harsh but I don't think it's far off the mark. And to be honest, I agree with you about Pietersen, but I'd contend that's more to do with the fact that he's a recent immigrant and therefore lucky to have escaped the parochial Ashes mentality that afflicts this country's approach to cricket. Perhaps he can prove me wrong in the months and years to come...

Don't get me wrong, I love the Ashes and recognize the history and passion behind it. I'm one of them non-English, non-Aussie cricket fans who would stay up all night or wake up at any time to follow it. I love its place in the game and would like nothing better than an English victory. I'm just annoyed by the fact that in all my years of following the game they remain fixated on a single series, when the game is much bigger than that. It's the single biggest reason they've rubbed the BCCI the wrong way since the 1980s, when they refused to believe any country other than England could host the World Cup and it's simply followed on from that.