Blogs What a dramatic fight back by PAKs !!
December 2nd, 2007 by marauderFlash news saying Indian’s have amassed a formidable total on the board, and when Pakistani’s are pitted against the wall struggling to even save the follow on. It was so obvious that their batsman’s were not too sure how to go about chasing India’s first innings target. At the end of the first session today, with five wickets down not one would have thought that there was a tremendous fight back about to be staged.
Then came the second session. Then came in Kamran Akmal. This little dynamite always promised a lot, but never delivered. Cometh the time, Cometh the man. Today he applied himselves superbly and paired up with the ever solid Misbah and staged a tremendous fightback. From nowhere in the game, suddenly it looks like Pakistani’s are by no means out of this game yet. A Draw is a definite possibility now. A Pakistan victory is not yet out of scope. Indian’s are still in the driver’s seat, but you never know with Cricket. Eden Gardens, hughe first inning deficits also does reminds me of India’s victory against Australlia quite sometime back. Let us keep our fingers crossed and wait to see what happens in the remaining crucial days to come.
Well played Kamran & Misbah. The game is on now!! Indian’s were not at their ultimate best today. They were let down by this tremendous fight back, but its time they lift their game a little better and come back strongly aswell to have a stamping authority over this game. This seems to be developing into a very interesting contest, what say ?
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:45 pm
India must go for a win here. There is not doubt that Pakistan fought back admirably in the last 2 sessions, but India has to still feel very strong about their position. That is the only way to play Cricket and that is NOT how Indians play it. Agreed that India came back to win the test against Australia after being asked to follow-on, but that does not happen every day. An exception only proves the rule. Whether India asks Pakistan to follow-on or not (assuming they get that choice), the decision has to be made looking at winning the test match and not from “not-losing” it. It was one thing to do it while playing away in England and trying to protect a 1-0 lead to win the series after decades in England, it another thing to go for the kill at home.
This is a test of their mettle for the Indian team and a good exercise for preparing to play against the Australians, a team who only plays to win every single match.
December 4th, 2007 at 12:25 am
Bruce Yardley commented about how Australia would crush India if it sits back during the Aussie tour. He is also talking about how India should have declared over-night with lead of 301. Basically take things in your hands other than sitting back.
December 4th, 2007 at 11:41 am
Pakistani’s fought back really well, and they deserve to not lose this test match. India has to blame themselves for this. I thought ever since India amassed such a hughe total on board, they believed victory is theirs and hence the draw. The biggest blunder i thought, was not to declare much earlier than they actually did. Neways congratulations Pakistani’s !!
December 4th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
To be fair to both the teams, the wicket was below par…slow and low. Like Kumble said, both teams struggled to take wickets and to India’s credit, they could at least take 14. Agreed that Pakistan had a illness-ridden bowling attack, but their batting was unaffected and it showed. By batting for a long time in the first inning, Pakistan ensured that their bowling had some time to recuperate. Adding to India’s agony was the fact the a few decisions didn’t go their way and some catches were dropped.
I would not blame India for not declaring earlier. Declaring an hour after tea on the second day with more than 600 runs on the board is textbook, and 8 out of 10 teams would back themselves up to win the match. If you remember in 2001, on the same ground, Australia scored 445 in the first inning and still backed themselves up to win the match after bowling India out for 171. But the now legendary partnership changed all that. If not for that partnership between Kamran Akmal and Misbah, India had Pakistan on the ropes with 150 odd for 5. India did try to make a match out of it by setting a competitive target, but Pakistan did not take the bait and decided to play it out. So, we can see that it was India that pushed for a win all along and Pakistan were happy to play out a draw.
December 4th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
I don’t think this Indian team is the one that will sit out. If anything, they showed during the ODI series with Australia that they will fight fire with fire. Agreed that they are new at this strategy, but you’ve got to start at some point. I read an article on Cricinfo by Ian Chappell that the Indian tour will be the toughest test for Ricky Ponting’s ‘new’ team, without the likes of McGrath and Warne.
For once, India has a bowling attack that will have conditions conducive for them. Remember Gilchrist being yorked by Pathan in his own backyard? Zaheer, Sreesanth, RP Singh, Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan will have conditions suited to them. They just have to exploit them like they did in England and SA.
Australian bowling is relatively inexperienced. Brett Lee forms the spearhead. Mitchell Johnson is new, Stuart Clark has looked rusty and Bracken is consistent in ODIs but not tests. Shaun Tait is still injured, I think. McGill is unsure to play and Indians, I think, read Brad Hogg very well.
All in all, a good contest at hand!
December 5th, 2007 at 10:31 am
@Shivraj : Firstly, i would like to let you know that Pakistan played for a draw because that was their best possible result especially having trailed the Indians. Secondly,In the second innings, Dhoni was pushed up the order but i dont really think he went out all guns blazing. He did play well, but he was supposed to play more aggressive than that, which he din’t manage to do. It looked so obvious that Indians were okay with a draw at that point of time. They should have pushed on for more quick runs, and more time to bundle out the Pakistani’s. Bundling the opponents out on a 5th day crumbling pitch with more time and less pressure would always have given Indian’s more time to win.
Beating Australlia in Australlia ? Don’t even dream about that. Australlian’s may be without McGrath & Warne, but still they are good enough to whitewash the Indians this series. I will actually be surprised if India manages to draw atleast a test match. Lets wait and watch buddy
December 5th, 2007 at 11:20 am
@marauder: If Indians were okay with a draw, then why didn’t they just keep batting? I mean, they had all the time in the world. Why did they declare? So that the bowlers could get some bowling practice? India batted for an hour on the 5th day. And they managed to take 4 wickets. Do you the crumbling pitch of the 5th day would’ve made a difference in that 1 hour? Plus, the pitch wasn’t a lot more crumbling on the 5th day as it was on the 4th. So, India had to counter that in addition to trying to score quickly. Both Jaffer and Karthik got out trying to hit out and so did Ganguly. So, to blame Indians for settling for a draw on the 4th day is unfair in my opinion. Agreed that Dhoni didn’t score as quickly as expected, but Ganguly did. India’s RR in both innings was above 4 and Pakistan’s was 3.01 in the first and 2.77 in the second. Do you still think India gave up on the 4th day?
Also, I didn’t say anything about beating Australia in Australia…I said that we have a good contest at hand. Well, the last time India was in Australia, things were said about them being white-washed as well and they actually drew the series, let alone a test match. So, anything can happen. I don’t have to dream about beating Australia in Australia, because I have seen India do it and I believe they have the potential to do it again. Let’s just hope that you get surprised on more than one occasion then!
December 5th, 2007 at 11:37 am
Agreed India declared to try and enforce a win. But what i am trying to say is, India declared only after making sure they were safe and there is no way they could lose the game. Well that’s not what winner’s do. They should have piled up runs faster, even faster than 4/over as u say. Scoring on that dead batsman’s paradise wicket was no big deal either. Scoring quick runs would definitely have given them the desired lead, and obviously more time to bowl at the Pakistani’s. You have gotta take a few risks, to win a match. Playing it safe and then trying to win is not always right. That is what i was trying to mean
. Hence i still do feel and rightly think India gave it up on the fourth day !!
You have seen India doing it just once buddy. But its not enough if things are done once. You have gotta repeat it over and over again. Thats what winner’s do so easily. That’s what Australlian’s do so consistently. Well i shall be pleased if India manages to go down fighting. To me, it looks very unlikely that India is gonna win a test match this time around. Anyways good luck !!
December 5th, 2007 at 11:47 am
@marauder: You being a fan of Sri Lankan Cricket, I can see your pain in accepting the fact that SL was destroyed by the Aussies in the Test series with Murali managing only a couple of wickets per match (to be fair to him, the Aussies practically batted only once in each of the tests
). India on the other hand is probably the only team in recent history that has beaten Australia in Australia and almost won the series there. And of course completely spoiled the world conquering agenda for Steve Waugh. I am sure he will never forget the embarrassing defeat Australia suffered in Kolkata after the Indians to follow-on.
So if I was you, I would not predict anything regarding the India/Australia series, neither a Whitewash or a possible Upset.
December 5th, 2007 at 11:58 am
What has my liking towards Srilankan cricket got to do with India losing this series against Australlia ?
Almost won the series ? What does that mean ? Agreed India won a test match in Australlia. But how often does that happen ? Once in a blue moon day. India won the world cup 24 years back. Are they able to repeat that feat again ? They can’t and that’s reality. So lets not talk of the past and waste our time. If murali can’t take wickets, then i wonder what would bajji n kumble do there ?.
December 5th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
@marauder: I believe what prashant is implying is that you are trying to draw a parallel between the performance of SL and India and using the assumption that if Sri Lanka didn’t do well in Australia, neither will India!
Well, once in a blue moon day is better than never. India has won 4 tests in Australia out of 32 (winning percentage 12.5), whereas SL has won 0 out of 10 (winning percentage 0). India has drawn 8 (25%) whereas SL has drawn 2 (20%).
Coming to the bowlers, the picture is even more interesting! Here is a summary of the statistics of the three bowlers you mentioned against Australia (Matches/Wickets/Best figures/Average)-
Murali:
in Aus 4 7 2/170 106.85
in SL 8 47 6/59 26.02
Kumble:
in Aus 6 29 8/141 40.00
in Ind 8 59 7/48 20.86
Harbhajan:
in Aus 1 1 1/101 169.00
in Ind 7 55 8/84 21.54
So, looking at these figures, it is clear that Kumble has done far better than Murali in Australia, and both Bhajji and Kumble have better averages and have taken more wickets at home against the Aussies than Murali. So, basing the assumption that Kumble and Bhajji will be ineffective only because Murali was is also debatable. One can argue that statistics are not true indicators of a person’s ability, but they certainly show a trend. Again, I am not saying that Bhajji and Kumble will do well.
I remember reading your blog about whether Murali will take 1000 wickets, and you had used the assumption that after observing Murali for the ‘past few’ years, you saw a trend that he took 7 or more wickets per match and you extrapolated that information to come to your conclusion, which means you did look at his ‘past’, so to speak to make a prediction about his future. Using the same hypothesis, the only team that has challenged Australia at home in the ‘past few’ years is India. Hence the comment, a good contest is at hand.
December 6th, 2007 at 12:58 am
Great Debate. Let me provide my 2 cents
I kind of lean towards Shivraj’s arguments. Agreed that India only won one test on their previous tour of Australia, but they did win it, and Australia also won ONLY one test. In the first test in Brisbane, India was on top and it was only rain (and not Aussie skill or aggression) that saved the Aussies. The second test was won by India, AFTER Australia made 550 plus runs in the first innings. The third test, I agree, Aussies completely dominated and won. The fourth test, well, India completely dominated that one. Had Parthiv Patel not missed a stumping chance and a caught-behind, India would have won that too. So India had the upper hand in 3 out of 4 tests.
Anyway, past performances really do not help in the present. The only way it can help is by giving the Indian players confidence, that they have done it before… so they can do it again. And that can go a long way….
Aussies are superior than the Indians… they proved that by beating India in India. They are the favourites to win the series. But you have to agree to one thing… somewhere at the back of the mind they ARE wary of the Indians. Neither SA, Eng nor Pakistan make uneasy or scare them as much as India does. And being an Indian, I am proud of that.
They were not even tested by the SL team. But I think they will be tested by the Indian team. India has a better bowling attack and a better wicket keeper than they had last time.. and comparable batting. The Aussies will come hard at them. Realistically thinking, India will probably lose the series, but dont expect them to go down tamely. And dont really be surprised if they spring up a surprise or two. Writing off the indian team in its present composition (better bowling attack) can be done only at one’s own risk!
Guess this was more than 2 cents! Make that a dollar!
December 6th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
@shivraj : please don’t make wierd assumptions. i never said India wudn’t stand a chance to win the Aussies cos’ Srilankan’s cudnt. All i did say was when Murali wasn’t able to perform hw cud u expect bhajji n kumble to ?. Well thanks a lot for all your statistics. But im afraid statistics dont win u matches. Sachin averages more than 55, Dravid averages 55+, Saurav averages 41+ and Laxman averages 50+, but can they win u test matches against Australlia ? I certainly don’t think so.
I did say if murali continues playing the way he does, he will easily take 1000 wickets in one of my blogs. Well my assumption may not be wrong. He is well on his way. Would u bet ur money on him not taking 1000 ? if u do, u must be kidding me. The only thing that might stop him from doing it is his age
.
Having said all this, i believe there is a fighting contest in hand. I must not deny that. But i am here to just let you know that India beating Australlia is beyond scope this series. They might give it their best shot, but the end of it all its the win that matters
December 6th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
@jatanr : i appreciate your thoughts. ofcourse India would be more than a threat to the Aussies. n u were spot on by saying Aussies r Superior to the Indians. There is a contest in hand, and im waiting to catch up wid the action aswell. Good luck India !!
December 7th, 2007 at 8:38 am
@marauder: I wasn’t making weird assumptions, I was just trying to interpret prashant’s post.
While we are talking about weird assumptions, I feel that the assumption about Kumble and Bhajji not doing well because Murali didn’t sure is weird. All three are different bowlers. They have different tricks up their sleeves. I know that statistics don’t win matches. But they do indicate if a player has done well in certain conditions, and Kumble has done better than Murali against the Aussies in Australia. I was just offering a counter-point to your statement, and statistics do help in these cases. If you read my post, I have not claimed that the Indian spinners will do well, I just said that assuming what you said is debatable.
Again, you are missing the point. I was using your Murali example as an analogy for stating that India can put up a fight based on their past series of Australia. But you are blind-sided by the thought that I have something against SL or Murali. I want Murali to take 1000 wickets. He is a fantastic bowler and he deserves it.
I agree with you when you say that there is a fighting contest at hand. I have been saying that all along ‘a good contest at hand’. My mere bone of contention was you dismissing the Indian team outright initially. If you see, I made no predictions about India winning the series. I know the Aussies are superior to Indians. I know that realistically speaking, India stand a slim chance. But like jatanr said, don’t be surprised if they do spring a surprise and don’t write off the Indians.
January 5th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Kumble so far has 14 wickets in this series and he is the highest wicket-taker on both sides. Bhajji has taken 6 wickets. Both have troubled the Aussie batsmen. And the second test isn’t over yet. So, both Bhajji and Kumble have taken more wickets than Murali did in the 2 test matches that SL played recently in Australia. This clearly shows that assuming that they wouldn’t do well in Australia only because Murali didn’t is debatable.
January 5th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
There is simply no doubt that India gives Aussies the best possible fight and more (sometimes). With some luck (or less bad-luck I should say), the Aussies would be trying to save the match right now. This is not a fluke. India has done well a handful of times over the past years and it the only team that has a leveled record in Tests against the Aussies in that time.
This series is not over yet and with some mental strength, India might come out with a win today.
Chak De India!!