Cricket Blog

The day belonged to the men from Oz, but the evening was India’s. A gritty fightback at the end of day’s play means that India have some hope going into the last 2 days of play. Day 3 started with India in a seemingly comfortable position of 68 for no loss. How that turned to 106/4 is anybody’s guess? Perhaps it was the variable bounce. Perhaps it was the Aussies’ game plan. Whatever it was, the visitors had quickly reminded everyone why they are still the Number 1 test team in the world.

The hyped and under-pressure Fab 4 had mixed results. Whereas Dravid and Ganguly got amongs the runs, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman had a miserable outing, the former going out at 13 and the latter at a big fat DUCK. All credit must go to Mitchell Johnson who has always been India’s nemesis in the shorter format and it looks like he is going to continue that title in the longer format, aka pinnacle, of the game.

All is not lost for India though. The fightback from Harbhajan and Zaheer in the final session proved that there is not much to worry about in this wicket, especially if you have a little luck and apply yourself properly. The fact that Bhajji made 54, the highest Indian score in the innings, proves that its only a matter of time before one of the experienced batsmen get a big score.

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A shock defeat to one of the IPL contenders. A terrific bowling effort from Anil Kumble and a come-from-behind win for the hapless Royal Challengers. This defeat ensures that the last two positions for the semi-finals are up for grabs between Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.

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Here are the highlights of the first match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkatta Knight Riders. A complete rout thanks to an unbeaten 158 from Brendon McCullum. A spectacular batting effort by the Kiwi wicket-keeper led to one of the biggest defeats in Twenty20 cricket.

Highlights

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What happened on the first day, was repeated on Day 2. The pitch has become unplayable after just 2 days. Batsmen who are not technically strong - beware. This pitch is going to keep on getting worse with each passing second.

India started the day disastrously by losing both the openers cheaply. However, the combo of Dravid and Laxman saved them the blushes. The two put on a crucial 78 run partnership. However, both fell in quick succession, leaving Ganguly and Yuvraj to build up another partnership. Laxman’s innings was pure bliss for a Test cricket spectator. It had all his trademark shots and then a few. He made batting look easy as compared to Dravid who, I might add, played one of his grittiest innings to date.

Yuvraj’s inclusion in this test certainly raised quite a few eyebrows, including mine. To replace Irfan Pathan, who was in terrific form with the bat in the second test, with Yuvraj was a major gamble. But then again the skipper for this match is Dhoni, and its a no-brainer how Yuvraj was given a berth in the playing XI. However, with all said and done, the Kings XI captain played an important role in his partnership with Ganguly. Where Dravid was rock solid, Yuvraj was in full flow. His cover drives and pull shots were there. What really annoyed me was the way he got out, clearly indicating that he still has to work on his temperament if he wants a permanent position in the test side.

Dhoni then joined Ganguly and was at ease playing on this wicket. Had it not been for a rash shot at the most crucial of stages, India could have had complete control over this match. Having said that, Dhoni was quick in his run scoring and the partnership was the fastest of this match so far.

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Part 1

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