South Africa Tour of India

Avarukku Mumbai la Match illa, Chennai la Match irukke ngara Gaandu....

Devar Magan wrote:

evvalavu da vilayaaduveengA??

poyi rest edungadaa... Evil or Very Mad

avanga kaasu sambaathikkarthula ungalku enna problem Evil or Very Mad

appadi ellaam illai..

From: Nerd on Thu Mar 6 0:22:57 2008.

Steyn is a major threat. Also Indians don't normally play Ntini well.. Interesting series ahead with the seniors returning Indian batting will be solid and I am curious to see how our new found bowling superstars bowl in batsman friendly pitches
From: ajithfederer on Thu Mar 6 0:58:52 2008.

Guys what about the team selection for the Test series

Please pour in your comments
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 6 1:54:39 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Guys what about the team selection for the Test series

Please pour in your comments

I wud say that the same team which played in perth test will be selected... May be Shewag can be left out for Yuvi...
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 6 2:50:24 2008.

Yaaru Yaaru ellam Chennai la first test pakka vareenga..
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 6 6:41:28 2008.

Test specialists to undergo routine tests at NCA

Zaheer doubtful for first South Africa Test

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

Zaheer Khan, India's left-arm seamer who is currently recovering from injury, is unlikely to be fit for India's first Test against South Africa, starting on March 26 in Chennai.

India's Test specialists are set to undergo routine fitness tests over the next few days but Zaheer isn't part of the list, it's learnt. Sources have indicated that it's not clear yet if he would be available for any part of the series.

"He is currently in South Africa," board secretary Niranjan Shah told Cricinfo. "And we will know the status of the injury in a day or two." Zaheer is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre for Sports Medicine in Johannesburg.

Zaheer injured his left heel on the eve of the Sydney Test in early January. It was the same injury that sustained during the third Test against Pakistan in Bangalore a month earlier.

Meanwhile RP Singh, the other injured left-arm seamer, will undergo a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore on Friday and Saturday. He had injured his hamstring during the final Test in Adelaide and missed the entire CB Series. RP played a couple of Ranji one-day matches for Uttar Pradesh recently - taking two wickets in each and making good contributions with the bat too.

Rahul Dravid was the other injury concern - having damaged his finger during the Adelaide Test - but is expected to be fit for selection. He skipped the South zone Ranji ODI tournament (because he was still in pain) but began training a couple of days ago. He is expected to play a couple of Deodhar Trophy matches for South Zone before the first Test against South Africa in Chennai.

Meanwhile India's Test specialists are set to undergo routine tests at the NCA over the next three days. This follows a BCCI policy to have periodic check-ups prior to all selections for players who have been out of action. VVS Laxman, Wasim Jaffer, Sourav Ganguly, Dravid, VRV Singh, Pankaj Singh and Anil Kumble haven't been part of the side since the Adelaide Test and will need to go through the paces before their names are cleared for selection.

They will undergo tests under Paul Chapman, the trainer at the NCA, Paul Close, the physiotherapist, and Dav Whatmore. The NCA will in turn forward the reports to the board on Saturday.

The squad for the first Test will be picked on Sunday in Mumbai.
From: wrap07 on Thu Mar 6 11:29:21 2008.

being on home soil, we can expect our team to do well as usual
however, if pitches are spin friendly and given South African
weak approach against spin, our team will make a clean sweep.
SA will better us in one aspect in ground fielding being test side
From: Movie Cop on Thu Mar 6 17:52:37 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Guys what about the team selection for the Test series

Please pour in your comments

AF - I would pick a 14 member Test squad that would be:

Anil Kumble (Capt), Sehwag, Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Ganguly, KD Karthik, MS Dhoni, Harbhajan, Pathan, Ishanth Sharma, Zaheer Khan

If Zaheer is still not recovered from his injury yet then I would replace him with RP Singh.

Wasim Jaffer should be dropped for the way he played in the first three Tests Down Under... He was sorted out by the Aussie new ball bowlers!
From: ajithfederer on Thu Mar 6 19:34:04 2008.

MC dude : Offer me only a playing 11 please

Anyway Mine is like this !!!
Shewag
Karthik
Dravid
Tendulkar
Laxman
Ganguly
Pathan
Anil Kumble
Harbhajan
RP Singh
Ishanth or Zaheer Khan (Zaheer if he is available)

For the first time(?) we have a luxury of having good fast bowlers in our side

I would pick up KD Karthik instead of dhoni as a wicket keeper batsman but i am sure that won't happen. Any case I would like to see Karthik in as a wicketkeeper batsman than Dhoni in the Indian Test side . I would be surprised if Kumble asks for KD Karthik instead of Dhoni as a wicket keeper batsman for the Indian Test Team !!!

From: Movie Cop on Thu Mar 6 21:50:05 2008.

I would pick up KD Karthik instead of dhoni as a wicket keeper batsman but i am sure that won't happen. Any case I would like to see Karthik in as a wicketkeeper batsman than Dhoni in the Indian Test side Cool

. I would be surprised if Kumble asks for KD Karthik instead of Dhoni as a wicket keeper batsman for the Indian Test Team !!!

I agree 200% with you on the bolded ones... In fact I said the same thing as you mentioned before the fourth Test in Adelaide Test... But dropping Dhoni from Test squad is unlikely because he is considered to be Kumble's understudy and also he is just back from a victorious CB series... I have no problems in having Dhoni in the Test squad as long as he does his primary job (i.e. wicket keeping) really well which is very important especially in Tests

As far as the playing XI goes, AF I agree with your team except for one change... In your XI, you mentioned either Ishanth OR Zaheer... To me, both Ishanth & Zaheer should be in the team. RP Singh should find a place only if Zaheer is not fit.

From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 6 22:47:30 2008.

I guess on Indian wickets.. Dhoni is a far better choice than KDK...Because of the fact that there is going to be no help for the new ball bowlers and if at there is any it is not going to be deadly which Jaffer and Sehwag cud handle... Dravid, Sachin,Sourav and Laxman can build the innings and Dhoni will have the right platform to come in and give a finishing touch to it.. He is required in the team if u are looking to set a target...
From: directhit on Fri Mar 7 3:38:48 2008.

would be interesting to watch Steyn and Ishant's performance in the series
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 7 11:49:39 2008.

one thing will remain the same. unless BCCI has change
of heart or the local cricket association gets wise, we will
continue to have dead and placid pitches which will
automatically suit us very well. But, even our fast bowlers
will struggle here though they were highly successful in
Australia. Spin will always play a major part in our local conditions.
From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 7 15:07:03 2008.

Steyn, imo is a terrific bowler. His inswinging yorkers at a blinding pace are a treat 2 watch .

directhit wrote:

would be interesting to watch Steyn and Ishant's performance in the series
From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 7 16:32:40 2008.

http://cricket.indiatimes.com/Sachin_Ishant_Bhajji_could_miss_SA_Tests/articleshow/2846481.cms

News
Sachin, Ishant, Bhajji could miss SA Tests
TNN / Chandresh Narayanan
PrintSaveWrite to EditorMail

MUMBAI, March 7: Sachin Tendulkar wowed the country with his super show during the best of three finals in the recent tri-series in Australia. But in doing so, Tendulkar has put himself through a lot of physical pain, putting in doubt his participation in the upcoming Test series against South Africa starting on March 26 in Chennai.

Not only Tendulkar, speedster Ishant Sharma (toe & finger), spinner Harbhajan Singh (hamstring) and Yuvraj Singh (knee) are also suffering from injuries which requires them to rest for a minimum of two or three weeks, which puts in doubt their participation in the Test series.

Of the four, Yuvraj and Harbhajan could even have to undergo surgeries to correct their condition. All the players have been referred to Melbourne-based surgeon David Young, who has also treated Muttiah Muralitharan.

In a season when India has played a total of 22 ODIs, two T20s and seven Tests since September 2007, the growing injury list is a reflection of the workload that the team has endured since the start of the England tour in July 2007.

In his last fitness report submitted to the BCCI on Thursday, outgoing Indian team physio John Gloster writes that Tendulkar suffers from tendonitis in the right hip region. According to Gloster's report, a copy of which is available with the TOI , Tendulkar �will require a minimum of two weeks rest post tour' from aggravating the condition.

"He must not allow this condition to settle into a chronic phase otherwise it may take a further two weeks to control. It is only when the pain settles that he can start deep release massage. Once he is pain free, he can commence basic training but initially only in water," Gloster writes in the post-tour rehab advice to seven players.

Adelaide-based Gloster has sent the report to coach Gary Kirsten, board secretary Niranjan Shah, CAO Ratnakar Shetty, chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar, ODI and T20 captain MS Dhoni, fielding coach Robin Singh, bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fitness trainer Greg King.

If Tendulkar's condition is a cause for worry, Yuvraj Singh's left knee continues to be under the miscroscope. He is still not in the clear as Gloster advises a strict routine which is needed to strengthen and stabilise his knee.

"He must ideally have three weeks break from cricket and excessive activities. He must try to do a lot of swimming, cycling and water running," advises Gloster. But his advice comes with a warning that if the pain persists and there is swelling, it is a dangerous sign.

"He must have a straighter approach when attacking the ball. He must take care while turning on the ball or else it could lead to instability which might need surgery."

Speed demon Ishant Sharma's left great toe has endured a lot of stress, for which Gloster advises the tall bowler complete rest for three weeks. "No bowling and running post tour. There should be no compromise on this instruction. Allow the pain to subside and full healing to complete. As for his right forefinger, he can continue to use anti-inflammatory techniques."

The central character of the tour, Harbhajan, also gets a mention for his strained left hamstring.

From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 7 22:27:37 2008.

. I would be surprised if Kumble asks for KD Karthik instead of Dhoni as a wicket keeper batsman for the Indian Test Team !!!

From: ajithfederer on Sat Mar 8 13:38:44 2008.

http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/india/content/current/story/341577.html

I really don't know what more there is to do'

ODI omission hurts Ganguly

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

March 8, 2008

Sourav Ganguly is unclear whether a good showing in the Indian Premier League would help his case for a recall � Getty Images

Still unable to come to terms with his axeing from the Indian one-day side, Sourav Ganguly has said he doesn't know "what more" he must do to regain his spot.

Left out of the side prior to the CB Series in Australia, Ganguly felt he was dropped "despite being in good form" and is unclear whether a good showing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) would help his case for a recall.

"I was left out despite scoring close to 1300 runs (sic. 1240) in a year," Ganguly told Cricinfo. "I really don't know what more there is to do. The best bit was I was in good form. So if I was left out then..."

Did he think a fine showing in the Twenty20 matches in the IPL would strengthen his case? "I'm not really sure if there's a link between Twenty20 and one-day cricket. It's a completely different format. I've not really thought about it that way also."

Ganguly is set to play the Deodhar Trophy zonal one-day tournament, starting on March 14, but he didn't want to read too much into those performances too.

"I am looking at it as practice for the Tests against South Africa," he said. "I'm not viewing it in any other way. It's an important series and I'm gearing up for that. We've played some good Test cricket recently and it will be nice to do well against a good side like South Africa."

Ganguly returned to the one-day side in January last year, marking the end of 15 months in the wilderness. He enjoyed a fine year with the bat, scoring 1240 runs in 32 matches at an average of 44.28, including ten half-centuries. However, his performances in the last ten matches saw the average dipping to 25.66. The team management in Australia had reasoned that Ganguly was overlooked for the sake of blooding youth, with the added emphasis on fielding abilities.

He was excited about leading the Kolkata franchise, a power-packed line-up that includes star names like Ricky Ponting, Shoaib Akhtar, Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle.

"It's a new format, a new tournament, new concept, in fact. I'm looking forward to it. It's a great opportunity for young players to play alongside the greats. They can learn a lot from them."

Ganguly spent half a day at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore to undergo routine tests prior to the selection for the South Africa series. He went through a medical examination, bleep test, body strengthening and fielding practice and was passed fit at the end of it.

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

� Cricinfo
From: karthik_sa2 on Sun Mar 9 15:22:10 2008.

i would want to have

gambhir
sehwag
dravid
sachin
laxman
ganguly
dhoni
kumble
murali kartik
ishant
rp singh
From: directhit on Sun Mar 9 21:07:05 2008.

karthik_sa2 wrote:

i would want to have
gambhir
sehwag
dravid
sachin
laxman
ganguly
dhoni
kumble
murali kartik
ishant
rp singh
very good squad - i wud have ramesh powar or another off spinner (not bajji - i mean spinner ) instead of MK
From: karthik_sa2 on Mon Mar 10 2:32:28 2008.

Quote:

very good squad - i wud have ramesh powar or another off spinner (not bajji - i mean spinner Razz) instead of Mk

even i thought of powar...but murali is a better spinner esp considering indian pitches and leggie is slightly touugh to play than off spinners...considering kumble as medium pacer thought of having a proper leggie...
From: karthik_sa2 on Mon Mar 10 2:34:50 2008.

sehwag can be another off spinning option

From: directhit on Mon Mar 10 4:02:04 2008.

karthik_sa2 wrote:

Quote:

very good squad - i wud have ramesh powar or another off spinner (not bajji - i mean spinner Razz) instead of Mk

even i thought of powar...but murali is a better spinner esp considering indian pitches and leggie is slightly touugh to play than off spinners...considering kumble as medium pacer thought of having a proper leggie... Smile

kumble may not pick another away spinning bowler - he might not wanna consider him as a medium pacer

- with all the injuries listed etc, it might be a surprise squad for the tests - gotto wait and see

From: karthik_sa2 on Mon Mar 10 5:03:46 2008.

Quote:

kumble may not pick another away spinning bowler - he might not wanna consider him as a medium pacer Razz - with all the injuries listed etc, it might be a surprise squad for the tests - gotto wait and see

yes yes correct dhaan...

From: directhit on Mon Mar 17 4:40:48 2008.

Would Dhoni be rested for SA Series? - atleast a couple of matches and DK should be given the chance

http://content-eap.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/342305.html

Quote:

Here's one way to spend 15 months of your life. You could experience five continents and eight countries, taking about 50 flights, covering approximately 112,000 kilometres. Along the way you could take part in 47 one-dayers, 11 Tests and eight Twenty20s, in a period spanning 105 days of international cricket.

If you're more ambitious, you could also captain your country, pulling off two historic wins in the process. If you're fit enough, you could keep wicket, squatting and straightening all day, totalling a mind-boggling 26,906 sit-ups. You could push yourself to the limit and shrug aside back strains, leg aches, and finger sprains. Welcome to the world of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is not only the world's most highly-prized cricketer - going by the money he fetched at the IPL auction - but also the busiest.

From: directhit on Tue Mar 18 0:09:44 2008.

Squad for the first two Tests :Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble (capt), Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla (hope this guy gets the chance), Sreesanth, RP Singh.

Back-up: Dinesh Karthik
From: wrap07 on Tue Mar 18 3:26:46 2008.

seems to be reasonably strong side when compared SA.
chennai pitch is known to take spin after 3 days and it is mostly sporting wicket. SA are in for a quiet time in our hot summer

From: raaja_rasigan on Tue Mar 18 3:29:49 2008.

seems to be reasonably strong side when compared SA.
chennai pitch is known to take spin after 3 days and it is mostly sporting wicket. SA are in for a quiet time in our hot summer Cool

Anyone remember Andrew hall opening in India & scored a 160+ ... with slow scoring rate ...... i think SA won that test

From: Movie Cop on Tue Mar 18 11:31:25 2008.

Squad for the first two Tests: Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble (capt), Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla (hope this guy gets the chance), Sreesanth, RP Singh.

Back-up: Dinesh Karthik

It's surprising to see Wasim Jaffer & Yuvraj Singh in the squad (especially Yuvraj Singh). The selectors should have given the young Rohit Sharma a break by picking him in the squad for this home series instead of Yuvraj Singh. Yuvraj, to me, is inadequate at the Test level against quality bowling attacks. The selection of Jaffer is also debatable especially when he was consistently found fishing outside the off-stump against the moving ball from the quality new ball bowlers in Australia. They could have picked either KD Karthik directly or some other promising opener from our Ranji trophy games.

Except for retaining these two players there are no other suprises in the squad!

From: ajithfederer on Tue Mar 18 13:07:09 2008.

echoed my thoughts Thumbs Up!

Except for retaining these two players there are no other suprises in the squad! Cool

From: directhit on Tue Mar 18 21:09:05 2008.

Aakash chopra was impressive in his Ranji games - he in place of Jaffer would have been good or atleast Gambhir could have been given a chance - but we have a strong batting lineup (dont think yuvi wud get to play anyways in first/second test)
From: Nerd on Tue Mar 18 21:31:51 2008.

ennathu Gambhir team-la illiyA
From: ajithfederer on Thu Mar 20 11:26:58 2008.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/20/stories/2008032059782000.htm

I�ve matured: Sreesanth

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: S. Sreesanth is among the new-age cricketers who have caught more attention for their over-the-top display of attitude on the cricket field.

Often in the past, this Kerala paceman has played to the galleries with a needless show of aggression and hit headlines.

The act of making faces at the batsmen became associated with Sreesanth until he wisely realised that the International Cricket Council was not amused.

Fear of being fined or banned loomed large and the young man was quick to read between the lines.

Anger-management was his obvious priority and yoga, ayurveda and most significantly, self-restraint, made sure Sreesanth did not invite trouble from the ICC.

�I could have faced a ban of at least three Tests had I messed up again. Whenever I take the field, I keep it in mind,� was the candid admission from a chastened Sreesanth when he met newspersons on the sidelines of the launch of a scholarship programme.

�I told myself that there is a very thin line between foolishness and bravery. So when I got angry over something, I just rushed back to my run-up to calm myself,� said the god-fearing speedster.

Hoping to do better

Back from a layoff forced by a shoulder injury, Sreesanth was not exactly satisfied with his performance down under but hoped to do �better in the upcoming home series against South Africa�.

He said that he chose not to go for surgery that could have put him out of action for six months and instead went for a 21-day ayurvedic treatment programme that got him ready for the one-day tri-nation series in Australia.

�I will just try to keep the basics right,� declared the 25-year-old who acknowledged the contributions of Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh in making him a better bowler.

�I am a much more matured cricketer now,� he said.

The upcoming home series against South Africa will be a good opportunity for everyone to watch Sreesanth who indicates that he has traded maturity for flamboyance.
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Thu Mar 20 11:32:19 2008.

Nerd wrote:

ennathu Gambhir team-la illiyA

idhellam theva illadha shock-u test match-ku edhukku Gambhir?!
From: ajithfederer on Thu Mar 20 11:33:49 2008.

Yeah

Sanguine Sridhar wrote:

Nerd wrote:

ennathu Gambhir team-la illiyA

idhellam theva illadha shock-u test match-ku edhukku Gambhir?!
From: Nerd on Thu Mar 20 20:09:07 2008.

Sanguine Sridhar wrote:

Nerd wrote:

ennathu Gambhir team-la illiyA

idhellam theva illadha shock-u test match-ku edhukku Gambhir?!

1. Test match-kku yedhukku Mr. Singh?
2. Test match-la remmbba important opening partnership. Do we have *set* openers?
3. Gambhir was the top batsmen in the recently concluded series and he is in top form.
4. Who will they open with?? Jaffer ( ) and Sehwag??
idhila enna comedy??

From: Sanguine Sridhar on Fri Mar 21 12:42:16 2008.

1. Test match-kku yedhukku Mr. Singh?
2. Test match-la remmbba important opening partnership. Do we have *set* openers?
3. Gambhir was the top batsmen in the recently concluded series and he is in top form.
4. Who will they open with?? Jaffer ( ROTFL

ennathu Gambhir team-la illiyA Shocked

idhellam theva illadha shock-u test match-ku edhukku Gambhir?! Rolling Eyes

) and Sehwag??
idhila enna comedy?? Huh?!

neenga sonna seri thaan!

From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 21 12:51:15 2008.

Neenga solrarthellam nyayam than aana nadamuraikku vaanga.
1) Test matchkku edhukku dhoni? LOL

Avar pona test series la perusa enna saatichar. Future captain grathunala irukar. Opening mukyam than aana Dinesh karthik edukkave namma BCCI yosipanunga intha lachanthula gambhirkku neenga poiteenga!!
2) Gambhir has no place in our test team especially with the likes of dravid sourav and laxman returning. I mean there is certainly no vacancy
3) Mr singh than namma varungala test sinnam LOL

. I agree with you singhkku namma gambhir evvalavo thevalam Yes

Finally ithellam BCCI kku satharanamappa ROTFL

From: Devar Magan on Tue Mar 25 5:55:31 2008.

ennathu Gambhir team-la illiyA Shocked

idhellam theva illadha shock-u test match-ku edhukku Gambhir?! Rolling Eyes

) and Sehwag??
idhila enna comedy?? Huh?!

From: Sanguine Sridhar on Sun Mar 23 1:50:35 2008.

and also Gambhir 5 days velayaadura alavu stamina irrukka? nonjaana irrukura maadhri theriyudhu
From: Ramakrishna on Sun Mar 23 1:53:23 2008.

Dinesh Karthik mattum rombo strong aakkum
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Sun Mar 23 1:58:50 2008.

Ramakrishna wrote:

Dinesh Karthik mattum rombo strong aakkum

!
From: wrap07 on Sun Mar 23 12:36:18 2008.

Climate in chennai is now cool and raining. SA would have liked the climate than us. If the climate continues, the match will be interesting since chepauk pitch is lively. However, if hot weather comes back, SA should be prepared to slog out.
From: ajithfederer on Sun Mar 23 15:49:56 2008.

Pawar ducks question on fate of Ganguly, Dravid

New Delhi: Does the emphasis on youth means curtains on ODI careers of Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly? BCCI chief Sharad Pawar sidestepped questions on this, saying he did not get into selection matters and that performance was the criterion.

At the same time, Pawar told these players themselves had stepped out of Twenty20 to pave way for the youngsters.

Pawar recalled Sachin Tendulkar meeting him to convey that players of his generation would like to opt out when the selectors were about to announce the Indian team for the Twenty20 World Cup.

"Sachin met me and suggested, 'I know you don't interfere with the team selection but you please tell the selectors not to include players of my generation in the Twenty20 squad.' He said 'my generation is not fit for Twenty20, so give opportunity to the youngsters'."

Raikkonen wins Malaysian Grand Prix | Formula One 2008

Specifically asked if Ganguly and Dravid stood any chance of returning to the one-day side, Pawar said, "I can't really say one-day cricket is behind them. I don't get into selection matters and it's up to the selectors to decide. Anyway, it's not like Twenty20 where selectors decided to give opportunity to the youngsters," he added.

Pawar also made it clear that Tendulkar would more or less sit out of the Twenty20 format but continue playing Test and one-day cricket. "He might play a match here and there but I don't think he would play in tournaments like Twenty20 World Cup. But he would continue playing Test and one-day cricket. He did well in the recent Australia tour too."

Pawar, meanwhile, showered praise on Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Anil Kumble, hailing their commitment. "They are the players who encourage and motivate the youngsters. I don't want to take names but one of the bowlers suddenly started batting well, scoring 30-40. I asked him how it was possible and he said 'Sachin told me I can bat better�."

Full coverage: Indian Premier League | Ganguly eyeing ODI comeback

Asked if Ganguly, like the way he did after being dropped from the Test side, sought his intervention following his axing from the ODI squad, Pawar said, "No. Even that time when he met me, it was for other personal reasons. Not only Ganguly, in fact no other cricketer has ever approached me seeking my intervention in selection matters.��

"In fact, players like Sachin, Sourav, Rahul and Kumble will be the last ones to do that even if they are unhappy about it."
From: Arthi on Sun Mar 23 16:10:23 2008.

South Africa is fav team next to INDIA
From: ajithfederer on Sun Mar 23 16:11:23 2008.

Dig/

Artee ippo engae irukeenga eppidi irukeenga??

dig//
From: Arthi on Sun Mar 23 16:15:45 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Dig/

Artee ippo engae irukeenga eppidi irukeenga??

dig//

//

hi
I am in the UK, nalla erukEn //
From: CEDYBLUE on Mon Mar 24 2:42:03 2008.

cricket at chepauk and rain can never be seperated...looks chennai is gearing up for another rain shortened game!
From: Kalyasi on Mon Mar 24 3:58:12 2008.

Yes might be.... Innikkum semma mazhai innum nikkala.. I was confident when the sun came out y'day.. But......
From: ajithfederer on Mon Mar 24 16:47:16 2008.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/25/stories/2008032556192100.htm

Chennai: This is one rivalry which has never pushed for an identity. Through the course of their 19 Tests, India and South Africa have never shown a sense of urgency in their clashes. The prospect of losing wasn�t dreaded; neither was winning the sole pursuit. Six draws have been witnessed. India has won just four while South Africa nine.

However, the teams lined up for this series promise a shift in direction. Good form and fortune have struck sides concurrently.

Personality clashes, unlike in Australia, will be on a much lesser scale.

The pace might appear sedate in comparison, but playing for the No. 2 spot in Tests will be motivation enough for the quality to stand out.

Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman and Wasim Jaffer, who did not play in the gruelling CB series down under, are assumed to be fresh.

History will intimidate neither of the teams. In the past, India�s cohesive lack of dealing with South African wickets was equally matched by South Africa in India, even if the wickets complied in adding to the drudgery. The balance was altered in 1999, but restored thereafter.

Most rivalries are centred on orchestrated drama or manufactured dislike. Purely cricketing rivalries demand a lot out of skills and match-ups which is difficult to sustain over generations.

Allan Donald-Sachin Tendulkar has been exciting, but not enough to speak for more than a 15-year bilateral history.
Controversies

Controversies have lent the rivalry colour, and individual performances have helped in recall-value. There has been earnestness, but sometimes, a lack of charm.

In the �91-92 series, Praveen Amre�s efforts on a spiteful pitch were heartening, as was Kapil Dev�s 129 in response to his teammates� failures.

The anticlimax of a draw in the end tapered down the interest levels. The second instalment of the rivalry in �96-97 struggled with its identity. The cricket upfront carried purely a sub-human appeal, after which runs were accumulated in a compensatory frenzy.

Finally, forced into meeting unforeseen demands, the visitors succumbed.

For a variety of reasons, the series was denied contests that befitted the players� stature.

One of the strongest South African sides meeting one of India�s strongest at home deserved better.
Mission accomplished

In response, South Africa laid out tracks meant to disintegrate. The mission was accomplished. Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin offered solace, but the rest were exposed.
The last decade

From an Indian perspective, the last decade has witnessed a home series loss, the controversial Mike Denness episode, a listless series and the country�s first Test win on South African soil.

Very rarely have the two sides met on a competitive platform. Their good fortunes have seldom overlapped.

Now is as good a chance as ever to coerce this into resembling a marquee rivalry. The sides, nearing Australia, deserve the same.
From: Devar Magan on Tue Mar 25 2:58:28 2008.

pawar is very much pro-mumbai
From: sriranga on Tue Mar 25 4:03:54 2008.

CEDYBLUE wrote:

cricket at chepauk and rain can never be seperated...looks chennai is gearing up for another rain shortened game!

yeah, the test match against australia in 2004. india win panna vendiyadhu, mazha vandhu kedudhuthu.

4th day Damien martyn scored a century, but aussie got bowled out, sehwag nalla form-la iruntharu. 5th day, with indian needing some 200, was a total washout. D-stand pass ellam waste-a pochu.
From: sivank on Tue Mar 25 5:03:09 2008.

My 11 for the first Test Match would be:

Wasim Jaffer, V. Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin, VVS Lakshman, Dada Ganguly, Dhoni, Pathan, Kumble, Sreesanth, R.P. Singh

If the pitch becomes spin friendly still Sachin and Sehwag can bowl good spells. As a variety Dada can be brought

My 11 for the first Test Match would be:

Wasim Jaffer, V. Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin, VVS Lakshman, Dada Ganguly, Dhoni, Pathan, Kumble, Sreesanth, R.P. Singh

If the pitch becomes spin friendly still Sachin and Sehwag can bowl good spells. As a variety Dada can be brought

3 pacers is a complete waste of resources.. hence drop jaffer and have pathan in this place..

so we 5 bowlers with 2 spinners which is a must in India..

MY team will be

pathan
sehwag
dravid
sachin
laxman
ganguly
dhoni
harbhajan
kumble
Rp singh
sreesanth

From: sivank on Tue Mar 25 7:09:23 2008.

I don�t know DM if it is good to send pathan as an opener. Spinners we need that is the reason I omitted Bhajji and included jaffar since sachin and sehwag can be good alternatives

From: Ramakrishna on Tue Mar 25 7:38:38 2008.

I don�t know DM if it is good to send pathan as an opener. Spinners we need that is the reason I omitted Bhajji and included jaffar since sachin and sehwag can be good alternatives

in test matches Sachin and Sehwag will not be effective.

From: crajkumar_be on Tue Mar 25 7:41:33 2008.

I don�t know DM if it is good to send pathan as an opener. Spinners we need that is the reason I omitted Bhajji and included jaffar since sachin and sehwag can be good alternatives

in test matches Sachin and Sehwag will not be effective.

oru second padichittu arandutten!

From: P_R on Tue Mar 25 8:08:28 2008.

crajkumar_be wrote:

oru second padichittu arandutten!
From: ajithfederer on Tue Mar 25 10:05:31 2008.

Amaamaa !!!!

Prabhu Ram wrote:

crajkumar_be wrote:

oru second padichittu arandutten!
From: ajithfederer on Tue Mar 25 10:36:23 2008.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/25/stories/2008032560152200.htm

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Rahul Dravid, who will go into the first match just 80 short of 10,000 Test runs, looked in good spirits in the practice session.

Chennai: Rahul Dravid emerged from the practice session fresh and in good spirits. He was soon swarmed by admirers who pulled out autograph books. His smiling exterior masked a quiet determination that has underlined his career.

Deep down, beneath layers for public consumption, he could also be concealing a sense of disappointment. His understated ways mean he does not always receive credit due to him.

The other night in Chennai, India�s Test captain Anil Kumble had to answer yet another question about Dravid�s batting slot. �Dravid will bat at No. 3,� he affirmed.

It was strange that Dravid�s batting position was under scrutiny, momentarily at least. After all, he has the most runs by any batsman at No. 3 in Tests. His 7566 runs in Tests have come at a whopping average of 57.32.

Among batsmen with over 7000 Test runs at No. 3, only Australia�s Ricky Ponting (7271 runs at 66.10) averages more. This is a very short, elite list.
Been shunted around

Yet, perhaps, the question posed at Kumble was not so strange. Didn�t Dravid open the innings in Australia for the sake of the team composition? Would this team-man who has walked in at most slots and donned the big gloves in the ODIs be asked to put his hand up once more?

Dravid might not say �no� but such a move would be retrograde in nature. Dravid searched for batting rhythm down under and fought hard opening the innings. Yet, his assiduously built first innings 93 in Perth arrived at No. 3. It was a match-winning effort from a batsman with a sense of occasion.

Both, opening and No. 3, are top order positions. However, mentally, the jobs are vastly different. India will require Dravid�s temperament and technique against Dale Steyn, the in-form paceman with speed and movement, at one drop.

It�s true that his form has waned in recent times � given the volume of cricket these days, technical chinks can creep in unnoticed � and Dravid has searched for fluency.

At the nets here on Sunday, he stroked confidently. A subtle change in his stance and initial movement was visible.

He appeared composed and balanced, with the bat coming down straighter.
Need for specialists

The Indian think-tank needs to show vision and it would only be right if specialist openers begin the innings for the host in the first Test at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

Virender Sehwag, who stroked a scintillating hundred in the final Test at Adelaide, and Wasim Jaffer should walk out. Jaffer struggled in Australia, but is still an opener worth pursuing. He has the right temperament and is not short of strokes either.

The opener needs to tighten his game around the off-stump but deserves an opportunity to resurrect his career.

India requires a settled top order and getting someone like Irfan Pathan to open the innings sends all the wrong signals. Short-term solutions hurt long-term possibilities.

In any event, a four-bowler formula should suit India fine in the first Test. If Kumble and Harbhajan cannot do the job, it would be hard to reason how a third spinner would help.

And playing an extra batsman for a home Test makes little sense. If the top-order lays a solid foundation, the middle-order should blossom.
Exclusive club

Dravid comprehends much about building monuments. He is just 80 short of becoming the third Indian batsman � legends Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar are the other � to reach 10,000 Test runs.

His technical purity, ability to conceive an innings mentally, see through spells and sessions, and construct an innings brick by brick have fetched him 9920 runs at 55.11 in 119 Tests (away average 58.50 in 69 Tests).

Dravid is fighting fit at 35 and eyes more glory. It, still, would take a brave man to bet against him.
prechanayae(test match) seekiRam ArambingadA
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Tue Mar 25 11:09:24 2008.

I think Jaffer will play as he has good records in sub continent. They will drop RP Singh or Sreesanth

If I am the captain I will pick Karthik instead of Jaffer

Btw Chennai-la climate ippo eppadi irrukku?

From: Ramakrishna on Tue Mar 25 11:20:02 2008.

I don�t know DM if it is good to send pathan as an opener. Spinners we need that is the reason I omitted Bhajji and included jaffar since sachin and sehwag can be good alternatives

in test matches Sachin and Sehwag will not be effective.

oru second padichittu arandutten! Smile

naa sonnathu serithaane

From: crajkumar_be on Tue Mar 25 11:47:32 2008.

I don�t know DM if it is good to send pathan as an opener. Spinners we need that is the reason I omitted Bhajji and included jaffar since sachin and sehwag can be good alternatives

in test matches Sachin and Sehwag will not be effective.

oru second padichittu arandutten! Smile

naa sonnathu serithaane Rolling Eyes

seri dhaan.. At first i didn't look at the post to which you had replied

From: ajithfederer on Tue Mar 25 13:07:54 2008.

http://www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=6739

"I hope Sachin does not fire"
South African skipper Graeme Smith has said that Indian coach, Gary Kirsten will have a big challenge in dealing with the seniors vs. juniors controversy. Graeme Smith spoke exclusively to TIMES NOW�s Sports Editor, Sunder Iyer ahead of the first Test at Chennai.

When asked to comment on Sachin�s ominous form Smith said,� I hope Sachin suffers a loss of form.� Smith said India�s T20 World Cup win is good for world cricket. India has an experienced Test team but it will be challenging for Gary Kirsten to handle the senior vs junior debate in the Indian team.

India will take on the Proteas in a 3-match Test series to be played starting from Chennai tomorrow. India on a high after the stupendous triumph down under by taming the Kangaroos in their own den.

Sunder: Not too many happy memories, the last time you met India on Twenty20 at home, not getting an opportunity to make it to the semi-finals.
Smith: Yes, I give full credit to Team India. They are a young and a dynamic team. They've won the tournament and so, it's it's created a lot of hope and expectation around them and it's also good for the World Cricket. Hopefully, a really good contest coming our way.

Sunder: Will it be a challenge to beat the Team India now that they're on a very good record?
Smith: Surely, India has emerged a much stronger team from the past. They'got both young talent and experience on their side. The challenge that we might face would be from the angle of wickets, the weather conditions. Of course, there lies a good contest ahead of us. We've also got some good talents on our side and hopefully, we can put up a good show.

Sunder: Any gameplan for Sachin Tendulkar?
Smith: We can try to focus on Team India's weaknesses, how we can realy make an impact and a difference in the tournament.

Sunder: What do you make of the senior-junior debate as an opposition captain?
Smith: It's quite interesting to see what's hapenning. We've also lost senior players but again, opportunities must also be provided to the youngsters.

Sunder: What do you think is going to happen in the series?
Smith: Hopefully, we'll have the trophy in hand.

start meesik
From: ajithfederer on Tue Mar 25 20:03:10 2008.

Anil Kumble�s moment of glory

Chennai: Spin legend Anil Kumble was felicitated by the BCCI for becoming the first Indian bowler to reach 600 Test wickets at a pleasant function here on Tuesday night.

Accepting a glittering trophy studded with diamonds from Board president Sharad Pawar, Kumble said he was honoured. The Indian and the South African teams, several former India captains, first class cricketers and Board officials were present on the occasion.

The leg-spinning ace stressed cricket was a batsman�s game and the bowlers� toil to get 20 wickets in a match often went unnoticed. He urged all concerned to restore the balance between the bat and the ball. The Indian Test captain dwelt on his journey over the last 17 years and said he had witnessed the game changing. Kumble recognised the challenge of adapting to the different needs, more so in recent times.
Kumble thanks Bishan

Kumble thanked his first coach, spin great Bishan Singh Bedi, who was present on the occasion, and the others who had contributed in making him successful.

He acknowledged the contribution of those who kept wickets to him, from Kiran More to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, his prominent spin partners Venkatapathy Raju and Harbhajan Singh and Rahul Dravid, who has combined with Kumble in a number of dismissals.

Kumble said playing alongside the legendary Sachin Tendulkar was an experience that he would cherish forever. Playing under the different captains was a learning experience, he said. He spoke about his on-going stint as captain and thanked the Sharad Pawar-led Board for backing the side in the aftermath of the Sydney Test.

The leg-spinner remembered the contribution of his parents, brother Dinesh and wife Chetna. He made a special mention of former India physio Andrew Leipus for enabling him recover from a career-threatening shoulder injury.

Mr. Pawar said Kumble was a role model. �He relishes challenges,� he added. He termed Kumble�s career �a remarkable one.� Mr. Pawar added, �Kumble is unassuming off the field and a great fighter on it.�

�After seeing him lead against Pakistan, I wondered why he was not made captain earlier,� Mr. Pawar admitted.

Board Treasurer N. Srinivasan said Kumble �combined aggression with diplomacy.� Calling Kumble �an aggressive team player,� Mr. Srinivasan said Kumble, a gentleman cricketer, epitomised consistency and hard work.
Uncompromising

Former India captain and Kumble�s first India �room-mate,� Ravi Shastri said the leggie was �uncompromising, ruthless, relentless, tough as nails and a competitor to the core.� Shastri added, �On top of all this, he is humble.� His commitment is extraordinary,� said Shastri.

The night belonged to Kumble. For a change, the limelight was on a bowler. Kumble, the smiling assassin, deserved his moment of glory.

Kumble
From: Nerd on Tue Mar 25 20:13:09 2008.

innikku match-A Hub pakkam varalEnA nAttu nadappE theriya mAttengudhu
From: directhit on Tue Mar 25 22:28:47 2008.

I hope they go with RP + Irphan + Kumble + Bajji - we have anyways Dada/Sehwag to do the xtra bowling. Bajji needs to pick up some wickets atleast this series
match irukkumaa? rain eppadi irukku in chennai

From: Kalyasi on Tue Mar 25 22:42:19 2008.

I hope they go with RP + Irphan + Kumble + Bajji - we have anyways Dada/Sehwag to do the xtra bowling. Bajji needs to pick up some wickets atleast this series Mad

match irukkumaa? rain eppadi irukku in chennai Rolling Eyes

Right now the sun is out... for sure we will have an un interrupted days' play...

From: ajithfederer on Tue Mar 25 22:46:23 2008.

http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/INXX0202.html
Scattered Thunderstorms for the next 3 days says Yahoo Banging Head

Kalyasi wrote:

directhit wrote:

I hope they go with RP + Irphan + Kumble + Bajji - we have anyways Dada/Sehwag to do the xtra bowling. Bajji needs to pick up some wickets atleast this series Mad

match irukkumaa? rain eppadi irukku in chennai Rolling Eyes

Right now the sun is out... for sure we will have an un interrupted days' play...

From: Kalyasi on Tue Mar 25 22:52:27 2008.

Ooops..... I cud see some dark clouds peeping out from the western part of Chennai...Hopefully it stays away and goes further west.... No threat from the east....
From: Kalyasi on Tue Mar 25 23:26:26 2008.

Some more dark clouds are starting to come in... But its a very small patch.. nothing to worry....
From: Nerd on Tue Mar 25 23:27:51 2008.

What time does the match start?? 9:30 ??
From: Kalyasi on Tue Mar 25 23:29:07 2008.

Nerd wrote:

What time does the match start?? 9:30 ??

10:00 Am still 1 more hour to go...
From: directhit on Tue Mar 25 23:30:15 2008.

Cricinfo shows 9:30 and 30 mts to go
From: Kalyasi on Tue Mar 25 23:37:27 2008.

No anoops it begins at 10:00 am for sure...
From: Nerd on Tue Mar 25 23:37:35 2008.

SA to bat
From: Nerd on Tue Mar 25 23:38:26 2008.

Kalyasi it has to be 9:30 toss ellAm pOttachubA

From: Kalyasi on Tue Mar 25 23:38:31 2008.

Quote:

South Africa have played 7 tests in India before, with both teams winning three apiece. The last two tests at Chennai were washed out by rain and with thunderstorms forecast for the duration of this test match as well, one can only hope that a full game is possible. Do join us for the live coverage starting 0430 GMT(10 am local time).

From Cricbuzz...

Anoops why did u shift to Cricinfo...

From: Kalyasi on Tue Mar 25 23:39:56 2008.

EKSI.... Ivvalo seekaram aarambikkaraanga? or it might be a make shift arrangement expecting rain in the evening...
From: directhit on Tue Mar 25 23:40:02 2008.

am following both sites
From: Kalyasi on Tue Mar 25 23:42:08 2008.

Enna Indian playing 11 pathi oru info um illa?
From: CEDYBLUE on Tue Mar 25 23:44:05 2008.

slightly overcast conditions to aid indian seamers hopefully a couple of wickets with the new ball and later the spin twins to demolish them!

last time around even andrew hall mustered a century and the SA's were way too defensive!
From: Kalyasi on Tue Mar 25 23:45:20 2008.

1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Wasim Jaffer, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Sourav Ganguly, 6 VVS Laxman, 7 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 8 Anil Kumble (capt), 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 RP Singh, 11 Sreesanth.
From: Nerd on Tue Mar 25 23:45:28 2008.

Indians on the defensive w.r.to team selection as expected

From: Kalyasi on Tue Mar 25 23:49:11 2008.

hopefully a couple of wickets with the new ball and later the spin twins to demolish them! Razz

slightly overcast conditions to aid indian seamers Very Happy

last time around even andrew hall mustered a century and the SA's were way too defensive!

That was in Green Park.. aana Ithu Chepak...

From: Kalyasi on Tue Mar 25 23:51:12 2008.

Nerd wrote:

Indians on the defensive w.r.to team selection as expected

We could not have had any better team with the squad available...

May be Gambhir should have been picked in the squad...
From: Nerd on Tue Mar 25 23:52:25 2008.

I was talking about the extra bowler.. Our bowling looks very weak (only one promising name, Kumble, and I don't like his bowling ) But yeah, this is the best we could do.. Ishant will be missed
From: Nerd on Tue Mar 25 23:57:07 2008.

Hope santh still has memories of this:
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/rsavind/engine/current/match/249215.html
From: Nerd on Wed Mar 26 0:01:58 2008.

Mr. Lal is back in the commentory box.. Boy dint we miss him
From: crajkumar_be on Wed Mar 26 0:05:44 2008.

Nerd wrote:

Mr. Lal is back in the commentory box.. Boy dint we miss him
From: CEDYBLUE on Wed Mar 26 0:07:51 2008.

From: crajkumar_be on Wed Mar 26 0:10:09 2008.

Lal The Great
http://www.bosey.co.in/2008/03/arun-lal-delighted-for-no-particular.html

A couple of comments:

Quote:

OpenID krishashok said...
Are you sure Ravi Shastri said - "I know we shouldn�t have let him have those sugary Gulab Jamoons at last night�s media party?". That doesn't sound like him. The Champion of Cliche Champions would have said - "Despite being a seasoned campaigner, the gulab jamoons went like tracer bullets into his mouth after clearing the outfield"

Blogger Anand Ramachandran's Evil Twin said...
Yeah.
And followed up with "That's just what the doctor ordered!"

From: crajkumar_be on Wed Mar 26 0:23:26 2008.

Quote:

2.6 Singh to McKenzie, no run, once again the ball bounces twice before reaching Dhoni, McKenzie let another one go outside off stump
2.5 Singh to McKenzie, no run, again the bounce is low, McKenzie lets a good length ball go past him outside off stump and the ball bounced a second time before reaching Dhoni

eppadi irundha Chepauk ippadi airuchu

From: Nerd on Wed Mar 26 0:26:56 2008.

Superb link
Btw, my day (night) is made :
1. Sachin Tendulkar, he is probably playing the best cricket of his life at the moment
2. McKenzie, having taken a long stride, defends the ball, our man goes, that was a good foot forward

Btw, namba bowling-a remmbba asinga paduthuraainga Smith and Mckenzie
From: mgb on Wed Mar 26 0:57:03 2008.

innakki SA nambala kanji kaachiruvaanga
From: CEDYBLUE on Wed Mar 26 1:21:08 2008.

looks like a dead pan of a pitch.....!south africa on a roll!
From: Kalyasi on Wed Mar 26 1:52:38 2008.

Over rate vera kevalama irukku... Sappa maadri podaraanga pola namma aalunga..
From: sriranga on Wed Mar 26 1:58:58 2008.

chepauk traditionally helps bowlers in the 2nd and 3rd sessions.

bhajji and kumble kaila thaan match irukku.
From: crajkumar_be on Wed Mar 26 2:01:34 2008.

If i remember correctly, a few years back there was an initiative by some committee to assess the nature of pitches and relay them if required, to make them more "sportive", or so they said.
adhukkappuram dhaan namma pitch ippadi airuchu nu nenaikkaren...
I mean it was never a fast bowlers paradise or anything remotely close to that but at least it was one of the better wickets in the country...
From: sriranga on Wed Mar 26 2:04:28 2008.

whats wrong with the pich?
it supposed to be batsman friendly on day 1and 2. spinner friendly from day 3.

apart frm the occasional ball keeping low ( may be due to dampness and rain), i don't see any problem with the wicket.
From: Thirumaran on Wed Mar 26 2:05:25 2008.

Nothing to worry. By EOD at least 6 wickets will fall

From: crajkumar_be on Wed Mar 26 2:08:36 2008.

whats wrong with the pich?
it supposed to be batsman friendly on day 1and 2. spinner friendly from day 3.

apart frm the occasional ball keeping low ( may be due to dampness and rain), i don't see any problem with the wicket.

mm.. i'm not watching the match and i'm only judging (maybe wrongly, maybe not) from the cricinfo commentary and some comments here. Yes, its always been a batsman friendly wicket but at least it has offered true and consistent bounce.
P.S: and enakku ennamo idhukku munnadi oru sila matches-layum (Aus test, W.I ODI etc) munna madhiri illa nu thonudhu..

From: Sanguine Sridhar on Wed Mar 26 2:12:53 2008.

If I am correct this Smith/Mckenzie pair made a world record for scoring highest opening partnership against Bangladesh. Andha confidence-um irrukum?! I am not following the match enna score?

From: directhit on Wed Mar 26 2:13:56 2008.

If i remember correctly, a few years back there was an initiative by some committee to assess the nature of pitches and relay them if required, to make them more "sportive", or so they said.
adhukkappuram dhaan namma pitch ippadi airuchu nu nenaikkaren...
I mean it was never a fast bowlers paradise or anything remotely close to that but at least it was one of the better wickets in the country...

if chennai wicket itself is like this then this series wud turn into a hopeless one

we usually have sporting pitches along with mohali

From: raaja_rasigan on Wed Mar 26 2:37:59 2008.

Thirumaran wrote:

Nothing to worry. By EOD at least 6 wickets will fall

LET US C.... 5 MORE HRS TO GO
From: wrap07 on Wed Mar 26 2:40:10 2008.

the problem was also with our bowling & fielding conceeding 19 boundaries in 109 score. this is too much for a test match.
From: directhit on Wed Mar 26 2:42:43 2008.

all this is BCCI's plan of ensuring interests in IPL prepare lifeless tracks and get boring tests and get ppl interested in T20's
From: wrap07 on Wed Mar 26 2:56:24 2008.

The main problem is Test cricket does not attract many people and even our young players may not be interested. They get more fame and money in one day and T 20. But, the fact is Test Cricket is the ultimate test for any cricketer and it has to be given due recognition

From: crajkumar_be on Wed Mar 26 3:00:14 2008.

Quote:

"When has Harbhajan Singh seriously troubled any world class batsman last in Test cricket? Its high time someone took him by the scruff of the neck and talked him into being less ****-a-hoop about all the attention he manages draw due to events not pertaining to his cricketing excellence," emails Arijit.

He has now completely become a ODI-T20 specialist
[namma oor pitches la wicket edukka nalla chance idhu]

From: raaja_rasigan on Wed Mar 26 3:03:01 2008.

He has now completely become a ODI-T20 specialist
[namma oor pitches la wicket edukka nalla chance idhu]

Quote:

I donno how India will win a test match atleast in India after Kumble's retirement

From: mgb on Wed Mar 26 3:06:09 2008.

Smith dropped by Dhoni of Sreesanth

From: directhit on Wed Mar 26 3:09:38 2008.

Quote:

Sreesanth to Smith, no run, full outside the off stump, slanting away from the left hander, Smith comes on the frontfoot and looks to drive it on the rise, looked like a faintish inside edge, Mahendra Singh Dhoni took it cleanly, drops it while trying to celebrate by throwing it up in the air, umpire Asad Rauf is not at all interested, Sreesanth is left clueless, was there an edge??? replays should be interesting!

From: wrap07 on Wed Mar 26 3:20:39 2008.

kumble strikes. smith out caught by laxman
From: raaja_rasigan on Wed Mar 26 3:31:58 2008.

wrap07 wrote:

kumble strikes. smith out caught by laxman

As expected........ still 4 more wkts (atleast) are waiting for kumble in this innings
From: Kalyasi on Wed Mar 26 4:08:07 2008.

Ennatha Wait Ennatha Wicket...
From: Thirumaran on Wed Mar 26 4:14:01 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

Ennatha Wait Ennatha Wicket...

Ippadi sonna niraya wicket vizhumnu ethirpaakureenga poala

Enna oru sentiment
From: Thirumaran on Wed Mar 26 4:41:02 2008.

4 more to go
From: wrap07 on Wed Mar 26 4:43:24 2008.

one more gone mckenzie to harbhajan
From: directhit on Wed Mar 26 4:53:16 2008.

ada pongadaa neengalum unga sotha pitches um aana indian batting eppadi irukka pogudho
From: wrap07 on Wed Mar 26 4:56:21 2008.

We should remember that Indians are very good hosts and our team mostly makes a nothing batsman into a world class batsman(only against us)

This type of pitches(quite rare for chepauk) will only make people lose interest in Test cricket.
From: CEDYBLUE on Wed Mar 26 5:16:43 2008.

this pitch will definately take turn from the fourth day so if India could still restrict them under 400 and score runs quickly when they bat.........we still have a chance!
From: directhit on Wed Mar 26 5:44:53 2008.

anyways this whole series is of not any national importance - so why do we care
http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/indvrsa/content/current/story/343902.html
From: CEDYBLUE on Wed Mar 26 6:02:32 2008.

kallis out!
From: Kalyasi on Wed Mar 26 6:57:04 2008.

What a dry start to Day 1 of this series....
From: Kalyasi on Wed Mar 26 7:04:03 2008.

Another One Goes Down... 296/4
From: CEDYBLUE on Wed Mar 26 7:05:28 2008.

prince goes as well! but have to accept with kalyasi....it is such a bore start.....jus imagine the plight of all those who had bunked offices to see the action live in chelpauk! they would be fuming!
From: raaja_rasigan on Wed Mar 26 7:15:53 2008.

India has a good chance of getting them below 400..... but still there are 2 strokeplayers in AB Devillers & Boucher
From: CEDYBLUE on Wed Mar 26 7:21:43 2008.

devilliars is a danger man and so is boucher but hope we get them soon! BTW what is this amla up fo r?????seems he is shaping up as the next jimmy adams, chanderpaul, misbah-ul-haq type of batsmen frustraing india in india!
From: CEDYBLUE on Wed Mar 26 7:32:12 2008.

302/4 after the first days play! what a boring days cricket reflected right here in the hub where there were hardly any hubers active today but maybe when india bats there would be better activity out here!

all will change when the little master takes guard at his favorite ground!
From: mgb on Wed Mar 26 7:35:26 2008.

End of Day 1 - SA has the upper hand. If they play out till tea tommorrow then there are only two possiblities for this test
From: Billgates on Wed Mar 26 7:50:28 2008.

After the highly exciting series down under, this one looks like an anticlimax.
No interest at all to me. Dunno how others feel here ?

I get a feeling like SA will fold against spin . Only Kallis is a world class player of spin ?
From: wrap07 on Wed Mar 26 7:59:23 2008.

Yes. If at all they were batting on third day on a spinning track, our spineers would have been handful. But today, harbhajan was very expensive as compared to reliable kumble. our Fielding leaves a lot to be desired
From: wrap07 on Wed Mar 26 8:00:48 2008.

as felt by other friends, today's proceedings was quite a drag
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Wed Mar 26 8:03:19 2008.

302/4

Orey sandhosham namma Master live-a paaka poirukaapula!!
From: Kalyasi on Wed Mar 26 8:26:09 2008.

Sanguine Sridhar wrote:

302/4

Orey sandhosham namma Master live-a paaka poirukaapula!!

Oru Master Inooru Master a Pakka Poirukaare!!!
From: thamizhvaanan on Wed Mar 26 9:46:17 2008.

Sanguine Sridhar wrote:

302/4

Orey sandhosham namma Master live-a paaka poirukaapula!!

master and villan007

but match wasnt telecasted in DD . Series result is quite predictable 1-0 (dunno in who's favor )
From: villan007 on Wed Mar 26 10:33:26 2008.

thamizhvaanan wrote:

master and villan007

naa pogalaba...
From: thamizhvaanan on Wed Mar 26 11:27:46 2008.

escape'a? lol

I got info from reliable sources that you are going JK..

Waiting for updates from LM
From: littlemaster1982 on Wed Mar 26 11:56:13 2008.

Sanguine Sridhar wrote:

302/4

Orey sandhosham namma Master live-a paaka poirukaapula!!

Naan konja neram stadium-laiye thoongitten. What a bore
From: littlemaster1982 on Wed Mar 26 11:58:32 2008.

Kadavul Dharisanam kidaitthadhu
From: ajithfederer on Wed Mar 26 15:21:06 2008.

Master

BTW what an avatar. Have a look at the majestic pose. Thats for the foto graphers . Please pm me a bigger pic of your avatar if you have one
From: Nerd on Wed Mar 26 22:18:35 2008.

littlemaster1982 wrote:

Kadavul Dharisanam kidaitthadhu

piRavippayanai adaindhu vittIrgaL. Are you also going on Day 3/4/5 watch the rudrathaaNdavam??
From: littlemaster1982 on Wed Mar 26 22:20:04 2008.

Nerd wrote:

littlemaster1982 wrote:

Kadavul Dharisanam kidaitthadhu

piRavippayanai adaindhu vittIrgaL. Are you also going on Day 3/4/5 watch the rudrathaaNdavam??

Office-kku leave pottadhey adhukkudhaaney

From: crajkumar_be on Wed Mar 26 22:27:15 2008.

piRavippayanai adaindhu vittIrgaL. Are you also going on Day 3/4/5 watch the rudrathaaNdavam??

Kadavul Dharisanam kidaitthadhu Not Worthy

Office-kku leave pottadhey adhukkudhaaney Cool

"eppadi paathalum ivan namma paya da!"

From: littlemaster1982 on Wed Mar 26 22:27:49 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Master

BTW what an avatar. Have a look at the majestic pose. Thats for the foto graphers . Please pm me a bigger pic of your avatar if you have one

Couldn't find a bigger one. What I have is slightly bigger than this. Anyway here it is:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/2365608208_2bdbf575b6_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2048/2365608160_a2e5696d13_o.jpg

CR,

From: CEDYBLUE on Wed Mar 26 23:28:35 2008.

piRavippayanai adaindhu vittIrgaL. Are you also going on Day 3/4/5 watch the rudrathaaNdavam??

Kadavul Dharisanam kidaitthadhu Not Worthy

Office-kku leave pottadhey adhukkudhaaney Cool

"eppadi paathalum ivan namma paya da!" Razz

exactly!exactly!

From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 0:10:49 2008.

Bad start ...
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 0:27:12 2008.

Amla 103*
From: littlemaster1982 on Thu Mar 27 0:29:31 2008.

Amla hits 3 consecutive fours to reach 100 Well played
From: littlemaster1982 on Thu Mar 27 0:30:35 2008.

40 runs in 6 overs this morning. Our bowlers
From: Nerd on Thu Mar 27 0:34:21 2008.

Yaaru amala-vaa
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 0:35:29 2008.

Master neenga MAC la irupeenga nu nenachen?
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 0:36:31 2008.

Ella Out Of Form Matrum Sotha Batsmen ellam World class Test batsmen aaga maarum Idam India.... Vaanga Vanthu Velayaadunga!!

Appadi nu inimel ad kudukalaam!!
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 0:37:32 2008.

Good that Ishant did not play in this drying conditions..He wud have lost his confidence..
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 0:38:52 2008.

Appada Devilliars Out.... 357/5
From: littlemaster1982 on Thu Mar 27 0:39:35 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

Master neenga MAC la irupeenga nu nenachen?

Kalyasi,

Namma batting start aagumpodhu polaam-nu irukken. Anga ukkaara mudiyala
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 0:43:14 2008.

littlemaster1982 wrote:

Kalyasi wrote:

Master neenga MAC la irupeenga nu nenachen?

Kalyasi,

Namma batting start aagumpodhu polaam-nu irukken. Anga ukkaara mudiyala

Pona easy a ticket kedaikuma? Naanum Varalaam nu Iruken... enna sollareenga... Inniku illatti nalaikku 40th Test century a Kannala pathudanum!!!

From: littlemaster1982 on Thu Mar 27 0:45:13 2008.

Master neenga MAC la irupeenga nu nenachen?

Kalyasi,

Namma batting start aagumpodhu polaam-nu irukken. Anga ukkaara mudiyala Neutral

Pona easy a ticket kedaikuma? Naanum Varalaam nu Iruken... enna sollareenga... Inniku illatti nalaikku 40th Test century a Kannala pathudanum!!!

Sariya theriyala Kalyasi. Netthu ella stands-um gaaliya irundhudhu, aana counter-la ticket kuduttha maadhiri theriyala. Try panni paarunga

From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 0:50:15 2008.

littlemaster1982 wrote:

Sariya theriyala Kalyasi. Netthu ella stands-um gaaliya irundhudhu, aana counter-la ticket kuduttha maadhiri theriyala. Try panni paarunga

Ok

From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 0:52:53 2008.

Quote:

"I see an innings defeat on the cards. South Africa's pace bowlers will get more life and pace even from this dead pitch and the fall of a couple of quick wickets will see India scamper for cover. In hind sight it would have been better to have included Parveen Kumar and Pathan since both bowl wicket to wicket and would have interrupted the carnage we see unfolding," says Dr Sethuraman.

From: Billgates on Thu Mar 27 0:54:41 2008.

Why there is lesser crowd ?

I expect some crowd atleast tomo. in view of Sachin playing
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 0:57:41 2008.

Billgates wrote:

Why there is lesser crowd ?

I expect some crowd atleast tomo. in view of Sachin playing

Sila Pala Perukku ippadi oru series nadakuthu ne theriyala... Not enough publicity I guess...
From: Billgates on Thu Mar 27 0:59:38 2008.

Good chance for India now to wrap up. If they can remove either Boucher or Hamla

From: Billgates on Thu Mar 27 1:03:41 2008.

Why there is lesser crowd ?

I expect some crowd atleast tomo. in view of Sachin playing

Sila Pala Perukku ippadi oru series nadakuthu ne theriyala... Not enough publicity I guess...

What about all recent matches in Chepauk ? I think the onedayers attract more crowd. Hmm. The trend is changing in Chennai also !

From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 1:15:15 2008.

Quote:

"Forget what's happening with the bowling, for those of us following this match in Australia it is hard to comprehend just how Wasim Jaffer is recalled after his series in Australia. That he is picked ahead of someone such as a Gambhir, who performed so well recently, albeit in the shorter version of the game, is a mystery," says Stuart.

From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 1:28:50 2008.

Quote:

105.5 Sreesanth to Boucher, no run, fuller length delivery angling into the right hander, Boucher comes on the frontfoot and looks to defend, rapped on the pads, HUGE APPEAL!! for lbw turned down, that was a mighty close shout, Sreesanth can't believe it, that would have hit middle I think

From: ajithfederer on Thu Mar 27 2:45:09 2008.

Engaya intha RK? Buildup niruthangapannaa kekuraaingalaa

Ramakrishna wrote:

India 3 - 0
From: wrap07 on Thu Mar 27 2:57:13 2008.

We have again given century in the morning session 100 runs in 23 overs . Even if the pitch is bad, this type of fast scoring will negate the bowling. Our bowling is really atrocious in this test
From: crajkumar_be on Thu Mar 27 2:58:51 2008.

Tigers at home, minnows abroad before.
ippo ner mara nadakkudhu
From: sriranga on Thu Mar 27 2:59:57 2008.

crajkumar_be wrote:

Tigers at home, minnows abroad before.
ippo ner mara nadakkudhu

ippo veetula eli velila puli
From: raaja_rasigan on Thu Mar 27 3:30:31 2008.

kavalaya vidunga.... namma payaluga batting parunga......

anybody remember a test against NZ in India.... India all out for 86, Nash getting 6 wkts

then India in 2nd innings scored more than 500 runs, century by Sachin......... NZ struggled to draw the test
From: wrap07 on Thu Mar 27 3:40:52 2008.

FINALLY amla run out
From: wrap07 on Thu Mar 27 3:42:23 2008.

climate is so hot. Even our players would have toiled. pity them.

From: sriranga on Thu Mar 27 3:43:00 2008.

raaja_rasigan wrote:

kavalaya vidunga.... namma payaluga batting parunga......

anybody remember a test against NZ in India.... India all out for 86, Nash getting 6 wkts

then India in 2nd innings scored more than 500 runs, century by Sachin......... NZ struggled to draw the test

dravid kaila thaan intha game-e irukku to salvage a draw. he was in good nick in the deodhar trophy.

india intha position-lernthu win pannumnu nenaikarathellam koncham overu.

From: MrJudge on Thu Mar 27 4:03:57 2008.

crajkumar_be wrote:

Tigers at home, minnows abroad before.
ippo ner mara nadakkudhu

Harbhajan & the 2nd test were the prime reasons for BCCI's CB series win. Aussies were morally down, I don't think other teams will fall into that kind of trap from BCCI.

From: directhit on Thu Mar 27 4:20:05 2008.

Harbhajan & the 2nd test were the prime reasons for BCCI's CB series win. Aussies were morally down, I don't think other teams will fall into that kind of trap from BCCI.

Tigers at home, minnows abroad before.
ippo ner mara nadakkudhu Shocked

From: crajkumar_be on Thu Mar 27 4:41:53 2008.

directhit wrote:

He must be kidding for sure!!!
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 5:36:08 2008.

Now 8 down!! 524/8
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 5:43:40 2008.

9 Down Bhajji picks up his 4th...
From: wrap07 on Thu Mar 27 6:02:18 2008.

SA all out for 540/- good total indeed
let us see our world class batsmen's response
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 6:14:36 2008.

Namma Batting pudimpothu kooda yaarukume interest illaya?.. Enakku kooda Interest illa...
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 6:15:20 2008.

Sehwag hit a four and a six!!!
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 6:16:24 2008.

1.6 Ntini to Sehwag, SIX!!, short of length delivery outside the off stump this time, Sehwag goes on the backfoot, waits for it and guides it over third man ala Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag doesn't like to mess around!!!

1.5 Ntini to Sehwag, FOUR!!, good length delivery outside the off stump on that occasion, Sehwag goes on the backfoot, stands up tall on that one and punches it to sweeper cover, that is a beautiful shot from Sehwag!!!
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 6:18:25 2008.

Now then 20/0 in 2.3 ovrs... India Mean Business Here... It might get interesting...
From: wrap07 on Thu Mar 27 6:20:21 2008.

yes. it is a good and aggressive start
From: directhit on Thu Mar 27 6:21:43 2008.

Sehwag adichadhu pathu me also watching the match now
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 6:23:14 2008.

Only 2 runs of this over
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 6:33:24 2008.

5.3 Ntini to Jaffer, SIX!!, short of length delivery outside the off stump on that occasion, Jaffer goes on the backfoot and upper cuts it over third man, again a superb shot that, looks like Sachin Tendulkar has had special sessions with his team mates here!!!

Good Show by the Indians!!

From: directhit on Thu Mar 27 6:37:10 2008.

now jaffer also into the act - he wants to prove what he spoke i guess Razz

Quote:

"Look, I have played one Twenty20 game before, for Mumbai," he says. "Anyway, leave it. Let the IPL start and I will try and prove that I belong. There will be world-class players, and the whole world will be watching. You never know, people will then realise that I can play one-day cricket, too. Hopefully, Inshallah, they will see a new Wasim Jaffer."

http://content-eap.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/343382.html

From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 6:39:12 2008.

Ellarum vaanga pa.. India nalla velayaduraanga!!
From: directhit on Thu Mar 27 6:43:50 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

Ellarum vaanga pa.. India nalla velayaduraanga!!
me off to go and see balance of Roudhram (Mammootty movie) match highlights dhaan
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 6:47:10 2008.

9 Overs 44/0... Good Start Indeed.. Master Nalaikku Kandippa MAC poveenga Pola?...
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 6:47:58 2008.

directhit wrote:

Kalyasi wrote:

Ellarum vaanga pa.. India nalla velayaduraanga!!
me off to go and see balance of Roudhram (Mammootty movie) match highlights dhaan

Ok Njoy Roudhram... Get back tomm... and keep us updated!!!
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 7:10:07 2008.

Jaffer Aarambitchutaapa Mokkaya...
From: wrap07 on Thu Mar 27 7:16:29 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

Jaffer Aarambitchutaapa Mokkaya...

true to his style
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 7:19:45 2008.

wrap07 wrote:

Kalyasi wrote:

Jaffer Aarambitchutaapa Mokkaya...

true to his style

Strike Rate oru 50 aavathu irukanum illa...
From: wrap07 on Thu Mar 27 7:20:52 2008.

your are right. he is a typical opening batsman- grinding type
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 7:28:00 2008.

wrap07 wrote:

your are right. he is a typical opening batsman- grinding type

We dont find his kind of opening Batsman in any other team... Just Irritating for the Batsman at the other end... Jaffer Su*ks.. Must drop him and bring in Gambhir!!!
From: wrap07 on Thu Mar 27 7:31:55 2008.

A u rightly said, gambir is more attacking and refreshing. This appraoch also unsettles the bowlers.

sehwag is doing in his own way
From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Mar 27 7:37:24 2008.

while agree with u on gambhir! i think jaffa is ok today conidering we are nearing the end of the days play!buy gambhir d sehwag would make a potent opening combination and if they click boy it would be curtains for any team!

BTW before australia come to india later this year i would like the indian batting order to be
sehwag, gambhir, dravid, sachin, laxman, yuvraj d dhoni......
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 7:44:04 2008.

India 82/0 in 21 Overs...End of Days play!!!

Sehwag 52*
Jaffer 25*

From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 7:44:53 2008.

while agree with u on gambhir! i think jaffa is ok today conidering we are nearing the end of the days play!buy gambhir d sehwag would make a potent opening combination and if they click boy it would be curtains for any team!

BTW before australia come to india later this year i would like the indian batting order to be
sehwag, gambhir, dravid, sachin, laxman, yuvraj d dhoni......

From: directhit on Thu Mar 27 8:51:01 2008.

habba mokkaya mudichittangalaa!! Ennayaaa test match idhu its so boring to see matches like this sari atleast steyn oda MOS records a mudichu anuppunga Jaffer IPL nu nanachu battin start panni then realised he is playing tests
From: littlemaster1982 on Thu Mar 27 8:52:12 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

9 Overs 44/0... Good Start Indeed.. Master Nalaikku Kandippa MAC poveenga Pola?...

Pinna Ippave anga irundhudhaan varren. Semma atmosphere
From: mr_karthik on Thu Mar 27 8:58:46 2008.

after watching 2 days play, chennai test possible end with draw.
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 12:02:01 2008.

In the remaining 2 days If we score 360 on both the days.. We can have a lead of 300... and then declare.... Avanga 5th day mokka poduvaanga... Yaarukume chance illa.... Atleast India can go for some world records...
From: sriranga on Thu Mar 27 12:22:21 2008.

mottai baski on bigfm
"innikki match padu bore, pesaama mega serial-e parthirukalaam"
From: Nerd on Thu Mar 27 21:46:48 2008.

Chennai AM-la tamil commentory irukkaa????
From: directhit on Thu Mar 27 22:40:44 2008.

AFAIK - no DD and Radio coverage of this match - its of no national importance
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 22:42:07 2008.

Nerd wrote:

Chennai AM-la tamil commentory irukkaa????

No
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Thu Mar 27 22:44:44 2008.

directhit wrote:

ASAIK - no DD and Radio coverage of this match - its of no national importance

Yeah!! We are having Tata Sky in our room and you need to pay for Neo sports and sports +! Anyway office-la paaka vendiyadhu thaan!!

btw, ASAIK appadina enna?

From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 22:49:12 2008.

ASAIK - no DD and Radio coverage of this match - its of no national importance Razz

Yeah!!

We are having Tata Sky in our room and you need to pay for Neo sports and sports +! Anyway office-la paaka vendiyadhu thaan!! Smile

btw, ASAIK appadina enna? Embarassed

AFAIK va thaan appadi typo la maariirukku nu nenaikaren...

Sridhar anna.. office la big screen la match pakkareengala?

From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 22:52:29 2008.

Inniku Kadavulin 40th Century varuma illatti Jaffer e mokka pottu out aagama irunthuduvaana.. It cant get better if he scores his 40th Test Century @ MAC his fav...

Also this dead wicket will help him a lot.. I guess he will take this opp as a blessing in disguise, Maybe he can also go for Lara's record... Enna sollareenga makkale...
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Thu Mar 27 22:54:05 2008.

ok thanks Kalyasi

Yeah office canteen-la 2 LCD TV irruku. Aaana, orey kootama irrukkum... Thalaivar bat pannum podhu poi kandippa paakanum
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 22:56:30 2008.

Sanguine Sridhar wrote:

ok thanks Kalyasi

Yeah office canteen-la 2 LCD TV irruku. Aaana, orey kootama irrukkum... Thalaivar bat pannum podhu poi kandippa paakanum

Appo bayangara kootama irukume?

From: ajithfederer on Thu Mar 27 23:06:15 2008.

Dravid needs 80 more for 10k . Doesn't he deserve that or what? Clap

Inniku Kadavulin 40th Century varuma illatti Jaffer e mokka pottu out aagama irunthuduvaana.. It cant get better if he scores his 40th Test Century @ MAC his fav...

Also this dead wicket will help him a lot.. I guess he will take this opp as a blessing in disguise, Maybe he can also go for Lara's record... Enna sollareenga makkale...

From: Nerd on Thu Mar 27 23:16:06 2008.

Lara record ellAm vENdaam.. adhu sachin-aala mudiyaadhu.. stamina-nu onnu suthamA kidaiyaadhu All I need is a 150.. adhu illenAlum paravaailla.. thAr road-la Dhoni-yE adippApla
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 23:28:00 2008.

Nerd wrote:

Lara record ellAm vENdaam.. adhu sachin-aala mudiyaadhu.. stamina-nu onnu suthamA kidaiyaadhu All I need is a 150.. adhu illenAlum paravaailla.. thAr road-la Dhoni-yE adippApla

Neenga sollara 150 oda serthu innum 24 run adicha Lara oda record a udachuduvaaru... Most Runs in Career ngara record... Still 174 more to go...
From: Nerd on Thu Mar 27 23:30:01 2008.

OK OK I thought you were talking about his 400
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 23:30:30 2008.

Dravid's Test Average has dropped from 58.9 to 55.1 in the last one year
From: Kalyasi on Thu Mar 27 23:31:17 2008.

Nerd wrote:

OK OK I thought you were talking about his 400

Atha kooda try pannalaam!! Apparom Namma paadalaam Ella Recordum Oruvanukku Oruvanukke... nu
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 0:02:19 2008.

Nerd wrote:

OK OK I thought you were talking about his 400
kavalapadadheenga ungalukkaga adhu Dhoni adipparu
From: Nerd on Fri Mar 28 0:02:25 2008.

ground-la orE noooise

From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 0:02:55 2008.

ASAIK - no DD and Radio coverage of this match - its of no national importance Razz

Yeah!!

We are having Tata Sky in our room and you need to pay for Neo sports and sports +! Anyway office-la paaka vendiyadhu thaan!! Smile

btw, ASAIK appadina enna? Embarassed

AFAIK va thaan appadi typo la maariirukku nu nenaikaren...

Sridhar anna.. office la big screen la match pakkareengala?

adhe adhe

From: Sanguine Sridhar on Fri Mar 28 1:03:28 2008.

Sehwag is too strong!

One thing we need appreciate about Indian bowling is that there are only two extras [1 NB, 1 W- Both by our Sreesanth ] in their 153 overs!
From: Nerd on Fri Mar 28 1:06:51 2008.

naan kooda out aayiruvaanga thalaivar kaLam iRanguRatha pAkkalAmnu irunthEn..
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Fri Mar 28 1:10:11 2008.

Nerd wrote:

naan kooda out aayiruvaanga thalaivar kaLam iRanguRatha pAkkalAmnu irunthEn..

Nerd thoonga ponga maams!! naalaikku kaathala vara ivanunga rendu perum aaduvaanunga pola
From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 28 1:14:32 2008.

easily a 4 per over

enna pitch idhu
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Fri Mar 28 1:20:07 2008.

151/0 with this run rate going they will easily cross 400 today!

draw ahead
From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 28 1:30:51 2008.

Its better if india bats the entire game
From: villan007 on Fri Mar 28 1:33:21 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Its better if india bats the entire game

nalla idea.. avinga bowlers-a demoralize pannirlam
From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 28 1:36:21 2008.

paul harris -ve bowling approach is being bashed about by commentators
From: CEDYBLUE on Fri Mar 28 1:37:15 2008.

even on a wicket like this only wasim jaffer can bat as slowly as he does! inspite of him scoring some runs in this match i think it is about time to bring in gambhir into the scheme of things soon!
From: CEDYBLUE on Fri Mar 28 1:42:20 2008.

sehwag century number 14!
From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 28 1:42:44 2008.

shewag

Entertaining stuff
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 1:43:58 2008.

sewag fine knock
From: CEDYBLUE on Fri Mar 28 1:56:42 2008.

jaffer mokka thanga mudiyala!
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 1:58:04 2008.

directhit wrote:

Nerd wrote:

OK OK I thought you were talking about his 400
kavalapadadheenga ungalukkaga adhu Dhoni adipparu
ippadi comment kuduthavadhu indha thread a spicy aakalaamnu paatha che
From: CEDYBLUE on Fri Mar 28 2:00:14 2008.

sehwag reverse sweeps for four!
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 2:10:05 2008.

we can break the smith/McKenzie partnership
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 2:35:00 2008.

CEDYBLUE wrote:

jaffer mokka thanga mudiyala!

yes. considering the dead pitch, jaffer can also play aggressively and not test the patience of us. this is a golden pitch for any batsman to make any records
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 3:07:16 2008.

This pitch is not at all good advertisement for test cricket. Only the batsman will enjoy it.
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 3:14:38 2008.

unga kannellaam pattu ippo Jaffer out
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 3:29:55 2008.

intha pitchleye ippadi pottu aru arunu arutha,
kadasiyele ippadithan mudiyum
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 3:42:09 2008.

Jaffer out aana udane adutha Mokka Dravid vantaaru... Ozhunga velayadi seekarom 80 runs a eduthu 10000 runs edukara vazhiya paapara.. atha uttu puttu...
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 3:52:27 2008.

Sehwag 151*
From: Billgates on Fri Mar 28 3:54:51 2008.

Is Dravid sculpting some statue ? why 1 off 20 balls ?
From: Billgates on Fri Mar 28 3:56:23 2008.

59.5 Morkel to Sehwag, FOUR, outstanding from Sehwag, he drives off the back foot through cover and the ball has enough on it to beat Smith's chase, Smith loses balance and knocks over an advertisement hoarding
59.4 Morkel to Sehwag, no run, Morkel replies with a short ball, Sehwag sways out of the way
59.3 Morkel to Sehwag, FOUR, over-pitched on middle stump, Sehwag stays in his crease and drives straight, he's hit that with power and it races to the boundary after it beats mid-on
59.3 Morkel to Sehwag, (no ball) FOUR, he's crashed it through cover! Full ball outside off stump, Sehwag reaches out for it and drives powerfully through cover to reach 150, his last ten hundreds have all been scores of above 150, that's an unmatched record
Morkel's getting some treatment on his knee, Sehwag and Dravid are ingesting fluids.
59.2 Morkel to Sehwag, no run, fuller ball outside off stump, Sehwag plays a powerful drive towards point off the front foot
59.1 Morkel to Sehwag, no run, good length delivery outside off stump, played to point of the front foot
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 3:58:22 2008.

Billgates wrote:

Is Dravid sculpting some statue ? why 1 off 20 balls ?
he has scored a run of the next 2 balls itself
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 4:04:43 2008.

no player would like to miss this opportunity of scoring as many runs he wants in this match. Sewag has alrady done that. Dravid should do fast.
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Fri Mar 28 4:05:16 2008.

man! Sehwag is something special
From: Billgates on Fri Mar 28 4:10:11 2008.

Dravid's strike rate has improved now .

Fm : 5

Now : 11.53

noof runs : 3

If at all someone can spoil a remote chance of India winning , it must be our sculptur
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 4:15:19 2008.

go dravid go - you have 180 overs and 1080 deliveries - atleast 500 would be bowled to you - go and get ur 80
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 4:27:52 2008.

This is the 10th consequtive time that Sehwag has gone on to get a Hundred and go past 150... So only the first four times he has been dismissed below 150... Great !!!
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 4:27:54 2008.

Sehwag is this also part of the reason http://content-eap.cricinfo.com/indvrsa/content/story/343790.html
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 4:29:44 2008.

See how he could transfer a boring test match into a powerpacked entertainment... Thats why Sehwag is very special and the reason for which myself and DM had been supporting him for a long time...
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 4:31:44 2008.

199* (193) What an entertainer he is...
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 4:31:53 2008.

u r right. sewag has given joy to an otherwise boring match
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 4:32:15 2008.

Sehwag 200*
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 4:32:52 2008.

Sehwag is playing some unbelievable cricket!!!
From: Thirumaran on Fri Mar 28 4:33:22 2008.

Sehmag

Marvellous
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 4:34:30 2008.

to sehwag!! innikku highlights a miss panna koodadhu!!
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 4:34:33 2008.

sewag playing incredible cricket. such an strike rate for a test match marvellous
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 4:36:54 2008.

seeing mr.smith's tactics am amazed at AK and our bowlers who bowled without any negative lines and stuck to the basics (except fielding) and got SA all out - HATS OFF India
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 4:37:01 2008.

as mentioned by other friends, HE IS A DELIGHT TO WATCH WHEN HE IS ON SONG

From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 4:39:03 2008.

seeing mr.smith's tactics am amazed at AK and our bowlers who bowled without any negative lines and stuck to the basics (except fielding) and got SA all out - HATS OFF India Clap

exactly. we never tried negative bowling though our line of attack leaves a lot to be desired. But, we have to take into account the conditions also heat and humidity

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 4:40:14 2008.

Absolutely... Namma Master cud not have asked for a better treat... Although he'd love seeing Sachin Bat....

Antha dharisanam Masterukku Kedaika naanga ellarum kadavula vendikarom... Dravid Seekarom Out aagi thola da..
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 4:40:31 2008.

it was the same for us too - infact we didnt even do it for about 150 odd overs and this guy started off with negative tactics even before sehwag got his century so much to speak before tour about steyn and smashing india etc!!
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 4:42:29 2008.

now a 6 and a 4.. Last over before tea
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 4:42:44 2008.

sachin and sehwag blasting from both ends wud be

From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 4:43:14 2008.

it was the same for us too - infact we didnt even do it for about 150 odd overs and this guy started off with negative tactics even before sehwag got his century Laughing

so much to speak before tour about steyn and smashing india etc!!

i was referring to the conditions during SA innings only and how our bowlers tried to slog and we were never negative in our approach

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 4:45:50 2008.

Another 4

From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 4:46:00 2008.

it was the same for us too - infact we didnt even do it for about 150 odd overs and this guy started off with negative tactics even before sehwag got his century Laughing

so much to speak before tour about steyn and smashing india etc!!

i was referring to the conditions during SA innings only and how our bowlers tried to slog and we were never negative in our approach

this SA team is

now they cud end up losing this match if sehwag goes on batting the whole of today!!

cricinfo wrote:

Ntini goes round the wicket, will it help? Will anything help?

From: Ramakrishna on Fri Mar 28 4:48:21 2008.

Where can i watch the match online?
From: Thirumaran on Fri Mar 28 4:48:28 2008.

Unbelievable whatever the wicket condition may be

If Sehwag is there at least till EOD india chances of winning is high than a drae
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 4:48:55 2008.

Ramakrishna wrote:

Where can i watch the match online?
i saw some links available in cricketcable.com yesterday - today didnt see yet from office
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 4:49:34 2008.

with a better sporting wicket, we could have easily beat them and shown them their place. Having beaten Australia at their home, we should have been careful in preparing a strip. Even our fast bowlers can perform on sporting wickets.
From: Billgates on Fri Mar 28 4:50:30 2008.

What a player u r Viroooo ! No wonder even Ian Chappell admires your talent

IMO, Sehwag is the most aggressive & attacking batsman we have ever had !

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 4:57:31 2008.

Quote:

All the limelight has been hogged by one of the most dangerous batsman of modern times today, Virender Sehwag. He has absolutely brought about a carnage destructing and tearing apart the South African bowling. He simply milked the bowlers for runs and it looked all so easy. With Virender Sehwag playing such a knock, the Indians would be looking for some positive result now, too early to say though. Rahul Dravid did well to silently rotate the strike and that is where he showed all his experience and character, never tried to imitate what Sehwag was doing and played the role which he plays the best. This session completely belonged to the Indians and one feels sorry for the South Africans. They need to think hard now about how to stop the flow of runs, if this goes on for some more time, there would be a few anxious moments down the line then... Join us for the last session in about 15 minutes time from now...

From Cricbuzz..

From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 5:03:12 2008.

Sewag has literally opend up this match which could have become a dull draw. Now other batsmen should emulate and ensure we are ahead in time
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Fri Mar 28 5:07:35 2008.

From 193 ---Huge six --- 199

And 4 of last ball before tea

What a maannn..... [ Read like Abbas in Padayappa]

Viruuuu....!!
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 5:14:45 2008.

Harris Echakala is again bowling Negative Line...
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 5:17:11 2008.

DRAVID has hit his first boundary
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 5:18:33 2008.

Dravid hits a four
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 5:18:53 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

Harris Echakala is again bowling Negative Line...
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 5:19:09 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

Harris Echakala is again bowling Negative Line...

he deservs to be hit for maximum runs
From: sriranga on Fri Mar 28 5:21:26 2008.

Billgates wrote:

What a player u r Viroooo ! No wonder even Ian Chappell admires your talent

IMO, Sehwag is the most aggressive & attacking batsman we have ever had !

He was spot on when he said viru is the type of player that can win you matches by scoring big runs quickly.
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 5:22:26 2008.

Hayyo Sehwag en pa first ball e single eduthu Dravid kitta kudukara.. Over veena pochu paathiya..

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 5:23:11 2008.

What a player u r Viroooo ! No wonder even Ian Chappell admires your talent

IMO, Sehwag is the most aggressive & attacking batsman we have ever had !

He was spot on when he said viru is the type of player that can win you matches by scoring big runs quickly.

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 5:31:10 2008.

Runrate drops from 4.46 to 4.35 Dravid
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 5:34:14 2008.

Dravid should atleast rotate the strike...
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 5:36:04 2008.

77.1 Harris to Sehwag, FOUR!!, short of length delivery on the middle and leg, Sehwag goes on the backfoot and pulls it away to deep mid wicket, that is four and now he beats Sunil Gavaskar's 236 to register the highest individual score by an Indian on this ground
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 5:37:55 2008.

77.5 Harris to Dravid, no run, delivery looped up down the leg side, Dravid goes on the backfoot and turns it to square leg, straight to the fielder, Rahul Dravid continues to struggle

innum asingama thittungappa avana..
From: Devar Magan on Fri Mar 28 5:40:03 2008.

kalyasi

anjaa singam sehwag vaalghaa..

aiyo, naan chennai-la illaama poyitene..

From: sriranga on Fri Mar 28 5:42:55 2008.

Quote:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan says that there are 29,356 people at the MA Chidambaram stadium, getting treated to some explosive batting. "20 years later, there will be 200,000 people in Chennai claiming they watched the innings," says Sid.

From: Thirumaran on Fri Mar 28 5:44:46 2008.

Sehwag konjam kooda pachaathapam paaka maateengala Paavam Smith
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 5:45:00 2008.

79.2 Harris to Sehwag, FOUR!!, flighted delivery on the middle and leg, Sehwag comes on the frontfoot, kneels down and reverse sweeps it to square third man, reverse sweep is not the right term, reverse hit, or a left handed swat is a better word!!!

From: Devar Magan on Fri Mar 28 5:45:14 2008.

still enakku innum antha rendu 155s maranthu pogalai..

Quote:

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 5:46:07 2008.

Sehwag 250* Anja Singam Anna Sehwag Vazhga!!
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 5:46:37 2008.

Devar Magan wrote:

kalyasi

anjaa singam sehwag vaalghaa..

aiyo, naan chennai-la illaama poyitene..

Ini Saravedi thaan
From: ThalaNass on Fri Mar 28 5:47:26 2008.

great play by Sehwag..... 250 for 225 balls
From: sriranga on Fri Mar 28 5:48:27 2008.

Thirumaran wrote:

Sehwag konjam kooda pachaathapam paaka maateengala Paavam Smith

he played harris with contempt in the morning itself. ippo poi pachathabam pathi pesareenga. harris had bowled a ball on leg stump. sehwag almost padded it, only to bring his bat at the last moment to play the ball to forward short leg fielder.
it was verry funny actually, namma veettanda rubbr balla-a kooda avalavu porumaiya adamatoam.

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 5:51:41 2008.

Quote:

The players are taking a drinks break. "If Virender Sehwag wants to beat Brian Lara's 400, this is the pitch, the match and the situation. He will never get a better chance," says Mark Kidger.

itha ellam naanga kalailaye sollitom la...

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 6:05:00 2008.

Quote:

82.5 Morkel to Dravid, no run, Dravid comes on the frontfoot and defends it solidly, huge jeering from the crowd, they just do not want Rahul Dravid on strike, he has experienced this earlier as well, not the first time for him

Down South layum annanukku mariyaatha poiduchu.. Ini enga ponaalum un pappu vegathu maame... Poi IPL ku naa varala nu modhalla vaapas vaangu pa...

From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 6:26:31 2008.

Sewag is compensating for all other players
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 6:26:38 2008.

88.1 Steyn to Sehwag, FOUR!!, fuller length delivery wide outside the off stump, Sehwag comes on the frontfoot and smashes it to sweeper cover, and all Steyn can do is smile at this man's brilliance!!!
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 6:27:32 2008.

those who are at MAC are quite lucky today.

Real deepavali day
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 6:47:32 2008.

Second 200 Run Patnership
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 6:50:25 2008.

It took 40 Overs for this 200 run patnership... at a rate of 5:00 RPO... Dravid has faced 23 overs where as Sehwag only 17 Overs... Dravid Please Rotate the Strike..
From: Ramakrishna on Fri Mar 28 6:55:55 2008.

useless innings by Dravid.
From: sriranga on Fri Mar 28 6:59:44 2008.

why so much of posts against dravid?

he is playing his usual innings, though a bit slower, can be forgiven given the negative bowling by SA.

and other end, Sehwag is playing the innings of his life.

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 7:08:16 2008.

he is playing his usual innings, though a bit slower, can be forgiven given the negative bowling by SA.

and other end, Sehwag is playing the innings of his life.

why so much of posts against dravid?
Shocked

Athukkaaga intha Setha Pitch la 25 ovrs pudichu 45 run edukaratha??? EKSI....

From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 7:14:02 2008.

dravid scores 50
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 7:20:33 2008.

Smith Oru Sec Scorecard a paarthaana..

Still to Come la

Sachin Tendulkar
Sourav Ganguly
VVS Laxman
MS Dhoni
A Kumble

All have Test Hundreds under their name...

He will atempt suicide tonite.. he he
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 7:22:22 2008.

Sehwag Yet another 300...

Marana Adi Mannan Sehwag Vazhga!!!
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 7:23:18 2008.

Fastest in test cricket in terms of balls taken
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 7:23:26 2008.

sure he will
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 7:24:14 2008.

sehwag 300
From: sriranga on Fri Mar 28 7:27:24 2008.

kaalambara - century
madhiyaanam - double
saayangalam - triple
sehwag
nalaikku micham

gary also shud be credited, he was instrumental in sehwag striking form in australia
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 7:32:31 2008.

[quote="sriranga"]kaalambara - century
madhiyaanam - double
saayangalam - triple
sehwag
nalaikku micham
From: Ramakrishna on Fri Mar 28 7:41:25 2008.

naalaikku quick-aa 250 runs pannittu declare pannidanum. They shudn't bat for more than 50 overs tommorrow
From: Thirumaran on Fri Mar 28 7:43:20 2008.

Sehwag

India
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 7:44:58 2008.

sehwag - got home in time to catch his 300 south africa
From: CEDYBLUE on Fri Mar 28 7:47:28 2008.

468/1 and sehwag has equalled his best test score d that is stumps!

386 runs for the day in 85 overs!
From: mgb on Fri Mar 28 7:50:10 2008.

Viru
India would have had better test players than Sewag but I dont think they will ever have a batsman with such a stamina
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 7:50:12 2008.

it is better than one day match
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 7:52:11 2008.

After 540 S A

After Sehwag's assualt S A

INDIA
From: mgb on Fri Mar 28 7:53:47 2008.

CEDYBLUE wrote:

386 runs for the day in 85 overs!
I guess, had SA bowled those 5 overs as well, then Viru would have broken the record for most runs on a single day in a test match
From: sriranga on Fri Mar 28 7:55:02 2008.

mgb wrote:

Viru
India would have had better test players than Sewag but I dont think they will ever have a batsman with such a stamina

yes, when he was around 250 plus, he was pushing dravid for 2 runs.
From: Nerd on Fri Mar 28 8:00:04 2008.

ennadhu
From: Devar Magan on Fri Mar 28 8:01:00 2008.

real singam da..

duck out aanalum, veerathoda out aagura singam...
From: karthik_sa2 on Fri Mar 28 8:08:38 2008.

amazing veeru again if therz one playeer i don want him to get out other than sachin tendulkar it is sehwag cos he is such an entertainer.....when he was in 292 he went for a six yet again...brilliant knock!!!!
dravid y has he gone to his old ways again???

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 8:13:13 2008.

Quote:

Sehwag has joined the elite club of Brian Lara and Sir Don Bradman by scoring his 2nd TRIPLE CENTURY. He has also equalled his highest test score and also registered the highest individual score on this ground. The partnership between Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag is also the highest for the 2nd wicket at this stadium. Virender Sehwag has become the first man in the history of the game to be involved in two 200 plus partnerships in a single innings. This is also the first instance when the first two partnerships of an innings have been 200 plus. His triple ton is also the fastest in terms of number of balls taken. This is also the first triple ton on Indian soil. Hoof!! I'm out of breath...
What a magnificent day of cricket for India. 386 runs scored today for the loss of just one wicket. This is the highest number of runs scored in a single day in India. Virender Sehwag stole the show by his sheer brilliance and now the pressure that South Africa is under is inexplicable.

Ithukku Mela this is the Highest Test Score In India by any player!!

From: crajkumar_be on Fri Mar 28 8:29:35 2008.

EKSI!
Naansansse....

Lachumanan
From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 28 10:38:51 2008.

Duck outla enna veeram vendi kedakudhu
Anyway well played shewag

Devar Magan wrote:

real singam da..

duck out aanalum, veerathoda out aagura singam...

From: Ramakrishna on Fri Mar 28 10:47:56 2008.

Duck out aanaalum veeramaa nadanthu porathunaa athu namma annan Dhoni thaan LOL

Ethayo saathichittu maathiri nadanthu povaaru LOL

Duck outla enna veeram vendi kedakudhu LOL

Anyway well played shewag Clap

Devar Magan wrote:

real singam da..

duck out aanalum, veerathoda out aagura singam...

Yes

From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 28 10:49:18 2008.

. Yuvraj must be kicking himself for not making into the squad for this test match LOL

. Intha cement road pitch Evil or Very Mad

Duck out aanaalum veeramaa nadanthu porathunaa athu namma annan Dhoni thaan LOL

Ethayo saathichittu maathiri nadanthu povaaru LOL

Duck outla enna veeram vendi kedakudhu LOL

Anyway well played shewag Clap

Devar Magan wrote:

real singam da..

duck out aanalum, veerathoda out aagura singam...

Yes

From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 11:41:23 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkcN560HJHI
From: MADDY on Fri Mar 28 11:44:35 2008.

crajkumar_be wrote:

EKSI!
Naansansse....

Lachumanan

Porunga Bala.......innum Lara record 400-a muri adichhittaarunna iruku comedy
From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 28 11:50:48 2008.

Varungala test captain shewag start meesik

MADDY wrote:

crajkumar_be wrote:

EKSI!
Naansansse....

Lachumanan

Porunga Bala.......innum Lara record 400-a muri adichhittaarunna iruku comedy
From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 28 11:59:54 2008.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/indvrsa/content/current/story/344334.html

India v South Africa, 1st Test, Chennai, 3rd day

Being dropped motivated me - Sehwag

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan in Chennai

March 28, 2008

Virender Sehwag: "I was trying not to let him [Paul Harris] settle down. If I would have looked to pad down his negative line the whole day maybe I would not have scored 300." � Getty Images

Virender Sehwag admitted that being dropped from the Test side "motivated" him to concentrate better, enabling him to produce what he termed as his "best innings". Sehwag spent the whole of the last year out of the Test side but returned with two outstanding hundreds in consecutive Tests.

"When I was dropped from the Test squad I was hurt because I have a good record in Test cricket," he said after his 278-ball triple hundred on the third day of the first Test. "So I was looking to prove to myself that I am a good Test player and deserve a place in the team. But that feeling of hurt was also good for me because I was able to motivate myself and concentrate better."

Exactly four years earlier Sehwag started his other epic (309 against Pakistan in Multan) but rated this innings ahead of that one. "I will say this is my best Test innings because I made 300 and scored at more than run a ball," he said. "In Multan the wicket was better than this and the conditions were not hot and humid when we played there. I don't think I showed so much patience and concentration in Pakistan. I wanted to prove to myself that I belong here and there is no better way than playing a big knock and scoring a triple century."

Sehwag is now 91 short of Brian Lara's world-record 400 but he insisted that it wouldn't be on his mind when he took the field tomorrow. "I was not thinking about Lara's record at all. Anil Kumble told me that my job is to stay till the end. Even tomorrow when I come to bat I won't be thinking about Lara's record. I will just look to bat for one session and I think if I bat till lunch I will come close to Lara's record."

He admitted he wasn't tired - "My face will tell you that I am pretty fresh now" - but added that he had to counter demanding conditions. "It is very difficult in Chennai because it is very humid," he said. "You lose a lot of water from your body and a lot of salt. Thanks to the physio [Paul Close] and Paddy [Upton] who was looking after me very well and sending some salt water and coconut water every time the drinks came on. I want to thank even my colleagues like Irfan Pathan, Piyush Chawla and Yuvraj Singh, who were looking after my drinks. They helped me a lot during the drinks break."

Sehwag's innings was filled with unconventional stroke-play, including several cheeky reverse-sweeps off left-arm spinner Paul Harris. "I was trying not to let him settle down," he said. "If I would have looked to pad down his negative line the whole day maybe I would not have scored 300. I was positive because I knew that the wicket was not that rough so there would not be much spin. I was confident that when I stepped down the wicket or played the reverse sweep, it would connect and it did."

Did he think he had put India in a position to win the match? "Our chances of winning are bright but it depends on how we bat tomorrow. If we bat well and cross their score then maybe they will feel the pressure of batting on the last day and will look to play for a draw. [We're looking for a lead of] anything over 200 runs. South Africa scored 540 so we will look to score more than 700 and declare. And with Kumble and Harbhajan Singh getting to turn the ball hopefully we will get some result."

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

� Cricinfo
From: Movie Cop on Fri Mar 28 12:05:37 2008.

directhit wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkcN560HJHI

Sirisanthu thambi Dhoni vitta ROD-la ippo nalla pullaya maarithaaru pole irruku

Btw, on a serious note, it's good to see him toned down since the CB series! I thought he bowled really well with the new ball during his first spell before lunch on Day One!
From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 28 12:14:28 2008.

lachumanan ??

crajkumar_be wrote:

EKSI!
Naansansse....

Lachumanan

From: littlemaster1982 on Fri Mar 28 12:35:06 2008.

Absolutely... Namma Master cud not have asked for a better treat... Although he'd love seeing Sachin Bat....

Antha dharisanam Masterukku Kedaika naanga ellarum kadavula vendikarom... Dravid Seekarom Out aagi thola da..

I'm priviliged to be there in MAC today. What an innings

Honestly I went today to see Sachin bat, but Sehwag made me forget everything.

It was quite difficult for even the spectators to sit in that searing heat. Hitting more than a run a ball through out the day is amazing stuff

From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 28 12:37:09 2008.

Kalyasi , Theerka darisi Razz

In the remaining 2 days If we score 360 on both the days.. We can have a lead of 300... and then declare.... Avanga 5th day mokka poduvaanga... Yaarukume chance illa.... Atleast India can go for some world records...

From: littlemaster1982 on Fri Mar 28 12:42:10 2008.

And South African fielding was amazing. Even in the dying stages of the day, the commitment they showed in the field
From: Movie Cop on Fri Mar 28 12:45:41 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

lachumanan ??

crajkumar_be wrote:

EKSI!
Naansansse....

Lachumanan

VVS held the highest Test score by an Indian batsmen in home soil (281 vs. Australia @ Eden Gardens) until this Chennai Test.

Viru Bhai!
From: Movie Cop on Fri Mar 28 12:50:37 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

vendikarom... Dravid Seekarom Out aagi thola da..

Kalyasi
I want Dravid to achieve his 10,000 runs landmark in our chennai soil! Chenai deserves that honour!

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 12:51:28 2008.

Kalyasi , Theerka darisi Razz

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 12:52:44 2008.

Nandri Hai

vendikarom... Dravid Seekarom Out aagi thola da..

I want Dravid to achieve his 10,000 runs landmark in our chennai soil! Chenai deserves that honour! Cool

Seri innum 15 run adichu tholayattum... Aana nalaikku Strike Rate a Konjam Improve panna sollunga...

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 12:53:24 2008.

Honestly I went today to see Sachin bat, but Sehwag made me forget everything. RedJump

I'm previliged to be there in MAC today. What an innings Not Worthy

It was quite difficult for even the spectators to sit in that searing heat. Hitting more than a run a ball through out the day is amazing stuff Thumbs Up!

Yet Again Nandri hai for the Updates...

From: Movie Cop on Fri Mar 28 12:56:25 2008.

vendikarom... Dravid Seekarom Out aagi thola da..

I want Dravid to achieve his 10,000 runs landmark in our chennai soil! Chenai deserves that honour! Cool

Seri innum 15 run adichu tholayattum... Aana nalaikku Strike Rate a Konjam Improve panna sollunga...

Strike rate-uhh gavanikke thaan Viru Bhai irrukaarule...
Dravid has not been in great form of late (going by his standards). At least in this Test let him score a century and boost his confidence!

From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 12:59:56 2008.

Dravid for all unflinching commitment to the team india cause for so long deserves congratulation for reaching 10000 runs. We should not forget his earlier contribution. Every player goes through these phases. In our over excitement, we should not forget our main stay batsmen
From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 13:01:23 2008.

Dravid has stood like a rock against great bowling in most difficult conditions also.
But, May be today he paled before sehwag.
But, Dravid has his own standards which he will try to keep.
From: crajkumar_be on Fri Mar 28 13:01:24 2008.

directhit wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkcN560HJHI

What's that sittu's problem in life???
From: crajkumar_be on Fri Mar 28 13:03:11 2008.

wrap07 wrote:

Dravid has stood like a rock against great bowling .

avara thavara mathavanga ellam express train madhiri pogumbodhu ivaru paarangallu kallu madhiri angaye nikkardhu dhaan problem j/k

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 13:07:02 2008.

Dravid has stood like a rock against great bowling .

avara thavara mathavanga ellam express train madhiri pogumbodhu ivaru paarangallu kallu madhiri angaye nikkardhu dhaan problem Razz

Yes Ippo ellam matchayum jeikarathu thaan mukkiyam.. The Range of shots that the players have developed over the years are many more than what they had earlier... Previouly Standard Runrate in Test Match es would be 3:00 per over but ippo 4:5 min theva paduthu.. athukku dravid 60 strike rate aavathu maintain pannanum.. 6:00 la irukara runrate a 3:00 ku kondu vanthuttu test match standarads padi ithu nalla rate nu solla koodathu...

From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 13:08:27 2008.

Dravid has stood like a rock against great bowling .

avara thavara mathavanga ellam express train madhiri pogumbodhu ivaru paarangallu kallu madhiri angaye nikkardhu dhaan problem Razz

ok. It looks like that today. But, when we faced some great bowling earlier and when lot of players struggeled, Dravid has stood and saved us many matches. We should not forget that. One more thing is that Test cricket is not one day or t20. Every player cannot play the same way.

But Dravid could have scored faster today. agreed.

From: crajkumar_be on Fri Mar 28 13:09:32 2008.

Kalyasi,
Appadi ottumothama solla mudiyadhu. He has been the most important Indian batsman in tests in recent times.
sila samayam kattaya podradhu avasiyam. aanaa indha madhiri pitch la adhuvum indha situation la anchor-a podradhellam, neenga solra madhiri remba over...
From: crajkumar_be on Fri Mar 28 13:10:37 2008.

wrap,
Very well said, especially "every player cannot play the same way"

From: wrap07 on Fri Mar 28 13:11:18 2008.

Dravid has stood like a rock against great bowling .

avara thavara mathavanga ellam express train madhiri pogumbodhu ivaru paarangallu kallu madhiri angaye nikkardhu dhaan problem Razz

ungalin karuthu mika sari. but, let us not underestimate players of dravid's calibre. He belongs to the old school of technique. As you say, Test cricket is changing and with the type of pitches we have, quick scoring is required. May be young players do that.

From: crajkumar_be on Fri Mar 28 13:13:26 2008.

I haven't seen even a glimpse of this match adutha rendu match enga?

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 13:14:51 2008.

Kalyasi,
Appadi ottumothama solla mudiyadhu. He has been the most important Indian batsman in tests in recent times.
sila samayam kattaya podradhu avasiyam. aanaa indha madhiri pitch la adhuvum indha situation la anchor-a podradhellam, neenga solra madhiri remba over...

Kandippa othukarom..Dravid has won and saved a lot of test matches for India. Trend marum pothu nammalum athukku etha maadri maarikka vendiyathu thaan.. En Sachin Negative Bowling a tackle pannarathukku Paddle Sweep kandu pudikalaya?.. Upper Cut for short pitched balls ippadi improvise panni panni thaan avaroda rasigar kootam innum korayaama irukku.. his is a 20 year career but he still remains at the top....

Dravid is a world class batsman agreed.. aana current trend ku etha maadri maaa mudiyala na... Kelamba vendiyathu thaan...
Same applies to DADA and Jaffer...

From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 13:16:57 2008.

crajkumar_be wrote:

I haven't seen even a glimpse of this match adutha rendu match enga?

Even me.. Nalikkum Sunday um pathuda vendiyathu thaan...
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Fri Mar 28 13:17:51 2008.

Virrrruuuuuuuuuu!!

Yaarkitta
From: kb on Fri Mar 28 13:25:34 2008.

WOW.. never expected a 300 yesterday from one player.

and everytime.. he reaches a century... he tries to score a six

this shows.. he enjoys his game than stats. KOOL.

looking ahead, kumble and bhajji shud be spinning around on the last day for a BIG win
From: Kalyasi on Fri Mar 28 13:34:28 2008.

Sehwag Now averages 151 in MAC....
From: villan007 on Fri Mar 28 13:35:10 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

Dravid is a world class batsman agreed.. aana current trend ku etha maadri maaa mudiyala na... Kelamba vendiyathu thaan...
Same applies to DADA and Jaffer...

You expect them to play paddle sweeps, upper cuts, reverse sweeps for a test match ?uh come on ..... and I bet you guys will be ranting if they get out playing those shots.. ... Sehwag is going very well at the other end and it is completely normal for dravid to play himself in.. agreed he didnt pace his innings very well.
350+ runs in a single day.. what more can you ask for ? 1000 ??
From: villan007 on Fri Mar 28 13:36:03 2008.

kb wrote:

and everytime.. he reaches a century... he tries to score a six

match innum oru ball kooda paakala
From: crajkumar_be on Fri Mar 28 13:37:21 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

. Kelamba vendiyathu thaan...
Same applies to DADA and Jaffer...

Dravid, Dada kelambanuma??
From: littlemaster1982 on Fri Mar 28 13:40:18 2008.

Pangaali,

IMO, Dravid could have score atleast 20-25 runs more today. Indha pitch-la atleast 50 SR-la koodava score panna mudiyaadhu
From: sriranga on Fri Mar 28 13:41:28 2008.

match-e paakaama dravid -a kuttam solla koodathu.
though he was not at his best, the south africans weren't giving freebies.
though, sehwag's innings suggest otherwise.

harris was bowling outside the legstump.
morkel was bowling mostly to dravid's ribcage.
and moreover, SA fielding inside the circle was exceptional ( barring a few overthrows) given the chennai heat. inga velila ponale mandai kayuthu.

SA bowling wsa able to control dravid today but sehwag was in a zone today - edha thottalum four, six.
adhuvum between lunch and tea sehwag scored 107 runs in 67 balls. thats almost 10 runs an over.

people talking about 4.5 rpo in a trest match. entha orrla?
thats 400 runs in a day. australia vena adikkum eppayavathu.

average is 3.5 to 4 rpo that is 315 - 360 runs in a 90 over day.
From: Nerd on Fri Mar 28 13:43:25 2008.

edhu epdiyO thalaivar Lara record romba varusham irukkum-nu pAthEn.. lets see
From: villan007 on Fri Mar 28 13:45:10 2008.

littlemaster1982 wrote:

Pangaali,

IMO, Dravid could have score atleast 20-25 runs more today. Indha pitch-la atleast 50 SR-la koodava score panna mudiyaadhu

20-25 runs hardly makes any difference in a test match

From: littlemaster1982 on Fri Mar 28 13:48:07 2008.

Quote:

One moment typified Virender Sehwag's buccaneering masterclass on the third day in Chennai. He had led a stunning fightback, just brought up his 100th run for the session, and was facing the final ball before the tea break. The astonishing part wasn't that Sehwag clobbered the ball past cover for four - if any batsman is expected to show such daring, it's tough to look beyond him - but the manner in which he turned around in a flash and began his walk back to the pavilion.

So furiously was the ball struck that those who didn't see it travel could have thought Sehwag was actually dismissed. Such a rapid walk back is usually the preserve of batsmen who have been dismissed bowled, turning back in frustration and fuming all the way to the dressing-room. Some batsmen might have held on to their pose on the follow-through, others could have walked towards the non-striker, and a few more might have waited for the umpires to remove the bails to signal tea. Not Sehwag, a unique batsman and a singular man.

From: Ramakrishna on Fri Mar 28 13:48:30 2008.

Match telecast pannaama torture panraanga Neo Sports

From: littlemaster1982 on Fri Mar 28 13:51:00 2008.

Pangaali,

IMO, Dravid could have score atleast 20-25 runs more today. Indha pitch-la atleast 50 SR-la koodava score panna mudiyaadhu Huh?!

20-25 runs hardly makes any difference in a test match Rolling Eyes

He was not at all interested in scoring runs today. That's what I meant. I guess he played like this because of his not-so-good form.

From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 28 13:52:26 2008.

Try online streaming dude if your internet connxn is good .

Ramakrishna wrote:

Match telecast pannaama torture panraanga Neo Sports
From: villan007 on Fri Mar 28 13:55:13 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Try online streaming dude if your internet connxn is good .

Ramakrishna wrote:

Match telecast pannaama torture panraanga Neo Sports

enga connxn la buffer aagarakulla match-e mudinjidum
From: crajkumar_be on Fri Mar 28 13:56:47 2008.

If Sehwag beats Lara's record severe action should be taken against him

From: littlemaster1982 on Fri Mar 28 13:58:52 2008.

Sehwag's strokeplay is dazzling enough, but it's the context which makes it even more thrilling. He reverse-swept two fours, the first four balls before lunch and the second when he was on 244; tried to bring up his hundred with a six, only to see the ball drop short of the cover fence; started the second session with a four; lofted Makhaya Ntini without a trace of regard when on 193; pounded two fours and a six in the last over before tea; and clattered a straight six when on 291.

kb wrote:

and everytime.. he reaches a century... he tries to score a six Laughing

match innum oru ball kooda paakala Crying or Very sad

Quote:

From: Ramakrishna on Fri Mar 28 14:00:04 2008.

256 kbps speed la seriya work aagumaa

ajithfederer wrote:

Try online streaming dude if your internet connxn is good .

Ramakrishna wrote:

Match telecast pannaama torture panraanga Neo Sports
From: villan007 on Fri Mar 28 14:02:30 2008.

pangaali..nandri hai
From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 28 14:11:42 2008.

crajkumar_be wrote:

If Sehwag beats Lara's record severe action should be taken against him

From: littlemaster1982 on Fri Mar 28 14:15:42 2008.

Quote:

'It was phenomenal, simply exceptional batting' - Dravid

Rahul Dravid, who was a patient onlooker at the other end as Virender Sehwag blazed his way to the fastest triple-century in Test history, termed the feat a "really audacious knock".

"It was phenomenal, simply exceptional batting," he told Cricinfo at the end of a frenzied third day during which Sehwag knocked off records. "The range of shots that he played was terrific. He was in the zone, played 360 degrees.

"Of course it was a flat wicket, slightly on the slower side but he was creative. Standing at the other end it was almost like watching a highlights package."

Dravid himself made a slow start but it mattered not a jot with Sehwag going berserk, breezing through the 190s and then cruising to his second triple. "It's definitely not easy to be at the other end, almost as if you're asking when do I get to have some fun," he said with a laugh. "But I've batted all my life with people like this around me. I work on the basis of partnerships going well. It was just a matter of pushing him and egging him on. It was probably similar to the innings in Multan. That pitch probably had a bit more in it and it wasn't as hot there. But when he gets into the zone he's an incredible batsman."

Sehwag, speaking after the day's play, said he was motivated after being dropped from the Test side. Asked about this, Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, told Cricinfo the decision was in the past and said this was one of the finest innings he'd ever seen. "That [decision to drop] was something taken that time. He has hit a century in Adelaide and has now made a real special knock. It was quite amazing, the way he tackled the heat and humid conditions and still kept attacking. I consider myself very lucky to have been present at the ground. No bowler troubled him, no line of attack bothered him."

Ramiz Raja, who watched Sehwag's maiden triple in Multan, said the encore was a privilege. "It's tough to compare the two innings but both had great improvisation from Sehwag," he told Cricinfo. "He made it look so easy. The great part about him is he doesn't bother about milestones and simply plays his shots. He's shown unbelievable control here, shots all around the wicket. It's up there with some of the best."

Mickey Arthur, South Africa's coach, couldn't believe what he saw. "I think that's the best Test-match innings I've ever seen," he said. "The way he played today was absolutely amazing. We tried to attack him, we defended against him, tried to bowl straight lines, bowl wide, over the wicket, round the wicket, did everything possible. And he countered us."

http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/indvrsa/content/current/story/344310.html

From: selvakumar on Fri Mar 28 14:57:59 2008.

crajkumar_be wrote:

Kalyasi wrote:

. Kelamba vendiyathu thaan...
Same applies to DADA and Jaffer...

Dravid, Dada kelambanuma??

They don't know how to play in TESTS in the subcontinent pitches... Unfortunately, they don't play WELL ONLY IN SUBCONTINENT PITCHES.

But have to agree on sehwag. These days, RR of more than 4 is expected in tests. change in approach is needed.
From: Devar Magan on Fri Mar 28 18:30:56 2008.

crajkumar_be wrote:

wrap,
Very well said, especially "every player cannot play the same way"
the team management has to think a bit..

on fast/flat wickets,

Laxman is the ideal no.3
From: Devar Magan on Fri Mar 28 18:33:42 2008.

crajkumar_be wrote:

If Sehwag beats Lara's record severe action should be taken against him
From: directhit on Fri Mar 28 20:34:43 2008.

Nerd wrote:

edhu epdiyO thalaivar Lara record romba varusham irukkum-nu pAthEn.. lets see

crajkumar_be wrote:

If Sehwag beats Lara's record severe action should be taken against him
Yeah

From: ajithfederer on Fri Mar 28 20:46:10 2008.

He should score 400 and that would give him a big boost Thumbs Up!

edhu epdiyO thalaivar Lara record romba varusham irukkum-nu pAthEn.. lets see Shaking With Fear

If Sehwag beats Lara's record severe action should be taken against him

Yeah

From: Sanguine Sridhar on Fri Mar 28 21:36:00 2008.

He should score 400 and that would give him a big boost Thumbs Up!

edhu epdiyO thalaivar Lara record romba varusham irukkum-nu pAthEn.. lets see Shaking With Fear

If Sehwag beats Lara's record severe action should be taken against him

Yeah

Thats true!

From: thamizhvaanan on Fri Mar 28 23:20:57 2008.

Dravid is a world class batsman agreed.. aana current trend ku etha maadri maaa mudiyala na... Kelamba vendiyathu thaan...
Same applies to DADA and Jaffer...

You expect them to play paddle sweeps, upper cuts, reverse sweeps for a test match ?uh come on Rolling Eyes

..... and I bet you guys will be ranting if they get out playing those shots.. Rolling Eyes

... Sehwag is going very well at the other end and it is completely normal for dravid to play himself in.. agreed he didnt pace his innings very well.
350+ runs in a single day.. what more can you ask for ? 1000 ?? Rolling Eyes

Naanum match'a oru ball kooda paakala

I was just following the score and everything was left to imagination

Sehwag!!!!

What an innings!!!!

I feel pity for dravid too. It's not that he played bad cricket or some cricket that led the team down. He just couldnt match the ferocity of Sehwag, idhukaaga ellaam thittalaama? eppdi paathalum score adhiradi'ya thaana irukku

From: directhit on Sat Mar 29 0:03:26 2008.

sehwag breaks his own record
From: Billgates on Sat Mar 29 0:11:21 2008.

Sehwag ! For sure, now, he should get ranked amongst all time greats . Scoring 300 twice is not a simple task. Astounding record considering the names of Sir Don & Lara !

But which knock is ultimate >> is this of Viru or VVS at Kolkatta ?

From: ajithfederer on Sat Mar 29 0:12:50 2008.

Sitter ...VVS at kolkatta for sure Cool

. What a terrific knock to baffle australian bowling attack under follow on Not Worthy

Sehwag ! For sure, now, he should get ranked amongst all time greats . Scoring 300 twice is not a simple task. Astounding record considering the names of Sir Don & Lara !

But which knock is ultimate >> is this of Viru or VVS at Kolkatta ?

From: Billgates on Sat Mar 29 0:14:19 2008.

Kalyasi is right. Today's cricket is about trying to win matches, not save them which is Dravid's style.

Remember we just saw Sydney & Adelaide where despite India scoring more than 500, the matches were very close . Credit goes to Aussies for having created such an aggressive approach !

From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 0:18:20 2008.

Quote:

"I am a Trinidadian living in the USA and its 12 midnight here. I cannot sleep knowing that someone other than a Trinidadian might break Lara world record. Its nerve racking. And while records are made to be broken I want this 400 N.O to last for many many many more years to come," says Russell

From: directhit on Sat Mar 29 0:24:50 2008.

though as a Lara fan i also share the same, nothing better than this innings to break that record against one of the top test teams in the world in such a hot/humid atmosphere
From: directhit on Sat Mar 29 0:28:44 2008.
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 0:29:41 2008.
From: Billgates on Sat Mar 29 0:32:35 2008.

Sehwag walks off to tremendous applause which continues for the batsman walking in, it's Sachin Tendulkar and he's entertained the Chennai crowd with several special innings in the past.
111.4 Ntini to Sehwag, OUT, stunned silence at the MA Chidambaram Stadium before the crowd breaks into spontaneous applause, Sehwag tries to drive a good length ball through cover but gets a thick outside edge which flies straight to first slip, McKenzie takes a comfortable catch and that's the end of Sehwag's outstanding innings
From: CEDYBLUE on Sat Mar 29 0:33:52 2008.

nevertheless a truly stunning innings from sehwag!
From: directhit on Sat Mar 29 0:35:43 2008.

to sehwag!! and now jus 91 more for RD's 300
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 0:39:32 2008.
From: CEDYBLUE on Sat Mar 29 0:39:43 2008.

sachin is out too! OMG this is turning out to be a nighmare of a day!
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 0:40:44 2008.

I think I shud go back to office... naan cricinfo'la match paakradhu kooda namma team'ku pidikkala pola

Sachin
From: directhit on Sat Mar 29 0:41:55 2008.

damn!! looks like SA wud escape with a draw now!!
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 0:45:00 2008.

directhit wrote:

damn!! looks like SA wud escape with a draw now!!

Yeah.. we need quick runs to put pressure on them. Now there is no one left to do that

And it has always happened before, after every express innings of sehwag, our players always slow down to stand still. I remember the last time when SA toured india, Sehwag was the only person looking to push for a result. After his dismissal, the matches became a bore!
From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 0:49:14 2008.

sachin rasigargale ellam appeat ayiteengala?

by the way, what was sachin's strike rate?

sachin-a framelayavathu paartheengala?
enna naan parkalai, kitchen-la poi sooda rendu dosai vaangindu varathukulla inga aalai kaanum.
intha cement road pitch-la otha run koodava adikka mudiyalai.
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 0:59:41 2008.

dosai'ya suttoma saaptoma'nu gammunu poganum what a sadist!!

Master

From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 1:02:57 2008.

sachin rasigargale ellam appeat ayiteengala?

by the way, what was sachin's strike rate?

sachin-a framelayavathu paartheengala?
enna naan parkalai, kitchen-la poi sooda rendu dosai vaangindu varathukulla inga aalai kaanum.
intha cement road pitch-la otha run koodava adikka mudiyalai.

From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 1:04:45 2008.

Quote:

Morkel to Ganguly, FOUR, short of a length outside off stump, Ganguly leans forward and drives the ball elegantly through cover point for his first boundary, India reach 500

Quote:

Harris to Ganguly, FOUR

nee aadu thala
From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 1:05:01 2008.

thamizhvaanan wrote:

dosai'ya suttoma saaptoma'nu gammunu poganum what a sadist!!

Master

dravid slow-a adaraaru comment kuduthangale, avingala nidutha chol, naan nidutharen.

i was expecting a quick 50 from sachin myself.
i was really disappointed, i couldn't even see him on screen.
pazhapona dosaikku asai pattu sachin mooncha kooda parkalai serious-a. ennamo advertisementnu poittu vanda 481-3 and ganguly was batting. yaaru outnnu kooda oru nimisham theriyalai.
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 1:08:14 2008.

Current partnership 30 runs, 4.3 overs, RR: 6.66 (Ganguly 15, Dravid 11)
From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 1:08:41 2008.

Dravid 10000
From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 1:09:27 2008.

Dravid 10,000 *

From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 1:10:01 2008.

Morkel to Ganguly, FOUR, short of a length outside off stump, Ganguly leans forward and drives the ball elegantly through cover point for his first boundary, India reach 500

Quote:

Quote:

Harris to Ganguly, FOUR

nee aadu thala Cool

maapla... unakkum cricinfo dhaana?

From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 1:11:16 2008.

Dravid
From: CEDYBLUE on Sat Mar 29 1:11:23 2008.

congrats rahul!
From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 1:11:31 2008.

aamaba
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 1:15:12 2008.

villan007 wrote:

aamaba

hehe.. same pinch
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Sat Mar 29 1:20:35 2008.

Virruu... Sachuu....

Congrats Dravid

and good going Dada

India should take another 150+ lead then it will be very interesting!
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 1:23:00 2008.

Sachin's average at chennai has dropped to 81.77 from 92.00
From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 1:28:55 2008.

ganguly going at better than run-a-ball
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 1:39:52 2008.

Ganguly gone Today is turning out to be SA's day... or is it that the pitch is throwing few demons?

Lachu
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Sat Mar 29 1:44:09 2008.

Nothing like that TV. I think just the pressure to score some quick runs in the fourth day!
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 1:50:42 2008.

Yeah.. correctu thaan. Atleast the intent is positive from the indians. Hope they are still looking for a win
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Sat Mar 29 2:01:40 2008.

Bingo! 4 runs lead with another 6 wickets in hand

68 overs remaining for the day.
From: CEDYBLUE on Sat Mar 29 2:02:19 2008.

the sonner dravid makes a century the better! BTW the prospects of india declaring today and going for a win looks bleak what with the new 'wall' dhoni slated to come next!
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Sat Mar 29 2:05:02 2008.

547/4 @ Lunch

Dravid 99* and will face the first ball after the lunch!
From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 2:20:30 2008.

i thought we are done with the discussion of dravid's slow scoring,

suppose dravid had got out on 0, we wud've been 100 runs behind with a possibility of losing the test match, which is now out of question.

dhoni wud be given the license to thrill.
a mouthwatering session in store.

From: Nerd on Sat Mar 29 2:22:30 2008.

dosai'ya suttoma saaptoma'nu gammunu poganum Mad

thamizhvaanan wrote:

what a sadist!! Banging Head

Master

dravid slow-a adaraaru comment kuduthangale, avingala nidutha chol, naan nidutharen.

sriranga cricket-kku felling mattum dhAn theriyumA

Btw, nalla vELai naan pAkkalai innikku

From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 2:24:18 2008.

CEDYBLUE wrote:

with the new 'wall' dhoni slated to come next!

From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 2:27:14 2008.

dosai'ya suttoma saaptoma'nu gammunu poganum Mad

thamizhvaanan wrote:

what a sadist!! Banging Head

Master

dravid slow-a adaraaru comment kuduthangale, avingala nidutha chol, naan nidutharen.

sriranga cricket-kku felling mattum dhAn theriyumA Confused2

Btw, nalla vELai naan pAkkalai innikku Ashamed

ungaaalu vaaamma minnal appdinnnu maayila onnu varume adhu maari vandhuttu poitaaru.

ippo enna solla vareaanga, dravidum 0 adichuttu poi irukanumnu solla vareengala?

next meet panren.
dravid century parkanum

From: ajithfederer on Sat Mar 29 2:35:07 2008.

Whats your problem. What are you trying to say? Seri apadiae 1 run adikalainaa ippo evanukku enna @!#$%% ponathu than puriala?? . How does this one innings ever makes a difference LOL

Do you seriously understand cricket or just post something just for the heck of it!!!! Huh?!

From: Thirumaran on Sat Mar 29 2:51:32 2008.

From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 2:42:30 2008.

Stan , you shud've replied like this for ppl who said Dravid and Dada shud pack-up .. When it comes down to Sachin you guys come from every corner defending him
From: Nerd on Sat Mar 29 2:45:59 2008.

villan007 wrote:

Stan , you shud've replied like this for ppl who said Dravid and Dada shud pack-up .. When it comes down to Sachin you guys come from every corner defending him

adhukkum enga gang-lErunthu replies vandhuchu.. I wasnt online at that time.. Of course they are stupid and we have been backing the seniors for the past 2-3 months

And sriranga, sachin duck out aayittaaRu so what? ThAr road-lEyE adikka theriyala-nu solRadhukku avaru enna rookie yA... confirmed felling mattum dhAn theriyum pOla
From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 2:48:09 2008.

Rendu pakkamum thappu iruku..marapom mannipom
From: ajithfederer on Sat Mar 29 2:51:06 2008.

1) Please go thru the CB series threads again. I was the guy who was most vehemently opposing their exclusions.
2) Seri appdiae paathalum blaming sachin for this single innings of a duck is . Doesnt make any sense to me. . Idhu enna chinna pasanga velayatta??. Avan en sattai-la ink adichitaan adhanala naan avan thalai-la mannai pottein solrarthukku.. Why magnify sachin failure of just one innings just to disprove another's point

And our honorable hubber gentleman sriranga has a proven track record of nitpicking sachin on one or more occasions. See this post here before CB series finals
http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?p=1296870&highlight=#1296870

villan007 wrote:

Stan , you shud've replied like this for ppl who said Dravid and Dada shud pack-up .. When it comes down to Sachin you guys come from every corner defending him

hayyo, hayyo enna koduma sriranga ithu

This statement is 1000 time s worser than Sanjay Manjrekar's

From: Nerd on Sat Mar 29 2:52:27 2008.

seri seri lets congratulate The WALL
From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 2:53:15 2008.

Dravid 100
From: Thirumaran on Sat Mar 29 2:55:02 2008.

Dravid
From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 2:55:31 2008.

Stan, cool down cool down

From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 2:55:41 2008.

Thirumaran wrote:

hayyo, hayyo enna koduma sriranga ithu ROTFL

This statement is 1000 time s worser than Sanjay Manjrekar's Embarassed

Pangaali,

IMO, Dravid could have score atleast 20-25 runs more today. Indha pitch-la atleast 50 SR-la koodava score panna mudiyaadhu Huh?!

I rest my case.

From: Thirumaran on Sat Mar 29 2:55:59 2008.

villan007 wrote:

Rendu pakkamum thappu iruku..marapom mannipom

Aama unga mun pakkamum pin pakkamum thappu iruka thaan seyyuthu
From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 2:56:28 2008.

Dravid
From: Nerd on Sat Mar 29 2:56:52 2008.

sriranga wrote:

I rest my case.

Yeh it was getting a bit too much. Never seen such *shallow* arguments ever
From: ajithfederer on Sat Mar 29 2:57:57 2008.

Dravid

One among the greatest servants of Indian cricket and the Indian team !!!!!!!!!!!!

Proud of you mate
From: ajithfederer on Sat Mar 29 3:00:16 2008.

villan007 wrote:

Stan, cool down cool down

From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 3:02:49 2008.

Whats your problem. What are you trying to say? Seri apadiae 1 run adikalainaa ippo evanukku enna @!#$%% ponathu than puriala?? . How does this one innings ever makes a difference LOL

Do you seriously understand cricket or just post something just for the heck of it!!!! Huh?!

ippadi yellam solli thappichikka mudiyaadhu.sachin's zero is seriously affecting india's chances of a win here.

From: Thirumaran on Sat Mar 29 3:06:06 2008.

Pangaali,

IMO, Dravid could have score atleast 20-25 runs more today. Indha pitch-la atleast 50 SR-la koodava score panna mudiyaadhu Huh?!

I rest my case.

If Sachin faced say 50 or 100 balls and still got only 15 or 30 runs respectively, in that case you can compare. In cricket any one can get out any time. LM sonnathakkum neenga compare panrathukkum konjam kooda relativity illa

If at all you have to compare, compare similiar things Sehwag and Sachin in Multan and Sehwag and Dravid in Chennai. Both are similiar situations. There Tendulkar was supporting here Dravid.

From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 3:06:30 2008.
From: Thirumaran on Sat Mar 29 3:08:25 2008.

sriranga wrote:

ippadi yellam solli thappichikka mudiyaadhu.sachin's zero is seriously affecting india's chances of a win here.

You are proving once again that without Sachin's good knock India's chances of winning is always less

From: ajithfederer on Sat Mar 29 3:09:24 2008.

Please tell me that you are joking Shocked

. Makkale neengalae paarunga oru batsman 5 ball pudichu run adikama out aanadhunala winning chance poguthunu solraar . EKSI Embarassed

Whats your problem. What are you trying to say? Seri apadiae 1 run adikalainaa ippo evanukku enna @!#$%% ponathu than puriala?? . How does this one innings ever makes a difference LOL

Do you seriously understand cricket or just post something just for the heck of it!!!! Huh?!

ippadi yellam solli thappichikka mudiyaadhu.sachin's zero is seriously affecting india's chances of a win here.

From: Thirumaran on Sat Mar 29 3:10:26 2008.

We can expect statements like the following if sreeshant gets 1 run.

Since 1 is infinite times greater than 0 sreeshanth is that much times greater than Sachin
From: ajithfederer on Sat Mar 29 3:10:27 2008.

Villan intha madhiri abandamaana stmts kellam yen dravid, dada fans ellam ippadi than answer pannuveengala

villan007 wrote:
From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 3:11:48 2008.

adhan abaandamaana statement nu theriudhula..appuram naan ennatha vandhu ennatha solli

From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 3:12:36 2008.

Thirumaran wrote:

Pangaali,

IMO, Dravid could have score atleast 20-25 runs more today. Indha pitch-la atleast 50 SR-la koodava score panna mudiyaadhu Huh?!

I rest my case.

If at all you have to compare, compare similiar things Sehwag and Sachin in Multan and Sehwag and Dravid in Chennai. Both are similiar situations. There Tendulkar was supporting here Dravid.

are u even watching the match?

you can get out to good deliveries. no problem.
when the match was in the balance with the opposition on the mat, sachin played a bad shot to a nothing ball.

and you shudn't blame him for that.

From: ajithfederer on Sat Mar 29 3:14:44 2008.

TM, don't waste your time

Sachin is seriously wasting his services for a mediocre audience
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 3:17:09 2008.

indha sandaiku nadula dravid gets out

innings builder ulla vandhutaaru.. enna panraarnu paapom
From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 3:18:21 2008.

thamizhvaanan wrote:

innings builder ulla vandhutaaru.. enna panraarnu paapom

yaaru...Dhoni-a ? score-a podungappa..cricinfo load aava maatenguthu
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 3:24:25 2008.

villan007 wrote:

thamizhvaanan wrote:

innings builder ulla vandhutaaru.. enna panraarnu paapom

yaaru...Dhoni-a ? score-a podungappa..cricinfo load aava maatenguthu

585/5 .. lachu and dhoni in.
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 3:27:25 2008.

sriranga,

dravid scored 111 from 291 balls. Assuming that tomorrow SA ends the day with 2 wickets in hand still behind india's total, wud it be wise to say that dravid wasted the time so india cudnt win the match?

adha vittutu duck out aanadhala thaan winning chances spoil aavudhunu sollitu irukeenga
From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 3:34:06 2008.

ada nippatungappa

From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 3:35:54 2008.

thamizhvaanan wrote:

sriranga,

dravid scored 111 from 291 balls. Assuming that tomorrow SA ends the day with 2 wickets in hand still behind india's total, wud it be wise to say that dravid wasted the time so india cudnt win the match?

adha vittutu duck out aanadhala thaan winning chances spoil aavudhunu sollitu irukeenga Huh?!

you can blame dravid for scoring slow on a belter and not able to improvise with reverse sweeps, upper cuts and padlle shots, i think the batsmen that got out today need to share the blame equally for not able to score enough runs today to pile on the pressure.

i am still hopeful of a result here in favour of india, anja singam dhoni irukappulla. "patta bagyam padatta legyam".

From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 3:36:50 2008.

villan007 wrote:

ada nippatungappa

.. UN sabha kofi annan madhiri pesura nallavan madhiriye nadikaadha ba
From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 3:41:28 2008.

Draw aagapora match ku imbutu sandai thevaya nu oru nalla ennam than
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 3:42:12 2008.

score 596/5

lachu 27
dhoni 15

Villa.. are u still not getting cricinfo?
From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 3:43:52 2008.

thamizhvaanan wrote:

Villa.. are u still not getting cricinfo?

ippo work aavuthu
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 3:45:16 2008.

villan007 wrote:

Draw aagapora match ku imbutu sandai thevaya nu oru nalla ennam than

yeah.. naanum adha thaan solla vandhen.. draw aaga pora match la duck adichadhuku oruthar bayangarama feel panraaru... winning matches'ku panna contribution ellaam safe'a ignore pannitu ipdi udhaar vidradhu romba overu
From: directhit on Sat Mar 29 3:56:25 2008.

Dhoni
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 4:00:44 2008.

Dhoni apeetu

Send in the team's premier batsman Bhajji

Dhoni ya vida neraya score pannuvaan
From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 4:05:55 2008.

Quote:

i am still hopeful of a result here in favour of india, anja singam dhoni irukappulla. "patta bagyam padatta legyam".

annanukku oru legyam dappa parcel.

nethikki oru aal mattum 250 adicharu,

innikki methi ellarum sernthum 250 adikka mudiyalai?

intha azhagula best batting lineupnnu bethha peru.
From: wrap07 on Sat Mar 29 4:13:09 2008.

Today lot of persons including my friends went to MAC to see fireworks of our batsmen. what a day .

SA have done their home work very well. Only off side line and not giving much width.

all big guns disappointed today.. May be they took it easy.

Dravid for 10000 runs and century
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 4:21:16 2008.

punjab singam in
From: wrap07 on Sat Mar 29 4:21:34 2008.

kumble out 610/7
From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 4:23:54 2008.

steyn seems to getting into rythm.
From: wrap07 on Sat Mar 29 4:24:04 2008.

bhaji gone
From: CEDYBLUE on Sat Mar 29 4:24:21 2008.

610/8 bhajji!

as expected india squandering a wonderful opportunity to play for a win!

mindless batting!
From: thamizhvaanan on Sat Mar 29 4:24:45 2008.

punjab singam out
From: wrap07 on Sat Mar 29 4:25:37 2008.

Yes. Today SA bowlers were very disciplined and fast also. and most importantly they bowled to their field well supported by the fielders
From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 4:27:45 2008.

i think everyone who blamed dravid for his slow innings shud kiss his *hand* for saving india from an embarrasing position.
From: wrap07 on Sat Mar 29 4:28:25 2008.

sriranga wrote:

i think everyone who blamed dravid for his slow innings shud kiss his *hand* for saving india from an embarrasing position.
From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 4:35:09 2008.

what a great fightback by South Africa.

Now advantage SA for the remainder of the series.
From: wrap07 on Sat Mar 29 4:36:40 2008.

with a sporting wicket which assists pace and spin, still i think India can beat SA. This pitch has spoiled a potential fight.
From: wrap07 on Sat Mar 29 4:37:50 2008.

india could have declared when dhoni was out and given themselves more overs to try to get SA out.
From: wrap07 on Sat Mar 29 4:59:39 2008.

our team scores 627
From: wrap07 on Sat Mar 29 5:00:22 2008.

few deliveries of harris spun quite viciously and it is a good sign for our spinners, if bowled in proper areas
From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 5:03:52 2008.

wrap07 wrote:

our team scores 627

Sehwag

Dravid

jaffer

Rest
From: karthik_sa2 on Sat Mar 29 5:15:16 2008.

laxman looking for average
From: CEDYBLUE on Sat Mar 29 5:36:34 2008.

i haven't seen a more dull headed cricketer than VVS! wonder he has got anything called 'brain'......i don understand the logic of taking a safe single first ball and exposing the likes of RP d sreesanth to Steyn! this is not the first time he is doing this
From: littlemaster1982 on Sat Mar 29 5:53:41 2008.

Cedyblue,

Innaikku naama yaaraiyum criticize panna koodathaam Appuram strike rate ellam compare pannuvaanga
From: Billgates on Sat Mar 29 6:16:41 2008.

wrap07 wrote:

few deliveries of harris spun quite viciously and it is a good sign for our spinners, if bowled in proper areas

Hope it turns on Day 7
From: wrap07 on Sat Mar 29 6:21:25 2008.

Billgates wrote:

wrap07 wrote:

few deliveries of harris spun quite viciously and it is a good sign for our spinners, if bowled in proper areas

Hope it turns on Day 7

that seems to a real vexed and irritated quote
From: wrap07 on Sat Mar 29 6:22:34 2008.

see. the ball actually turning and bhaji has taken a wicket

From: Billgates on Sat Mar 29 6:22:47 2008.

i haven't seen a more dull headed cricketer than VVS! wonder he has got anything called 'brain'......i don understand the logic of taking a safe single first ball and exposing the likes of RP d sreesanth to Steyn! this is not the first time he is doing this

If Sachin does that, its defined as cricketing intelligence !

From: CEDYBLUE on Sat Mar 29 6:29:55 2008.

If Sachin does that, its defined as cricketing intelligence !

true to ur name! u r indeed brilliant!

From: Billgates on Sat Mar 29 7:13:05 2008.

The bloody Curator should be dumped in Buckingam canal
Chepauk is a lovely pitch. All spoilt now
From: wrap07 on Sat Mar 29 7:19:11 2008.

yes. chepauk has always been a sporting and result oriented pitch. It is a scare for bowlers now
From: crajkumar_be on Sat Mar 29 9:04:10 2008.

littlemaster1982 wrote:

Cedyblue,

Innaikku naama yaaraiyum criticize panna koodathaam Appuram strike rate ellam compare pannuvaanga

aana mathavanga konja naal munnadi (adhaan OZ series) Srirangathukku poi kattilukku adeela olinjuttu thalaimaravanangale.. ippo oru innings na odane abara logical comparisons.
Mukki mukki yosippaingalo?
From: Ramakrishna on Sat Mar 29 9:16:27 2008.

Bala anne,
check ur pm.

From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 9:40:26 2008.

aana mathavanga konja naal munnadi (adhaan OZ series) Srirangathukku poi kattilukku adeela olinjuttu thalaimaravanangale.. ippo oru innings na odane abara logical comparisons.
Mukki mukki yosippaingalo? LOL

yaara solreenga

From: Ramakrishna on Sat Mar 29 9:42:47 2008.

unna thaan.

nee senja velai irukkey

yaara solreenga Rolling Eyes

From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 9:44:25 2008.

naana thappu tein thappu thein
From: crajkumar_be on Sat Mar 29 9:53:25 2008.

villan007 wrote:

naana thappu tein thappu thein

Ada ungala sollave illiye
From: villan007 on Sat Mar 29 9:58:22 2008.

illa illa..adhu Mr.Ramar comments ku sonnein

ippo than news la dhoni out aanadha paarthen soober
From: MrJudge on Sat Mar 29 9:59:23 2008.

Mr.6 crores scored just 16 runs?
From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 11:04:16 2008.

Few narrow minded souls here can't even appreciate Dravid, the wall's 10,000 and dare to comment on his strike rate.

My comments on sachin were directed at those souls. if you're one of them, take that.

others, don't worry too much about my comment, i've even mentioned i myself expected a quick 50 from sachin. i was disappointed that he failed.

Dravid is the most under-rated cricketing legend of India. He is up there with sunny and sachin in my book.
From: crajkumar_be on Sat Mar 29 12:47:51 2008.

Sriranga,
My posts yesterday will make it clear enough which "side" i'm on. Your trouble is that the lack of logic in your argument makes your attempt a lost cause. Incompatible comparison
From: crajkumar_be on Sat Mar 29 12:48:38 2008.

sriranga wrote:

Dravid is the most under-rated cricketing legend of India. He is up there with sunny and sachin in my book.

Of course, no two ways about it
From: littlemaster1982 on Sat Mar 29 13:32:44 2008.

Sriranga,

Are your comments on Sachin and his strike rate (!!!) is because of my criticism on Rahul Dravid? If so, you shouldn't be talking about narrow minds here.

I agree that Dravid is under-rated and his achievements are phenomenal. But he was not even scoring from bad balls yesterday. That's what I was talking about. As simple as that.
From: crajkumar_be on Sat Mar 29 13:43:12 2008.

Also,
Narrow mind a pathi OZ series la thalaimaraivanavanga yen pesanum???
From: Devar Magan on Sat Mar 29 14:22:37 2008.

dravid

selfish batting
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Sat Mar 29 16:15:43 2008.

All,

Make sure that your comments are not too personal!

Thanks!
From: wrap07 on Sat Mar 29 23:42:31 2008.

It was nice to see SA gracious enough to congratulate Sehwag after his triple ton which was not seen with the weeping aussies. SA also seems to play the game hard but without being too offensive.
From: sriranga on Sat Mar 29 23:55:30 2008.

crajkumar_be wrote:

Also,
Narrow mind a pathi OZ series la thalaimaraivanavanga yen pesanum???

yaaru thalaimaraivaanaanga.
summa, thevayillama pesakoodathu.

i wasn't expecting sachin to score big hundreds in the finals.
i had mentioned it in my post prior to the finals.

but, after the finals i have clearly mentioned he shud be the MOS.

I was talking about ODIs.

Dhoni captaincy-la ODI-la theraathunnu sonnavangathan appo apeeat ayitaanga.

I still feel RD and SG are not fit to play in the ODIs.
That doesn't mean that i rate their batting lower than youngsters.
Young, fresh legs shud be given the chance. A brilliant catch can win you a ODI.

Now we are talking test match cricket.

Dravid kku india-vule aada theriyalai, pakistan-la thaan avaru nallaa aaduvaru avarukku strike -a rotate panna theriyalai, avarukku strike rate improve panna theriyalainnu sonna, i replied couple of times that with the kind of negative bowling, SA fielding and the chennai heat, it was acceptable to some extent.
apparamum avarukku run adikka interest illai pola irukku, out of form irukarrunnu sonna, enna artham.
From: karthik_sa2 on Sun Mar 30 3:50:30 2008.

what do u mean by negative bowling,heat and all???all these factors applies to sehwag as well...do u think sehwag is a better player than dravid...?thats not the case .. we all know dravid.....he is a leegend...but certainly he played a very slow innings on friday...an innings without cause or without any motive to win the test....but just wanted to get back to his form...as cedy said even when the balls were there to hit outside off stump ,,he made a unncessary solid defence...but there is no second opinion dravid is one of the best players in the world... but no way equivalent to sachin...atleast in odi's....
From: Movie Cop on Sun Mar 30 5:07:06 2008.

sriranga wrote:

Dravid is the most under-rated cricketing legend of India. He is up there with sunny and sachin in my book.

Bulls eye! Among those knowlegde in cricket - very few would argue that there is little to seperate among Sunny, Sachin & Dravid! Mind you, I'm strictly talking about Test cricket here!

Taking about Sachin & Dravid - If I rate Aandavar 9 (in a scale of 10) then I would rate Dravid 8.5. Both have a flawless batting technique, wide variety of strokes all executed with elegance and a touch of genius. The area where Sachin scores a little bit more than Dravid (as well as Sunny) is the improvisation on his stroke play. Sachin can play even the "out-of-book" shots with the same finesse/flair as his cricketing shots! For instance the upper cut strokes that Sachin played in the recent CB series was a case in example. Though it was a improvised stroke it showed the level of anticipation and a command on execution from Sachin that is associated only with the geniuses. On the other hand, Dravid or Sunny rarely made any attempts to play improvised/out-of-book strokes and strictly played the ball on it's merit like good old school students! That is why you see a huge difference in strike/scoring rates between Aandavar vs. Dravid/Sunny.

However to Dravid's credit, I should say that he is a definitely a better team player than the other two. Sachin, like his idol Sunny, is a little self indulgent at times though more often than not it eventually works in teams favour, I should say.

From: karthik_sa2 on Sun Mar 30 5:23:26 2008.

Quote:

owever to Dravid's credit, I should say that he is a definitely a better team player than the other two. Sachin, like his idol Sunny, is a little self indulgent at times though more often than not it eventually works in teams favour, I should

i don understand how still people in india can talk like this .....shame utter shame....

From: Movie Cop on Sun Mar 30 5:23:39 2008.

Test heading towards an expected draw! Besides Sehwag's hurricane, throughly enjoyed the artistry of Amla's batting in this Test! Glad to see a lone, adorable stroke player in an otherwise scratchy, nudgy, inelegant South African batting line up!

From: Movie Cop on Sun Mar 30 5:39:03 2008.

karthik_sa2 wrote:

Quote:

i don understand how still people in india can talk like this .....shame utter shame....

Karthik - There is no question of shame here! Don't let your emotions dominate you. Take it easy, dude!

From: karthik_sa2 on Sun Mar 30 6:00:12 2008.

yes, first i became emotional then came to a conclusion that such people can never be changed...henceforth i will have to ignore such ridiculous unfair statements..... people who knows cricket knows where sachin stands,how passionate he is towrds team,how good a team player he is and what he has achieved for the team..
From: villan007 on Sun Mar 30 6:46:09 2008.

sabbaaa... mudiyala
From: wrap07 on Sun Mar 30 10:25:08 2008.

Test drawn. our team could have underestimated the SA capacity to play spin also. But, this pitch did not offer any help for spin bowlers much. May be the next test will see a different pitch and result hopefully
From: wrap07 on Sun Mar 30 10:36:43 2008.

sachin out of second test due to injury
kaif it seems will replace him.
From: crajkumar_be on Sun Mar 30 10:43:15 2008.

wrap07 wrote:

sachin out of second test due to injury
kaif it seems will replace him.

Mugamadu Kaip-a??? ivarellam probables la irukkaara???
Namma Tamizhaga middle order la oruthar koodava Kaip-a vida nalla perform pannala Ranji la?
From: wrap07 on Sun Mar 30 11:10:23 2008.

nichayama nalla player namma oorrile irupanga. Only when opportunities are given, they can prove themselves. That is the problem.
From: wrap07 on Sun Mar 30 11:12:43 2008.

what happened to yuvaraj? Is he not fit
From: Nerd on Sun Mar 30 11:22:27 2008.

wrap07 wrote:

sachin out of second test due to injury
kaif it seems will replace him.

ennathu?? BCCI should abandon the series

From: Billgates on Sun Mar 30 23:58:37 2008.

sachin out of second test due to injury Sad

kaif it seems will replace him.

Mugamadu Kaip-a??? ivarellam probables la irukkaara???
Namma Tamizhaga middle order la oruthar koodava Kaip-a vida nalla perform pannala Ranji la? Shocked

This cud b due to Yuvraj factor. They gave so many chances to Yuvi despite his failures but Kaif being his peer didnt get that much backing in comparison.
Kaif had done well initially . Its good to give him one more chance . If he does well, it cud b problem for Yuvraj or Dada in view of Dhoni's Youth only policy ?
Is Badrinath, a one day specialist or a test variety ?

From: Billgates on Mon Mar 31 0:26:09 2008.

Dravid is the most under-rated cricketing legend of India. He is up there with sunny and sachin in my book. Clap

Bulls eye! Among those knowlegde in cricket - very few would argue that there is little to seperate among Sunny, Sachin & Dravid! Mind you, I'm strictly talking about Test cricket here!

Taking about Sachin & Dravid - If I rate Aandavar 9 (in a scale of 10) then I would rate Dravid 8.5. Both have a flawless batting technique, wide variety of strokes all executed with elegance and a touch of genius. The area where Sachin scores a little bit more than Dravid (as well as Sunny) is the improvisation on his stroke play. Sachin can play even the "out-of-book" shots with the same finesse/flair as his cricketing shots! For instance the upper cut strokes that Sachin played in the recent CB series was a case in example. Though it was a improvised stroke it showed the level of anticipation and a command on execution from Sachin that is associated only with the geniuses. On the other hand, Dravid or Sunny rarely made any attempts to play improvised/out-of-book strokes and strictly played the ball on it's merit like good old school students! That is why you see a huge difference in strike/scoring rates between Aandavar vs. Dravid/Sunny.

However to Dravid's credit, I should say that he is a definitely a better team player than the other two. Sachin, like his idol Sunny, is a little self indulgent at times though more often than not it eventually works in teams favour, I should say. Cool

IMO, we can never compare Sunny with Sachin . Reasons , Sunny was an opening bat, had to face the new ball world class bowlers of his time, considered even today as ever best . He scores over his peers & successors as well . However, he wasn�t that successful in oneday format while Sachin excelled in both versions consistently. This is significant considering the noof matches being played by Sachin which definitely is an achievement for someone who has to prove regularly in both formats.
So, both have different superior qualities.

From: directhit on Mon Mar 31 0:27:01 2008.

Kaif anyways poor guy aint gonna get a chance into the team with Yuvi definite to come into the 11 - gonna be something like Raina selection for ODIs
From: CEDYBLUE on Mon Mar 31 1:43:14 2008.

kaif out of the blue! no one expected this considering rohit had a good series down under and many expected him to come in as a replacement! also i guess raina deserves a chance sometime sooner!
From: directhit on Mon Mar 31 2:08:01 2008.

Kaif replacement is not bad since he has been doing well in domestic circuit, but the irony is that he would in all probability miss out the game in kanpur - so why a big drama on selecting him. i would be happy if he plays the game instead of Yuvi
From: CEDYBLUE on Mon Mar 31 2:23:28 2008.

as u say there is hardly a chance he plays ahead of yuvraj unless one of the other old pros injure themselves before the kanpur test!
i think if yuvi plays this would be yet another opportunity for the lefthander to cement his place in the test arena!

From: littlemaster1982 on Mon Mar 31 2:29:38 2008.

Kaif replacement is not bad since he has been doing well in domestic circuit, but the irony is that he would in all probability miss out the game in kanpur - so why a big drama on selecting him. i would be happy if he plays the game instead of Yuvi Cool

From: P_R on Mon Mar 31 4:52:14 2008.

Waste of the weekend

Sachin and I entered the stadium at the same time on Saturday. So you can say that when I entered there was all round cheering and applause

Before I settled down Sachin was out

Laxman played some lovely shots bu started running out of partners. Steyn shattering stumps et al.

Graeme Smith - given about a mile of width by RP Singh - showed him around the Chepauk stadium. Ganguly ambled to a ball that was visibly dying on its way to the fence

The man who stood tall was Amla. Have never seen a South African handle spin so well - never mind that the spin wasn't too challenging in the first place. On Saturday he was much better than McKenzie. Fluent drives - square drives against the spin and all that.

So much so that I decided to go watch even on Sunday. Sunday was McKenzie's. Amla was good too but quite a shadow of his Saturday self. Sreeshanth and RP Singh dropped him in arguably difficult instances - but hey you are playing Test cricket.

Patience exhausted I left before tea. Chennai-kkE indha azhagu-nnA...Ahmedabad, Kanpur-la ellAm result varumA ?
From: directhit on Mon Mar 31 5:54:19 2008.

PR, aaga motham neenga stadium pona neram dhaan Sehwag out nu sollunga
From: P_R on Mon Mar 31 6:04:25 2008.
From: ajithfederer on Mon Mar 31 20:42:23 2008.

Japan la jacki chaan kooptagaa, Amaerikkala jaaksan kooptaga

Prabhu Ram wrote:

Sachin and I entered the stadium at the same time on Saturday. So you can say that when I entered there was all round cheering and applause

From: directhit on Tue Apr 1 3:50:16 2008.

http://content-eap.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/344590.html

Quote:

Four years ago, Wisden Asia Cricket magazine ran a cover story on India's "Fab Five" - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly and Sehwag. The feature had interviews with the five players, with each talking about one of the others. Ganguly made a fascinating revelation about Sehwag. "The best way to know how [Sehwag's] mind works is to sit next to him in the players' balcony when India are batting. Every few minutes he will clutch his head and yell, 'Chauka gaya' [missed out on a four] or 'Chakka gaya' ... That's how he thinks, in fours and sixes."

From: directhit on Tue Apr 1 3:51:57 2008.

http://www.prempanicker.com/index.php?/site/comments/this_is_to_certify_that_national_cricketer_x_is_not_pregnant/

Quote:

Once, the support staff declared a player unfit ahead of an important series. Shortly thereafter, the selectors met, and the player was picked for the side. When his name came up, Wright�who had attended the selection meeting�asked how come. Turned out, the player had submitted a medical certificate, declaring he was fully fit. The board secretary of the time, on receipt of the pro forma letter, sent his own missive to the selectors, informing them that the player could be considered.

Adrian Le Roux had just joined the support staff; when he heard of this, he was bemused. First chance he got, he called for the fitness report, read it, and went to Wright in a state of considerably perplexity�turned out the certificate had been issued by a maternity hospital.

From: directhit on Tue Apr 1 3:57:31 2008.

http://www.prempanicker.com/index.php?/site/simply_sehwag/

Quote:

Dravid then got out; back in the dressing room, he found himself seated next to a fuming Sehwag. �What were you guys doing, playing that *&&%*%%# with your arse?�, Sehwag fumed. �Just wait till I get out there�I�ll @&&&@%%$�. Dravid patiently pointed out that India was behind England�s score; that caution was the need of the hour; that Sehwag should not take any needless risks...

�Kya buddon ki tharah baat karthe ho, yaar!�, Sehwag shot back. And as Ganguly fell, grabbed up his bat and gloves and almost ran down the dressing room steps.

Long story short: He greeted Giles with a reverse sweep for four, and hit another five off the spinner while taking 26 runs off 27 balls faced

From: Billgates on Tue Apr 1 4:30:19 2008.

Viruu was hitting boundaries all through the day ! I havent seen any batsman dominate the bowlers the way he did .
True to his trait, he never looked for a milestone. He was trying to hit a six or a boundary to reach 100/200/300 . Same happened even in Pakistan ! Real matchwinner

From: crajkumar_be on Tue Apr 1 4:48:35 2008.

Viruu was hitting boundaries all through the day ! I havent seen any batsman dominate the bowlers the way he did .
True to his trait, he never looked for a milestone. He was trying to hit a six or a boundary to reach 100/200/300 . Same happened even in Pakistan ! Real matchwinner

aana match draw aiduche

From: sriranga on Tue Apr 1 5:53:25 2008.

From: crajkumar_be on Tue Apr 1 4:49:06 2008.

Anoop,
Thanks for the article

aana match draw aiduche Mr. Green

the match was heading either for a draw or indian defeat once SA scored 540. only viru tried to make a match out of it by his breathtaking innings especially between lunch and tea on third day scoring 107 off 67 balls. real treat to all the fans at the stadium, no doubt. viru is the only player who is capable of breaking brain lara's 400 or saed anwar's 194.

In some news channel, they said the Pitch was made flat in preparation for IPL.

From: directhit on Tue Apr 1 6:07:15 2008.

sriranga, check this article -- http://www.prempanicker.com/index.php?/site/comments/this_is_to_certify_that_national_cricketer_x_is_not_pregnant/

Quote:

Yes there is. Parthasarathy��Pacha�, which is the name he answers to�is one of the top curators around, capable of producing whatever kind of pitch you want of him. A few years ago, when the question of pitch preparation was in the news (In the archives, I stumbled on this interaction dated 2002, which could as well have taken place yesterday), I was in Chennai and bumped into Pacha at the MAC.

We got to talking about this, and he laughed at the suggestion, then being mooted, that curators from abroad would be brought in to teach the local yokels a thing or two. The reason we don�t have good pitches, he said, was because we don�t want them. To illustrate, he told me this story of a home series, where the pitch had been prepared as a �perfect Test wicket�: bounce, seam movement early on, a settled track by the afternoon of day two through day three, then signs of increasing spin as the game heads into a climax.

The then captain, Pacha told me, took one look at the pitch, summoned him, and issued specific instructions calculated to exorcise every sign of life from the track and put it in suspended animation. And then that captain, one of the best fast bowlers we ever had, actually bowled off spin at one point in the game, Pacha recalled. The reason for his bringing up that particular anecdote was that the captain of that game�Kapil Dev�had gone on to become the head of the BCCI�s pitches committee, a role he held at the time Pacha and I had that chat.

From: crajkumar_be on Tue Apr 1 6:43:12 2008.

Here's another one
[I had written earlier that the Chepauk wicket had never been fast and furious but if this author is right, i stand corrected. Also, pl ignore the other 'points' he makes

]

http://themaanga.com/2008/03/30/about-chepauk/#comments

Quote:

Chepauk

Madras is not Bombay; or North India.

The several non-Madras people and their new found love for Chepauk reminds me of the idiot yuppies who discovered Rajini. A popular quip � from Harsha Bhogle to Gaurav Sabnis, whatever that gamut means, is � Chepauk is and has always meant a sporting wicket in an Indian sense. Quick turn, true bounce and a quick outfield. The sad thing about Madras is, its original residents are now in the Bay Area and no longer care enough to save their beloved Chepauk from marauding North Indians. The non-brahmins from Southern Tamil Nadu who now live in places vacated by those who once visited Chepauk, have long looked at Cricket as a yardstick for proving their own sophistication.

Asal Madras people, such as this woman�s family, will tell you what Chepauk was in the 70s. Fast and furious. Not sporting � just fast and bouncy. They will also offer their own theories on drift and swing after 2 PM when the sea breeze set in; apart from admonishing the concrete structures that have taken away that balancing aspect between the bat and ball. If you do not believe the people who watched all the games, you could ask a certain Bob Willis who still swears by the Chepauk pitch. He rated it to be quicker than Perth or Jamaica � and having bowled at all three venues, maybe he knows better.

Starting from the 70s is a good cut-off, since Test Cricket in Madras returned to Chepauk from the Corporation ground in the 60s. Consider average runs for a wicket over each decade: in the 70s it was 22.8, in the 80s it was 42.2, in the 90s it was 33.8 and so far in this century it has been about 35.5. Since the 90s, people around the world have been complaining how the game has become increasingly one sided in favor of the batsmen even in Test cricket � flatter pitches, better bats, more protection equipment and favorable rules. The progressive increase in average in the last two decades, even if by only two runs per wicket, can be attributed to that. However, the startling increase in the average runs scored per wicket by a factor of two in the 80s, compared to the 70s, is something all the recent converts seem to either ignore or be ignorant of.

The famous tied Test, which seems to be quoted often, was famous only because Greg Matthews was called Kirukku Mathews; he even picked up the man of the match award for being a crowd favorite. That was actually a boring Test match dominated by the Aussies for four days and made interesting by a brave/complacent declaration. The other enduring memory of the 80s Chepauk is a young Sivaramakrishnan being swept by Fowler and Gatting for 652.

Then came the most disgraceful part of India�s Test history: the Wadekar, Azhar & Kumble combine. Which basically destroyed pitches across the nation. Rajesh Chauhan and Ashish Kapoor played for India. QED.

Thankfully, destroying an already destroyed pitch had some strange result. The once fast and furious Chepauk, made flat in the 80s, got to the stage we are at. Resulting in bounce and quick turn, as opposed to rest of India � where the turn is slow and hence easy to negotiate. Lack of preparation this time, caused by bad weather leading up to the Test, showed us how we still are in the 80s before the digging up operation prior to each Test. Poignantly, Anil Kumble is now the captain.

Now, if you are claiming Chepauk to be a sporting pitch, please tell me � what is it that you actually mean.

Tags: Chepauk

From: crajkumar_be on Tue Apr 1 6:44:21 2008.

Quote:

the Wadekar, Azhar & Kumble combine. Which basically destroyed pitches across the nation. Rajesh Chauhan and Ashish Kapoor played for India. QED.

From: crajkumar_be on Tue Apr 1 6:45:20 2008.

ada, summa lighter sense la sonnenga, serious a eduthukka vendam

From: wrap07 on Tue Apr 1 11:20:53 2008.

By making so called home advantage pitches, BCCI had made our team a paper tiger for quite some time. Our team will crush any opponents in India on tailor made pitches and when we tour overseas, our team tasted different results.

But now with the emergence of raw talent in fast bowling, we can face the other teams on good wickets also. Our fast bowlers should be well taken care of by not too much exposure and their condition monitored by the NCA. In our team, if some player makes a good contribution for one or two games, he becomes a superstar and takes his place for granted. Consistency of performance is the key for any team's success and that should be the motto of our players. Even if all players perform moderately also, our team can achieve better results against good opposition.
From: directhit on Wed Apr 2 22:14:48 2008.

gonna be yet another flat pitch and infact last match i guess - if not for sehwag's innings we might have lost the last match. hope Ishant is fit (but he is not in squad also ) and if kumble too sits out then piyush wud get to play the final XI wud be interesting

From: Kalyasi on Wed Apr 2 22:39:30 2008.

gonna be yet another flat pitch and infact last match i guess - if not for sehwag's innings we might have lost the last match. hope Ishant is fit (but he is not in squad also Rolling Eyes

) and if kumble too sits out then piyush wud get to play Confused

the final XI wud be interesting Embarassed

No anoops Motera will have some grass on the surface which will help the bowlers!!

From: Kalyasi on Wed Apr 2 22:45:45 2008.

Team news

Injury concerns mean India might end up re-jigging their bowling line-up. RP Singh and Ishant Sharma could miss out, opening up a spot for Irfan Pathan. Sreesanth might retain his spot but they could decide to go in with five specialist bowlers. In Sachin Tendulkar's absence, Yuvraj Singh remains an option but India might want to use three spinners on what has traditionally been a slow and low surface.

Graeme Smith made it pretty clear that South Africa are likely to retain the same XI that played in Chennai. Paul Harris didn't have a great time in the first Test but he will, in all probability, be the only specialist spinner, complementing the three-pronged pace attack.

India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Wasim Jaffer, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 VVS Laxman, 5 Sourav Ganguly, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Anil Kumble (capt), 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Piyush Chawla, 11 Sreesanth.

South Africa (probable): 1 Neil McKenzie, 2 Graeme Smith (capt), 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Ashwell Prince, 6 AB de Villiers, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Morne Morkel, 9 Paul Harris, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Makhaya Ntini.

From: directhit on Wed Apr 2 22:49:41 2008.

gonna be yet another flat pitch and infact last match i guess - if not for sehwag's innings we might have lost the last match. hope Ishant is fit (but he is not in squad also Rolling Eyes

) and if kumble too sits out then piyush wud get to play Confused

the final XI wud be interesting Embarassed

No anoops Motera will have some grass on the surface which will help the bowlers!!

idha thaan chennai match munnadiyum sonnanga

i guess all of us wud prefer a test match ending in even 4 days than something in a draw - but bcci wants ticket sales for whole 5 days

From: Sanguine Sridhar on Wed Apr 2 22:50:35 2008.

3 spinners-ah?
From: directhit on Wed Apr 2 22:53:11 2008.

the probable list is a very weak batting lineup Jaffer is weak outside off, dravid the wall aint made of concrete anymore, VVS + Dada are solid, not sure on sehwag factor if there is movement in the pitch. Dhoni's batting has been really below average in test matches off late - idhula pathan+sreesanth bowling new ball
From: Nerd on Wed Apr 2 23:04:05 2008.

oh match-A innikku .. This series does not evoke interest at all.. Thalaivar being out of this one does not help either
From: Kalyasi on Wed Apr 2 23:21:53 2008.

Nerd wrote:

oh match-A innikku .. This series does not evoke interest at all.. Thalaivar being out of this one does not help either

Yeah at least if he was there we could have seen some of the records tumble... Hmmmmm Adutha Test Series varaikum wait pannanum!!
From: ajithfederer on Wed Apr 2 23:27:08 2008.

I lost interest after that boring draw last week

Nerd wrote:

oh match-A innikku .. This series does not evoke interest at all.. Thalaivar being out of this one does not help either
From: Kalyasi on Wed Apr 2 23:28:15 2008.

Preview: Curator predicts "slow and turning" track

Chai...

From: Kalyasi on Wed Apr 2 23:29:05 2008.

I lost interest after that boring draw last week Fatigue

oh match-A innikku .. This series does not evoke interest at all.. Thalaivar being out of this one does not help either Embarassed

But didn't Sehwag Entertain Us on the 3rd day??

From: wrap07 on Wed Apr 2 23:35:47 2008.

INDIA have won the toss and batting
From: Kalyasi on Wed Apr 2 23:36:53 2008.

India have won the toss and decided to bat first
From: directhit on Wed Apr 2 23:37:27 2008.

true Kalyan - but jus one out of 5 days is boring
habbaaadi batting
From: wrap07 on Wed Apr 2 23:37:55 2008.

pitch it seems will be bit slow as compared to chepauk. so, batting may become difficult after three days, as per the expert opinion
From: Kalyasi on Wed Apr 2 23:39:39 2008.

India has decided to draft in Irfan Pathan to replace Sachin Tendulkar. So, the Indians are going in with 5 bowlers in this game.
From: directhit on Wed Apr 2 23:39:48 2008.

slow and turning track and pathan wud have preferred Piyush!! wht's with AK not choosing another leg spinner at all
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Wed Apr 2 23:40:01 2008.

directhit wrote:

true Kalyani - but jus one out of 5 days is boring
habbaaadi batting

aaahaaa!! Gender-ey maatheeteengale
From: Kalyasi on Wed Apr 2 23:40:11 2008.

directhit wrote:

true Kalyani - but jus one out of 5 days is boring
habbaaadi batting

Anoops en per lendu antha i ya eduthudungalen!!
From: ajithfederer on Wed Apr 2 23:40:17 2008.

Adhaan avar irukar illai

directhit wrote:

slow and turning track and pathan wud have preferred Piyush!! wht's with AK not choosing another leg spinner at all
From: directhit on Wed Apr 2 23:40:52 2008.

oops sy - typo
From: Kalyasi on Wed Apr 2 23:41:28 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Adhaan avar irukar illai

directhit wrote:

slow and turning track and pathan wud have preferred Piyush!! wht's with AK not choosing another leg spinner at all

Piyushum Irukaaru ... 5 Bowlers!!
From: directhit on Wed Apr 2 23:41:51 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Adhaan avar irukar illai

directhit wrote:

slow and turning track and pathan wud have preferred Piyush!! wht's with AK not choosing another leg spinner at all

now we have 3 medium pacers + one occasional pacer (shanth) + one occasional spinner (bajji)
From: directhit on Wed Apr 2 23:42:25 2008.

ohhh - then no rp?!?
From: Kalyasi on Wed Apr 2 23:42:56 2008.

Ennathu RP Singh Fit a?? I thot Piyush wud be in??
From: Kalyasi on Wed Apr 2 23:44:07 2008.

India (Playing XI): Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni(w), Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble(c), Harbhajan Singh, Rudra Pratap Singh, S Sreesanth

South Africa (Playing XI): Graeme Smith(c), Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher(w), Morne Morkel, Paul Harris, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini
From: Nerd on Wed Apr 2 23:44:15 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

directhit wrote:

true Kalyani - but jus one out of 5 days is boring
habbaaadi batting

Anoops en per lendu antha i ya eduthudungalen!!
From: ajithfederer on Wed Apr 2 23:45:05 2008.

Nerd wrote:

Kalyasi wrote:

directhit wrote:

true Kalyani - but jus one out of 5 days is boring
habbaaadi batting

Anoops en per lendu antha i ya eduthudungalen!!
From: wrap07 on Wed Apr 2 23:45:06 2008.

friends, this is the place where both sunil made 10000 runs and kapil became world's highest wicket taker. Quite a nostalgic place to be in
From: directhit on Wed Apr 2 23:46:43 2008.

now, lets see the chin music for sehwag from steyn and co
From: Kalyasi on Wed Apr 2 23:52:11 2008.

Pitch Report: The so-much-talked about pitch looks to be a very hard surface with a sprinkling of grass on it. But the more important thing is that the blade of grass is not really in the areas that matter the most. There are a few cracks which will come into play later on in the game. The bounce will not be as sharp as it was in Chennai, the ball will keep low as the game progresses and it might not be as easy for batting as it promises to be initially. All in all, it shouldn't be much of a disappointment for the skipper losing the toss since there would have been some indecision about what to do after winning the toss. It should be interesting to see how the pitch behaves...
From: villan007 on Wed Apr 2 23:52:39 2008.
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 0:04:20 2008.

some swing is there in the pitch may be for some time only
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 0:05:44 2008.

villan007 wrote:
From: Movie Cop on Thu Apr 3 0:12:00 2008.

Annan Jaffer innum outside the off stump-la meen pidikira pazhakathe vidave ille pola irrukku? Edging over thirdman for 4 off Ntini!

Btw, good toss to win for India. Aandavar will be missed but gald that we are going with 5 bowlers!
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 0:16:20 2008.

Yov Umakku Nakkal jaasthi ayya

Movie Cop wrote:

Annan Jaffer innum outside the off stump-la meen pidikira pazhakathe vidave ille pola irrukku? Edging over thirdman for 4 off Ntini!
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 0:17:54 2008.

Jaffer Out.. India 16/1
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 0:19:13 2008.

3.3 Ntini to Jaffer, out Caught by Smith at 1st slip!! Superb delivery, pitched up in the corridor of uncertainty, curving in and darts away from the right hander at the last moment, Jaffer is caught on the crease, jabs and edges it to 1st slip, Smith takes a beautiful catch diving to his left, Ntini draws first blood! Jaffer c Smith b Ntini 9(14) [4s-2]
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 0:20:10 2008.

Wicket Vizhuthu Pochu illa Rock Wall ellathayum Erakkumathi panunga pa....
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 0:25:20 2008.

Start meesik
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 0:35:36 2008.

Sehwag um Gaali!!
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 0:38:59 2008.

Laxman Lazy letoff
From: villan007 on Thu Apr 3 0:42:58 2008.

aaniye pudunga venam 4 down
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 0:43:47 2008.

sooberabbu

enga da antha manju payal...Injuries wont affect india vaama
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 0:44:18 2008.

30/4 aaa 2 sec la 2 wicket poiduchu... Govinda Govinda
From: Billgates on Thu Apr 3 0:45:27 2008.

God . 30 for 4
today must be Dhoni's
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 0:47:17 2008.

he aint playin 2day

Billgates wrote:

God . 30 for 4
today must be Dhoni's
From: cancer on Thu Apr 3 0:54:10 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

30/4 aaa 2 sec la 2 wicket poiduchu... Govinda Govinda

Match Drawn aakama result vantha sari
From: villan007 on Thu Apr 3 0:57:28 2008.

directhit wrote:

i guess all of us wud prefer a test match ending in even 4 days than something in a draw

aaha ....
From: Billgates on Thu Apr 3 1:07:19 2008.

Is there a problem with the pitch or our batting ?
Erkanave Dravid mattaya thooka mataru. Inikku kekkave vendam
From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 1:09:19 2008.

whats happenning......jus checked the scores ithula they have gone in with a batsman less vara!!!!!
From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 1:10:23 2008.

dravidum galli!
From: mgb on Thu Apr 3 1:15:49 2008.

Extrasthaan top scorer'a
From: MrJudge on Thu Apr 3 1:18:49 2008.

Billgates wrote:

God . 30 for 4
today must be Dhoni's

Lets see how he does it today.
From: Billgates on Thu Apr 3 1:19:51 2008.

Dhoni also goes. Any match fixing ?
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:21:33 2008.

Kumble um Out... 55/7
From: thamizhvaanan on Thu Apr 3 1:21:46 2008.

kumble'vum apeetu!

Indian team century poduma?
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 1:22:22 2008.

quite stunning 55 for 6. Are we playing in perth
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 1:22:38 2008.

OMG

I don't remember the last time a team losing 7 wickets in the first session of the opening day

Looks like the entire team will be bundled before the first session
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 1:22:50 2008.

55/7
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:23:26 2008.

First Seesion laye all out aagalaam

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:24:08 2008.

Inimel Match Interesting Aayidum!!!

OMG

I don't remember the last time a team losing 7 wickets in the first session of the opening day Embarassed

Looks like the entire team will be bundled before the first session Twisted Evil

From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 1:26:30 2008.

The way we played in Austrlaia, i though we could play on grassy wickets. We are back to our own form it seems
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:27:07 2008.

Morkel to Dhoni, out Caught by Boucher!! This is the worst stroke of the morning so far, horror shot really, overpitched outside the off stump, Dhoni looks to drill it through covers, no feet movement at all as he throws his bat at it, slightest of outside edge and a simple take for the keeper, Micky Arthur is all smiles back in the dressing room, the hosts are in shambles at the moment... Dhoni c Boucher b Morkel 14(22) [4s-3]

Ithunaala thaan CR anne, Nerd ellam Dhoni ya thittaraangalo?
From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 1:27:15 2008.

first session-a?

15 over thaan pottirukaanga.

i think there is alot of help from the pitch for the faster bowlers.
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:27:41 2008.

56/8... Pottu Thaaaku...
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 1:27:54 2008.

Bhajji plum lbw

From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 1:28:40 2008.

Morkel to Dhoni, out Caught by Boucher!! This is the worst stroke of the morning so far, horror shot really, overpitched outside the off stump, Dhoni looks to drill it through covers, no feet movement at all as he throws his bat at it, slightest of outside edge and a simple take for the keeper, Micky Arthur is all smiles back in the dressing room, the hosts are in shambles at the moment... Dhoni c Boucher b Morkel 14(22) [4s-3]

Ithunaala thaan CR anne, Nerd ellam Dhoni ya thittaraangalo?

dhoni was dropped also. He is struggling to perform in tests

From: littlemaster1982 on Thu Apr 3 1:30:16 2008.
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:30:29 2008.

Now Everything is Left to the 3 seamers that India have picked...either with bat or ball...

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 1:30:54 2008.

Idhuku than periavanga solraanga long runla teknik thevainnu !!! Ithai naanga inge sonna engalukku archanai than Mad

From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 1:31:38 2008.

dhoni was dropped also. He is struggling to perform in tests

cut the crap. he is the top scorer here.

From: MrJudge on Thu Apr 3 1:31:44 2008.

wrap07 wrote:

dhoni was dropped also. He is struggling to perform in tests

But still he will find a place in the test squad, the selectors are
From: MrJudge on Thu Apr 3 1:32:56 2008.

sriranga wrote:

cut the crap. he is the top scorer here.

I don't think that 14 runs will make any difference

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:33:17 2008.

Idhuku than periavanga solraanga long runla teknik thevainnu !!! Ithai naanga inge sonna engalukku archanai than Mad

Papom.. I still have faith in him...

Enga en Pangali anoops a kanom?

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:33:36 2008.

MrJudge wrote:

sriranga wrote:

cut the crap. he is the top scorer here.

I don't think that 14 runs will make any difference

Paakalaame!!

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 1:34:00 2008.

What do you mean by cut the crap here. He is speaking sense!! Its clearly evident that Dhoni is struggling in Tests. !!!

dhoni was dropped also. He is struggling to perform in tests

cut the crap. he is the top scorer here.

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:36:27 2008.

Pathan is now the top scorer...Ind 69/8.. Now this is how u play with tail.. Laxman u better learn from pathan

From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 1:36:43 2008.

dhoni was dropped also. He is struggling to perform in tests

cut the crap. he is the top scorer here.

The thinking captain of one day side cannot move his feet to play the ball and his score of 14 with catchy shots(almost caught).
it is to be accepted that today dhoni played like a crap

From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 1:39:21 2008.

But as always we get angry when they play like this. But, when our team plays well, this will be forgotten. let us hope for the best
From: MrJudge on Thu Apr 3 1:39:33 2008.

sriranga wrote:

cut the crap. he is the top scorer here.

Irfan has scored 18 and the strike rate is 128
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:39:58 2008.

Indias lowest total @ home is 75... Will they set a new record??
From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 1:41:54 2008.

one short coffee break and there goes three wickets!
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:43:07 2008.

CEDYBLUE wrote:

one short coffee break and there goes three wickets!

with it 30 runs also got added
From: raaja_rasigan on Thu Apr 3 1:43:20 2008.

just now saw the score, 5 bowled out of 8 wkts
From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 1:43:33 2008.

MrJudge wrote:

sriranga wrote:

cut the crap. he is the top scorer here.

Irfan has scored 18 and the strike rate is 128

i thougth i mentioned top scorer so far.

india has a healthy runrate of 4.
hope it helps. i dunno how.
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:44:37 2008.

The local people in the stands have gone into a state of shock, pin drop silence really... Whatever noise one can hear at the Motera is from the throats of the South Africans. Happy faces all around in the South African camp and Micky Arthur is leading the way for them. You don't have many such occasions in this part of the globe when you have the Indians caught napping in their den.
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 1:45:20 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

Indias lowest total @ home is 75... Will they set a new record??

our team has atleast ensure that record stands
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:46:22 2008.

76/9 Vazhga Valamudan
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:47:34 2008.

Santhakumaran Sreesanth comes in
From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 1:49:34 2008.

i somehow feel that if the pitch offers some help to pacers even we can pay them in the same coin.

ellam oru nambikai thaan.

naan minime sonnen, intha steyn payyanukku chennai -la wicket-a kuduthu formkku kondu vantaingea

now, we need 11 dravids for second innings to salvage a draw.
From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 1:49:51 2008.

villan007 wrote:

directhit wrote:

i guess all of us wud prefer a test match ending in even 4 days than something in a draw

aaha ....
Motera varaikkum ketturuchu pola

Kalyasi wrote:

Papom.. I still have faith in him...
Enga en Pangali anoops a kanom?

lunch poyittu varrathukulla 8 wickets down RP Singh and Sreesanth dhaan nalla pullainga naan vandha 5 minutes kkappuram out aananga
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:50:01 2008.

76 all out
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 1:51:29 2008.

Thunbathilum oru Inbam enna na Thalaivar tendulkar intha match velayadala

I can surely say the scorecard wont be like this when Tendulkar was around
From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 1:51:57 2008.

india played exactly 20 overs,
good preparation for IPL. vaazhga IPL, valarga BCCI.

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 1:52:18 2008.

i somehow feel that if the pitch offers some help to pacers even we can pay them in the same coin.

ellam oru nambikai thaan.

naan minime sonnen, intha steyn payyanukku chennai -la wicket-a kuduthu formkku kondu vantaingea Crying or Very sad

now, we need 11 dravids for second innings to salvage a draw.

pacers - india

lets hope shantha reminds he is a pace bowler and RP gets back to form!! and 11 dravids for second innings

onnu irukkaradhe india thaangala

sari ippo test team with seniors bundled out in less than 20 overs - wud anyone dare make the comment that ODI team always plays like T20

adhukulla dhoni bashing aarambichuche adhunaala kekkarein

From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 1:52:37 2008.

76 all out! what a shocking performance....have the indians handed the match on the platter to the saffers by preparing a green pitch! got to see how our 'talented' seam attack respond to this!
From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 1:52:43 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Thunbathilum oru Inbam enna na Thalaivar tendulkar intha match velayadala

I can surely say the scorecard wont be like this when Tendulkar was around
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 1:52:53 2008.

sriranga wrote:

india played exactly 20 overs,
good preparation for IPL. vaazhga IPL, valarga BCCI.
From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 1:54:18 2008.

steyn jus proves why he is regarded highly as a bowler! awesome performance and this bowler is their best find since allan donald!
From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 1:54:27 2008.

cedyblue/sriranga - pls dont blame the pitch for this now - if we can play at WACA then why not here? as far as wickets fallen are concerned none were due to demons in track - correct me if am wrong
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 1:55:05 2008.

whatever the nature of the pitch, 76 can not be justified at all. No body is willing to adapt. We have the talent to score better than this meagre total
From: littlemaster1982 on Thu Apr 3 1:56:18 2008.

The match is gone for us in the first 20 overs. Namma bowlers indha alavukku bowl pannuvaangala-ngarathu periya kelvikkuri. Paarkkalam
From: Billgates on Thu Apr 3 1:57:11 2008.

Is it first time a team gets bowled out before lunch ?
Cricinfo says, India's lowest total was 42 agt England in 1974
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 1:57:13 2008.

Enga namma bala, sanguine sridar ellam kaanom
From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 1:57:25 2008.

i thought few people here blamed dravid for once choosing to bat on lahore green top wicket after winning the toss.
though few experts said it was a courageous decision to bat first on a green top, once the match was lost they all turned their backs on him.
can we blame the captain kumble here for misreading the pitch if we lose the test?
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 1:57:41 2008.

the line and length applied by SA is to be repeated for taking wickets. Our bowlers cannot afford to be expensive as they always are consdering the defensive total

Catches have to be taken
From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 1:58:23 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Enga namma bala, sanguine sridar ellam kaanom
funeral kkulla vandhuduvaanga

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 1:59:05 2008.

Even graeme smith said he wanted to bat if he won the toss Rolling Eyes

i thought few people here blamed dravid for once choosing to bat on lahore green top wicket after winning the toss.
though few experts said it was a courageous decision to bat first on a green top, once the match was lost they all turned their backs on him.
can we blame the captain kumble here for misreading the pitch if we lose the test?

From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 1:59:48 2008.

cedyblue/sriranga - pls dont blame the pitch for this now - if we can play at WACA then why not here? as far as wickets fallen are concerned none were due to demons in track - correct me if am wrong Rolling Eyes

apparently, Dravid got a gem.

blame gangs, lax, sehwag, jafer, dravid.
Dhoni, avarukku pinnaala vara soni ellam blame panna mudiyadhu. they are T20 champs. they can play only that kind of cricket.

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 1:59:48 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Enga namma bala, sanguine sridar ellam kaanom

Venaam Bala anne Venaam.. Avaru Dhoni ya kaatu kaatu nu katuvaaru!!
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 1:59:49 2008.

directhit wrote:

ajithfederer wrote:

Enga namma bala, sanguine sridar ellam kaanom
funeral kku vandhuduvaanga

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:00:03 2008.

if SA bats thru for some 100-120 overs now, no need to blame Kumble

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:01:46 2008.

apparently, Dravid got a gem.

blame gangs, lax, sehwag, jafer, dravid.
Dhoni, avarukku pinnaala vara soni ellam blame panna mudiyadhu. they are T20 champs. they can play only that kind of cricket.

oh is it - havent seen the wickets. every batsman needs to be blamed - incl Dhoni. test cricket la total 20 overs

anyways lets see SA reply

From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 2:01:58 2008.

True to our spirits, we had always been good hosts. belter we score 600 seamer track 76

From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 2:02:18 2008.

Even graeme smith said he wanted to bat if he won the toss Rolling Eyes

yeah, he must be laughing his a@@ off.

irukave iruku, "its a lucky toss to lose" comment.

From: MrJudge on Thu Apr 3 2:02:18 2008.

sriranga wrote:

i thougth i mentioned top scorer so far.

india has a healthy runrate of 4.
hope it helps. i dunno how.

Yeah, I understood what you meant. But we all know how much he scored in the last match too

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:02:53 2008.

Even graeme smith said he wanted to bat if he won the toss Rolling Eyes

Avar aasapattathu nadanthuruchu.. First Day First Session la Bat pannanum nu aasa pattaru atha thaan ippo pannikittu irukaanga!!

From: cancer on Thu Apr 3 2:03:48 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Thunbathilum oru Inbam enna na Thalaivar tendulkar intha match velayadala

I can surely say the scorecard wont be like this when Tendulkar was around

Yes 75 world record ai Muriadchiruppanga

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:04:41 2008.

Cricbuzz wrote:

Was it that nightmarish a wicket or was it some sensational immaculate bowling from the South Africans? To be really frank, the wicket didn't have any demons in it, the South African pacers bowled in great channels all the time and forced the batsmen to dish out a dismissal, 6 batsmen were bowled and that goes to say tons about the accuracy with which the Proteas were bowling. Steyn picked up his 8th five-for in Tests and was provided with great support from Ntini and Morkel

From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 2:05:41 2008.

Thunbathilum oru Inbam enna na Thalaivar tendulkar intha match velayadala ROTFL

I can surely say the scorecard wont be like this when Tendulkar was around Cool

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:09:47 2008.

From: cancer on Thu Apr 3 2:06:46 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

ajithfederer wrote:

Enga namma bala, sanguine sridar ellam kaanom

Venaam Bala anne Venaam.. Avaru Dhoni ya kaatu kaatu nu katuvaaru!!

Dhoni ai Test match la vilayada vidrathellam periya comedy.
From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:08:28 2008.

no one has complaints on Dada/VVS/Jaffer/Dravid

Thunbathilum oru Inbam enna na Thalaivar tendulkar intha match velayadala ROTFL

I can surely say the scorecard wont be like this when Tendulkar was around Cool

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:09:48 2008.

Enga namma bala, sanguine sridar ellam kaanom Razz

Venaam Bala anne Venaam.. Avaru Dhoni ya kaatu kaatu nu katuvaaru!!

Dhoni ai Test match la vilayada vidrathellam periya comedy. Laughing

Siva athellam onnum illa.. Oru 2ndu match a vechu ippadi ellam pesa koodathu!

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:10:46 2008.

directhit wrote:

no one has complaints on Dada/VVS/Jaffer/Dravid

I have Poruppu Less seniors.. and its time to drop VVS!! Bring in Badrinath Pls....
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:11:30 2008.

Too much Dropping VVS is a blasphemy !!

Kalyasi wrote:

directhit wrote:

no one has complaints on Dada/VVS/Jaffer/Dravid

I have Poruppu Less seniors.. and its time to drop VVS!!

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:12:23 2008.

Thunbathilum oru Inbam enna na Thalaivar tendulkar intha match velayadala ROTFL

I can surely say the scorecard wont be like this when Tendulkar was around Cool

AF - nadathunga nadathunga - unga neram SRT velayaadala - no thangamani ensooooooooy

From: Billgates on Thu Apr 3 2:12:38 2008.

Enga namma bala, sanguine sridar ellam kaanom Razz

Venaam Bala anne Venaam.. Avaru Dhoni ya kaatu kaatu nu katuvaaru!!

Dhoni ai Test match la vilayada vidrathellam periya comedy. Laughing

Hello its a collective failure today. Why you r blaming Dhoni ?

From: kb on Thu Apr 3 2:12:46 2008.

i would say the combo of ntini and steyn was great..

first was bowling outside the off and bringin it in and the latter pitching on middle and off and goin towards off stump..

avanuku apidi vilayadanum.. ivanuku ippadi .. paththathuku morkel vanthu bouncer potu.. dhoni nadunga vachaaan

lax and dravid were out for a gud delivery.. maththellam

Is Indian team is missing sachin.. aabuku

From: cancer on Thu Apr 3 2:12:52 2008.

Thunbathilum oru Inbam enna na Thalaivar tendulkar intha match velayadala ROTFL

I can surely say the scorecard wont be like this when Tendulkar was around Cool

Irunthirunthaal ngira intha peche inga devai illai,

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:13:00 2008.

I have Poruppu Less seniors.. and its time to drop VVS!!

no one has complaints on Dada/VVS/Jaffer/Dravid Rolling Eyes

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:13:37 2008.

Yen unga dhoni irunthaare LOL

Thunbathilum oru Inbam enna na Thalaivar tendulkar intha match velayadala ROTFL

I can surely say the scorecard wont be like this when Tendulkar was around Cool

AF - nadathunga nadathunga - unga neram SRT velayaadala - no thangamani ensooooooooy Razz

From: cancer on Thu Apr 3 2:14:19 2008.

Enga namma bala, sanguine sridar ellam kaanom Razz

Venaam Bala anne Venaam.. Avaru Dhoni ya kaatu kaatu nu katuvaaru!!

Dhoni ai Test match la vilayada vidrathellam periya comedy. Laughing

Siva athellam onnum illa.. Oru 2ndu match a vechu ippadi ellam pesa koodathu!

No way Kalyan, this guy is not eligible to play Test matches.

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:14:35 2008.

I have Poruppu Less seniors.. and its time to drop VVS!!

no one has complaints on Dada/VVS/Jaffer/Dravid Rolling Eyes

Ithaye innum 20 Years ku solluveenga pola... Appo kooda avaru Kolkatta la 281 adichatha thaan example ku kondu varuveengala?

Badrinath is performing very well in the domestic arena.. Pls give him a chance... At least rest VVS...

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:15:47 2008.

Quote:

If you just flip the pages of the history books, this is the second lowest total ever recorded by India in Tests at home, just one run ahead of the lowest they gathered on home soil. The lowest total scored by India on home soil is 75 against the Windies in the year 1987 at the Feroz Shah Kotla. But when it comes down to the number of overs it took to clean up the Indians, this is the lowest ever in India, 20 overs... Indians are the Twenty20 Champs, they like finishing and getting things finished quickly, isn't it?

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:16:11 2008.

I cant believe that you are talking like this. VVS played some good knocks in Australia as well Shocked

If you want to drop someone from test level drop dhoni and bring Karthik. I repeat again Dhoni's wicket is very easy for quality bowling attacks.

I have Poruppu Less seniors.. and its time to drop VVS!!

no one has complaints on Dada/VVS/Jaffer/Dravid Rolling Eyes

From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 2:18:39 2008.

To some extent , VVS takes time to settle down and he is wristy player. It takes some time for his to move his feet and that is his undoing mostly. His defence at times leaves a lot to be desired.

he has always be in and out of team

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:19:06 2008.

I cant believe that you are talking like this. VVS played some good knocks in Australia as well Shocked

If you want to drop someone from test level drop dhoni and bring Karthik. I repeat again Dhoni's wicket is very easy for quality bowling attacks.

I have Poruppu Less seniors.. and its time to drop VVS!!

no one has complaints on Dada/VVS/Jaffer/Dravid Rolling Eyes

And Karthik's Wicket will be even more easier for those quality bowling attacks if he bats @ No 7 or No 6...

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:19:09 2008.

Kalyan, why drop VVS?! i mean on what basis - he was one of the consistent performer in Australia - why have Yuvi in the squad when he is least fit to be even 12th man and he has been performing bad too in tests - bring badrinath in for him into the squad first - and the wall hasnt been of concrete for many matches now - all we get is some 60-80 odd knocks off 300 odd deliveries with an argument of he held one side firm etc. Test cricket is not anymore about playing out overs alone, requires run scoring at a decent pace - no one needs RPO of 6 but atleast 3.5 above is needed - Sadly the wall is not able to do so. SG has failed in both the innings so far in this series too. Jaffer is rather a JOKER outside off

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:20:49 2008.

Karthik was the one among the top scorers as an opener in the England test series which is known for moving wickets Razz

Dhoni leave alone the number 6 spot imagine him as an opener Laughing

I cant believe that you are talking like this. VVS played some good knocks in Australia as well Shocked

If you want to drop someone from test level drop dhoni and bring Karthik. I repeat again Dhoni's wicket is very easy for quality bowling attacks.

I have Poruppu Less seniors.. and its time to drop VVS!!

no one has complaints on Dada/VVS/Jaffer/Dravid Rolling Eyes

And Karthik's Wicket will be even more easier for those quality bowling attacks if he bats @ No 7 or No 6...

From: cancer on Thu Apr 3 2:21:22 2008.

To some extent , VVS takes time to settle down and he is wristy player. It takes some time for his to move his feet and that is his undoing mostly. His defence at times leaves a lot to be desired.

he has always be in and out of team Razz

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:21:41 2008.

I cant believe that you are talking like this. VVS played some good knocks in Australia as well Shocked

If you want to drop someone from test level drop dhoni and bring Karthik. I repeat again Dhoni's wicket is very easy for quality bowling attacks.

AF, tht aint gonna happen

- this too is blasphemy!!

From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 2:22:23 2008.

Kalyan, why drop VVS?! i mean on what basis - he was one of the consistent performer in Australia - why have Yuvi in the squad when he is least fit to be even 12th man and he has been performing bad too in tests - bring badrinath in for him into the squad first - and the wall hasnt been of concrete for many matches now - all we get is some 60-80 odd knocks off 300 odd deliveries with an argument of he held one side firm etc. Test cricket is not anymore about playing out overs alone, requires run scoring at a decent pace - no one needs RPO of 6 but atleast 3.5 above is needed - Sadly the wall is not able to do so. SG has failed in both the innings so far in this series too. Jaffer is rather a JOKER outside off

Dravid is made fun of quite well. Ok for his present form

But have a heart, think abt his commitment to the team cause and going to the extent of wicket keeping in one dayers to accomodate players.

Ok. At present he is not in his prime form

From: MrJudge on Thu Apr 3 2:22:54 2008.

Billgates wrote:

Hello its a collective failure today. Why you r blaming Dhoni ?

This fearless cricketer's average against australia in the last series is 17+. When he shouts about dropping guys who don't perform in 5O and 20 over games, why can't the BCCI apply the same yardstrick while selecting the players for the test format too? Why can't they groom some other wicket keeper who can score 15s 16s etc....?

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:22:58 2008.

Vazzga jananayagam !! Varuga maruthanayagam Not Worthy

I cant believe that you are talking like this. VVS played some good knocks in Australia as well Shocked

If you want to drop someone from test level drop dhoni and bring Karthik. I repeat again Dhoni's wicket is very easy for quality bowling attacks.

AF, tht aint gonna happen Cool

- this too is blasphemy!! Razz

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:23:19 2008.

anoops i dont mind dropping Jaffer... and getting Gambhir in place of Jaffer wud be fine for me.. But badri has been knocking the doors for so many months but he hasn't been given any chance... Reg Dropping Dravid or Ganguly I dont have any qualms over it. either Dravid, Ganguly or VVS need to be dropped to give Badri a chance!!

From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 2:23:20 2008.

i think saurav is having a poor run in the last three test matches and on the contrary laxman has failed only in this test match! so this talk of dropping laxman is not very sensible!

regarding dhoni......lets give the guy some time! atleast he has shown he is quite capable of improving!!!!whom do u want instead?????dinesh karthik....parthiv patel????comeon guys gimme a break.....dhoni has improved his keeping so much and his leadership qualities are promising! we will give him some time before we judge his creditals as a a test batsman!

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:24:47 2008.

But have a heart, think abt his commitment to the team cause and going to the extent of wicket keeping in one dayers to accomodate players.

Ok. At present he is not in his prime form

Dravid is made fun of quite well. Ok for his present form Laughing

wrap07 - i have nothing against RD's batting nor for that matter any other batsmen in the team except Jaffer

its jus that he (RD) looks so tentative in all the recent matches and he is not his own self. I still remember RD scoring runs at more than 6 RPO rate in England ODI series - that was not long back, but now looks like he is in a shell and even AK as captain is not able to get him his confidence

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:25:26 2008.

i think saurav is having a poor run in the last three test matches and on the contrary laxman has failed only in this test match! so this talk of dropping laxman is not very sensible!

regarding dhoni......lets give the guy some time! atleast he has shown he is quite capable of improving!!!!whom do u want instead?????dinesh karthik....parthiv patel????comeon guys gimme a break.....dhoni has improved his keeping so much and his leadership qualities are promising! we will give him some time before we judge his creditals as a a test batsman!

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:26:09 2008.

Not even performing . Its based on fielding

In test format, he aint even scoring !!!

Hello its a collective failure today. Why you r blaming Dhoni ?

This fearless cricketer's average against australia in the last series is 17+. When he shouts about dropping guys who don't perform in 5O and 20 over games, why can't the BCCI apply the same yardstrick while selecting the players for the test format too? Why can't they groom some other wicket keeper who can score 15s 16s etc....?

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:27:14 2008.

Vazzga jananayagam !! Varuga maruthanayagam Not Worthy

I cant believe that you are talking like this. VVS played some good knocks in Australia as well Shocked

If you want to drop someone from test level drop dhoni and bring Karthik. I repeat again Dhoni's wicket is very easy for quality bowling attacks.

AF, tht aint gonna happen Cool

- this too is blasphemy!! Razz

AF, when we speak about Dhoni its always abt his batting aint it?! its a test match and he is a W/K and is been doing a wonderful job so far in that aspect - except for the premature celebration leading to catch drop in the last test i dont recall him missing any catches/stumpings in recent past. agreed his batting has been bad though

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:27:59 2008.

if at all this happens, it would be Rohit sharma entering the team and not Badrinath

From: littlemaster1982 on Thu Apr 3 2:28:16 2008.

Hello its a collective failure today. Why you r blaming Dhoni ?

For a change I agree with Judge

From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 2:28:57 2008.

You are right. I totally agree. As u said, with the confidence of Ak, Rahul should come back to his actual form

wrap07 - i have nothing against RD's batting nor for that matter any other batsmen in the team except Jaffer Twisted Evil

From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 2:29:18 2008.

if you want to know what is getting out to a good ball - watch dravid's wicket.

laxman was unlucky the ball was doing too much illai 3 much. coming from way outside the offstump and clipping off stump.

i have seen enough of badrinath .
he is a strokemaker and playes lot of strokes on the offside, some in the air. shud be easy pickings for SA. not sure how he wud have performed better in this test.

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:29:51 2008.

His wicket keeping has improved leaps and bounds . No doubts Smile

But his batting has been of deteriorating standards. And i'm not saying that he is not scoring 50's or 100's or complaining that he is not winning matches but his batting has been relatively low standards. Look at what they did for yuvi and jaffer in the aus series they dropped both of em when they didnt perform. Why this evident double standards in team selection is what i dont understand Huh?!

Vazzga jananayagam !! Varuga maruthanayagam Not Worthy

I cant believe that you are talking like this. VVS played some good knocks in Australia as well Shocked

If you want to drop someone from test level drop dhoni and bring Karthik. I repeat again Dhoni's wicket is very easy for quality bowling attacks.

AF, tht aint gonna happen Cool

- this too is blasphemy!! Razz

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:31:05 2008.

Not even performing . Its based on fielding

In test format, he aint even scoring !!!

Hello its a collective failure today. Why you r blaming Dhoni ?

Yes its all about the attitude in which you play the game.. U have to have a diehard attitude to get a place in Dhoni's team. No matter u win or lose.... But this is Kumble's team where in there are places for Lazy guys and why not Dhoni??

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:31:26 2008.

Agreed Dravids wicket was a beauty. Laxman was qute unlucky as well Embarassed

if you want to know what is getting out to a good ball - watch dravid's wicket.

laxman was unlucky the ball was doing too much illai 3 much. coming from way outside the offstump and clipping off stump.

From: littlemaster1982 on Thu Apr 3 2:31:32 2008.

What is the weather forecast for Ahmedabad? Chances of rain
From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:32:21 2008.

Kalyan Start Meesic
From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 2:32:36 2008.

littlemaster1982 wrote:

What is the weather forecast for Ahmedabad? Chances of rain

asai dosai appalam vadai
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:32:43 2008.

littlemaster1982 wrote:

What is the weather forecast for Ahmedabad? Chances of rain
From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:33:26 2008.

Cricinfo wrote:

Nine and Ten are back in the pavilion. It's upto Jack. Sreesanth walks in
nalla vela Joker nu sollaama irundhaangale
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:34:08 2008.

directhit wrote:

Kalyan Start Meesic

Aarambitachatu... neenga lead guitar a eduthukonga

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:35:06 2008.

Kalyasi Going by merit of selection dhoni doesnt deserve a place adopting his own ODI selection principles. We wouldnt have won a test victory in aus after the ugliest sydney test going by your arguments Cool

And i dont buy argument of lazy/die hard attitude teams Razz

Not even performing . Its based on fielding

In test format, he aint even scoring !!!

Hello its a collective failure today. Why you r blaming Dhoni ?

From: littlemaster1982 on Thu Apr 3 2:35:25 2008.

Idhu maadhiri edhaavadhu nadandhaa nalla irukkum. Ellam oru nambikkaidhaan

http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63848.html
From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 2:35:52 2008.

ganguly wicket patheengala, enamo barathanatyam step marandha madhiri oru looku kudutharu.
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 2:36:53 2008.

sriranga wrote:

ganguly wicket patheengala, enamo barathanatyam step marandha madhiri oru looku kudutharu.

From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 2:39:02 2008.

Hello its a collective failure today. Why you r blaming Dhoni ?

all this talk about dhoni and his batting form is fine! but what we conveniently forget is the history of indian wicketkeepers!

how many wicketkeepers have india tried in the last two decades....d how have they been???

vijay yadav, viswanath, chandrakant pandit, more, mongia, saba karim, sameer dighe, vijay dahia, deep dasgupta, ajay ratra, parthiv patil d dinesh karthik.........barring parthiv d karthik who showed some promised with the bat.....no one was quite good enough.

...here was one keeper who came from the outskirts of india and displayed aggression and flamboyance, qualities invisible in other wicket keepers....d simply because he is not scoring runs.....we want to see his back.........BTW i am not a great fan of his batting style....but still he is way ahead of all other keepers in our country!

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:41:36 2008.

And i dont buy argument of lazy/die hard attitude teams Razz

Not even performing . Its based on fielding

In test format, he aint even scoring !!!

Hello its a collective failure today. Why you r blaming Dhoni ?

Drop Dhoni from the Test Side If Possible... Naanga onnume sollalaye... Apporom varavanukku badhila Dhoniye evvalavo mel nu neenga purinjupeenga..

And abt victory against Aus in Perth it was all bcoz of the young blood that provided us a gr8 start when Aus batted...

Attitude does matter AF... Fight till the very end ngara attitude iruntha u will make the public interested in the game...

From: MrJudge on Thu Apr 3 2:42:52 2008.

when we speak about Dhoni its always abt his batting aint it?! its a test match and he is a W/K and is been doing a wonderful job so far in that aspect - except for the premature celebration leading to catch drop in the last test i dont recall him missing any catches/stumpings in recent past. agreed his batting has been bad though Embarassed

I don't understand one thing here, we have three formats now and only one wicket keeper. What if he is injured not available for the next match? Will we expect the poor substitute to perform immediately? Relying on one guy is always risky, If we don't have to consider Dhoni's batting, I think Indian team can manage even with Dinesh Karthik for tests.

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:42:59 2008.

Hello its a collective failure today. Why you r blaming Dhoni ?

all this talk about dhoni and his batting form is fine! but what we conveniently forget is the history of indian wicketkeepers! Laughing

how many wicketkeepers have india tried in the last two decades....d how have they been??? Razz

CEDYBLUE Nalla Vaasikareenga Neenga Drums Eduthukonga... Continue Meesic

From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 2:43:50 2008.

his selection policies in the ODIs and his stupid comments to the media are all but shows his inexperience d immaturity! but the guy is only going to learn and his aggersive captaincy is like breath of fresh air!

it is extremely good that he faces a challenge in his test career! thats the greatest thing to happen to indian cricket....because it was appearing as if he was getting away with everything and sucees seemed easy! but now he needs to dig deep! good that this is happenning!
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:44:59 2008.

Kalyasi, Let me get this straight

I dont remember dhoni contributing with the bat in any test matches offlate. He is in the team as a wicket keeper batsman, And there are other better keepers waiting who can better than dhoni in the longer version. Give them chances as well.

PS: and i acknowledge the fact that he has done well with the gloves as well..

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:45:34 2008.

Appadi ellam paatha Ian Helay, Gilly, Sangakara va rely panni avanga team romba kaalam irukalaya...

We r giving opp to DKD when its available...

And u cannot expect dhoni to perform everytime when the top order had failed badly...

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:48:57 2008.

his selection policies in the ODIs and his stupid comments to the media are all but shows his inexperience d immaturity! but the guy is only going to learn and his aggersive captaincy is like breath of fresh air! Not Worthy

it is extremely good that he faces a challenge in his test career! thats the greatest thing to happen to indian cricket....because it was appearing as if he was getting away with everything and sucees seemed easy! but now he needs to dig deep! good that this is happenning!

i think his selection policies (except for very few which were strange though they too clicked) were aggressive and good - his comments to media has been straight forward and as long as he continues to be that way its a lot better than beating around the bush!! and yes, yeah only when he fails, that too repeatedly we would get to know how good he is!!

From: littlemaster1982 on Thu Apr 3 2:50:51 2008.

Hello its a collective failure today. Why you r blaming Dhoni ?

all this talk about dhoni and his batting form is fine! but what we conveniently forget is the history of indian wicketkeepers! Laughing

how many wicketkeepers have india tried in the last two decades....d how have they been??? Razz

Cedy,

The talks about Dhoni is not based on one or two innings. His performance in tests recently is not worth mentioning. He doesn't seem to learn too. I didn't see his dismissal today, but did you see how he got out in Chennai test. That was pathetic.

If I'm not wrong, Dhoni is celebrated as the true wicket keeper batsman we got after a long time. But the claim is not that true as far as test matches go.

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:50:59 2008.

Kalyasi, Let me get this straight

I dont remember dhoni contributing with the bat in any test matches offlate. He is in the team as a wicket keeper batsman, And there are other better keepers waiting who can better than dhoni in the longer version. Give them chances as well.

PS: and i acknowledge the fact that he has done well with the gloves as well..

I agree with you AF but there has to be a proper replacement for Dhoni... Not DKD... A power hitter with a cool head is more suited @ no 6 or 7 as u need those kind of batsmen when u are looking to set a target... We need a better platform from our top order for that to happen though..

Remember Dhoni Saved a test match @ lords last year... After that he has played 10 test matches and failed in 5 of them....

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:51:58 2008.

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:52:17 2008.

well we have only two openers in sehwag/jaffer - what if they are injured, lets bring on aashish chopra - we have only one opening pace bowler, ishant - what if he is injured nu do we bring on some other new bowler

IMO he is a wicket keeper first and that too in test matches its a much more important position

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:52:52 2008.

Ishanth sharma's services will be dearly missed today

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:53:19 2008.

Quote:

2.3 Sreesanth to McKenzie, no run, good length delivery on the off, pitched up in the corridor of uncertainty, curving in and shapes away from the right hander sharply, McKenzie gets forward and looks to defend it, beaten all ends up...

2.2 Sreesanth to Smith, byes, 1 run, back of a length angling away from the left hander, Smith looks to force it through the covers, beaten all ends up, Mahendra Singh Dhoni fumbles and concedes a bonus run

2.1 Sreesanth to Smith, no run, glorious delivery, pitched up in the corridor of uncertainty, shapes away from the left hander sharply, Smith gets forward and looks to defend it, beats the outside edge by just a kitten's whisker, close shave...

hmmmmmm Seems good

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:54:22 2008.

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 3:00:12 2008.

IMO 100% true

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:55:16 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Ishanth sharma's services will be dearly missed today

Yes and with his Wide angle bowling, he cud have done for India, what ntini did for SA
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:56:13 2008.

how did he got out in chennai test?
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:56:29 2008.

SA 9/0
From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:56:43 2008.

http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/current/records/283163.html
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:57:28 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

how did he got out in chennai test?

Yeri vanthu yetho shot adika pathu yetho aayi slip ku catch poi out aayitaaru..

Aana appo the situation was demanding him to play like that!!
From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 2:57:55 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

how did he got out in chennai test?
he came out of the crease once to steyn, he banged it short and dhoni missed the first ball - rather moved away taking evasive action. and then again after couple of balls did the same and this time too Steyn banged it short and dhoni cudnt do anything other than edge it!!
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 2:59:35 2008.

Thanks
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 2:59:41 2008.

3.5 RP Singh to McKenzie, FOUR!!, slightly short on the off, slanting away from the right hander ever so sharply, McKenzie was very tentative on that occasion, hangs his bat at it, outside edge and the ball falls agonisingly close to the 2nd slip, just short and goes through the cordon, runs down to third man for four, streaky, misfortune for RP Singh...

SA 13/0

http://www.prempanicker.com/index.php?/site/that_space_between_the_ears/

Prem Panicker wrote:

India has just been bowled out�and the key statistic for me is not the 76 the home team has on the board, but the 20 overs 11 batsmen managed to last.

You can bet good money that during the endless mid-play and post-play analysis, the one question that will be repeated ad nauseum is why, �on a pitch like this�, India chose to bat first; why Anil Kumble, on winning the toss, didn�t insert and let the seamers lose on this track. Especially, it will be pointed out, when they had jettisoned the unfit Sachin Tendulkar and replaced him with Irfan Pathan, thus lightening the batting and strengthening the bowling.

Fair question (more on this tomorrow, when I fetch from home a book worth quoting from)�but for me, the seeds of this collapse were sown last evening, not this morning. The print edition of the Times [e-paper link�see page 23] has this story, titled �India staring at bare facts�.

I�ll spare you the convoluted comparison between the wicket and a woman, and give you the gist: apparently the captain and coach spent the heck of a long time before the team�s final practice session staring at the pitch; after the warm up, it was the turn of Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni and VVS Laxman to touch and stare endlessly...

Keep that in mind, and watch the endless replays of the collapse that we will be treated to through the day and through what remains of the Test�the one thing in common you�ll notice is how batsman after batsman was caught neither forward nor back; hanging around in indeterminate fashion in that nowhere space, tentative bat a manifest indicator of that inner confusion (Note too the corollary�batsman after batsman bowled off the inside edge as they hung around on top of the crease with bat held away from body).

Arun Lal has already used the phrase �difficult pitch� thrice that I know of, and doubtless that phrase will be repeated many more times during the lunch break. Did you see any sign of inordinate bounce or undue seam? I didn�t. So why is the pitch difficult�unless you use that word to describe anything that doesn�t let you hit every ball wherever you fancy, like Chennai?

The commentators have also exhausted their stock of superlatives for the South African bowling�but if you break it down, this is what they did: they bowled quick, kept the length on the fullish side, and wicket to wicket; isn�t that what you would expect of what is arguably the best pace attack in contemporary cricket?

Neither pitch nor bowling, IMHO, has been unusual�what contributed to India�s collapse is batsmen who thought themselves into a state of total paralysis.

In the past, when such pitches have been presented to the Indians, an immediate, almost automatic fallout has been the team management complaining to the board about the curator in question. I hope it doesn�t happen this time�you can�t go banging on about wanting sporting pitches in public, and in private do everything possible to ensure that you get the sort of beauties the �famous four� or �fab five� or �super six� can feast on.

Update: Interesting list�and what India might want to keep in mind is that it has, this decade, rolled South Africa inside 25 overs, in Johannesburg. Point being, the team mentally set itself up to be mugged; the only game in town is to go back out there and do a bit of mugging in its own turn, or this game is gone.

a very good article

From: MrJudge on Thu Apr 3 3:01:20 2008.

He performed well during the pakistan and bangladesh series. All the guys you mentioned above especially Gilly and Sangakkara proved that they are good at both formats. If Dhoni is not fit for test, why retain him? Give chances to somebody else and that will be handy for the other formats too if he is injured. I doubt Dhoni will shine as a test player in the long run.

We can't expect him to perform when the top order fails, agreed. But the way he talks about non-performance of other players makes us to believe he is going to do better than them which is not true in reality.

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 3:01:24 2008.

4.1 Sreesanth to Smith, no run, beautiful delivery from Sreesanth, full and on the stumps, jabs back into the left hander ever so sharply, Smith gets forward and looks to work it away, hits it straight to Ganguly at forward short leg, straight in and straight out, Ganguly was more on his heels than on the toes on that occasion, catch dropped!!, by the way... what is Ganguly doing at that position, you need to have specialists there!!!

Ippovavathu othukareengala AF attitude and fitness does matter

From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 3:02:02 2008.

he came out of the crease once to steyn, he banged it short and dhoni missed the first ball - rather moved away taking evasive action. and then again after couple of balls did the same and this time too Steyn banged it short and dhoni cudnt do anything other than edge it!!

how did he got out in chennai test? Rolling Eyes

couple of balls illai, adutha balle

in dhoni's defence, styen said he didn't see him coming down, he was planning to bowl short anyway.

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 3:04:36 2008.

oh i thought i saw some deliveries in b/w

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 3:05:54 2008.

Cricinfo wrote:

4.1 Sreesanth to Smith, no run, chance, but a tough one... Smith tries to flick a fullish delivery curving in on his pads and Ganguly at short leg nearly gets a hand to it, he had to get really low for that

Cricbuzz wrote:

4.1 Sreesanth to Smith, no run, beautiful delivery from Sreesanth, full and on the stumps, jabs back into the left hander ever so sharply, Smith gets forward and looks to work it away, hits it straight to Ganguly at forward short leg, straight in and straight out, Ganguly was more on his heels than on the toes on that occasion, catch dropped!!, by the way... what is Ganguly doing at that position, you need to have specialists there!!!

so different commentary

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 3:06:24 2008.

4.3 Sreesanth to Smith, 2 runs, full and outside the off stump, angling away from the left hander, Smith opens the face of the bat and slices it to deep backward point, goes through Kumble at gully, poor misfield...

From: littlemaster1982 on Thu Apr 3 3:09:37 2008.

Yeri vanthu yetho shot adika pathu yetho aayi slip ku catch poi out aayitaaru..

Aana appo the situation was demanding him to play like that!!

how did he got out in chennai test? Rolling Eyes

With right leg in the air????!!!!!

See this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myduZmE2fCc

From: Billgates on Thu Apr 3 3:11:04 2008.

WHERE IS GARY KIRSTEN UNCLE
From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 3:11:31 2008.

the pitch has unusual amount of grass and the ball is definitely doing a lot.

bring Irfan pathan, RP just not putting in enough effort, not sure if he is 100%, was he the one who produced the certifiate from the maternity hospital?
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 3:12:33 2008.

Billgates wrote:

WHERE IS GARY KIRSTEN UNCLE

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 3:12:56 2008.

the pitch has unusual amount of grass and the ball is definitely doing a lot.

bring Irfan pathan, RP just not putting in enough effort, not sure if he is 100%, was he the one who produced the certifiate from the maternity hospital?

i think it was Dada

and poor Gary Kirsten - maybe the team is plotting things against him purposely

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 3:13:10 2008.

6.2 Sreesanth to Smith, FOUR!!, slightly short outside the off stump, angling away from the left hander sharply, Smith punches it off the backfoot square of the wicket on the off side, Harbhajan Singh messes it up completely, what was he doing there on that occasion? Sreesanth is absolutely livid with this... someone fetch him with fishing nets to catch the ball!!!
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 3:14:19 2008.

SA 27/0.. By now India had lost 4 wickets
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 3:15:55 2008.

Avvalothaan New Ball oda Shine ellam poyaachu.. Inimel Pathan a kondu vantha enna varatti enna....

Ithula SA trails by 46 runs ngaratha patha sirippu sirippa varuthu...
From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 3:17:27 2008.

second innings-la sehwag munooru run adipaapla, naama jeyichiralaaam.

empaa kumble, RP singh-a innum over poda vuduriye, oru karbini ponna ippadi paduthariye, nee nalla iruppiya?

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 3:18:46 2008.

second innings-la sehwag munooru run adipaapla, naama jeyichiralaaam.

empaa kumble, RP singh-a innum over poda vuduriye, oru karbini ponna ippadi paduthariye, nee nalla iruppiya?

Garbam kalnja Kumble Poruppu ethupaara..

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 3:21:08 2008.

okie no point seeing this match unless SA bundles out for less than 200!!
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 3:32:02 2008.

9.4 RP Singh to McKenzie, FOUR!!, another one outside the off stump, McKenzie opens the face of the bat at the last moment, slices it to square third man this time, result is the same... back to back boundaries in back to back overs!!!

9.3 RP Singh to McKenzie, FOUR!!, overpitched delivery outside the off stump, slanting away from the right hander, McKenzie absolutely laid into that one, drilled to deep extra cover for four, spanking cover drive!!!

Bangladesh kuda compete panaanga... Aana
From: selvakumar on Thu Apr 3 3:59:44 2008.

what ? Indian innings mudinjiruchaa
From: MrJudge on Thu Apr 3 4:01:14 2008.

selvakumar wrote:

what ? Indian innings mudinjiruchaa

vaamma minallu annan selvakumar vanthirikkaaha

antha katha thaan innaikku nadanthirukku
From: villan007 on Thu Apr 3 4:02:16 2008.

Thalaiva...series mudinja odane retire aayidu...
From: selvakumar on Thu Apr 3 4:09:30 2008.

MrJudge wrote:

selvakumar wrote:

what ? Indian innings mudinjiruchaa

vaamma minallu annan selvakumar vanthirikkaaha

antha katha thaan innaikku nadanthirukku

I came to the office late and had good amount of work. athaan check pannala. but itha naan ethirpaarkala.

anyway, I think dravid and ganguly might be dropped (prob avanga indian climate la sariya odalannu.. ethavathu reason). VVS too. Youngsters will be brought in

vaazhga selectors
From: selvakumar on Thu Apr 3 4:13:56 2008.

Quote:

Only Irfan Pathan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni got to double figures,

seems DHONI had played sensibly today

From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 4:40:58 2008.

Hello its a collective failure today. Why you r blaming Dhoni ?

all this talk about dhoni and his batting form is fine! but what we conveniently forget is the history of indian wicketkeepers! Laughing

how many wicketkeepers have india tried in the last two decades....d how have they been??? Razz

justified!

dhoni in his last 10 test matches!

M 10
R 510
AV 34....

hardly inspiring and his mode of dismissals

lesser said the better.....

and yes he is celebrated as a 'dream' wicketkeeper batsman and his performances off late is way off the mark!

but let us give the man a few chances and be patient with him!!!!

and see how he does in the longer run! blaming dhoni today is not great considering india's collective batting failure!!!!lets be a bit more patient....

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 4:43:37 2008.

Appa SA 2 down
From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 4:45:35 2008.

SA 100/1

seems india is in for a leather hunt
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 4:45:37 2008.

CEDY 34 is not that bad an average for a batsman batting @ no 7
From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 4:46:37 2008.

wicket no 2!
From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 4:50:51 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

CEDY 34 is not that bad an average for a batsman batting @ no 7

not bad at all but as LM mentioned, the way he is getting out repeatedly to pacemen is pathetic! but i am confident that dhoni will fulfill his promise as a test batsman ....one thing though.......we have to tolerate his woodcutter style of batting!
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 4:51:55 2008.

wicket has eased out in the hot sun. It seems only the spinners could help the team out
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 4:53:46 2008.

In this pitch only kapil took 9/83 against the mighty west indies, i had read
though it was a lost cause.
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 4:57:56 2008.

wrap07 wrote:

In this pitch only kapil took 9/83 against the mighty west indies, i had read
though it was a lost cause.

9/83 might be in a match not in an Innings.. coz b4 kumble took his 10/74, Narendra Hiriwani had the best bowling figures for an Indian in tests...

From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 5:01:15 2008.

In this pitch only kapil took 9/83 against the mighty west indies, i had read Cool

though it was a lost cause.

9/83 might be in a match not in an Innings.. coz b4 kumble took his 10/74, Narendra Hiriwani had the best bowling figures for an Indian in tests...

It was in an innings only. I never implied that it is the best bowling effort.

what I was trying to inform was kapil had performed so well in these conditions

From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 5:04:53 2008.

In this pitch only kapil took 9/83 against the mighty west indies, i had read Cool

though it was a lost cause.

9/83 might be in a match not in an Innings.. coz b4 kumble took his 10/74, Narendra Hiriwani had the best bowling figures for an Indian in tests...

oh 9/83 is infact in an innings in 1983 in this very Sardar Patel Stadium though as wrap said....india lost that match!

From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 5:12:13 2008.

amla galli!
From: P_R on Thu Apr 3 5:12:43 2008.

wrap07 wrote:

In this pitch only kapil took 9/83 against the mighty west indies, i had read
though it was a lost cause.

Here's the match

That was the first ever Test match in this stadium.
From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 5:23:59 2008.

hayya - one more
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 5:26:07 2008.

our team is fighting back
From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 5:26:32 2008.

prince goes!

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 5:35:19 2008.

In this pitch only kapil took 9/83 against the mighty west indies, i had read Cool

though it was a lost cause.

9/83 might be in a match not in an Innings.. coz b4 kumble took his 10/74, Narendra Hiriwani had the best bowling figures for an Indian in tests...

It was in an innings only. I never implied that it is the best bowling effort.

what I was trying to inform was kapil had performed so well in these conditions

Oh I stand corrected... Thank you!!

From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 5:38:29 2008.

I don't know whether dhoni bashers were watching the match.

just saw the highlights, all his 3 fours were authentic shots, no edges,
he tried to play agressive today and got out.

after 4 wickets are down, you have to counterattack, no other option.

bhajji is bringing us back in to the match. need to restrict SA lead to under 100.

From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 5:42:27 2008.

I don't know whether dhoni bashers were watching the match.

just saw the highlights, all his 3 fours were authentic shots, no edges,
he tried to play agressive today and got out.

after 4 wickets are down, you have to counterattack, no other option.

bhajji is bringing us back in to the match. need to restrict SA lead to under 100.

under 100! thats gonna be really tough

for that to happen we need to see the back of kallis soon

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 5:43:57 2008.

for that to happen we need to see the back of kallis soon

under 100! thats gonna be really tough Rolling Eyes

yaaru paaka ready aa irukkeenga

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 5:49:50 2008.

for that to happen we need to see the back of kallis soon

under 100! thats gonna be really tough Rolling Eyes

yaaru paaka ready aa irukkeenga Confused

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 5:50:18 2008.

Quote:

It's been a long time since we have spotted Zaheer Khan on the field. Here he is having a chat with Yuvraj Singh in the dressing room.
From: sriranga on Thu Apr 3 5:50:48 2008.

Paul negative harris who bowled 50 overs in the first test for 203 runs didn't even bowl a single over today.
Indian batsmen murdabad.
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 5:53:28 2008.

Quote:

Sreesanth was not happy for something and there was a long conversation between Sreesanth and de Villiers in the drinks break. All this in the supervision of umpire Billy Doctrove.
From: CEDYBLUE on Thu Apr 3 5:57:55 2008.

kallis looks good and it looks ominous for India....someone has to get kallis soon!
From: Ramakrishna on Thu Apr 3 6:28:03 2008.

ada paavame
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 6:41:17 2008.

SA Lead by 90 Runs
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 6:49:01 2008.

SA now lead by 100 runs with 6 wickets in hand..
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 7:00:13 2008.

52.5 Pathan to de Villiers, 5 runs, back of a length delivery on the middle and leg, de Villiers drops it on the leg side with soft hands for a quick single, Pathan has a shy at the striker's end, misses, direct hit and Kallis was in trouble, Kumble was backing up on that occasion and he lets it through his gates, poor work really, not the best of examples you set as the skipper! Pathan is not at all happy...
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 7:12:42 2008.

The biggest difference between SA and our team is the Fielding which is helping them to offset their relative inexperience in batting
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 7:24:09 2008.

SA reach 200
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 7:45:08 2008.

63.5 Sreesanth to de Villiers, FOUR!!, overpitched outside the off stump, de Villiers leans into the shot and caresses it between extra cover and long off for four, glorious shot again from de Villiers... 100 partnership comes up now!!!
From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 7:47:07 2008.

63.6 Sreesanth to de Villiers, FOUR!!, full outside the off stump, de Villiers comes on the frontfoot and drives it between extra cover and long off again, RP Singh throws himself around this time, all in vain as it results the same, boundary to end the day...

End of days play... SA well placed to take a 1-0 lead @ 223/4 with a lead of 147 runs
From: Billgates on Thu Apr 3 8:21:35 2008.

INDIA IS OUT OF THIS MATCH .

ITS VERY SIMILAR TO OUR VICTORY IN SA WHERE SRISANTH TOOK LOT OF WICKETS.

HOPE THE TEAM IS NOT DEMORALISED
From: raaja_rasigan on Thu Apr 3 9:54:07 2008.

Innings defeat for India looks possible
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 11:28:20 2008.

I beleive our team will give a better fight in the second innings. There could be some surprises also
From: wrap07 on Thu Apr 3 11:30:24 2008.

Earlier, it used be like this only. when main batsman like sachin is dismissed, all will follow suit. There was some refreshing change in between when middle order fought back. Now, we are having the same syndrome.

But, I beleive this is only temporary and all players will be back in form
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 11:42:24 2008.

Vaaya va .. Ennadhu Ind 3- SA 0 eh?

Ramakrishna wrote:

ada paavame
From: Ramakrishna on Thu Apr 3 11:49:53 2008.

naa Hockey la sonnen

ajithfederer wrote:

Vaaya va .. Ennadhu Ind 3- SA 0 eh?

Ramakrishna wrote:

ada paavame
From: villan007 on Thu Apr 3 11:53:19 2008.

sangatha kalaingappa nextu meet panniklam
From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 11:55:45 2008.

Inge rk nnu oru manasthan irunthaan yaaravathu paathengala

Ramakrishna wrote:

naa Hockey la sonnen

ajithfederer wrote:

Vaaya va .. Ennadhu Ind 3- SA 0 eh?

Ramakrishna wrote:

ada paavame

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 13:29:30 2008.

Judge

From: directhit on Thu Apr 3 18:49:56 2008.

From: ajithfederer on Thu Apr 3 13:33:46 2008.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200804031942.htm

Sport
Motera Test: Statistical Highlights of Day 1

Ahmedabad (PTI) Statistical highlights of the opening day's play in the second cricket Test between India and South Africa here on Thursday.

# Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh overtakes compatriot Bishen Singh Bedi to be third highest Indian wicket-taker in Tests.

# Harbhajan is leading wicket-taker on either side, with 11 wickets at 28.54 runs apiece.

# India's 76 is their second lowest completed innings total in India, next only to their 75 against the visiting West Indians at Delhi in 1987-88.

# India's total is their second lowest total against South Africa, next only to their 66 off 34.1 overs at Durban in 1996-97.

# The previous lowest total at Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera was India's 103 against West Indies in 1983-84.

# India's total of 76 off 120 balls (20 overs) is also their shortest completed innings in terms of balls at home - their second lowest in Test cricket.

# Dale Steyn (5/23 off only eight overs) registered his first five-wicket haul against India - his eighth five-wicket haul overall. His previous best bowling in an innings against India was 4-30 at Cape Town in January 2007.

# Steyn's latest figure are his best on foreign soil and his third best overall, next only to his 6 for 49 against New Zealand at Centurion last year and 6 for 72 against West Indies at Durban in January this year.
From: Sanguine Sridhar on Thu Apr 3 15:35:33 2008.

indha match-a thalamuzhigida vendiyadhu thaane...!?

nalla vela match paakala

Quote:

"The last time we played here [in Ahmedabad] against Sri Lanka there was red soil. But now I don't see red soil anywhere, not in Chennai and even here the clay is not red," Harbhajan said. "It has been changed. Obviously, there is grass too. Every team plays to their strength [at home] and we should also do the same."

Despite reports that Anil Kumble and head curator Dhiraj Parsana were at odds against what type of surface should be prepared Harbhajan denied the pitch took the focus away for India. "Whatever wicket you get, you have to play on it," he said. "Obviously if the [home] captain was unhappy with the pitch and the curator didn't do anything about it then you just can't help it. The Indian team's strength is spin. No doubt we have good young fast bowlers but till today all the matches we have won in India are because of our strength.

http://content-eap.cricinfo.com/indvrsa/content/current/story/344947.html

From: Nerd on Thu Apr 3 19:46:08 2008.

We can't expect him to perform when the top order fails, agreed. But the way he talks about non-performance of other players makes us to believe he is going to do better than them which is not true in reality.

idhu POINT

enna pEchu pEsuvaaRu avrru mattum ODI team selection pathi.. inga oru aaNiyum pudunga mudiila..

Actually konjam rewind pannOnnA, his wicketkeeping was at its worst in the England series. But he was playing well with the bat. In the Aus and this series, his glovework has been generally good (there were let offs) his batting has been pathetic

Btw, indha match-a kAppAtha anja singam Rahul Dravid-aala mattum dhaan mudiyum

From: Kalyasi on Thu Apr 3 22:55:29 2008.

Btw, indha match-a kAppAtha anja singam Rahul Dravid-aala mattum dhaan mudiyum Cool

idhu POINT Clap

Avaru pesinathu ODI team Selection ku thaane..anga prove pannitaaru illa....Jeicha ellarum pesa thaan seivaanga.... I beleive that he knows his weakness and he is still working on that. If u guys or the selectors feel that he is not good at the test level drop him but I am sure that he will comeback strongly....

From: Nerd on Thu Apr 3 22:57:25 2008.

avaru prove pannittAru, munnAdiyE sonna mAdhiri othukkuREn But we are talking about test cricket here and IMHO, he is not fit for that

From: littlemaster1982 on Fri Apr 4 0:03:42 2008.

Quote:

'They didn't have a strategy' - Steyn

While the entire Indian team may look back at the first session of this Test - during which they were bowled out for 76 - and cough up excuses, one man isn't surprised by their capitulation. Dale Steyn, whose 5 for 23 played a pivotal role in an astonishing 109 minutes of mayhem in Ahmedabad, felt they had no game plan whatsoever.

"That's the vibe they've given off to us. Once one or two wickets fall and things kind of go wrong, they are pretty weak and the batsmen to follow didn't look they knew what they wanted to do," he said. "They didn't have a strategy. They were bowled out for 76 and I guess that's what happens when you don't have a game-plan."

It's tough for any team to settle when Steyn is in a certain groove, hostile and mixing up deliveries, but this was something else. It took him just 48 deliveries to help send the home side packing and he credited the surface for some assistance.

"There was a little bit of movement which probably scared the Indians a bit once one or two wickets fell ... it just looked like it sent a couple of shivers down the Indian line-up," he said. "It looked like the guy that came in next didn't really know how to approach it and how to play the game. We're used to playing on wickets like this back in South Africa and knew what we had to do.

"When you get a wicket like this, if you don't bowl full you're not going to find the edge of the bat so you've got to make a decision as to exactly where you're going to bowl.

"Bowling short is one thing, taking the batsmen's feet away, but it's that follow-up ball that always gets you a wicket. I think from reading in the papers they [India] weren't going to come forward before the ball was bowled so maybe that helped us. Then we were able to bowl good-length balls. The ball hit the stumps a lot and there were a lot of inside-edges because nobody was really committed on the front foot."

Planned or not, it worked against a trigger-happy line-up, especially the follow-up balls. And it was Steyn's first wicket that vindicated much of South Africa's pre-game talk. Having just nearly dragged one onto his off stump via a cramped cut, Virender Sehwag attempted the same two deliveries later and succeeded - in dislodging the bails. "Sehwag tends to play skywards towards the slips or leave hit bat hanging out towards the slips so there's always the possibility of an inside-edge," he said. "His wicket was pretty decent as was that of [Rahul] Dravid. They are two good batsmen and that's two wickets you definitely want to be getting before the game."

The ball to dismiss Dravid was excellent, breaching a master technician's defence after he misread the movement. "That was probably the best ball of the day. Hopefully I can deliver a few more of those in the second innings."

Steyn, who now has three five-wicket hauls in the subcontinent, rated this the best and was quick to point out that had his second-last over not gone for 11 the figures would've been better. His tally, in his 22nd Test, reads 114 wickets with eight five-wicket hauls.

India hit back with four wickets after South Africa's openers took the lead but thanks to a fluent 106-run stand between Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers, the visitors lead by 147. Steyn termed each run after wiping out the deficit as "gold" and was confident Kallis and de Villiers would come out on day two further South Africa's advantage. "We saw the ball moving around so we thought if we get through the day without losing any more. We needed two nice partnerships," he said. "On a pitch like this, especially against a team that just got bowled out for 76, you aim to get ahead of them and it hurts a lot.

"Maybe we can play with a bit of freedom tomorrow and up that lead to quite a big total. Then the pressure's all on them. They have to do something. You can't go into the last Test match losing this game. I don't think drawing the series at home it what India wants to do."

http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/indvrsa/content/current/story/344926.html

Steyn maanatthai vaangittaan Banging Head

From: Kalyasi on Fri Apr 4 0:13:53 2008.

Nethikku ICL Match pothu Dean Jones Atul Wasan kitta asingama ketaan .. " how come your national side had managed to get bowled out for 76 in a test match and that too in 20 overs nu".....

Asingama Pochu...
From: ajithfederer on Fri Apr 4 0:15:25 2008.

Bhajji nalla podraapla
From: Kalyasi on Fri Apr 4 0:16:30 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Bhajji nalla podraapla

Athukku onnum korachal illa
From: ajithfederer on Fri Apr 4 0:19:36 2008.

Kalyasi wrote:

ajithfederer wrote:

Bhajji nalla podraapla

Athukku onnum korachal illa
From: Kalyasi on Fri Apr 4 0:28:02 2008.

69.5 Harbhajan to Kallis, no run, some big turn for Harbhajan on that occasion, Kallis rocks back and looks to defend it, overspin on the ball there and the ball kisses the base of the stumps, the bails didn't fall, ohh! how unlucky is that... boy oh boy, Harbhajan Singh can't believe it! hard luck mate is what Kallis can say!!!
From: Kalyasi on Fri Apr 4 0:28:26 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Kalyasi wrote:

ajithfederer wrote:

Bhajji nalla podraapla

Athukku onnum korachal illa

Wicket Vizha Maatenguthengara Aathangam!!
From: Kalyasi on Fri Apr 4 0:29:02 2008.

The funny part of that sad Indian story in the last over was that Mahendra Singh Dhoni even tried to kick the ball onto the stumps but the bails still didn't come off, come on... Dhoni! He does it again and the bails remain glued, ladyluck is deeply in love with the South Africans it seems!!!

From: ajithfederer on Fri Apr 4 0:35:14 2008.

heh he he . Ellam avan seyal LOL

Athukku onnum korachal illa

Bhajji nalla podraapla Cool

Wicket Vizha Maatenguthengara Aathangam!!

From: MrJudge on Fri Apr 4 0:56:15 2008.

My point was if he insists to drop non-performers from ODI, why can't Kumble do the same? I am mad at Kumble actually. Let me remind you one thing, he didn't perform well with the bat in the T20 world cup final, and also his picks in the aus series didn't do any major work. We won the series because of bowlers and Sachin's two knock-out performances in the finals and certainly not by Dhoni's boys. And how can we forget Harbajan's role in demolishing aussie's mind game. So I won't give credit to Dhoni for both wins.

From: ajithfederer on Fri Apr 4 0:57:00 2008.

just saw that
EKSI Embarassed

69.5 Harbhajan to Kallis, no run, some big turn for Harbhajan on that occasion, Kallis rocks back and looks to defend it, overspin on the ball there and the ball kisses the base of the stumps, the bails didn't fall, ohh! how unlucky is that... boy oh boy, Harbhajan Singh can't believe it! hard luck mate is what Kallis can say!!!

From: Kalyasi on Fri Apr 4 0:58:00 2008.

It's been all so easy for the South Africans excepting the scares that Harbhajan Singh is producing on and off all the time. Otherwise, the ball has come onto the bat nicely and the spin has been rather slow giving ample time to the batsmen to adjust and fend. Early morning moisture almost out of the equation now and now the Indian hopes carry forward to the new ball.
From: CEDYBLUE on Fri Apr 4 1:06:19 2008.

inspite of india bowling better in the second morning, it seems the saffers are running awaly with it! it semms india is staring at an embarrassing defeat!
From: ajithfederer on Fri Apr 4 1:19:54 2008.

Proteas aren't in any hurry absolutely. They are patiently playing EVERY ball
From: Kalyasi on Fri Apr 4 1:23:43 2008.

84.6 Sreesanth to Kallis, no run, half tracker on the middle and leg, Kallis goes on the backfoot and looks to pull, didn't rise as per the expectations of Kallis on that occasion, rapped on the pads and a huge appeal, umpire Billy Doctrove turns it down after a long hard look, that looked mighty close, was there an edge on that? looked out straightaway... replays are going to be very interesting!!! the Indians can't believe it!
From: Kalyasi on Fri Apr 4 1:31:19 2008.

Snickometer confirms that there was no inside edge on that one and the hawk eye confirms the height factor. Kallis was plumb infront on that occasion, fortune favours him. Ladyluck shining big time on the South Africans!
From: Kalyasi on Fri Apr 4 1:32:25 2008.

85.3 RP Singh to de Villiers, 1 run, back of a length delivery on the middle and leg, de Villiers looks to defend it, inside edges it through his legs down the leg side, Kallis wants a quick single and de Villiers sets off at the last moment, Mahendra Singh Dhoni hurls back the ball, poor basics shown by the bowler on that occasion, RP Singh stands infront of the stumps to gather the ball, fails to collect and messes it up completely in the end, chance goes abegging!
From: MrJudge on Fri Apr 4 1:36:23 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

Proteas aren't in any hurry absolutely. They are patiently playing EVERY ball

Looks like only one side playing it like a test match
From: wrap07 on Fri Apr 4 1:39:24 2008.

yes. SA are playing a waiting game hitting the loose balls and keeping their wickets intact. Our boys seems to be demoralised
From: wrap07 on Fri Apr 4 1:41:07 2008.

our fielding today was not upto the mark and at times really sloppy

From: directhit on Fri Apr 4 1:41:11 2008.

From: Kalyasi on Fri Apr 4 2:26:33 2008.

From: directhit on Fri Apr 4 1:42:07 2008.

wrap07 wrote:

our fielding today was not upto the mark and at times really sloppy
i think right thru this test match its been sloppy - have read commentary on quite a lot of misfields and missed chances!!
From: villan007 on Fri Apr 4 1:52:05 2008.

MrJudge wrote:

We won the series because of bowlers and Sachin's two knock-out performances in the finals

Noothula oru vaartha
From: Kalyasi on Fri Apr 4 2:05:30 2008.

92.3 Ganguly to de Villiers, FOUR!!, down the leg side, de Villiers kneels down and paddles it around the corner, races away down to fine leg for four, 5th Test CENTURY!! for de Villiers... what a brilliant knock this has been!!!

De Villiars
From: wrap07 on Fri Apr 4 2:10:16 2008.

de villiers century
Our players should take a leaf out of this player who is known for one day style of play.
he has adapted and played a disciplined innings. good effort
From: CEDYBLUE on Fri Apr 4 2:16:16 2008.

villan007 wrote:

MrJudge wrote:

We won the series because of bowlers and Sachin's two knock-out performances in the finals

Noothula oru vaartha

completely agree! for all my admiration for dhoni's feerless captaincy........i do get agitated with his mindless statements like ''i' picked him d it clicked'.......'this is the first win for 'my' team'..........his generous use of the 'i' and 'my' terms are not in good light.........
From: CEDYBLUE on Fri Apr 4 2:20:32 2008.

yesterday we were discussing about dhoni's test batting and i was strongly supporting him:) .....i watched his dismissal in the television late yesterday and got an impression that he actually hanged his brains in the dressing room before striding to bat (ian chappel style)! mindless slogging on the first hour of a test match

how a guy who reads the game so well in the shorter version and bats accordingly can be such a bonehead in test matches is beyond me
From: ajithfederer on Fri Apr 4 2:21:02 2008.

IMHO , if sa doesnt lose more than 2-3 wickets in the post lunch session we are staring at an inevitable ugly innings defeat
From: directhit on Fri Apr 4 2:24:01 2008.

ajithfederer wrote:

IMHO , if sa doesnt lose more than 2-3 wickets in the post lunch session we are staring at an inevitable ugly innings defeat
illainaa mattum

IMHO , if sa doesnt lose more than 2-3 wickets in the post lunch session we are staring at an inevitable ugly innings defeat Embarassed

illainaa mattum Rolling Eyes

Konjam Decenta aana Innings Defeat...

From: Billgates on Fri Apr 4 2:29:45 2008.

yesterday we were discussing about dhoni's test batting and i was strongly supporting him:) .....i watched his dismissal in the television late yesterday and got an impression that he actually hanged his brains in the dressing room before striding to bat (ian chappel style)! Argh!

mindless slogging on the first hour of a test match Banging Head

how a guy who reads the game so well in the shorter version and bats accordingly can be such a bonehead in test matches is beyond me Confused

Oops. It was a disgusting sight yesterday. Dhoni should be accountable for his reckless dismissal.

From: directhit on Fri Apr 4 2:34:59 2008.

IMHO , if sa doesnt lose more than 2-3 wickets in the post lunch session we are staring at an inevitable ugly innings defeat Embarassed

illainaa mattum Rolling Eyes

Konjam Decenta aana Innings Defeat...

76 all out b4 lunch session vida enna dejent theva - but wht irks me is the cry baby excuse and blame on the pitch!! thts wht is irritating to the core - any team can have a worse day and it happens, why put the blame on the pitch when it was primarily negative thinking in the minds of the batsmen and reckless batting which cost the test match!!

From: Kalyasi on Fri Apr 4 2:39:13 2008.

IMHO , if sa doesnt lose more than 2-3 wickets in the post lunch session we are staring at an inevitable ugly innings defeat Embarassed

illainaa mattum Rolling Eyes

Konjam Decenta aana Innings Defeat...

I agree with you.. Dont Blame the Pitch.. Take it on yourselves and improve next time should have been the right way...

From: directhit on Fri Apr 4 2:43:19 2008.

idhukku mela india la endha curator um green top pitch es vakka maataan
From: villan007 on Fri Apr 4 2:48:46 2008.

score inna ba ippo
From: CEDYBLUE on Fri Apr 4 2:49:38 2008.

directhit wrote:

idhukku mela india la endha curator um green top pitch es vakka maataan

the truth is in India no curator ever knows himself how exactly a 'pitch' would behave.......they jus seem to have two concepts....shave the grass to make it spin or retain the grass for bounce
From: CEDYBLUE on Fri Apr 4 2:51:53 2008.

kallis century!
From: CEDYBLUE on Fri Apr 4 2:56:49 2008.

barring australia and srilanka against whom he has an average of under 40 in tests, Jack Kallis has scored heavily against all nations!

he has been so consistent all through his career and IMO is a bit under rated!

From: directhit on Fri Apr 4 2:58:33 2008.