Saturday, August 11, 2007

India on Top!

Awesome batting display by everyone in the 1st inning of the 3rd test at The Oval enabled India post a mammoth 664! Has Indian team come truly of age or is it just another flash in the pan?

Whatever the analysts say, it is a glorious moment to soak oneself in patriotic joy after seeing this tremendous batting on a foreign soil by everyone - not a single person got out in single digits!!! Now how often have you seen this happen with the Indian team???

Kartik once again was fabulous and as Chappell said rightly, he has an Australian heart. He is Super! We need more such hearts please. I love the guts he has and the game he plays. His confidence definitely rubs off on players like Jaffer who for a change, batted fluently and not defensively as he is so famous for.

Dhoni surely has one and except for his immense disappointment in the World Cup, he has been my favourite Indian batsman since the time he joined the team. Watch out for Dhoni, I sued to say before the WC. Isn't he fabulous? Even when given out in the 90's, he comes back to the dressing room in the same speed that he had got out of it to bat - he came, he batted and he went back - no qualms about waiting in the crease, nodding his head with a forlorn face, nothing of that sort - just finished my business at the batting crease and off I go. It definitely brought the test match alive for the spectators and gave India the impetus that always lacked - never seen Kapil Dev and Sehwag has Indian team seen test batting with such ferocity, disdain and speed. Bravo Dhoni!

Anil Kumble is a man at whom many Indians scorned at earlier in his career for his inability to turn the ball, but he is one team man I would love to have - I cannot forget his bowling in the fourth Innings with a fractured jaw - I cannot forget the partnership with Srinath in 1998 to win a ODI against Australians and all odds and who can forget his outstanding bowling figures throughout his career! Take a bow, Jumbo! This is certainly an achievement he deserves. I think "Kumble - the fighter" deserves a separate post, and I shall deliver the same later!

The famous trio of Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly too batted well and am I glad that I am not Ganguly - he looked in silken touch till he was robbed - yet again - by poor decision - how much he would have loved to loft the bowlers like Panesar outside the ground time and again! Dravid was superb and his wicket was completely against the run of play. Tendulkar stuck in there thanks to the reprieve of Prior and showed glimpses of Tendlya we all loved at one time.

That man Lax-man was not lax this time and played an elegant knock too! Worth watching when you are relaxing at home. Nice crisp drives and flicks. Everybody feasted out there on poor English bowling and fielding and a batting paradise.

Super knocks by tail-enders eventually ensured India post a 664 and it looks like Diwali is arriving a tad too early this year - ironically - in the month of Indian independence from England!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

ranjeet, please ..special post on kumble's century and a lovely photo...he deserves it:-)

Ranjeet said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ranjeet said...

Hi Abhijit, sure! Jumbo deserves it big time!

Cuckoo said...

Aaaah I came here to see a post on Kumble :(

Anyways, looking at today's game I was wondering why didn't Dravid give them a follow on. Right now they are 96 for 5.

Ranjeet said...

Sorry to disappoint you Cuckoo, but this post was dedicated to the team effort of the entire team and it felt good to write this post! ABout Kumble, I agree with you and ABhijit - will surely write a separate post on Jumbo.