Pakistan vs India historic series

[OldFanatic]

It's looking like gloom and doom for India from this point onwards, now that Nehra is gone from an already weak bowling lineup. No Zaheer, no Nehra. Time to include Irfan Pathan for the next match.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/other_international/3516648.stm

[giggs88]

wow, they've got to promote balaji up the order. really hardworking.

[OldFanatic]

As an India fan, yesterday's performance truly sucked. Are there any Pakistan fans here? Just wanted to hear if they can bring some of their perspective here, would be interesting. What did you think about Ganguly reigniting the debate about Shoaib Akhtar's action?

http://www.thatscricket.com/specials/ind-pak/odi/news/1703ganguly.html

[OldFanatic]

Yes!!! How about that now? Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Kaif! Thank you very much.......

http://usa.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/MAR/102553_PAKIND2003-04_21MAR2004.html

[OldFanatic]

YooHoo!!! Kumble is coming back for the test series. Great news for India.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/other_international/3556841.stm

I'm hoping for both Kumble and Pathan to shine on this tour.

[OldFanatic]

Party time in India!!!!! They win the decisive 5th one-day match in Pakistan! All who said that the series was fixed can eat crow now.

http://usa.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/MAR/105533_PAKIND2003-04_24MAR2004.html

Laxman, Pathan, Balaji - all what a performance!!!

BTW, willow.tv had made the broadband TV package available for the US in the middle (for 2 one-dayers and all test matches). Now that only test matches are remaining, it's $99.95 for 3 test matches. Details at:

http://www.willow.tv/EventMgmt/UserMgmt/Packages.asp?eid=33

[OldFanatic]

More good news for India! Ganguly may play in the first test. Yesterday, it was said he will miss it due to back injury. But now the word is, it's not as serious as it was thought.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/other_international/3566281.stm

On the other hand, Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan have been dropped by Pakistan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/other_international/3566849.stm

Shoaib had come under heavy criticism for his form. Let's see how he does in the tests.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/3560335.stm

[OldFanatic]

How about that Viru Sehwag, a triple-ton??? There is only one way to describe this guy - a freak. Who else would hit a six when on 295 to complete a first-ever triple century for his country (and obviously his own and his countrie's highest score)? For all the admiration of the methodical techniques of Sachin, Rahul Dravid and Laxman, it's ironic to see Sehwag having the last laught surpassing them all.

http://usa.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/MAR/110369_IND_29MAR2004.html

I couldn't believe Dravid declared the inning without letting Sachin get his 200.

[OldFanatic]

Unbelievably good test win for India!!!! Taking 20 wickets on a dead-track beating Pakistan by an innings and more! This is the first time ever India has won a test match in Pakistan. Riding on top of the one-day series win, there is unbelievable momentum going with this team. Considering great performance by India in test matches on the recent tour in Australia, and the performance on this tour, I think they're going from strength to strength. If they keep up such brash attitude like Sehwag, and develop lots of good young bowlers, I predict they'll reach the same level as Australia and may even overtake them in a few years.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/other_international/3586971.stm

http://usa.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/APR/113354_PAKIND2003-04_01APR2004.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/other_international/3588765.stm

Well, Shoaib Akhtar was absolute crap in this test. On the other hand, Pathan was able to extract some movement on a dead track. And what about Inzamam-al-Huq? What was his thinking with the stupid run-out on 0 in the second inning? Another credit to Yuvraj Singh for good fielding.

Unfortunately for India, Zaheer Khan is out with injury for the second test in Lahore. Ganguly is out too, and he returned back to India. It remains to be seen if/how Pakistan takes advantages of these and can bounce back. Agarkar will most likely take Zaheer's spot.

[OldFanatic]

I read an article which blamed Sachin for not getting runs quick enough in time before the declaration (the hard-fixed timing of which he was already aware about).

On the other hand, Ganguly gave an interview in which he said that in hindsight, Rahul Dravid should have let Sachin get his 200.

[Sachin]

Sehwag is the man. My namesake is sadly on the decline, I fear. No more handing out free autographs instead of bribes at the airport :(

Sachin

[OldFanatic]

My namesake is sadly on the decline, I fear.
Why do you think so? He's still got a long way to go, I feel.

[OldFanatic]

For the first time in the test series, Pakistan seems to have an upper hand. Umar Gul with an incredible debut innings and frustration for Pathan/Kumble/Agarkar company. Zaheer Khan is being really missed, I feel. Yuvraj's heroics in the first innings for India may have been too little. If this series evens up at 1-1, the 3rd test match will be very interesting. But let's see if the Indian batting (in their second inning) has got the required resolve to force a draw. Time is definitely not on India's side. And this pitch we're talking about is not a dead track like in the 1st test. It's a lively green top pitch. Good job preparing a fast track from the groundsmen. It would be only more interesting if the Indian bowling could have exploited it as well.

[OldFanatic]

India down, but not completely out of the test yet. Sehwag is still the man standing. The problem is, he's a hot-headed maniac and doesn't really have the discipline to handle such a pressure situation. Yes, I know he made the highest-ever score for India in the last test. But there were at least 3 lives he got in that innings, it was a dead track and it was nothing like this pressure situation. In my mind he's still a freak. If he can manage to spend till tea-time on day 4 and keep piling up runs, I'll stop thinking of him as a freak. Also, Agarkar has still to bat, and he has 100s to his name in international cricket. So hopefully all isn't lost yet.

What was the deal with Rahul Dravid getting run-out on 0 in the second innings? Could this be the omen for India that they'll lose? (See Inzamam getting run-out on 0 in the second inning in Multan.) What's up with these captains getting run out on 0 when it really matters? Rahul Dravid's contribution has been absolutely pathetic in the series so far.

[OldFanatic]

Sehwag gone!

A ball that he could have easily left alone, unnecessarily flashing hard and giving an easy catch to the wicketkeeper.

What I said before. This guy could have come through in a long pivotal inning when the team needed it most. But that's just not his nature. He's too temparemental. But to be fair, without him it was looking even more pathetic for India.

It's all over for India I think.

[Sachin]

Sad sad sad display. Every time I think India can become a side to play with discipline, they fall apart. We're entirely built for one-day cricket, not test. I miss the days of Gavaskar patiently carrying his bat while all others fell apart around him.

Sachin

[giggs88]

My namesake is sadly on the decline, I fear.

The last time I heard someone say that, he scored a ton.

[OldFanatic]

Indian team is just not at the level of the Australian team yet. The individual talent is there, but that extra element of consistency is missing. They're definitely a lot better than maybe 5 years ago. In some ways, I think of Indian team to cricket as what Holland is to football. If they keep up with better youth development programs, non-orthodox training techniques, achieve that elusive mix of brashness/discipline/skill, they could just make it to the top. Given the enormous amounts of dollars pouring into the sport from so many huge corporations, sooner or later it's inevitable that they'll dominate.

[OldFanatic]

Alright!! After a great one-day series and 2 see-saw test matches so far, it all comes down to the last test match starting in a few hours.

A lot of changes are happening since the 2nd test match. Ganguly is back for India. Who will open Indian batting seems to be up in the air. Pakistan have lost the new kid Umar Gul to injury. I hope this is just as exciting as the 5th one-day match (with an identical result! :))

http://usa.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/APR/122142_PAKIND2003-04_12APR2004.html

[Sachin]

I would have loved to be in Pakistan for these matches. Would have blown the doors off any soccer match.

Sachin