*Official* New Zealand in India 2010

[Ruckus]

Southee looked like getting Sreesanth out though. Pulling him just because he was getting hit by Harbhajan - who you yourself said was hitting everyone - was weak as piss.

"If it worked then it would have been a good idea" is not a convincing argument either. It was unlikely to work. If you disagree that's fine but deep down I don't think you do.

I don't think it is either, but unfortunately that's how most people react. How may times after a part-timer is brought on and gets and immediately wicket, have we heard commentators exclaim something like "What a masterstroke from so-and-so" etc.

While I think it is always better to keep the bowlers on who are looking promising, in situations like these a lot of the time it simply doesn't matter what tactics are used. As I said before, I think this situation was somewhat due to bad captaincy and bad bowling, but my gut feeling is the outcome would have been the same no matter what strategies were implemented. It is no coincidence Harb gets another massive score straight after his first test century.

 

[Bahnz]

Southee looked like getting Sreesanth out though. Pulling him just because he was getting hit by Harbhajan - who you yourself said was hitting everyone - was weak as piss.

Southee's bouncers sounded OK, but where was the yorker to finish things off? I can only read cricinfo, but bowling an entire over of bouncers at a number 11, without trying at least one fuller ball to either nick him out or castle him doesn't sound too smart.

 

[Athlai]

Southee did try a fuller ball but instead it was only slightly full and it went a mile down leg.

 

[chicane]

That's not entirely true. it was a great session up until Ohja was run out. In fact, if someone had offered me India being 430/9 from 320/5, with Laxman still in and Dhoni looking not bad, I would've jumped at it. But for some reason we just seem to kneecap ourselves whenever we start to get our skates on. The same thing happens with our domestic sides too. No one in New Zealand cricket appears to know how to drive home the advantage when the opponent is on the back foot.

Yeah that's the thing. They got themselves into a good position and then played poorly, inspite of Harby's good fortune, pretty much wasting the advantage. But the fact that they have been in winning positions at various times and well competitive throughout this series is above what anyone expected them to do before it started.

 

[smash84]

Southee's bouncers sounded OK, but where was the yorker to finish things off? I can only read cricinfo, but bowling an entire over of bouncers at a number 11, without trying at least one fuller ball to either nick him out or castle him doesn't sound too smart.

Yeah. After two bouncers it should be full, straight, late swinging and into the stumps. After that another bouncer, then yorker, and then a cutter or something. Just one of the plans that he could have used ........

seriously an over full of bouncers to a number 11 is quite ridiculous.

 

[Jayzamann]

Bhajji <3

 

[Prince EWS]

Yeah. After two bouncers it should be full, straight, late swinging and into the stumps. After that another bouncer, then yorker, and then a cutter or something. Just one of the plans that he could have used ........

seriously an over full of bouncers to a number 11 is quite ridiculous.

He just hates him IMO.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Yeah, but having India now so many runs ahead really does make it quite hard to push for a result. It's going to take New Zealand at least a session and a half just to make up the run difference for the first innings, then they have to get some sort of lead (rather quickly) and give themseleves enough time to bowl them out.

They don't have a chance imo.

Realistically don't think you had a chance to win.Can't see you bowling them out cheaply.The Martin spell last week was a one off.

Still good to see you competing though.

 

[Shri]

LOL! Bhajji!

 

[kingpin]

Bhajji.... Dhoni has to learn something from bhajji...

 

[Jono]

Just quietly...

Harby

 

[Teja.]

Haha, What a man!

 

[social]

Just quietly...

Harby

Loving the fact that the rest of the world now recognises him as a completely arsey ****

 

[Dissector]

Frankly whatever happens in the next test and a half the old story of India playing down to the level its opponents has been frustratingly true in this series. I think a comfortable 2-0 victory should have been the least that India would have wanted given home conditions and the opposition. It could still happen but the fact is after 8 days of test cricket the difference between the two sides amounts to one 10th wicket partnership. Pretty pathetic stuff from India and doesn't bode well for the tour to South Africa.

 

[vcs]

NZ have been pretty damn good to be fair.

 

[SilentOne]

That last hour was deplorable...

Poor bowling, poor field placement and poor captaincy

 

[Shri]

Raina shouldn't play tests. Ojha shouldn't either. We are carrying a lot of baggage in the side atm. Should lose 'em quick.

 

[vcs]

The bowlers and fielders as a whole looked seriously out of gas in that last hour. Keeping India down to around 180 in the day up to then and picking up 7 wickets in the process was a pretty ****ing terrific effort in the first place.

 

[Jono]

Frankly whatever happens in the next test and a half the old story of India playing down to the level its opponents has been frustratingly true in this series. I think a comfortable 2-0 victory should have been the least that India would have wanted given home conditions and the opposition. It could still happen but the fact is after 8 days of test cricket the difference between the two sides amounts to one 10th wicket partnership. Pretty pathetic stuff from India and doesn't bode well for the tour to South Africa.

God I hate this attitude. It's such a "self-entitled" attitude that some (not all) Australian cricket fans used to have in their days of utter dominance. If this becomes the main attitude of Indian cricket fans on CW I'd be disappointed.

If a team plays pretty well (which NZ have done at times) and some of our players are out of form or not that good (Gambhir, Dravid, Harbhajan (with ball), Sree) of course we aren't going to dominate. And if we end up winning the series whilst not playing at our best, and NZ playing better than many expected, it's a good result.

It's such a patronising and arrogant way of looking at test cricket.

 

[smash84]

God I hate this attitude. It's such a "self-entitled" attitude that some (not all) Australian cricket fans used to have in their days of utter dominance. If this becomes the main attitude of Indian cricket fans on CW I'd be disappointed.

If a team plays pretty well (which NZ have done at times) and some of our players are out of form or not that good (Gambhir, Dravid, Harbhajan (with ball), Sree) of course we aren't going to dominate. And if we end up winning the series whilst not playing at our best, and NZ playing better than many expected, it's a good result.

It's such a patronising and arrogant way of looking at test cricket.

Not really. If you do have a very good team (number 1 team to be precise) you would back it to win comfortably against a not-so good team, especially in your own backyard.