*Official* 3rd Test - England v India - Keep all Discussion Here Please!

[Anil]

Indian bowlers have been doing well so far, but to redeem themselves, they have to do that in the second innings and the fourth test as well and on the topic, the Indian pacers haven't done anything that great. The spinners have bowled very well and are primarily responsible for England's plight right now. Kumble and Harb got helpful conditions and have done well so far. That said, a big reason England folded up in the first innings was the pressure on them because of the huge score they were facing and so part of the credit(for the collapse) should go to the batting as well.

I started out by saying that Nehra & Khan have great potential and will really shine in this series. I even expressed optimism about Agarkar. After the second test, I had to eat my words(figuratively of course). These bowlers haven't done anything so far for me to reverse my opinion. The only bowler who exceeded my expectation in this test has been Kumble(I was expecting Harb to do well) and that because he got some really helpful conditions like uneven bounce and turn. Khan and Agarkar haven't exactly set the stands on fire in a swing and seam paradise. So, let's not sings paens of praise for them just yet.

 

[Anil]

...and I feel that they should bowl Sachin a little in this match. Hussain and Stewart are batting well right now and seems set to make a fight of it. Sachin's leg breaks in tandem with Harb's offies might make a difference. Kumble after a good initial spell looks like being handled confidently by the two batsmen.

 

[aussie_beater]

As soon as they do well, there's loads of you on here.

Before making such stupid statements, please go and read up on the threads about the two previous test matches.You will find that there were a bunch of Indian supporters posting there views there....'anilramvarma', me, scorpio and others were regulars in those threads.

Your irritation seems to stem not from Indian supporters suddenly coming into this board but from England's poor performance.You are making an issue out of thin air to vent your feelings about the match.

Talk about the match without whining about others coming on here and praising their team.I agree that sometimes the Indian fans get carried away but hey, that's their views and you have every right to ignore them instead of going into a tirade against the whole class of Indian fans, just talk cricket alright.

If you only want English fans to post here, close the website and go to your neighbourhood watering hole and keep on ranting about how stupid the Indian fans are.Otherwise, learn how to accept views that don't match yours.



[Edited on 8/25/02 by aussie_beater]

 

[lordprasad]

This Patel d!ck, what a lousy keeper he is.England would easily have been 6 down had he not missed two chances.India are still in a good position to win, and have proved to be the better team in this test match BUT if the match ends in a draw then Patel would be responsible for that and should be thrown out !

 

[royGilchrist]

That said, a big reason England folded up in the first innings was the pressure on them because of the huge score they were facing and so part of the credit(for the collapse) should go to the batting as well.

Good point Anil, I agree

 

[luckyeddie]

I was quite disappointed with Kumble and Harbhajan today. I was also disappointed with the tedious bat-pad appealing, which was getting out of hand. Towards the end, both umpires were getting decidedly miffed about it (and that might be the reason for a couple of lbw's being turned down).

 

[Neil Pickup]

As soon as they do well, there's loads of you on here.

Before making such stupid statements, please go and read up on the threads about the two previous test matches.You will find that there were a bunch of Indian supporters posting there views there....'anilramvarma', me, scorpio and others were regulars in those threads.

Granted, but where were TM2, ajaagarkar, lordprasad, vandemataram.... This is the point that Marc is very fairly making.

And to suggest that we don't want non-English here is utter drivel. As English, Me, Marc, Eddie and Rich are a distinct minority against Australia, NZ, India... Look at facts first. Now let's drop this and get back to the test.

The weather doesn't look too bad tomorrow, so it's down to India's bowlers to get five wickets, and for England - Stewart and Hussain need to see us until lunch, then Freddie must dig in, Tudor has the chance to prove himself to us (sadly, that's about as likely as Agarkar ripping through the lot by half eleven), then Ashley Giles can bat (why, oh why is he 9 and Tudor at 8?!), and Caddick and Hoggard must apply themselves 110% - they've both been in century partnerships recently. Time for another.

 

[scorpio]

Hi all,
after a lengthy break..(Jobhunt at univ..sigh) i am back.Looks like u lot have got ur panties in a knot..lol

Luckyeddie: I am not sure why u keep saying that tudor is crap. I read in most websites and commentary that he was englands best bowler.care to explain ?

Marc,neil,vandemataram: Cool it guys.

A_B: Well said mate.

On the match: Good show by india. England didnt do bad...just blown away by some very good batting. Still indian bowling is in the ICU even now. It is really time to drop agarkar. he will never be a worldclass bowler. I dont know why youhanan was not tried

I had very high impressions abt hussains captaincy. But he is a one trick pony. The moment any batsmen play for one hr without gettting out he goes ultra defensive. I will bet my house that he is not winning the ashes.

Ciao guys

 

[luckyeddie]

Reply? It's not the science thread, is it?

Luckyeddie: I am not sure why u keep saying that tudor is crap. I read in most websites and commentary that he was englands best bowler.care to explain ?

I've just re-read my comments in this thread, and also the first 3 days match reports. My comments on Tudor were as follows :

I think that Cork just might get the nod over Tudor, but if Flintoff doesn't play, then there's room for both. Giles to miss out again? No comment - an opinion before the sides were picked.

Ashley Giles, Alex Tudor and Jug-ears all return. News

Does anyone seriously consider that Alex Tudor is anything more than a plodder? A question I posed after day 1, when he was banging the ball in too short.[/i]

Tudor was given a glowing tribute today by Dermot Reeve - he said that he was bowling well because he 'hit the wicket'. Another comment about the shortness of his bowling, putting into context the words of a former swing bowler (not a good one)

Can't find Tudor &co in the list anywhere. In a reference to the great West Indian bowlers who could bounce a team out.

Not crap - just not bowling in the right place.

He probably was England's best bowler. Would you like me to reveal my thoughts about the others? No, the problem was with the tactics - and that's down to the skipper. The tactics which worked at Lords have been ineffective at Trent Bridge and Headingley because India aren't stupid.

[Edited on 8/26/02 by luckyeddie]

 

[Sulphate]

I think that England shuld be ashamed of themselves losing to a team who havent won overseas for ages. The fielding was atrocious and the bowling wasnt on the spot. There is sum potential in the batting but there is too much reliance on trescothick coming back. Robert Key doesnt even deserve to play for england. Well Done to India though and Patel is good. :X

 

[luckyeddie]

No doubt that the catching was utterly dismal. In the 40 minutes of day 3, England contrived to spill 5 chances.

I honestly can't comment on the bowling too much, because I guess they did what they were told, i.e. tested out their own toecaps.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Sulphate - What has Robert Key done wrong?

Okay, maybe some of his catching was a little off, but India were already to a huge score by then and he did hold two at Trent Bridge.

How you can say he doesn't deserve to play for England is beyond me. Who else would you have picked? Ian Ward?!

 

[luckyeddie]

0,0,6 - the first 3 innings by Graham Gooch.

Garfield Sobers did not score a century until his 17th test match - and that was 365*.

13,18,0 - the first 3 innings by Nasser Hussain.

0,0,8,0 - a sequence by Sachin Tendulkar this year.

0,0,1,1 - a recent (ish) sequence by Adam Gilchrist.

Anyone who has already written off Robert Key is an idiot. He has a lot to learn, but above all he seems to have a test match temperament.

 

[marc71178]

Agreed, 2 Innings in the 30's is hardly the worst performance by an England player in this test

(you know who you are Crawley, Tudor and Caddick)

 

[vandemataram]

CONGRATS TO ALL THE INDIANS!!!!

India thrashed the England side just i had said b/f .Some of my countrymen didn't had faith in the Indian side and were of the view that Eng will get away with a draw, but just like i said b/f Kumble got the wkts and the series is squared 1-1.

 

[aussie_beater]

This test proved one of my theories which I stressed in the threads on the first two tests....that if India has to win a test abroad, first and foremost requirement is for the batsman to perform well.

Then only India's meagre bowling resources will have the launching pad to attack the opposition and hopefully bowl them out twice, as in this case they did.In this case a bit of uneven bounce helped because Kumble thrives in such conditions, but as Stewart and Hussain showed that it too can be nullified to an extent.But what proved to be England's undoing was the massive first innings score of India and the pressure got the better of younger players like Key,Vaughan and all.

If batting is India's strength on paper, then that's what it needs to prove on the field more often, in matches like this.

[Edited on 8/26/02 by aussie_beater]

 

[marc71178]

In all honesty, India didn't bowl exceptionally here, but they batted superbly and on a 350 wicket, soared past 600 (owing to some absolutely dreadful English bowling).

There was some very poor decisions as well, about 4 of the 1st Innings England wickets being doubtful, but India on balance probably sdeserved the win.

Playing Flintoff was a mistake, and he should now be sent for surgery so that we have him down under.

 

[wahindiawah]

Victorious India just perfect, says Hussain
Reuters
Leeds, August 26

England skipper Nasser Hussain said India came close to perfection in trouncing England to win the third test at Headingley on Monday.

"They almost had the perfect test match. We have been outplayed in all departments," Hussain said.

"You must give them credit. They played exceptionally and Rahul Dravid's innings was one the best I have ever seen."

Dravid won the man-of-the-match award after making 148 in India's innings of 628 for eight, their highest test score outside India. Sachin Tendulkar top-scored with 193 as the touring side won by an innings and 46 runs to level the series 1-1.

Hussain was less complimentary about his own side, saying they had failed to bowl or field well. England dropped six catches in India's innings. "We didn't even bat that well," Hussain said, despite his back-to-the-wall 110 out of a second innings of 309.

"We have had a bad performance here. The curve is not always upward. We have to react now."

India's spinners, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, bowled in tandem for the first time at Headingley and shared 11 wickets. Skipper Saurav Ganguly admitted India had been wrong to leave off-spinner Harbhajan out of the first test, while leg-spinner Kumble was unfit for the second.

"I don't want to make predictions for the last game but we're pretty happy," Ganguly said.
"All the wickets have turned."



:X :X :X

[Edited on 8/26/02 by wahindiawah]

 

[luckyeddie]

Makes me wonder why I bother writing match reports.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Yeah, there's no need to copy Reuters articles verbatim, thanks..