*** Official *** Pakistan in India

[funnygirl]

Kumble's decision certainly cost them a win. If people think Karthick is now going to be making 100s because of the time he spent out in the middle on a flat, against a depleted attack, then dream on .

Kumble should have declared when Pak needed around 360 with like 60 overs left, even Aus with the best batting line-up would not have gone for the win.

Yes Kumble is a coward .And congratulations for the moral victory

 

[Xuhaib]

Faisal Iqbal walking off with a raised bat to acknowledge the crowg after scoring an ugly 51 was a genuine lol moment , probably he was thinking thats not a bad score for your last test innings.

 

[Unattainableguy]

360 off 60 overs is still possible. Imagine if faisul iqbal and misbah carried on playing the way they were....pakistan could have easily been in with a chance of victory. when you are 1-0 up in a test series...there is no way in hell you want to give the opposition a sniff. If kumble had declared the way you are suggesting and then pakistan had won....everyone would have been critisising his captaincy....either way...we are talking in hindsight. india did not need to win so why risk it? Why would we want pakistan to even have a sniff?? Your suggestion is what pakistan were hoping for....its not ideal for india.

How can you say India did not need to win? If they had won, they would be # 2 in ICC rankings, at the moment they're 4th because of the draw.

 

[Unattainableguy]

Yes Kumble is a coward .And congratulations for the moral victory

Yes, because with 60 overs left, there was 1% chance of a PAK victory, and 99 of an Indian if there was going to be a result.

 

[Anil]

How can you say India did not need to win? If they had won, they would be # 2 in ICC rankings, at the moment they're 4th because of the draw.

no team plays thinking about icc rankings while they are in the test...they play based on the situation, it had been a looong time since they won a series against pakistan in india and so protecting that lead was far more important than doing anything that might even remotely jeopardize it...i don't know why such a huge deal is being made of kumble's "late" declaration...with our kind of bowling resources and kumble being the only real strike bowler, i can easily understand why he would take a conservative approach...

 

[funnygirl]

Yes, because with 60 overs left, there was 1% chance of a PAK victory, and 99 of an Indian if there was going to be a result.

But how on earth he can assume that Pakistanis are going to bat pathetically.At least from the first innings ,no one can .

 

[jeevan]

How can you say India did not need to win? If they had won, they would be # 2 in ICC rankings, at the moment they're 4th because of the draw.

Take a poll and see how many people here on this thread knew or care (I didnt & I dont).

But you're right:
In hindsight Kumble should've given his bowlers 10 more overs, for the 10 that they lost to bad light.He lives in Bangalore, does he not know that it gets dark there each day!!
In hindsight Kumble should've known that he was such an effective seam bowler. For crying out loud, that's how he started 20+ years ago!!
In hindsight, Kumble should've declared the over before Laxman got injured. How can you risk injury to your batsmen in this reckless manner!!
In hindsight he should've guessed that Misbah, Akmal and Younis wouldnt score centuries and fifties each time they came to bat. Misbah especially, had already got a ton this test. Seriously does anyone bat well twice in one match??

In hindsight, why did he even take the captaincy. Did he not know that there are a billion people. And everyone of them has one, an opinion I meant. So no matter what you do, how hard you try, how poor the bowling bench was etc etc there will always be 5,000,000 folks who will criticise you, and with the benefit of hindsight too.

Some of them may even be highly resume'ed ex-cricketeers who may or may not have themselves ever practiced anything they will write in their newspaper columns the morning after.

(Seriously, will any one pay Gavaskar to write - "As usual, Kumble did a thoughtful and reasonable job. Won the series after 28 years. And even though his bowling resources were very thin and even though the ball was not turning - he himself came pretty close to turning a dead match in the last hour with very imaginative bowling strategies. A pity that bad light denied India the 10 more overs that could've done the job. But this was his first series as captain, and his ability to take risks should improve going forward." )

 

[silentstriker]

Another person with the WRONG point of view - Sunil gavaskar

It's a bit rich coming from Gavaskar, considering the type of captain he was. Regardless, yes, he is wrong too.

 

[Sanz]

(Seriously, will any one pay Gavaskar to write - "As usual, Kumble did a thoughtful and reasonable job. Won the series after 28 years, five of which I was captain and couldnt....." )

Pretty good rant and I agree with your overall assessment but the above is factually incorrect. Gavaskar captained India against Pak in only one home series in 1979-80 which India won 3-0 and that was the last time India won a series against Pak at home. Needless to say the Pakistan team Gavaskar led against was much stronger than the team Kumble led against, not that it takes anything away from either of these guys.

 

[jeevan]

Pretty good rant and I agree with your overall assessment but the above is factually incorrect. Gavaskar captained India against Pak in only one home series in 1979-80 which India won 3-0 and that was the last time India won a series against Pak at home. Needless to say the Pakistan team Gavaskar led against was much stronger than the team Kumble led against, not that it takes anything away from either of these guys.

Stand corrected, as noted. Thanks

 

[SJS]

Yet another "WRONG" opinion - Pradeep Magazine - one of India's most respected cricket writers.

Kumble's 'safekeeping' took something special away
In the deluge of spoken and written words surrounding us nowadays, there is a danger of the mind becoming numb and the senses dull. And in the images of young men jumping around like there may be no tomorrow to celebrate, lies the danger of sanity getting eroded.

It is a new age, a new world and in this world, enjoying the beauty of sport in a simple, uncomplicated manner is seen as belittling the complex world that is being created around us. To live today means to find a hundred meanings where none may exist and to bombard a mind with as many theories as possible so that in the end, the best thing to do is to stop thinking.

India have won a series against Pakistan after 27 long years. Every Indian player has played like a team man. These are reasons enough to rejoice and to look forward to the tour of Australia with hope and expectation. But somehow the last day of the Bangalore Test rankles. There was something that just did not seem right to many of us. Something, which was not sport and not cricket. Anil Kumble is a man of few words, someone who weighs everything he says carefully. He may be changing a bit in the manner he carries himself, as the demands of captaincy are not easy.

He is far more expressive now, in words and in deed and also in the physical manifestation of his happiness. With his team doing well, he sulks and broods even less. He is a skilful manipulator of his resources on the field and knows how to keep his flock together. These are all hallmarks of a strong-willed man who knows what he is doing. These are also the hallmarks of a leader who can command.

Yet there was something that did not make sense on Wednesday afternoon. While the perky Dinesh Karthik was daring his fate and completing a miserable tour for Danish Kaneria, an interesting image flashed on the TV screen.

"Please declare and don't bore us," read a placard. The camera panned on the dressing room and before it could register his expression, Kumble immediately moved away to escape this scrutiny from the third eye. More images of bored spectators wanting a declaration flashed on the screen.

One wondered why a captain was being so irrational on a wicket that was behaving like a scorned beloved thirsting for revenge. When you see short-of-length deliveries keep so low that the ball, instead of sailing over the heads of a ducking batsman, hit their knee-rolls and elbows, you know that far from making runs, even surviving would be an ask.

There was even the danger of someone getting hurt. VVS Laxsman was lucky that he only bruised his elbow and did not break it. Does the modern-day obsession with safety stretch to such ridiculous lengths that you don't feel safe with a lead of over 300 runs with only two sessions remaining, especially on a track which was playing far more dangerous pranks than a poor journalist played in the press box and got banished from it for?

It somehow did not seem right and somehow, for a few of us, took the sheen away from India's admirable display and Kumble's undoubted ability as a leader of men.​

 

[silentstriker]

I don't understand. Yes, that opinion is wrong too.

 

[haroon510]

Is Lawson out as Pakistan coach ? Gulf news is reporting that Miandad is going to replace Lawson as coach.

http://www.gulfnews.com/sport/Cricket/10174337.html

Miandad likely to replace Lawson as Pakistan coach
By K.R. Nayar, Staff Reporter
Published: December 12, 2007, 23:32


Bangalore: Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson is likely to lose his job on return to Pakistan. According to information, Javed Miandad may be recalled to coach Pakistan again.

It is being reported that quite a few senior cricketers have expressed their dislike at Lawson's style of functioning. Former Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail, who is here as a commentator, said: "Miandad is the right man to coach Pakistan. It will ease the pressure on captain Shoaib Malek."

One of the problems lies in the fact that many Pakistan players are unable to properly communicate with Lawson. As an Australian, Lawson's accent is not understood by them.

honestly i don't understand the point of having a coach.. the whole series we saw yasir hameed stragling against anil kumble.. he did good against fast bowlers when he give pakistan a good start but when kumble came to attack he seemed pretty bothered and troubled.. Mr. Lawson didn't do much to help him and point out what he is doing wrong..the same yasir hameed was playing under late Bob... he was realy doing good against spin maintaining an almost an average of 40.

i honestly don't want him to get fired or anyting but i want pcb to appoint javid maindad as his assistant coach..if they fail then send him back to Aus.. other then that it is unfair to fire him now after trying him for a couple of series.,.

 

[alternative]

I don't understand. Yes, that opinion is wrong too.

Gun.

 

[Raghav]

One might say that India declared their second innings a little too late. But from their gameplan, it appeared as if the series win was more important for them than winning this match. And that's perfectly justified. After all, they overcame Pakistan at home in a Test series after a long gap of 27 years. Full credit to Anil Kumble and his boys for the achievement.

To bowl out a side in a Test, a team needs at least 70 overs, so it looked like Kumble first assured a series win for his team and then took a chance. And it almost worked but for bad light coming to Pakistan's rescue.

No doubt it was a comprehensive series win for India but one shouldn't expect a miracle in Australia going by this performance. After all, playing a series at home is not an ideal preparation for a tour to Australia. The only aspect where this series win is going to help India Down Under is confidence and hopefully, this boost in morale, teamed up with their experience from an outstanding tour four years ago, will help them do well yet again.

For Pakistan, it's was the same old story. It was evident yet again how non-professional people running the show cost the National team. Pakistan's 2nd Inns batting performance showed the players just aren't mature enough. Crossing the total of 500 is of no help if most of the players don't know how to read the game.

I am a firm believer that Pakistan and India do not need coaches from abroad.

This laptop analysis is not cricket, its utter rubbish. Sunil Gavaskar never needed someone to analyse his game on the computer for hours. If a player realises his flaws, then he needs someone who could simplify the rectification process to him.

Sadly, Pakistan cricket administrators don't realise it. And now the Indian authorities have also appointed a foreigner in Gary Kirsten. I don't under stand the need to appoint him when the team is doing well with three local coaches. I won't be surprised if the Indian team's performance starts sliding down yet again once he takes charge.

 

[SJS]

India didn't deserve to win because they had shown no intent - in fact, after lunch Kumble seemed more focused on giving Dinesh Karthik an opportunity to bat than on forcing a win - and a result would have somewhat redeemed a pitch that was just not good enough.

-Sambit Bal - Cricinfo​

 

[SJS]

Imran criticises late declaration
It is a mystery to me how subcontinent captains wish to win without risking a little losing it, says Imran Khan about Kumble's late declaration in Bangalore Test. He was talking to NDTV.

Since subcontinent mentality does not allow risking a loss, teams lose many opportunities of winning it, said the former Pakistan Captain.

Imran was emphatic that with ball going up and down so much, India could have declared much earlier​

 

[funnygirl]

SJS,what is ur opinion about this declaration ?

 

[BhupinderSingh]

Faisal Iqbal walking off with a raised bat to acknowledge the crowg after scoring an ugly 51 was a genuine lol moment , probably he was thinking thats not a bad score for your last test innings.

Unfortunately,this 51 would be good enough for him to keep getting selcted for an year at least.

 

[BhupinderSingh]

SJS,what is ur opinion about this declaration ?

Similar to that of Imran I think.