India v England 2008

[Ollie_H]

Monty needs to be dropped and only told to come back when he has developed something more than a stock ball. Swann is a better bowler at the moment.

I agree. As they were saying on sky sports you would have thought that a bowler who has now played 30 tests would be able to flight the ball and have some variation in his pace because as has been said aswel when times get hard monty doesn't get slower and with more flight he bowls flatter and quicker then allowing the batsmen to get on top of him even more.

I'm starting to grow weary of his gimmick aswel. How he thinks he has a wicket every ball and that he always has a chance even after the balls just gone for 4 off the middle of the bat. According it could have been a wicket, he hasn't quite grasped it that he isn't going to get lots of wickets by bowling flat and quick. May aswell be a medium pacer!


Surprised to see Bell wasn't dropped, That surprised me a lot when I woke up this morning, I am a very big fan of him but he just isn't converting he will get a start and then get out which just isn't on. Also makes you wonder what someone like Shah has to do to get into the team! He's a solid unorthodox batsmen who more than less will convert his chances.

 

[Chetan0304]

Well done Gautam. what a great century hope Dravid get's his soon tomorrow (Lunch?)
2.48 RR But good controlled innings for us i wish Sehwag was present on crease it would have been over 4 ":cool:

 

[Arunava]

that runrate is boring but India can afford that being 1-0 ahead.

 

[WestIndian]

A good century by Gambhir, very patient one, Dravid seems to be regaining his form, and that will do him a world of good.
A lot is being said about the run rate, but with Dravid just fighting for form, Sehwag gone without scoring this is no surprise, and the constant bowling wide outside the off stump, did not tease the batsmen, nor did it help the run rate, some of the bowling was a bit negative.

 

[Deleted member 11215]

England were so negative in the last game it was bad for world cricket and they should quit right now. They didnt get themselves in a position to win a match or anything.

India have been absolutely thrilling this match they are really going for the win, oh wait... :

Indian fans who criticised england for being patient in trying to win a game should hang their heads in shame especially when you have a player in your team known as the wall.

 

[angryangy]

Monty looking totally ineffective again. India playing well and are heading towards batting England out of the game.

They're batting themselves out of the game too. At this rate, they'll probably still want to bat day 3 for a decent score.

 

[SaiSrini]

England were so negative in the last game it was bad for world cricket and they should quit right now. They didnt get themselves in a position to win a match or anything.

India have been absolutely thrilling this match they are really going for the win, oh wait... :

Indian fans who criticised england for being patient in trying to win a game should hang their heads in shame especially when you have a player in your team known as the wall.

The guy saying it above doesnt seem to be an Indian fan... The conditions were tough for batting (swing, poor light most of the time, not exactly batting conditions), the guy is out of form. So its natural that he bats like this to get back into form. Since he is one of India's best batsmen, we can afford him the luxury of getting back his form at the cost of slow run rate.

 

[barmyarmy]

Two test series + 1-0 lead + flat pitch for second test = the day's cricket we've just seen. Hopefully the match will improve but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[SaiSrini]

Flat pitch for second test? But I saw a pitch that had a tinge of green to it. Did you watch the same game as I did (well, I saw the highlights but should be the same game where Dravid and Gambhir batted)?

 

[manee]

I really do wonder what all the uproar about Monty's dip in form, is. As I have stated earlier, his style is not one which will lead to a sustainable amount of wickets. Indeed, the best case scenario is that he is an inconsistent performer who ends with flattering statistics due to poor strokeplay. He is simply not a bowler who can adapt easily but to me, it is quite simple, he is not performing, so drop him. It is not as if the attack relies on him, or that he is the only spinner.

 

[barmyarmy]

Flat pitch for second test? But I saw a pitch that had a tinge of green to it. Did you watch the same game as I did (well, I saw the highlights but should be the same game where Dravid and Gambhir batted)?

Just relying on the radio commentary. Haven't seen any pictures.

 

[SaiSrini]

Just relying on the radio commentary. Haven't seen any pictures.

I saw the highlights. The pitch looks greenish in the middle part and very dry towards the either end of the main area. Its a pitch that will help the bowlers throughout the match. Thats why I guess even Gambhir was uncharacteristically slow in this innings (we know Dravid is fighting for form!)

 

[Skater]

The pitch is incredibly green short of a length. With the pitch like that and weather being a bit rough you would have thought the bowlers would have dominated. India were just very careful.

 

[Adarsh]

Knowing India, and the form we're in, expect gears to change tomorrow....apart from Dravid , but he can be let off. The Indian middle order is full of very positive players, so I don't think run rate is as big an issue as people are making it out to be. A lot of overs have been eaten up due to bad light which is more the reason why India haven't scored more after Day 1.

 

[sohum]

The pitch is incredibly non-India and the area around the pitch looks around 6-7 days old! There are so many patches around the pitch... though of course they don't matter all that much. The pitch is green. One would have expect England to pinch at least 3 wickets on this surface. But Gambhir and The Wall have been very cautious. Hopefully they can use their start today to make some positive progress, unlike the cautious English batsmen in the last Test match.