India in England

I think Indians will grind and graft to save the match. Anderson has not been at his lethal best, the pitch has eased considerably and Laxman is the ideal man to have on the final day along with the ever in form Dravid.  Gambhir will come to bat and Sachin might well come at 5 which is not a bad thing imo. I'd put my money on a draw

Well 142-4 at lunch with Tendulkar and Raina at the wicket. Dravid chased a wide one and Laxman pulled a long hop to mid wicket - so out of character for both players in a game they're trying to save.  The pitch is a little up and down , but still very good for a 5th day wicket.  It's not impossible for India to save this match , but unlikely.
           73 overs or so left , what chances on the little fella getting to three figures in a losing cause ?  That'd be the perfect scenario for me , but one I don't see happening.  I think England will win this in the second session.

Too easy for England and Anderson finishes it off with 5. All of England's batsmen are in form, perhaps not so much Morgan and all the bowlers are getting wickets - even Broad who has been a bit off colour of late. Between South Africa and England you have 2 very in form sides. India have the ability to match England, but the form that England have shown in the last 12 months has been marvellous. Great consistency. When one batsman fails the other batsmen make up for it. It's a great set up here under Flower, this would have to be one of the best sides that England has compiled for many a year.

Dead right... and what you need Sam is to have that one guy to make a big ton. England had that with KP, and he had enough support for England to be able to make a strong start. India struggled because Dravid lacked the support he needed from the other batsmen. England bat low, yet they are not losing out in their bowling by having a long batting line up - on the contrary, their bowling looks balanced. Furthermore, even if they wanted to play an extra seamer, Bresnan is the next best and he's a decent batsman too!

The talent is ever present and the age of this England side is very good , reminds me of Australia's side around the year 2000 - mature, but youthful and in-form. I can draw many parallels. Two in-form left hand openers, a very good middle order, a lower order which can make runs and a balanced attack with both spin and pace options.

Originally posted by sam_ahmed I agree with what Mikey has said and am actually surprised that Zuhair and Sledge thought India drawing the game is "likely" ...

Go read my posts again Sam , I said that the draw was unlikely !  I was wrong though , it took until the 3rd session before the match was wrapped up.

I thought much the same zuhair - Dhoni didn't look too phased after being comprehensively beaten.  I'd rather see a scowling captain after a defeat than a smiling one - he almost looked English (when we were dire) at that presentation!
         There's 3 tests to come and they must look after Zaheer Khan - if there's any doubt , he mustn't play at Trent Bridge. Sreesanth will bring some aggression and maybe provide the spark that India will need if they're to level the series.  If he does play you can expect the English batsmen to target him as we know he can self destruct if he takes some stick.


Edited by Sledger - 26 July 2011 at 1:37pm

Sreesanth will be a good choice. If I were Dhoni I would have played him at Lord's too. He hits the seam  well and that helps in those conditions. He may go for plenty but will remain a striking option. Also, are there any Indian fans out there who think Harbhajan has had it? He just doesn't look comfortable - he does not seem to repeat the action - he has gone flat - he is not giving enough revs. Taking the new ball in IPL and playing no FC cricket is telling on his bowling. I'd rather play Mishra or whoever is the other spinner in the squad.

No Zaheer Khan will also mean that Strauss will make a century in the next test, I'd put my money on that.

India has never had a well balanced attack, when their pacers start to click, their spinners look bland and vice versa. Harbhajan has hit the 400 wicket mark, but I think it's fair to say he's the worst out of the bunch that have reached that mark. He needs to stop batting in the nets and start looking for some rhythm. He's hardly going to get a long run in the side if he works on his batting - he's a nothing batsman compared to the top 5. Don't be surprised if Mishra gets a run ahead of him in the near future.

Originally posted by zuhair_abbasi Also, are there any Indian fans out there who think Harbhajan has had it?

 
 I'd be one of those , Zuhair.  Yes Bhajji's been dragging his feet for quiet some time. His flight seems okay, but he just ain't getting the revs like before. Sometimes it seems to me that he's got too tight a grip which hampers with the smooth release of the ball, thereby costing him turn, but I wouldn't really know for sure. Anyways he's got a lot going in his mind at the moment and his confidence is clearly lacking.

  Though the thing with him ,as Sam mentioned earlier, is just when you think it's safe to write him off he comes up with a bagful. Look at the SA tour. But honestly I'm getting a little weary of his shining once in three campaign.

Sreesanth will be a handful too in those conditions. I am not sure about his match fitness and form though. 

He will face better resistance than the Pakistan batting lien that he bowled to last summer though.

Tremlett is doubtful , so Bresnan is on standby. The latter hasn't featured in a test since the final Ashes match because of injury. He's a solid replacement , but doesn't have that scary edge that Tremlett brings - I think all the Indian bastmen would be happy for Tremlett to miss out.
             Having said that , conditions at Trent Bridge are much more bowler friendly than Lords and both sides will be thinking of 20 wickets when the match gets underway today. The tremendous weather forecast should see a positive result and the side that copes with the swinging ball best will win.  Just looking at the two attacks , the English one is superior in all departments. For the first time in an age they outdo India in the spin department as well. The batting is pretty close , but in English conditions I still think the homeside will outscore the visitors.
                   I fully expect England to go 2-0 , but it could be a topsy turvy contest that will have everyone rivetted to the action.
                 


Edited by Sledger - 29 July 2011 at 6:29am

Yes , India seem to wake up in the 2nd test of every series!  It's not the players fault though , the tour itinary was determined by the BCCI and they obviously didn't believe their team needed more than 1 3 day warm up match against the in form side of world cricket!   England's powers that be realised that after the debacle of that 5-0 Ashes drubbing in 2007/8 and made sure they were ready for this last series.  Remember , they played 3 proper warm ups and used their 1st choice side in all of them - it definitely worked!
                  I expect India to be up for this match , it should be a cracker !


Edited by Sledger - 29 July 2011 at 6:52am

69-2 at lunch and the lack of DRS has reared it's ugly head already!  Cook given out LBW that DRS suggested was going over the top. Not a terrible decision by the SA umpire , but it wouldn't cause such problems if every test used the technology.  Then Kumar lost the plot when he thought he'd got Pietersen LBW and the same umpire said no - his rant at the end of the over will cost him plenty!  It was very close and the DRS said stay with the on-field umpire , so it was marginal.    I'm waiting for India to get some shockers that England had to endure from Lords and see how they react then - it could get very unpleasant.
                Sreesanth was his usual self , the good mixed with the bad. His ball to remove Trott was a beauty , but the leg stump stuff to Strauss was very poor - he seems to struggle against left handers and the ball swings in only the one direction.   
                  Pietersen started positively against Sreesanth , belting two short balls through midwicket for four - there's history there and it will be fascinating to see how things pan out over the match.  I'd say it's pretty even at lunch , but India will be conscious of putting England in and be looking to knock over a few quick ones after the lunch break.  England's inclusion of Bresnan for Tremlett has made their batting look awfully long , Swann is down to come in at 10 !  Yuvrah replaces Gambhir and Sreesanth in for Zaheer messes with India's batting as well , Dravid will open again and Yuvrah will bat at 5.
                 India will want England on the ropes before stumps today , but I've a feeling they'll be chasing a lot of leather before 6pm. Strauss is looking solid and KP certainly looks confident , the next 2 hours can't come early enough!