Hmm ... while its true that it takes just a session to turn things over ... i think NZ will face a tough task if India go above 375. Which looks almost a certainty if the "good session" you mentioned is not the first one tomorrow.

Anyways - like your frank views. Keep blogging!!

Good one Ian. You got Rahul with a peach of a delivery. We'll still get a 150 run lead though which should be more than enough to take care of the test match :)

Good delivery to Dravid, its hard to go through that mans defence and you did it. India are gonna have the same approach tomorrow so see what you guys did wrong today and work on that.... Jesse has done a good job so far, trying taking those 6 wickets and heading to the pavilion for those unlimited coffee's and some fiery bowling from Ishant... thats the best part about playing Test cricket... All the best buddy.

I am sure you will remember seeing the sight of Dravid's offstump cartwheeling. Well Done. If you can get Sachin early tomorrow, you will have a great chance in the match, with India batting last. Good luck.
I also loved the way, none of your bowlers felt the necessity to needle the batsman. Its heartening to see that cricket can still be played as a sport with no unnecessary expression of "aggression" as it is called nowadays.

It was a damn superb delivery. Nice post. Thanks.

You right...It just take one good session to turn game to your favor and that will be of Indians. You will see Sachin and Yuvraj will turn the match to India's favor tomorrow. Anyways that's for tomorrow, but you bowled well today. And the one that got Dravid out was a ripper of a delivery.Good work Sir!!!!

Well done iain... that was a pretty good spell that u bowled.... Was really fascinating to see.... the short ball and the full ball interspersed with each other n rahul really holding firm..... finally u got ur man n u deserved it... was really good work..... But mate u still have sachin tendulkar to deal with... a pretty dicey situation as a good session tomoro mornin with sachin n yuvraj can really mess ur plans... But lets save that fr tomoro..... Great work and all the best for the rest of the match....

The ball that got rid off Dravid was a beauty. He looked surprised ater getting bowled.Well bowled!!

yeah mate you bowled cleverly...first you bowled at an angel to dravid ...then you strghtned up your line to bowl him ...hmm good show...

Cool Iain...

Now I have really started to take a liking to read your blogs as soon as they are released...

Keep up Iain...and best of luck for the rest of the match...and do watch out for Sachin...who is inching towards yet another century...

Well good batting by India, but at the same time good bowling by your bowlers though on the shorter side generally
Your bowlers have been able to keep Indians in check and hence India has not been able to run away with the match till now though they are in an ascendency mode.
Some half chances provided by Indians were not taken and you were also involved in it as Laxman's pull short was a finger tips stuff for you. Had those half chances being converted, it might have been a different story.

Cool Iain...

Now I have really started to take a liking to read your blogs as soon as they are released...

Keep up Iain...and best of luck for the rest of the match...and do watch out for Sachin...who is inching towards yet another century...

Wow Brain that ball u bowled Dravid "the wall" with was super ......keep up the good work

Hey Iain, The best delivery of the day was the one you bowled to Rahul. It will be an interesting third day which will decide who is in control of the test. One thing for sure that all Indian fans are praying for Sachin's hundred even if they managed to get the total of 308. Good luck!!!

Wow Brain that ball u bowled Dravid "the wall" with was super ......keep up the good work

it was a discipled performers by you guys today...bowled as per the plan and field setting.
the ball that got Dravid out was a beauty:)
tom will be a crucial day for NZ..i am sure a lead of 150+ will be handy and the indians will look at getting much more than that so that they dont have to bat in the second innings..looking fwd to a great day's play!!!

The last word struck me..yes it needs one good session for NZ to turn the game and hopefully it's tomorrow morining. Till now they have not gone too far if 1st session tomorrow gone india's way then match's gone. Hoping for a better tomorrow..

Though you bowled consistently well for most part of your spell,i still cant believe dravid got out to such a ball.There was nothing spectacular bout the delivery,he just could not get his pad n bat close enough.Ishant's ball to rosco was far better,though the experts have called the two deliveries similar.

Hey dude.You should be a proud man getting the wall out in that fashion.Keep it up!!!

Hi Ian... tat was a very good ball to dismiss Dravid. I was watching in TV.. and also the analysis of the commentator on how u went wide of the stumps for the first ball and suddenly slipped one from close to the stumps to get him bowled. Good ploy... all the best for u to bowl well for the rest of the match

Nice post Iain. Since I stay in the UK I could only watch the first session, but it was really heartening to see you and other bowlers give a good fight to our batters. I second the comments of the commentators on sky sports (probably martin crowe) who were repeatedly mentioning the fact that dravid was forcing you guys to bowl to him. He, either leaves the straight ball outside off, solidly defends the off-stump ball, abd flicks the middle stump ball on to the leg-side. Even though there was a change in the leg-side field for this, still the bowlers didnt bowl to his middle stump, I couldnt understand the logic. Were you trying to force him to play the off-side balls? If that was the case, its good for India that Dravid has lots and lots of patience, he can wait for eternity, for the ball to come to him. Anyway, wish you guys good luck to give a good fight and make this series more lively.

Cheers,
Vijay.

Good work mate! Enjoyed watching the contest between New Zealand and India. Hoping Tendulkar gets his century! Good luck to you guys also. Stick in a few short ones , you guys haven't used the bouncer well enough.

Your blog info is as good as watching the match in a live environment.But India has a very good chance to win this Test match since the God is still in the crease.Take care.

Even being an Indian, I really enjoyed ur dismissal of Dravid, not because of that in-cutter, but the way you planned it bowling bouncers and outswingers constantly to The Wall.

Ian,

I was watching the second day's play early morning here in India and i must admit it was good to see Rahul Dravid scoring those fluent cuts on the off side. One more thing Ian, you have some new fans coming your way. Ravi Shastri, while he was commentating said he reads your blog daily and he was very much impressed by your honesty in your blogs. We all here appreciate this thing Ian. Ravi also said your blogs are pretty good and it is good getting some new fans i guess..... Well bowled Ian and we were expecting you to get a 5 wicket haul and iam sure you still have a chance to do that here in the first innings but only after India scores a big lead , LOL... anyhow, Well done mate.... Keep up the good work and keep blogging...... Bye

Well Bowled IOB!

a great delivery 2 remove a great batsman. Congrats.i think india played 2 slowly today. tomorrows morning session is very crucial. whoever wins that session will hav an upperhand in this test match..jai hind

Good going Ian..just when you think you are done with Shewag, there comes a man called Yuvi. He's as destructive as Shewag and there's also the little master getting into the groove. It all depends on the first session tommorow. If India doesn't loose too many wickets they will take the game away from NZ, but if NZ get early wickets it will be riveting match

Hey,
The Ball you got the WALL out was terrific. Congrats for delivering one beauty. But get ready to chase the leather tomorrow and the batting display of the MASTER is on the way :) beware of Dhoni and Yuvraj as they may spoil the hardwork of NZ team in one session by just tearing the bowling apart. All in all it was a good show today by NZ team. Good to see a contest. All the Best and hope tomorrow is the Day for India !! :)

It is a godd delivery from You and the you have to change your bowling styles by way of introducing some varieties to your bowling.If you follow the goodlenght and line with a sophisticated bounce then it will make presure on the indians Especially after sachin tendulkar wicket remainng players are not much experienced Test match players. Keep the fielding in the proper place aim the nod do the best for your carrier and also for the teams best performance.

ALL THE BEST Ian o brian.

Regards,

suresh

hi Dude.. ur blog very nice to read it...yes, its obvious you guys need one session to change the game. still, u guys gonna bowl to great sachin on his best... Yuvraj & dhoni is still there to play their innings.. yuvraj is moulding well in test cricket now and you knew dhoni is very responsible captain.. really you guys need great effort to turn game.. all the best...

hi.. you are a fantastic cricketer but to be frank you need to have more hunger and firepower that is something known as ingredients of a fast bowler.. Me being indain love you guys .. you know why i dont think that u guys can do most of d damage to this indain team. So please make it more competitive.. beat my team.. all the best
amresh

Congrats on getting the prized scalp of THE WALL.
And also for containing India at 3 per over Ian. You all have bowled pretty well today on a placid wicket , there's no doubt about it. But you must thank Indian batsmans lack of positive approach. They havent played fast after Sehwags dismissal and the run out of sehwag didn't help either. But had sehwag been there the run rate would have been between 4 n 5 per over. But look out for yuvraj tomorrow as he is the guy who can be lethal and Sachin also. Best of luck.

u got some good rhythm while bowling to dravid, he had to play each ball, but i still think if you say pitch is playing good then india will have a sizeable lead, but pitch should not become like the one in 1999,when everybody was scoring centuries in second innings.Sachin is still there and as long as he is there, yuvi can go bizarre ,and can level all the hard work done by you guys today in just one session,
good luck with your{PLANS} as you always have for everybody.
thanks for the blog ,

great bowl that got Dravid.

In a post session interview Martin said that "Sachin was riding his luck". Do you agree with him because I surely do not, I mean lets face it Sachin has the most ODI as well as Test runs and Martin has got 25 ducks if memory serves me right.

I wish you luck but hope Martin gets thrashed all around the park or just pull a hamstring for that matter.

Mate, does blogging not disrupt your attn on fields? I mean there are lots of comments and judgements which could be good and also wrong and harmful to a player also, isn't it. But one think I love is that we are able to keep in touch!

About your bowling to Indian, many prposed methods which could have worked to your or NZL favour - tell me abt your feeling on that.

I am from Malaysia and there is practically no cricket here. I enjoy all in all on internet. Dont mind but I like to see India winning this bog maybe a 3-0 whitewash. Just a wish...

hi. ian ur blog is nice..tomoro indians ill resurrect and pick up d pace..be aware..All d best..

That was a good effort by you Brien, I was waiting for your blog and u wrote what I expected :-)

great story mate! i am simply bowled!

Nice ball brian to get rid of Dravid...hope to see more such balls tomorrow

great story mate! i am simply bowled!

Hey Brien,that ball was great.wow man,what a delivery that was.Every body was talking about the wicket of Dravid.But still Dravid played a fantastic knock today.In first session,ball was moving and still Mr. cool faced all u guys very well.

Well bowled today, Iain. The one that got Dravid was a beauty! As for the match itself though, well it's pretty much even steven at the moment. Got a feeling this one will go the distance though, and that's a great thing!
Good luck!

Mate, it was a great nut to a great player. Well done (cricinfo commentary noted it would be one for your blog tonight!)

I'm driving down to the tr0n from auckland 2mrw, make my trip worthwhile iain, i want to see the NZ openers by the time i arrive!

well done Lain, Dravid dismissal was good, but it is going to be tough for you guys to hold back my namesake and Yuvraj tomorrow..both are looking good. You got to be lucky to get the conditions to suit you

"We held one of the best batting teams in the world to three runs an over" ----- Wait till tomorrow buddy !!!!

It was a very well setup delivery Iain, well bowled. Do you think Sachin will score his 42nd hundred tomorrow? Good luck! By the way, i'm Indian. :-)

hi. ian ur blog is nice..tomoro indians ill resurrect and pick up d pace..be aware..All d best..

Two of the brightest moments of today's play came off your bowling
1) The wall being breeached
2) Sachin playing that delectable shot over the slips...pure genious.
I still feel Vettori underbowled himself and maybe even you ended up 5 overs short.

Yup was a bit of a genius from franky !!.. ruined my whole day ..woke up early to watch sehwag smack you guys around..but well bowled to you and other.. was a good day of TEST cricket.

Nice post dude... n all the best for tomorrow!!!

Hey Brien,that ball was great.wow man,what a delivery that was.Every body was talking about the wicket of Dravid.But still Dravid played a fantastic knock today.In first session,ball was moving and still Mr. cool faced all u guys very well.

Good stuff today Ian.
you bowled well and keep things simple. after all these are true GREAT test batmens that your playing against.
I'm an Indian and i hope you do well, cheers!

Buddy , That was a gem of a delivery to dravid and the ball just went into the gate and bowled him. Excellent stuff. I think you did it intelligently well in bringing back the ball to the batsman.

Am sure Tendulkar , yuvi and dhoni is going to give you tougher times t'row. Be prepared.

Regarding your mistake y'day , it was not wise to get out during that juncture.Its ok , it all happens . Not to worry.

You got dravid with a beauty. If you can go through Dravid's defence, you can go through anybody's defence ..... take my word.

That was a beautiful delivery to get Dravid out, but to be honest i think he just miscalculated that shot. All the best to keep India below a big lead !! Cheers

For a single wicket in the day, you probably couldn't have picked a better one: a high-class batsman (my favourite, incidentally) batting well, and you got him. There is no more exhilarating sight in cricket than a fast bowler getting through a top batsman and knocking that stump over. On some highlight package in a shop I was in earlier today here in Bombay, they showed your wicket again and again, and even if it was that man Dravid gone, it was exhilarating all right!

Well done, and keep fighting tomorrow.

Wonder why you guys kept plugging in short of length stuffs to Dravid and Gambhir? Should have made them play more towards mid off and mid on region, you would have got better results. By the way how did it feel seeing Sachin's upper cut over slips. Can't wish you good luck for tomorrow!! :)

Beautiful ball to take out Dravid I enjoyed watching it very much - Well Done.

NZ is definitely behind the 8-ball but its shaping up to be an engrossing match.

Good luck for tomorrow

You are funny a lot. U got Dravid, one of the best and technically sound batsman..and you are not applauding yourself a lot here...good..have some shampagne...bcoz sachin is in for a big one..and make sure you don't mess with bhajji, he is a character..cheers

just wait til our little fella gets his century. we are sending our cannons to new zealand for him to use against u people buddy. good luck.

That's a fantastic batting from Indian side. Yes, Sehwag did not have his day, though..but Gambhir, Dravid and Tendulkar..though slowly...kept a steady increase on the board. Its not that the top order go duck to the dressing room, leaving the task to the tail-enders as New Zealand on the other day had done..Its a good going for India..and they are going to win for sure.

You are funny a lot. U got Dravid, one of the best and technically sound batsman..and you are not applauding yourself a lot here...good..have some shampagne...bcoz sachin is in for a big one..and make sure you don't mess with bhajji, he is a character..cheers

Bravo lainy! Congrats mate for taking wicket of genius..Wishing u gud luck for remaining match

Great Job Ian.
I was a bit disappointed though that you couldn't pull off that outfield catch of a top-edged hook shot from VVS Laxman. You just never looked comfortable especially since you weren't keen on diving and relying on just your reach.
A hard earned reward to get a wicket of Dravid. That requires constantly putting the ball "there".

I just like your blog. Its frank and candid.

Cheers!

Not many bowlers have clean bowled Dravid- most of the bowled must have been inside-edges etc. But the fact that you actually deceived him in the air and that the ball only met air before it struck the target is a great achievement.

It's akin to breaking through a Wall of concrete with a sniper bullet. Congratulations! I've really started to like you a lot.
You've just earned another fan to add to your millions :-)

Hi Ian..

The ball to get rid of dravid was an excellent one.It moved enough to tresspass dravids tight defence.
But by the way things are shaping up, i feel tendulkar is going to get his next ton tomm..and then you will be treated to some pyrotechnics from yuvi,dhoni and bhaji..i feel it will be tough for you guys to bat second on this wicket..
Any way all the very best....Keep blogging...

well..u write these exceptionally well...it must hv been really happy feeling to get through such a defense..THE WALL we call him..

Thanks alot for getting Dravid out. I cant stand him batting. Good luck for rest of the days.

Terrific write up mate..great reading ur blogs...terrific delivery to get dravids offstick today - i luv dravid - but was great seeing superb pace bowling too :)

Hey Iain, great day of cricket mate. Good too see some really good hard cricket being played. That is TEST cricket.

One thing I noticed, about your run up, it reminds me of the pink-panther sipping pinot noir whilst listening to Barry Manilow!

Ohh yeh, and ur a muppet

hi lain.nice written as usual.the only obstacle n.z have reducing india to minimum is sachin.if he gets going i sure n.z have to face 150-175 run lead..which can be winning lead in this match.

hi lain.nice written as usual.the only obstacle n.z have reducing india to minimum is sachin.if he gets going i sure n.z have to face 150-175 run lead..which can be winning lead in this match.

Iain, mate just love reading you blog. It's kind of front row experiance for us, who are not at the ground and are not watching it live. Keep up the good work. Already looking forward to tomorrow's blog.

Hi O'Brien, When do you get a time to write blog, after such tiring day!!! Good to read indeed

Though you got the wicket of Dravid but to be very honest dear you really did not desrved, especially after looking your ODI's performance in the recent series.Before the start of the series you were the only quick bowler that was supposed to put some amount of challenge to the Indians but the way Indian team handled you especially Sehwag was awesome.He hit you as you were a low grade domestic level bowler.I think you and your team should consider themselves lucky that he was runout otherwise 400 plus was nowhere for todays quota.

Ian,
You got to take commentary after you retire. It is great to see your blog. I think none of the players has done this. Dont you have any problems for writing blog from your mgmt, kind of revealing secrets.
Have a great day tomorrow.
Devender

Hey, that was more like you bowling analysis for the day rather than a blog... How do you get so much time to post one blog after the other so quickly Iain? I'm sure you skipper would be happier if you take wickets in even double the time interval in which you manage to produce such a lengthy write-up! Concentrate on you game boy!

loved ur wicket of dravid...

but i feel India can get a minimum of 100 runs lead, and easily many more, which will be very crucial !!! ;)

Hey Iain, stop being so modest, that was an absolute beauty to get Dravid out. If you can get one of the greatest technicians of the game out like that, you could do it to anyone. As an Indian fan though, i hope you dont repeat it in this test series!!!! Good luck.

Ian....i just like ur comments and the way,towards to ur cricket life. Its just showing the BIG heart of passion,and all the very best will come to ur way and God bless u alys.

hi
first of all i would like to tell u that youe blog is really gr8.. r u the first one to start this in cricketers???
i hope so ...
here in india bollywood stars does it... like as big B does it daily...
u also keep it daily one post...
being an indian i would like to see india go through, sorry yaar. and also like to see sachin moving ahead with another 100 in the kitty.... anyways... keep it up..

that ball was really good.. if a ball can get through the defence of someone like Dravid, it is certainly good. Till now, the test match has been very good with both sides having a go at the other one.. lets see what happens tomorrow..

Breaching "The Wall" is enough to make any bowler proud! That was a tremendous delivery!! All the best for tomorrow... Watch out for Yuvi, if you dont get him early, he will become a big pain in the a$$!! And ofcourse, the master is there on the other end too! Looks really bleak for your team!

Great Article mate.

I missed Dravids wicket (Damned Math class) but I came home and my mum said that Dravid had lost his middle stump.

"Well, maybe...uuh...off as well..I don't know which, but Middle was gone"

Good work!

Ian,
Nice one again.the way you set up Dravid to that delivery is amazing. He made him to play towarsd mid-off. I haven't seen someone shattering his off stump a while ago. He completely miss the line of that delivery. still you people have plenty of work left to do in the series. I wish best of luck for tomorrow. Looking forward for the first session , which is crucial for both of our nations.

Keep posting ...

Hi lain. It s very hard t breach the Wall of India. U did it today with a peach of a delivery.
Nice job. But if u dint get a good pre-lunch session tomorrow, then it s going to be very tough for u guys.
Tough luck today and good luck for tomo.

I always like ur honest blogs. Keep blogging..

"hanging tough, doing what I’m supposed to do"; that sums it up - that's what is needed in the game .. hmm .. okay make the life .. :-) ..

Hi Ian,
Wow it was a nce ball buddy, but u know one thing, while defending that ball rahul bent his knee so he got into trouble ...

Hi Iain, you are providing in-sight to what actually transpires on the field. Good job. Keep it up

hi Iain. it's nice spell you bowl to dravid.

but indian batsmen did well. u will see sachin gets his 100 2omorrow. and some fireworks from yuvi later in the innings ........

lovely bit of bowling... yes, you made me eat my words from yesterday...that was good spell of seam bowling, I have ever seen coming out of your hands. I whole heartedly appreciate your commitment and bowling right line and length.hope you don't repeat it for rest of series.

Great ball to get rid of wall

wow! It was vintage Test Match after a long time. For an Indian it feels like we havent even come close to cricket like we had today for more than decade. The Amount of shorter versions we play and the test matches in subcontinent doesnt feel as good as playing a Test Match in Nz or England. It was very nice to see Dravid play the way it should be done.... and to breach his defence when he is playing well is something not many have achieved. Very nice bowling through out the day, I liked that nice shape with bounce and pace to the right handers.

Thank you for giving us such pleasure..

cheers...

Another honest blog....love it....good luck for tomorrow.Cheers!!!!!!!!!

Oh ! Comeon ! Iain. You always write about the wicket you take and the run you scored. If you were out, it is because your toes got stuck ! If you went for fours & sixes, it was bcoz of the good batsmen...seriously...your blog is getting boring...the problem is that you seriously consider you to be a damn good bowler, which apparently you are not...hence you are unable to relate to things...sorry...but this is the fact

Iain ..why is it so that All NZ bowlers bowled too many short of length deliveries ? All Indian wickets to fall today was due to good length delivery on the off stump. That's the trick against Indian bats ..since all of them like to play on the Up.

This is amazing stuff. Believe it or not, by the time I complete reading the blog, I almost feel that I am "Iain Edward O'Brien". That I guess is because of raw honesty in the blog.

Keep it going....

Ian,

Thats a great ball. Also I noticed that you bowled a straight ball and then a ball that bend in towards the stump..looked like a strategy to me. Cos I saw you try it with Laxman too, here the next ball went away from him...too bad for you ..it bend a lot more than you would have hoped and laxman just watched :)

Good luck for tomorrow. Remove Sachin and you are back into the game. Yuvi is a confidence player..if he beleives he can hit it...he always does but the problem is he does not beleive he is still test material...so you guys have a great chance to come back into the game.

Hi Ian,
Congrats for getting Dravid's wicket. I wish your team to bowl well tomorrow.
But as I said yesterday, waiting to see a Sachin Century tomorrow.
It would be a tough for you guys to be at the top in this test.
Apart from this, keep blogging mate... I really like your honest posts.

Hey Iain, well bowled man. The Indian batsmen were conservative today, unusually, and that's why they were scroring at just 3 runs an over. But in any case you kiwi guys bowled pretty tight I thought barring Kyle Mills. Good test cricket by both teams today!!

Hey Ian ! Its nice to see a refreshingly honest take on the goings on ! Brilliant ball to get rid of Dravid, it probably would have gotten past most righties in the world. I felt barring you the other guys still bowled on the shorter side. Just a pointer, I feel the Indians were playing themselves in. They have enough firepower left to disrupt Dan's plans. You have a mean in cutter, keep it up.
Hope this series is even half as interesting as your blog posts. Cheers !!

well done brien,you look like a scholar,but you are a very good bowlwwer.i like you attitude towards the game

hey ian,nice bowling today,that ball was really amazing,but the way little maestro is batting there,i don't think you will be able to stop india posting a big first innings lead.what's your say?

well iain,the bowl at which you bowled dravid was tremendous.Getting dravid wicket and that too by bowling his wicket down,it was very nice to see,that a person of dravid stature who is in great form,as we had seen him in mohali and other first class matches(that include the one at newzealand too) where all he had tons. really it would be nice contest to see whether you can stop sachin from hitting his 42nd ton in test cricket.

One gud delivery costing the wicket of Dravid, a batsman of top class is really good to see. Gud job done. The first session tomorrow might probably be the decider which would say whether the black caps are back in the game. Kudos to half centuries by Gautam, Rahul and Sachin.

Hey Iain,
Congrats on getting Rahul bowled out with what I think was a wonderful delivery considering the context on the situation i.e. to a batsman who was well settled on a wicket on which batting becomes easier as you spend more time. And Rahul as we know isn't someone who'll give it away easily. Must have been some effort from your end.
What I liked about this blog is that, you could have easily boasted your heart out about that one delivery and would have been justified for doing that but you kept it to bare minimum and described the whole day's play...That's what I guess is a true sign of a cricketer who has a good head on his shoulders. Way to go buddy...
Hope to read more and more from you...
Regards,

Sid

You should be proud of what you have achieved. Keep it up. Beware of the Best Batsman (Sachin). He would like to attack you.

Getting Dravid's wicket and clean bowled is a dream many many bowlers wish all over the world.
Get yourself ready and stay fit with no injuries, you have a long way to go and the Walls wicket is enough for you to say - You are good and destined for a long career.
Gud Luck!

Hi O'Brien, When do you get a time to write blog, after such tiring day!!! Good to read indeed

Hi Ian, saw the highlights today morning. It was good to see the true sportsman spirit shown by Kiwis in the field. You bowled well and the wicket ball of Dravid was a beauty. I hope India manage to get 400+ with a Sachin century (but that is like every Indian's hope on this test :-). Wish you all the best and keep blogging. I always look forward to each of your blogs after India started touring your country. A honest blog and great work to put everything here at the end of a hard day on field.

Hi Iain,

i would say that ball to rahul was good,but certainly not great enough.If rahul had moved his front foot a second before then the ball would have thudded his pad.could say his loss of concentration

Ian, That was a good delivery, but it was Dravid's mistake who moved his position of his leg at the right time when the ball crossed his bat. Lets see tomorrow. Try the same with Tendulkar.

Hey Iain,
That was a great setup before an excellent delivery to get rid of Dravid. Great stuff! Thats how test cricket should be played. Thanks to both the teams for providing an enjoyable day of cricket. Keep it up and all the best!

Nice blog Iain.. One gud thing about ur blog is that u express everything very honestly....
Now the ball u bowled to Mr. Wall was brilliant.. Its not very easy to break his defence.. Good Work!!!
Anywaz just watch out for Sachin. He is in good form and looking good to score yet another hundred.. I am great fan of Sachin and want him to score a double hundred... But all the very best to u!!!! :))))

Job Nicely done but not enough to save the test it's almost out of NZ's hand. Tendulkar is still out there and couple of hard hitting batters waiting for their chance in Indian line up. So lead could be a hard thing to break for NZL. I think what happenned is Indian batsmen didn't take risks. I don't think it's NZL bowlers tied them up.

Nice blog Ian...you are right...if you get out Sachin and Yuvi the first half hour of tomorrows play, then you people definitely are back in this game...else the match will be decided tomorrow itself..Good thing about your blogs are you are honest and amazing thing is you find time for blogging everyday :) All the best mate for tomorrow

If India bat the whole day tomorrow then few will remember about the ball that got Dravid. Should India get through the first session without losing more than a wicket, then NZ's goose is cooked

Hey Ian, you got Dravid with gem of a delivery. Great bowling display. But, all is not over yet. Sachin is looking great and if he gets a big hundred then if won't be easy for NZ to get back into the game. India with still a bit og batting to come is looking strong at the moment. Yeah, it just takes one good session to turn the things and tomorrow first session woould be crucious to both the team. We are heading towards a great contest between bat & bowl. This is what test cricket is all about. Each player will mature as a cricketer. All the best for tomorrow's play.

great going Iian,

you broke the wall :) with very good bowling!
lets see what you do to 10'dulkar today.

at what time do you write your blog? do you write it immediately after the day is over?

whatever, i am sure this is gonna be an interesting test match!

Really looking forward to tommorrow's play although I fear I may have to catch most of it on the radio. All we need is a couple of early wickets and then we are into the long indian tail. Hopefully you can have your feet up relaxing by lunch or shortly after

hai ian
tommorows first session will be crucial for both sides..they need to pick wickets regularly a restrict india alead for about 80..then job well done
mind you your team needs to bat well.. to post a respectable target.

hai ian
tommorows first session will be crucial for both sides..they need to pick wickets regularly a restrict india alead for about 80..then job well done
mind you your team needs to bat well.. to post a respectable target.

Hi Ian, Nice delivery to get rid of the Great Indian Wall Dravid. Tomoro's first two sessions will be crucial for India. If a lead of 200 is achieved, then u guys will have to really fight it out in the middle. Jesse is simply outstanding for the way he adapted to the situation on day 1 in Dan's company who's proved that he is the best spinning all rounder now, followed closely by Saqib-ul-Hasan. Ryder seems to work hard to join this band. One hopes that this test won't enter the fifth day. Let's see.

Man , i just luv ur blog, it is so frank and unbiased. Gud delivery to Dravid mate, he looked a bit punch-drunk after getting bowled, completely foxed...not an everyday sight. Yuvi's a bit edgy outside his off-stump early on , its something he's always had a problem with at the start of his innings, much like Ganguly had with the short stuff, So u can perhaps keep that in mind. ...BEST OF LUCK

Hi Ian, Nice delivery to get rid of the Great Indian Wall Dravid. Tomoro's first two sessions will be crucial for India. If a lead of 200 is achieved, then u guys will have to really fight it out in the middle. Jesse is simply outstanding for the way he adapted to the situation on day 1 in Dan's company who's proved that he is the best spinning all rounder now, followed closely by Saqib-ul-Hasan. Ryder seems to work hard to join this band. One hopes that this test won't enter the fifth day. Let's see.

India played into hands of New Zealand. Poor batting application from Indian middle order. Too many maidens, they could have rotate the strike to get the score board ticking.

Dravid have problem with in coming delivery. His bat came too slowly and completely missed the line of the ball. It was mistaken in his concentration and poor application in terms of pacing in his innings.

Thats why Sehawag wicket is so crucial in the morning. He can take away the give in couple of sessions.

I feel vettrori is very defensive captain. It showed in his field placements and his own bowling. He started with deep square leg from the first over to Sehwag. It also showed in his bowling as well. Just bowling too flat and looking to block one end.

Hopefully India will come out and bat positively tomorrow. Two will be very crucial If India had to win this match, getting a lead of 150 runs or more and bowling from Harbhajan and reserve swing from Zaheer and Ishant.

Congratulations Iain, well Bowled.
Sehwag is becoming an “Inzamam” these days getting run out quite often. He's been always a bit lazy and he never slides his bat in to save his wicket. The prime example of how NOT to get run out was Dan V on day one and I hope Sehwag albeit for all his heroics get his basics right. Gary/Robin, you have a job on your hand.

Any bowler who can get through Dravid's defence when he is set gains my respect. It was a great delivery after getting him tentative the last couple of overs.

It was a pretty ordinary effort from the New Zealanders. Having said that the Indians didn't perform well. Had they lost a wicket or more at this stage, things could have been bad for them. Now lets hope tendlya adds one more to his 41 tomorrow and I expect you to do him favour by bowling some loose deliveries and dropping some easy catches!!

Nice blog - refreshing to hear a cricketer speaking like any normal guy - down to earth and cnadid. Do really enjoy your blog. Congratulations too on getting Dravid bowled - he has a great technique as we all know - so getting him and that too bowled has to be special. Btw lets also acknowledge how gentlemanly and sporting the New Zealand fan is. I think we Indians are just gloating too much at times - not used to doing so well in Kiwiland I guess...

Fantastic one lain you got Dravid. still we have Sachin and three days anyway keep blogging thanks

hey ,

Good blog . I would probably say , you got rid of Indias BEST TEST Batsman. I think , its relatively easy to get the others , once u get dravid , as other players are more aggressive and go for the shorts. The mantra for you My friend is , Pitch the ball up like what martin did to gambhir and hopefully chances might come your way. Having said that and being an indian , I would like India to get close to somewhere around 500 and put Nz under absolute pressure. I still believe , bajji and zack have come a long way batting low down the order. scoring an useful 20 or 30 would deffinitely help with one of the top order batsman around. All the best to you anyways and lets hope the match doesnt turn out to be an one Sided affair.!!!

Ofcoiurse today newzealand has done good bowlling but if they see the batting of the indian team it was quite outstanding.VVS laxman was not in good toch and some catches were also dropped but at last he gave the wicket.fielding side of newzealand was very lazy.because at main point he was not active.and lastly i want to say that india is far far better than newzealand in this tour and certainly india will win this match.

hey ian ..dat was a peach with which u got rid of Dravid..but hey for those who say India played slowly--- the strategy was not to lose quick wickets n at d same time get close to the lead.look out they will play similarly in d first session tomorrow n then in d remaining sessions look to accelarate.

--btw i love ur blogs.--

Well done Iain! and a belated happy St. Paddy's day for ya. I like the way you guys go about your cricket. I naturally root for you even when you are playing against India. Its pure joy with you guys and you seem like a well knit unit off the field as well. As for Dravids ball, it was very good, 9 out of 10 times i would have expected Dravid to block a ball like that, you beat him, The Wall , well done!, take that feeling into tomorrow and try and get the great Sachin. Good luck to you guys and pls keep playing the game like you do. Like true Gentlemen.

What a beauty of a delivery!!!
The "Wall" errs and O'Brien hits timber!!
Thats sounding great...You have got a great future

Hey Iain, I like the way you have bowling recently, good work. I hope India is able to put on a good lead, but lets see how it goes. Wish you good luck in the field.

Thanks
Kunal

Hi,
cool blog. you do great naration. Hope you pitch it up as Mark Richardson says, and nab "The God".

my my! you are getting popular :) though, i must say you deserve it - wish you continue to bowl well (and if that doesn't work, you have writing to fall back on)

Iain, thanks for sharing your heart. It's great to read your opinion, rather than the commentators who sit there and only guess what is happening in the player's mind...
I love this reading this.
Humourous, witty ... and it amazes me, as an Indian, that you guys respect our team so much.
Indian cricket is changing .. but still a few guys there need to be out!
Good work, keep going - I mean, not getting our batsmen out ... but your humour and your posts here!
Now, is that a NO-BALL ???

Very well written there Iain, and very well bowled as well. It was some plan u had there for Dravid and you executed it perfectly, congratulations, and may more wickets come to ya tomorrow.
Cheers, Paul.

Hi Iain, Your writing skills are excellent. You get the reader hooked. I probably always thought to read some part and move on to next info on the site. but your story telling skill kept me hooked till the last word. That shows you generated interest for even a reader who would just like to finish with some header information or key part. but reading all through what you have written is something really shows your writing skills. Probably you should or can make career of this in later part of your life post your cricketing period. For now enjoy both sides of the world. It looks great to hear something direct from the field and dressing room comment. Keep it going. I will go with your point , that it should be a good absorbing day tommorow. I forsee surprises as it is always with New zealanders. Something,somewhere is going to happen tommorow. I take this part of your article on that over which you took Dravid Wicket.

Well done Iain! The ball that got rid of THE WALL was a great one. I dont think anyone could have done much about that delivery. Well i admire the way you guys are so optimistic about today's play. To be honest, there is only one team winning this test match and that is India.

I dont think you did much today to feel really happy and satisfied. Taking 4 wickets on a day is not good enough. 250 runs in a day may not sound great but it is a pretty good score specially on this pitch. You guys were very lucky to get the wicket of sehwag. So your bowlers accounted for only 3 wickets on a day, that will not win you test matches mate!.

Things are looking ominous for you with sachin well set for another Ton. With big hitting from Yuvraj and Dhoni a lead of around 150 is good to win this match.

Best of luck for tomorrows play.

hi Iain,
This is Kartik from chennai, we have a been waiting for a Sachin 42. please do admire his game along with a billion in india waking up at 3am in the morning to watch the god bat

All the best to u. do ur part well. good day

Your team has to thank god for getting Shehwag.I m sure Kyle Mills would have done it atl least.If he got going no stopping for India..The score woould have nearly 400..

I am sure the ball u delivered to exploit the wall was super. Try to ensure that repeats tomorrow as early as possible. As u said just one good session will do great. but make ensure that it is first session. All the best buddy... keep the nice work both bowling and blogging.

Iain,
Rahul Dravid was in a great nick today.
And it would have taken that special delivery to get him out. AND you did it!!!
That was an excellent ball.. perfect line and length and good thinking on the position of the ball bowled from... closer to the stumps, since the ball was not moving as much as how Ishanth Bowled Ross Taylor. so given the reduced assistance from the pitch, I would rank this higher for the sheer batsmen that you bowled out.

Getting dravid out.. to me ranks much higher than getting taylor out.. no offence though.

Great work and the moment I saw you dismiss Dravid.. I was itching to read your blog.... well done mate!

Great Work dude ....... Its never been easy to break the Wall.... All the best .....

Great! Great bowling man. That ball which got rid of Rahul Dravid was simply superb. Hope to more such quality. Keep it up and all the best.

Hey Iain
Peach of a ball to dismiss the rahul and exposed his weakness in dravid. Dravid knows his off stump 10/10 times, if you beat him and won the I round. Kudos.
I dont agree with Indians approach of "battle of attrition", what happens if sachin, dhoni and yuvi get three good balls like Iain' ball to dravid. All the ball wasting day II effort will be wasted. So Reap while reap.

Yup Ian that was a peach of a delivery which comprehensively bowled Dravid and he couldn't believe it.Indeed you managed to penetrate the robust wall at last.Impressive stuff mate.

Amazing Delivery U bowled to Dravid... Keep up the good work Mate.... All the Best

Superb delivery! Reminded me of ASIF dismissing SRT, LAXMAN in one TEST match. However, I feel IND will still win. IND to me is the best TEST and ODI side at the moment. IND's pace have improved beyond immagination. Iain, you should bowl more short deliveries. SRT's dropped catch is proving to be costly.

Congrats on getting Dravid out .. even though i feel the overall line of attack to Indian batsmen could have been fuller and closer to the off stump, making them play more with bat and drive down the ground.

Morning session is critical for both teams ..Good luck and keep up the good work IOB.

i see a sachins ton coming!!!..

Cheerio son.

Great bowling Ian! what a great delivery to get rid of a well set and classy dravid, you were running in well and there was a great rythm in your bowling. Good luck for tommorrow (although I hope Sachin gets a big one too)

cheers!
Kapil

It was a great ball to get rid of Dravid. The best thing was that commentators immediately said that u would blog this incident as soon as u can.......

That was a great ball! and only few can break the defense of the "wall" , you are one of them ! ..I am sure RD will work it out next time be comes to bat , expect him to be harsh on you !!!

what a ball,it has gone through the great wall of india

Hey Ian, nice post!
I have seen a couple of NewZealand bowlers like Chris Cairns,Chris Harris,Shane Bond and jus want to let u know that u r right up there. first time i saw u bowling u looked the best among the current lot...and the way things are going in this test match...u r right, it takes only one session for things to turn in NewZealnd's favour..All the Best but being an Indian team fan i wud want still want them to win...HAve a nice day at field tomorrow....Cheers!!..:)

Let see if you can get Sachin out with such a delivery tomorrow...Good luck

Dude,
I always look forward to your blog just to see if you write anything different. It's always more about you rather than the team and the opposition and the state of the match. I like your optimistic views though.

Thanks,
Sarath.

hey Ian,
It was indeed a good ball that god dravid.
try these at yuvi coz he's a lefty, u might just get another headline for ur blog.
but as earlier, i am still saying India will score 600.
Best of luck for tomorrow.
i will closely follow ur bowling.
do well..
May the best team wins.
Cheers
Sourabh Sharma
India

It was a superb delivery to break the wall of India

try out with short pitch balls for 2 overs and the next with yorkers for yuvi. You might succeed in getting him bowled. Good Luck.

I agree with you that you bowled a peach of a delivery to get rid off the wall. But keeping India under 3 an over today does not reflect how well you have bowled as a team. It was only possible because of the defensive filed you set today. I hope you guys are attacking from the go tomorrow otherwise I think the game can be decided in the first 2 sessions of play tomorrow. Good Luck.

I am a fan of Graham Dowling's NZ team that had Turner, Collinge, Congdom, Hastings, Burgess, Pollard, Hadle and Howarth and Motz - what a team - but this team lost to India against thw wiles of Pras and Bedi

Now, we are wonder struck at the rich talent NZ cricket has got - Ryder, O'Brien, McCullum, Vettori and Martin - sad Oram, and Tuffey are not playing

kep up the blogs O'Brien - at the ed of this series, you will become a better bowler - sachin, laxman and drvaid and sehwag will give you that career building experience

Ian,
It was an interesting day of Test Cricket with a good contest between bat and ball. Congratulations on dismissing Dravid. It was a wonderful delivery and I should tell you that you bowled extremely well in the afternoon after lunch. Keep it up. I believe India will take up a sizable lead and look to bowl you guys out. We have an exciting contest on our hands. Good Luck.

Wow!!! all are saying this for that delivery!! I am saying wow to your enthusiasm ... how can you manage to carry such great enthu to write a blog after playing an absorbing day of cricket!

Well done Iain! and a belated happy St. Paddy's day for ya. I like the way you guys go about your cricket. I naturally root for you even when you are playing against India. Its pure joy with you guys and you seem like a well knit unit off the field as well. As for Dravids ball, it was very good, 9 out of 10 times i would have expected Dravid to block a ball like that, you beat him, The Wall , well done!, take that feeling into tomorrow and try and get the great Sachin. Good luck to you guys and pls keep playing the game like you do. Like true Gentlemen.

I think NZ should include girl from womens team who scored 168 last night. I think she is much better than some of the guys.

a very good ball that u dissmissed dravid.the ball has gone through the pad and rattles his off stump.great ball .incoming ball .

It was real beauty, right on good length than nipped back sharply, Martin did have a similar delivery to Dravid but that time it was the height that saved him but not second time.
I think Dravid still has the problem of dragging his front foot too much outside the off stumps to reach out for the deliveries by leaning for the drive, in that case if ball does little bit extra (either ways), it can either pass through the channel of bat and pad or goes to the slip cordon. By the way Dravid played well and that delivery couldn't have got anyone wicket, either on front foot or back foot.

India is Likely to be on top at this moment..One good first hour will turn the match completely in the favor of the INDIANS.For NewZealand the need to pick up Tendulkar early.

At last you found a crack in the wall!!!
Good job from you you guys. But i bet you will have the least chances of winning this test as soon as the master blaster gets to his 42th ton! Try delaying it but i guess you guys cant stop the genius from painting his master art. Good Luck anyways!

Love always
shafeeq

Well done Iain, that ball was a CRACKER to dismiss The Wall. How did u bowl him?! Good days work, u r Vettori's go-to man as ur a REAL wicket-taker. Great test career so far and keep up ur wicket-taking habit. Don't lose it. Only 1 thing. With the exception of Martin, u guys bowled too short, especially Mills and even u and Vettori at sum points, just bowl like how u bowled 2 Dravid, and bowl full and just outside of off-stump with some late swing, like how Chris got Gambhir out. Try it, it may be a bit like a half-volley, but right now, its damn effective. Keep up the gud work, as a wicket-taker and a writer. Cheers!

Iain, Good job dude. Though i am an ardent follower of indian cricket. I feel connected with you thru ur blog and wanted you to do well and felt bad for you in the odis. Having said that my master is at work and i want him to go on and make merry on a third day track. Keep bloging!!!

i think rahul dravid didnt understand that ball it was all simple jus hittin the right length and he made a mess of it...but gr8 spell from i an obrien...

great delivery to get rid of the wall.still master is there,if you dont pick him early he is going to dictate terms to you guys.dont worry about DHONI he is surely the worst batsman in this indian lineup.he is not going to score runs against you in your backyard.

Hi Iain, super delivery to dismiss dravid, love your blog, hope you bowl well but india roll you guys over!
good luck mate.
Mohamed

Hey! nice post. good session but more to come. lemme giv you a lil tip for sachin. try to cut in the ball from off stump towards middle from just short of good length, you will get your man from there, blv me ;) lil tip frm an observer..

Good boy! You are absolutely right about the one session turning the game on its head. Keep the lead down; bat a decent score. India bat last and you are going to have fun testing their character and their skills when the chips are down.....

You just have to take 3 more main wickets tomorrow. Sachin, Dhoni, Yuvi. You Guys took only 3 the whole day considering Veru was out very early today. At any cost india should bat atleast 2 sessions tomorrow and score more than 450, u bet!

Also, its just the start of tour, indians want to make sure they dont loose the ground very early and keep up the momentum, thats why they played slow, you will see them play agressively the tour progresses.

Good luck!

Broke the wall!..must be a great feeling!
Cheers!

a beauty cracking the wall !

good luck !

Jun

Great ball MATE! Superb ball to dismiss 'The Wall'

Good luck for tomorrow!

funtastic!!! what a delivery!! do want to play rugby with u.

Hi Ian...I like the way u enjoyed ur scalp...but test matches are not won by momentary brilliance but consistently hitting the right spots with accuracy...Best of luck...

Brien you have the art of writing in you. You bowled an fantastic delivery to get rid of the wall. I am sure you will cherish this for rest of your life. Also over before you got rid of Dravid was an excellent over. However watch out of Sachin, Yuvi & Dhoni tomorrow,

Hi Ian, your blog is honest and it is fun to read the mind of a bowler. I am glad you gave credit to Franky. I would have liked to see some credit given to Martin for his delivery to Gambhir. That my friend is a text book Test match outswinger. Pitching juuuust outside the offstump and swinging away. No way Gambhir can leave that ball alone because it is too close... Even if he had not gone for the drive, he would have gotten an edge which would created a chance.. That was phenomenal delivery. The one you had Dravid for, that was great tooo.. First I thought he was beaten by pace and the ball beat him on the offside of his bat before he reached it. Actually it swinged in and missed his inside... Thats probably a tough place to beat and not hit the thigh or pad or get deflected by an inside edge.. beautiful delivery. Keep up the good work and blog more!

Hi O'Brien. Excellent bowling performances done by the whole Indian Team, Exceptionally Ishant,Zaheer and Munaf doing their job very well. This is the time to win the series against NZ after a long period.

i saw the ball. it was amazing. but surely it will be a tough day for u all tomorrow.

I remember 2 test matches. India claiming 6 wickets cheaply at the start of the test match. 24 for 6 and 39 for 6 and both the test matches against pakistan and India lost. Now New zealand 61 for 6 and they are well within the game since 3 more days to go and India has to bat last. As a strong Indian fan I hope India will not loose this test match

you break the great Indian wall congret, We are very keen to see india win a test match in your land, but same time we want a strong Kiwi team. I think you got a great player like jassey ryder

Cool Blog Iain
U kiwis always play in the true spirit....

Mate, the ball that got Dravid was a superb one. Well done!! I hope you do continue to bowl ones like those to other country batsmen(Not to the Indians :D). Jokes apart, we have seen a wondefull exhibition of focussed batting and some great bowling in patches. Let's hope we have some exciting sessions where the momentum swings from one team to the other faster than a pendulum. Having said this, I hope India do build on a huge lead. This is a golden opportunity to nail you guys, I hope they don't make a mess of things! By the way, try bowling to Sachin with an extra fielder at cover, he has the tendency to drive the ball uppishly on the offside. As for Yuvraj, ask Vettori to bowl from around the wicket with a 6-3 field. Yuvraj is edgy at times and has a tendency to play some false shots initially.

Hi o'B.. great ball which got rahul. tho' the on- field celebrations post the wicket sure ruffled up your carefully coiffured head.

cheers, and have fun tomorrow fetching leather from 67.5 metres.

Iain, our Dravid hasn't been that good in last 2 years, so don't get too much pumped up. You bowled ok, let's see how it goes today.

By the way, how many times somebody told you that something is going to happen? It must not be only once. It happened only once, didn't it?

wow....what does the team management say or does it have a say on what u write on your blog????

Hi Ian O'Brein....well 2nd day was boring as not many runs were scored...though india held advantage over NZ..if India manage to bat for 2 sessions scoring around 3.5- 4.0 runs than Nz will be out of 1st Test.....Congrats to NZ womens Team as they outplayed Pak n entered finals...Gud Luck India.....chakdey India....

You have broken through the wall isnt it breaking a law?? just kidding ,,, it was at unexpected time and a one heck of a ball .. you deserved a wicket for that ball..
If you think of sachin and give a chance to Yuvraj he gonna give back strong to you guys..All the best dude!

That was a peach of a delivery. This one is shaping up to be an exciting test match. India vs NZ and Aus vs SA have already cleansed the after taste of Eng vs WI [to some extent] and Pak vs SL. This what cricket is about... see-saw of 5 day battle of nerves.

Good luck mate.

Here is an hint for you, ;) To get little master out you should bowl the 1st ball on the pads just outside the middlestump -He will probably defend it or miss it(Don't worry - patience is the key here). then bowl the 2nd ball little up on the same line(he should defend it again). 3rd on the outside offstump(He tries to poke his bat but misses it completely, He is now half boiled chicken. you can see it on his face :P ) and the wicket taking ball 4th ball - pitched in line on the middle stump just pitching it low. there you go shout the hell out of your throat Howzzzthatttt...umpiiiii....and the middle? finger goes up. try this tomorrow without fail you will remember me for life. :D
god blesses us. tc. cheers.
taxi11

Dude you bowled well today and it was a great delivery to get rid off Dravid but do watch out Tendy tommorow.

Beautiful delivery.. This the reason i love test cricket :-) nice work mate....
I was expecting you to write about the catch that was so close to be taken by you. If you could have grabbed that , it could have avoided a patnership and indians would have been under pressure ..

I don't think you guys can restrict indians below 400 unless you bowl them out in first session.

I didn't read everyone's comments, but I would like to say 'thanks' to all the Rakeshes, Ravi's, Sareeps and Parag's.

Normally I see people posting with insults, complaints, threats, and everything inbetween. Those from Asian countries often seem to get quite passionate in particular when supporting their team! haha But today everyone seems to just be congratulating I. O'Brien. Impressive!

Dravid is not in best of form of late, so nothing great about getting him out after he scored 66 in very good seaming conditions, that too not when in form :) Good luck to you tomorrow!

Dude!!...you're getting a handful of fans with your honest posts!...that ball you bowled to Dravid was a peach..as much as I didn't dravid to get out...you just could'nt play that. But don't be too relaxed, you guys got a long day ahead of you. Keep up the good work dude..enjoy reading your posts!

Godwin

Good job Ian. For those people who say India batted slowly... When India started batting, there were 4days in the test match... we can play till 4th day first session and try to get as much lead as we can and put NZ under pressure. The way India played is correct. Today also they have to play carefully to get at least 300 lead by the end of 3rd day. Good luck both the teams. Good Luck Ian.

iain great effort mate well done for the wicket of dravid was a great ball he was looking sharp .ive had to leave test early family emergency but will catch up with you early next season mate good luck for the tour

Iain,

Its something to get the wicket of The Great Wall in that fashion, but to get him when he was looking as solid and ominous as ever is an achievement you could definitely be proud of. Its great to watch this Indian run machine made to work hard for every run by the NZ bowlers. A commendable effort. Looking at the match prospects, I think even an unprecedented Indian batting collapse from here on would at least yield a 50-run lead to the Indians. So it all comes down to how well the NZ top-order fares against the fiery Indian bowlers. Its surely a lost cause for NZ if the top-order fails to deliver yet again. So, more than tomorrow's first session, all eyes will be on how the NZers go about handling their second innings. This I believe will seal the fate of this match.

BTW, not to disregard any of the insightful and fun blogs here, but it would be even better if there are more perspective writeups rather than mere match reports alone. Anyway thats just my opinion.

All the Best!

any bets that dravid's wicket will be the blogger's last test wicket? LOL

seriously mate, u keep gushing about that one ball but forget the 66 he scored against ur team? get set for a 3-0 trashing and want to see ur blog on that day !!! cant wait :p

It takes a great delivery to dismiss a great batsman like Rahul Dravid. Well done Iain, I look forward to seeing you bowl on days 4 and/or 5 when I'm heading down to the Test.

More than the ball you bowled to dismiss Dravid, I like your description. I could visualise the happenings on the field. It broke my heart that Dravid couldnt score a century but that ball deserved his wicket. Would love to see you bowl to the Aussies like that :) Anyways, all the best, I am rooting for India but Black Caps are a close second for me...say hi to Stephen Fleming on my behalf :-) He was, is and will be my favourite batsman.

Simple and honest- your blog is a treat to read. Keep it coming.

Yes, it was a good wicket of Dravid's, particularly given that he's technically so good. Even he was *stumped*.

I also enjoyed the "ramp shot" that the little master scored off you towards the end of the day - Just a sneak preview of what's to come today, I hope.

very good delivery to Dravid .. wall was having trouble to similar delivery in Australia as well.. as I said before.. key Sehwag, Sachin, Gambhir.. 2 down 1 to go ..

IND missed:
-Sehwag's cheap & lazy run out (he was looking for more strike.. Gambhir should understand his importance)
-very slow paced innings.. Dan set a good example with limited batting skills.. put ball in gaps & rest is done by short boundaries.. hopefully Sachin will display that

NWZ missed:
-lots of wide & short pitch deliveries. wont help get the wickets.
-length should be very much fuller & around the off stump.. watch footage from Ishant’s bowling
-Franklin would have been a better option for the new bowl with Martin.. with wind flowing across the pitch
-Ryder was surprisingly used very low & late in the game.. he was a hero with the ball in last ODI

watch:
Sachin, if he is there for first few over’s its tough task afterwards for NZ's
O'Brian may be Dan as well later in the innings
Thanks

If fair play award was to be given, it will go to Kiwis... They play as a team & in very contrasting sporting spirit than their neighbors(Aussies)... India should play more matches in Newzealand!

Nice. I think all the bowlers need to learn from McGrath, who can bowl all 6 balls at the same line and length. One should have control on whats on his hand, only then he can achieve. I am sure you are working hardly to improve your bowling... Just work on consistent line & length where you want to bowl based on batsman. If you do that I don't think you need much variations... BTW, your blog is really good... All the best, you have all the quality to become to NZ top bowler. You will become the best in the Side.

Watching dravids stumps flying, one thing u dont c very often, considering he in my opinion is one of the greatest test batsmen india has produced...it must have been a great feeling am sure, and that really was one of theee deliveries of the match till now..all the best for 2morrow

I think you have a nice haircut

You droped VVS Laxman on 15,but unfortunately the BEST stlyish batsman in the world cricket at present couldn't make more than 30 fortunately for you.I think you guys bowled well to take yuvraj singh wicket, but you couldn't prevent the best bastsma the world has ever seen,the legend sachin's 100.I agree with martin crow,sachin is the best ever one has seen of after bradman..well most us have not seen bradman and his ability to deal wit billion people and one day cricket format, sachin is the highest run scorer even in this form of the game and test offcourses as well,sachin is the GREATEST the world has seen.

India are playing it shrewedly. They know it's crucial to go 1 up in the series to set the tone and they know the value of their first innings. It's not that NZ restricted India - just that India are doing this carefully. They are trying to ensure that they do not have to chase too much - any if at all in the 4th innings of the game.
Rahul Dravid's one big weakness is the incomming delivery. He's getting older and does not like to be hit in the body as a result he has a gap between bat and body - your advantage. BTW the same holds for Tendulkar. Lakshman's weakness is the other one - one that leaves him. His technique of turning balls to the leg side means he does not have much of a weakness to the the incoming delivery but he hangs his bat out to dry and that is a problem - same with Gambhir. Yuvraj sucks with slower ones.
Where Sehwag and Dhoni are concerned - you can only hope - they have no known weaknesses you can exploit

Good one Iain, always heartening to pick prized wickets like that of Dravid's. Well done and go you good thing.

Dravid did a great job to set a good platform. India now has a lead of 240.. not a small lead for sure! Its batting time Brien. good luck!

Hey again, fantastic delivery to get Sachin out, wow...I've never seen him jump around like that, complete jaffa... squared him up....wickets of Dravid , Sachin & Dhoni!.... Past and Present Captains!! That's quite an achievement ...Congrats...Keep it up.

Amazing post! Reading your blog is like experiencing the excitement on field. Your delivery to Dravid was superb. Keep up the good job. All the best!