Test matches, I just love them. I am really excited heading into this series. We’ve had a couple of good days here in Hamilton building into this first one, training hard out on the park with our fielding drills and then into the nets going hard to prepare for the change from white ball back to red.
It’s not the just ball that changes but the whole attitude. There is a different atmosphere in the nets, a little more relaxed; probably because there aren’t as many balls pinging around like when we’re training for one-dayers and Twenty20s. And testament to that was during a net session for the fourth ODI, our new manager, David Currie, learnt a valuable lesson; never turn your back on the nets. He wore a tracer from the middle of Guppy’s [Martin Guptill] bat in the back. Ouch!
The different skills needed for Test cricket have been practiced hard; the temperament, the control and the ability to resist temptations both by batters and bowlers and, from what I’ve felt and seen, I have a good feel about heading into today.
A long training on Monday in the nets making sure that everyone got in what they wanted, everything they needed to be in the best space. I bowled about seven overs in the nets and worked on a slightly new grip on the ball which should help me swing it more than I have done in the past, or at least give me a better chance to swing it, and it felt pretty good, my areas were good, lengths good and the energy at the crease good.
It’s was a nice day to bowl, not too hot, but warm enough to keep warm in between bowling times. I had a long bat on Monday too. I have been putting in a lot of effort in making myself a better batter to the point where I was one of the last to leave the nets. I faced a couple of very handy net bowlers and then got the bowling machine cranked up for some short stuff. Unfortunately the surface wasn’t the best for what I was trying to do; from the same length it was bouncing from my hip to over my head, just to big a difference to be comfortable with. So I went and grabbed the tennis racquet and some hard tennis balls and got our fitness trainer to serve me up some bouncers. Good stupid fun trying to duck, dive and play these balls. They still hurt when they hit you, but they’re not going to break a bone or cause bigger injuries if they hit; although I do have a nice bruise on my right hip from one of the bowling machine balls …
Yesterdays training, the day before the Test starts, is a little lower key. It’s about making sure you have done what you have to, to be at your best going into this match. You do whatever you feel you need to do. We did some fielding first and then I headed over to the nets to get a bat in before the batters turned up and kicked me out. I had Jeets (Patel), a good young leggie (Jono Hickey) and one other quickie who I asked to bounce me every ball; he was quite awkward to play, really good for me in decision making! It was a good net and I got what I wanted out of it.
Batting gear off and got ready to bowl. I got through three overs in the net and then headed out to the middle to bowl three balls from each end on a practice wicket, next to the strip, just to get the feel of the ground again. I felt really good; pace, bounce and a little swing and kiss and I was back to the shed to put the feet up and rest.
There is a feeling going into this match that both teams could be doing some time out in the field, or grazing, as we call it. Both bowling attacks haven’t been as good as the other team’s batting line-up and so far it has, very much, been a bat-dominated series. The only hope is that the decks we get have some bounce and pace in them. We’re not looking for green seamers, but just something that we’ll be able to run in, bowl hard and get the returns that you sometimes don’t get from one-day wickets.
So sit back and enjoy the action, I just can’t wait to get out there!
Posted by: Varun Parekh at March 17, 2009 10:38 PM
Good luck team NZ!
Posted by: Rivjot at March 17, 2009 10:40 PM
Looking forward to a great contest. Good Luck mate!
Posted by: Sumit at March 17, 2009 11:00 PM
Lain,hope u r doing good mate.Good luck for the test match.Being a indian,i still want to tell u just b a little careful from veeru.
Cheers
Posted by: Paul at March 17, 2009 11:15 PM
Keep up the good work Iain, and here's hoping the pitches are a little more bowler-friendly than the ODI ones. Must be pleased with the signs from the Auckland ODI with some troubling swing, and picking up a couple wickets through sticking to a strategy. Looking forward to seeing you in action and perhaps even some pull and hook shots!
Posted by: Vinay at March 17, 2009 11:36 PM
Good luck Iain. Great to see your blog. If feels great to be able to converse with an international cricketer. Best wishes, An avid Indian fan
Posted by: saurabh at March 17, 2009 11:36 PM
50/3 at this point... looks like a good deck, what do you reckon Ian?
Posted by: Ishan at March 17, 2009 11:54 PM
New Zealand are rattling at 51/5 and seriously struggling. Ishant and Zaheer creating problems eh? lol you guys are goona lose this game by SOME margin!
Good luck anyway, lets see if anyone can stop sehwag, sachin, dravid, laxman and co!!!
Posted by: Ishan at March 17, 2009 11:55 PM
6 down! What a joke
Posted by: leonard at March 18, 2009 12:03 AM
Siting back relaxing h'm! is not easy @ 60 for6
Posted by: AGM at March 18, 2009 12:08 AM
Oh dear. 6 down at lunch time. Our top order really let themselves down. MS Dhoni's decision to bowl - merely inspired!
Posted by: Gavin Frantz at March 18, 2009 12:15 AM
Be careful what you wish for Iain, I'm looking at the scoreboard and NZ are 6 for 68 at lunch. Lets wait and see what you can do with the ball then. Good Luck
Posted by: Ravi Balu at March 18, 2009 12:16 AM
As this Blog sees the web, India has ensured that the NZ batting has been ground to pieces - Ishant and Zak Khan have destroyed the NZ batting backbine with hostile pace bowling never seen before the advent of larwood
NZ has been punished by its greed to hava greentop - this Indian team is the best in the world - no one including ausies can afford a greentop against India - India has devastating pace attack
Posted by: Sagar from Michigan at March 18, 2009 12:20 AM
Not only from Sehwag Iain.. Indian middle order batting is very strong .. u see, this is what happened with u guys bowling 1st in the 5th ODI, as the pitch was favoring the bowlers ... At Lunch, Black caps are 61/6. Who da thought??
Posted by: TRex at March 18, 2009 12:23 AM
Dear Iain, why does everything you say before the match turns out false post match ? :-) In this blog, you mention the feeling of both teams grazing...and now NZ are 60/6 going into lunch...you are a good bowler, but a terrible astrologer :-) No offense...
Posted by: Pratik at March 18, 2009 12:36 AM
Nice Blog ,
But after watching NZ 63 for 6 at lunch your batting practice might helpful for you.
Posted by: Nirmal at March 18, 2009 1:25 AM
Good luck Ian! You are a good gentleman and i have to appreciate your sportsmanship on the field. I love your blogs and i just wish you take all the 10 Indian wickets but still lose the test because i am an Indian.
Posted by: Jadu Saikia at March 18, 2009 2:53 AM
I liked the way Vettori and Ryder is putting this stand, its going to be very important after that 60/6. Iain, I would also love to see some runs from your bat. All the best.
Zaheer, Ishant really bowled well this morning; hope to see a great game here. I believe bowlers going to rule this test. Nice post, keep posting.
Posted by: Des (M.S.F) at March 18, 2009 2:54 AM
Ober! How are you bro?
Cant' wait to see you with ball in hand mate... actually probably won't have to wait too much longer haha! Stick it to 'em buddy!
Posted by: Tom at March 18, 2009 3:35 AM
"Harbhajan Singh to Vettori, no run, Dropped It's Dravid at slip, the ball bounces a bit more and Vettori tries to lob it over the slips and the ball bounces out of Dravid's hands as he cups it in front of his face, he was a little slow to react" 6-197 (137* run partnership)
What smug indian reply do we have for that one then?!
Posted by: RAT at March 18, 2009 3:50 AM
@ Ravi Balu, what are you smoking brother? You may have a better team but your comment below about Larwood, hostile and devastating pace is hilarious. I hope you weren't trying to be serious....
"As this Blog sees the web, India has ensured that the NZ batting has been ground to pieces - Ishant and Zak Khan have destroyed the NZ batting backbine with hostile pace bowling never seen before the advent of larwood
NZ has been punished by its greed to hava greentop - this Indian team is the best in the world - no one including ausies can afford a greentop against India - India has devastating pace attack"
Posted by: Rohit sharma at March 18, 2009 4:13 AM
Well well well..............I commented on your last blog that vettori will be the decisive factor in New zealand's success but certainly not this way.....he has scored a hundred. I guess I was predicting a 5 wicket hall from him...That still is possible and if that happens India are in trouble for sure....Dont mind but I feel that inspite of being an Indian I am the biggest fan of Vettori, so just cant stop myself from praising him on your blog (you are a good blogger too)
Posted by: Kirk at March 18, 2009 4:33 AM
Lovin the forward defence! and that weeee flick for a single! 265/8! lead us to 300 and Ryder to 100! Gooo you good thing goo!
Posted by: dexter at March 18, 2009 4:42 AM
oh please , wait and see for indian reply..
Posted by: sudhai hazell at March 18, 2009 4:44 AM
good luck i am from the west indies and i read your blog all the time.
Posted by: Rich at March 18, 2009 5:04 AM
Some of you Indians need to calm down. No one said we were a better team, but gloating like that is not becoming
Posted by: Amit Chand at March 18, 2009 5:06 AM
Great rear guard work by 'Dan The Man' and Jesse. Hope you do well with the ball. Cheers !!!
Posted by: uday at March 18, 2009 5:46 AM
Great Blog ! Well good to see you have got many replies. NZ is surely one of the most exciting team along with India to watch out. I am a big fan of Danny boy. He surely lead NZ out of travel. Guys , this is classic test cricket at its best. Best of luck .both the teams are playing good. Also I would like to compliment the NZ team as one of the most well behaved and gentlemen of all team. Keep up guys. you have fans across the borders.
Posted by: Sankar at March 18, 2009 5:47 AM
The test is well poised, thanks to Vettori and Ryder. When will my Indian friends/fans ever learn to respect other teams and people!! Even if NZ had been bowled out for less than 100, the comments here need to be a little more respectful. We are chasing a test win in NZ after 30 plus years (no kidding!!!). Some of this arrogance is totally sickening!
Posted by: Santhosh at March 18, 2009 5:48 AM
Hi, Iain..
you are awesome.
Best of luck my dear.
Wishing you all the success.
Posted by: Mick at March 18, 2009 5:50 AM
A bit of a daft sortie down the pitch when your partner is on 98 Iain!!! Gonna love to hear what you have got to say about that :P Nice fightback from the NZers though, it has set up what should be a very intriguing test!
Posted by: Ravi Balu at March 18, 2009 5:52 AM
New Zealand people are good - we Indians like them - our postings are aimed at silencing the UK and Aussie arrogance - i cna acept sub-ordination to SAffers in cricket, to NZ and west indies - but i cnanot tolerate UK and aussie fans gloating
the problem is aussies and UK fans are jealous of india -
Posted by: deepak at March 18, 2009 5:54 AM
well i like the way Vettori and Ryder.Vettori showed aggression but discipline. Very well done by Vettory.But Ryder is in good form so in the second inning i hope he would open.McCullum and Ryder give solid opening in the ODI's series.So they would open in the Test also.Thanks
Posted by: Dj at March 18, 2009 5:54 AM
Good work by u guys. Pulled some very important runs in spite of the horrible start. Let's see tomorrow. Sehwag is already more than pumped up. Hope to see another run feast.
Posted by: Nicotene at March 18, 2009 5:59 AM
I am sitting back and enjoying the action, but trust me, you just can’t wait to get out from the field!
Posted by: Hugh at March 18, 2009 6:00 AM
I have a message for some of the Indians gloating in here.
Iain O'Brien is 100 times the cricketer you will ever be, so please don't come in and gloat to a guy who is playing at the top level.
Posted by: Sandeepan at March 18, 2009 6:08 AM
Hi Iain.. i dunno but i feel very good when i read your blogs,please do not stop mate,and good luck,today has not gone your way i feel but keep on the good work,who knows you all might bounce back.. keep on fighting.. looking forward to a great contest between 2 of the most formidable teams in recent past :) ciaoo...
Posted by: dexter at March 18, 2009 6:08 AM
@rich .. calmdown ...calm down..its madness in india cricket is the religion and u want us to calm down , we never said NZ is a bad team..
Posted by: Amit Galphade at March 18, 2009 6:11 AM
Looks like we are going to have good match. bowlers having assistance from the pitch. batsmen if ready to settle down can get good score. spinners getting turn. should be good context. Cannot wait to see Sehwag play tomorrow. would hope to see him hit century....
Posted by: Matthew at March 18, 2009 6:13 AM
Firstly WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? love to hear what was in your mind when you charged. All is forgiven though as Ryder got his 100.
People talking of NZs greed to have a green wicket should take back such comments as this is by no means a green pitch, infact a good batting wicket, humid conditions favoured bowling early though. Make sure this is know before all the gloating indians talk of how their batsman are having no trouble on the pitch.
Posted by: Avid.Cricket.Watcher at March 18, 2009 6:18 AM
What a day! Terrific work by India's pacers in the morning, and then excellent Kiwi fightback - Ryder was top class, but Vettori's the man! Really looking forward to the battle between Indian batters and the Kiwi seamers. Viru's looking real good again!
Posted by: Raghuram at March 18, 2009 6:21 AM
Great going India .. but be cautious about NZ pitches for I have never seen big scores on these pitches !
Posted by: Sreenivas at March 18, 2009 6:21 AM
Good Blog, Iain. Vettori played fantastic innings today. Hope to see a great Indian batting display tomorrow, stay away from sewagh:)
Posted by: Avid.Cricket.Watcher at March 18, 2009 6:22 AM
Ian...care to comment on your stroll down the wicket, with Ryder on 99?! :) Guess he must have forgiven you...thanks to Martin!
Posted by: Aditya Kapoor at March 18, 2009 6:30 AM
I really like your blog. Being honest and speaking what is in the mind is so difficult. I really appreciate it. I am Indian and some times feel some of Indian fan go to the extreme. I feel sorry for their comments. I also want India to win but want us to be graceful and humble in victory not arrogant like aussies, otherwise what is the difference.
I think Newzealand has good team in making. I think Ryder, Taylor, Guptill and Maccullam should be batting at top 4 slots followed by Oram and V. Even in current state I think it is better than England who have few over rated players like Flintoff.
I think what is missing from NZ team is bite in bowling. I want to see Bond back in action for NZ.
Wishing India a 3-0 victory + hoping Indian would remain humble and graceful. Let's enjoy the game.
Thanks
Aditya
Posted by: ssn at March 18, 2009 6:36 AM
why did you get stumped out like that mate? jesse could easily got a double hundred if you had hung around with him
Posted by: Chowdary at March 18, 2009 6:39 AM
hey lian, stop blogging and try to get your name in others blogs, especiallly in veeru's blog. All the best mate & Don't waste time dear.
Posted by: sam at March 18, 2009 6:44 AM
Mr.O Brien..Please concentrate on your bowling more than your blogging. Blogging wont get you wickets. No matter what you write in your blog it makes litte difference in the field. Sehwag must have read your blog before 4th ODI and he showed little respect for you in that one dayer. He was infact devastating in whole series but that day he was simply brilliant and tore you apart into pieces. Where were you hiding after 4th ODI? I already told you it makes little difference to Indian team and sehwag whether you are in the team or not. When Indians are firing no one can stop them. And it is better you bowl as good as you write. You might be entertaining in your writing but on the field Sehwag and company are making a feast of NZ. If Indian team bowls properly I am sure NZ will struggle. Today Zaheer and Ishanth provided just that but they let go off an opportunity to bowl out NZ under 100. Ryder has been a thorn in the flesh and Vettori played a sensible knock. Beware of sehwag 2morrow!!
Posted by: guru at March 18, 2009 6:48 AM
All the best bro...keep up the good work against all the teams except india :-)
Posted by: HABZ at March 18, 2009 6:55 AM
hey bro,
good post. I still believe this track isnt flat as what people think. It was just that indians bowled beautifully in the 1st session and later pegged back a little bit ..bowling a bit shorter or fuller in length 2 both vettori and brian. having said that, we shd applaud the fact both of them batted brilliantly 2 get nz close 2 300.
It might seem as if the Indians r having the upperhand, but going In to day 2 , I believe Nz is going 2 come back hard and fast @ the indians and restrict them as close as possible to their score like 300-350 . And if they and only If they do that , they wd believe they have a chance to come back strongly and put the indians under absolute pressure.
Bt being an Indian , I wd love some 1 like viru or dravid or sachin or lax 2 score a triple hundred and prove that they are one of the best batting sides on the world and give a run for their money 2 the AUSSIES And topple them from the Number 1 Ranking...All the best guys , watch out for the viru fun
Posted by: Srikanth at March 18, 2009 6:58 AM
Hey Iain O'Brien.. what were you upto by charging down the wicket to one of the world's best off spinners. that too when ryder was on 98... o boy your wicket nearly costed ryder's madien century... anyway congrats to daniel and ryder for posting a respectable total.
Posted by: Adwaita Govind at March 18, 2009 7:00 AM
Hey Ian!
Good work to support Jessie till 98.
Man! what were u thinking when u stepped out to Harbhajan. Anyways, gud luck 4 ur bowling tmrw.
Its a nice blog that u maintain.
Cheers to cricket.
Govind
Posted by: HABZ at March 18, 2009 7:01 AM
hey bro,
good post. I still believe this track isnt flat as what people think. It was just that indians bowled beautifully in the 1st session and later pegged back a little bit ..bowling a bit shorter or fuller in length 2 both vettori and brian. having said that, we shd applaud the fact both of them batted brilliantly 2 get nz close 2 300.
It might seem as if the Indians r having the upperhand, but going In to day 2 , I believe Nz is going 2 come back hard and fast @ the indians and restrict them as close as possible to their score like 300-350 . And if they and only If they do that , they wd believe they have a chance to come back strongly and put the indians under absolute pressure.
Bt being an Indian , I wd love some 1 like viru or dravid or sachin or lax 2 score a triple hundred and prove that they are one of the best batting sides on the world and give a run for their money 2 the AUSSIES And topple them from the Number 1 Ranking...All the best guys , watch out for the viru fun
Posted by: rajesh at March 18, 2009 7:04 AM
hey Iain,this is a great blog.I really like the way you write.Looks like the test series is off to a great start.Who said test matches were boring?Thumbs up to the way Daniel and Jesse played.Good luck with the rest of the games.
Posted by: jwdb at March 18, 2009 7:12 AM
Great first over mate!, keep that fire up tomorrow and you're bound to get some wickets.
@ Aditya: The only reason Bond isnt playing is because of ridiculous politics created by your overbearing cricket board and media. Its starting to get beyond a joke when a former player cant even commentate on the tests because he played in the ICL, then we kindly let your players get gameplay in our local competition but only if they arent in teams with ICL players/playing teams that have ICL players, how precious.
And on top of all that, Sony have the nerve to suggest that we shift play ahead an hour just so they get more viewers(money).
Its great that Indians are so passionate about cricket, but they seriously need to stop throwing their weight around and ruining it for everyone else just to make a buck.
Posted by: Shuvo Brahmachari at March 18, 2009 7:14 AM
Ian, mate, What a charge! Jesse's nervous laughter caught on the stump mike rang all the way from Hamilton to Hyderabad. Would love to read about Ian's day out with the bat. Can't wait to see you bowl.
Posted by: kapil at March 18, 2009 7:16 AM
Iain,i like the way u are trying to bowl into Sehwgs body..hopefully he does not get frustraated :)..i m hoping he scores a double
Posted by: Mitch at March 18, 2009 7:17 AM
great recovery by the boys. dan really stepped up, without him we would have stumbled. tough luck about the stumping mate!
Posted by: Amritpal Singh at March 18, 2009 7:42 AM
Hi Ian i saw you bowling those swinging delivery to Sehwag today from just outside the off stump at a good length that nearly kissed his blade while passing towards the wicketkeeper. I really liked that tactics against Sehwag, it almost worked against him.
Among all the other bowlers in NZ team day you were looking more threatening to Indian batsmen today. Kepp up the good work hope you get among wickets tomorrow and keep that nagging swinging line to Sehwag, you can get him this time.
Good Luck Man!!
Posted by: MERCHANT at March 18, 2009 7:51 AM
fellow indians relax, calm down, dont down play any team. we were underdogs and even a bad team once, but its only hard work and attitude that has got us here and cricket is a funny game, u dont want to be eating your words incase india does not perform, god forbid. indians relax and have sportsmanship. this is sport and love it for what it is. to win one has to perform better and better and not wait for the other team to perform bad or indulge in unwanted banter. all can see team india, we dont sledge or do aussie shit when we play good, we just play hard and competitive. we have never done aussie crap on the field or off it, no matter what form we are in. carry that respect in your comments, coz we are the proud supporters of the indian national cricket team and we are sportsmen, exactly the same are the black caps. all respect to them.
good luck india, win the test series with a huge margin.
jai hind.
Posted by: Amritpal SIngh at March 18, 2009 7:54 AM
One more thing please ignore some idiot indian fans posts who live in ignorance and don't have any decency to consider other cricketing teams as their equals and show them proper respect irrespective of how anyone performs in a match.
And do keep blogging i absolutely enjoy your blogs.
Have a good day!
Bye
Posted by: Sean at March 18, 2009 7:58 AM
As a few of the previous posters have mentioned, I'd love you to talk us through that little brain fart Iain, you were looking very comfortable batting with Jesse, I don't know about Jesse going on to get a double hundred as stated above, but the two of you could have very easily pushed on further into the evening session.
Nevertheless, congrats to you and the lads for that impressive fightback and all the best for tomorrow! Keep it tight on or around that offstump and please, for the love of all that is good in this world, do not give Virender Sehwag width to free his arms. Best of luck mate!
Posted by: Maxx at March 18, 2009 7:59 AM
Good comeback from Kiwi's. Well Iain, many are suggesting that you stay away from Sehwag.... I would suggest the same. He has a canny way of getting out reaching for wider deliveries and getting holed. Go for it. Cheers.
Posted by: Sai Prakash at March 18, 2009 8:02 AM
Whew!! What an intriguing days play.With NZ on the ropes at 60 for 6, one would have expected an addition of another 100 runs max by the last 4 wickets BUT Vettori (a fashionable tail ender at best) scoring 102... CRAZY Test cricket.
Anyway, though I am an Indian supporter, I hate one sided matches. So I guess with India 250 behind and 4 days to play, it should be really interesting. Still cant get over the SHOCK provided by Danny, though.
Posted by: Anuj at March 18, 2009 8:04 AM
i am a huge fan of jesse ryder and want to congratulate him on his maiden hundered. Please wish him good luck for future from my side.
Posted by: Vasanth at March 18, 2009 8:44 AM
I always admire your bowling.
India is making most of the decisions correct. (Wish them all the best to reach #1 Ranking)
Though being an Indian I would like to give some suggestion to win against India.
1st point is to remove the opening batsmen:
For this, 1st get rid of Sehwag , keep him away from strike for nearly 3 to 4 overs (even if he is going to blast like anything in the starting) give most of the strike to Gambhir alone. Give Sehwag a single and get him away from strike. After 3 to 4 overs has expired, bowl some ordinary delivery to sehwag , the chance of getting him out is 8 out of 10 times.
Also for Sehwag, always have a 3rd man in place right from the 1st ball. For Gambhir always have a good catching men in 1st and 2nd slip throughout the innings till he gets out , even if he had hit a century (by having this field position he wont hit a century , before reaching to 25 runs he will give at least 2 catch chances in that position)
ALL THE BEST
Posted by: Sriram at March 18, 2009 8:52 AM
Honours even so far. Sehwag looks to be in good touch. I am looking forward to the 1st session tomorrow.
Posted by: amit chandna at March 18, 2009 9:01 AM
lain wht abt an indian win in this test match.its turning on the first day if india scores 500+ then no chance for ur team
Posted by: Naresh Sharma at March 18, 2009 9:15 AM
great going man.. but J. ryder must have skipped a heartbeat today when you tried that glory shot n got out kissing air!!
by the way, I was checking this scorecard in Hindi(India's national language) and your name the way it was written over that scorecard will be pronounced as Iyan O'Brain.. did you like it?? but I dont think anybody likes there name to be changed though I will happily change mine for yours n your job!! :)
cheers n good luck for the big day tomorrow.. i wanna see nothing but sachin scoring a century!!
naresh
Posted by: Umesh at March 18, 2009 9:18 AM
All the best Iain !! We are all waiting to see how good you bowl to the Indian batsmen tomorrow morning. Cheers
Posted by: Sujoy Kanjilal at March 18, 2009 9:26 AM
The partnership between Jessy & Daniel , was a very good one, indeed...this is why we call this format " Test" cricket. In the end...an absorbing day of cricket...I for one could not keep my eyes of every ball bowled in the whole...so much was happenning...In India test matches in NZ are a 3.30 am starts, but there the fun begins...and after that, if you are witness , one of the best days , in the history of the game...its worth it. My best wishes to the Indian Team...& the New Zealand Team...may cricket be the winner & the better team wins...
I would also like to congratulate Jessy & Daniel , for their centuries...Especially to Jessy, for his ton...you can be the best batsman in the world...you have the grit & strokes...may this be the 1st of many many more...:)
Thanks
Sujoy
Posted by: Sujoy Kanjilal at March 18, 2009 9:27 AM
The partnership between Jessy & Daniel , was a very good one, indeed...this is why we call this format " Test" cricket. In the end...an absorbing day of cricket...I for one could not keep my eyes of every ball bowled in the whole...so much was happenning...In India test matches in NZ are a 3.30 am starts, but there the fun begins...and after that, if you are witness , one of the best days , in the history of the game...its worth it. My best wishes to the Indian Team...& the New Zealand Team...may cricket be the winner & the better team wins...
I would also like to congratulate Jessy & Daniel , for their centuries...Especially to Jessy, for his ton...you can be the best batsman in the world...you have the grit & strokes...may this be the 1st of many many more...:)
Thanks
Sujoy
Posted by: Jatin Patiyal at March 18, 2009 9:28 AM
Congratulations to Jesse and Vettori.... they put up a brave fight now its upto NZ bowlers.
Posted by: Aniruddha at March 18, 2009 9:30 AM
Hi Iain,
Thanks to nice batting display by Jesse and Daniel, NZ is having competitive total on this pitch.
Tomorrow morning, the most difficult task for you is to stop Sehwag. I am sure he will take on you guys tomorrow as he did in ODI series.
So All the Best!
A Sehwag Fan
Posted by: Arundhati at March 18, 2009 10:14 AM
I agree with Rich, we Indians do need to stop gloating so much. And also acting like it's the last thing left in the world (though I am as guilty of it as any other you would find). It takes away from being able to enjoy it for what it is too.
I loved how Jesse and Martin saw the humour in those five balls in Bhajji's over. Its so nice to see players enjoying themselves in the middle.
Posted by: Pranab at March 18, 2009 10:51 AM
@Vasanth -> Mate i hope you were not serious about those tips to Iain. Me and my mates are basically ROTFL reading those!! :))
Posted by: Aniruddha at March 18, 2009 11:04 AM
Hi Iain,
Thanks to nice batting display by Jesse and Daniel, NZ is having competitive total on this pitch.
Tomorrow morning, the most difficult task for you is to stop Sehwag. I am sure he will take on you guys tomorrow as he did in ODI series.
So All the Best!
A Sehwag Fan
Posted by: Pradeep at March 18, 2009 8:13 PM
U re bang on target jwdb. Inspite of being an Indian, I must agree to what you said.
Posted by: Alex at March 27, 2009 12:17 AM
Good site, admin.
Posted by: Mustafa Fayyaz at April 2, 2009 6:41 PM
In short, Nothing to blog home about.
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Iain O'Brien
must type as fast as he bowls. After stumps most days he adds to his popular personal blog, covering his take on the play, dressing room snippets and personal insights (he really doesn’t like bouncers). A fast-medium bowler, O’Brien has become a regular member of the New Zealand Test side over the past year and is enjoying his time at the top.
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