Great to read the game in the words of a player who has experienced it...

I appreciate what you or doing both on field and up here in your blog.... great job.....

And I'm really glad you didn't wined about MS standing his ground instead of walking....

Today I was expecting you to write about that incident in multiple paragraphs

I'm Glad you didn't do that........

I wonder how you manage to post the blog so fast each day :)

Ha Ha Ha. If Wishes/ Hope were Horses you would be riding quite a few Ian. -166/3 is a not a score line you wld like to read with 2 more days to play. Good Wishes for Game 2. Hope you dont miss that match ;-)

Hey Iain, you bowled well to get the 3 big wickets today but as a team, you guys were not upto the mark. Also, the fielding was not great by your guys. And Indian batsmen capitalised on these areas to get a big lead of 243 runs. Sachin's knock was very well paced. He gave the impression that he had a target (lead) set for the team and hope he achieved it. Kiwis have a huge mountain to climb to get back into the contest. Lets see how Day 4 pans out...

Hi Ian, tough day in the office it was. Interesting to note that you think of 2nd innings and the series at large while taking decisions on "niggles". Yeah, Stranger things have happened and both centurions of the 1st innings have yet to come to crease for NZ, so keep fighting... that's why we love NZ
PS: any jokes floating in your camp on Mills' pair with his new bat!!! lol... pretty sure munaf fancies his chances with that bat in kyle's hands

nice job Ian! Dravid and then sachin!
your efforts notwithstanding you guys are still under the hammer

Hi Ian, I have enjoyed your blogs so far ! Keep up the good work. Sachin is turning 37 next month and he is still considered the best batsman in the world. He has achieved watever he wanted to and is still continuing to play for the sheer excitement of representing India and the love and passion he has for the game. To be very honest, Sachin or the rest of the world doesnt really take your opinions on Sachin's current form or his batmanship skills too highly.

Sachin batted like Genius and you also had a good spells.Strange things may happen as it happened past for India.But india as of now have way ahead to win this Test and bring back some Glory to the nation.

Nice to see your blogs after each day of the plsy, Brein.. You have good spirit and you would become a outstanding player for your team.

Awesome Iain, I love your column - The best is that each day you come up with a blag post describing how the day went and giving people a glance into your psyche.

I think Ian Obrien is too modest on the way he got Sachin out, it was a peach of a delivery, kudos to you dude. I was waiting for your comments on that delivery thought you would be the most happpiest man on earth

"It’s going to be a tough road to try and win this one" huh! NZ might need something close to a miracle to even salvage a draw out of this, forget winning.

Some gud stuf Iain, The way u have written shows u are always positve and u never give up. Since India are in a commanding position, try something miraculous and try to win the game

Today I was perplexed on 2 points :
1. Chris Martin being taken off soon after he dismissed Yuvraj. He should have bowled to new batsman as well.
2. You are were taken off after you got wickets, but may be that might have had something to do with your niggle as you have mentioned.

Anyways, not a bad bowling performance by Kiwis at all. Instead Indians played very good.
Cheers Ian

For Ramnath: Sachin is turning 36 next month, not 37.
For Neeraj Sharma : Mills did not bag a pair, he scored 2 in 2nd essay.

again an honest bowling performence by u Ian.Shame that u had 2 leave d field 'coz i thought u were really getting ur rhythm going @ dat tyme. But,with due respect to Kiwi batsmen, i think d match is all but over for New Zealand..if anything India may have to chase about a 100 runs in d second innings which, weather permitting, should be a cake walk.

GET WELL SOON Ian Bro... :-)

HEy iAn it would be nice if u take some more time from ur busy schedule and start replying to the comments posted by d users. I think it will be Grat fun

:-)

Hi Ian, Its a novelty to hear the dtails from the player himself. Also like your style of keeping things simple in your narration. As mentioned by an earlier blogger you do come across one as a good human being . So all the best Ian that you do well in the rest of the match though i will be rooting for India to win

Hi Ian,
I do agree with you that Sachin was scratchy yesterday while today, It was the true Sachin. Having said that, I dont think you guys used the conditions well enough today morning. I would have expected the ball to move around in first half an hour as it was a relatively new ball. You guys were either too full or too short.

Hello Ian, I am a fan of your blogs these days... As soon as I check the scorecard at the end of the day (I do not have a tele, hence can only check scores), the next thing I do is to look for your writing... It feels like I am sitting next to you and having a chat about your day. Great blog, dude... Wish you a very successful career ahead. All the best for the rest of the match and the series too... Cheers.

Congrats on getting those wickets.They all were proper batsmen on good nick.Sensible decision not to go for 5fer putting teams interest first.You are a great ambassedor for NZ cricket.Keep up your good work and take care of your body.

hi no doubt it was a tough day for newzealand as india piled up substantial amount of lead of 240 but i think this pitch is eased out a bit so if guys like ross taylor brendon mcculum chip in newzealand surely wll put sum decent runs on the board but great spell of bowling once again dude keep it up.

Hi Ian,
I thought you were lucky to get sachin as he played a bad or unnecessary shot by his standards and by the standards of this knock.Nevertheless sachin and dravid!
About slip catches i think both macintosh and dhoni were out as you could apparently see sachins finger nail bleeding.thats because of the fingers getting jammed betwee the ground and the ball,which would not have been the case had the ball bounced.Dhoni was also out as Jesses reaction of him getting hurt was spontaneous.Replays on these types of catches are never conclusive and 90% of the time they favor batsmen.
about your niggle,hope thats OK and you would play rest of the series as you and vettori are the only ones who i thought were at least challenging the batsmen.

Hi Iain, I felt you were the best bowler on the field for the Kiwis apart from Dan ofcourse. Good to see you getting the wickets of the Dravid and Sachin, must be doing your confidence a world of good. Although I am supporting India in this series, I am also rooting for you to get a big bag of wickets, maybe after the series is lost though :)...Cheers mate

And yeah, where previously I used to read the posts from the others in Cricinfo after a day of cricket, your blogs have become the most-sought after reads for me during this tour, keep up the good work

Hi !! Mailin u from Bangalore. I'm an Indian who did his Uni in Hamilton and so support both teams. :)Indians really played well but I guess the Kiwis played like a bunch of sissies. Wherez your fighting spirit, mate? Try some Haka before the game begins on every day to instill more confidence or to make it a bit colourful at least. Invite Richie McCaw to ur dressing room on a talk 'how to fight till the end'. Good luck to you all, mate.

Dravid, Dhoni & Sachin..not a bad start against us...Tough day ahead for you guys..Enjoy your blogs and look forward to reading the first-hand account.Great work..keep it coming!!

Hey IOB,
gr8 ball to get the big gun-Sachin, I've been following ur blogs since the OZ tour-just luv ur sincerity, honesty and modesty....gives a good perspective of what goes on in a players mind once on the field...m8-u r living the life millions dream off...Hope you have a good hit when it comes to bat and wish u well for the future matches-but not too many wickets against the indians, as i am an Aucklander Indian-will be @ seddon park ground, hamilton 2moro..to cheer you guys...hope u guys take the match into the last day.....thatz what an indian cricket starved maniac like me wants...and hey give a chin up from my side to 'Gups' hez cool and will surely make it big...and if you run into Sachin...tell him Vinod burns for him....Cheers m8

I wonder how you are taking positives out of this performance. This test match so far has been a good old fashioned hiding

Good Luck Ian for the remaining of this test match. i hate it when NZ side does what it did today and that was to be playing with fear of repetition. Sachin is a good player, hell he is a great player. But one must realise that all you need to do to get any player out is to bowl him good deliveries.
Very often i have seen Sachin thriving on average bowling sides. personally i dont feel Sachin is among the best in the test level. untill very recently i had never seen him winning or even saving India at time when it really matters. Come to think of it I have even seen Sachin running away from the pitch in karachi when Shoib Akhtar was bowling him thunderbolts. Sachin walked in that match even though he had not even came close to nicking shoibs fast bouncer( i know all the Indian Fans will remember that.i guess all im trying to say is that please when you guys are playing the Indian dont be afraid.
i always say this team is just a bunch of media hyped stars who cant play good cricket

Good Bowling...I can just imagine, fifty years from now, you'd be able to tell your grandkids 'I got Sachin Tendulkar out'... Not many bigger claims to fame in cricket...Tendulkar, Lara, Waugh, If they're your one and only wicket...*sigh*

Great Bowling...and very wishful thinking :P Although, If you can find yourself a JP Duminy and Dale Steyn, theres a lot in this for you.

Good luck!

i think u bolwed really well today.both you and chris martin are pick of the bowlwers for me.congracts for picking up the price wicket of tendulkar,dhoni and dravid.all the three players are great players.but still newzeland is 166 runs behind with 7 wickets in hand.now it is a very tough ask for newzeland to comeback in this match.1 or 2 players has to play a innings like tendulkar to save the match.i hope someone can play a big innnings tommorow to save the match for newzeland.

Nice work sir.. You bowled two beauties, one yesterday and one today to get rid of Dravid and Sachin. But from the game's perspective New Zealand are almost out of it unless something special batting performance by your batsmen tomorrow or rain. Indians are truly on top. Tendulkar showed again why is the "Master Blaster"
Hoping for a better show from your side tomorrow or this match will be well over before tea.

Gr8 to get the first hand report of the match. It so sad that cell phones aren't allowed on the field, or we could have got regular updates from your end on twitter or something else. Hope your injury is not bad or else we would have to miss out on the on field report.

Nice post and great attitude. Try to bat out tomorrow to negate the lead. I think only one team can win from here on. The Indians have batted NZ out of the match.

Well, first of all gotta mention that i love your blogs..your attitude towards the game & the opposition...today was a real tough day for you guys...I suppose that nothing except rain can save new zeland...you personally bowled really well & with great intensity which was really missing from other bowlers.......Tough day ahead of you people tommorow...All the Best..

Congrats ian u i know u cant forget the day . U got the most precious wickets of the world's most prolific batsman Sachin and my great Captain MSD .

hey ian nice to get ur comments after the days play is over.... i think u people bowled very well...bt india batted better....u doing great job for ur team and also for we readers... keep it up man

brien dude you rock!
more i read your article more, i like you. You write so well. I think you bowled your heart out, and i said before. I think only you look like getting sachin and Sehwag out. Sehwag was run out but you took Sachin. I know its tough to bowl against these guys, But You were maintaining good line and length, I like how you come up with surprize deliveries. Keep up the good work. it will pay for sure.
GOOD LUCK. your new fan.
Danny

Hey Iain!
Nice to have you post after a hard day's play. Its really refreshing to read your posts. Thanks for them and keep them coming!

It was also great for you not to whine about the MS and the opening bat incident.

I think you have been an outstanding bowler this match. Keep it up and all the best (not against India!) for matches ahead

Cheers
Sunil

Hi,
the game is ours only..better luck for next matches. But the ball which u'd delivered to Dravid was outstanding..try them more..allthe best mate

sup iain
thats some seriously good writing dude gotta admit your honesty and sincerity are second to none... and the way you played down your performance in the whole thing is way to magnanimous dude. getting the test thats speeding away might be a long shot but according to me you guys secured a moral victory. well played ay

Hey matey,

You were trying to keep Sachin at the other end so that Dan could bowl to Harbhajan Singh and not khan.. :P you are probably very tired.. catch some sleep matey.. and you really bowled your heart out today.. I respect that.. :)

Iain

Well done. You bowled very well and deserved your wickets. It's a pity Sachin's catch generated so much controversy. His bleeding fingers suggest that he got his hand under the ball. Such an injury can only occur when your fingers get sandwiched between ball and ground. From one particular angle a portion of the ball seemed to touch the ground, but I have seen past replays of other catches suggest this due to the shadow.
One or two other angles seem to suggest a clean catch.

Anyway, bad luck to Mac!

NZ bowled a lot better than people think given the nature of the pitch, but if you think you can bat and bat and bat, then think again!

I will be back commenting on your blog tomorrow again and we'll see who is right!

Bajji is turning the ball quite a bit and he also gets good bounce as does Ishant.

Zaheer will reverse swing and Munaf is also very good at that. NZ not only need to stay, but have to put runs on the board, which means there will be some risks taken.

Hi!! Ian I think with the wickets of Tendulkar, Dhoni and Dravid Yesterday you can cherish though India is ahead at the moment. Unless otherwise Ross, Dan and Jesse bat through out tom a loss for NZ is unavoidable.

Keep the good work going and I love your blog very much.

i couldn't beleive how fast u can write in this blog,great work O'brien.
i am think of ur dedication in cricket and this work.great.........O'brien.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh..... WOW...
you know what??? I really love this blog, especially since it comes out from the middle of the field.
I wonder who else did this ??? O'Brien, i am enjoying this an thank you so much for giving us an insight.
I rue the fact that I couldnt get up early at 3AM to watch sachin bat, would be great if you would write couple of mroe lines about him.
all the best.. !!

Your blogs are very honest and modest too! I personally think you should take more credit for some very good balls you bowled! Atleast you werent disheartened by indian strokeplay like some of the other bowlers in your team...your attitude is great in that you keep coming back! All the best to you and your team (i personally love new zealand ever since 1999 wc)
And to "Aamir Akhund"...get a life mate! I dont know whether you know that shoaib targeted sachin prior to 2003 wc and after that match specially with the hammering he recieved from sachin, he admitted that he cried after the match! Personally shoaib is a fast but a waste bowler...allan donald (aka white lighting) and maybe shan bond were the only bowlers who can proudly claim that they unsettled sachin! mcgrath, wasim n co have got him out but not unsettled him! So before you comment on any true test cricketer...you might want to check with your counseller or something!

Well Ian, I agree with some comments and disagree with some,-- who cares.

Man, I didn't notice you before reading your blog. After reading you demons blog, I liked your humorous side, It's all about connecting with others. And I guess, you clicked with your blog- Connected with lots of folks, who try and see what you have written in here.

After this series is long gone, they will continue to be associated with your blog. Keep it coming, asusual Honest and Inspiring.

Chandra.

Should have suffered in silence and bowled at the tail enders. No sense in preserving yourself for the 2nd innings; India might not be required to bat again!

Hi!! Ian I think with the wickets of Tendulkar, Dhoni and Dravid Yesterday you can cherish though India is ahead at the moment. Unless otherwise Ross, Dan and Jesse bat through out tom a loss for NZ is unavoidable.

Keep the good work going and I love your blog very much.

Hi Ian, It is very nice of you writing these blogs by taking time out of your busy cricket schedule. Not sure of any other wicket but remember there is always a huge price for tendulkar or dravid's wicket and especially after they have set themselves at crease for longer time. You got the huge prizes by taking them off..and i think you might you understood by now what class Dhoni belongs and like me you wondering why is dhoni regardeddd as quality or great batsmen.....if you know the answer please tell me too!!!
Byt he way please keep posting more funny moments of your dressing room stories..its interesting to read them!!

Nice Bowling Ian. I enjoyed the ball that got dravid. He had no clue on how it sneaked his defense. Keep up the good work and I enjoy reading your blogs

Well well Iain, I thought the title of the blog would be "How I bowled short and got Dhoni and Tendulkar out!" But anyways, good job done. Apart from the fact that those two deliveries on any other day would not have fetched wickets, you did bowl superbly.
But hey, are you really sure conceding a lead of about 200 runs is not such a bad effort? Saying things were well till the tail wagged and you lost three wickets makes half of the day mate. Not sure the other half was that good too. But I am sure Zak and Bhajji would definitely mind it when you don't even expect them to add another 50 odd on a batsmans pitch.
So finally you reveal your plans that you just haven't been getting right throughout the series and that is to bowl short and get bounce? Hmmmm..okay, give it a go. But hoping to bat and bat on fourth day with three down with an excellent pace ensemble and a sprightly turning pitch is just wishful thinking my friend.

Hi Ian,
I thought you were lucky to get sachin as he played a bad or unnecessary shot by his standards and by the standards of this knock.Nevertheless sachin and dravid!
About slip catches i think both macintosh and dhoni were out as you could apparently see sachins finger nail bleeding.thats because of the fingers getting jammed betwee the ground and the ball,which would not have been the case had the ball bounced.Dhoni was also out as Jesses reaction of him getting hurt was spontaneous.Replays on these types of catches are never conclusive and 90% of the time they favor batsmen.
about your niggle,hope thats OK and you would play rest of the series as you and vettori are the only ones who i thought were at least challenging the batsmen.

But apart from that, what really surprises me Iain is how are you able to take so much time out to maintain this blog. Hats of to you, chap.
You and Martin really bowled well and were unfortunate to not get wickets off really good deliveries, got wickets off some awesome deliveries and got a few wickets of undeserving deliveries as well. Ha!
I hope the niggle is a minor thing and doesnt become a major hindrance in the rest of your performnace in the series. One thing I must say though, focus on bowling well like you did in this match and get the fixation over Sehwag. As you can see, his wicket is not everything in the world. We all would like to see you get a fifer more than you getting a solitary wicket of Sehwag.
Never give up hope and all the best for the future.

Hi Iain...... remember wat i told u yesterday.... A bad session against India and u end up being in real trouble.... But still u guys have a chance if u can really bat ur skins out...... Maybe get a lead of 150 to 200 n who knows wat may happen.... And by the way u bowled really well today mate.... Wish u could hv ended up with a five for..... However am sure u wil get 1 soon.... And it s good to see u back in form after a ordinary show in ODIS....

hi ian, thought you bowled really well. the ball u got out sachin was a beauty. Really feel there is not much experience in your side to challenge a team like India. but really like your bowling...

You are way too modest, Iain.

You ook Tendulkar's wicket and it was a peach of a delivery. Tendulkar has been scoring heavily and I don't think he was satisfied with the 160 so you had to earn that too. Also, that you got him when he was trying to play normal cricket instead of slogging so thats a feather in your Black Cap too :-)

You now have both Dravid and Tendulkar in this test, thats quite something :-)

Hope the unjury is not too serious.

No scribe or pundit comes close to the perceptions you deliver on your blog. Keep it up and I wish you the best in your promising career!

Really appreciates your patience to write these blogs when u have very little time to take rest. This really projects what a cricketer goes thru when he is on-field. A true fan of ur blogs and really luv ur honesty!! Grt going dude...

Well what i think that u should be feel proud that u have played against world' best batsman ever......don't feel bad.....sachin is the master..no body ever able to beat him...SACHIN IS GOD

Hello Iain-
As u might know, these matches in India start at early 3:15 hrs in the morning.And last night was one of those nights when I did not sleep, just to make sure that I do not miss Sachin's 42nd Test Century.Finally my effort was treated with some good shots and a Century from Sachin.It was a treat to watch:)
I think today you bowled really well.You hit the deck really hard and were up to the mark.However, it seems you still have that habit of bowling bad deliveries after every good ones.If i am not mistaken today you bowled a bouncer to MS who took it to his shoulder but immediately next ball was drifting on to his pads and you were awarded with a boundary.You are a gr8 bowler and can reach peaks if you can avoid ur this very habit and be consistent with good deliveries.Also I feel today Daniel made a small mistake by getting you and Martin off when Sachin was batting in nervous 90 and MS was new to the crease.Not sure if that was part of ur game plan:)
Cheers for t'row !!

Hi Ian.It is fantastic to read your blog so much that i became a fan of yours blog.I agree to most of your writing today except that we cannot compare the 2doubtful decisions.While Dhoni's catch was of the bounce and after into the catcher,Sachin's catch was mostly in the hand and it was10% doubtful form tv cameras.But If u see sachin's record he has been truthful all the times and walks when he gets the nick to fielder even before umpire gives him.So it is unlikely that he is doubtful of that catch as he mentioned in one interview.Keep up the good work.Waiting for your next post.

"we certainly can bat and bat and bat, take some momentum into the next match and who knows, maybe give ourselves a chance to knock them over later in day five. Stranger things have happened"

All that I can say to this is Ian is "In your dreams". India does not let go in these situations.

Hi Ian,

I really like your confidence when you say that we can bat...bat and bat for the rest of the 2 days...may be that was the thing that you should have done in the first innings..well stranger things have happened...but i dont think any strange things will happen in this match..you will have to go down loosing this match..
may be you can give the indians a green top next time around and try your luck...
i guess now you will have to accept the fact that india is the strongest cricket team in the world in all forms...I dont feel NZ can stop their juggernaut...
All the best if you can...
Keep blogging
cheers

Well done Ian! Truly classy of you guys to not make a big thing of the Tendulkar catch. As an Indian fan I was disappointed we didn't go to the third umpire. We as Indians pride ourselves in honesty and this was a let down.

Today, though, the real Sachin was back; timing, balance and 160.
//

Real words

I still can't believe how sachin got out to that ball! Sachin is such a player who remembers his every dismissal, and this was similar to when he was out to shoaib akhtar bouncer in 2003 World Cup. I never thought sachin could get out in similar fashion. Luckily you got him in two minds. anyway well done and I hope to see you in both tests and in this blog. get well soon.

That's a great spirit man!!! Really,very few stay positive at this situation...Hopefully your team will put up a better effort tomorrow...you did a great job on and off the field...but on the field your mates also matters,and things on which you dont have any control...you can only wish for!!! But best of luck for your team for the rest of the match and for you hoping your quick recovery...

I have to say I find it strange that all these Indians think it's ok to come and comment here and basically just rip you off man! "You are my favourite blogger but are no match for might of Indian power" etc etc.
Must be stoked with getting Dravid, Dhoni and Tendulkar, not many bowlers would have picked up those 3 in one innings before.
Oh and there's abolsolely NO way that catch carried to Sachin, he may think it did but it's pretty obvious from the replays that it grassed.
Well I hope you aren't required to bat but if so hang around and p*** them off! And best of luck for bowling in the second innings.

Hi Ian, not sure as how you have time to sit on the net and post your blog inspite of practice, match etc for the entire day...But we enjoy ur blog..keep up the good work..All the best to save the test which I think is highly impossible..

Hi mate nice blog again... i am becoming fond of your blogs because of your honesty... nice performance in this match.. bol to dravid was gem yesterday and CONGRATTS FOR SACHIN'S WICKET good going keep it up and keep bloging...
and to Mr Aamir Akhund as you have been reminde3d by Abhinav abot the state of shaib akhter when he came to terms with sachin you would like to know that bowling to him has been nightmare for many grets such as shane warne who also admitted it publically..he thrashe the great aussi attak at the age of 19 in PERTH.... and rescently he scord a century in hitoric chase against england in detereoting conditions in chennai.... these are some of glimps of this greate man for u... thus get some counceling done mate... its high time for u...

congrats man!...on getting our Sachin....

Well done Ian! Truly classy of you guys to not make a big thing of the Tendulkar catch. As an Indian fan I was disappointed we didn't go to the third umpire. We as Indians pride ourselves in honesty and this was a let down.

Hi Ian, I really loved your blog. Good Luck for tomorrow.

Hi I love to see this from You Ian...

get ready for 0-1 lain...

best of luck for rest of the series.

Hello IOB,
Nice to see some wickets in your kitty, but as i had said yesterday you wont be able to stop sachin and india's big lead, That's exactly what happened.India gonna win this match n series for sure.but u keep doing well,never mind sachin's and sehwag's brutal punishment

No offense, but let's admit it Iain... by tomorrow this time, this match is all but over. You know the result already... Good Luck!!!

I guess you are too optimistic...8 out of 9 sessions have been horrible for NZL but still we all find you chirping excitedly...good...

Ian, also a fan of your blogs these days As soon as I check the scorecard at the end of the day, next thing I do is to wait for your blog. It feels like I am sitting next to you and having a chat about your day. Great blog, dude... Wish you a very successful career ahead. All the best for the rest of the match and the series too... Cheers.

Good luck in the series, Iain. This NZ team is obviously not as strong as the Hadlee/Wright teams, but you've got a very promising talent in Ryder, and you're not a bunch of prima donnas like Ponting's boys.

Some of the comments by Indians posting on this thread are just plain embarrassing. "Bring glory to the nation"? (Sounds like something a German might say in 1936.) By winning a Test match? Not everything has to be about "the nation" and your pathetic sense of inadequacy. They're playing a game out there. It can be exciting, beautiful, and satisfying, and we can celebrate Tendulkar's genius, but let's not spoil it with gibberish about national glory.

So it was eventually chin music that got both Dhoni and Tendulkar with. Cheers to you!
However, this test appears to be a lost cause but hopefully you know these Indian "rock stars" a little better now

Love to read your blog mate...uaully i never read blogs but yours ...that made me to have a look..such a honest words from you ...feeling sitting with you in the evening after the day ..we here in our club analyze the things after every weekend matches...you bowled very well..some good once....keep going dude...hope you will be ok for the 5th day ..hope to see NZ can give a fight to make the match as an interesting one...although good batting from Indians too...Zak had some fun there...
good luck yar....fan from Taiwan....we do have cricket here folks

It was nice to hear from you lan, I really enjoy your blogs and more than that I like the way you describe the day passed, it was great to see you getting wickets but I do feel in case of MS u were quite lucky to get him out as the ball I think was not real deadly but in case of my GOD Sachin, u did the nice job I guess u sticked to the plan while bowling to him and finally u got him, the thing I would wish to forget soon from the day 3rd was Dan was not at his best he bowled too may armers but was never seem to change his tectics especially while bowling to such a great batting line up, wish my luck to him I would love to see him back in the game with few wickets in his bag, all the best lain, have a great cricket ahead, and yeah like you as a player but love you so much as a human being. take care, get well soon.

Hi LOB, I am an Indian working in the US and I follow cricket very keenly. I have watched you closely and am impressed more with your attitude rather than anything. You carry yourself well with head held high despite being murdered and butchered (sorry for the morbid vocabulary!) by Viru. Forget those tough moments. I am seeing a lot of mileage in you. It is good to have a rough ride early in your career. At this outset, I have an observation which I wanted to share with you. Why are not using the off-cutter or the in-swinger to Viru and the Indians? I saw you bowl a beauty in the 5th ODI. Viru was wrapped high on the thigh pad. Try to hit that length consistently. Our Indian batsmen were tormented by Brett Lee a lot with this potent weapon. The next time you bowl the inswinger or the off-cutter from close to the stumps, smile at the camera. I will be watching you :-)Am happy to play traitor to let out a few tricks to see you reach the totem pole!

Cheers,
Anand

You seem to be little confused in your post today. It's very much understandable after a hard and bad day at office. The Indians batted with ease and they already did enough damage before their tail wagged in. Infact the real damage was done in the first session which is in very sharp contrast to what you have mentioned in your blog. With the kind of bowling there was no way that NZ could have restricted Indians for 200 in front. The Indians gained a healthy lead and even if you guys hadn't lost those three wickets, there is still so much time left in the match for the Indians to bowl NZ out. Indians are anyways going to win this test match and I would be more happy it they could wrap up the match by tea time tomorrow and inflict a innings defeat on NZ. One way its good for you to rest and rest and get ready for the next test match. More deamons and dark times to follow for you and for the NZ team. Go India go !!! Come home with a clean sweap !!! To wind up this, "Sachin two more 100s"

Thats it son...there goes your test match..1-0 (for now)

u were easily the best bowler from ur side...running up a good rythm and executing the plans well....keep up

u got best wickets in the Indian innings.. so congratulations.. enjoy ur day .. with 3 already down (dont forget it was towards end of the day where pitch was already eased out for batting) .. but now with mornign dew effect .. assume top order 1-2 quickly gone.. & with still around 160 to get to avoid innings defeat .. I really doubt u will get a chance to bowl .. possibly marginal for few overs.. may be u would like to get some batting practise now ..

finish this match first .. we will have plenty to talk & write before next matches .. enjoy

Hey, i really love ur blog. Today u guys bowled well but indian batsmen batted beautifully and responsibly. A tough day 4 NZ. India will surely win.

Hey, i really love ur blog. Today u guys bowled well but indian batsmen batted beautifully and responsibly. A tough day 4 NZ. India will surely win.

only full day of rain can save NZ from this match!....which looks highly unlikely as expected before starting of this match...NZ completely lost the plot in their first innings, sometimes i feel as if you play test as one dayers!

I am from Pakistan .. but I remember countless times in Pakistan or India .. how our great bowling line struggled & thrashed by Sachin & Sehwag all over the ground .. I used to hate crying faces of our bowlers with ball all over the park .. so u guys r too short in comparison to greats like Shoaib, Afridi, Umar, Asif... if they face problems & then u dont have to worry too much there ..

Just enjoy watching Sachin what we did in Pakistan..

Thanks for the wonderful blogs & allow everybody to open their hearts.

Try better in the next innings.who knows if you get sachin out early in his innings.I am,11 years old want to give you some advice.dont bowl too many bouncers at sachin.he will smash around the park if you get too predictable.

you alone,can turn the match around

Ever the Optimistic eh? Ian. still thinking about winning. keep it up pal. your 3 prize wickets, who knows it might just be more than plain luck!

Hi Ian , Great Blog dude.
I like the way you write your blog. Its very honest. You really bent your back when u got sachin's wicket.
Best of luck ...

You should be pleased to get wickets of Dravid, Dhoni and sachin they all are excellent batsmen. Get well soon and bowl much better in coming matches.

congrats Iain....Dravid yesterday...Sachin and Dhoni today...you really bowled your heart out...i think you deserved a fifer
Also its really great of you guys not making a big deal of the catch Sachin took....
Appreciate your modesty.....keep posting mate.....cheers

Great job Lain, not just with the Ball but A very good one with your pen....errr...I mean the key board. Keep it up, look forwad to read more from you....May be one day a good book on narration of real ground 'feelings'.

Cheers
Kalyan

Mate, I am really surprised how you manage to blog even after a hard day's of cricket. Talk about multi-tasking, you seemed to do both things, bowling and blogging, very well mate. First of all, I think New Zealand ran out of luck today. Let me not take away the credit from the Indian batsmen who played intelligently. I had to say that the Tendulkar's catch should have been referred to the third umpire. Anyways, past is past. I wish your team all the best. Although you people are 3 wickets down, I still hope that your team can set India a challenging target. I have seen test matches where scores of 150 have been defended easily, so I guess the match stands 60-40 in favor of India. Let's hope the better side wins. Tomorrow, we need to watch out for Ryder, Mccullum and Vettori, if we get these three, then we have a solid chance of getting the match over in the fourth day.

Hi Ian
I think the Ryder's caught the ball with the fingers on top of the ball so the ball could have hit the ground.....but in sachin's case he caught the ball with the fingers under the ball so there is a huge possibility that the ball did not hit the ground........Anyway good spell from you Ian in getting rid of well set Sachin and Dhoni.

Hi Iain,

Your blog was enjoyable as always and you bowled well overall yesterday. I have expected India to post a huge total and theres just no stopping Sachin yesterday. However, please rally our team to put on a brave batting performance today (like Jesse and Dan did in the first innings). Please ask Ross Taylor to not slog sweep and Baz to stay more focused. I'd like to see Ross occupy the crease with Flynn for as long as possible.

Cheers!

You are doing a steller job bud, keep blogging! I must confess, I wait for you to do bad on the field so that I can read how you cope up with bad form - just sharing my sadistic pleasure..haha
It just dosent make a good reading when the world is a good place and all is rosy, does it?

If you play a reverse sweep off Harbhajan it means that you have read this comment :) ahah please do it!

All the best for tomo, hoping to see you scoring 60+ score.... Just keep urself fit for the forth coming matches...

Quit blogging Iain...your bowling might improve and ur focus will remain on the ground itself...In todays play it seemed as though u were thinking more abt what u wanted to write in the evening than what u shud have been doing on the field.

Hy Iain
Love your attitude mate.
Your second spell was very good.
What's wrong with Dan?,
he looked and bowled dull. Is it because of the century he scored? He is my favorite NZ cricketer after Bond.

Ian O'Brien is a very good storey teller about the game of cricket. From the bowlers perspective I can imagine how he gets his wickets. Ian, It will nice if you can explain me how you manage to get the wicket of Sachins?. Sachin told, he is trying to push the ball for single to midwicket are and end up giving his wicket.

I thought you bowled a lot better today than through out the one day series and yesterday. I watched you bowl while you guys were playing against australia and I was disappointed with your bowling effort against us. May be Sehwag got to you, anyways keep up the good work, both bowling and blogging.

gratz on a good bowling performance.. though i feel a dissapointing day for New Zeland.. hard days work tommorow for you guys..but i feel the writting is on the wall ... but TRUE stranger things have happened..good luck to you guys..maybe we see you get a 50 like zaheer did today :P

It was Harbajan at the other end when Iain got Sachin

Iain ...great job man! You are a classy bowler.
Btw, just noticed something unique about this blog and the comments... 98% of the comments are by Indians ...and most of them are appreciate and respect your skills with the ball. :)

proud to be an indian forever.
@Parth :- how much?? Thrs no mistake of taking that catch by Sachin and getting mac out and we shall not loose any pride..we the indians have seen enough of this farce (what if ryder caught and dhoni would have given out) :D no offense..great work guyz...

O Brien! it was nice to read the blog of the real player. You still have good hopes to bat on and on and on. Have you sprained ? If so, better take proper rest. I have not taken rest when i sprained and suffered for more than 15 years on and off. If Nz can avoid innings defeat, dont you think its great?

Initially I was not a keen follower of this new NZ cricket, with all the newbies playing, with strange names, this is my first witness of this team. You guys are real good. I never thought that this team has a bunch of good test players. I thought the NZ days are over with Flemings, Bonds, Cairns, You a very good test bowler, but need to have more variations to become a beacon in international cricket. You have good pace to rattle the batsmen. But you will be tested in the sub-continent conditions with flat surfaces all around and has only 100% supportive towards the batsmen. I really like your sportsmanship too.
All the best to save this test match and if can to win it.

Its rather an Indians day out!!I must say!!
Having batted well with good lead Indians made a good usage of the cherry red.
Yeah,today sachin was awesome with his timing,elegance and balance.Played the role of "Mr.perfect" anchoring the Indian innings.

Kiwis not only have to perform well in bowling & batting but also have to toil hard to improve their "fielding".
A lot of Misfields ,few drop catches reflect their fielding performance.At some point of time Sachin was almost out on day 2 since the ball was in the air long enough to get under it.Would have been a fabulous dismissal though.It was an average fielding overall.

Regarding the referral system i don't think that will do the real justice as someone said, they will naturally favour the batsmen. Sometimes, even the footage is misleading too!!

By the end of day 3 Indians were in complete control of the game and depends on how well they capitalise the first session of day 4.

Lookin forward for your next blog!!

Ramnath

Iain, mate, 99% percent comments here are from Indians. They can't have enough of you. You already are a hero in a cricket crazed nation, think of fan following you are building in India, expand it and go live on tv with your daily show, sign up sponsors and make you NZD1M IPL appearance soon.

well donw to nz nd india for playing good cricket so far and i would like to lain o brien for this blog .... but guys what u all need to say about SACHIN man MASTER showing agian that he is still good enough to face any best bolwing attack in the ALL WORLD THANX MATER BLASTER
also well done to ZAHEER KHAN what a performance by bat jak u doing well man.
ok TEAM INDIA we will love to see u YUVRAJ and MASTER in good touch in the rest of the series hahhahha

You're doing a really good job Ian. Two things that come out from your blogs: honesty & humility. They make your blogs readable & make us wanna come back again... Good on you mate! Keep it going!

well donw to nz nd india for playing good cricket so far and i would like to lain o brien for this blog .... but guys what u all need to say about SACHIN man MASTER showing agian that he is still good enough to face any best bolwing attack in the ALL WORLD THANX MATER BLASTER
also well done to ZAHEER KHAN what a performance by bat jak u doing well man.
ok TEAM INDIA we will love to see u YUVRAJ and MASTER in good touch in the rest of the series hahhahha

You did some good bowling yesterday mate!..was tough work for you guys with sachin playing so well...i think you looked the best out of the lot! Good Work

Godwin

I dont know today India is strong team or your team tuned to a weaker team.In time of Richard Hadley and Martin Crowe Kiwi was best just next to west indies, but after Chris cairns, Craig McMillan, Shan bond, Nathan astle and Danial Flaming a big vacuum created, but batsman like Jessy will bring back kiwis lost glory. We are very disparate to see his in action in IPL. best wishes brain hope to meet you some time in near future.

Hi Ian,

I saw you bowl for the first time (rather noticed you distinctly)...because i got acquainted to your blog :) interesting !!! So because of you blog, you stood out of the field. Well next best thing would be to read responses on your blog and answer as many as you can without giving away your team strategy :)..WAT SAY? All the best...

You are tired and it shows in your blog! The excitement in picking up Sachin and MS is missing....

Anyways, 3 big wickets mate! way to go!

Nice to see your blog everyday.We know how it feels to get Sachin's wicket and I dont see that in your blog.May be you are underplaying ur feelings . Wishing you all the best to save the game .

Hey Ian,

Nice to read your blog...It really good to hear from someone who is out there in the middle.

We have seen good cricket from both the sides in this series and will look forward to see your bowling tommorow.

Get well soon :)

Regards
Sidd

Hi!!!!! i am amazed how u take time out to write this blog daily hats off to u i dont think any cricketer has done this so far congrats on those 3 big wickets keep up the good work but ur team has to lift ur game to match the indians and also there is no shame being beaten by this indian team love ur confidence to say we can bat and bat and bat ........go well mate 2mrw and hope ur injury is not that serious

Hey Lain
Great bowling by you . And certainly smart bowling by your skipper too. I felt he played a great role in containing Indians else lead margin would have been higher for sure .
One must complement both Yuvi / MS for their walk without waiting for Umpire's decision when they were actually out . And to my mind and what was seen thru TV replays , Sachin took the catch cleanly . Any way different ppl had different perceptions ...
Its nice to note your postiveness and optimism on changing the course on day 4/5 . Looks like a herculean task though and NZ vistory seems a ruled out chance. However , praise your spirits and plan to make it happen .
Absorbing game of (test) cricket hitherto and hope rest of the two days continue to produce good cricket and nature gods let it happen without intereference.

Hi Ian,
You are pulling attentions of lot of Indians. I am reading your blog continuously from this series. Great show man.

I'll add any aussie name to the list of your swelling, predominantly indian, fan base Iain. Great blog, very insightful and very interesting, thanks for taking the time to add this each day!

Hey Ian great spell of bowling and an awesome delivery to get sachin out on 160.Good bouncer to get the wicket, but 1 thing if sachin left the ball do you think he would have got out anytime today?

Mr. Ian ....Great job....Amir, get a life...In the 2003 WC, it happended for the first time that an opening bowler got taken off so quickly...After the hiding that Saching and Shewag put on Shoaib...You must try talking with thinking sometimes. It helps!

Great writing mate! And a fabulous effort in the field today. I know the pitch was rough and tough to exert your will over, but good work from you sir!
Yeah, sachin's catch should have been referred, but I guess you have to roll with it. Hope the kiwis can pull something off! It's what the cricketing world has come to expect from you, spirit and gumption. Cheers!

I liked the way you bowled to Indians yesterday..I am pretty sure many blackcaps will be reading your blog as well.I wish them good luck and request them to give a fight and get a lead so India can bat on Sunday.I bought the tickets for Sunday and dont want the game to finish today.

O' Brien it is really great to read something straight from the player who is actually playing the match and sharing his experience. you have got good writing skill in addition to bowling skill. keep up the good work.
Sachin really bated like a true champion. Match is looking like going India's way. let us keep fingures crossed...

TO MR.Aamir Akhund.You might have forgotten that what ths master batsman have done to shoib akhtar in the 2003 world cup. Shoib akhtar, even greats like wasim akram and waqar younis had no answer to this gr8 batsman.Bowling to him is a nightmare and the gr8 likes shane warne had also admitted it.And for your knowledge I should tell you that shoib akhter is not even in the rank of shane warne.

Good work Ian. keep it up

Hi Iain,
Your blog is definitely becoming a "must-read" for most of the Cricinfo users, particularly the NZ & Indian ones. Judging by the feedback (not every reader sends a feedback !), one can tell that YOUR BLOG IS GONNA STAY HOT WHILE THIS SERIES IS ON. Even after this series, a big chunk of us will carry on reading it regularly, being simply impressed by your honest, down-to-earth & often humorous style. KEEP IT GOING, MATE !!!
In reply to Parth Pala's post, I would like to say that the Indian team can't be accused of unsporting behaviour. Sachin believed he took the catch cleanly, just as Jesse did. In Jesse's case, the umpires consulted each-other & went upstairs. In Sachin's case, THE UMPIRES DID NOT FEEL THE NEED TO GO UPSTAIRS (maybe judging by his injury). SO, BLAME TAUFEL & GOULD, NOT SACHIN OR THE INDIAN TEAM, Parth !
Aamir Akhund, you've got it all wrong mate ! Just draw the stats out for Sachin v/s Shoaib Akhtar & have a re-think. Sachin thrives on Akhtar-type bowling!

Hey Iain, seriously this series is getting better and better. As I mentioned before, you have been bowling better, but I hope Indians bowl better. I am worried a bit for India as Jesse and Mccullum are in good form and may snatch the victory away from India. Wish you luck mate, take care of your niggles.

Thanks
Kunal

well done Ian. and nice blog. i am impressed. truly u r very honest...n i like Ur honesty. well nice performance in this match. well u took good wickets. well nothin much from me, but we indians like honest people... n ur one among them... best of luck for remaining days n keep doing well....once again u r tooo good.

r u married ?? if not den do u hv a gf ???

A good post again...It's nice to hear from someone who has been a part of the whole action. Btw three cheers to Jesse Ryder. He is playing awesome cricket.

And of course a great booooooo for Mr Aamir Akhand who commented some gibberish above. Mate, after 80+ something centuries, 20k+ something runs, 18+ something years of cricket, and 10+ something years of being the sole hope of Indian cricket team, if a player can get a century with this ease, getting frightened from a bowler like Shoaib (who can't even bowl 10 full overs in a match) seems like a big joke.

Criticism apart, I am a big fan of Shoaib and Afridi, just that they tend to be a bit stupid at times.

Iian,
first time, i comment today - but pretty late from Amsterdam standards :)

how does it feel after taking scalps of tendya and dhoni? if i were you, i would be elated.
but then going by current, i feel if india continues to bowl well (which i want to see on my laptop by being awake the friday night, like yesterday), i am sure we shall create history.

so - my suggestion from amsterdam - enjoy a 'paddy' very very old irish whi(s)kky ;) instead of sweating over ice.....

by the way, what is the thing of bowling a 6 overs spell? i wasn't able to comprehend it yesterday!

cheers and hope you can fight it out today (or tonight for me)
~ nice weekend
sibs

Well done Ian. Maybe if u hadnt observed Sachin's play throughout his life and am one of those souls who think of Cricket only because of Sachin's presence.
Most of the times sachin is the victim of those who are bowling to him for the first time and the next match the guy gets screwed of the master.

I respect that even you are one of the disciples of him and as a bowler I suggest that you try something very different to him than this time.
All the best

Hi Ian,
I thnk u got how difficult to get the wickets in tests against India.
I accept you Dravid's wicket was ur work But i dont for sachin.
Do you know sachin philosophy? Application is important whether you succeed or not is 2nd point.( U can see his video interview at his 20's in you tube)
In the way he tried 2 hit that ball in such away to have new application. Hav u seen how he did uppercut shots against Mitchel Johnson Aus?
I like Mcgrath,Pollock, Vaas and akram ways 2 make sachin out. U do in such a way I will accept you as great bowler. and take tips from shane bond how to take wicket od sehwag. U r very poor gainst sehwag.

Do hard work it will help you

Hi Ian,
Great to get an insight to one of the Player's views, something that is often frowned upon by the Board's.
Sachin's wicket...modesty personified.
Te catch...well,n the seam could have also turned by hitting his finger under it, not, only he turf.Still , Mac wud have gotten the benefit of the dodubt.
Hoping that u recover soon...at the bolggs do need ON FIELD coverage.
All in all, keep it coming.
Cheers

Hi Ian,
Great to get an insight to one of the Player's views, something that is often frowned upon by the Board's.
Sachin's wicket...modesty personified.
Te catch...well,n the seam could have also turned by hitting his finger under it, not, only he turf.Still , Mac wud have gotten the benefit of the dodubt.
Hoping that u recover soon...at the bolggs do need ON FIELD coverage.
All in all, keep it coming.
Cheers

Ian, there is always a chance.. just think of AuS-SA match.. who would have thought aus would make 443 against a good team like SA and who would have thght SA would chase that total with a ball to spare.. Cricket is funny game.. anything can happen. today its india's tomorrow it could be you.. one more partnership like jessy and danny had in first innings.. if someone can script something like that today there is always a chance that it could go till last hour of the match.. But thanx for the blog.. its gr8 to hear first hand and unbiased version.... although not everyone would agree with me but NZ has a chance if they can gut it out first two sessions...

Nice post Iain. I am starting to love your posts. Good luck for the rest of the game and the series...and hope you feel better soon with your niggle.

Ian,

I live in US and only catch cricket on CricInfo. While the commentary does provide some color, it is not the same as listening to it on the radio or watching it on TV. So I very much appreciate reading your blog and the color it provides. It used to be that one had to be satisfied with reading a statement or two from few of the players. Your analysis and comments provide a truly unique perspective from a player who is actually playing rather than the bystanders like TV pundits. Keep it coming. I (and it looks like countless others) enjoy it. Good luck with your recovery, I hope it is minor. You would excuse if this life long fan of Indian side does not wish you good luck in the match though. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us in the middle of daily demands of playing and training.

Good stuff iain, ur a real kiwi, u admit wen uve been outplayed, but u guys are known to never give up! keep plugging on mate!

if you keep half the effort you keep in writing you would have been a better bowler. It doesnt matter how many wickets u take. Its all over for NZ. Just wait and see how India will wrap up this match in style!. And everything is in destiny. You people got lot of runs with edges. There were hardly any strokes in your first innings. And jesse he so DAMN LUCKY.. to have scored that many runs in first innings. Well you guys depend on luck too much that is why you find your self in this situation. Indians outplayed NZ by miles and Sachin's fantastic batting, Dhoni contributed vital runs and Zaheer's 50 it implies tailenders are also knowing the value of their wickets and playing sensible cricket and NZ tailenders can only dream of that because Bhajji and Zak will get you guys out with ease. This match is gone. Think about third test match bcoz you wont get any chance in second match either. As usual Indian team will butcher until series is won and then they have habit of relaxing after that

Its gr8 reading from u ian, I look forward to your words every day.Iam Optimist n wish best of luck for the remaining mtches in series

There is one thing I have to say. More than anything else I am enjoying the India vs. NZ series so much more than India vs. Aus because it actually is about cricket and not about shenanigans. Aus are sore losers and shoddy competitors who will resort to any slimy tactic to win.
It is refreshing to see Iain, who obviously favors NZ, still able to look at this game and fight for his team while still respecting his opposition and and respecting them. In games like this no matter which team wins the game ultimately wins and everyone is left with a good feeling.
Kudos to NZ, win or lose, you do the game proud. You have every right to be proud Iain.

Iain, It was really a inspired performance from you in the 2nd session of day three. One thing i am surprised about is that your teammates have not learnt from the way you approached the game. Everyone is aware that indian batsman are susceptible to fast and accurate short pitch bowling but apart from you no one stood apart and they let indian tail ran away with the initiative. I feel that Newzealand has to do some serious thinking about the areas to bowl to indian batsman in coming test matches irrespective of the outcome of current match.

All the best!
Ankit

Well done Iain, with your 3 wickets against THAT Indian run machine, u r maintaining ur reputation as a real wicket-taker with a great wirk ethic and modesty. Good job, if only Mills, Franklin and even Vettori followed u and Martin. Keep up the good work with ur cricket and ur blog

This batting line up is probably one of,if not the most strongest lineups to ever tour this country.Im struggling to think of any other team that has a better lineup.Both openers would make the current world X1.One guy has 10,000 plus test runs the other is probably the 2nd best batsmen ever.Another scored 281 against an all cconquering aussie team.And unfortunately the pitches have been batter friendly.We should of prepped bad wickets and made it more of a lottery like last time.Why didnt we?

I'd like to add my voice to the chorus of Indians who declaim their love of your blog. Absolutely brill stuff, mate. It's hard to say this without sounding facetious, but your complete lack of arrogance has converted me - I'm supporting the Kiwis for the rest of the series.

Right, off to watch a haka or two.

P.S.: Why doesn't the Kiwi cricket team do a Haka like the All-Blacks!? Maybe a Haka for each wicket that falls, to welcome the new batsman in? Hell, that'd be wicked (and you might get a few frightened Aussies in the bargain).

Hi Ian,
I like your optimism in the las part when you say "We can knock them over later in day 5". Do you really mean it ? Because I think its not going to go to day 5. India will win it on forth day itself.
My condolences mate

Ian, hats of to you for having the time to post new entries on your blog and giving us almost real-time experiences.However, given the present conditions, having lost 7 wickets. This test match for you seems lost already. I look forward to you coming out strong for the next test and remaineder of the series. Go INDIA!!!

too gud. Its really wonderful to read the match in words of a player. thanks for this! :)

@sam.. shutup!

Dhoni should bring on Yusuf Pathan and Anil Akmbli to ball before the fielding restrictions are over… Also Dhoni should field at point as he can utilise his goal keeping skills… Sachin should be made the keeper as he is short and can kneel down easily and has good reflexes… VVS Laxman should have been given the new ball instead of Ishant Sharma as VVS has a better built and good height and New Zealanders would have been hopping in the crease like their national bird Kangaroo… Zaheer Khan should open the batting(what great hitting!!!) and Virender Sehwag should come at No.10 as he gets run out all the time… Sachin should do some exercises or drink something so that he becomes longer.. Then he can play the short balls better and not get out like today… Also considering his age, he should wear glasses in the field like Daniel vettori because he is getting old.. Today he was trying to play a ball outside offstump towards leg side and got out… Hope these Indian cricketers and administrators

Good point put forward by rahul - the mango boy. I really feel it would be a fun if you join our discussion and give reply to comments. I understand it will be too hectic to do that b/w a match but you can certainly try doing that during your off days.
BTW good delivery to get Sachin...THE GOD out. He was looking well set for 200.

Its really nice to read your blog. We can make out how challenging a role of a cricketer is on the filed. You have put it in a very good way. We wish you all the best. Hats off!! Keep writing

Ian, great blog again and thanks for providing the insight of what happens in a professional cricketer's mind all the time. Also, we get to know what the nicnames of all NZ players are. It was unfortunate that MS's decision needed to be referred, but as you said, technology came to the aid of the game yet again. I agree that Mac should have also stood his ground. I write this after India has already won the game to lead the series and you have batted well with Baz to make India bat again. Thanks for your constant insight.
Being a tester by profession, I point out inaccuracies. I think Sachin got out when he was playing with Harbhajan and not Khan. Also, when Sachin got out, India were 7 down.

Remember what I posted yesterday. Read the relevant bits again below. See what I said about Bajji?

Still well played NZ to avoid innings defeat. Hard luck with the bat pad decision, but most experts agreed that your 'not out' in the run out replays was fortunate.
Also, more importantly, Brendon's catch was not referred or given (even's things out a bit)

See you again in Napier! Let's hope the pitch helps bowlers a little more and we have a more even contest between bat and ball

Posted by: Indian at March 20, 2009 11:34 AM

Iain

'but if you think you can bat and bat and bat, then think again!'

I will be back commenting on your blog tomorrow again and we'll see who is right!

Bajji is turning the ball quite a bit and he also gets good bounce as does Ishant.

Hey Iain!! Loved watching you with the bat today!!! You looked good for a thirty-forty but for a not-so-good decision. When I watch you playing, I rememer your blog. You come across as an honest, guy-next-door-sort of, but a tough, positive cricketer.
Hate to say this, but Kiwis got to fix a couple of problems very fast to make this contest a bit more lively. You guys have it in you, and I hope this result only will bring the best out of you in the reminder of two tests.

wow mate wat a stand
U r really awesome
and the way in which zaheer and bhajji struggled
OOOOH!!

Iain, you are not only the best bowler in the Kiwi line up (except Vettori), but also the best writer among all current cricketers! Tendulkar's wicket equals a whole season of wickets! Writing with such insight after every day's play makes you a special player for all us lucky readers...more power to you and your team...maybe you even run India close in one of the remaining Tests...and then who knows?

Enjoy reading your blog just as much as watching cricket. Waiting for your blog today.

Enjoy reading your blog just as much as watching cricket. Waiting for your blog today.

You are amazingly positive. Never in the whole match you as a team looked like in a comfortable position, but you keep saying it wasn't that bad, etc etc.

I think that you are one of a unique type. You are the only person who I know write a diary of your day on the cricket field and make it viewable by us, the public. It is really neat to hear about what is going on in your mind. Really nice...