Cricinfo - Blogs - Rob's Lobs - And on the seventh day...

Of course, staging a one-day series on the home turf of both participants, the sole viable excuse for a seven-match series, is impractical: even 50-over matches last three times as long as the average baseball game. Nevertheless, even though the ICC rankings take individual matches into account (to an extent), the series score remains paramount. As a consequence, the potential for torpor and ennui seems unlimited.

So much for all that. Paul Collingwood and Rahul Dravid’s teams have regaled and entranced us with a string of vivid scraps full of rollercoastering emotions and script-shredding twists. Big scores, big hitters, clever pace bowling, quality spin (albeit almost exclusively of an Indian persuasion), breathtaking fielding (albeit almost entirely of English origin) and, best and most tellingly of all, more tight finishes than loose ones. As a result of which, glory be, a cricketing Game 7 is, for once, as exhilarating a prospect as its World Series counterpart. That Lord’s should be the venue is only right and proper. The rugby union World Cup, the European Football Championship and the US Open tennis may dominate the headlines come Sunday, but I know where I want to be on Saturday.

The 50-over format has had a pretty good bashing in recent times, and rightly so. The World Cup was a yawn, a complete letdown. Fortunately, being the best two Test sides on the planet behind Australia, tussles between England and India, so tepid for so long, are now blessed with a keen, if occasionally over-sharp, edge. Despite India’s overall victory, this summer’s ludicrously truncated, three-chapter five-day rubber contained enough switches in fortune and power to fill a John Grisham novel. But would seven Tests followed by three one-dayers really have made a tastier meal? I doubt it, though a 5-5 split would have been eminently acceptable, not to say profoundly sensible.

The nerveless Uthappa © Getty Images

Better yet, as Andy Zaltzman highlighted in his splendid column for The Times today, this series has proffered the shot in the arm the game so sorely needs, bedevilled as it currently is by a seemingly interminable spate of high-profile retirements. Kevin Pietersen is alone in the current top 15 of the ICC Test rankings for batsmen, Andy pointed out, in being under 29. And eight of the top 10 bowlers, no less disconcertingly, are thirtysomethings. Happily, if perhaps inevitably - a seven-hour contest is rather more suited to a young man’s concentration and temperament than a 30-hour affair - the generation gap has been yawning a good deal less blatantly as this series has worn on.

In a match littered with an uncommon number of strong individual contributions, Wednesday’s key figures, with the exception of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Dmitri Mascarenhas, were all under 29, and mostly a good deal greener: Pietersen, Owais Shah, Luke Wright, Ian Bell and Stuart Broad for England, for India Piyush Chawla, MS Dhoni, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir and, most memorably of all, Robin Uthappa, whose nervelessness at the death was awesome in the extreme.

In the previous five episodes, Alastair Cook, James Anderson and Yuvraj Singh had all imposed themselves at various times. Moreover, several of these bright young (and youngish) things are already touting their impressive wares in Tests. There are few reasons to believe that a sizeable majority of the remainder, most notably the precocious Chawla, will not soon follow suit.

As for Peter Hartley’s decision to give Paul Collingwood out at The Oval after referring to the big screen rather than the third umpire, bloody good for him. Commonsense prevailed, justice was done: end of story. Oh, that the latter could so clearly be seen to be done a wee bit more often in our courtrooms and parliaments.

I dont understand why there are so many people questioning the amount of tests and one-day internationals played on this tour. It was a mutual decision reached by boards of the two countries and it had been established even before the tour began that India and England are both very much evenly matched teams. So does it really make a difference if it is 3 Tests and 7 One-Dayers or 5 Tests and 5 One-dayers? I dont think so. Both teams knew exactly what thier schedule will be well before the tour started and they should be expected to put on a good show no matter how many matches are being played.

Whether we like it or not, cricket nowadays is more than just 22 players playing on a field, there is alot more that goes into the game today. For an average spectator it is easy to just go and buy a ticket to watch the game (granted it is not easy to get the tickets mostly due to the massive interest in the game) or even just flicking the television on to watch the game BUT lets not forget, there is tons and tons that goes behind the curtain (TV deals, sponsorship deals, stadium services, security etc etc.) to make it this easy for the spectator to enjoy the game without any fuss or atleast the minimum of fuss.

I do believe there are better ways ICC could run things but common, lets not sit down with a microscope and start bashing them over each and every move they make. They do infact do some good even though it is not given much notice these days.

This is the kind of series that fans of cricket live for. The argument for less matches and a shortened format of the game will always exist. I do see a potential of the 20-20 format becoming popular with north american crowds and we all know thats where the money is.
Coming back to this series however, the excitement and level of game play has been tremendous. England has some of the best talents for the future with young cricketers like Pietersen, Broad, Bell, Cook and Anderson still not having reached their prime.
India's veterans have led from the front and have made sure that they are leaving the English in awe of them. I think that Ganguly and Tendulkar should call it quits after this series despite their form and allow for the younger generation to develop. The presence of Dravid I feel is still necessary as he has the right kind of attitude and personality (not to mention game) to guide an otherwise young side to the highest standards. We need to develop the batsmen that are currently awaiting their chances (Karthik, Gambhir, Uthappa, Jaffer)instead of having to rely on the old timers to constantly carry the team on their backs. You wither and die when you stop evolving.

Chetan's spin on ganguly's performance is the same as Greg Chappell's excuse for his attempt to destroy the man. It is lame, it is pathetic. The trouble was, series after series india was getting thrashed ( WI, SA, Malaysia, mini world cup in india) with out ganguly and still the GC storyline persists. When India exited World cup, it is ganguly's performance that came under attack in India! During GC's regime, Zaheer was sidelined, pathan was experimented and destroyed, Harbajan, laxman and Shewag ( who Aussies fear most even today) were made pariahs, so what spin can GC and well wishers can come up with for these failures, i wonder.

India may be coming out of its shacles in other areas, but I'm afraid as for cricket is concerned, Indians still hold on to the colonial mentality.

PS By the way, I am a Madrasi, not a bengali, just in case this issue comes up!

Watching the final Natwest trophy game reaffirmed the fact that Dravid really is an idiot whose so called strategic prowess is vastly overrated! Imagine playing in London in September on a wintry morning and opting to bat first. Then sending that useless Gambhir ahead of himself at the crucial number 3! Then our old friend Alim Dar lives upto his reputation of being a first rate Brit arse licker (remember his exploits in 2005 Ashes mostly against the Aussies?) and packs off RD and SRT in a trice!! This was a series India should have won 5-2, but RD’s GC inspired (or in a silent tribute to his former master!) tactics meant that India fielded where they should have batted first (i.e. Rose bowl, Lords) or equally daft and bewildering bowling changes (i.e. Oval, OT etc). India’s Oval win was simply due to SRT and Robin’s attempts, RD had personally seen to it that from 130-5 to 269 by 47 over, England were truly allowed to come back. And then the final two overs, less said the better. And then there was the small matter of the Oval Test match fourth day strategies! Truly missing out on a 2-0 series win especially after a lucky break at Lords.

Nothing really (a 1-0 test result and 4-3 loss to a mediocre ODI side) should detract from RD's insipid captaincy overall, no other team (even Banglaboys!) would have lost at Old Trafford save RD's brilliant strategic mind which ensured that Broad and Bopara could deliver in style. It was this game that proved the paucity of his strategic thinking. I think RD needs to be sacked forthwith; Yuvi is India’s future and Kaif, Irfan and Bhajji to be brought back. Sadly despite his courageous bowling displays, fatso Powar remains too one-dimensional and a relic of a bygone era in these slam bang times. Young Chawla can't bat and needs time in the gym to build his body judging by his throws from the fence. Dada too needs to leave in style. Being a firm SCG fan over the years, it is only proper that he now steps out of ODIs having proved his mettle one last time. Gambhir just does not have the requisite class at this level and will remain a flat track bully in the foreseeable future only to be exposed time and again. Even though he was unlucky today with the manner of his dismissal, the lack of cricketing brains was plain staggering! Why would one play these shots when the need of the hour is to consolidate and give SRT maximum strike in stead of trying to match him stroke for stroke.

The bowling resources whilst encouraging are far from world beaters. If someone like Munaf can't field and bowl at 145+ then show him the door for ever as India simply can't afford all these non performing assets. Agarkar is just too much of a loose cannon and needs to be finally put out of his misery. The man simply can’t bowl a consistent spell over the course of a series, retain his speed regularly and as for his farcical description of being an all rounder the less said the better!

But above all, RD's negative body language is terribly detrimental to the side's morale. Also what was he doing offering a sub for Freddie when Freddie was carrying an existing injury and yet allowed to pick and choose his bowling spells (imagine Ponting or RD’s role model Steve TUGGA Waugh doing that!), all in all too soft! Nothing regional about it, plain and simple, he is not cut out to be a captain. It is there for all to see.

May be the future Indian ODI team of 16 should read:
SRT (till he remains available),Robin,RD (till he remains available),Yuvi (Capt),Kaif (VC),Dhoni,Irfan,Harbhajan,Zaheer,Chawla,Munaf/RP,
Raina (12th man), Rohit Sharma (RD's understudy), VRV (only if bowls genuinely quick in the high 80’s and fields well) or Srishant and Sehwag (SRT’s alternative as and when the great man calls it a day).

Hi,
It is good that India has lost the series because now there will be a serious introspection with the Indian team and the management think tank. Had India won the series, the flaws would not have been visible to everyone. Now that India has lost the series, it is time to learn from the past mistakes and do a serious thinking ahead of the Australian one day series and Pakistan one day series. More steely nerves are going to be tested when India tours Australia later this year. So, I am afraid, how would India cope up with the Aussies in Australian pitches, with this fielding. I once again would like to remind that but for the 5th ODI, all the 11 batsmen have batted in all the matches. And not even in a single match, has India managed to take all ten wickets. This just goes to show the Indian team's inability. This has been the case when India played 6 batsmen or 7 batsmen. Whether Rahul had fielded or batted today, India would have surely lost because of the lack of application, as Sunil Gavaskar mentioned. So my word to Rahul & Co. is - past is past. Surge ahead and please learn from the past. No one is going to like when India is going to repeat the same mistakes of abysmal fielding again. Further, at the international level, it is imperative to win all the matches, regardless of whether a match is crucial to winning the series or not. That is the way star nations like Australia, South Africa play their cricket. All the best Rahul. We are still with you but please do not take us for granted and take us for a ride. Thanks. Jayanth.