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***Official*** India in West Indies
- Thread starter adharcric
- Start date
Mr Mxyzptlk
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Well the West Indies of a year ago probably would have lost with 15 overs to spare.Fusion said:
Mr Mxyzptlk
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Rauf gave Bradshaw out. He also called an erroneous noball toward the end.adharcric said:
nikhil1772
State Vice-Captain
Pace & Reverse swing of Ajit Agarkar(or the absence of it) made the difference.Period.
adharcric
International Coach
The Indian Perspective
Batting
Having gone in with six batsmen, it was crucial for the top-order batsmen to get some runs under their belt in a situation with slightly less pressure than the usual 5-bowler approach. Sehwag looked in fine touch but was dismissed in both innings while playing a defensive jab at an outswinger. Jaffer's double-century will serve as a huge boost to his confidence and the 72-run opening stand in the 2nd innings was a very good sign for India. Laxman was also very fluent but threw away his starts with loose strokes on both occasions; he desperately needs to capitalize on the opportunities that he gets in this series as once Tendulkar returns, his hope will be bleak. Dravid played his usual sheet-anchor role very well but concentration lapses finished him twice; as usual, he isn't much of a worry. For Yuvraj, the main concern is the way he has been playing Dave Mohammed; he gets tied down, struggles to rotate the strike and eventually plays a rash shot out of frustration. Kaif was dreadfully slow but that will do in tests; anyways, he probably won't play in the next match as we return to 5-bowler mode. Dhoni looked commanding with the bat but his real test will come when he has to stay for a long period of time without 400 runs already on the board. Among the tailenders, Sreesanth exhibited good technique; that may come in hand one day when India need someone to do what the WI tail did today.
Bowling
On a pitch that didn't deteriorate as much as Dravid would've hoped when he elected to bat at the toss, Anil Kumble did well as the spearhead of the attack. Relying on three novice seamers and a bald part-time spinner for support, he pegged away at the West Indian batsmen, who played the champion spinner rather well on the whole. Sehwag was the spark, picking up wickets at crucial junctures; the discovery of a potent part-time option may turn out to be the biggest benefit of the decision to go in with four bowlers.
The trio of young seamers, with less than 5 test caps between them, are sure to take some abuse from fans. While only Munaf looked threatening on Day 2, VRV and Sreesanth improved as the match progressed. Munaf's potential far exceeds his output at the moment; his stamina is poor and the fact that Dravid couldn't rely on him for extended spells was annoying. While Munaf is more of the skiddy bowler, VRV's strength is the extra bounce that he naturally generates. One can compare them, not based on ability (duh!) but based on style, to Simon Jones and Steve Harmison. VRV is clearly not ready for this level of cricket but he showed signs that he can be a test-class bowler with improved fitness and a year of experience. The Top End series should help him a lot. The thing I love about Sreesanth is that he has a big heart and will always give his best for the team. The successive sights of a nervous Sreesanth and a dejected Sreesanth on either side of the last delivery made one feel for the lad; he really wanted to win it. Considering how inexperienced these seamers were, they fought well on a nervewracking final day. Look for Pathan and Harbhajan to return for the next match as VRV makes his way to the bench. He shouldn't get a match unless (maybe) India go into the 4th test with a 2-0 series lead.
Fielding
In the first innings, the Indians seemed sluggish on the field at first and the West Indian onslaught didn't help matters. Things got better and most catches were held this time. On Day 5, they took the field with plenty of energy and enthusiasm. Yuvraj fielded well and Dhoni would've had a good time behind the stumps if it weren't for the terribly costly missed stumping at the end of the day. Kaif looks terrible at short leg and we should actually benefit from having Yuvraj and Laxman take turns there in the next match. Munaf and VRV both need to work on their fielding.
Miscellaneous
Apart from the team selection, which we can't necessarily attribute to Dravid, the captaincy was pretty good. He made good bowling changes, got the breakthroughs through Sehwag, set attacking fields and handled that controversy well. He needs to be more vocal on the field perhaps and having bowlers with stamina would also help out. The no-balls are really a problem for Munaf and VRV. Ironically, I wanted them to bowl more and more no-balls towards the end of the day so they would have extra chances to take a wicket. This needs to be corrected, especially if they hope to make the one-day side.
2nd Test Projected Lineup
W Jaffer, V Sehwag, VVS Laxman, R Dravid*, Y Singh, MS Dhoni+, I Pathan, A Kumble, H Singh, S Sreesanth, M Patel
Batting
Having gone in with six batsmen, it was crucial for the top-order batsmen to get some runs under their belt in a situation with slightly less pressure than the usual 5-bowler approach. Sehwag looked in fine touch but was dismissed in both innings while playing a defensive jab at an outswinger. Jaffer's double-century will serve as a huge boost to his confidence and the 72-run opening stand in the 2nd innings was a very good sign for India. Laxman was also very fluent but threw away his starts with loose strokes on both occasions; he desperately needs to capitalize on the opportunities that he gets in this series as once Tendulkar returns, his hope will be bleak. Dravid played his usual sheet-anchor role very well but concentration lapses finished him twice; as usual, he isn't much of a worry. For Yuvraj, the main concern is the way he has been playing Dave Mohammed; he gets tied down, struggles to rotate the strike and eventually plays a rash shot out of frustration. Kaif was dreadfully slow but that will do in tests; anyways, he probably won't play in the next match as we return to 5-bowler mode. Dhoni looked commanding with the bat but his real test will come when he has to stay for a long period of time without 400 runs already on the board. Among the tailenders, Sreesanth exhibited good technique; that may come in hand one day when India need someone to do what the WI tail did today.
Bowling
On a pitch that didn't deteriorate as much as Dravid would've hoped when he elected to bat at the toss, Anil Kumble did well as the spearhead of the attack. Relying on three novice seamers and a bald part-time spinner for support, he pegged away at the West Indian batsmen, who played the champion spinner rather well on the whole. Sehwag was the spark, picking up wickets at crucial junctures; the discovery of a potent part-time option may turn out to be the biggest benefit of the decision to go in with four bowlers.
The trio of young seamers, with less than 5 test caps between them, are sure to take some abuse from fans. While only Munaf looked threatening on Day 2, VRV and Sreesanth improved as the match progressed. Munaf's potential far exceeds his output at the moment; his stamina is poor and the fact that Dravid couldn't rely on him for extended spells was annoying. While Munaf is more of the skiddy bowler, VRV's strength is the extra bounce that he naturally generates. One can compare them, not based on ability (duh!) but based on style, to Simon Jones and Steve Harmison. VRV is clearly not ready for this level of cricket but he showed signs that he can be a test-class bowler with improved fitness and a year of experience. The Top End series should help him a lot. The thing I love about Sreesanth is that he has a big heart and will always give his best for the team. The successive sights of a nervous Sreesanth and a dejected Sreesanth on either side of the last delivery made one feel for the lad; he really wanted to win it. Considering how inexperienced these seamers were, they fought well on a nervewracking final day. Look for Pathan and Harbhajan to return for the next match as VRV makes his way to the bench. He shouldn't get a match unless (maybe) India go into the 4th test with a 2-0 series lead.
Fielding
In the first innings, the Indians seemed sluggish on the field at first and the West Indian onslaught didn't help matters. Things got better and most catches were held this time. On Day 5, they took the field with plenty of energy and enthusiasm. Yuvraj fielded well and Dhoni would've had a good time behind the stumps if it weren't for the terribly costly missed stumping at the end of the day. Kaif looks terrible at short leg and we should actually benefit from having Yuvraj and Laxman take turns there in the next match. Munaf and VRV both need to work on their fielding.
Miscellaneous
Apart from the team selection, which we can't necessarily attribute to Dravid, the captaincy was pretty good. He made good bowling changes, got the breakthroughs through Sehwag, set attacking fields and handled that controversy well. He needs to be more vocal on the field perhaps and having bowlers with stamina would also help out. The no-balls are really a problem for Munaf and VRV. Ironically, I wanted them to bowl more and more no-balls towards the end of the day so they would have extra chances to take a wicket. This needs to be corrected, especially if they hope to make the one-day side.
2nd Test Projected Lineup
W Jaffer, V Sehwag, VVS Laxman, R Dravid*, Y Singh, MS Dhoni+, I Pathan, A Kumble, H Singh, S Sreesanth, M Patel
Last edited:
honestbharani
Whatever it takes!!!
another exciting game in this series. I am not sure of the quality of cricket, but the matches in this series have mostly been extremely close finishes.