Pakistan vs India, 2007, First Test

The first test has finished in an emphatic 6 wicket win for India. The home team dominated 3 out of 4 full days of cricket. It all started with the toss when Shoaib Malik decided to bat first and misjudged the way the pitch was going to behave. The Indians, however, must be considering themselves lucky to lose the toss. Pakistan never got going in the first innings and thanks to some sensible batting from Misbah ul-Haq the visitors managed to score 231 in their first knock.

India, however, failed to take the initiative and scored 276 thanks to fifties from VVS Laxman and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. A first innings lead of only 45 runs would sound very disappointing but it did play a major role in the run chase. All credit must be given to the young Pakistani side that restricted India to such a low first innings total.

Pakistan then started their second innings positively as the openers got rid of the deficit. However, just when things were looking good, Anil Kumble happened to Pakistan. The leggie got the opening that the team so desperately required. After the openers departed, the rest of the batsmen failed to capitalize on the foundation and Pakistan finished at 247, giving India a low target of 203. But Shoaib Akhtar got rid of Dinesh Karthik with only 2 runs on board. Jaffer, Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly played their part in enabling India to reach the target with almost all of Day 5 to go.

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Pakistan vs India, Test Series

Well the ODIs are finished and now we move onto the real test of cricketers, aptly titled the Test Series. India vs Pakistan. Cannot get any better than this. Looking at the statistics of last 10 years, India and Pakistan have faced off 12 times, 4 wins to India, 5 to Pakistan and 3 draws. In other words, its pretty much even stevens at this stage.

Pakistan were pretty comprehensively beaten by India in the recently concluded 5 match ODI series and the Indians would be keen to take this winning momentum into the test series as well. With a long tour of Australia ahead of them, a win against arch-rivals Pakistan could just be the tonic that the country would need if they have any hopes of defeating the mighty Aussies.

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TVU player ------------India vs Pakistan

Pakistan vs India, 2007, 4th ODI

A one man show can only be done by a legend such as Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar who was at his deadliest best in yesterday’s day-night match. Winning the toss, Shoaib Malik decided to bat first knowing fully well that the dew would play an important factor in the second innings. RP Singh gave his team the perfect start by getting rid of Salman Butt for a duck and Pakistan never recovered from the 2nd ball of the innings. RP, Pathan and Zaheer were bang on target and barring the odd boundary kept things nice and tight. Pakistan never looked like a team desperate to win this match. Regardless, all credit must be given to the Indian bowlers who bowled admirably to keep the final score to less than 275. Pakistan managed to cross the 250 figure in the final over to reach 255 for the loss of 6 wickets.

With 256 runs required on a wicket that was going to be batsman friendly, the Indians had to ensure that they did not lose early wickets. Saurav Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir did just the opposite. Ganguly edged Akhtar to second slip and Gambhir pulled Rao to square leg. Sachin on the other hand was quickly into his rhythm and when he gets into a mood like this there is no respite for the fielding team. The boundaries came at blistering pace and every single shot was a sight to watch. Middling the ball perfectly, the Little Master ripped the Pakistani bowling to pieces.

Joining him was Virender Sehwag, a man looking for redemption. Sehwag started slowly but once he got his timing correct he started smashing the bowlers. Only one man in cricket can match Sachin and that person is Sehwag. The two quickly put on a century partnership and had it not been for some stupid running between the wickets, Sehwag should have reached a 50, one that he deserved to get this time. Still, the signs were clear, he was back in form.

Sehwag’s departure saw Tendulkar in his 90’s. The dreaded 90’s. The way he was batting Sachin deserved a 130-140 score, however as destiny would have it, he inside-edged Umar Gul to his leg stump to depart at 97 leaving the crowd stunned and silent. The damage, however, had been done. The platform had been laid for ODI cricket’s best finishing pair and a finish they did provide. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh are now considered the best batting pair in ODI cricket as the two have now been part of all Indian wins in this series.

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Indian squad announced for first 2 tests

The BCCI selectors announced the 14 man squad that will take on the Pakistanis in the first 2 tests. Final impressions is that this is a squad that is based more on political-wrangling than any common sense. For example, why do they have 3 spinners in as we all know that only 2 will ever get to play. With Kumble the captain the other logical selection would certainly be Harbhajan Singh. Instead of strengthening the top order, the selectors have gone ahead and included Murali Karthik as another spinner.

Gautam Gambhir has failed to make it to the test squad which is a real shame as he has been one of the most prolific batsmen for India in the last couple of months. The selectors should have awarded his performance by giving him a test spot. The fact that hasn’t happened and Murali Karthik has found a place is really very annoying. Karthik has only performed in the last couple of weeks, and he gets a spot.

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Anil Kumble

They say class knows no age, and in the case of Anil Kumble it could never have been said better. The BCCI selectors announced recently that Killer would be the new test captain for Team India. The word Killer sounds just appropriate to this silent assassin as he takes over perhaps the most difficult job in human history.

The question that arises is whether this is only a stop-gap arrangement for Team India. In all honesty, I hope that this isn’t the case and to have two separate captains for the Indian team is actually a bold and intelligent move. As it is there is way too much pressure on a captain and to deal with 3 different squads (Test, ODI and T20) could be mind-boggling for even Superman.

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Pakistan vs India, 2007, 3rd ODI Report and Highlights

So India have bounced back and the see-saw battle between these two countries continues on. But a 2-1 lead in a 5 match series is always handy. Asked to bat first, India scored 294/6 thanks to splendid knocks from Dhoni and Yuvraj. In reply Pakistan could only get to 248 all out. They were well led by Salman Butt who got his fourth century against India and his career best as well.

Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni's calculated attack on the Pakistani spinners enabled India to get out of a difficult situation. Indians then scored 89 runs from the final 10 overs, a key reason why they one the match.

The Indians now lead by 2-1 and all eyes turn to Gwalior for the fourth match between the arch-rivals. Pakistan's turn to bounce back now.

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Pakistan vs India, 1st ODI

Well the first match was a damp squib considering the hype and hoopla before the start of the series. Pakistan were completely outmaneuvered by India in what should be described as a clinical performance. Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first. After the first three overs it seemed that this would be a big total chase. The Indian bowlers came back admirably and restricted the visitors to small, yet defendable, total on a pitch that was predicted to crack and turn in the second innings.

Irfan Pathan got the first breakthrough for India when he trapped Akmal LBW. Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan then decided that they needed practise for the upcoming test series. It took Pakistan almost 23 overs to get a boundary and by that time Harbhajan Singh and Murali Karthik had done the damage. Yousuf’s late hitting helped Pakistan get to 239.

Despite losing Tendulkar cheaply, India had the firepower in their batting to win this match comprehensively. India, as so often happens, were not going to make things that easy. The wickets of Yuvraj and Dhoni fell in quick succession and 15 runs were still required. Robin Uthappa doesn’t care about the situation, if he wants to go after a bowler he will go after that bowler. His straight drive of Shoaib Akhtar was a peach. Full face of the bat, nice balance, lovely follow-through. Yes, I think India have found a reliable batsman. Alongwith Pathan, he ensured that no other hiccups were going to happen as India wrapped up the first match quickly.

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Sachin says no to Test Captaincy

Sachin Tendulkar has decided not to take the Test captaincy in recent news. He cited personal reasons, just like Dravid, for his decision. Its a done deal now on Dhoni being named the Supreme Commander of Team India for all forms of the game. Sachin was previously considered the front-runner for the job in Tests and this situation now is a blessing in disguise for India.

Sachin may have done yet another service to the team and the country by declining the Test captaincy and for that I salute the Little Genius. Yes, there may be some personal reasons - which can only be speculated. However, as has been his career so far, I am pretty sure that this is another selfless decision that he must have made.

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Pakistan in India, 2007, Series Preview

This is the mother of all rivalries. Even Geoff Lawson, coach of Pakistan, has acknowledged that an Indo-Pak contest is far more intense and gripping than the Ashes. The rivalry got a healthy boost after the Twenty20 World Cup final. A match that showcased what an India vs Pakistan encounter can truly be, no matter what the “format”.

Pakistan have already begun their tour on a winning note after defeating Delhi in their tour match. Its amazing how similar these two teams always are in their strengths and weaknesses. This time around the similarity is in the key middle-order batsmen that both sides are missing - Inzy and Dravid.

Virender Sehwag and Shoaib Akhtar are the comeback men for their sides. A lot will depend on how these two perform in their areas. The series is also going to be about the two young captains - MS Dhoni and Shoaib Malik. Both led their teams admirably in the Twenty20 World Cup and the following home series against Australia and Pakistan.

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Australian squad for 1st Test vs Sri Lanka

Australia have announced their squad for the first test against Sri Lanka:

1. Ricky Ponting (captain)
2. Adam Gilchrist
3. Stuart Clark
4. Michael Clarke
5. Matthew Hayden
6. Brad Hogg
7. Michael Hussey
8. Phil Jaques
9. Mitchell Johnson
10. Brett Lee
11. Stuart MacGill
12. Andrew Symonds
13. Shaun Tait

Of the two spinners here, leg-spinner Stuart MacGill and left-armer Brad Hogg will likely vie for a single spinner’s position in the Australian line up. Brett Lee will lead the pace attack comprising Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait.

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