Its Only Cricket

3rd Test: Australia wins Sydney Test (scorecard), South Africa won Test Series 2-1.. T20 & ODI series follows.
Current Cricket Series : South Africa vs Australia, West Indies vs New Zealand. Coming Up : India in NZ 2009.

Filed under India v england updates

You have a tingling memory of someone saying - cricket is a gentleman's game! This article won't waste your time contradicting that lie..

You have read plenty of pieces on whether coaches play a major role in cricket team's success or not. This article will, in fact,indulge little bit into that..

Coach Duncan fletcher carried a superstitious water bottle, whenever his England boys battled on the field. I truly admired the Zimbabweans' cricket brain, & the test match strategies he developed. But my plan behind this post isn't exactly to relive the love drops Duncan had in his eyes when he was fired, but today, for the first time ~ I noticed the first promo of what England's new cricket coach - Peter Moores is about. Indian team is on tour, & three npower test matches beacon.. How this Moore man thinks? here's one note I made..

Boxing, as you see in the picture, is what Moore is teaching. Develop 'Killer instincts' is what he's thinking. 5 day cricket matches, 3 sessions each day, 2 hours each are known to get boring at times. At those junctures, experienced cricketers start to gain momentum & bring their teams forward from behind. England coach, along with all of us, know that Indian team has a triplet (Sachin, Sourav & Rahul) who have turned test matches single handedly in past, in alien conditions & they can do it again.. Kill them at sight! is what Peter Moore is teaching English boys.

Conditions are theirs, crowd in favour. 'Easy Win' is how England finished last test series against windies, & they know India is no great test match side. Even though little bit more effort might be needed than what caribbean team demanded. Thus - throwing punches right at the start is how Peter Moore & England captain Michael Vaughan plan.

On other hand, Indian think tank is confused whether to play Mahendra Singh Dhoni or not, at a time when Dinesh Karthik seems stable while opening the innings & is a professional wicket keeper. You drop Dhoni - take Yuvraj & 4 bowlers. OR - you play both the keepers to keep Yuvraj out of the playing XI. Still, you manage only 4 bowlers in your eleven.

One thing Rahul Dravid & co might be missing, is the dryness of Lords pitch. Run making is easy, at least for England batsman who are born & brought up on that famour 22 yard stripe.

Give Ramesh Powar a go. That fat offie knows how to flight lollypops to batters. At a time when Moore & Vaughan plan to throw boxing punches, it'll be extremely smart to invite them for that one more. & stump them napping. Pace was never India's strength, & neither it is on this 2007 tour. whereas spin bowling is never a comfortable dice for England batters to play with.

Kiwi idea of winnings test matches, is to bowl dot balls. Same must be done by India. Anil Kumble can block one end, & other end must be handed over to Sourav Ganguly. Little bit of swing is always there for taking in English conditions & Bengal tiger is extremely good at attacking the pads. Keeping Ganguly just as batsman means he feels lost. He was a outspoken captain & loves making a mark. Leaving him at slips isn't the right strategy.. use him.

But above all, be hungry, look for options in disguise. Wasim Akram said - you're never out of a test match, cause draw is always an option. Try, try & try some more.. opportunities will emmerge if you keep presisting. This is the last time great Indian triplets will spread their flavour in England... and they must want no less than an outright win.

Boxing & cricket are two different talents. One requires stamina, other demands smartness. Lets prove Mr. Moore wrong!!

India vs England One day series - 2006.

Watch India England test match highlights on doordarshan

England in punching mood, India in confusion

India turn 0:100 to 30:70 with late wickets on Day 1

Its 55:45 for England as India rise on Day 2.