Cricket Tournaments

Its been a long tough schedule for India all around this year. With just some breaks in between the World Cup and the IPL, the South African tests just got over 10 days before the World Cup. On top of that, the West Indies tour is going to take just 6 days to kick start. Unfortunately, it puts a lot of pressure on the players and their fitness because of this packed-up schedule.

Indian Cricket Team With World Cup 2011

The test squad as well as the ODI squad for the West Indies tour have been announced and its quite disappointing to not hear some of the big names. Virender Sehwag already pulled out of the ODI squad because of injury, while Gautam Gambhir cannot play both the test tour as well as ODI tour because of a shoulder injury which was apparently caused in KKR’s last game against Mumbai Indians. Yuvraj Singh too has a throat infection which ultimately leaves Dhoni and Zaheer Khan to take rest off this schedule. This is not all, as Sachin Tendulkar too gets off the flight to West Indies as he wants to spend some time with family.

Such a schedule just takes a lot of toll on its players and just can’t be acceptable. All the big names being injured all the time and begging for some rest just makes it tough to live a life for them. A bowler has to be prevented from injuries, but as the number of games is increasing, the injuries can certainly go long-term. With Indian fast bowlers are even more susceptible to injuries it just makes it worse. And an injury to a player like Zaheer Khan, where we don’t even have a back-up bowler just makes it even tougher.

As every coin has two sides, this tour and the rest taken by players, has its own advantages too. This tour certainly gives an exposure to younger players in the team to take more responsibility and gives an opportunity to more players to show their talent on an international base. An opportunity, which would give India a larger pool of players to select from and would be an extremely nice opportunity to rotate the players, especially the fast bowlers. This could reduce the chances of players getting injured which will ultimately help India on the whole.

But its sometimes extremely disappointing to look when you see the players still selecting the club and money over country. As per the news, Gambhir was already injured before the start of the IPL season, though he didn’t know the intensity of the injury. On top of that, most of the players preferred playing in IPL with their respective clubs instead of taking the much needed rest. But preferring to take rest during the West Indies tour instead of playing the game for the country just amuses me. Which clearly states, that players have started giving much more importance to the club over country.

Obviously big money lures people and has quite an impact, but why put money over country. They say money is not the only answer but it makes a difference. Country and money are the only answers for the players and they let money make the difference here.

Its extremely important to give an opportunity to every player who is truly deserving, but not on the cost of so many senior players being rested. BCCI needs to keep some basic strategies in mind, and give opportunity to some players at a time, instead of giving every player just to show their talent on one stage. An extremely phenomenal scheme, they can certainly try and make 2 pool of players and try and rotate players at a regular interval. This can certainly help the team. But for that, we unarguably need to get in more talent to play for the country and not waste the talent.

West Indies tour on its way, its time for players like Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina to take up the big responsibility and try and carry the team on their shoulders. Apart from that its definitely a good opportunity for youngsters like Dhawan, Vinay Kumar and some more to shine and steal the limelight away from the other cricketers who have already put themselves in the list of top-level cricketers. Even in the test squad, Badrinath has atlast got a chance to prove himself that he is the lone and vivid player who has the skills to fill the big shoes ahead of Yuvraj Singh and Chateshwar Pujara.

The same guy refused to walk out when the IPL final took place, yet nothing was said or raised then. For now, when he decides to walk, the alter form of god is bestowed upon him.
A lot has been made of Sachin Tendulkar’s walk the other day against the West Indies at chennai. Along with this, analogies to Ricky Ponting’s stay at the wicket, only depicting the yawning difference that exists between their personalities.

Ponting was not wrong, but Sachin was right!

Something that began way back in 2003 when Adam Gilchrist walked in the semi finals in Sri Lanka, the spirit of the game has come into question especially since two of the generation’s greatest cricketers went their own ways in what they believed to be right.

But has this always been the case?

Indubitably with Ponting, the Australian captain was never the one to walk, it was the umpire’s decision that set him moving. Ponting was pretty candid in admitting the same too. He said “There were no doubts about the nick, I knew I hit it, but as always I wait for the umpire to give me out. That’s the way I’ve always played the game.”

However, the conundrum here is with Sachin. Sachin has not been the alter form of God, all the time, at least when it comes to walking. In the decisive Commonwealth bank first final down under in 07-08 season, Sachin nicked one straight through to Adam Gilchrist. Replays confirmed Sachin had indeed got a nick.

Another instance of the same, was the IPL final. Sachin nicked one through to Dhoni and despite the latter’s regressive appealing, Tendulkar looked the other way playing down the incident. Once again, replays suggested that Sachin had hit the cover of the ball, yet, stay put. It is hard to lay forth anything in the great man’s defense, despite this, his act against the West Indies was indeed laudable.

He is human after all, the best the world will ever see. Never showcase out one’s weakness by comparisons, for statistics don’t add up equivalently to the titles won. That’s something that truly does lie by Ponting’s side.

This is a day Indian fans would not wish to remember. In 1994, Kapil Dev played his last international match, and in 2003, India were thumped by Australia in the World Cup final in Johannesburg.

Kapil Dev won the World Cup in 1983 as India captain , the same being the only instance. He turned out for his last Test match in Hamilton. He finished the Test with just 2 wickets to his name, but had the world record of 434 Test wickets until Courtney Walsh broke it a few years later. He also was a part of the ‘elite’ club as he hit 5248 runs in his 131-Test career. Although Stephen Fleming, one of New Zealand’s all-time best skipper, made his Test debut in this game and scored 92, it was an emotional farewell for Kapil, who would still be remembered as one of the greatest cricketers India has ever produced.

This day, ’03 would have hurt more than 1994, as Sourav Ganguly had a golden opportunity to become only the second captain after Kapil to lift a World Cup. But India ran into a steam engine, an in-form Australian unit in the final.

Ganguly though seemed to have lost the plot at the toss itself, when he astonishingly decided to put Australia into bat on a flat Johannesburg pitch which was a little moist, due to overnight rain. A brave decision had boomeranged big time. Zaheer Khan, the then-young fast bowler bowled a shambolic first over, giving 15 runs and the game was going in Australia’s favour.

A good start by openers Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist set the platform for one of the best ODI innings played ever in cricketing history, let alone World Cups. And that came off the bat of Ganguly’s counterpart, Ricky Ponting who scored 140 runs off 121 balls. He played with such audacity that no Indian bowler was spared off this blitzkrieg. But one cannot forget the contribution of Damien Martyn who hit 88 runs of 84 runs, ably supporting Ponting, despite having a broken finger.

India’s fate was sealed by the end of 50 overs as Australia scored 359/2, the highest total in a World Cup final. Sachin Tendulkar, the highest run-getter of the competition gave India a lot to cheer about with the first boundary he hit, but the next ball he was tamely dismissed by Glenn McGrath. Wickets kept falling at one end despite Virender Sehwag putting up a brave fight, scoring 82 runs off 81 balls. The target was always out of reach for India and a rain break in between did not help much. India crashed out for 234, giving Australia a comprehensive 125-run victory and the World Cup title for the second consecutive time since 1999. Ponting led his men to world domination, just a year after taking over as ODI captain. And this enhanced Australia’s power to become ‘world-beaters’.

Also, today is the birthday of former England captain Michael Atherton who would be duly remembered for his famous tussle with Allan Donald in 1995-96 in South Africa, and his steadfastness with the bat in that series. ‘Athers’ as he fondly referred as, is currently on the commentary team with Sky Sports. And today is also the 9th death anniversary of Ben Hollioake, the English cricketer who expired due to a car accident in Perth, which left a deep impact on the entire team as he was one of the loved and popular members of the team.

On the day of the summer equinox, two outstanding matches of different formats were held in the 90s. Pakistan played co-hosts New Zealand in Auckland in the 1992 World Cup semi final and India played Australia in Kolkata in a Test match in 1998.

In 1992, New Zealand under Martin Crowe’s innovative leadership, were one of the favourites to win the World Cup. They had to face Pakistan, whose form was lop-sided. The Kiwis won the toss and elected to bat first on a sunny day in Auckland. Crowe himself played a blinder of a knock, a perfect captain’s innings of 91 runs off just 83 balls to lead New Zealand to a competitive total of 262 in 50 overs. It was a tough ask for Pakistan and there were staring down the barrel at 140/4, until the young and burly Inzamam ul Haq decided to make the game his own. He alongside the experienced Javed Miandad struck a 87-run 5th wicket partnership to guide Pakistan home with one over to spare. Inzamam ended with 60 runs off 37 balls, unbeaten in the end. With this, Pakistan got an opportunity to win a World Cup for the first time and this was the beginning of Inzamam’s rise as one of the greats in world cricket.

Six years later, Australia toured India for a 3-Test series. India won the first Test at Chennai and today was the second Test at Kolkata. Australia were never in the game at 1/2 in the first innings, and India won by an innings and 219 runs. Mohd. Azharuddin, the Indian skipper scored a masterclass 163 not out on the way towards the team total reaching 633/5 declared. As a result, India won the series 2-0 and perhaps for the first time, Shane Warne was manhandled in a Test series.

Also on this day, Sunil Gavaskar scored the first Test century of his career against West Indies in Guyana, which led the way to a historic 1-0 series win for India in 1971. He scored 774 runs in the series, the highest aggregate by a batsman in his debut series. And also this paved the road for him to score a record 34 Test hundreds, which was broken fittingly by his ‘successor’, Sachin Tendulkar in December 2005.

South Africa

Prior to the game against South Africa, India were unbeaten in the World Cup. However, that was in no way an indication of their prowess in the tournament. After all, they laboured their way to beat Bangladesh, Netherlands and Ireland, hardly enough to inspire confidence in the team. Also, against England, they just about managed to tie the humdinger despite putting up a mammoth total on board. And so, it was the loss against the Proteas that put things into perspective for MS Dhoni and his men. It was a performance that shocked the entire nation, particularly the manner in which the middle and lower order of the Indian team capitulated when there was no pressure at all. In fact, they were on top of the South Africans until them, and should have shut the door on them. Instead, they threw it all away and allowed South Africa to come back. From thereon, India were always playing catch up.

The problem areas

Power play batting

For the second time in the tournament, India made heavy weather of the power play overs and allowed to opposition to come back into the game when, ideally, they should have edged ahead. Against England they somehow managed to escape with a draw. But, clearly, the lessons weren’t learnt. As Dhoni admitted after the loss against South Africa, the batsmen need to stop playing to the galleries. And he was right. The power play doesn’t mean that you have to go hammer tongs after every ball. If only the batsmen had shown restraint, India would have been in an extremely strong position in the game. In fact, they could have even batted out the Proteas. Some of the strokes played were rash to say the least. And though Dhoni did not name the men ‘who play to the galleries’, the shots played by Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan certainly made the message clear. Having been bitten twice, it is about time India learns their lessons else they will have to face further embarrassment. The likes of Kohli and Pathan need to be more consistent for India in the middle order. Having said that, Dhoni also needs to share a part of the blame for the debacle. Too much chopping changing doesn’t always benefit the team. And sending Kohli and Pathan up and down the order consistently hasn’t done wonders for either of the batsman or the team. To be fair to the Indian skipper, this is a strategy that has done wonders for India in the past. But, now that it hasn’t worked in this tournament, it is something which should be shunned unless under extreme circumstances.

Set players must bat through

In both the games against England and South Africa, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir registered centuries and half-centuries respectively. But, on both the occasions the two fell in the power play overs. This is something which hurt India in a big way in both the games. In the game against South Africa, in particular, their loss proved to have a devastating effect. Here again, India need to learn their lesson. At least one of the set batsmen needs to bat through the 50 overs and the rest can bat around them and then may be the runs could flow a lot more smoothly. With both Tendulkar and Gambhir falling in quick succession against South Africa, India suddenly found two new men at the crease. And, that is the least ideal thing they needed. Once that happened a team like South Africa wasn’t going to let the advantage slip. Unlike India, they strangled India thanks to a superb match winning spell by speedster Dale Steyn. The fast bowler had a torrid time against Sehwag and Tendulkar. However, once he came back, he was a totally different bowler and the Indians just crumbed under the pressure. This is something they need to beware of in the future games.

Bowling woes

Apart from Zaheer Khan, the Indian bowlers have struggled to make any kind of an impact. Of course, Harbhajan Singh did make an impact and got among the wickets. But, he still isn’t at his best. Even so, India can expect Khan and Singh to deliver in crunch situations. But, it is the others who are the worries. Ashish Nehra bowled the last over against South Africa. And it was such a bad one under pressure that immediately his place in the team is under the hammer. Of course, it would be highly unfair to blame Nehra for the loss. But, with the kind of experience he possesses and the fact that the Proteas’ lower order batsmen were at the crease, he should have done a lot better. His talent cannot be doubted for sure, but questions ought to be raised about his temperament when the heat is on. And the signs weren’t great against South Africa. Munaf Patel too hasn’t been consistent enough to inspire confidence, although, on current form, he seems a safer bet compared to the left-arm seamer. The problem with the pace attack is that they don’t have much options left. Look who is in the reserves, the one and only S. Sreesanth. And the way the Kerala paceman performed against Bangladesh as well as his up and down consistency, would mean having him in the team would be a risk, Dhoni probably cannot afford now. Another major issue is that the Indian attack doesn’t have an out and out fast bowler. See what Steyn did to the Indians the other day. If only India had someone in the similar would, their worries would have been reduced to quite an extent. However, there is no point in pondering about what isn’t there. The fact is that Dhoni has to make do with the resources at his disposal and utilize them to the best of their ability.

The (Ash)win question

This is the query on every Indian’s minds. Why isn’t Dhoni trying out off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. It is not as if the offie is going to work a miracle or something. But, Dhoni has tried out everyone and Ashwin too deserves a chance on the same count. Hopefully, that opportunity will come against West Indies.

The only positive for the Indians to come out of the shocking loss to South Africa is that it came at the perfect time. They still have one game to go against West Indies before the quarter finals, to which they are most likely to make it unless some crazy calculations upset everything. The Proteas humbling should serve as the wake up call for the Indians.

Virendra Sehwag

It is being touted by a number of Indians, including Virender Sehwag, as a revenge game. However, MS Dhoni and his men would do well to concentrate on playing proper cricket, like they would have done if they were facing another side. Of course, the shock loss against Bangladesh still haunts the men in blue. However, in an effort to go the extra mile keeping the grudge in mind, they might find themselves in trouble again. Looking back, one must except that the Indians were highly overconfident four years back. Sehwag, himself, was one of the culprits, who woke up the Bangla tigers by reminding them of the then ensuing India’s tour of Bangladesh, when the ICC Cricket World Cup had not even begun. And, as the cliché goes, the rest is entrenched in history. While it is good for the Indians that they are more alert this time round, it shouldn’t result in them giving over importance to the game just like the entire unwanted hullabaloo around how and why India should win the cup for Sachin Tendulkar.

On paper, India are definitely the stronger of the two sides. In fact, when it comes to the batting department, they are better than most sides in the tournament. Having said that, the opening game would be played at Mirpur in Bangladesh, which will undeniably give the home side a distinct advantage. And this is where the fact that they have beaten India in the past in a Cricket World Cup game will be of great help to Bangladesh. After all, nothing beats experience when it comes to the big stage. India will need to be wary once again, but the good news for them is that with Dhoni at the helm of affairs, the current squad, with all due respect to Rahul Dravid, looks a lot more settled and balanced than the wearing bunch of 2007.

Key contests

Sehwag vs Bangladesh opening bowlers

This contest could go a long way in deciding the fate of the match. Back in 2007, Sehwag failed to give India the much needed brisk start. Also, there was no Gautam Gambhir around to steady the innings and the rest just capitulated under pressure. Sehwag is very much aware of the added responsibility this time around. And with Gambhir and, of course, Sachin Tendulkar at the top of the order, he can go all out in an effort to decimate the Bangladeshis at home. If he comes of well enough the so-called revenge will automatically take shape. And even if he fails, India have enough firepower to fight back. However, it is a fact that a Sewhag special always tilts the scales in India’s favour. And so, the team management would do well to not cloud his thoughts with too many things and let his mind be free of the worries of losing his wicket. If Sehwag cuts loose and the Bangladeshis do not have a backup plan, they would be in serious trouble.

Indian middle order vs Bangla spinners

If India get off to a smashing start, then they have the wherewithal to pile on the agony for Bangladesh in the middle overs. And, even if they lose early wickets, there is enough depth in their batting to aid them overcome a poor start. Still the contest between the Indian middle order and the spinners of the home team promises to be an intriguing one. This is because at home, the Bangladeshi tweakers are equally effective as any other in the world. When the conditions are in their favour, they can be ruthless. Remember, on a sluggish pitch in the Caribbean four years ago, they strangled even the strong South African side. And hence, India need to tread this path carefully. In Abdur Razzak and skipper Shakib Al Hasan, they have two genuinely good, wicket-taking spinners. And with the home support to back them, they could be doubly dangerous. This is where Yuvraj Singh’s role could be particularly crucial. He isn’t having the best of times and neither is he the best player of spin. But, he is experienced enough now to get his act right on the big stage. Virat Kohli, who is expected to make the final eleven ahead of Suresh Raina, is another vital cog for India in the middle-overs. He has the dual ability to rotate the striking freely with lightning running between the wickets and also pierce the gap on crucial occasions. And thus, Kohli’s success or failure could end up having a major impact on the eventual result.

Slog success

Ideally, India would want Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan out in the middle during this stage of the innings, the latter more so. Not only is Pathan in form, but he is also high on confidence following the success in South Africa, which no one believed he could achieve, at least to the extent he did. And with Dhoni too showing his true colours during the practice game against Kiwis, it would be a genuine treat to watch them together, purely as a great cricketing experience, irrespective of the team one is supporting. Again, this could be a highly defining phase of the game.

Indian opening bowlers vs Bangla openers

This is where India lost it four years ago, and this is where they could get into trouble again. Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar struggled in 2007 and let the Bangla openers get off to a flying start, which eventually sealed the fate for India. While Zaheer has matured since, the same cannot be said about his current bowling partners. S. Sreesanth can blow hot or cold depending upon his mood while Ashish Nehra has the tendency to come up with a shocking bowling performance every now and then. This will be India’s major not only in the opening game but for the remainder of the tournament as well. However, it will be important to start well and thus the Mirpur game assumes greater significance.

Clearly, the contest that will most probably decide the match.

VVS Laxman

Sachin Tendulkar may be the greatest and Rahul Dravid maybe the stalwart. But, when it comes to guiding the team through to victory under the toughest of circumstances, one cannot look beyond Vangipurappu Venkata Sai aka VVS Laxman in the Indian Test team. As if the match-winning effort at the P Sara Oval in India’s last Test wasn’t testimony enough, VVS stood tall once again amidst all the ruins against his favourite opponent, Australia, at Mohali. For those seeking similarities between the two knocks, the bad back is the obvious one. However, medical treatment combined with Laxman’s desire to win it for India at all costs, pushed all the negatives into the backseat.

There is a lot one can say about Laxman, the magician, but it may still not do justice to his achievements. What can one say about the may be majestically went about his business in the company of Ishant Sharma? And what about the manner in which he inspired Sharma in what turned out to be a match-turning partnership? Yes, that is the soothing effect Laxman can have on the game and his mates. The assurance with which Sharma batted out in the middle was a clear indication that he found himself in a divine state of mind in the company of Laxman. The man himself was all charged up for another mission impossible.

So much has been written about the classy Hyderabadi’s wristy style of play, and still one longs for more from him. Probably because, along with his artistic strokeplay, he brings a measure of dignity to the game that looks long lost when Laxman is not at the crease. Let’s not take names, but there are a couple of characters in this Indian side who would have taken on the Aussies using their mouths. And, they may have still won the battle. But, would that win having been as pleasing as the one achieved courtesy Laxman’s single-minded devotion, preferring to remain in the silent zone all the while. The question doesn’t even need to be answered. And this is exactly the reason why Laxman is highly respected by opponents, Australia in particular. Sad then that he’s been so shabbily treated in his own country over the years.

Arguably India’s most under-celebrated great, Laxman has been in the firing line time and again over the years and yet has incredibly managed to come out with his honour and dignity intact, whilst also reclaiming his deserved spot in the team purely on the basis of his batting heroics. Thankfully, over the last couple of years, things have changed and Indian cricket has benefited immensely. While all the talk has revolved around Sachin Tendulkar and his return to prime form, in an almost unnoticed manner, Laxman has averaged 95 this year. But then, that’s the way Laxman likes it and he would prefer it to stay that away. That said, he is expected to get his fair share of limelight following two ‘back-breaking’ match-winning efforts.

The same ones who would have been gunning for his head had he not batted due to fitness concerns, will now be heaping praise on him. After all the years of toil and hard work, he deserves his time in the sun. Not that Laxman would be desperate for it. But then this is India, and even if he doesn’t like it, the fourth-innings specialist would be hogging the limelight for the next couple of days, even though he himself would be hoping that the Commonwealth heroes don’t get overshadowed in the press because of his efforts.

The sad part about the whole thing is that we get to watch Laxman very sparsely these days, owing to the fact that he plays only Test matches, or rather he is forced to. Watching him in T20 isn’t the same for true blue Laxman fans. And so he has featured in only six Tests in ten months. There will only be one more against Australia, unfortunately and then a few against New Zealand and South Africa later. In between though, there would be plenty of limited-over games, as that is the order of the day. In no time, Laxman’s heroism would be confined to distant memory, until one fine day he returns to remind us that he is still around.

Hopefully, the wrists would remain supple. His back will remain a problem. But, for a man who has seen it and done it all, that shouldn’t be much of a hindrance as he has proved on two occasions now. Age may not be on Laxman’s side, but with the kind of magical form he has displayed recently, one only hopes he can carry on for another couple of years. Sounds difficult and irrational, but for VVS, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

Sachin Tendulkar

Australia will hold most of the aces going into the final day’s play at Mohali. Having claimed four of the top Indian wickets cheaply late of the fourth day, after themselves being dismissed for a disappointing 192, the visitors would feel elated. All they have to do now is somehow get through Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and an unfit VVS Laxman to get the 1-0 lead in the two-Test series. And they have Ben Hilfenhaus to thank for for putting them in such a commanding position.

He may have been extremely lucky to get the wicket of Gautam Gambhir, who was adjudged lbw despite hitting the ball. However, the short-pitched deliveries directed at first innings Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina were perfectly well planned. The bounce the bulky paceman generated caught the Indians off-guard and undid all the good work done by their bowlers earlier in the day. After his disappointing effort in the first essay, it was a strong comeback by Hilfenhaus, one that will give him a lot of confidence for bigger battles ahead.

As things stand, Tendulkar holds the key to India’s hopes. However, on a fifth day pitch, even the best can struggle. It remains to be seen whether the maestro can pass yet another stern test. Of course, he can’t be expected to see the team home alone. Skipper Dhoni’s contribution would be crucial, more than ever, since India’s ‘rescue specialist’ is fighting a battle of a different kind. Like in the first innings Laxman will definitely give batting a short. But one can’t expect him to do a Colombo encore time and again. If he does, it will be nothing short of a herculean effort. Thinking practically though, the home team will need Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh to chip in and ease the pressure somewhat on Sachin, Dhoni and Laxman.

Whatever the result of the game, Australia need to be credited for fighting back from difficult positions time and again, and, in fact, should be considered favourites from hereon. In India’s first innings, things looked down and out for Australia when Raina and Tendulkar were carving their attack with minimal discomfort. However, once they got an opening courtesy Marcus North’s surprise dismissal of Sachin, they capitalised on it wonderfully, so much so that they ended up getting the first innings lead despite the fact that the Indian batting had dominated almost the whole day.

MS Dhoni

India, on the other hand, must look at themselves in the mirror and ask whether they got complacent. An honest assessment would be yes. Both Sachin and Raina played across the line whilst approaching the tons and Zaheer Khan batted like he possessed a million runs under his belt. The rest, including Dhoni and Harbhajan, were undone by some excellent bowling by Mitchell Johnson, and India’s hopes of batting out the Aussies were gone. To their credit, the Indian bowlers also hit back strongly. Ishant’s triple strike after Australia looked like running away with the game set the match up nicely. Soon the spinners got into their own as Australia crumbled a la 2001. Of course, Harbhajan did not single-handedly run through the batting order, as Pragyan Ojha and Zaheer provided ample support. Still, the result was exactly what the sparse Mohali crowd desired.

The same cannot be said about the Indian batting effort, however. Gambhir may consider himself unlucky at having got a tough decision. But every time such an occurrence takes place, they will be reminded by all and sundry about the refusal to use the UDRS. And so, the Indians should neither expect sympathy nor do they have the right to feel hard done by. Also, the opposition team also got a shocker when Micheal Hussey was adjudged lbw to Harbhajan despite the ball pitching way outside the leg. So things had evened up by the end of the day.

Nothing would be level by the time the game finishes though. We are sure to have one winner and a loser, quite a drastic development considering a draw seemed to looming large after the first three days. But then again, that’s the beauty of Test cricket. And the final twist is yet to come.