A very quotable quote from Virender Sehwag, India's stand-in captain for the first test against Bangladesh - it went something like this "Bangladesh are an ordinary side because they are not capable of taking 20 wickets in a Test Match". Now I don't know if this was meant to say "taking 20 wickets against "India" in a Test Match" or whether it was "taking 20 wickets against ANY COUNTRY in a Test Match", but, we can safely say, that somewhere in the midst of Chittagong in Bangladesh, a certain man is safely tucked away in his room, with mostly Sachin Tendulkar to thank, and maybe, just maybe get away with it.
The point is, that Sehwag could have been more judicious in choosing his words during press conferences. You pull it off, you look superb, but if you don't, you tend to look like a mouse trying to find the next darkest place to hide. This isn't like his batting, there are reputations of a lot more people at stake. And life chooses the strangest moments in life to bite you on the bum.
Frankly speaking, I feel we haven't reached a stage where we can strut our stuff and holler "Bring it on". We have barely been #1 in Tests for a month now. Australia have been there and done that, they know how to keep it going, they can afford to talk that way. Everyone knows that they do look silly once in a while when they talk big and lose, but they win more often than not.
So, the bum is almost half-way bitten. Here's what happened:
1) Gambhir and Sehwag got off to a rollicking start. But right after lunch, Shakib Al Hasan got Sehwag in a tangle for 3 deliveries on the trot, Sehwag lost patience, hit the next ball in the air, into the waiting hands of the extra cover fielder. Shakib was more than happy (and how!) to see him go. Gambhir went next, with a careless shot outside the off-stump. This airy-fairy shot (as ol' Geoff Boycott would say) has become the most common mode of dismissal for Indian batsmen. Please surprise me.
2) Dravid and Tendulkar at the crease. Dravid was looking solid, until he played all over a full length ball by the ever exuberant and grunting (almost Maria Sharapova like) Shahadat Hossain. Tendulkar was looking solid, grafting and wasn't going for his shots. The little master had read the situation well.
3) Laxman and Tendulkar at the crease - Laxman looked edgy throughout. His mode of dismissal was quite unlucky, but an unnecessary shot nevertheless, given the situation.
4) In walks Yuvraj Singh. Scratched around, lobbed a full toss straight into the hands of the mid-on fielder. He needs to be given a break, asked to work on his fitness and agility, Subramaniam Badrinath/Murali Vijay should take his place. The Kings XI Punjab have noticed this and have made Kumar Sangakkara the captain. Good decision.
5) Dinesh Karthik at the crease, catching practice to slip. Another airy-fairy shot outside the off-stump. He will be doing his #2 wicket-keeping chances for India extreme harm if he continues in this vein.
6) Zaheer Khan and Amit Mishra - nothing much was expected.
7) Sachin Tendulkar - 76* at stumps, crosses 13000 Test Runs, gives a mature and dignified press conference (guess he didn't have a choice). Plays the innings of a responsible senior player in the team, guiding the ship to a somewhat "iffy" total. http://www.cricinfo.com/bdeshvind2010/content/current/story/444613.html
It's going to be interesting on Day 2. I give Bangladesh every chance of bowling India out under 250. (or even lesser). It will all be down to the Indian bowling contingent to live up to the rank of the #1 country in Test Matches.
Elsewhere, South Africa emerged from their hibernation to give England a sound thrashing and managed to square the series 1-1. If anybody had given me this prediction before the series had started, I would have asked him to take the next available flight to Pluto. So England should be happy. http://www.cricinfo.com/rsaveng09/content/current/story/444573.html
India - watch out for a resurgent South Africa. How you play against them will be a reflection of your strengths and of course, weaknesses.
Pakistan has only the rain to hope for, to avoid a 3-0 series whitewash. I don't even want to put the link here, because it's not worth it.
The IPL auction is just a couple of days away. Waiting eagerly for the new acquisitions! Watch this space for more....
Cheers,
V
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