India Vs England, 2nd ODI, 24th August 07

Brief Scores : India won the Toss and elected to Bat.

India : 329/7 , Sachin 99, Dravid 92*, Yuvaraj 49. Flintoff took 5 Wkts

England : 320/8, Bell 64, Mascarenhas 52. Munaf and Chawla took 3 Wkts each

India Win the Match by 9 Runs. Leveling the series 1-1.



India Won a very exiting match. Dravid won a very important match and with India playing five bowlers , it was important to have good start. This exactly is what happened with Sachin and Sourav. But the sparkle was provided by Dravid, who produced a magical innings of 92 Runs from just 62 Balls. It was heartening to see dravid find the gaps with so much ease.

As for Sachin, it was disappointing to see him out on 99. He seems to be getting bogged down once he reaches the 90s. He starts playing for his 100 as a results becomes defensive. The way he played that Flintoff delivery speaks for itself. I believe Dhoni should practise on playing the rising deliveries a lot more.



As for our bowling, It was a great feeling to see our two spinners bowl in tandem. This was spin bowling at its best for a long long time. The way KP and Collingwood were bowled made me jump from my seat in excitement.

In no One Day match do see a side drop as many as five catches and still win a match. This is a cause of concern for us.

What more to say about Agarkar. Just pathetic bowling. RP bowled his heart out and so did Munaf. With Zaheer fit in the next match, Agarkar will now have to wonder if he will ever get his next chance.

Followon not on - Oval Test,

This would be the first time i am publishing my views and thoughts on recent developments and happenings on Indian Cricket. To start off with, I have taken the subject of follow on, as this is presently the most debated topic in india, more than the 123 Nuclear issue which is rocking the UPA Government.

According to me, this is a not the correct decision. this speaks of Dravid's defensive attitude and fear of loosing looming large in his mind. A lead of 319 is huge and even thinking of loosing from such a position is negative attitude. Every game has to be played for winning.
When England were bowled out early on 4th day morning the conditions were overcast with the threat of rain looming large. Such conditions was ideal for fast bowling. It would made our bowler's job all the more easy. Even if England batted well in their Second Innings, It would taken maximum two sessions for our batsman to either win or draw the game. and if our captain himself is not confident about our batsmen, then god save the team.

This decision justifies my belief that Dravid is a defensive and Risk Free Captain. Am sure Ganguly would have played it otherwise