Monday, November 23, 2009

2nd Test at Kanpur

Okay, a disclaimer first: I'm short on sleep and between coffees!


So, what will we have today, a pitch that could double as the taxiway of Kanpur International Terminal that looks like they picked it up from the salt-flats and sprinkled yellow food dye on it, or a pitch that might even have a little green, a bit of a root system, maybe some cracks on the fourth and fifth day.  Something that won't inspire the bowler's to take the cherry and instead of bowling it, try and use its seams to slit their wrists.

India will be taking to the 2nd Test the knowledge that their batters CAN all fire together, that their pace attack is decent and their spin attack is toothless.  I know, I'm as bewildered as the rest of you.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will know that they by rights should have had that match, but essentially they hyper-cautioned themselves out of the match.  Poor reading of the pitch, hyper-defensiveness and slow batting did them in.  All the double and triple-centuries in the world can't win a match for you if you take too long.  At least they can console themselves with another half-dozen milestones and records.

Big news of course it that Dhoni will be able to play and Prasad will not.  Prasad may not have been the spitfire Welegedara was, but he was still a very big part of their attack and I suspect his absence will be sorely felt.

I'm not going to hazard a guess at a result to this mathc until I see how the pitch starts to play.

Update 1:
India will bat first.  Pitch is said to be more bowler friendly (as if anything could be less friendly than Motera).  Anyway, this is good news to be starting the day with.

Update 2:
Freesanth and Ojha???

Update 3:
This is starting to look ugly, with a sky-high run rate no less.

Update 4:
So will Dhoni be aiming for a score of 761?

Update 5:
Good lord, they're all out, where did that come from??

5 comments:

  1. Can we call the third test off now and give them all a holiday?

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  2. May as well, it's plain as day the series four days from now will stand at 0-0. Sigh.

    At least Dravid found an entertaining way to get out. That's one for the highlights reel.

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  3. i have this feeling that things wont be so hunky dory third day onwards... lets see...

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  4. Well, we're starting to see things go a little more bowler-friendly already, I guess.

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  5. Well, looks like it's doing a bit more than that, Dhoni out on four. And bowled, no less!

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