Cover Points : Ishant Sharma

Hussey run-machine

dcsiva — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:06:00 GMT

Now averaging 70, Hussey has got to be a candidate for the best batsman in the world. Here's his take on batting in India:

The 33-year-old was the first to admit that conditions in India suit his patient style of batting.
"India is a great place to bat and it probably suits my style to be patient. I guess we played my style of play, the patient game of Test cricket. You get great rewards for your shots here because the outfields are so fast here. You just have to place the ball and you get great rewards," he said in Bangalore on Friday.
"It is always good to rank them; they are all pretty special, no matter where it is. It is particularly special to get a Test match hundred in India which is arguably the toughest place for an Australian. So getting a hundred and helping to put your team in a good position is very rewarding," the left-hander added.

Nestaquin puts it this way:

While every other Australian batsman struggled, in varying degrees, with the slow nature of the pitch on the second day, the West Australian seemed to have all the time in the world to place his shots to perfection. While he did score circumspectly, facing 276 deliveries, his judgement of a run and swiftness between the wickets meant that no Indian bowler could tie him down for any length of time.

Without Hussey’s contribution Australia would be struggling in this Test but instead find themselves in a position that will be difficult to lose from even though the Indian openers ended the day in fine fettle.

Of course, one shouldn't forget Zaheer's great work with the ball. Unfortunately, the contrast between him and Ishant and the spinners was all the greater on day 2.

Ottayan says that the ICL is in good shape as they start their second season. And, finally, the series isn't being shown on Doordharshan, because the Tests are not of high public interest.

Testing selections

dcsiva — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:49:00 GMT

Kartikeya argues, reasonably enough in my opinion, that the Indian squad for the first two Tests is a very conservative selection:

India have announced their squad for the first two Tests against Australia. There are no real surprises, something which has become a feature of Indian selections in recent. The only mild surprises are that Sourav Ganguly has not been dropped from the Test team, and possibly also that RP Singh also remains in the squad. Munaf Patel's inclusion may indicate that RP is now the fourth choice fast man for India.

Dileep Premachandran says that Ganguly has become the selectors' beach ball. Soulberry welcomes Amit Mishra into the squad:

That man can turn a game on its head wih his ripping leg-spinners. It does look like the shani hovering on his head has evaporated with the change in selection commitee. It is now up to Misraji to make the most of the opportunity as and when it comes. He may not play immediately but who knows. For the record, TCWJ has been calling for Misraji's inclusion in a sustained, apolitical, merit-promoting manner. Naturally, we're happy here :)

And then looks back at Ishant Sharma's role in the last tour to Australia (there's a video clip, too):

Can Ishant Sharma repeat the influence he had over the Australian batsmen a year ago? The teenaged Indian beanpole, who had the tough-as-nails Australian captain and all-time great batsman, Ricky Ponting, hopping unexpectedly - like Mendis did unto the Indian Fab-ric recently?

Finally, Will says provides, as evidence for Indian fanaticism, journalists' coverage of an Indian training session.

Bouncing back wins

dcsiva — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:30:00 GMT

Sri Lanka may have rubber wristed spinners, but as Dileep Premachandran puts it, the Indians have bounced back big. A huge victory for India. Sehwag, Harbhajan, Gambhir, and of course Ishant Sharma all had roles to play in the comeback series leveller. Samir Chopra is glad that Sehwag's battling double century didn't go to waste as all the other batsmen fell to Mendis:

Phew. So India didn't waste Sehwag's classic 201 in the Galle Test (this is only the third time that India have won a test in which Sehwag has scored a ton; a more criminal waste of a cricketer's contributions would be hard to find).

Srikanth, tongue firmly in cheek, suggests that Delhi beat the Lankans:

The two Delhi openers and their opening fast bowler (on the final day) with a significant contribution from their Punjabi neighbor won the test for India handsomely. The Sri Lankan batting looked very ordinary on the final day as the Indians through some lethal pace bowling and good catching ran through the line up. It was a good team performance on the final day but it is impossible not to recognize that this test match was hardly an Indian victory but for the fact that Sehwag single handled carried the Indian batting.

Five days to Colombo and the series' decider.