Whoever has coined the adage "Cricket's a funny game" is highly justified. Here are a few examples that substantiate the above adage:
1. In the 1st Test at Multan, just ONE Indian batsman scored 309 runs where as in the 2nd Test at Lahore, leave alone the runs scored by each player, the TOTAL runs scored by all the 11 players in either of the innings couldn't even cross the 300 runs mark (287 in the 1st innings & 241 in the 2nd innings)!!
2. In the only Indian innings in the 1st Test, just 5 Indian players amassed 675 runs where as in the 2nd Test, the TOTAL runs scored by 22 players (11 players in the 1st innings & the same 11 in the 2nd innings) couldn't even come close to the 600 runs mark (287 in the 1st innings + 241 in the 2nd innings=528 runs)!!
Do the above statistics give an indication of how inconsistent our Indian team is? I guess it very well does!!
Also India winning an overseas Test only to lose the next one has become a habit & BAD HABITS DIE HARD!!
batting first; we had a doubt about wounded game will be not in favour of us;;could be not having Mr. Ganguli because of health problems & muscle problem.Two things will be unforgeful..No.1...Declaration inning when Tendulkar was on 194 score , 2..ndly-winning toss and decided batting first...This ia all about luck or fate still ; having great responsibility patience..sincerety...we can conquer over victory and series...go ahead...make record successfully happened...Good luck..Yours Aunt..Shakti/Kimati
What stopped Tendulkar from scoring a double hundred when India needed it most? Probably he didn't want to be "surprised" by Dravid when he was on 199 !
Horrible batting display by Indian top order lead to this defaet. The so called super stars in the Indian side failed msierably to NOT SO GREAT bowling by the Pakistanis.
It's lesson to the Indian batsmen and shows their over confidence.
It's time they pull up the socks and come back triumphs in the last test at Rawalpindi.
Most newspapers say india was totally outplayed by pakistan in the lahore test. But we should consider the fact that India was playing its eleven and pakistan was playing its thirteen (including 2 umpires). Unless ICC put clips on such biased umpiring done by Steve bucknor and Simon tofel, cricket will lose its viewers. Steve was one of the most admired umpires of international circket and i dont understand what in the world forced him to take such biased decisions against india in Australia and Pakistan.
Indians showed lot of character in field even though they were dissapointed by the decision of bucknor.
Either his reference group is doctoring the way he thinks or he thinks all by himself for any kind of decisions. There is no one formula for all the matches, that Bat first - Pile Huge score - Bowl opponents early - ask them to follow on - defeat them by innings or 10 wickets.
Well every pitch is different, and needs a different cognitive approach - especially when you have the choice after winning the toss. That was where we cupped up and as he said the first session of the play would determine the result and yes it certainly did. Its high time that he realizes that there are no set formulae to win. Only that team wins which can adapt to the situation and play tactfully not always boasting and relying on a particular strength - the batting.
The clear reason for losing this test was the wrong decision to bat first - which stemmed from the overconfidence on batting. The tactical aspect was missing in the gameplan. Ganguly I think is shrewder in that respect, which makes him a better captain - even though his batting leaves lot to desire.
Now if for the next match also one applies a formula learnt from 2nd match - i.e to bowl first. Then Only God Save us !!
India should at the very least should hang their heads in shame after having surrendered so meekly to the pakistanis... its hard to believe that this very team beat their rivals so convincingly... where oh where has the batting flourish gone? Wot in god's name is Sachin Tendulkar doing to ameliorate this 'oh so familiar' habit of being trapped lbw or nicking to the wicket-keeper? I find it hard to understand how they can just totter the way they did: TWICE IN A ROW...
It's a real shame that during crunch times, our class batsmen as the world knows them to be, can't do even a little bit towards trying and saving a test match... only the good lord knows wot they've planned to do going to rawalpindi...
