5 Wickets, Double Ton and the Leather Hunt

There is no point in brooding over Zaheer’s absence now. He is known for playing cricket between injuries and this one is hardly a surprise. An untimely exit has given little jerk, but never mind, life has to move on. It is heartening to see Captain Dhoni willing to shoulder the responsibility by bowling fair number of overs. Few swingers from Tendulkar could have done the job too. Full marks to Indian think tank for coming up with the brilliant move of bowling Dhoni and using Dravid’s wicket keeping only when Ishant not in operation. With only 3 medium pacers playing and when 1 goes down, desperate circumstances, if somebody can think thru such brilliant strategies it deserve appreciation more than criticism.

If you argue why risk Dravid as keeper rather bowl more Bhajji or utilize Sachin’s seam up?

The wicket is not conducive for spin bowling, so Bhajji is not ideal option. Sachin is not 28 yrs but 38 years now. His shoulders may not be effective to extract any bounce from the wicket. So by all means Dhoni seems to be a matured choice. Also I find it little uncomfortable at this time, when people go hard on Bhajji. Let us wait and see if Swann is proving effective for England. 

It is nice to witness Praveen Kumar stepping in for the spearhead and delivered when most mattered. The man who was bowling slow lifeless bummers on day 1 suddenly turned Indian hero on day 2. Thanks to all the sunshine that quickened the wicket and turned his swingers venomous only to finish in 5 wickets.

Instead of waiting over Zak’s fitness India should quickly sought for the replacement. Looking back at the bench, options seem to be limited as Nehra has already ruled himself unavailable for Test Cricket. That leaves us with RP Singh, Mithun, Vinay Kumar and Irfan Pathan. I’m not sure the selectors are willing to explore Varun Aaron or Umesh Yadav. My choice would be anywhere between RP Singh and Irfan Pathan, however not sure the latter is ready for Test Cricket yet.

Otherwise, Indians spent most part of the day on leather hunt. The sunny day ensured it. Eventually Pieterson completed his double ton and made sure England is not losing the game from here. Though he appeared scratchy during the first ton, quickly gained control out of confidence and turned brutal in the end. 2 double centuries within the space of 1 year, should improve his rankings in Test Cricket.

Despite good batting conditions, England declaration confirms their positive intent to press for a result.

Bottom line: Not to lose any wickets before the day close... thatz the moral victory.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover