[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by vibbs

Today's match, Pakistan just proved to be as Mercurial as ever. Truly champions in the way they fought back this series.

When Pakistan plays India it is almost like they consider it as a 'Win at any cost' - their motivation levels are somewhere in the stratosphere.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

When Pakistan plays India it is almost like they consider it as a 'Win at any cost' - their motivation levels are somewhere in the stratosphere.

Not really, if you see the record against them in tournament cricket in the last 15 years. India has performed a lot better by far.
That said, India looked flat yesterday. And were completely dismantled by a team that wanted the win a lot more and therefore outplayed us in every department of the game, including the mental one. India thought that they are entitled to the win.
Some Indian ODI careers need to be closed down now with a view to WC 2019. Yuvraj, Dhoni, Ashwin are names that come to mind.
Kohli has probably learnt his lesson on thinking flexibly and on his choking in all finals. But he still says stupid things in press conferences like: " we go back with our heads held high". Really? After losing to Sri Lanka and Pakistan, while winning against SA and Bangladesh? How is the learning going to happen if heads are high?

[antz.bin]

The reason we lost yesterday is definitely the poor bowling performance. The bowling had more sting against Sri Lanka where we got even fewer wickets, but at least there was an effort.

Ashwin's spell was so unlike him yesterday that I don't think I have ever seen him bowl so negatively. Even in T20s, he is constantly looking for wickets but yesterday, the way he stuck to the leg stump line throughout the innings defied conventional wisdom. He ended up wasting the slip fielder that Kohli had very generously provided him. Maybe he would have been put to better use at leg slip instead.

They were clearly rattled by the presence of Fakhar Zaman on the crease, but I don't know, was he really as dangerous as he was made out to be? It wasn't as if we had a Jayasuriya/Hayden/McCullum going hammer and tongs. Even when he got out, he was barely going along at a strike rate of 110. Had they bowled normally, he would have given them a chance and gotten out. But they weren't even trying to get him out!

Coming to the batting, Yuvraj doesn't fit into the no.4 role at all. He is always better off at 5. Rahane would have been a good option to steady the ship instead, especially against Pakistan.

The other thing they missed was the fact that Ashwin was absent from the team which beat Pakistan in the previous match. Umesh/Shami would have been better picks instead. Even the struggling Bumrah bowled better than the spinners yesterday. India missed a few tricks yesterday and Pakistan rightfully made them pay dearly.

[jbpanda]

The top order had no clue about Amir's bowling. He set up the batsman and foxed them. Rohit Sharma playing at this level should have anticipated the mind game that the next ball is going to come in. Getting out Kohli in two consecutive similar deliveries speaks volumes about Amir's talent.

While you should stand up and applaud such talent like that shown by Amir, Hasan Ali & Fakhar Zaman, it's disappointing the complacency which the Indians showed. Either they were over confident or were under prepared for what was coming atleast when they batted. This is particularly in view of the exposure that Indian team gets by playing around the year (possibly most games than any team) as compared to Pakistani team, who hardly play apart from some stupid matches in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

At this level, missing out opportunities like getting a wicket on a no ball is no excuse. The story would have been completely different had they got Fakhar out then. The desperation to win the match was not evident in the body language of Indians as compared to the aggressive and ruthless attitude of the Pakistani team. I understand it's just a game but for a nation and its fans it's much more than just a game of cricket but Kohli as a captain doesn't exhibit such maturity to understand.

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by PPS

Btw, my mom always insists whenever you win the toss you should bat first. Don't know if that would have made much of a difference, it was just a bad day for the team.

Bat first is the strategy for the big games. Batting first relieves the pressure. But Kohli looks at ease and comfortable while chasing. I think that is the reason he chose chasing. Unfortunately, except Kohli, rest of batsman like batting first. So in yesterday's chase, Kohli failed and rest of the batting crumpled.

[Sawyer]

And as someone pointed out, the Pakistani record for chasing more than 250 is very bad.

What is needed in games as in war, is flexible thinking. Not using strategies that worked in the last war to fight the next one.

Again, mistakes are fine and allowed. Head held high after making them isn't so, because that is a sign of just stubborn stupidity.

[sukhoi30]

Now we can see the vast level of difference between the captains Dhoni and Virat. Dhoni used to keep his cool and was very innovative when it comes to field placing. While Virat was placing fields either without consulting bowlers or the bowlers were not bowling according to the field he is setting. I think it was the former!!
Case in point was Ashwin's overs against Fakhar. He came round the wicket to try and squeeze him to the leg side. But Virat put a strong off side field including a slip. The wicket did not have any spin then why a slip?
I still believe Pakistan is No. 8 placed team. (Pandya was really on fire against the same bowlers). They just capitulated on the mistakes of their opposition.

Thanks to the lackluster performance in cricket, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the complete hockey match live. Something that I am doing after a very long time.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by sukhoi30

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the complete hockey match live. Something that I am doing after a very long time.

If enough of us did this consistently, it would do both games in India a world of good!

Badminton is also a bright spot. We were 5 match points away from having two Indians in a Super Series final that had Lin Dan, Chen Long and Lee Chong Wei - arguably the three best in the world today, competing in the same tournament, with the latter two defeated by the losing Indian semi finalist. Why is this not a headline?

[Eddy]

Actually, was it not one point away - five times

[Sawyer]

Hmm...point taken:-) Pun intended.

[kavensri]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

If enough of us did this consistently, it would do both games in India a world of good!

Badminton is also a bright spot. We were 5 match points away from having two Indians in a Super Series final that had Lin Dan, Chen Long and Lee Chong Wei - arguably the three best in the world today, competing in the same tournament, with the latter two defeated by the losing Indian semi finalist. Why is this not a headline?

Even I am baffled with the media coverage of this win? This should have been celebrated much more than India-Pak hockey match (which was still semis and not the final).

[srishiva]

Jadeja looks more of a test player now than shorter versions. Even in IPL his performance was not all that great. Yuvraj should be thanked for all he has done to our cricket being player of tournaments multiple times.
To have Shami and Umesh sitting out in bowling was not right. Rahane should have been in.
Hardik should be made to play as a batsman. I was really surprised how well Dhawan played in this tournament ! Our middle order plays when top order plays. They dont when top order doesn't

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

But he still says stupid things in press conferences like: " we go back with our heads held high". Really? After losing to Sri Lanka and Pakistan, while winning against SA and Bangladesh? How is the learning going to happen if heads are high?

And also things like, 'This is just another game for us'. No sir it is not. It better not be!! It is the Final of Champions Trophy and you better consider it that way. A silly inconsequential match in a bilateral series or even one in the league stage is not same as the Final, no matter how much you say. More so when it is pakistan. No matter how much you deny, everyone from the players to the general public know that this is not the case. The first step is to acknowledge that this is a big game, consider it as one and only then the intent to win at all costs will come.

Yuvi and Aswhin need to be out of the ODI team now. I believe Dhoni is still the best pair of hands behind the stumps today.

[suhaas307]

Every one seemed edgy and out of sorts yesterday. Shoulders drooping, long faces.

Ashwin has never bowled in that manner, and Jadeja was just not there. Even Kohli looked like he was dealing with some issue. Apart from Pandya, everyone else seemed like they'd given up the moment Bumrah's delivery was declared a no-ball. They were just not themselves.

I feel terrible for Pandya. He put his heart and soul into it, and he didn't deserve what he got. Jadeja should have had the presence of mind to run to the danger end.

Anyway, this is a good wake up call for the team. You can't always win matches on a canter!

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

.....this is a good wake up call for the team....

After the previously unheeded BAZILLION wake-up calls, that term has lost all meaning.

They'll most probably (you never know, right?) dominate the Windies Tour, and everything will be forgiven and forgotten, as usual. Why expect anything else when the typical player and fan both have the attention span of a gnat?

Meanwhile, Indian Hockey thanks the temporary fans for their short-lived support until India dominates the Windies Tour and everyone goes back to not giving a flying F-word about the national game, again.