[pmbabu]

Ganguly was unfortunate to be a part of a mis-understanding. Dravid did get a good swinging ball up front.

See how quick you are in defending the Fab 3 though they failed miserably.

I want Sachin to get out now .

And see how desperate you are to prove your point ;-)

But it might just be one of those days where he might prove a point on why he still is the best.

We will be happy if we win the match. Not if he scores the highest among Indians, right?

he now wishes Sachin will rescue the team .

Isn't it the "right" expectation from a 400 match veteran?

Now where are all those critics who keep saying RR is the key when wickets are down?

RR related comments were in the context of the last match. IMHO, they are out of context here.

So what will India score today? 100? 150? I think 240 would be a respectable score. But for christ sakes someone play cricket with some common sense.

Yup, let us hope they plan common sense cricket.

[normally_crazy]

Originally Posted by diabloo

Hogg bowling in 11th over Something wrong with the pitch

Thats called thinking on your feet. Ponting might have sensed that the pitch is slow and not coming on to the bat , maybe even helping spinners - thats why Hogg is in.

Compare that to Dhoni - even when Zaheer and Sreesanth get tanked for tons of runs in the 1st 10 overs - he goes and tosses the ball to Zaheer for the 11th over.

The feeling that Dhoni is not captaincy material is just being re-confirmed again and again. He says the strategy is winning the toss and batting the opposition out and he goes in with 5 bowlers. amazing.

So Murali Kartik is our 7th specialist batsman today - watch out he might just get a quick fire half century at the end of the innings.

[thefreak]

Originally Posted by khaadu75

Absolutely nothing wrong with the pitch ... The Aussie bowlers have really bopwled well and the Indian batsmen havn't played the right shots . The momentum is in the direction of the Aussies for now . Having gone in without that extra batsman its upto Sachin & Pathan to try and get us to a semi decent score is another puzzling decision but what the heck !!

These two can play carefully for a bit and then lets have Sachin repeat his SHarjah performance as a gift to his supporters on his 400th ODI !!

Amen to that. But his strike rate is so low. Not even 70. I wish he was out of the team and the young guns of Indian given a chance!

<You guys cannot really here me as this is a typed message but ever letter has sarcasm filled into it>

[normally_crazy]

Ganguly was unfortunate ? hahahaha - he was to blame for it solely.

After pushing the ball to mid-wicket - suddenly after a few precious seconds he realises lets take a quick run (not his cup of tea). By that time the fielder is almost on the ball and Sachin says no - Ganguly took his own s w e e t time to turn and then ran back into the crease - and yes he did not even try to dive in. Thats commitment.

[pmbabu]

Originally Posted by thefreak

Amen to that. But his strike rate is so low. Not even 70. I wish he was out of the team and the young guns of Indian given a chance!

<You guys cannot really here me as this is a typed message but ever letter has sarcasm filled into it>

Somehow, some people have difficulty in accepting that India wouldn't have won the last match if Sachin continued to bat for another 10 *****. And you can write all this defending Sachin "only" because our bowlers won the match.

[rks]

Originally Posted by diabloo

Hogg bowling in 11th over Something wrong with the pitch

Hogg was probably brought in for an over because Pathan, his bunny, was batting. Secondly Ponting may have wanted to see how much spin the pitch is taking at this stage.

Regarding extra batsman, it is always a gamble, but I would prefer to have 5 regular bowlers bowling rather than a part-timer. The extra bowler can save 20-30 runs and pick up more wickets and that is usually more than what an extra batsman can contribute. Note that now Pathan's role as all-rounder is being tested. If he (or Murali Karthik, Harbhajan, Zaheer) can chip in with useful runs, the role of the extra batsman would have been covered. Otherwise the batting potential of these guys will be largely untested. Note that the extra batsman in this situation would play carefully rather than blaze away. So if Pathan and the tail can stay with Sachin till 50 overs and accelerate towards the end, that covers the role of the extra batsman.

Sachin must love this situation. He can now play carefully and that is justified, given the collapse. But when India are going strong, he needs to either score fast or make way for others who can score fast.

[thefreak]

Originally Posted by pmbabu

Somehow, some people have difficulty in accepting that India wouldn't have won the last match if Sachin continued to bat for another 10 *****. And you can write all this defending Sachin "only" because our bowlers won the match.

Wow! How do you know that?

And give me a break! If your batters get a score of 291 then they win you the match. Bowlers win you a match when they restrict a side to 200 odd like Aussies are doing today. I know what the Cricinfo site said but I am entitled to my opinion isnt it.

And as for him having batted for another 10 overs then I am sure no one has any way of looking into the alternate universe so let us not comment on what would have happened IF...

[normally_crazy]

Sachin is 38 in 58. That includes 8 boundaries. So 32 runs in 8 and 6 in 50 - taking singles not our forte.

[suman]

Originally Posted by rks

He can now play carefully and that is justified, given the collapse. But when India are going strong, he needs to either score fast or make way for others who can score fast.

RKS, how about a quick prediction from you - how much do you think the Indian team will score?

Reason I'm asking YOU is because you know the ins & outs of the game & you know each Indian player like the back of your hand.

So, what's it going to be?

[snaronikar]

We can safely assume <200 will be the target for aussies and it might be the cakewalk for them. OR They are going to repeat the 1983 world cup .

[diabloo]

Kapil made the highest ODI score then. Can Sachin break the 200 barrier ???

Originally Posted by snaronikar

We can safely assume <200 will be the target for aussies and it might be the cakewalk for them. OR They are going to repeat the 1983 world cup .

[thefreak]

Originally Posted by diabloo

Kapil made the highest ODI score then. Can Sachin break the 200 barrier ???

That was the then Zimbabwe team and this is the current Aussie team. That said if it happens you get a treat from me mate!

[rks]

Originally Posted by suman

RKS, how about a quick prediction from you - how much do you think the Indian team will score?

My guess at this point is about 225-250 (very optimistic). Another guess is that Australia will win this game and India will win the next and there will be full house for the final game, in which India will get thrashed. But could be that India will win this game and Australia the final two. No idea what's written in the stars.

[diabloo]

Tendulkar hunting for seaview bungalow?

MUMBAI: Even as master blaster Sachin Tendulkar prepares for his 400th ODI in Vadodara on Thursday, in Mumbai's premium suburb of Bandra (west) the real estate market is abuzz with speculation that the cricketer is buying a prime bungalow property near Carter Road, not far from the sea.

Although there is a veil of secrecy and even denials, market sources say Tendulkar is keen on buying a property located at 29 Perry Cross Road. The transaction could be in the region of Rs 38 crore-Rs 40 crore and is believed to have been brokered through a Bandra-based property broker, Bihari Khandari.

Local political contacts, who generally have their ears to the ground as far as real estate activity in this area is concerned, confirmed Tendulkar's interest in the property.

The bungalow's current owner Kishore Bajaj denied that his property had been sold.

"It is up for sale, but no deal has been concluded with anyone so far," he told TOI on Wednesday.

Tendulkar's wife Anjali too denied any deal had been struck. Last month, a public notice was issued regarding this property on behalf of an unknown client, asking for any person having any claim, right, title or interest to come forward within 10 days.

"So far we have not received any objections," said advocate Sanjay Udeshi who issued the notice. Udeshi said his client was a developer called Satra Properties and not Tendulkar.

Tendulkar hunting for seaview bungalow?-India-The Times of India

[khaadu75]

What difference does it make as to where he want to buy a house or live or what car he drives ... what is important is how he plays on teh field !! Let his personal life be , lets just stick to cricket and hope he makes another century today coz we need it .