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Post by riverpanthera on Feb 6, 2014 23:13:36 GMT -8
Double hundred by Mccullum...wow, did not expect to come home to that news after work. Great job!
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Post by abhijacko on Feb 7, 2014 6:43:49 GMT -8
Yeaa - never expected that to happen. Actually this game has been full of unusuals
Ishant get 6 wickets Rohit scoring half century Pujara playing a rare loose shot
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Post by riverpanthera on Feb 8, 2014 1:11:32 GMT -8
What a topsy turvy day today, first India getting all out cheaply adn then NZ doing even worse in their innings.
India still have a pretty tough chase but they've gotten a good start so could be interesting.
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Post by abhijacko on Feb 8, 2014 9:36:18 GMT -8
I couldnt believe my eyes (and neither could the commentators and the rest of the world) when NZ did not enforce the follow on. The weather was perfect, their bowlers were bound to get a 40min break after 10overs or so, Indian batsmen's confidence was as low as it could be and most importantly they had a lead of 300+ runs. This was very negative and defensive from Brendo. NZ before 'not enforcing follow on' had winning odds of 95-5 for NZ, easily. But they have given India a flicker of hope, and its more like 80-20 for NZ now after that decent start the Indians have gotten.
Still a massive task for the Indians, and they can hardly relax. The biggest issue is dealing with the first session where we had wickets falling on all 3 days. If NZ can get a couple of wickets atleast in the first session, then they will win this
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Post by riverpanthera on Feb 8, 2014 11:43:03 GMT -8
^yeah i agree, we should have enforced the follow on. But having said that, no one could have expected that NZ would get 100 all out.
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Post by abhijacko on Feb 8, 2014 16:09:24 GMT -8
Well, that was a surprisingly good session for India. Pujara got a beauty and that is bound to happen. But Kohli and Dhawan really lay into Sodhi after the first one hour.
India still not out of doldrums though, as one more wicket will bring in the 'not-so-reliable' batsmen
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Post by riverpanthera on Feb 8, 2014 19:20:08 GMT -8
This match is really interesting, constant back and forth between who has the advantage. Now NZ is on top again with India 6 wickets down. But if Dhoni and Jadeja stay, India are capable of getting 100 more runs too. They've both gotten off to great starts scoring at more than 100 strike rate in a test match!
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Post by abhijacko on Feb 8, 2014 19:22:58 GMT -8
I am at the edge of my seat
test cricket can be amaxingly satisfying if you are patient enough
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Post by abhijacko on Feb 8, 2014 19:30:06 GMT -8
That should end it .. The final resistance is gone. 80 runs from the tail is wayyyy too much to expect in a test match
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Post by riverpanthera on Feb 8, 2014 19:34:50 GMT -8
I am at the edge of my seat test cricket can be amaxingly satisfying if you are patient enough yeah, i used to not like it much but ever since i started getting more into cricket and watching it more, it can be great. But you do need other distractions. I mean I can't just watch it, I generally have the TV on and then do random other stuff at the same time. Like at teh moment I"m watching Breaking Bad on my laptop lol
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Post by abhijacko on Feb 8, 2014 19:38:34 GMT -8
LOL yea.. I usuallly have something playing on the side too. But I was paying full attention until JAdeja got out.
this is NZ's game for sure now. ZAK looks in no mood to stick around lol
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Post by riverpanthera on Feb 8, 2014 19:43:57 GMT -8
^While DHoni's there, there's always a chance, but yes it's probably 90% NZ winning now.
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Post by abhijacko on Feb 10, 2014 6:51:10 GMT -8
It was a great test match. I saw a lot of Indian fans complaining about umpire decisions. While they played too much of a role in the outcome of the match, umpiring in general was terrible in the match and NZ bore the brunt of it as well (Corey Anderson out off a no-ball)
In the end NZ were the better for longer periods in the match and deserved it. Hope the Indians have a good start in the next one
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Post by riverpanthera on Feb 10, 2014 13:26:08 GMT -8
^why do india not like the DRS? do you know?
A couple of wickets did possibly go against them towards the crucial stages which is unfortunate. Although Dhoni's one, I think was ok- and DRS wouldn't have helped here as 3rd umpire was referred anyway. And I agree with the decision, I don't think Wagner's foot was touching, it's just the shape of the shoe and the 2d imaging. But even if this was counted as a wrong decision, I think the match was already mostly lost at this stage. Plus you could say since NZ had Corey Anderson's one, that it's fair in the end.
The main decision that was really bad for India I think was the lbw which shouldn't have been due to inside edge. Cant' remember hwo the batsman was. That was very cruical, and that definitely could have been fixed by DRS.
I just find it amusing that India keep refusing DRS even if they are the ones suffering. It's so strange, but because it's their own fault, I just can't feel sorry for them.
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Post by abhijacko on Feb 10, 2014 14:54:38 GMT -8
I know what you mean. But its mainly BCCI which has been totally against it. Can hardly blame the players for its absence.
BCCI says if we have to use technology it should be 100% fool proof (and unfortunately they were kind of vindicated on that front when DRS gave some awful decisions during the Ashes in England).
And the other argument they give is that it is too expensive. This is really funny because even though DRS implementation is expensive I am pretty sure BCCI of all the other boards can afford it.
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Post by riverpanthera on Feb 13, 2014 19:07:32 GMT -8
India definitely on top in the second test so far. NZ is 8 wickets down, 180 runs.
I sincerely hope the NZ selectors learn from this and get rid of at least one or both of Peter Fulton/ Hamish Rutherford.
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Post by abhijacko on Feb 14, 2014 6:58:30 GMT -8
Wow .. Ishant is clearly proving me wrong here. Back to back 6 wicket hauls is no joke
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Post by abhijacko on Feb 16, 2014 20:40:54 GMT -8
And WOW .. Brendon McCullum. A double and now on our way to a triple !
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Post by riverpanthera on Feb 16, 2014 23:08:00 GMT -8
Ita been an amazing comeback by NZ. At one point, i thought we could lose by an innings
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Post by riverpanthera on Feb 17, 2014 21:27:04 GMT -8
I"m so happy for Brendon!!! 300 is awesome! I've always loved watching him play and he is definitely my favourite cricketer. But his inconsistency has been a problem, so it's nice to see that change this series. A 200 followed by 300, wow.
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Post by abhijacko on Feb 18, 2014 6:45:45 GMT -8
It really is great to see Brendo perform like this. I was rooting for his wicket on every ball, but it was still a delight to see a genuinely aggressive stroke maker controlling his natural instincts to pull off one of the greatest knocks in test history.
Everything seems to be falling in place for NZ bit by bit on way to the 2015 World Cup. Middle order looks settled with Williamson, Taylor, Brendo, Anderson. Bowling attack looks settled. They have a winning team if they can resolve their opening troubles.
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Post by abhijacko on Feb 18, 2014 6:50:47 GMT -8
India on the other hand has one very critical question to address: Dhoni's captaincy and team selection in tests is just getting ridiculously stubborn. No other team would persist with Dhoni as captain after so many losses. I wish he would step down as test captain. He is great in ODIs
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