Javagal Srinath
I am afraid, the England's acclimatization has come little too late in the series.
My personal experience as a player touring abroad, we bowlers found it tough to get use to
required line and length. Invariably, we didn't play enough practice matches before the main games. By the time we came to terms with the local conditions, the host would be in the driver seat making the rest of the series a formality. Just like what the English position is at the moment. England winning 4 games on trot is quite a distant dream.
The Kanpur game verdict pronounced by the Duckworth Lewis formula must have made English team feel incomplete. Had the game had gone all the way down to the wire; the result could have been anybody's guess. Defending a meager score of 240, England was very much on par or even a touch in front in most part of the 2nd innings. With their bowlers coming to terms with the Indian wickets, at least the hopes should be high when they take on the field in Bangalore.
Dhoni and his men have a moved a step ahead at the strategy level. Dhoni emphasizing about Duckworth Lewis coming into play during the toss speaks volumes about the team's preparation. At this level, Cricket is not just the function of bat or the ball but playing by the law is equally important.
India not losing the wickets in the middle overs was a clear indication that the batsmen were playing keeping Duck-worth lewis in mind.
Two instances which won the match for India was scoring runs during the power-play 3 and keeping wickets intact just after that. Dhoni involvement in both partnership with Yusuf and Yuvraj had the game in control.
England bowling now looking good, its there batting order which needs a fine tweak.
Bopara coming higher up the order brought the necessary aggression .But the advantage gained by the opening partnership was nullified when Flintoff was made to play the spinners as soon as he arrived at the crease. Flintoff is at ease playing medium pacers at the beginning of his innings. Most of the English batsmen are heavy on the legs against spinners.
Innocuous spin bowling of Yuvraj and Pathan were given too much respect. Facing spinners, Pieterson and Owais Shah are fluid in the crease. Flintoff coming at number 3 and Kevin Pieterson and Owais Shash to follow, appears to be the most effective batting line up .
Stuart Board's exploits exposed Suresh Raina. With the selectors bringing Mastreo Sachin , who will walk in at Number three replacing Raina can only increase the challenge for the England bowlers. RP Singh may be a touch unlucky but Irafan will have to justify his selection. Rumours about Dhoni being unhappy about R P Singh' exclusion is rife in the news. If these rumours were to be true, then RP Singh should consider himself lucky to have a skipper who has tremendous faith in him.
Bangalore has not been a happy hunting ground for the hosts. That's one data poin
t that England would want to reinforce in the team meeting to keep up their spirits.
England winning the match will bring back life into the series or else both the teams will have to go through the formalities.
HAWKEYE COMMUNICATIONS
My personal experience as a player touring abroad, we bowlers found it tough to get use to
required line and length. Invariably, we didn't play enough practice matches before the main games. By the time we came to terms with the local conditions, the host would be in the driver seat making the rest of the series a formality. Just like what the English position is at the moment. England winning 4 games on trot is quite a distant dream.The Kanpur game verdict pronounced by the Duckworth Lewis formula must have made English team feel incomplete. Had the game had gone all the way down to the wire; the result could have been anybody's guess. Defending a meager score of 240, England was very much on par or even a touch in front in most part of the 2nd innings. With their bowlers coming to terms with the Indian wickets, at least the hopes should be high when they take on the field in Bangalore.
Dhoni and his men have a moved a step ahead at the strategy level. Dhoni emphasizing about Duckworth Lewis coming into play during the toss speaks volumes about the team's preparation. At this level, Cricket is not just the function of bat or the ball but playing by the law is equally important.
India not losing the wickets in the middle overs was a clear indication that the batsmen were playing keeping Duck-worth lewis in mind.
Two instances which won the match for India was scoring runs during the power-play 3 and keeping wickets intact just after that. Dhoni involvement in both partnership with Yusuf and Yuvraj had the game in control.
England bowling now looking good, its there batting order which needs a fine tweak.
Bopara coming higher up the order brought the necessary aggression .But the advantage gained by the opening partnership was nullified when Flintoff was made to play the spinners as soon as he arrived at the crease. Flintoff is at ease playing medium pacers at the beginning of his innings. Most of the English batsmen are heavy on the legs against spinners.
Innocuous spin bowling of Yuvraj and Pathan were given too much respect. Facing spinners, Pieterson and Owais Shah are fluid in the crease. Flintoff coming at number 3 and Kevin Pieterson and Owais Shash to follow, appears to be the most effective batting line up .
Stuart Board's exploits exposed Suresh Raina. With the selectors bringing Mastreo Sachin , who will walk in at Number three replacing Raina can only increase the challenge for the England bowlers. RP Singh may be a touch unlucky but Irafan will have to justify his selection. Rumours about Dhoni being unhappy about R P Singh' exclusion is rife in the news. If these rumours were to be true, then RP Singh should consider himself lucky to have a skipper who has tremendous faith in him.
Bangalore has not been a happy hunting ground for the hosts. That's one data poin
t that England would want to reinforce in the team meeting to keep up their spirits.England winning the match will bring back life into the series or else both the teams will have to go through the formalities.
HAWKEYE COMMUNICATIONS