great story so far. love the different presentation. it makes it very easy to understand whats going on and to keep it at the interesting sections. good to see that the home ground advantage helped ganguly (2) but unfortunatly dravid and laxman are at it again. and spoken by a true australian.... havent we seen enough allready of these guys? honestly im sick of them haha. great work keep it up
Story Asian Test Championships 2005
- Thread starter sohum
- Start date
faraz haider
International Cricketer
well waiting for your comeback your story is real good
faraz haider
International Cricketer
yes same feeling here.
sohum
Executive member
Alrightey...I'm back. I'll post updates soon. I have one ready (as in I've played it, just not written it). Be back in a coupla hours.
sohum
Executive member
Electricity problems force me to postpone till tomorrow.
sohum
Executive member
Stumps, Day 1
Harsha Bhogle
This is TiredLime, the stumps show for the Asian Test Cricket Championships, 2005. This session saw a complete pendulum swing from the Indians to the Sri Lankans, and at the end of the day the islanders are firmly in control of the game. Let's look at some highlights, first.
The great Indian collapse reared its head again and a great recovery from Laxman and Gavaskar was averted by our haphazardly performing tail. More comments from Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar.
Sunil Gavaskar
Thank you, Harsha. Yes, it was once again disappointing to see the Indian lower order and tail not be able to make any contribution to the score. But it was more disappointing to see Dravid and Laxman fail to make significant contributions with their starts. They have usually been long-run players who keep drilling the opposition, but this time they fell short.
Ravi Shastri
Indeed, Laxman has had this be a problem for him in the past in ODI games. There was a sequence of matches after the World Cup where Laxman would get 30 in 20-odd balls and then get out. Although it added some momentum to the innings, he needed to stay in there longer.
Sunil Gavaskar
Let's just pull up the scorecard, Harsha, so that our viewers can see what we are talking about.
Harsha Bhogle
Definitely.
Sunil Gavaskar
Thank you. Now just look at that. From 220 for 4 to 265 all out. Last 6 wickets fell for 45 runs. That is not acceptable in test cricket, simply put. And only two contributions with the bat. After Dravid's 119 and Laxman's 62, the highest score was 19 by Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik. You cannot expect to win matches like that.
Ravi Shastri
Absolutely true, Sunil. A collapse right at the bottom showed the problems with the Indian tail. They will have a difficult time competing in this game, especially after the start the Sri Lankan openers have achieved. 32 for no loss in 4 overs. They are going at the speed of light!
Harsha Bhogle
The bowling at the depth also looked a little lacklustre. Although that can be put down to tiredness. Hopefully Irfan Pathan and Laxmipathy Balaji will make early inroads tomorrow. That will allow Harbhajan and Anil to capitalize on the Sri Lankan middle order.
Ravi Shastri
Yes, that has got to be India's tactic. And Sri Lanka's would just be to get runs at an even pace. They should be past the Indian total by tea tomorrow, at the rate they are going.
Harsha Bhogle
Okay, gentlemen, before looking at the Sri Lankan cards, we have got to discuss one very important statistic. Muralitharan. What is up with his underusage? Only 6 overs bowled for 16 runs and he looked dangerous, too. His captain hardly used him. Is it injury? Is it something else?
Ravi Shastri
I think it is stupid to speculate on that point at the moment. We will have to get an official word from the Sri Lankan camp on that point. If it is anything less than an injury, then I have to put it down as bad captaincy on the part of Marvan Atapattu.
Sunil Gavaskar
Indeed. If your strike bowler bowls only 6 overs while your opening pace bowler gets a 21 over spell with the new-ball, questions must be asked. Sri Lanka managed in this innings, but if the Indians put up even a little bit of resistance, things could and will be different.
Harsha Bhogle
Well said. For all our viewers out there, we have been trying to get in touch with the Sri Lankan captain or coach, but we have been met with closed doors, so far. The Sri Lankan camp is staying very quiet and do not want to discuss the situation with the media. All I can say is that this is getting very, very interesting!
Sunil Gavaskar
Let's hope, for the sake of cricket, that it is nothing too drastic. The game should be played in the right spirits out there.
Harsha Bhogle
Indeed, Sunny. Now let's just have a look at the Sri Lankan batting card at the close of play on Day 1.
Sunil Gavaskar
Yes, not much to talk about here except that it is a really good start from the Sri Lankan batsmen. If they are able to stick longer tomorrow, they might have the Indians in a bit of a bother.
Ravi Shastri
Laxmipathy Balaji was all over the place and hence got the stick from Jayasuriya and Atapattu. He'll need to straighten it up tomorrow, or he may be dropped from the team during the next match.
Harsha Bhogle
Thanks for all those thoughts. It's been a great day's cricket and we can hope for more of the same in the coming days of the Asian Test Championships 2005. For now, we leave you with the match poised interestingly. India dismissed for 265 and Sri Lanka respond with 32/0. The Indians take a lead of 233 into Day 2, but the Sri Lankans have 10 wickets in hands. As we end this broadcast, let's just have a look at the pictures of Rahul Dravid getting another test century and how he rescued the Indian cause...again.
Harsha Bhogle
This is TiredLime, the stumps show for the Asian Test Cricket Championships, 2005. This session saw a complete pendulum swing from the Indians to the Sri Lankans, and at the end of the day the islanders are firmly in control of the game. Let's look at some highlights, first.
The great Indian collapse reared its head again and a great recovery from Laxman and Gavaskar was averted by our haphazardly performing tail. More comments from Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar.
Sunil Gavaskar
Thank you, Harsha. Yes, it was once again disappointing to see the Indian lower order and tail not be able to make any contribution to the score. But it was more disappointing to see Dravid and Laxman fail to make significant contributions with their starts. They have usually been long-run players who keep drilling the opposition, but this time they fell short.
Ravi Shastri
Indeed, Laxman has had this be a problem for him in the past in ODI games. There was a sequence of matches after the World Cup where Laxman would get 30 in 20-odd balls and then get out. Although it added some momentum to the innings, he needed to stay in there longer.
Sunil Gavaskar
Let's just pull up the scorecard, Harsha, so that our viewers can see what we are talking about.
Harsha Bhogle
Definitely.
Sunil Gavaskar
Thank you. Now just look at that. From 220 for 4 to 265 all out. Last 6 wickets fell for 45 runs. That is not acceptable in test cricket, simply put. And only two contributions with the bat. After Dravid's 119 and Laxman's 62, the highest score was 19 by Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik. You cannot expect to win matches like that.
Ravi Shastri
Absolutely true, Sunil. A collapse right at the bottom showed the problems with the Indian tail. They will have a difficult time competing in this game, especially after the start the Sri Lankan openers have achieved. 32 for no loss in 4 overs. They are going at the speed of light!
Harsha Bhogle
The bowling at the depth also looked a little lacklustre. Although that can be put down to tiredness. Hopefully Irfan Pathan and Laxmipathy Balaji will make early inroads tomorrow. That will allow Harbhajan and Anil to capitalize on the Sri Lankan middle order.
Ravi Shastri
Yes, that has got to be India's tactic. And Sri Lanka's would just be to get runs at an even pace. They should be past the Indian total by tea tomorrow, at the rate they are going.
Harsha Bhogle
Okay, gentlemen, before looking at the Sri Lankan cards, we have got to discuss one very important statistic. Muralitharan. What is up with his underusage? Only 6 overs bowled for 16 runs and he looked dangerous, too. His captain hardly used him. Is it injury? Is it something else?
Ravi Shastri
I think it is stupid to speculate on that point at the moment. We will have to get an official word from the Sri Lankan camp on that point. If it is anything less than an injury, then I have to put it down as bad captaincy on the part of Marvan Atapattu.
Sunil Gavaskar
Indeed. If your strike bowler bowls only 6 overs while your opening pace bowler gets a 21 over spell with the new-ball, questions must be asked. Sri Lanka managed in this innings, but if the Indians put up even a little bit of resistance, things could and will be different.
Harsha Bhogle
Well said. For all our viewers out there, we have been trying to get in touch with the Sri Lankan captain or coach, but we have been met with closed doors, so far. The Sri Lankan camp is staying very quiet and do not want to discuss the situation with the media. All I can say is that this is getting very, very interesting!
Sunil Gavaskar
Let's hope, for the sake of cricket, that it is nothing too drastic. The game should be played in the right spirits out there.
Harsha Bhogle
Indeed, Sunny. Now let's just have a look at the Sri Lankan batting card at the close of play on Day 1.
Sunil Gavaskar
Yes, not much to talk about here except that it is a really good start from the Sri Lankan batsmen. If they are able to stick longer tomorrow, they might have the Indians in a bit of a bother.
Ravi Shastri
Laxmipathy Balaji was all over the place and hence got the stick from Jayasuriya and Atapattu. He'll need to straighten it up tomorrow, or he may be dropped from the team during the next match.
Harsha Bhogle
Thanks for all those thoughts. It's been a great day's cricket and we can hope for more of the same in the coming days of the Asian Test Championships 2005. For now, we leave you with the match poised interestingly. India dismissed for 265 and Sri Lanka respond with 32/0. The Indians take a lead of 233 into Day 2, but the Sri Lankans have 10 wickets in hands. As we end this broadcast, let's just have a look at the pictures of Rahul Dravid getting another test century and how he rescued the Indian cause...again.
sohum
Executive member
Lunch, Day 2
Harsha Bhogle
Welcome to FreshLime here at Kolkata. We have just seen a brilliant session of test cricket where the match has been turned right on its head! Sri Lanka have lost 4 top order batsmen and added just 118 runs this session, in 28 overs. Let us first look at the highlights.
The chief destroyer this session was Harbhajan Singh who picked up 3 of the 4 wickets to have fallen. Before we go to our experts, we will just have a chat with the man himself. We have Gautam Bhimani with Harbhajan at the boundary.
Gautam
So Harbhajan, happy to have brought India back into this match?
Harbhajan
Yes, indeed, but the work has just begun. Batsmen did not play too well so now we bowlers have to make up for it. I hope to get a few more wickets so that we can hopefully restrict Sri Lanka's lead or maybe even take a lead.
Gautam
Is the pitch very recipient to spin? That's not really expected of a regulation first day pitch, is it?
Harbhajan
No, not so much spin. I bowled more fast on this pitch and a few balls skidded through. I also used doosra a few times to flummox the batsmen. That is how I picked up that one wicket of the stumping--he tried to hit me out of the ground but the ball spun away from him.
Gautam
So you're saying you'll be even more successful on this pitch in the second innings?
Harbhajan
Hopefully, you know. I'm just trying to concentrate on one spell at a time and our first goal is to get Sri Lanka all out.
Gautam
Well I won't keep you away from your lunch! Good job and have a great match. Back to the studio.
Harsha Bhogle
Interesting comments from Harbhajan. Let us pepper that with some comments from our very own expert panel, comprising of Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri. Gentlemen, what do you have to say?
Sunil Gavaskar
First of all, I must congratulate the Indian team on sticking in there and trying to get wickets. At the moment, though, it seems like Jayawardene is on a crusade, having reached 43 very quickly. Let's just have a look at the scorecard and all that.
Ravi Shastri
Yes, as Sunny said, Jayawardene 43 from just 60 odd balls. The Indians will need to remove him quickly after lunch because once he gets going, he usually goes on to score centuries, and big ones at that.
Sunil Gavaskar
If you look at the Sri Lankan batting card, it is mainly a case of impatience that has done them in. All of them got starts but were not willing to be patient with their innings. If Sri Lanka had been a tad bit more patient, they would have been about 140/2 and in a position to really tighten the screws on India.
Ravi Shastri
I totally agree. Apart from Atapattu, who got a bad decision, and Mubarak, who was brilliantly beaten by Harbhajan, the other two have gone out to rash strokes. Sangakkara had no need to try going over the top, whereas Jayasuriya went for one of his trademark flicks on the on-side and instead found his stumps rattled. With Sanath and Sangakkara still in, this would have been very much Sri Lanka's match.
Harsha Bhogle
So do you think India has balanced the match or does Sri Lanka still hold an advantage?
Ravi Shastri
For now, I would say Sri Lanka hold a teensy bit of an advantage. But remember that they have to bat last on a crumbling pitch, with two of the world's best spinners bowling in tandem at the other end. That is definitely not something I would be looking forward to!
Sunil Gavaskar
I think India have balanced out this match. If they get Jayawardene out early, they will only have the tail to contend with. Although there are old stalwarts in the form of Dharmasena and Vaas, who can bat, I think most of the tail are waiting to be plucked by India's spinners. I even foresee India taking a lead, albeit a small one, into the second innings.
Harsha Bhogle
They say the Indian fan is the eternal optimist! I wonder why, huh? Anyways, folks, looks like we're all set to fire for the post-lunch session. Any last comments? What do Sri Lanka need to do and what do India need to do?
Ravi Shastri
Sri Lanka basically need to bat patiently. Samaraweera is a successful player and a patient one, too. If these two get Sri Lanka past 200-220, then Sri Lanka can look to get a good lead. But wickets must be the highest priority, here. There are eons of time left in this test match.
Sunil Gavaskar
As for India, they basically need to relentlessly attack the Lankans. One great idea would be to dry up the runs and hence lead the batsmen to playing reckless shots.
Harsha Bhogle
Thanks for those comments. Here's back to some live action from the Eden Gardens!
Harsha Bhogle
Welcome to FreshLime here at Kolkata. We have just seen a brilliant session of test cricket where the match has been turned right on its head! Sri Lanka have lost 4 top order batsmen and added just 118 runs this session, in 28 overs. Let us first look at the highlights.
The chief destroyer this session was Harbhajan Singh who picked up 3 of the 4 wickets to have fallen. Before we go to our experts, we will just have a chat with the man himself. We have Gautam Bhimani with Harbhajan at the boundary.
Gautam
So Harbhajan, happy to have brought India back into this match?
Harbhajan
Yes, indeed, but the work has just begun. Batsmen did not play too well so now we bowlers have to make up for it. I hope to get a few more wickets so that we can hopefully restrict Sri Lanka's lead or maybe even take a lead.
Gautam
Is the pitch very recipient to spin? That's not really expected of a regulation first day pitch, is it?
Harbhajan
No, not so much spin. I bowled more fast on this pitch and a few balls skidded through. I also used doosra a few times to flummox the batsmen. That is how I picked up that one wicket of the stumping--he tried to hit me out of the ground but the ball spun away from him.
Gautam
So you're saying you'll be even more successful on this pitch in the second innings?
Harbhajan
Hopefully, you know. I'm just trying to concentrate on one spell at a time and our first goal is to get Sri Lanka all out.
Gautam
Well I won't keep you away from your lunch! Good job and have a great match. Back to the studio.
Harsha Bhogle
Interesting comments from Harbhajan. Let us pepper that with some comments from our very own expert panel, comprising of Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri. Gentlemen, what do you have to say?
Sunil Gavaskar
First of all, I must congratulate the Indian team on sticking in there and trying to get wickets. At the moment, though, it seems like Jayawardene is on a crusade, having reached 43 very quickly. Let's just have a look at the scorecard and all that.
Ravi Shastri
Yes, as Sunny said, Jayawardene 43 from just 60 odd balls. The Indians will need to remove him quickly after lunch because once he gets going, he usually goes on to score centuries, and big ones at that.
Sunil Gavaskar
If you look at the Sri Lankan batting card, it is mainly a case of impatience that has done them in. All of them got starts but were not willing to be patient with their innings. If Sri Lanka had been a tad bit more patient, they would have been about 140/2 and in a position to really tighten the screws on India.
Ravi Shastri
I totally agree. Apart from Atapattu, who got a bad decision, and Mubarak, who was brilliantly beaten by Harbhajan, the other two have gone out to rash strokes. Sangakkara had no need to try going over the top, whereas Jayasuriya went for one of his trademark flicks on the on-side and instead found his stumps rattled. With Sanath and Sangakkara still in, this would have been very much Sri Lanka's match.
Harsha Bhogle
So do you think India has balanced the match or does Sri Lanka still hold an advantage?
Ravi Shastri
For now, I would say Sri Lanka hold a teensy bit of an advantage. But remember that they have to bat last on a crumbling pitch, with two of the world's best spinners bowling in tandem at the other end. That is definitely not something I would be looking forward to!
Sunil Gavaskar
I think India have balanced out this match. If they get Jayawardene out early, they will only have the tail to contend with. Although there are old stalwarts in the form of Dharmasena and Vaas, who can bat, I think most of the tail are waiting to be plucked by India's spinners. I even foresee India taking a lead, albeit a small one, into the second innings.
Harsha Bhogle
They say the Indian fan is the eternal optimist! I wonder why, huh? Anyways, folks, looks like we're all set to fire for the post-lunch session. Any last comments? What do Sri Lanka need to do and what do India need to do?
Ravi Shastri
Sri Lanka basically need to bat patiently. Samaraweera is a successful player and a patient one, too. If these two get Sri Lanka past 200-220, then Sri Lanka can look to get a good lead. But wickets must be the highest priority, here. There are eons of time left in this test match.
Sunil Gavaskar
As for India, they basically need to relentlessly attack the Lankans. One great idea would be to dry up the runs and hence lead the batsmen to playing reckless shots.
Harsha Bhogle
Thanks for those comments. Here's back to some live action from the Eden Gardens!
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