It almost seems like there is a conspiracy to finish Test cricket in India. For the administrators it seems to be an unwarranted burden and the sooner it dies the better for them, so that they can expand and enlarge their IPL and Champions League events, writes Pradeep Magazine.
Both Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra disappointed, but then, the wicket was such that any bowler would have struggled. Mishra in particular, might need to go back and play a few first class games. Ravi Shastri comments.
The BCCI has done such a fantastic job of marketing itself and Indian cricket — helped no doubt by we in the media — that the India cricket team brand is still the country’s major bestseller. Even after almost three months of winning nothing, in any format, reports Kadambari Murali Wade.
In the first 45 minutes of the inaugral Test against Sri Lanka, India must be wondering what hit them. The top order was dismantled and left in a disarray. Rahul Dravid's heroics aside — and that of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni later — it wasn't a pitch that warranted such a collapse, writes Ravi Shastri.
He's definitely a talented guy but he's had his problems with attitude and been in the news for all the wrong reasons. I am sure the team management would have made it clear to him that he would have to mend his ways. In a team game, it is not just about talent, it's also about team ethics and values, Anil Kumble reports.
Two happenings should convince doubters that the unfairly maligned Board of Control for Cricket in India is in good hands. Sunil Gavaskar reports.
If India values Sachin, they should do everything to preserve Tests and not let corporates, masquerading as sports lovers, turn cricket into a consumer brand. That is the biggest tribute we can pay him. Writes
Pradeep Magazine.
Special Coverage
When we left Sri Lanka for India, the hot topic back home was how we had never won a Test on Indian soil and that this was a great opportunity to set the record straight. Mahela Jayawardene comments.
I’d like to believe that this defeat by the Australians would hurt the Indians. The Indians must be disappointed with their batting. While MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar certainly did well --- and so did a few tail-enders --- the rest flopped. Ravi Shastri comments.
India’s loss to Australia in the recent one-day series once again underlined the need for good starts in matches. A fine start with the bat or ball is key to achieving wins, for it gives the team just the platform it needs to push ahead. Sunil Gavaskar reports.
Cricket is a game where there is plenty of scope to learn everyday. Anybody who thinks he has mastered the game will soon find out that he still does not know everything, writes Sunil Gavaskar.
Quite obviously, the mood in our camp is very, very good. All the boys are extremely happy and excited at being part of a winning campaign. For a lot of the new guys, for whom being here itself was great, to actually have experienced a triumph is the icing on the cake, writes Mike Hussey.
Once a team is down at 27 for 5, there is very little that can be done to get to a match-winning score. The series may have been lost during that one small phase on Sunday morning at Guwahati, but there are still some positives to be taken from the game, writes Anil Kumble.
Against all odds, Australia pocketed the series. They lost four regulars during the series yet they are the winners. Australia as a nation remain a powerhouse in the world of cricket, writes Ravi Shastri.
Travel is part and parcel of a cricketer’s journey, but it is never easy to lift yourself after a day-night game and then go across the country to a place where even the body clock has to adapt. More so after a match like the one at Hyderabad, where after all that they did, the Indians still ended up losing the game, writes Anil Kumble.