Copa Libertadores: Brazil turn Green

The world might be more interested in the UEFA Champions League, but back in Latin America, Copa Libertadores draws more attention in that region and the excitement regarding the event surpasses the hype and festive-mood of the Champions League. Back in Latin America, they firmly believe that this competition creates big stars and still today is the toughest competition in world football.

This is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in American club football.  

The competition has had several formats over its lifetime. Initially, only the champions of the South American leagues participated.

In 1966, the runners-up of the South American leagues began to join. In 1998, Mexican teams were invited to compete and contested regularly from 2000 until 2016.

In 2000 the tournament was expanded from 20 to 32 teams.

Today at least four clubs per country compete in the tournament, with Argentina (6) and Brazil (7) having the most representatives.

A group stage has always been used but the number of teams per group has varied.

In the present format, the tournament consists of eight stages, with the first stage taking place in late January. The four surviving teams from the first three stages join 28 teams in the group stage, which consists of eight groups of four teams each. The eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the knockout stages, which end with the final in November.

The winner of the Copa Libertadores becomes eligible to play in the FIFA Club World Cup and the Recopa Sudamericana.

Independiente of Argentina is the most successful club in the cup's history, having won the tournament seven times. Argentine clubs have accumulated the most victories with 25 wins, while Brazil has the largest number of winning teams, with 10 clubs having won the title. The cup has been won by 24 clubs, 13 of them more than once, and six clubs have won two years in a row.

This year, it was two clubs from Brazil – Santos, and Palmeras who contested for the ultimate accolade at the Maracana.

Santos boast a great history in the competition, but Palmeiras are almost like outsiders in this competition.

The last time they won the competition was way back in 1999 defeating Deportivo Cali in a penalty shootout.

Back in Brazil, it was obvious that Santos would garner more support, but in the end, Palmeiras painted Brazil green.

 Although COVID-19 restrictions dictated lockdown at weekends and evenings in the Sao Paulo state, those rules failed to tame the passion for football and hundreds of more fans gathered at the club's training ground and the airport, where their plane touched down in the early hours of the morning.

The final was originally scheduled to be held in November but the tournament was halted for six months by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The match was played on a roasting hot afternoon in Rio de Janeiro and chances were few and far between. It failed to live up to the expectations of TV viewers in 191 countries or the 5,000 specially invited guests who watched the match live at the Maracana.

Both the teams seemed defensive – caught by the tension of the mega event and produced lackluster efforts, which only killed the joy of Latin American style.   

The match was heading towards the extra-time and it seemed like 1999 Palmeiras were heading for another penalty-shootout.

Even though Santos started took a bit sharp in the second half, but it was not to be their day.

Ten minutes of stoppage time was announced and the substitute Breno Lopes scored in the ninth minute of injury time as Palmeiras won their second Copa Libertadores with a 1-0 victory.

Little-known Lopes joined Palmeiras in November, coming from second division team Juventude and was brought on in the 84th minute as an intended target man for crosses.

The plan worked perfectly nine minutes into stoppage time when Rony crossed from the right and found Lopes, who headed the ball to the left of Santos goalkeeper John to decide the contest with the first effort on target of the game.

The result at Rio's Maracana stadium was greeted with delirious celebrations back in Palmeiras' home city of Sao Paulo.

Thousands partied on the streets around the club's stadium the Allianz Parque, even after police closed some streets to try to prevent large gatherings.

The victory means a lot for Palmeiras who has been brilliant this season.

Since the appointment of the 42-year-old coach, the Portuguese Abel Ferreira the fortunes of the club started to change.

 The club won the Paulista state championship in August and they play Gremio in the Copa do Brasil final in February.

This is the third time in four years that a Brazilian team has won South America’s biggest club competition.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 31/01/2021 Copa Libertadores: Brazil turn Green

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Clinical Pakistan in Karachi

 

 “It was the National Stadium in Karachi (NSK) that hosted the first Test and how wonderful it was to see a big team contest in white clothes in one of the most iconic venues in world cricket – the venue which remained the fortress for Pakistan for almost 39 years and witnessed legendary clashes. Karachi did not disappoint Pakistan”

South Africa toured Pakistan after more than thirteen years. It was way back in 2007 they toured the land of music, friendly people, colourful cities, and unpredictable cricket. They won the Test series back then and also, Pakistan witnessed the legendary Inzamam-ul-Haq retiring from the format in tears. In the following years, Pakistan experienced turbulent times. For ten years, they would not play cricket at home – thankfully, things have started to change.

The teams have started to tour Pakistan again and after the tour of South Africa, one can expect England, New Zealand, and Australia to play in Pakistan.  

It was the National Stadium in Karachi (NSK) that hosted the first Test and how wonderful it was to see a big team contest in white clothes in one of the most iconic venues in world cricket – the venue which remained the fortress for Pakistan for almost 39 years and witnessed legendary clashes.

The match commenced and the visiting skipper Quinton de Kock elected to bat without hesitation after winning the toss even though in NSK those who chase down totals have experienced better results. But keeping in mind that the track would deteriorate with the progress of time the decision of De Kock is not bad at all.

But the South Africans responded poorly.

The wicket of Day 1 was still good to bat on but they succumbed against the deliveries which did not turn enough -   only one of the 10 wickets that fell was to a ball that turned. Faf du Plessis was the victim against a Yasir Shah delivery, which drifted and turned away as he pushed at it. Otherwise, the rest of the South African batters had been below-par.

A total of 220 was below-par but at the fag end of Day 1 when the South African pacers set jitters in the Pakistan top and middle-order, 220 was looking like a fighting total till the morning session of Day 2. After a testing morning session, Azhar Ali and Fawad Alam started to swell the total, and when stabilization was ensured the allrounders and tail-enders stretched the lead.

The defiant resistance of Fawad Alam was praiseworthy.

In the last 12 years, it had been a rollercoaster ride for Fawad, who was ignored consistently by the selectors despite his impressive showing in the domestic arena. Obviously, there were better options and it is hard to criticize those who had to ignore him.

The reason why Fawad was not chosen because of his unorthodox technique which was perceived as vulnerable and that the presence of a packed middle order in Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali, and Asad Shafiq meant there was no opening.

But Fawad never gave up and that deserves the accolade.

During this 11-year hiatus from international cricket, Fawad made 26 first-class centuries and 33 half-centuries, amassing 7965 runs at 56.48.

He was eventually recalled after 11 years in August 2020, during the tour of England. Six months on, he's now made a second hundred in the space of three Tests.

Karachi is his happy hunting ground and he lived up to the expectations under pressure.

 Fawad was at the risk of being drooped again despite the runs and records. He may have not made the New Zealand tour, but he somehow did.

He made an impact against some hostile fast bowling in the second Test in Mount Maunganui. This hundred against South Africa may have been all the more special, because it came at home, and also because he rescued the side from a precarious 33 for four.

Fawad played the anchor's role, putting together key partnerships with Azhar Ali (94 off 228 balls), Mohammad Rizwan (55 off 113), and Faheem Ashraf (102 off 152) to overhaul South Africa's 220 and give Pakistan hope of a sizeable lead and thereby a good chance of victory.

Pakistan took a big lead the response of South Africa was resolved until the spinners broke through. Yasir Shah waved his magic while at the other end an unknown spinner to the world cricket – Nauman Ali ended up bagging a 5-wicket haul on debut as the Proteas lost their way leaving Pakistan only 88 runs to get in the fourth innings.

Pakistan took the lead and while the praises are showering over Fawad, Yasir, and the fielders; well, don't forget the kind of impression Nauman made cannot be undermined at all.

At the age of 34, a cricketer reaches his peak, but Nauman made his debut, and the way he bowled it seemed that he has been around in Test cricket for ages. Neither he was gripped by the tension of the big occasion nor did he lose his authority over the bowling.

Maintaining a strict line and length is his biggest strength and in Karachi, he was playing the role of a second spinner like Tauseef Ahmed and Iqbal Qasim did to Abdul Qadir during the era of Imran Khan.

Years of hard toil in the domestic arena of Pakistan and the less-chances of getting selected hardly hampered his spirit but in turn, it kept on motivating Nauman, who proved the importance of breaking the sweat in first-class cricket. It is always better to have a performer rather than those over-hyped talents in the Twenty20 Leagues.

He was the leading wicket-taker for Khan Research Laboratories in the 2018–19 Quaid-e-Azam One Day Cup, with seventeen dismissals in nine matches. He was also the leading wicket-taker for Khan Research Laboratories in the 2018–19 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, with 43 dismissals in eight matches. In March 2019, he was named to the Sindh squad for the 2019 Pakistan Cup.

In September 2019, he was named in Northern's squad for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament.

He was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with 54 dismissals in ten matches.

 Coming from a small town Khipro, a subdivision of the Sanghar division in Pakistan's southern Sindh province, Nauman is among a handful of players from the rural areas of the province to get a chance to play for the national team.

“I was hopeful of getting a call-up after bowling well and taking wickets in the last two seasons of first-class cricket,” said Nauman, who became the fourth oldest Test cricketer to debut for Pakistan. Miran Bakhsh (47yeras and 284 days) is the oldest ever Test debutant for Pakistan while Zulfiqar Babar (34years 308 days) and Mohammad Aslam (34 years 177 days) are at the second and third place respectively.

“It has been a long journey. I was born and studied in Khipro but moved to Hyderabad to pursue a career as a professional cricketer with my uncle,” he said.

“My father works in the clerical staff of an oil factory in Hyderabad now.”

“If they show confidence I am ready to deliver anywhere not only in home series.”

Indeed he paid back the faith invested in him.

In the second innings, Aiden Markram was like a wall but Nauman used his height to extract bounce, which took Markram by surprise and the batsman failed to negotiate it and spooned a catch to Abid Ali at silly mid-off.

On Day 4, Temba Bavuma and George Linde tried to dig deep and take a competitive lead, but Nauman well-flighted another one which kissed the edge of Linde, and Imran Butt took the catch at leg slip. Then Nauman spun one through the gate when Kagiso Rabada tried an extravagant cover-drive and completed his five-for when he trapped Bavuma in front, the sweep for once failing him.

The smile on the face of Nauman said it all – the hard work over the years has paid off and the kind of determination he has shown in Karachi, Pakistan should use it smartly in the coming days.

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer on 29/01/2021 Clinical Pakistan in Karachi

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

James Anderson is ready for another Indian challenge

 

 “World cricket is gearing up for another Clash of the Titans and Anderson is ready for it”

In the second Test at Galle, James Anderson completed his 30th five-wicket haul in Test cricket – six short of the great Sir Richard Hadlee and one more than the marvelous Glenn McGrath. At the age of 38, there is no slowing down for Jimmy and he is a freak – with time and age, he seems to improve in every Test match he plays.

During the debate between Jimmy and Dale Steyn - Steyn always had the edge over his counterpart regarding records away from home and especially on Asian conditions. But, that magnificent Steyn surrendered to injury while Anderson has gone on to bag 600 Test wickets in an era where the rules, conditions, and even the willow are heavily in favour of the batters.

One cannot but praise his persistence and respect for Test cricket.

At Galle, he was challenged by the heat, humidity, and unfriendly deck, still he extracted life out of the surface to bag six wickets at the age of 38 and no seamer has taken a 5-wicket haul at this age – Sir Richard Hadlee t 37 years and 145 days, was the previous record holder.

Again, this was the first time since 2001 that all 10 wickets in an innings had been taken by the seamers in a Test in Sri Lanka, which tells about the skill and temperament of the English pacers on the Asian decks.  

Anderson would travel to India next and one cannot deny his love affair with India.

Success in the Ashes garners more attention for the Australian and English cricketers, but it’s against India that Anderson has had the most success - 110 wickets in 27 Tests at an average of 25.98, better than his overall 26.79 and far better than his record versus Australia, 104 wickets at 34.56 in 32 Tests.

Anderson has helped England win four of the five Test series against India since he transformed himself into one of the world’s best proponents of swing with a masterful performance in the 2010 Ashes in Australia, which England won.

In India, he averages 33.46 from 10 Test matches with 26 wickets – yes the numbers don’t tell the true story about his impact. During the tour of 2006, his brilliant 4-wicket haul in Mumbai helped England to level the series, and before that the 4-wicket haul in Nagpur was brilliant as well.

In that eventful Test series in 2012, he featured in just one Test and again, proved his worth on a ran-turner with three wickets in the first and second innings at Kolkata. England won and took the lead by 2-1 and the drawn roster in Bengaluru orchestrated a memorable away win for Alastair Cook and his men.

During the last tour in 2016-17, England and Anderson experienced a heavy beating, which they paid back in 2018, but right now another challenge is waiting for Anderson in India, whose confidence is sky-high after the historic series win in Australia with a second-string side.

Beating India in India is the toughest task for any team in the world.

It is the final frontier for the top Test teams in the world and Anderson is well aware of this.

But, Anderson is a fighter and over the years learned the tricks to conquer the conditions better.

A few years back, Sachin Tendulkar explained why Anderson’s deliveries were so difficult to read. Anderson, he said, is the only one who could bowl a “reverse outswinger” with a wrist position for a conventional inswinger.

“Anderson was possibly the first who bowled reverse swing also reverse,” Tendulkar said. By changing the wrist position quickly, he forced the batsman to commit to a shot. “What I experienced, over a period of time, was that he would hold the ball as if bowling outswinger but at the release, point would try and bring the ball back in… he’s shown you he’s bowling inswing but the imbalance between the two sides of the ball would take it away from you.”

“He’s got you to commit to play for an inswinger and the ball, after covering almost three-fourths of the length of the pitch, starts leaving you… That was something which was new to me. Nobody had done that.”

Anderson had great success against Tendulkar, dismissing him nine times in 27 innings, or in every third instance.

When someone like Tendulkar shower praise for a bowler you need to understand the standard of his quality.

When the Indian Test era transitioned from Tendulkar to Kohli, Anderson remained England’s constant threat.

He has dismissed Kohli five times in 32 innings. Anderson dominated Kohli in the 2014 home series, removing him four times as the batsman averaged 13.4, not managing a fifty in 10 innings.

Last year, Anderson said that he looks forward to a tough battle against India captain Virat Kohli during the tour of India next year.

“It's always tough bowling against batsmen of that quality. Obviously, I've had some success against him in 2014, and then he came back a completely different player in 2018 and it was incredible. It will be a tough battle in that respect, but that's something I do enjoy against the best players. As a bowler, you want to get the best players out.”

Asked what changes he noticed in Kohli's batting in 2018, Anderson said, “I just felt he left the ball really well [in 2018]. The first time he came over [in 2014] when I was bowling an outswinger, he might chase it early on, so that brought the edge and the slips into play.”

“I just felt like he left a lot better and he was a lot more patient [in 2018]. He waited for you to come to him because he's very strong off his legs; he got more off that shot. And once he got any start, he played a bit more expansively. His all-round game, both his mental approach and his technique, was that little bit better.”

World cricket is gearing up for another Clash of the Titans and Anderson is ready for it.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 28/01/2021 James Anderson is ready for another Indian challenge

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

What is the purpose of West Indies in Bangladesh?

Last year, since the Pakistan tour was called off due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Bangladesh hardly had any taste of international cricket except some mini shorter-format domestic tournaments here and there. Even though the threat of COVID-19 persists in Bangladesh and throughout the world, each and everyone decided to move on and allow normalcy to prevail maintaining the health hygiene measures.

West Indies decided to tour Bangladesh this year but they landed here with a third-tier side.

 Ten West Indies players have declined the opportunity to tour due to COVID-19 related concerns or personal fears. Jason Holder, Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, and Nicholas Pooran have all opted out, while Fabian Allen and Shane Dowrich are unavailable due to personal reasons.

The Test squad would be led by the experienced Brathwaite, with Jermaine Blackwood as vice-captain. Former Trinidad & Tobago and West Indies A captain Mohammed will lead the ODI team with Sunil Ambris as his deputy.

Kavem Hodge, the right-handed top-order batsman, earned a maiden call-up to the Test squad, while left-handed opener Shayne Moseley and all-rounder Kyle Mayers would also be touring in the Test squad for the first time, after making trips to England and New Zealand as reserves earlier this year.  

Two players earned their first ODI call-ups – all-round left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, and Kjorn Ottley, a left-handed top-order batsman.

Indeed it was a depleted side, but the Windies coach Phil Simmons sounded confident before the start of the three-match One-day International (ODI) series.

The ODI series was the first engagement for either side in the ICC Super League where the participating teams finish in the league will determine who qualifies directly for the 2023 World Cup - the top seven teams and hosts India would be certain participants - and who must go through the playoffs, to be held in Zimbabwe again.

Simmons clarified that he had no intention to go through the qualifiers of the ICC World Cup.

“It is mighty important [to get a good start] because you have to catch up in the series. We don't want to get into the playoffs anymore. To catch up in the series is going to be really hard, so we need to start well.”

The stand-in skipper Jason Mohammed has said that his comeback into the West Indies team after more than two years, with the added bonus of being named the ODI captain, is his opportunity to get his place back when the main players are back.

Mohammed last played when Bangladesh toured West Indies in August 2018.   

“I have been out for two years now. I have a role in leading the team but personally, I look forward to the challenge. It is a good opportunity for me to have a good series, and put my hands up for when the full-strength team is back, so I can really get my place back in that team.”

“It won't be difficult to motivate myself. I want to be playing international cricket. It is a huge role being the leader of the Caribbean team. There's no added pressure because playing as a captain is something I have been accustomed to doing. I just want to enjoy the series and turn around the stats (against Bangladesh).”

“Growing up you always want to play for the West Indies but leading the Caribbean team, it is a great feeling. Sometimes things come in different ways. I just have to grab this opportunity and make the best use of it, and lead the team to the best of my ability.”

“I haven't played a game for a couple of months. We have been doing some practice with the T&T senior team. A couple of days here will be very important for preparation. I want to hit as many balls as I can, find the middle of the bat as soon as possible, and look forward to enjoy three good games of the series.”

“Inexperience or not, it is always difficult to pick your final XI. Obviously, the coach and myself and the other staff have to take the decision to put the best team in the park, which is ideal for the condition. It is going to be difficult selecting the XI for the first time. There is a lot of good exciting talent within the group. There aren't a lot of senior guys in the team. There are a lot of youngsters in the team. My job will be to try to make them as calm and relaxed as possible. I want to try to guide the young bowlers as best possible in the field. I think everyone understands their game well at this level. I have to make sure they execute the plans.”

West Indies have already missed playing the ODI series against New Zealand and the Netherlands because of the Covid-19 pandemic, making the ODI series in Bangladesh important.

But as soon as the series commenced, the poor exhibition of the Windies against Bangladesh was evident.

The first ODI saw six West Indian cricketers make their debut in the format.

 Bangladesh won the opening match by six wickets, with more than 16 overs to spare, and then won the second ODI by seven wickets to take an unassailable lead in the series. In the third ODI at Chattogram, they experienced the same fate and lost by 3-0.

From the Bangladesh point of view, it helped the Tigers to warm up for the future rosters whereas, it seemed, West Indies came here only to fulfill the formalities rather than trying to improve. The way they played it was painful to watch – meek surrenders made the victories of Bangladesh hollow.

What is the purpose of the West Indies in Bangladesh? Are they touring here to serve the purpose like Zimbabwe? Are they serious enough regarding international cricket? Or, they are focused more on Twenty20 Leagues? Do the longer-formats – Test and ODI – bear any importance for them? And, where are the exciting talents, which were endorsed by the West Indian captain?

Neither the bowling nor the batting nor the body language hinted any signs that the players from the touring party were eager to play cricket –and talk about exciting talents; those seemed a bunch of armatures handed with a cricket bat and ball.  

In Dhaka and Chattogram – the West Indian display was a total mockery.

If the West Indies were very serious about the ODI Super League then they should have landed on Bangladesh with a full-strength side. Bringing on such a third-tier sense only gave the impression that the Caribbean are not serious at all playing cricket.

At least, the inspirational words from the legendary Clive Lloyd should have inspired them.

The Test series is coming and one hope, the players motivate themselves and pay respect to the words of Clive Lloyd and the predecessors, who took West Indies to the top of the world. 

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 26/01/2021 What is the purpose of West Indies in Bangladesh?

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

The classic Joe Root in Sri Lanka

 

“Joe Root has been absolutely brilliant in Sri Lanka and looked assured on his technique and temperament. He made Galle his run-scoring party ground”

All is not well in the United Kingdom. At first, the COVID-19 devastated them and now the fears of the new strain in the UK consistently haunting the British. And in between the UK strain and the previous COVID-19 – the South African strain is all set to trigger the panic button. But life is moving on in the UK – the Premier League has been an exhibition of top-notch sports to kill the boredom of the sports-loving people in England and each week, a new twist in the tale consistently keeping the English alive and kicking in the Pandemic.

Football is definitely the major sport in England and they are mad about it, but cricket also has its role to inspire the British. Back in the east, Joe Root took his boys to face Sri Lanka on those typical subcontinental decks. None doubted the success of Root’s boys against a depleted Sri Lankan unit, and also, it was supposed to be the preparation for the big tour in India, which has become the final frontier for teams like Australia, England, and New Zealand.

Sri Lanka exhibited inconsistency with the bat and suffered. They simply lacked the batsman who would lead from the front and carry the team on his shoulder. Thankfully, for England, Root was there.

At Galle, England lost wickets quickly in response to Sri Lanka’s paltry first innings total. Root came at the wicket and started to graft the innings because he needed to be the fulcrum of this innings.

Since becoming the skipper of England, his average dropped significantly than it was before. The critics kept on saying, captaincy has been hampering his batsmanship and the Englishman is losing the race against the likes of Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, and Steve Smith.

At Galle, he made a statement – taking the singles and twos consistently – grooving occasionally with a boundary. The innings started to build up and Root was at the center of everything. There was no evidence of a batsman who was seen struggling for runs against Pakistan and the West Indies last summer, rather, here was a man, who came out to bat and make the conditions his own party ground.

Sri Lanka unleashed the spinners and Root’s answer was the sweep-shot as if Graham Gooch of Mumbai, 1987 was evident in Sri Lanka.

“Joe understands how to play spin really well,” David Saker, the bowling coach of Sri Lanka said.

“He looked so good, and just him being so comfortable at the crease puts pressure on the bowlers straightaway. He plays back quite deep in the crease, and it's hard to put pressure on him. As soon as you try to get the ball a bit fuller he hits you down the ground. He also sweeps very well. He's always putting pressure on the bowler and it's hard to get into a groove against him because he hits you off that.”

Root went on to script a double ton –   the fourth of his Test career and his second as captain - helped England take a commanding first-innings lead by the time they were bowled out on the brink of lunch on Day 3.

The ease with which Root amassed his runs might give a somewhat misleading impression about the track in Galle.  

After the first innings of both sides were completed, only two other men in the match had made more than 30. The last five in the England side contributed only 17 runs between them as Sri Lanka claimed six wickets in the morning session.

CricViz has suggested Root's innings in Galle contained more sweeps than any Test innings and it kept the innings moving.

Only Wally Hammond (with seven) and Sir Alastair Cook (with five) now have more double-centuries for England. Root's score here represents the second-highest score by an England player in Asia after Cook's 263* in Abu Dhabi in 2015.

At Galle, Root also surpassed 8,000 Test runs and became the seventh English player to reach the landmark and, in terms of innings (it was his 178^th), the second quickest after Kevin Pietersen, who reached the milestone in 176 innings.

England won the Test and after the Test Root said, “With the time off, the thing that's really benefited me is having a period of time to work on my game. To have time to think about things and take stock and look where I can improve. That's where I think I've benefited the most.”

“There will be occasions where I might have to miss out here and there. I'm desperate to play as much as I can. I love playing cricket, love playing for England, and feel very privileged to get the opportunity. I suppose getting the balance right is very important. But the way I thought about things in that period of time off, I will look to replicate.”

“I don't think you can ever be a finished article as a captain. I certainly don't feel it's the case with me. I will always look to improve and get better; I feel I am getting a better handle on things.”

Indeed, he was getting better and better because in the second Test at the same venue, he notched up another hundred.

In the first Test he scored 54% of the runs in the first innings and in the second Test, he scored 55% - which says, how good he had been with the bat on a deck, which was doing treacherous things. Sri Lanka doesn’t have a Muuttiah Muralitharan or Rangana Herath, but Lasith Embulduniya had been a tough nut and exploited the conditions better.   

The application of Root had been the same as before- strike rotation and occupy the crease, get accustomed and release the pressure – as soon as the conditions are mastered, play fluently and let the sweep-shots do the talking and it did.

So broad is Root's repertoire of sweep that he can hit the ball in front or behind square on both sides of the wicket – the flow of runs could never be stopped.

He was run out 14 short of yet another epic ton defying the heat and humidity at Galle.  

Root's aggregate in the series was 426. Only once has an England batsman scored more runs in a series in which he played two or fewer matches: in 1932-33 tour to New Zealand, Wally Hammond scored 563 runs in just two innings, including an unbeaten 336 in Auckland.

44.4% of England's runs off the bat scored by Root in the series: he made 426 out of the 980 runs scored by all the England batsmen. The percentage of 44.4 is the fifth-highest in the all-time list for any series of two or more Tests. On top is Hammond's 52.4%, in the series mentioned above.

Technically, Root’s batting changed a bit in Sri Lanka – his initial trigger movement had been back and across and not falling back too much, and also, he has opened his stance which allowed him to counter the turning ball square of the wicket. With shorter and sharper movement and the front shoulder engaged more into the ball more effectively - his back-lift has always been high but in comparison to a few years back, his pick-up point has been quicker and effective.   

England would need this Root in India and one can hope this less-octane series has helped Root and England a lot to prepare for the tough tour.

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer on 26/01/2021 The classic Joe Root in Sri Lanka

Thank You

Faisal Caesar  

Let's talk about Australia

 

 In 1987, the young Australian team of Allan Border and Bob Simpson astonished everyone by lifting the Reliance World Cup in front of a jam-packed crowd at the Eden Gardens. The Australians landed on the subcontinent as the no-hopers, but as the tournament progressed they were seen upsetting the hot-favorites India and Pakistan and then arch-rivals England in the final. The City of Joy embraced them as one of their own, but despite being the World Champions, that Australian unit was still a project under development.

In the following season, they were beaten by Pakistan away and West Indies at home and losing at Brisbane, and Melbourne was still thought to be normal back then. Then, things started to change. The 90s and 2000s witnessed Brisbane becoming a fortress while it was hard for anyone to beat Australia in a Boxing Day Test. The baton of aura of invincibility was passed to Australia from West Indies in 1995 at Jamaica.

Even that greatness of Australia started to exhibit fragility and ultimately they became just a competitive unit – still Brisbane and Melbourne were their happy hunting ground. After the end of one of the most memorable Test series in recent times, Australia had been reduced to mortals in those two venues.

The last time Australia stumbled through an entire home Test match without a single batsman passing 50, against the mighty West Indies at the MCG in 1988 and the last time they lost at Brisbane was in 1988 against the same team.

The West Indies of the 80s could beat anyone and okay, it was acceptable, but if you lose against an injury-prone side who are relying on their bench strength – then questions do arise about the temperament of the team, who are widely known for their mental strength, ruthlessness, and professionalism.

Had the Indian batsmen not nicked at everything on that eventful session at Adelaide, where the Australian pacers were breathing fire – the scenario could have been different. Meanwhile, after the heat at Adelaide, the Australian bowling unit forgot to display the aggression and Spartan line and length throughout the series – it was there of course, but in patches more often – among the four frontline bowlers, if one bowler was seen bowling better the rest led the pressure ease.

Most importantly, the Australian batting unit frustrated throughout the series. They were below-par and none of them had the patience or the intent to fight like their counterparts.  The batting unit was playing without confidence or system, allowing the visitors to dictate terms.

Steve Smith was out of form – which was a surprise, Marnus Labuschagne gave away starts, and David Warner was seen eager to get out rather than playing sensibly while the rest of the batters were found wanting against an inexperienced attack. The execution of shots never matched the standards of Australian cricket and the shoulders started to drop as soon as the opponent piled up the pressure – even when Border and Simpson were shaping up that Australian unit after Reliance Cup, they exhibited fight rather than giving up too easily.    

Perhaps, Border’s proactive captaincy played a huge role in galvanizing the mentality of the side, but this time around, Tim Paine, neither matched the class nor the character of the Australian captains of the past. He was like a boy in a toy store running everywhere to choose his toys and shouting for nothing – the art of mental intimidation seemed to have lost the razor-sharp edge at the hands of Paine – they motivated the Indians rather than making them shaky.

It was Paine who looked extremely shaky and short of idea and mental strength.

Then, why the Australian bowlers targeted the body rather than attacking stumps – especially the top of off – remains a moot question! That was poor tactics from Australia and even this was not applied by Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie – they attacked the stumps consistently and chocked the life out of the visiting batsmen.

Well, how would one describe the track at Gabba? 

It was ideal for scoring runs rather than testing the batsmen whereas, the Gabba has always been famous for its bounce and pace. For the visitors, it posed a stern test – instead, the track for the fourth Test was like those used in the Indian Premier League. As Greg Chappell in his latest column on Sydney Morning Herald wrote, “However, when the team saw the colour of the Gabba pitch, alarm bells should have been ringing. This was never going to be the 'Gabbatoir'. It was more like a T20 pitch on day one, not the Gabba of old. How did they not see that?”

“I think there'll be huge fallout from this (defeat). There are not too many times that you lose to the second or third (choice) side,” Shane Warne was quoted as saying by Fox Cricket.

“Their (Australia) tactics will come into question, and they have to. Bowlers will come into question; people's spot in the team will come into question. It has to. You can’t just deflect it and flick it off and say India were too good for us,” he added.

“That's not taking anything away from those Indian guys that played but their first selection side, there are probably only two or three players in that side who would play,” Warne further said.

“Yes they were, but Australia had so many chances in this series to bury it and crush India, but they couldn't do it. They just couldn't do it,” he said.

“I think at times their tactics haven't been good enough, and I suppose that's got to come down to Tim Paine as captain,” he said.

“It's not just Tim Paine’s fault, the bowlers are allowed to say 'Tim I want to do this', and so it’s a combination between the bowlers and the captain. But at the end of the day, you are captain, you have to take responsibility. He'll be disappointed,” Warne signed off.

Ricky Ponting expressed 'shock' over the result.

“I'm quite shocked that Australia weren't quite good enough to win this series. The cold hard facts of it are pretty much that was the India A team that played this Test match and still won,” Ponting told cricket.com.au.

“Considering everything the Indian team has been through in the last five or six weeks, with the captain leaving, all the injuries they've had – they've been through 20 players – (Australia) have been at full-strength, bar Davey (Warner) missing early on, so it's really hard to comprehend.”

The statements of the two legendary Australian players sum up the state of Australia throughout the series.

India deserve all the credits for such a great feat, but Australia cannot deny the way they wasted the key moments, which is never the Australian way!

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 23/01/2021 Let's talk about Australia

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Only if Sri Lanka batted sensibly in the first innings

 

There was a time when the Sri Lankans were a different kettle of fish in their own backyard. Even the best of the teams found it tougher against the Lankans. But those were the days when Sri Lanka played with a lot of passion and they were a bunch of fitness freaks. Right now, even a gentle breeze would topple their batting and bowling unit because this team lacks the spirit and passion of their predecessors.

After the meek surrender in South Africa, the next challenge for the Lankans was England and it was in Galle, where, they hardly lost any Test matches. Well, they lose now and the reason is due to their lack of sense and sensibility.

Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat, which was the correct decision, but when they came out to bat, the batsmen made the decision a mere joke.

Lahiru Thirmanne and Kusal Perera were the openers.

Sri Lanka lost the services of their regular opener Dimuth Karunaratne due to injuries – God Dam, another one! How many more would be on that list in this ongoing series, who knows?

With the beautiful scenery in the background, Stuart Broad angled one in the middle and leg stump line in the seventh over, and neither Thirmanne moved his feet well not did he executed the shot with soft hands – an easy catch to leg slip.

That was cold, man!

But wait, there is more to come!

Kusal Perera, the history-maker in Test cricket with his magical 153 not out a couple of years back, attempted a reverse-sweep against Dominic Bess, and chipped one to the slips. Now, what was that reverse-sweep for in the tenth over of the day?

But before that, Kusal Mendis added another duck to his collection while exhibiting any conviction against a harmless leg-cutter from Broad. That was his fourth duck in a row.

At 3 for 25, Angelo Mathews and the stand-in skipper Dinesh Chandimal arrested the collapse, but it was temporary.

Mathews attempted to cut a delivery from Broad, that was not short, but he thought it was and the outcome was poor and in the next over, Chandimal watched the well-flight delivery tossed up by Bess and decided to go after it rather than handling it with composure – the fielder at cover took the catch and a collapse was inevitable.

3 for 81 becomes 5 for 81 and then it was 6 for 105 when Niroshan Dickwella made a mess of a long hop from Bess – weight going back for the cut shot and the ball looped to backward point.

 

The last four wickets fell for 30 runs and Sri Lanka posted just 135 runs in the first innings.

It was an abysmal batting display by the top and middle-order batsmen from Sri Lanka on a deck, where batting was not an impossible task. What required the most was the application and sadly, Sri Lanka lack it very much!

When England batted, Joe Rot showed how it can be done.

Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley went cheaply, but Root led from the front.

He went onto notch a double hundred and the sweep shot had been one of the most productive strokes during that knock. The ease with which Root amassed his runs might give a somewhat misleading impression about the nature of this pitch. His composure marshaled the innings and ensured others the confidence to move on.

On the other hand, the Lankans failed to exploit the conditions and more often failed to adjust their line and length. The five bowlers Sri Lanka used leaked more than 3.5 runs an over, which gives the impression of how below-par they had been, whereas, in the course of time, they were expected to bore fruits from the Galle track.

When Sri Lanka started their second innings, they were already trailing by 286 runs, but this time around, the much-needed application was seen. Thirimanne, Perera, and Mathews rediscovered their lost mojo and tried their best to avoid an innings defeat and not repeat the mediocrity of the first innings.

But it was too late to avoid the defeat and only if Sri Lanka batted sensibly in the first innings, things could have been different in the fourth innings, where England experienced a bit of hiccup while chasing 74 runs.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 20/01/2021 Only if Sri Lanka batted sensibly in the first innings

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

India stun Australia at Brisbane

 

If you are fighting, then let the world witness how well you fight. Rather than getting knocked out after all your efforts, let the bruises on your face and body become the symbol of victory. If your feet are stuck in the quicksand, then just don’t wait for the earth to devour you—crawl back to get out of the dark hole. Let the world witness your grit, your patience, and how adversity motivates you.

 Don’t lose.

 Don’t give up.

 Keep trying.  

 Fortune favours the brave.

Back in December 1977, Australia met a strong Indian unit in Brisbane. Bishan Bedi floored the Australians in the first innings while India were undone by a rather inexperienced Australian bowling attack. Australia summoned Bob Simpson to salvage the pride of the Australian cricket and the veteran responded with 89 in the second innings as Australia gave India 341 to win the Test. The legendary Sunil Gavaskar led from the front and despite the fall of wickets, India kept the hopes alive and in the end, fell short by 16 runs. India lost the series by 3-2.

 Gabba witnessed a classic on that day and in the 80s, Australia have a bitter experience at the venue against England, New Zealand, and West Indies. Brisbane used to set the tempo for the visitors and the outcomes were frustrating for the home side.

 In 1988, at the Gabba, the mighty West Indians gunned down Australia and since then, Brisbane has been a fort for the Aussies for almost three decades. Be it a strong England, South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, or India; whoever played in Brisbane, failed to breach the unbeaten record of Australia in Brisbane. You can smile at Adelaide or Sydney, but not in Brisbane.  

But on December 18, 2021 – it was the visitors - who were seen flying their flag with pride in Brisbane.

Over the years a lot of things have changed in cricket.

There are no teams with the aura of invincibility.

There are no undisputed champions of world cricket like Clive Lloyd’s West Indies or Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting’s Australia, rather, the power has shifted to the east – India pick up the phone calls and responds to the tough challenges away from home and in Australia, for the last 17 years or so, they have been showing the world how to play better cricket down under.

 The Border-Gavaskar Trophy has become iconic since Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman played that marathon innings to orchestrate a legendary turnaround. The Ashes has its own tradition and charm, the Pataudi Trophy is still trying its best to emerge as a serious contender the Wisden Trophy has lost its shine, The Warne-Murali Trophy along with the Trans-Tasman and Frank-Worrell Trophy is one-way traffic and there is no charm in the Basil D’Oliveira Trophy either, while India and Pakistan do not play Test series anymore. Thus, apart from the Ashes, only the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has kept Test cricket alive amid the claims – Test cricket is dying.  

Well, Test cricket is not dying, but yet again, it is evident that no other format in cricket can match the dramatic twists and turns of Test cricket.

All was lost after the disgrace in Adelaide, but then team India started to try and get out of the mess. Setbacks after setbacks kept on testing the temperament of India, but adversity kept on motivating this young team, who decided to take the blows and face the heat in the middle – it was Australia who melted under pressure!

After the epic Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), India came to Brisbane without rest of the major players – you can easily claim, it was the other Indian unit, which was getting ready to face the heat at the Gabba. Guess what, astonishingly, the young team under Ajinkya Rahane gathered around and pulled their socks up to take the charm of Test cricket to the next level.

The Indian bowlers attacked the stumps better than the Australians, while the batters displayed better character to keep the Test alive – even in defeat there has to be a lot of pride involved and a bit more push could help achieve the impossible goal.

At Brisbane, there was that hunger of Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur, the classic touch of Shubman Gill, and the wild spirit of Rishabh Pant, but it seems, all will forget the contributions of Cheteshwar Pujara again.

If the Indians were able to breach the record at Brisbane then it was only because of the steely resolve of Pujara. His snail-paced batting earned him harsh criticism from the so-called modern-day cricket pundits, but it is hard to believe that such so-called modern-day pundits know the game better than fans like us and keeping in mind their vast experience and knowledge about the game on and off the field, how could they deny the importance of creating the foundation for the rest remains less understood.

Glorifying the Franchise Leagues will fetch money and help to hog the limelight more, but at least, one expects such pundits to speak the truth so that the next generation understands the value of patience and skill and intricacies of Test cricket.        

Had Pujara not lain the foundation with his snail-paced batting then it would have never been possible for the young guns to push for the victory. It is very important to install steadiness at one end so that a sudden collapse does not engulf the whole innings. Pujara’s value was unquestionable in Melbourne, Sydney, and in Brisbane, he was more than impactful.

Day 5 was the start of a day full of stiff challenges for Pujara, who was hit on the helmet thrice during the day. That was apart from a blow to the thumb that had him floored for over five minutes, and several bruises in the mid-riff and upper body as he endured to 8 off 94 at one point.

After almost 5 overs, Pujara had faced 62 short or short-of-good-length balls from the fast bowlers and been out of control against only ten of them. Of the ones he didn't control, Pujara looked up for taking the blows – the strategy of occupying the crease frustrated the Australian bowlers as fatigue set in.

 While Pujara was taking the blows and dug deeper, his partners flourished.

 And, the tri-colour was flying proudly in Australia at the end of a dramatic day of Test cricket.  

 India did the victory lap at the Gabba.

 They conquered adversity and made Test cricket proud. They had been the worthy winner in this series against a side that failed to exploit the conditions and displayed some poor batting and bowling throughout the series. But Australia’s average display becomes irrelevant in front of the brave display of the Indians – it is their time to celebrate. It is their time to bask in the glory.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

Flop Hazard

 

One year ago, Real Madrid started and finished their Spanish Super Cup campaign in style. The fans think that it set the tone for the rest of the season, even though the Los Blancos experienced a fair amount of ups and downs, still managed to lift their 34th La Liga title, and successes in the Spanish Cup or Copa Del Ray always play the role of a motivating factor in taking big strides.

A year later, Real Madrid discover themselves crash out of the Spanish Cup after Raul Garcia scored twice at the Estadio La Rosaleda in Malaga.

A month after earning an early red card against Los Blancos in league action, Raul Garcia got his revenge with a pair of first-half goals. A Karim Benzema score made for a nervy finish, but in the end, the Basque side hung on to punch their ticket to the final, where they will face Barcelona.

Athletic did not allow Madrid to settle and they were in front in the 18th minute when Dani Garcia picked up a sloppy pass from Lucas Vazquez and threaded an incisive ball through for the unmarked Raul Garcia to slot beyond Thibaut Courtois.

Having flashed a venomous shot wide, Garcia seven minutes from time as Athletic continued to keep the Los Blancos at bay with their persistent pressing.

Another sloppy work from Vazquez proved to be costly, the defender bundling over Inigo Martinez and Garcia sending Courtois the wrong way with an expertly taken spot-kick seven minutes before the break.

Iker Muniain ought to have put Athletic three goals to the good when he nodded Oscar De Marcos' cross wide of the near post from close range.

Asensio twice came close to halving the deficit in quick succession, rattling the near post from close range before striking the crossbar with a rasping long-range drive.

Benzema pulled one back when he was ruled onside following a VAR check after the flagged was initially raised with 17 minutes remaining.

Benzema had the ball in the back of the net again but this time he was ruled to be offside after Courtois denied Asier Villalibre and Sergio Ramos headed just wide.

During the stoppage time, Unai Nunez, on his way to the ground after a struggle with Marco Asensio, appeared to handle the ball, but play continued until Sergio Ramos went to ground himself in search of a penalty.

VAR started a review and the focus appeared to be on the incident involving Ramos. However, it was the handball incident that was being checked, even though that wasn't shown on the live broadcast of the game.

Asensio himself commented on the incident after the game.

“It hit him on the hand,” the winger said.

But, after more than a minute, the decision was made that there was no handball and the game continued.

But that was it – Atletico Bilbao advanced.

Zinedine Zidane went with the same starting XI that played to a scoreless draw at Osasuna over the weekend, with Eden Hazard getting another chance up top, while Lucas Vazquez was once again back in for Dani Carvajal at right-back.

Vazquez had a night to forget – he has been very consistent, but last night, his sloppiness cost Real Madrid badly.

But, yet again, Hazard played a match and Real Madrid lost the way. This has been happening quite consistently and cannot be just a mere coincidence. Hazard played more centrally and yet failed to create any sort of impact throughout the match - Eden Hazard failed to complete a single take-on in his 66 minutes on the pitch, lost the possession six times, and missed one big chance.

 Yet again, he disturbed the balance - started on the right, whereas he is more of a player suited to the left. Asensio went to the left and it was better, but Hazard is not an all-round genius like the Galaticos that he would suit at the right. Guess what, the balance was lost. He moved centrally and wandered from his position giving the impression, he was a ship without the radar. 

Neither could he link up well with others nor could he set the tempo which was always expected since he donned the white shirt.

Zidane consistently says to have patience with Hazard, but in Real Madrid, it is all about the best who comes here and deliver. The slow starts don’t stay for almost two years – rather a player takes little time to rediscover his mojo and when he gains the momentum, he strikes gold. If a player takes this much time like Hazard to regain his momentum then, sorry, he does not belong to Real Madrid.

The sooner Real Madrid realize this, the better it would be for them.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 15/01/2021 Flop Hazard

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

Down but not out

 

“At Melbourne and Sydney, India have glorified Test cricket and showed the world how tough cricket can be and it is not everyone’s cup of tea – those teams, including their followers and media persons, who have disturbed the balance of Test cricket and made it a mockery for the sake of short-cut success and cash, should learn from this series – Test cricket is the ultimate accolade and this format creates legends”

People come to see fours and sixes in the stadium is a concept created by the so-called experts in cricket, who are sponsored by the owners of teams in the circus shows – T20 leagues. Cricket is a game, which gains its momentum in the longer formats – a bowler is left thinking about his options, a captain trying hard to maneuver the field and chalk out a plan to bag wickets, and the batsmen in the middle would put a price tag on his wicket to make the contest simmering.

Can this game be decided by a Twenty-over match?

Never, ever!

Cricket has always been about the exhibition of the toughest customers and not those without cozones.

How tough and skillful you are, you would be tested in a Test match and in the 50-over format to an extent.

The bat is not made only to play shots closing your eyes and hit fours and sixes, but it can transform into a fort to save the day and salvage pride.

On December 3, 2020, New Zealand and Pakistan were involved in an epic encounter at Bay Oval. The Pakistanis changed their colours, which they usually do from nowhere, and gave New Zealand and every one the impression, they could produce something special.

Fawad Alam and Mohammad Rizwan stitched an inspiring fifth-wicket stand and at one point they were in a situation, where it was sensible enough to save the Test rather than going for the win and playing strokes.

Pakistan went for the win and lost, whereas a draw could have helped to boost the fragile confidence of a fragile unit.

 A few weeks later, their neighbours, India, discovered themselves in a similar situation, but rather than being too adventurous, they exhibited the character and defied all the odds to essay one of the greatest fight-backs in the history of Test cricket.  

On the fourth day Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma came out to bat and the mutual feeling of an Indian defeat had etched in the minds of everyone. They had to chase 407 runs in the fourth innings in 130-plus overs - Now, for a team, which is crippled down by injuries and would not have the service of their skipper, survival would be a tough ask, let alone winning the Test.

Rohit and Gill got off to a start in the first over and they were sailing smoothly, but Australia struck back late and went for the dressing room smiling because, surely, they were on the driving seat and a victory would be just a formality on Day 5!

But you know what, there is someone named Cheteshwar Pujara in the Indian unit, who can keep the Indians awake in the early winter morning when the sun is yet to come out and the cold waves get under your skin and bones. Perhaps, very few in India were still awake to witness the first session of the Test with the hope that Che might….might just bring up one of his defiant resistance and save India!

But, after toiling under the sun for 40 overs across the two innings, Nathan Lyon bagged a wicket in the early part of the first session – Ajinkya Rahane had neutralized those length balls from Lyon on the front foot at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but Lyon had some extra-drift on the delivery, which Rahane could not avoid on full-stretch as the edge went to short-leg, where Matthew Wade took the catch.

A collapse was around the corner and when Rishab Pant came out to bat, it was a surprise because Pant was injured and As Ravichandran Ashwin said, “The bruise was quite severe and it was quite painful. The elbow can be a very tricky place to deal with.” Still, still and still, Pant came out to bat – it was bolder enough from the wicketkeeper, while tactically, it was a good-move with the ball around 50-60 overs old, things would be easier for Pant to play his shots or resist.

Guess what, the scenario of the Test started to change, and with each over passing by, it was Australia who started to think, this test might go down the wire.

Pant started to flex his muscles while at the other end, Pujara was like a saint – calm, composed and even an atom bomb would not be able to deter Che from his mission.

Pant was on 5 off 33 balls – getting the basics of occupying the crease but before that, he was reprieved on 3 as Tim Paine failed to grab the chance and received few blows on his body from Cummins on the thumb and once on the helmet, before he tore into Lyon.  

The mid-on was up and Pant took Lyon to the cleaners by smashing a boundary by dancing down the ground and then a six off successive deliveries, before fetching two more boundaries in the next over. Lyon changed ends, but it did not help to escape the onslaught – he charged down the wicket to hit sixes despite watching the long-on and long off positioned to grab the scalp.

Pant was reprieved again by Paine while batting on 56 and denied Lyon of revenge. After lunch, his Lyon-tormenting mission continued and he executed some punchy-strokes off the pacers as well. While batting on 97, Pant stepped out to punish Lyon and edged one to the backward point – a scintillating century-stand came to an end and when Pujara was outclassed by the wily Josh Hazlewood, the hopes waned, but for displaying character, the Indians already won the day.

Talk about character, before the thrilling final 3 and a half hours, it was Che who had been the embodiment of steely resolve. One could not trace chink in the back lift and defnece of Che while his footwork remained astute when he was maneuvering the strike. The Australian pacers tried to test him with the shorter ones and those corridor-of-uncertainty deliveries, but Che would defend and leave, made the bowlers and fielders toil hard under the hot sun. He dug deeper and deeper until roots grew beneath his feet and was like the elder brother to Pant’s fluency – let the kid have fun and let me take all the toll.

The foundation was laid by Pujara, Pant capitalized and it was up to Hanuma Vihari and Ashwin to carry on.

40 overs were left for the day.   

Vihari had a hamstring problem.

Ashwin had a bad back.

Both of them were down but not out!

Lyon sent down 46 relentless overs, Hazlewood was generating reverse swing, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins threw everything towards Vihari and Ashwin – length ball outside off at pace, fullish ones at pace, back of a length with a varied pace, shorter ones targeting the body, attacking the top of offstump and middle, and yorkers – both of them were made to play with as many as five fielders around the bat at times.

Cannonballs were thrown at Ashwin by Cummins and Hazlewood, but he took blows on his arms, shoulders, chest, and abdomen, and was even given out caught behind the second ball after tea before replays showed there was no glove or bat. Ashwin edged, but they fell safe and when he attacked a short ball with a rare pull on 15, Abbott dropped him at square leg, and at the fag end of the day, Paine dropped Vihari – fortune favours the brave!

Unable to change the strike consistently, Vihari and Ashwin put a price tag on their wicket.

It was an epic vigil of more than 3 and a half hours, where Vihari ended up facing 161 deliveries for 23 Ashwin plucked 39 from 128 deliveries.

It was the third-longest sixth-wicket stand for India in the fourth innings and the first time since 1979 that India had batted for over 132 overs in the fourth innings of a Test.

After digesting the shame of 36 at Adelaide, two back-to-back fightbacks from such a wounded unit simply leaves everyone out of words.

At Melbourne and Sydney, India have glorified Test cricket and showed the world how tough cricket can be and it is not everyone’s cup of tea – those teams, including their followers and media persons, who have disturbed the balance of Test cricket and made it a mockery for the sake of short-cut success and cash, should learn from this series – Test cricket is the ultimate accolade and this format creates legends.    

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 11/01/2021 Down but not out

Thank You

Faisal Caesar