City of Joy?
By Gaurang
December 4 2012
Despite the reams of newsprint and hours of screen time spent on the topic of the pitch at Eden Gardens Kolkata, the bottom line is that the team that plays better cricket over a sustained period of time will emerge victorious
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is right in saying that Indian pitches should have bounce and turn, and just because England's spinners outbowled India's in the 2nd Test in Mumbai we should not revert to flat "patta" wickets. What is not wanted is a treacherous dust bowl that turns square from day one. Then the outcome becomes a lottery.
The pitch in Mumbai was just fine. England won, not because they were lucky, but because they played better cricket. In fact the look of crestfallen disappointment on Alistair Cook's face when he learnt that he had again lost the toss said more than a thousand words about the lack of luck for England. When the first ball that a visibly nervous Monty Panesar bowled was a rank full toss, the English dressing room must have let out a collective sigh, and the Barmy Army prepared for a long couple of days enjoying the tropical weather if not much else at Wankhede.
But when Monty bowled Sehwag and then Tendulkar before lunch on the first day, England began to turn things around. Cheteshwar Pujara and R. Ashwin were the only batsman among the Indians who played like they understood what to do in these conditions. The others, it seemed had forgotten to bat in spin friendly conditions. Of course England naturally struggeled in spin friendly conditions but the batting of Captain Cook and Superbat Kevin Pietersen showed that even foreigners if they apply themselves could prosper in these conditions. It was a true test of a batsman's skill and Cook and Pietersen showed why they are so highly rated. Despite the constant attention on the pitch by all and sundry, it did not play much of a role in the match, except to keep it from becoming a dead wicket draw.
In the 3rd Test both teams will find Kolkata cooler that Mumbai, and there will be swing and maybe even seam movement at the start of each day. Looking back at the names of the bowlers who have succeeded in India v. England clashes in Kolkata there is a nice mix of all kinds... from spinners like Bedi, Chandra, Underwood, and Harbhajan to pacemen like Willis and Old. England and India both have the bowlers and batsmen to prosper in the conditions likely to be found in the 3rd Test starting in a few hours. So despite all the hullabaloo about the wicket, the team for whom the Eden will be the City of Joy will be the one that plays the best over the entire duration of the match.
Right now with the series tied 1-1 and the momentum shifting to England a bit, but in reality both sides are quite capable of winning, and for once a Test series is unfolding like series between well matched teams should, in an absorbing saga of battles that seesaw until the end. This can only be good for Test cricket.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:12:30:05:43:06 by Birbal.
After such a slow start, he has to simply go on to make a big score in order to benefit the team.
India - World Cup winners 2011!!!
Champions Trophy winners 2013!!!
Congrats to Indian team and all Indian fans!
Tendulkar and Kohli have added 4 runs in 26 balls...how the hell can you win a match by batting like this on day 1?
India - World Cup winners 2011!!!
Champions Trophy winners 2013!!!
Congrats to Indian team and all Indian fans!
India - World Cup winners 2011!!!
Champions Trophy winners 2013!!!
Congrats to Indian team and all Indian fans!
Quote:Meet_New_Mr_India
Dhoni needs to play a cameo by adding 50 runs more and he can do that by playing aggressively.. no point in playing too much defence that consumed pujara, kohli and UV.. Ishant can keep company so there is a chance we can reach 350..
Dhoni actually has an awesome Test record at Eden Gardens, so he can knock off a few more if he gets support:
4 matches - 385 runs - 144 high score - 192.50 average - 2 100's
Lovely to watch the skill with Reverse of Anderson, the batting genius of Tendulkar... he cut out the high risk shots...and though scratchy in the begining began to flourish once past 30...the twinkle toe foot work of Gambhir... the excellent fielding both catching and ground of England...
Would much rather watch a hard fought 300 in a day with 6-7 wickets than a 500 for 2
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:12:05:23:39:50 by Birbal.
But my basic premise that the pitch is NOT going to be raging turner, but a normal Eden Gardens pitch requiring application, skill and will... has been proved correct...