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I feel India should declare on their overnight score of 384 for 6 and try and get stuck into the Bangladesh batsmen on a fresh pitch. With 2 days gone and 3 more to play — probably rain-marred — this may be the best (perhaps only?) result-oriented solution. If nothing, it will be a declaration of intent.

Views?

– Mohan

December, 10 2005. That was the last time Tendulkar scored a test ton. Ten test matches and 17 innings later, he managed to score another century - but he just managed to get there. He got out for 101 trying to go for a pull shot to a ball bowled outside the off stump.

Ganguly also got to a hundred before he got out in similar fashion. India have squandered what would have been a wonderful position if both wickets had remained intact. At the time of writing this post, Dhoni was looking good having scored 34 of 29 balls. It remains to be seen if Dhoni and the tail can take the score to 400 and beyond.

Quite disappointed, actually. I was expecting big hundreds from both Saurav and Sachin…

-Mahesh-

Mohan raised an interesting point about Dhoni not having done anything special in tests. Quickly looking at the stats, it indeed seems to be the case. His match saving 148 against Pakistan when India were 5-281 facing a mammoth 588 was truly a remarkable innings. He has had only 2 scores over 50 in the 18 innings since and I believe he is not been playing to his full potential. Dropping Laxman for the 1st test must have surely sent strong signals to everyone else in the team and with Karthik breathing down Dhoni’s neck, I hope he does lift his game… 

-Mahesh-

At the end of the first days’ play in the 1st Test between India and Bangladesh, India sits pretty. The batsmen have done their job, one may feel. But, given the incongruous team selection (despite Vish’s comments to the contrary) I feel that Bangladesh is still very much in the game. As Mortaza commented at the end of the days’ play, a few early wickets — even one early wicket, in my view — will expose India’s tail (which would make Hanuman proud!).

I am happy to be proved wrong, but I still do not rate Dhoni as a Test batsman. He hasn’t done anything special to convice me of his standing as a genuine ‘keeper-batsman in Tests — which is the main reason why I am miffed at the Yuvraj-Laxman combine warming the benches in this Test! Dhoni is not quite in the Gilchrist-Sangakkara-Boucher mode in Tests, in my view. And now we have Matt Prior joining the ranks of genuine ‘keeper-batsmen!

So, in my view, the job that Ganguly and Tendulkar have commenced is only half done. India need at least another 100 from this pair. The combine batted sensibly to first gauge the wicket, blunt the attack and then cut loose for a while. They certainly moved into 1st gear, as I had predicted. However, the difference between past occassions (notably the 3rd Test against South Africa) and yesterday was that the two batsman did not stay in 1st gear! While the quality of the Bangladesh bowling and the pitch certainly had a role to play, Ganguly and tendulkar certainly seemed to be batting to a plan.

And it worked.

However, their job is only half complete. They need to work on this foundation, bat out the first hour and score runs at pace to cement this foundation. A distaster scenario would see India lose a few quick early wickets. This could see India all out for 350 or so. I know this is sheer pessimism but surely we’ve all been there, done that!

– Mohan

On a flat, slow track where the ball occasionally kept low, India won the toss and decided to bat first (which was a no brainer, really). Taking the hot, humid conditions and the pitch into consideration, India went with five bowlers and a long tail that even Hanuman would have been proud of.

The Indian batsman had to deliver and in spite of a golden duck from Jaffar of the first ball of the innings, the batsmen did deliver. Dravid and Karthik scored half centuries, but threw away their wickets. With three wickets back in the Pavilion and only Dhoni to follow, both Sachin and Saurav batted cautiously at the start, but eventually opened up to remain unbeaten on 80 and 82 respectively.

The job is only half done though - India need to put a 500+ on this flat track playing first and both players in the middle will have to score well above 100 to put India in command.

Here are some links to reports on the day’s play -

• Vijay Lokapally writes India progress well as Bangladesh fails to capitalise on thrilling start (The Hindu)
• Sidharth Monga writes India play to their plan (CricInfo)
• Saurav, Sachin reign after early blows, writes Ajay S Shankar (Indian Express)
• Atul Sondhi says Jaffar’s flop show is getting longer. (Hindustan Times)
• Stalwarts keep flay flying, writes Sumit Mukherjee, while Karthik in his interview says that This match has to be won by bowlers (Times of India)
• Seniors shine - not on screen, writes Nilesh Bhattacharya (The Telegraph)
• India make hay after early setback, writes Harish Kotian (Rediff)

-Mahesh-

Here is the CricInfo commentary from that eventful over. Kamran Akmal had just played out a maiden at the other end before Afridi went berserk -

38.1
Bandara to Shahid Afridi, FOUR, This is too easy now, Bandara flights it outside off and Afridi jumps down the track yet again, tries to go over cover but the thickish outside edge flies away over point for a four. Boom boom

Around the wicket from Bandara now

38.2
Bandara to Shahid Afridi, FOUR, change of angle matters little now. It’s tossed up and Afridi arrives, even before the ball is delivered, and creams it down the ground for a blistering four. Straight and hard - the best way we guess. Boom boom

Over the wicket this time

38.3
Bandara to Shahid Afridi, SIX, Shot of the day. must be, a flat-batted six to beat all flat-batted hits. Flatter this time and he charges again, tonks it sensationally through extra-cover for a six. Boom boom boom

38.4
Bandara to Shahid Afridi, SIX, And this is bigger, much bigger. Thrash, bang, wallop. Similar formula, down the ground and blasts it way over extra cover for a huge six. That’s massive. Thunder bolts flying around now

38.5
Bandara to Shahid Afridi, SIX, Miscued and that’s six more, he tries to whack it over long-on but the thick edge howitzers over long-off for another six. The fielder can’t get to it

38.6
Bandara to Shahid Afridi, SIX, What an over. Ends with a flourish, down the ground and plasters it back over the bowler’s head for a huge hit. 446666 - the second most expensive over in one-dayers. Only behind Herschelle Gibbs. Blitz, boom, bash, bosh. Bring them on

-Mahesh- 

What is happening to the Indian fast bowlers? Sreesanth has gone back home injured and Munaf is due to join him. Munaf’s condition is especially worrying given the frequency of his break down. I am not sure of the seriousness of his injury yet, but surely this should put a serious question mark on his inclusion in the England tour.

Unlike the Bangladesh tour, where we could have even done away with just one fast bowler (Zaheer Khan partnering with Ganguly! - Ok, that’s a bit of a stretch, but not entirely unthinkable), the England tour will need 3 genuine fast bowlers in the playing eleven. Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth should be expected to fill the first two spots, and with Munaf out of the way, the 3rd spot should go to a good swing bowler. It is a pity Irfan Pathan is not in the radar any more. Being a decent bat, he would have been the ideal candidate.

All eyes will be on RP and VRV Singh in this match, and possibly Ishant in the next. But the pitches being unfavourable to fast bowlers, they may just not be able to show what they are capable of. This series is probably going to raise more questions than it answers…

-Mahesh-

Who should be the ‘other’ opener to partner Jaffer? Karthik, was specifically chosen for the job because the selectors feel he is the best around. The only other guy who could have made it was Gambhir. Given that Karthik was slotted as an opener, he did come out and score a good fifty to give India some respectability after the fall of Jaffer. But the question is about depth in the batting. We dropped Yuvraj and Laxman and chose Dhoni. Now that is raising a lot of eyebrows. Why two wicketkeepers? Firstly Karthik is not in the wicketkeeping scheme of things at the moment. The conditions do not allow a wk to keep and open the batting. If Laxman or Yuvraj play instead of Dhoni/Karthik then who opens? Dravid should not open. All one drop players in the world should be ready to come in if a wicket falls even on the first ball. But they need not and should not open. Sachin and Sourav are not in the opening scheme of things. Yuvraj is not even in any kind of test form to be asked to open. And Laxman hates that job. So what can be done???

- Sanjay

I do not believe this Indian team that’s been selected for the 1st Test against Bangladesh! I do not believe that this is the right one at all… Surely!

With Munaf Patel injured, I agree they had no choice but to go in with 5 bowlers. With a “fit and searching” Munaf Patel, questions may have been asked of the Bangladeshi players. However, the moment he was injured, the team was perhaps right in opting for a 5-bowler strategy — especially given the hot and humid conditions that the team will, no doubt, face in this Test match. Given the personnel that the team had to chose from, the choice of Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, VRV Singh, Anil Kumble and R. Powar was perhaps right.

What I cannot, however, fathom is the batting. It just lacks depth. And the presence of two wicketkeepers in the team — especially given the five-bowler scenario — is befuddling, to say the least!

Given the hands-tied-behind-back scenario the team had opted for by going in with only one specialist opener, I’d have taken Karthik as opener and ‘keeper and gone in with an additional batsman — either Yuvraj Singh or VVS. Laxman. Currently, this batting lacks depth.

I predict that this will put Tendulkar and Ganguly into 1st gear mode especially if 2-3 wickets wickets fall early (a la the 3rd Test against South Africa).

Expect the worst guys!

– Mohan

Munaf Patel has been declared injured and is to go back home. The Delhi medium pacer Ishant Sharma has been asked to join the team. This explains why RP Singh is in the XI ahead of Munaf.

- Sanjay