Sachin scores 99
Optimist: Sachin is back in form. He is getting his eye and will soon get into rhythm.
Pessimist: 99 runs in 140 plus balls. Hardly any sign of dominating of the attack. He struggled against the pace and lift of Ntini & Nel. If he cannot be his domineering self he is better off down the order.
Optimist: The wicket was difficult. It was not easy to drive early. India had lost 2 quick wickets. We needed someone to anchor the innings. If Sachin had not batted the way he did, we would have gotten all out for 120.
Pessimist: I can understand his slow start. But once he completed 70 plus runs and India were around 160 odd for 2 at about 37 overs, he was just pushing sigles and working towards his hundred. He should have accelerated at that time.
Optimist: If Sachin was playing for the hundred he would never have got run out on 99.
Pessimist: Instead he got run out when he shouldn’t have. It was a pointless run anyway and he forgot that he is not as quick as he used to be.
Optimist: Anyway Sachin is back in form and that’s what’s important.
Pessimist: Anyway India lost the match so it is not that important.
- Sanjay
11 responses so far ↓
Straight Point // 28 June 2007 at 3:15 am
To
Optimist: its not about about sachin but Team India
Pessimist: its not about about sachin but Team India
gnbmdr // 28 June 2007 at 4:44 am
I guess, it is ok to be optimistic at the start of the England tour. But at end of the series, we need to be realistic and understand the team’s strengths and weaknesses.
Sachin was pushing for easy singles, even beyond the 30th over. Rahul Dravid is also not a good slogger. One of them should have cut loose. This situation puts pressure on the guys coming down the order, to push the run rate in limited number of overs.
one question,
BCCI scheduled these matches in Ireland, when it is so cold ~ 10 - 15 C. Less than a month back, in Bangladesh in scorching Sun, when players were dehydrated.
IIRC, BCCI scheduled a match at Chennai during the rainy season and the match was washed out. Someone, filed a law-suit for refund of the ticket .
Srikanth Mangalam // 28 June 2007 at 11:40 am
Well said, Sanjay.
I3J3 meets Cricinfo - another way of looking at it…
Chandan // 28 June 2007 at 3:42 pm
My question to the pessimist: what exactly did you want? India will win only when the whole team contributes, not only Sachin. Which other batsman even crossed 20 in such tough conditions?
Chandan // 28 June 2007 at 3:43 pm
Apart from Dravid of course!
mohankaus // 28 June 2007 at 7:03 pm
Pessimists don’t normally care about issues like that Chandan… At least the optimist has hope on their side! Bring on the pragmatist, I say
Vish2000 // 28 June 2007 at 11:20 pm
SA put ther best team on the park while India did’nt (or rather could’nt).
In the final analysis, the difference was RP Singh’s ‘wide’ freebies and the lack of acceleration in the last 7 overs.
With RP, Rohit Sharma and Powar back in the bench for Sreesanth, Dhoni and Agarkar we are likely to play our best eleven - a team which has the potential to win the next game.
As Mohan mentioned in his blog (India lose to RSA: A few lessons) Yuvraj occupies an important role, that of a finisher. If he fires, then, Game on!
- Pragmatist
Enthu // 29 June 2007 at 12:27 am
Pessimist is also a realist. In the end, there is no doubting the fact that Sachin’s innings killed the match.
http://cricket4ever.blogspot.com/
gnbmdr // 29 June 2007 at 1:52 am
Not sure if Sachin can be held responsible for the loss. I definitely feel that he or Dravid should have pushed the score a bit beyond 35+ overs.
I would assume that Sachin must be thinking, if he and Dravid were to get out, India under-staffed, India could be bundled out in less than 50 overs.
Yuvraj needs to step up big time since he is a Grade A player
Also Ganguly, he also has to prove detractors (like me !) wrong, by scoring match-winning centuries (not selfish scores) against quality teams away from India.
I agree with the rationale that the loss can be attributed to India not being to able field the best side in this match. Some of it also selection and there should be some accountability.
I can not understand Ghambir selection. RP Singh is a rookie. He is going to have bad games and hopefully learn from it. Zaheer was not able to have the same effect as the SA bowlers ?
Raj // 29 June 2007 at 2:34 am
Nicely put!! maybe mimics how people actually feel and also shows how much of a difference perspective makes!! I think Sachin and the others in Team India have been listening to the wrong voices in their heads. “If you think you can or if you think you can not, you are right either way” -Henry Ford.
Superunknown // 4 July 2007 at 5:19 pm
Shoo away the pessimists, author. India won 2-1 and Sachin Tendulkar scored emphatic 93 in 2nd game, which India won. So sorry for critics, who now will have to keep their fickle mouth shut…..
Leave a Comment