< 1 minute readThe summer of 2007. A young Kanye West was riding high in the charts and foot and mouth was sweeping the nation. In cricket, an India team featuring Rahul Dravid and RP Singh was touring England and enjoying a certain amount of success. Harking back to those halcyon days, India’s
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Bowling fitness for a modern Test series
2 minute readBeing stupidly fit is one of the greatest attributes a fast bowler can have. Accuracy and the ability to seam or swing the ball are entry requirements. Beyond that, you elevate yourself above your rivals by making the most of those strengths for longer. So many backs Fitness is even
Continue readingSuresh Raina and the short ball
< 1 minute readDear Short Ball, I would be most grateful if you would come round later on. I will pull out all the stops for you. You can sit in my armchair. I will bring you drinks. I even have some of your favourite cake. Don’t worry about replying. All of this
Continue readingThe Test rankings are pretty accurate, but…
2 minute readA lot of people quibble with the ICC’s Test rankings, but we think they’re pretty good. The rankings are more weighty than simply saying which is the best team at any given moment. They reward sustained excellence. You can say that they should recognise which is the best team right
Continue readingPlaying England is no fun for India
< 1 minute readIt is like being in a broken submarine at the bottom of the sea. England are the water. England don’t hammer to get in. They just apply constant force. Every now and again, one of the Indian crew wonders whether they’ve somehow floated to the surface and opens the door
Continue readingWhen India allowed Ian Bell to carry on batting at Trent Bridge
< 1 minute readCricket action stops and starts and we didn’t feel very comfortable with someone being run-out when pretty much everyone on the field had stopped playing. We don’t care too much about the technical rights and wrongs and everyone on the field seemed to share those feelings once they’d had a
Continue readingRahul Dravid can cope with a good pitch
< 1 minute readThis is a good pitch. It has led to good cricket. A one-day pitch can be flat, because the game progresses with each over, but Test matches progress with the fall of wickets. When a match is progressing, other events other than wickets also matter more. It is how Test
Continue readingEngland beat the eight men of India
< 1 minute readHyperbole, but not entirely unwarranted. Sometimes a pint of dour dissatisfaction and a willingness to take the negatives doesn’t do you any harm. India had the misfortune of having three players handicapped by a perennially twangy hammy, a pock-marked elbow and the wild shits. This wasn’t their fault. They also
Continue readingEngland need to take their chance
< 1 minute readWe well remember the first Test of India’s last tour, which is weird, because we were in Canada for all but the final day. But it’s that final day that’s important here. Nine wickets down, MS Dhoni blocked the shit out of it and for England, that was the difference
Continue readingGet The Wall on the board
< 1 minute readIt’s not the usual way round, but it makes a lot of sense if you follow cricket. Rahul Dravid should be on the Lord’s honours board. And now he is. After Dravid made his hundred, there were a lot of people implying that he has played in the shadow of
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