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[OldPal]

Eng - choose to ball.
England team
 AN Cook, MJ Prior, IR Bell, KP Pietersen, PD Collingwood, RS Bopara, OA Shah, SCJ Broad, JM Anderson, MS Panesar, J Lewis 
 
 
 India team
 SR Tendulkar, SC Ganguly, G Gambhir, R Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, KD Karthik, MS Dhoni, AB Agarkar, RR Powar, Piyush Chawla, Z Khan 
 

[kban1]

no one up for chat ?

[dhruvdeepak]

wtf is with the compulsory maiden overs first up. CMON
will join chat soon as i get home

[caught and bowled]

wtf is with the compulsory maiden overs first up. CMON
will join chat soon as i get home

We didnt have the guts to either drop Ganguly down the order or just drop him....so he is scratching around yet again. 4 runs in 21 and has already converted one 2 to 1

[caught and bowled]

Tendulkar making good use of the strike...4 4s in five balls. Somebody making use of the power plays

[caught and bowled]

Ganguly finally a 4

[caught and bowled]

another 4 by Ganguly

[caught and bowled]

Ganguly finding touch??

[justforkix]

Finally with the backs to the back to the wall and no option but to put up a big score, both batters showing some aggression and attempting some quick singles by just dropping/tapping tha ball softly and running. RUnning is not great, but still much better than what we have seen for quite a while.

SG showed some intentions for quick singles sbut SRT was the culprit this time in not taking the singles in the 1st couple of overs.

[pipsqueak]

Finally with the backs to the back to the wall and no option but to put up a big score, both batters showing some aggression and attempting some quick singles by just dropping/tapping tha ball softly and running. RUnning is not great, but still much better than what we have seen for quite a while.

SG showed some intentions for quick singles sbut SRT was the culprit this time in not taking the singles in the 1st couple of overs.

Ian Chappell, as he has been all through this series, made the objective and correct assessment and pointed out that SRT was the one who refused at least 2 easy singles this time around. The rest were happy to ride the "SG doesn't run" bandwagon.

i thought it was cheeky and mighty funny of SMG to tell SG (during the post match interview) that he should have asked Atherton to hold his champagne bottle during the MoM interview!   

[kban1]

i thought it was cheeky and mighty funny of SMG to tell SG (during the post match interview) that he should have asked Atherton to hold his champagne bottle during the MoM interview!     

LOL!!

On a serious note, Atherton has totally denied that such an incident happened - that he was asked to carry Ganguly's sweater by SG, most recently on SKY.

BTW, pip, can you post the excerpts (what you gathered) of the post match interview with SG ? Thanks in advance

[pipsqueak]

i thought it was cheeky and mighty funny of SMG to tell SG (during the post match interview) that he should have asked Atherton to hold his champagne bottle during the MoM interview!     

LOL!!

On a serious note, Atherton has totally denied that such an incident happened - that he was asked to carry Ganguly's sweater by SG, most recently on SKY.

BTW, pip, can you post the excerpts (what you gathered) of the post match interview with SG ? Thanks in advance

here's what i recall(it was late and i was sleepy and so pardon me if i have misquoted him anywhere. folks in india who watched it can clarify)

on SMG remark about Atherton: SG laughed and asked SMG to not start any new controversy and mentioned that even the smallest thing he does/says can lead to misunderstanding. he said something about shoe-laces but i didn't get it.

on the slow start : SG said that it was overcast and the white ball would swing the first few overs. also added that he believes getting a good start without losing wickets is vital even if that means losing out on 10-15 balls - said that the team had the personnel to catch up and compensate this as long as they had wickets in hand.

on his batting : he has been getting starts but is disappointed that he is not able to convert them into big ones as he used to do during his best days - he wants to reproduce that and not just get out in the 50s,60's 80s, etc. he also added that not having responsibilities(captaincy i guess) has given him more free time to focus on his batting and at this stage of his career, it is important to have that.

on catching/fielding : said that Robin has been working hard but admitted that the team's fielding has been very poor the last 2-3 matches and they need to pickup.

on the catch that went between dhoni and himself: He was asked by HarshaB if dhoni and he talked to each other before the match about who would go for such catches. he stated that he is a firm believer in keeping the first slip closer to the wicket keeper but that wasn't the case here.

on his bowling : he said overcast conditions helped him and he can be useful under these conditions. hoped that similar conditions would be present in the next two ODIs aiding him. also quipped that dhoni was the only one taking catches.


oh, maybe this is my perception but i felt SG seemed rather guarded and terse when responding to Harsha but a lot more at ease with SMG.

[pipsqueak]

i thought it was cheeky and mighty funny of SMG to tell SG (during the post match interview) that he should have asked Atherton to hold his champagne bottle during the MoM interview!     

LOL!!

On a serious note, Atherton has totally denied that such an incident happened - that he was asked to carry Ganguly's sweater by SG, most recently on SKY.

has he?

i have a mail from Martin Williamson of cricinfo claiming with full authority that it did happen and how can SG be so rude to an English captain!  maybe time MW had a chat with atherton?

[dhruvdeepak]

oh, maybe this is my perception but i felt SG seemed rather guarded and terse when responding to Harsha but a lot more at ease with SMG.

bollocks. that's because the only time smg talked was to make a joke

on the catch that went between dhoni and himself: He was asked by HarshaB if dhoni and he talked to each other before the match about who would go for such catches. he stated that he is a firm believer in keeping the first slip closer to the wicket keeper but that wasn't the case here.

it seems that dhoni is the one in charge of this particular area. he determines how far the slip should stand as per sg.

[pipsqueak]

oh, maybe this is my perception but i felt SG seemed rather guarded and terse when responding to Harsha but a lot more at ease with SMG.

bollocks. that's because the only time smg talked was to make a joke

eh?

of course, i said it was my perception. i think SMG asked this Q right after harsha's initial queries and so i remember the change in tone distinctly. as i said, i was half asleep and so if you think otherwise, so be it.

[kban1]

i thought it was cheeky and mighty funny of SMG to tell SG (during the post match interview) that he should have asked Atherton to hold his champagne bottle during the MoM interview!     

LOL!!

On a serious note, Atherton has totally denied that such an incident happened - that he was asked to carry Ganguly's sweater by SG, most recently on SKY.

has he?

i have a mail from Martin Williamson of cricinfo claiming with full authority that it did happen and how can SG be so rude to an English captain!  maybe time MW had a chat with atherton?

Yes indeed. In fact, I first read of it in a daily just around the Lords test where the reporter claimed that such is the reaction that Ganguly provokes that Michael Atherton had to clarify publicly that the issue was way overblown and distorted.

Recently, during the ODI series, Atherton while talking about SG / Flintoff / Lancashire said (paraphrased)

"well, its well known that there's no love lost between the two, with the shirt swapping incident in Indian and at Lords. And of course, Ganguly's stint at Lanacashire wasnt the most successful either.

Of course to be fair to Ganguly, its just that he wasn't much the partying type, a bit of a loner who didnt always fancy staying out after the day's play to have drinks with the boys and that perhaps rubbed some the wrong way, and led to the impression that he is a bit aloof or above it all, really.

And that of course led to a lot of rumors including the whole brouhaha over Ganguly supposedly asking me to carry stuff for him, which I can say is not true, I dont even know where it came from, but such is the perception about him, that it caught on like wildfire -- all I can say is that there is absolutely no truth to it.

I actually get along quite well with Ganguly. Off the field he is quiter but I've enjoyed my conversations with him."

[kban1]

oh, maybe this is my perception but i felt SG seemed rather guarded and terse when responding to Harsha but a lot more at ease with SMG.

bollocks. that's because the only time smg talked was to make a joke

eh?

of course, i said it was my perception. i think SMG asked this Q right after harsha's initial queries and so i remember the change in tone distinctly. as i said, i was half asleep and so if you think otherwise, so be it.

I did not watch this interview but I would have little issue believing Pip on this count.

I watched the interview that HB and SMG had with SG after his comeback 51* against SA. And I am absolutely positive that SG's responses to HB's questions were, how should I say, spit out with a contempt barely concealed by a stiff upper lip and the veneer of civility. So grim was his demeanor that at the end of the interview HB or maybe it was SMG said, well, Sourav, you are back and doing well, and maybe we shall see you smiling more now.

I honestly feel SG did not take kindly to HB's public posturing about the Zim incident -- nowehere did HB say anything directly, but it was apparent through his writings who he blamed for the Zim fiasco and more importantly, which horse he backed. I suspect SG has a long memory. Of course this is my read.

[pipsqueak]

i thought it was cheeky and mighty funny of SMG to tell SG (during the post match interview) that he should have asked Atherton to hold his champagne bottle during the MoM interview!     

LOL!!

On a serious note, Atherton has totally denied that such an incident happened - that he was asked to carry Ganguly's sweater by SG, most recently on SKY.

has he?

i have a mail from Martin Williamson of cricinfo claiming with full authority that it did happen and how can SG be so rude to an English captain!  maybe time MW had a chat with atherton?

Yes indeed. In fact, I first read of it in a daily just around the Lords test where the reporter claimed that such is the reaction that Ganguly provokes that Michael Atherton had to clarify publicly that the issue was way overblown and distorted.

Recently, during the ODI series, Atherton while talking about SG / Flintoff / Lancashire said (paraphrased)

"well, its well known that there's no love lost between the two, with the shirt swapping incident in Indian and at Lords. And of course, Ganguly's stint at Lanacashire wasnt the most successful either.

Of course to be fair to Ganguly, its just that he wasn't much the partying type, a bit of a loner who didnt always fancy staying out after the day's play to have drinks with the boys and that perhaps rubbed some the wrong way, and led to the impression that he is a bit aloof or above it all, really.

And that of course led to a lot of rumors including the whole brouhaha over Ganguly supposedly asking me to carry stuff for him, which I can say is not true, I dont even know where it came from, but such is the perception about him, that it caught on like wildfire -- all I can say is that there is absolutely no truth to it.

I actually get along quite well with Ganguly. Off the field he is quiter but I've enjoyed my conversations with him."

thanks for this - let me see if MW will admit that he was wrong - or as always, he can blame his "source"   

[broadbat]

                                 Collingwood Leads as Poms Bleed

Ever since they were thrown into the deep end of the pool after WC’07, the Jodi No1 of Indian Cricket seemed to have learnt to swim together. With a start that can be at best termed phlegmatic, the star pair took off on what seems ‘Mission Impossible’ (coming back from 1-3 down). SRT riding his luck, sent Lewis to the ‘john’ and along with SG ‘broad’ batted the bowlers to another century partnership. Then both, yet again got out when there seemed no reason to, leaving the fight in the hands of the ‘upcoming jodi of GG and YS.
To me this was a really important phase off the innings because all too often we have not managed to fully capitalize on good starts. GG I think was in the team more out of frustration with RPS and MP in the field rather than anything to do with team balance or his individual form. The move however paid off and YS with some help from the umpire added 94 with GG.
Then it was time for the jugalbandi to continue in the form of RD and MSD. They took India to what in the end, proved to be a safe score.
When India took the field Jodi No1 continued to swim together by dropping catches in the slips. However they did not prove fatal as the England had lost too many wickets by the time Collinwood began his demolition act.
England’s strategic prowess however, leaves me with the opinion that they are not much better off than India in this regard. Playing 4 fasts at Bristol at the expense of a spinner, and now asking India to bat after winning the toss. 
SG man of the match?  As long as the team won they could have given it to Duckworth-Lewis for all I care. 
I hope umpires in India note that cricket can be played in conditions more suited for football!

[pipsqueak]

                                 Collingwood Leads as Poms Bleed

Ever since they were thrown into the deep end of the pool after WC’07, the Jodi No1 of Indian Cricket seemed to have learnt to swim together. With a start that can be at best termed phlegmatic, the star pair took off on what seems ‘Mission Impossible’ (coming back from 1-3 down). SRT riding his luck, sent Lewis to the ‘john’ and along with SG ‘broad’ batted the bowlers to another century partnership. Then both, yet again got out when there seemed no reason to, leaving the fight in the hands of the ‘upcoming jodi of GG and YS.
To me this was a really important phase off the innings because all too often we have not managed to fully capitalize on good starts. GG I think was in the team more out of frustration with RPS and MP in the field rather than anything to do with team balance or his individual form. The move however paid off and YS with some help from the umpire added 94 with GG.
Then it was time for the jugalbandi to continue in the form of RD and MSD. They took India to what in the end, proved to be a safe score.
When India took the field Jodi No1 continued to swim together by dropping catches in the slips. However they did not prove fatal as the England had lost too many wickets by the time Collinwood began his demolition act.
England’s strategic prowess however, leaves me with the opinion that they are not much better off than India in this regard. Playing 4 fasts at Bristol at the expense of a spinner, and now asking India to bat after winning the toss. 
SG man of the match?  As long as the team won they could have given it to Duckworth-Lewis for all I care. 
I hope umpires in India note that cricket can be played in conditions more suited for football!

er..reads well but no mention of the 2 important breakthroughs by SG+dhoni combo and the KP wicket by ZK that crippled the England charge? surely, you are joking if you imply that india won y'day's match coz of D&L!!

[dextrous]

oh, maybe this is my perception but i felt SG seemed rather guarded and terse when responding to Harsha but a lot more at ease with SMG.

bollocks. that's because the only time smg talked was to make a joke

eh?

of course, i said it was my perception. i think SMG asked this Q right after harsha's initial queries and so i remember the change in tone distinctly. as i said, i was half asleep and so if you think otherwise, so be it.

I did not watch this interview but I would have little issue believing Pip on this count.

I watched the interview that HB and SMG had with SG after his comeback 51* against SA. And I am absolutely positive that SG's responses to HB's questions were, how should I say, spit out with a contempt barely concealed by a stiff upper lip and the veneer of civility. So grim was his demeanor that at the end of the interview HB or maybe it was SMG said, well, Sourav, you are back and doing well, and maybe we shall see you smiling more now.

I honestly feel SG did not take kindly to HB's public posturing about the Zim incident -- nowehere did HB say anything directly, but it was apparent through his writings who he blamed for the Zim fiasco and more importantly, which horse he backed. I suspect SG has a long memory. Of course this is my read.

Yes, I tend to agree with this. But--why has SG been charitable in talking with some of the cricinfo "journalists" who were vicious to a point where they'd put a tabloid to shame?

[broadbat]

                                 Collingwood Leads as Poms Bleed

Ever since they were thrown into the deep end of the pool after WC’07, the Jodi No1 of Indian Cricket seemed to have learnt to swim together. With a start that can be at best termed phlegmatic, the star pair took off on what seems ‘Mission Impossible’ (coming back from 1-3 down). SRT riding his luck, sent Lewis to the ‘john’ and along with SG ‘broad’ batted the bowlers to another century partnership. Then both, yet again got out when there seemed no reason to, leaving the fight in the hands of the ‘upcoming jodi of GG and YS.
To me this was a really important phase off the innings because all too often we have not managed to fully capitalize on good starts. GG I think was in the team more out of frustration with RPS and MP in the field rather than anything to do with team balance or his individual form. The move however paid off and YS with some help from the umpire added 94 with GG.
Then it was time for the jugalbandi to continue in the form of RD and MSD. They took India to what in the end, proved to be a safe score.
When India took the field Jodi No1 continued to swim together by dropping catches in the slips. However they did not prove fatal as the England had lost too many wickets by the time Collinwood began his demolition act.
England’s strategic prowess however, leaves me with the opinion that they are not much better off than India in this regard. Playing 4 fasts at Bristol at the expense of a spinner, and now asking India to bat after winning the toss. 
SG man of the match?  As long as the team won they could have given it to Duckworth-Lewis for all I care. 
I hope umpires in India note that cricket can be played in conditions more suited for football!

er..reads well but no mention of the 2 important breakthroughs by SG+dhoni combo and the KP wicket by ZK that crippled the England charge? surely, you are joking if you imply that india won y'day's match coz of D&L!!

With a score of 324 to defend it would have been a joke had we lost. I do not give much credit to bowlers when they have  such a large total behind them. The pressure of a chase usually gets you the wickets. This is nothing to take away from SG and Dhoni for their work. Kudos!

[feverpitch]

oh, maybe this is my perception but i felt SG seemed rather guarded and terse when responding to Harsha but a lot more at ease with SMG.

bollocks. that's because the only time smg talked was to make a joke

eh?

of course, i said it was my perception. i think SMG asked this Q right after harsha's initial queries and so i remember the change in tone distinctly. as i said, i was half asleep and so if you think otherwise, so be it.

You were not mistaken. In fact even SMG did not let HB escape easily. HB mentioned with his toothy smirk that SG has recently completed 10.000 runs, to which SMG retorted with something like this: Its 11.000 runs, Harsha, 11... one thousand runs is a lot, makes a lot of difference... and only those who have played it out in the middle know its true worth!

HB immediately changed topic... 

[keep-it-cool]

i thought it was cheeky and mighty funny of SMG to tell SG (during the post match interview) that he should have asked Atherton to hold his champagne bottle during the MoM interview!     

LOL!!

On a serious note, Atherton has totally denied that such an incident happened - that he was asked to carry Ganguly's sweater by SG, most recently on SKY.

BTW, pip, can you post the excerpts (what you gathered) of the post match interview with SG ? Thanks in advance

here's what i recall(it was late and i was sleepy and so pardon me if i have misquoted him anywhere. folks in india who watched it can clarify)

on SMG remark about Atherton: SG laughed and asked SMG to not start any new controversy and mentioned that even the smallest thing he does/says can lead to misunderstanding. he said something about shoe-laces but i didn't get it.

on the slow start : SG said that it was overcast and the white ball would swing the first few overs. also added that he believes getting a good start without losing wickets is vital even if that means losing out on 10-15 balls - said that the team had the personnel to catch up and compensate this as long as they had wickets in hand.

on his batting : he has been getting starts but is disappointed that he is not able to convert them into big ones as he used to do during his best days - he wants to reproduce that and not just get out in the 50s,60's 80s, etc. he also added that not having responsibilities(captaincy i guess) has given him more free time to focus on his batting and at this stage of his career, it is important to have that.

on catching/fielding : said that Robin has been working hard but admitted that the team's fielding has been very poor the last 2-3 matches and they need to pickup.

on the catch that went between dhoni and himself: He was asked by HarshaB if dhoni and he talked to each other before the match about who would go for such catches. he stated that he is a firm believer in keeping the first slip closer to the wicket keeper but that wasn't the case here.

on his bowling : he said overcast conditions helped him and he can be useful under these conditions. hoped that similar conditions would be present in the next two ODIs aiding him. also quipped that dhoni was the only one taking catches.


oh, maybe this is my perception but i felt SG seemed rather guarded and terse when responding to Harsha but a lot more at ease with SMG.

largely all there .. on the gap between slips, he went on to add that while he does not like gaps between slips, Dhoni was of the view that once the white ball gets old, the edges seem to be going squarer and hence it would be better to have the slip stand wider ...

not sure, in that case, why dhoni does not dive or go for those in between chances

[justforkix]

BTW, how about the bone-headed move by Colly to separate the successful new ball pair of Anderson-Broad..........

[LosingNow]

BTW, how about the bone-headed move by Colly to separate the successful new ball pair of Anderson-Broad..........

..and to put India in to bat.

I say - match-fixing is alive and well

[justforkix]

BTW, how about the bone-headed move by Colly to separate the successful new ball pair of Anderson-Broad..........

..and to put India in to bat.

I say - match-fixing is alive and well

Or Rombo Dumbbu has some serious competetion 

[gouravk]

So this series is really really close ... But for the Manchester madness WE could have been in the lead 3-2 ....

[justforkix]

So this series is really really close ... But for the Manchester madness WE could have been in the lead 3-2 ....

If we had won at Manchester, looking at this ODI team, I really doubt we would have shown so much intention and application in Leeds to score 300+..... They would not have pushed themselves that extra bit with the series level.

[Libran]

i thought it was cheeky and mighty funny of SMG to tell SG (during the post match interview) that he should have asked Atherton to hold his champagne bottle during the MoM interview!     

LOL!!

On a serious note, Atherton has totally denied that such an incident happened - that he was asked to carry Ganguly's sweater by SG, most recently on SKY.

BTW, pip, can you post the excerpts (what you gathered) of the post match interview with SG ? Thanks in advance

here's what i recall(it was late and i was sleepy and so pardon me if i have misquoted him anywhere. folks in india who watched it can clarify)

on SMG remark about Atherton: SG laughed and asked SMG to not start any new controversy and mentioned that even the smallest thing he does/says can lead to misunderstanding. he said something about shoe-laces but i didn't get it. ( If i tie the left lace first...that would also be a controversy )

on the slow start : SG said that it was overcast and the white ball would swing the first few overs. also added that he believes getting a good start without losing wickets is vital even if that means losing out on 10-15 balls - said that the team had the personnel to catch up and compensate this as long as they had wickets in hand.

on his batting : he has been getting starts but is disappointed that he is not able to convert them into big ones as he used to do during his best days - he wants to reproduce that and not just get out in the 50s,60's 80s, etc. he also added that not having responsibilities(captaincy i guess) has given him more free time to focus on his batting and at this stage of his career, it is important to have that.

on catching/fielding : said that Robin has been working hard but admitted that the team's fielding has been very poor the last 2-3 matches and they need to pickup.

on the catch that went between dhoni and himself: He was asked by HarshaB if dhoni and he talked to each other before the match about who would go for such catches. he stated that he is a firm believer in keeping the first slip closer to the wicket keeper but that wasn't the case here. (Said ...Dhoni believes that as the ball gets older, it tends to move more towards second slip )

on his bowling : he said overcast conditions helped him and he can be useful under these conditions. hoped that similar conditions would be present in the next two ODIs aiding him. also quipped that dhoni was the only one taking catches.


oh, maybe this is my perception but i felt SG seemed rather guarded and terse when responding to Harsha but a lot more at ease with SMG.

Was very funny when he said "Dhoni was the only guy catching anything today...so it was good" .....During the talk with Atherton..

And yes...was more guarded in his response to H B .... Or is it because of the past happenings that we look at it that way....

[LosingNow]

Was very funny when he said "Dhoni was the only guy catching anything today...so it was good" .....During the talk with Atherton..

I said this during chat.. the weather is cold..only one with gloves will be able to catch anything

[pieterSAN]

Was very funny when he said "Dhoni was the only guy catching anything today...so it was good" .....During the talk with Atherton..

I said this during chat.. the weather is cold..only one with gloves will be able to catch anything

...and even he waited ten overs so that his hands would warm up.

[justforkix]

Another thought is that almost in all English grounds the straight boundaries seem much shorter than the square boundaries. And RU is very good in hitting straight. So, I think we are missing a trick in this ODI series by not at all playing Uthappa.......

[dextrous]

Another thought is that almost in all English grounds the straight boundaries seem much shorter than the square boundaries. And RU is very good in hitting straight. So, I think we are missing a trick in this ODI series by not at all playing Uthappa.......

i do think in a 7 match series EVERY player should be given at least 2-3 games. we are def. missing quite a few tricks by not rotating players.

[OldPal]

I agree, I was hoping RU will have at least one or two chances ..
May not be possible now as both ar emust win matches, i believe Ind will play the players that have faced the attack.
RU is very decent with his hook shots, I had believed he would tackle the eng startegy if intimidating Ind with the short balls.
RU in place of KKD or GG for a match may not be a bad option

[Libran]

I agree, I was hoping RU will have at least one or two chances ..
May not be possible now as both ar emust win matches, i believe Ind will play the players that have faced the attack.
RU is very decent with his hook shots, I had believed he would tackle the eng startegy if intimidating Ind with the short balls.
RU in place of KKD or GG for a match may not be a bad option

Can't drop GG after a good 51....not fair...drop KKD and believe me...RU can't be worse off both on the batting front and the fielding...and he will definitely not try to paddle sweep a delivery pitched 12 inches outside off stump, miss it and then run for it too.....

[gouravk]

once again GG has ensured he will waste space in the dressing room for another year ... 

[pipsqueak]

I agree, I was hoping RU will have at least one or two chances ..
May not be possible now as both ar emust win matches, i believe Ind will play the players that have faced the attack.
RU is very decent with his hook shots, I had believed he would tackle the eng startegy if intimidating Ind with the short balls.
RU in place of KKD or GG for a match may not be a bad option

Can't drop GG after a good 51....not fair...drop KKD and believe me...RU can't be worse off both on the batting front and the fielding...and he will definitely not try to paddle sweep a delivery pitched 12 inches outside off stump, miss it and then run for it too.....

why was GG sent at #3? RD, esp. in his current blistering ODI form should have come in.

[keep-it-cool]

I agree, I was hoping RU will have at least one or two chances ..
May not be possible now as both ar emust win matches, i believe Ind will play the players that have faced the attack.
RU is very decent with his hook shots, I had believed he would tackle the eng startegy if intimidating Ind with the short balls.
RU in place of KKD or GG for a match may not be a bad option

Can't drop GG after a good 51....not fair...drop KKD and believe me...RU can't be worse off both on the batting front and the fielding...and he will definitely not try to paddle sweep a delivery pitched 12 inches outside off stump, miss it and then run for it too.....

why was GG sent at #3? RD, esp. in his current blistering ODI form should have come in.

I think RD should stay at No 5 or at most No 4. YS should play at No.3

[gouravk]

I have no answer to that. We could have even tried KKD. He failed twice when an early wicket fell, so it was interesting to see what he could do when the start was good. Or we could have also sent in Yuvi, if we think of him as a long-term mainstay of our batting ala Ponting for Australia.