When you click on the cricinfo link to the scorecard for the Eden Gardens’ test the first name you see is Hashim Amla.
That is just how their live scorecard works.
It isn’t making a statement with his name; he was just not out, after facing a few more than a hundred overs to win a series for his country.
He couldn’t win the series, but India must have realised that in order to win this test they were essentially only a chance when he was at the non-strikers’ end.
490 runs for one out in three innings. That is batting.
Before the English series Amla was averaging a very bland 40 with the bat after 37 tests.
On a older test match sofa podcast I said he had talent but had been a massive underachiever.
Now he has conquered India.
His team hasn’t, but he has.
Sometimes you can play in six tests when you are in form and it changes the trajectory of your career, at other times you will remember them as the six tests when you didn’t suck.
And in these two tests Amla definitely did not suck.
His calm head today made his team mates look like they were panic buying before the Mayan prophecies came true.
This isn’t the strongest Indian attack of all time, but Bhajji was humming, Mishra was more than handy, and it wasn’t like the rest of the South Africans looked like staying in. Prince offered 23 runs as second highest scorer if you don’t count Extras.
While two tests is still not a series, what two tests these were.
Steyn’s bowling, Amla’s batting, Sehwagology, and Tendulkar’s hundreds all set this up.
Nothing could beat the end of the day.
At one end you had Amla batting like he was made of granite.
At the other end was a collection of leg spin, off spin and Sachin spin trying to pry out South Africa’s former number 8 as the minutes ticked away.
Match winning hauls, stoic defense, amazing attack, all packed into a seriesette.
Plus the result was right.
It proved that no team really deserved to take the crown, but that both teams could kick some ass when they got their shit together.
India are number one, which seems odd when in 50% of this seriesette they were beaten up.
Ofcourse with South Africa now winning 3 of their last 9 tests, India’s record is looking more and more impressive.
In the end the artificial ranking system means nothing, look at the player and crowd reaction to that win, that means more than anything a statistician can table.
Now all I need to do is stop wishing this was a 5 test series…
I will let Sir do the honors. Just pointing out useless bhajji is only showing off for tv camera
running like monkey. And everyone think he is some god. He play for mumbai indians another statwhore worshipper.
I agree completely. It’s like stopping sex just before the big O. One can’t help feel an additional test or 2 might have been awesome, and get rid of the ODIs if need be. Are the BCCI bozos listening?
Me too, I’ve been wishing that ever since they announced in January that they were going to schedule a trifling test series, which ultimately proved anything but trifling. I suppose we were lucky to get the two matches and thank fuck that it wasn’t 7 one-dayers.
JROD,
The ranking means a lot to India. Does anyone else need to agree? Nah… We are the team with the best record in test matches over the last 3 years (or whatever period is in play) in the ranking system
When Australia were #1 they were #1 by something like a million points over #2. India are #1 by 4 points. We all get it. We are not the best #1 of all time, but we are #1 over the last few years.
Australia came to India in 2001 and lost. Yet no one questioned whether they were #1. Yes we lost 50% of the matches in this series but that’s 2 test matches in 40 odd. Get used to it mate and try not reminding your readers of things they already know
Hashim Amla played like a giant and at some point I was sure he was going to save it for Saffers but well Saffers actually played worse in second test.
What a series we have but what a shame we had only two matches, what if we had third one and series is level 1-1 wow another cracker jack of a match but BCCI is blind.
.-= Reverse Swing´s last blog ..Harbhajan Singh still know how to take wickets and Hashim Amla you beauty =-.
leg spin, off spin, sachin spin!!
yeah, nothing worked!
even Indians loved Hashim’s heroics. Didn’t they??!
I mean… who watched ODIs these days… honestly… !! I can sit thru a T20 match… and tests are fantastic… But I’d be buggered to sit thru 100overs of meaningless cricket when 75% of the time u already know who the victor is at the halfway mark… They shud just cancel ODIs and stick with tests and T20s….
And despite negative comments above… I believe Harbhajan has done well… in both the test matches… We all hope he performs better overseas…
For the first time ever in my life I wanted the Saffers to not lose. It’s not that I wanted India to go down, they well deserved the win, in my opinion. It’s just that Hashim Amla seemed to deserve it more and he _was_ the SA team in this test. I must be going (pommie) native as I love a fighting draw/near loss/skin of the teeth finish a la Dunkirk these days. The next thing you know, I’ll stop washing my sheets.
I’m probably over-thinking this. On second thoughts, I reckon it’s just that I didn’t want Bhaji to get the winning wicket. I wanted it to be Sachin, if anyone – I can’t help but like the guy and his understated ways.
Alex and his acolytes keep paying the irrepressible Mr Singh the ultimate compliment of comparing him to a monkey. It is a compliment, isn’t it? I remember reading something about a monkey being sacred and such comparisions being highly respectful.
In homage to a certain gentlemen, a six word series review…
Smith – lots of pensive looks, little substance
Petersen – will never average more than now
Amla – imperious and slinky batting in one
Kallis – no double but enjoyed local cuisine
de Villiers – devoid of spunk, not new keeper
Prince – back to provincial cricket with you
Duminy – back to under 16s cricket immediately
Boucher – will be missed. Shame no slogging.
Steyn – riotously in form, develop alter ego?
Morkel – almost hero, definitely not with ball
Parnell – try and be Waqar, go on!
Harris – three deliveries had hint of spin
Gambhir – no runs? How peculiar. Bit naff
Sehwag – supreme deity, devastating batting, should captain
Vijay – offstump radar problem, #3 my arse
Tendulkar (assessment by alex) – wankdulkar stat whore, shit bowling too
Dhoni – resign captaincy to sehwag, too conservative
Saha – if MS unavailable, don’t call me
Laxman – elderly gentlemen likes his eden gardens
Badrinath – better than Vijay. Not by much
Khan – decent bowling, shame about knee knack
Mishra – just want to ruffle his hair
Harbhajan – loony running, topspinner only useful ball
Sharma – vicious Chris Harris pace, bad teeth
hahaha. Except god can’t be captain. we have seen God’s captaincy. I may not like dhoni’s arrogance sometimes , he is at best man management skills. Sehwag may be good in strategy but his man management skills are atrocious!.
Everytime sharma throws loosener , you have to see dhoni’s face…..he was asking sharma what the hell man…when you going to start bowling ?. Sharma has bowling technique problem. His left hand not moving which makes him put too much force on who force on his body to get speed. The current rate he will get injured soon and we will never hear him again!.
He needs to sideways push to get extra 5km speed. WIth his left arm he is just only using his right arm to bowl. why no one told him to fix his flaw. And his wrist and the way he hold the ball when he releases is awful. He really need to fix his technique.
vijay is useless. Badrinath is useless in big stage. All veg eating tamilnadu players are junk!.
Sachin …why this guy still playing…fktard…i hope morkel break his face when india visits SA in late this year. I don’t want this midget playing for india in 2011 worldcup.
Gambhir is ok. He needs this to keep him grounded and start again..
Sehwag – he is the only reason india winning any TEST for that matter. Otherwise india will be thinking draw as a win in their dictionary. He gave hope to 1 billion indians that they can compete with white people. hahaha. :D God is awsome!.
Laxman – he did bat well .. i find him a whiner…he babbles if he play top of the order he would have scored more centuries and lack of oppurtunities. He did n’t take oppurtunity play top of the order. He sucked every ODI with his poor running and fielding.
Some people happy in whining. It is their way of energy balance.
Khan – just ok. Nothing special. he shows up sometime. disappears most of the time.
bhajji – lucky to get 5 wickets. Clueless brainless SA middle order gifted away the wickets. He is still average.
Mishra – false hope. This guy got small hands and you can see how the ball is released and going to turn. He is at his best level – still psst. too predictable and small hands/fingers
steyn – awsome. Needs to cut down staring down batsman when he is not bowling well. I do not mind bowlers stare at batsman when they get wickets. His big nose fill Tv screen
Morkel –
parnell – future all rounder , need to amp up speed in TEST to retain spot.
prince/duminy – thrown out. Duminy can be allowed to return if he gets back to form . prince is not qualified for international level.
Smith – he should hide himself when zaheer khan is batting or bring 12″ width bat to hide the hole in his defense.
Peterson – one time wonder.
Amla – going up and up. Can he bat like this against australia? then we know. It is easy to bat against 3rd rated awful clueless indian monkey bowling.
Harris – nothing special. Need 500 runs cushion to be effective. Until real replacement , he is best spinner. He holds the one end. Good enough job.
Kallis – Culpirit number 1. Should have stayed with Amla like he did in nagpur and opened the flood of wickets.
cwb,
i do wish that the next time India come to oz land, we have a 5 match series, but we won’t. They happen only against Engalnd/SA/WI, never against India/Pak/SL. So why crib against a 2 test match series which was never supposed to happen anyway?
I was at Eden Gardens and to all the guys who predict the death of test cricket, this was a far better Test than any of those silly artificially exciting draws in SA..
And it was Steyn’s bowling only to some extent, it was some 10 Afridis chewing away the reserve ball that got us..
.-= namya´s last blog ..Amla v Sehwag at Eden Gardens =-.
There is no doubt in my mind that this series should have been longer. Atleast, the 3 ODIs could have been replaced with an additional Test. Two wonderful games.
.-= Shridhar Jaju´s last blog ..AMLA DOES A STRAUSS =-.
Agree with Alex on Gambhir. He was getting too good to be true. I think bowling was a lil fortunate on day 1 this Test. On the other hand, Test team without Zaheer, Bhajji, Gambhir would have been a virtual walkover situation for India. Glad that they play only ODIs from hereon. I am not keen on following ODIs; Sehwag wont perform, no Dravid, bowling will always be terrible. welcome break from cricket!
cb
you meant immovable CB?
.-= namya´s last blog ..Amla v Sehwag at Eden Gardens =-.
Immovable who/what?
cb
Ignore my last post. I think there is a disconnect between my brain and fingers. Words in between sentences are missing. Need to slow down when i typing and need grammar checker and coherency checker. hahaha. :D
People always take what they wanted to see. It is all in fun. :D
Never blame others for your ignorant addiction to sachin stat whore. :D
Ravi Shastri to MS Dhoni at the presentation:
When the chips were down, the boys came to the party.
Bloody hell. That guy mixes his metaphors like Shoiab Akhtar mixes his medication. He’s either the most entertaining or the most bum clenchingly awful commentator I’ve ever heard. And having watched the State of Origin since the 80s I’ve heard a few. Anyone who bases their speech on the Roy and HG school of sporting cliches should really have more self-awareness than a block of wood.
I thought he’d have to give it a rest after play ended, but no.
Amla did a Gandhi. He resisted, and resisted and resisted. And in the end, India triumphed.
Bravo!
If only CSA hadn’t used their home series as an excuse to shorten their tour of India. But then what’s the fun in saying that when you can rip the BCCI?
.-= Mahek´s last blog ..FICA and the need for a Collective Bargaining Agreement – II =-.
Alex is the best thing to happen to Sachin. The more Alex masturbaes, the better Sachin plays. Now I am sure he’ll play in the 2016 world cup too. Bring it on bitches!!!
Do come running and crying when sachin breaks his knee , elbow and back. It is almost time.
Alex do not exist!. It is you exist. Only fools exist. :D
It was a reasonable test series, but, in terms of tension, class or skill, nothing compared to NZ vs Bangladesh – and that’s even without glorious big Jesse Ryder, the game’s greatest player.
Oh my! Looks like too much hate = love. Alex fanboys?! Or is it the Shaitaan (Alex) himself? Too much confusion! lol
cb
Many avatars and anti avatars of alex. alex do not exist. anyone can be alex ( do not exist).
Only sachin stat whore worshippers exist. They think that midget is god. wtf.
Mediocrity and losing are awsome in sachin worshippers dictionary. Only losers see losers in others.
Negative always reflect negative in others , in order to be positive by default. :D
Groin – Isn’t Shastri like an old-fashioned dad trying to be cool and hip?
.-= Rishabh´s last blog ..Aaaaand we won! =-.
Chokedulkar fans almost as big losers as me. Haha I wish stat whore gouges his eyes out and dies.
Indian fans backward worship midget like god, along with stupid cow. I wish these hindus get crushed and have their spines broken.
Hi Jrod,
What did you think of The God kicking the ball to boundary when he was fielding? I was hoping you would have something on that..
http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20100219/934/tsp-sehwag-earns-dubious-distinction-as.html
Pity it didn’t work though..
Rishabh – Yes! I believe you’ve put your finger right on it!
Sreejith – The foot of God. Diego would be proud.
Teehehe! Alex saying: ‘You is talking to yourself.’ Twenty times he saying. But if I is talking to myself like Smiegel to Gollum, is a private talk, no? Why Alex is riling up and respondinging? Am I his preciousssss, then?
And if troll bitch is “teflon” like he saying forty times per day, why he sounding like stuck record? Teehehehe!
Master give me one chance to prove my loyalty. I will take care of all evil very efficiently. They are fools and think they are oversmart. I know above evil is from that midget worship community. Shame shame. I think Rishab is only thinking person here. Rest all midget worshipers. Give me one chance!
Namya – 2 wrongs don’t make a right. Just because the powers that be decide not to give a full test series to India vs Oz in Oz, doesn’t mean I will be grateful they gave us a WHOLE TWO tests in a series between the no1 and no2 teams. Both tests were fascinating in their way, we deserve more – these guys are the creme de la creme (according to the ICC rankings) so the money I pay for Skyplayer each month should give me more tests!
More tests, fewer ODIs. And this is from someone who quite likes ODIs but feels that seven of them in a row starts to look a little samey after a while.
I’ve started to come around with 20/20s, actually. It seems they can be really fun and exciting sometimes. I still don’t think they’re real cricket, however. Real cricket requires the possibility of boredom followed by electrifying tension or vice versa and 20/20 seems to be either all action or just boring, not enough time for both at once.
As much as I wanted India to win, I did feel bad for Amla. He seemed devastated after Morkel fell and rightly so. It was almost like Morkel owed him to stick around for 4 more balls!
And as far as the world championship billing goes, I agree it is a bit hyperbolic. But saying neither team deserves the crown is unfair. There has to be one team ranked at the top and the only system to go by right now is the ICC Ranking. And it does seem to be a fair reflection of recent form that India, SA and Australia are the top 3 teams in the world and in that order.
And that is a result of some consistent performances over the past couple of years. And its not just a fluke. On paper, India probably has the most formidable lineup when full strength. Explosive openers, extremely solid middle order, one of the better wicketkeeper-batsman in the world, world class spinners and at least one good pacer, all led by a man with an unbelievably calm head on his shoulders. Agreed, the real test is next in SA and Australia later this year, but until then lets give credit where it’s due and let India enjoy its moment under the sun!
@ Alex: If you want anyone to take you seriously, you should be more objective in your criticism of Sachin. Right now, you just sound like this loser who is envies Sachin so much you developed this bizarre hatred for him. Anyway, your mental issues might run way deeper than that but try to keep it out of every message board you come across!
Objective on sachin? What are you seeing? His stats?. He may be gerat run accumulator but he is not the batsman you can rely on to win a game for india. Period.
Indians overhype losers and stat whores and refuse to see the contributors to winning.
It is psychological and social problem of india and all indians. They are in their own little box.
You can be anything inside your brain , it is not what world see.
World see sachin obsession for stats play counter team winning or even drawing the game.
It is out in open in every inning. Start observing.
I trash anyone who do not play for a team and play for their stats.
No one should take anything seriously. You make your own world. You are the hero in that. Always. :D
I do not care shit about sachin records , if he win game for india , i am ready to accept i am wrong , until then i will be pissing off on all sachin fans.
They can come out with millions avatar , there is nothing touch me. It is simple really.
You all are talking to yourself . Think!. Ask questions. Never agree or disagree. :D
Aleks fan: Why am I suddenly a thinker? I’m an open ‘statwhore’ and a huge Sachin fan.
Alex: Runs win matches. Sachin scores loads of runs. Put those two bits together.
.-= Rishabh´s last blog ..Aaaaand we won! =-.
if you need some mentally retarded fool …watch this one. he was better fool than most humans. Atleast he tried to tell what he saw without sugar coating.
Runs win matches. generic statment. Half filled glass …half empty or half full
Everything is context based. Sachin makes runs only there is no pressure. Basically he chokes against quality opposition.
He should not be deserved of any accolade because he contribute nothing to win on his own.
He is always good when if another batsman take pressure off him. If he is really that good and team man , he would be played dravid 3rd spot.
you guys still blinded to obvious. You guys see things in selective way in your own little box.
Basically it is all come to is indians only got losers in india. , so why cry over spoiled milk. So hype sachin stats and go scream like jingoistic fool.
it is really pathetic.
I like anyone who scores and win when chips are down. Like amla almost saved SA.
Did sachin do that in nagpur test? Nope!. There lies the difference.
Sachin is not a pressure player , just simple stat whore who decieves whole idiotic indian population. :D
Sachin will cost india world cup 2011. Hope he get crashed or injured (beark his knee , elbow , back , ankle ..anything) before that, May be morkel will break his face into pieces in south africa this year. goodriddens. :D
Fantastic test match! Hail Amla! And great resurgence by India to level the series.
(Btw, @alex is obviously an attention whore…probably coz he/she/it (most likely ‘it’) has had to make do with its own fist for all of its pitiable non-existence. I guess that frustration has to spill over in some form. Hey @alex-fan, perhaps you could give your non-existent guru a helping hand? Now there’s a test of loyalty! :)
*riddance*
Mea culpa. More broken record than stuck. Think. Teeehehehe!
i ve a feeling Aleks fan is trying to make Rishabh join the Aleks Phan clubh. Watch out…..
Maybe Sehwag watched Lagaan the previous day. Remember the evil english dude kicking the ball to the boundary. At least God tried to make it look accidental
Today woke up, saw a ray of light, opened cwb, got new and updated words of wisdom from my master. True story.
oh master, give me a chance. there are too many statwhores in this world you cannot handle alone. assign me 10% of them statwhores i ll show them the truth.
God’s words of wisdom!.
“Sehwag defended his naturally aggressive approach to batting, saying there were risks involved even if he opted to play more cautiously. “People say I take too many risks. But the fact is, there is risk involved in every shot. You can get out trying to defend a ball as well. At times, people tell me to leave ball outside the off-stump. But some of them can jag back and get you out if you don’t play shots. I think if you think so much, you simply cannot bat,” he said.”
http://www.cricinfo.com/awards2009/content/current/story/449124.html
lol! His last few words are funny in a way. “I think if you think so much” -> Alex? Wasnt that meant for you? Think!
cb
What he is saying is inorder to live , you just have to live. if you ask what is life’s purpose or enlightenment blah blah mumbo jumbo, you will forget to live. :D
Sehwag wants Sachin the midget to retire!
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/cricketnews/Sehwag-mulls-retirement-after-100-Tests/Article1-510733.aspx
he wants sachin 4th spot immediately!.
see God and me thinking same thing indirectly!. :D
Sachin wins another award.
DIE Alex DIE. And give your mother some relief. I am laughing at you right now.
Alex do not exist. You are laughing at yourself you fool :)
I am so happy to see sehwag agree to my master views. Even sehwag realize midget no good. Very soon midget gone we will be happy. My master, you are amazing :)