England v India – Alastair Cook, cooks Indian mincemeat
If India thought that their fortunes were about to change in the third Test of the ongoing four-match series in England, they had no idea what was awaiting them at Edgbaston, Birmingham as the Indians had the air sucked right out of their lungs on the second
day of the Test by the emphatic batting display from the English.
The English batsmen seem in impeccable form and the way things are going they are surely aiming to restrict the Indians from making a comeback. However, among the English, it was their opener http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AN-Cook-c1026 who really showed exuberant class on the second
day as he batted like he was invincible.
The batsman who gave an average performance in the first two Tests of the series was under tremendous pressure to do well in this match as there were rumours in the English media that the management was thinking of dropping the opener if he continued with
his bad form in the Edgbaston Test.
Nonetheless, England’s one-day skipper has turned the tables and has not only shunned his critics but has also left the Indians in total mess after smacking a belligerent knock of 182 runs on the second day of the third Test.
The innings has come as a surprise to many and especially the Indians who were hoping to make early inroads in this Test to avert a likely dethroning from the number one spot in Test cricket in case of losing the match.
However, England are now eager to finally clinch the first place in Test cricket and for that they are not going to let the Indians feel at home, at least not until the end of the Test series.
With Cook going strong there is no telling when the English will declare their first innings, nonetheless, the opener seems well set to score his double hundred on the third day of the match which will be a remarkable performance by the left-handed opener.
Meanwhile, the Indian bowlers need to huddle and find a way to annihilated the English batsmen and that is not the only thing the Indians need to figure out because their batting hasn’t been any impressive either.
With the likes of batting greats such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Sehwag-c2739 in the Indian team one would expect a tough resistance; however, the batsmen have failed to make a mark in the series as they have been easily cleaned up by the English
pacers.
A win is certainly not on the cards for India anymore, the management and the skipper now need to focus on ending the game in a draw which will still give them a chance to come back with vengeance in the fourth and final Test at the Oval.
A draw in the third Test and a victory at the Oval will restrict England from grabbing the number one spot and give India something to carry back home, otherwise in case of a total meltdown, Indian cricket is bound to react strongly to their side’s pathetic
performance in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013.
The Indian media is already beating war drums against their team where many have opening criticised the once beloved Indian skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 for the national team’s demise.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gary-Kirsten-c58527 under whom they became the World Champions in the 50-over game in April, 2011. With him gone, things are not looking bright for the Indians as this is their first competitive series
after the World Cup and their performance is below by any standards.
With three days to go, the Edgbaston is surely going to retain its grip on the fans eager to see how India will engineer a comeback from the current situation.
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