India v http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 – India under siege at Edgbaston, Birmingham
India have once again landed in a deep pit from where they need to climb out of before it is too late for them to come back in the third Test against England being played at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
After going down 2-0 in the series, this is http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750’s last chance to seek redemption before losing their number one spot in Test cricket. India has everything at stake but this is something that the Indian players seem to be oblivious of because even after
so much was said and written favouring a staggering comeback from the tourists, they have yet again failed to live up to the expectations of their fans by exhibiting a lacklustre batting in front of the English bowling.
It was none other than the under fire Indian skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 who came to the rescue by displaying a phenomenal touch with the bat and showed his batsmen who were already back in the pavilion just how to bat under English conditions in the nerve
wreaking third Test.
The 77-run knock by the skipper proved vital for the Indian side as they were at the brink of total annihilation on the first day of the match which might become their last extravaganza as the number one team in the longest format of the game.
The Indians do not have any option but to win this fixture because if they do not, they will have a difficult time convincing critics that their stint at the top spot was nothing more than a fluke.
The battered Indian skipper who was facing the brunt of the Indian public after failing to avert defeat in the second Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham where the tourists were handed a humiliating defeat of 319 runs by the hosts, has now shown just why he
is among the best players in modern-day cricket.
Testing times bring out the best from true heroes and Dhoni has lived up to his name by forging a grace saving innings in the third clash.
Meanwhile, the English are certainly not going be bogged down by the tally of 224 runs posted by the Indians as they are in a superb form and are eyeing the number one spot. Before the series, the English made is clear that they were hoping to grab the number
one spot, however, less importance was given to what the English had to say and more on the much hyped 100th century by batting maestro http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Tendulkar-c2556, who was expected to achieve the feat in this tour as he currently stands at 99 centuries, more
than anyone else in the history of the game.
Nonetheless, Sachin’s upcoming century has taken a backseat as now it is more important for the team to end this tour on a high than to carry the luggage of a defeat back home.
Perhaps, the burden of scoring a 100 has also affected http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Chinnadupargea-Sachin-c50607’s game as the batsman seems to be out of form and has been losing his wicket by making poor judgements.
On the other hand, the only commendable performance from India has come in the form of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/R-Dravid-c2229 who has shown excellent form in the series, however, when the team fails to play, one man cannot win the whole game especially in Test cricket.
This is perhaps England’s secret as instead of relying on one or two players they are playing as a single unit where every individual is making a contribution. On the other hand, India are banking on individual performances from the likes of Dravid, Sachin
and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Sehwag-c2739 to get them through the series.
At the moment India are in a spot of bother and how they end the tour is in their own hands. They still have four days remaining in the third Test to change their destiny otherwise they appear to be heading for a train wreck in this match.
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