Posted by   on (November 28, 2012, 17:04 GMT)

Typical defensive mindset of dravid, hes a great player but by mentioning typical subcontinent pitch it includes the pitches where flat tracks are also included which makes test cricket boring.

Posted by   on (November 27, 2012, 10:00 GMT)

I guess some important questions were missing in the analysis and larger patterns are not being recognised. Sachin has not scored in the last 12 tests (4 in england, 4 in australia and 2 in NZ). Same with Gambhir, Dhoni and to a lesser extent Sehwag. If you remove Pujara's 200 from the 1st innings in Ahmedabad, India had a pretty ordinary score. Why didn't India bat well in the 1st innings in Mumbai? We were 169 - 6 on a first day's wicket. If we had scored 400 in the 1st innings maybe we would not have lost. One needs to have a long hard look at the Indian batting line up.

For once, I will have to disagree with Rahul Dravid. This pitch made the test more exciting while normal subcontinental wickets have no bounce and very slow turn even for the spinners! Extraordinary performances like KP's innings should be rewarded and if we want to draw good crowds for exciting cricket, we need these pitches in the future. I can't believe I have to support MSD in this case!

Brilliant as usual from Rahul..

This realisation is because Dhoni's call and Board's support to such a pitch has seriously backfired. Had we won, we would have not heard this recommendation.

Posted by   on (November 27, 2012, 5:16 GMT)

He is absolutely correct. If you create a minefield, you basically can win the match with one semi-superlative batting display. Pietersen had that and more. Then the minefield was unplayable, and nothing miraculous could save India.

A total of 150 would have been formidable. The trouble was that they fell prey to their own trap.

The minefield helped England's spinners more than it helped the Indian spinners.

It is like making the tennis court faster so that a player you can beat normally because you have a good serve and he has a mediocre serve is supposedly further disadvantaged by giving your good serve of 100 mph an extra 10 mph to make it great. Your opponent who has a mediocre serve at 90 gain 10 mph himself, and suddenly he has a good serve. You press just little, and you miss a few serves. He sensing that you are missing, and he is gaining a few free points presses just a tad.

Upset.

I agree with rahul...thats type of match to see very intresting. and the best batsman against the speener have one and only "rahul dravid".