Ok… test cricket does go for 5 days, and more often than not ends in a draw… but anyone who can blithely declare it ‘boring’ should be sat down to watch the 2nd test in Sydney of the series between Australia & India.
I did.
And a more intense finish to a sporting event I’m yet to see.
As I sat and watched the game at my bud Brett’s house (on his 47″ screen), the tension was stretched to an incredible level.
With the game coming down to the wire, Australia won with 8 minutes of play to spare, bowling India out. When a game is measured by ‘days’, 8 minutes is amazing.
Riveting.
As the game wound down, it became increasingly unlikely that Australia could win. India would ’salvage’ a draw from a game that they should’ve been in a position to win. Still, a draw would be a moral victory of sorts for India, who were mauled in the first test in Melbourne. And it would stop the run of wins that this Australian team had achieved. 15 straight before this match, and 16 would equal the best ever run by any team in any era.
Still, time ticked down, and there was always an outside chance.
The dismissal of Ganguly for 51 let Australia in with a chance… and when Dhoni fell that left 3 wickets left.
For 9 overs, nothing the Australians did could dent the Indian pairing of Kumble and Harbhajan. But with my buddy Brett screaming for them to “Bring on the Golden Arm” (Michael Clarke), Australia finally relented and did indeed do just that: Michael Clarke came into bowl. Still - would there be enough time? Less than 15 minutes of play left…
After a fairly pedestrian first over, Clarke struck, and took the wicket of Harbhajan Singh. With a very slow march down to the ground, Rudra Pratap Singh took the crease.
OUT!
Leg-before-wicket, Singh heads back the way he came, out for a duck.
Next, the young speedster, Ishant Sharma. Contention as he came on the field with two right gloves, and play further delayed as he waited for a left glove to be brought down.
When he actually took the crease, about 10 minutes of precious time left.
On the fifth ball of that same over in which he took the vital wickets of Harbhajan Singh & Rudra Pratap Singh, Clarke struck again and took the wicket of Ishant Sharma, the final wicket in the Indian line-up, winning the game with a scant 8 minutes of play left…
And the rest is history.
Quite literally.
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i love clarkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
well,
Australia came to field with
11 players
3 umpires
and 1 match refree
it’s not surprising to see an Australian complaining about ‘time westing’….
while the Australian team itself got a wicket to a dropped catch.
well rudeness cannot be justified by calling it as ‘ruthless’
it;s Australian tradition….
Oh PUH-lease, neo!
Lemme guess: whining non-Australian fan?
A dropped catch? May I then point to Ponting’s dismissal in the first innings (Out? Hell No!)?
Rudeness? How about Harbhajan Singh’s racial taunts in the game (for which he’s been banned for 3 matches)?
Or what about the blatant time-wasting at the end of the game?
Hmmm? Methinks you’ll not reply to those points, huh bud?
Nah, far easier to hide and make inflammatory comments in relative anonymity (nice email, ‘dummyname’), hmmm?
Pathetic.
Have a cry…
What about the brilliant catch that ponting took, of Ganguly’s (i think) little finger that wasn’t given out?
You had better not watch any more games if you cannot handle being outclassed…
Working on the assumption that you’re talking to neo!
And it was Dhoni.
First of all to all aussie fans…. yeah yeah celebrate you won India lost, hey what a moment to be proud of mate!! …
”
well what happened in the 2nd test match was seen all over the world and was noted and glaring mistakes were pointed out throughout the 5 days… but tell me did that improve the standard of umpiring?? NO … and it wont till the team that benefited from these decisions “Australia…oo wait Australia… no no it is Australia again
well you can call it love for the game or raising voice against the preferential treatment towards one team.
Now i don’t blame Australian fans for not accepting and acknowledging that there was some foul play… I would not have if i were you
Your team can go on winning like this throughout this century and many many more if the world doesn’t get tired of all this in the first place :)…
Yeah you are champs indeed and to top it your team knows how to be the “Champs”… well a lesson for rest of the teams to learn if they are ever able to defeat 14 players of urs… adios amigos…
PEACE \/
Downunder? Nice one Patel.
Don’t you get sick & tired of the pretense that the Indian team were without fault?
See wrong decisions were mostly in favor of Australia that does not mean Indian team would leave the tatters that were thrown at them… i mean sure Ponting’s dismissal at inside edge… EVEN A BLIND man could have heared the nick mate!!… but Indians took it, it was a kind of charity work by the umpires i would say
and the only charity work i guess
… come on let the brown power show it’s game… even then if they lose fair enough at least the Champs were challenged … aye mate?
Honestly? Whilst I thought there were errors made in adjudication, I thought it was a brilliant match… a nail-biting affair right down to the final minutes.
I admit to being somewhat surprised with the reaction from the Indian camp.
I think there are conspiracy theories being put about where there are absolutely none.
Yes, the Indians did well. If only they’d prepared better for the series maybe they’d do better.
A true test of their mettle will be how they do on the dry, hard, flat surface of the WACA.
bout bhajji’s matter mate… heres my say
if that really did happen… then it’s sad and not acceptable as ours is the country that was racially abused and economically marginalized for centuries we of all should stay away if not get involved in these matters.
But if it didn’t (as we here in India are assuming it didn’t… lack of audio tapes and video to back it up buddy !!) match referee’s decision was solely on Australians players testimonies and that is a kind of racism to ME if not to India as a whole. Indian players testimonies were useless and waste of time seeing this decision.
Your take bud…
It sure was a hell of a match… hopefully last one would be of the same kind… but PERTH :S… we are gonna loose by an inning there man… and that my friend we are aware of
… Indian players cant play on that fast wickets dude… no one in India can we dont have those kind of wickets here… i wonder why but thts how it is this time. Tait would be he highlight i guess
Harbhajan… not exactly a glowing example of tolerance, huh?
There is no doubt as to him calling Symonds a monkey in Mumbai. That’s simply fact. Post match, Symonds knocked on India’s team dressing-room door and asked to speak to Harbhajan.
After explaining how he felt about the term, which infers someone is sub-human, Harbhajan said he was sorry and agreed not to use it again… are you suggesting that we take the word of Harbhajan over Symonds, and that the tribunal has it wrong?
How about Harbhajan’s abuse of Ponting when he (Harbhajan) was just 17?
Or reports of a scuffle with a policeman outside a team hotel?
Or when he had to be restrained when Michael Clarke took his wicket at the Nehru stadium in Cochin during a one-day game late last year?
Or when he was thrown out of his country’s cricket academy for violence in the canteen?
An excellent cricketer, but definitely one who often fails to control the ‘red haze of anger’.
Harbhajan… not exactly a glowing example of tolerance, huh?
There is no doubt as to him calling Symonds a monkey in Mumbai. That’s simply fact. (If I were you I won’t call it a fact, because if it were then why did not Symonds lodge a complain to the match referee, Indian team didn’t have to wait to come to Australia to face this farce from Australians … Why didn’t he??)
Post match, Symonds knocked on India’s team dressing-room door and asked to speak to Harbhajan.
After explaining how he felt about the term, which infers someone is sub-human, Harbhajan said he was sorry and agreed not to use it again…
are you suggesting that we take the word of Harbhajan over Symonds, and that the tribunal has it wrong? ( Yes I am suggesting exactly that.. does the so-called “tribunal” have A/V evidence against Harbhajan… NO right?… well then no ones words can be trusted if the tribunal was fair to start with… But they did trust Ponting n Cos words… and thats unjustice and unfair if you put yourself in an Indian’s shoe)
How about Harbhajan’s abuse of Ponting when he (Harbhajan) was just 17?
Or reports of a scuffle with a policeman outside a team hotel? (What reports… who gave these reports… we here in India never heared of any such reports… I am wondering why does Australian media has to show Harbhajan in a poor light??!!)
Or when he had to be restrained when Michael Clarke took his wicket at the Nehru stadium in Cochin during a one-day game late last year? (No idea what you are talking about… I might have missed this one…)
Or when he was thrown out of his country’s cricket academy for violence in the canteen? (Sorry but am not a huge fan of Bhajji to begin with… so i have no clue watsoever on this matter)
An excellent cricketer (agreed), but definitely one who often fails to control the ‘red haze of anger’. (About Bhajji’s abuse to Ponting when “he was just 17″… You I suppose are in your twenties and would surely like to forget some of the memories of fights or brawls when you were in high school or college… ain’t i right?? )
Fair call… but when I was in my teens/twenties I wasn’t on the world stage. Lots of teens make the spotlight, and behave better. Sharma’s one.
All I’m saying is that if Harbhajan did indeed racially vilify Symonds (I for one believe he did. Given the history there, and Symonds is a very, very good sport), is it surprising?
Still - have enjoyed conversing with you Patel, glad you can keep it nice ‘n’ calm… lots of folks on both sides haven’t been able to.
Cheers… have a good night!
anyways yeah ppl do tend to get agitated… anyways mate let this be mystery till then yeah…
btw dude wats with Japan??
Not to mention Singh absolutely refusing to walk when clean bowled by Pietersen in a one day game, making the umpire refer it to the video adjudicator.
He then turned and swore at Pietersen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofCYo7k7M9Q
The swearing is at the 1.22 minute mark.
Harbhajan being restrained
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvBWCV9Fa1Q&feature=related
Not to mention Singh absolutely refusing to walk when clean bowled by Pietersen in a one day game, making the umpire refer it to the video adjudicator. (Well you can’t trust anyone when it comes to international cricket… It was a good ball frm Pietersen maybe Bhajji had doubts about the appeal bowled/stumping.)
He then turned and swore at Pietersen. (Did you hear what he said, did Pietersen confirm that he was sworn at? …. speculating is one thing dude you just can’t be sure in these things…)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofCYo7k7M9Q
The swearing is at the 1.22 minute mark. (What exactly did Harbhajan say to him?? i was unable to make out whether he was cursing himself or Kevin
or maybe praying for that matter… am just speculating here 
)
Australia won the match, and cricket is poorer for it. I may be unrealistic in my views, but this is not why I enjoy and support cricket. Winning at any costs is going to be the undoing of cricket, and sportmanship is the only thing that can stop it deteriorating into a boxing match without the blows. It’s ugly, and it is not in the spirit of the game anymore.
This is a second high profile case where the issues around the game has derailed/threatened to derail a major tournament. I think it is time for everyone to stand back and look at the roots of the game. This is almost like the fiasco in the Ryder Cup a few years ago when spectators and players got so swept up in the mass hysteria of winning that they completely lost the plot.
I would like to see a Captain stand up and recall a batsman when he knows a mistake was made. Perhaps they will lose that game, but perhaps they will regain their soul. I know it is idealistic, but that has always been the spirit of the game for me.
Did you watch the game Pieter? I bet you didn’t… and if you did, I bet you didn’t feel this way until quite a bit after the match when the hand-wringing began.
Point to a single instance where Ponting did as you suggest.
And the fault merely lays with Australia? That’s rather simplistic, is it not?
You’re fine with Sachin Tendulkar sending an SMS message to the BCCI bosses telling them to use strong-arm tactics to get their way?
That’s far, far worse than a team seeking to play as hard as they can…
WACA!!!! pretty good show till now aye jap boy
and fyi sachin did come out and clarify that he did not send any SMS to BCCI… just thought you’d like to know..
‘jap boy’?
Oh, you’re all class. About as much cultural sensitivity as a rhinoceros… or Harbhajan.
For your own information, I’m not Japanese… but you might want to check the terms you use Patel, just like another of your countrymen, huh?
On the 3rd test: you’re crowing about 117/2???
And what do you think Tendulkar was going to do, come out and say “Hell yeah, I sent the SMS.”? No matter what he did, him coming out with a denial was inevitable. Doesn’t lessen the childishness of the reaction from the BCCI either way, regardless of them abandoning that stance.
hey hey hey man cool down dude… well “jap boy” was not at all meant to hurt anybodies feelings… it was just an expression with a touch of hilarity to it.. considering your blogs on sports (esp. rugby) in Japan… and to make myself more clearer…
I DON’T HATE JAPANESE or any race for that matter!!!!!! focus mate focus!!
btw it’s 297/6 at stumps … considering the fastest pitch in the world… not bad aye!!
btw is Jap boy taken really badly in Japan?? … man some crazy world we live in… monkey is considered racist by your country and 1 billion ppl in mine worship a monkey god… now if an Indian calls someone a monkey was he really being racist?? or now you might give an argument that my religion is basically racist all Indians are basically racist…. You know what WE DONT CARE!!… we’ve got other issues of higher priority to take care of… and if someone feels racially abused… I say SCREW YOU!!!
Nah… I’m not upset at all. So, screw you back!
Yup, ‘Jap’ is not well-received… And 297 is pretty good, if a lil’ slow for a day’s play… all dependent on what you do first session tomorrow.
I take those words back then
… i was unware of that fact, btw enough of screwing around mate 
… yeah 297 in a day a bit slow (by aussie standards atleast) but if we can get around 60 odd runs tomorrow i think we should be ok.