Transcript of the Commentary - Indian Innings

Prem: and with that, folks, end of the reportage from here, back live tomorrow, meanwhile, have a match report to write, so i am off, see you tomorrow. good night, and gone.

rajesh () does this this noball rule apply to test matches as well Prem: that was a very very costly error from jayasuriya, anticpated late, didnt move back in time and there goes jaya bowling the last over, agarkar drives, four through extra cover and that is the win, with five balls to spare -- a timely cameo from agarkar pulling off a win that looked out of the cards when he came in.

Prem: Anandam:: check out the new icc rules, you get the extra run for the no ball plus any runs you score, pal.

Prem: 3/7 now needed and ads, last bal, blocks and they run the single. 2 needed off the last over.

Prem: agarkar now on strike, to ads, 9 from nine needed and agarkar steps to leg, lifts over long on, jayasuriya on the line gets both hands to the ball, over his head, and manages to push it over the line, for a six. tough catch, but he backpeddled too late, and now they have won the game.

Chandra (b_chandra@yahho.com) So called Experts like Gavaskar, Shastri and the media have put lot of pressure on Indian Players by branding it a one man team, Hope they will keep their wide mouth shut after this performance rajesh () sharjah is the venue for nail biting finishes Prem: robiin on strike, has to keep playing to off, they are ready for him to hit to leg. ads, on off, there's the sweep, and the fielder there for it, just the single.

Prem: outside off, robin drives through cover finally, instead of looking to the leg side, gets two more, 10 now off 10 the ask.

Prem: i think this is another miscualcuation, ads bowling but i think vaas was the better option, very experienced, could come up with the wicket that can change things round again. ads round the wicket to robin. on off, the swing and the miss from outside off. 12 off 11 now.

Prem: that has finally turned the equation in favour of india, always assuming there are no horrible mixups between wickets, agarkar in that one dharmasena over swinging it for india and ranatunga, for once, miscalculating -- dharma worked to the leftie superbly, but to the right hander, he's become a liability.

raja () go after it agarkar Shriram (shriram@andrew.cmu.edu) Good they picked Agarkar over Prasad. Atleast Agarkar can bat pretty well. Lets see if we can make it.?? Prem: dharma, with one ball left in his spell, has gone for 68. interestingly, vaas has two overs to go but cant bowl it out here. 13 off 13 needed. dharma, and on off stump, robin off drives, one more. 12 off 12 needed now.

Rao (alcr@hotmail.com) Agarkar doing great job for inDia Prem: 15 in 4 balls, with two to go. dharma to agarkar, slower ball, yorker, the push to mid on and another quick single.

Hussein Patanwala (husseinp@hotmail.com) It now rests delicately in the hands of both Robin and Agit. both able batsmen don't worry guys they'll do it. Prem: 12 in 4 thus far, and that has again swung it to india. no ball, dharma overstepping and agakar plays it down to backward point, two more, so three for that and two balls left to bowl.

Prem: agarkar on strike, again, to dharma, under pressure here, round the wciekt, on off, played through point, aravinda has a chase and they get two more, 10 in the over thus far, dharma was good to the leftie but to the right hander, losing it here. ball four, agarkar onto the front foot, chips over midiwcket and two more.

raja (rajaroy@hotmail.com) great agarkar that's what we need from you now Prem: dharma around the wciekt, into the pads, agarkar flicks, takes on the fielder on the fence and runs two, the pressure tells on the feilder, bad throw, 21 needed off 16.

Prem: 29 needed off 18 balls, and now lanka in the driving seat. a test of nerves here, only fours will do it and dharma has the right line for the left hander. for nw, though, it is agarkar, and dharma makes a big mistakke, pitches a halfvolley on middle and agarkar swings him over midwicket for six.

NJ () Prem> Pls post runs reqd/balls remaining with every post! Prem: last ball, on off and played to cover, no run to end the over and a needle finish coming up here.

Prem: ball four, down the leg and off the pad, a single. ads doing very well here, no room whatever for the strokes.

Shriram () Atleast Robin Singh plays with heart and some passion. So we might still win. Joshi and Kumble can slso bat a bit. Prem: next ball, played to wide point and a single to robin. agarkar the new man in. on strike to the offie. on the back foot,d rives, finds midwicket

Prem: unfortunately, no srinath at this point for a lusty hit, so it will need to be kumble and agarkar to do the needful, dharma having figured out how to tie robin down and ads with his big-turning off breaks also keeping robin in check from line around the wicket.

B S Chawla (bschawla@hotmail.com) Trust India to Snatch Defeat from the Jaws of Victory! Shantanu Desai (shantanu@bu.edu) Rbin we need some big hits from you. hemant () VRISHAB is sidhu a competent bat against fast bowling to open the innings when that ball is new when he can opne the innings i can see no wrong in azhar coming in at 1 drop Anandam (anandamm@cisunix.unh.edu) Kris Srikkantha rates Agarkar very high as a batsman. In fact he scored a century against a strong Paki "A". How come Chopra is here then? Prem: that was robin's fault, he had started off, then retreaced his steps and there went the wicket, number seven.

Prem: in 45, india were 212/6 while lanka was 215/4. ads to robin, around the wicket, robin swings to leg, ball pitches and turns away, great ball to bowl, knowing where robin will be looking to hit. next ball, and there is the wicket -- played to point, chopra down the track wanting the single, robin turns his back on him and chopra stranded halfway down tthe track.

Farsho (Farshori@nidcd.nih.gov) Stephnie, Lately Jadeja, Ganguly and even Tandulkar hasn't done well. I wonder if you like to replace them too? Rao (alcr@hotmail.com) It is better if Chopra take charge. He should bang Aravinda. One six and one four would relieve the indians. It is frustrating to see aravinda restricting indians Prem: dharma again, last ball, robin swings and misses, leg bye and again, robin has to dive to make his ground. point being, he does, so three in that over.

Prem: and again, flat and fast on off and robin cramped, no run, to point, 34 now off 26 and dharma doing a brilliant job here. next ball, down to square leg, robin going to off to play to leg, racing the second run on the throw, very tight but he makes it in time.

vrishab (vsikand@bbn.com) azhar is vulnerable against express bowlers when the ball is new. he should acknowledge that and not embarass himself and imperil the team by coming at the fall of a early wicket, against fast bowlers. there is no shame in that every player has weakness, most players in Aust, rsa , wi , eng, new zealand dont play spinners very well. other wise azhar is a great player as his record shows. even his biggest fans dont rate him as a good player of Prem: again, that restrictive line in to off and robin has no room for the hit, plays to mahanama at cover, no run.

Dilip () So much was hyped about the Simpson coaching. But off late the no of run-outs seem to have increased. looks liks waht the Indians neeed now is common sense training. hemant () thats a cruel blow,to loose jadeja at such a crucial time, lanka are definitely the fav to win this one now, as we dont have a recognised bat to support robin singh Prem: 34 from 29, and robin on strike. dharma the bowler, around the wciekt and angling in to off, cramping him for room, played to cover, no run.

Prem: the scoreboard must have been following theoriginal sfore card. dharma, and chopra off drives, one more.

Prem: naveen:: damned if I can mess up kumble for chopra, they look nothing alike!

Prem: this time, chopra down the track, drives, in the air but wide of aravinda on the follow through, one for it and chopra keeps strike.

Prem: Ads to chopra, on off, again the huge flourish, bat coming from around second slip, across the line, ends up playhing back to the bowler, 36 now off 31.

Prem: ads now to robin, with three in the deep on the on side, robin cuts, finds mahanama diving and stopping at cover, only the single is on.

Prem: ball three, the flick finally beats the square leg fielder, one more.

Prem: rather interesting to see the new lad ahead of kumble and agarkar in a high pressure situation. chopra has a high backlift, plays with a flourish, ads the bwoler and chopra flicks, finds the fielder, no run, 38/34 needed.

Alps () GUYS: I reckon we will definitely win , and I don't thikn a wicket will fall now. Prem what do u give SL for fielding out of 10??? keeran (keeran@engr.uky.edu) Jadeja is runout for the nth time of his career. Dilip () So much for the Simpson trg Prem: 6 overs tto go, and nikhil chopra the new man in.

Prem: ranatunga, despite mounting pressure on him, has kept his nerve here, kept the fielders right up which meant that every single the indians take is fraught with risk -- on that kind of thing, sooner or later you make the mistake, and india made a costly one just now taking on mahanama, easily the best in the lankan camp.

Anandam Mamidipudi (anandamm@cisunix.unh.edu) For once, we have a normal match! One where nobody did much wrong, yet one team shall win while the other loses. No excuses, no controversies. Chnadra (b_chandra@yahoo.com) Why is everybody jealous of Azhar kk (kulkarni.22@osu.edu) hope this does not turn out to be a fiasco as always!! Prem: this time, jadeja plays square on the on with the turn, gets one more. brings robin on strike. into the 44th here. now ranatunga has three deep on the on, for his sweeps and short arm jabs. robin pushes to cover, they race the single, driect hit, and jadeja seems to be out of his ground. oh yes, he's gone by about a foot and a half, great throw from mahanama, hit the stumps on the full and india lose another wicket, a needless one as that was gonig straight to hand.

Alps () Prem: It's doable, but Jadeja must take charge and not let ADS restrict us. And by the way Ranatunga cleverly using bowlers like ADS etc why don't we use Ganguly Jadeja Singh, to curb the runrate?? CAn u mention this in the report please??? vj (vrudraraju@aol.com) Robin!we need a sensible knock from u Prem: jadeja flicsk, gets the leading edge to mid off, robin races that first one, comes back to make the second with some ease, that really was quick running.

sudip (sdipsth@hotmail.com) Hey Prem! You should also show a window of complete Scorecard somewhere around your live card. chock (achock@hotmail.com) Sachin - 3 Prem: robin pushes to point, they run the single in the face of jayasuriya and manage to make their ground. one more, 42 needed off 40 now.

Stephanie Stein () Guys, it is not surprising that Azhar has done well. Whenever he is about to be dropped, he has always done well. That has been his survival trick. That is not what we want. We want a consistent batsman that can play for India, not himself (or any other country) Prem: dharma staying over the wicket, major readjustments being made to the field, the intent seems to be to keep robin quiet outside off. going round the wicket now, fast, outsdie off, robin slashes and misses.

sistla (sistla@moldy.iitm.ernet.in) Hello. How many sixes did azza hit? Shriram () Prem: One some sites is says, Srinath is run out???? Can you clarify please! Prem: shriram:: what is to clarify, srinath was run out by atapattu. dharma meanwhile continues, bowling now to robin.

Venkat (vgudipati@hotmail.com) Just joining !! How many runs did Sachin Score ?? Please tell me ! Prem: last ball, an off drive gets robin the single to retain strike.

Venkat (vgudipati@hotmail.com) Just joining !! How many runs did Sachin Score ?? Please tell me ! Prem: ads to robin, on off, straighter one, driven but finds cover.

G-Era Funk (g@mail.com) ROBIN- THE BEAST FROM THE EAST IS HERE. ChalapthiRao (alcr@hotmail.com) Rahul Dravid>> Geoff Marsh in a recent interview mentioned that Dravid is the best batsman from iIndia in the recent times. he has wonderful technique. Prem: ads to robin who is down on one knee sweeping at one outside off and turning further away. misses completely.

Gunjeet (singhg@moodys.com) Azhar played well - but then he had to make up for failures in Toronto, Zim and Dhaka. While giving him credit, let's not get carried away and rememeber that India's overall game still has more flaws than a bad painting! Prem: robin on strike now to the offbreaks of ads, bwoling around the wciekt, pitches off and turns it away, played defensively. ball three, same line, same response, no run.

hemant () it would have been a well deserved century for azza and considering the criticizm he has taken all along everyone was calling for his head, and now everyone is congratulating him his dismissal gives a glimmer of hope to the lankans another wicket would definitely swing the match into their way. Prem: vaas proving the most reliable for the lankans, trouble is, they need him from both ends here -- or someone else has to come along and do a vaas. ads continues, bowls outside off, jadeja slices a drive, safe through point, single. 44/47 still to get

tushar (tushar@hotmail.com) Prem, we still have a little work to do here....Singles should do the trick. I think 21 runs in the last 3 overs is attainable...No more wickets to be lost...We can always commit hara-kiri in the end... Naveen () Didn't I tell you... Now it is not going to be as easy as it should have been It was just that Azza got carried away whenhe is on a run spree like this. Prem: another good ball to end the over, bowled from wide of the crease angled in, tucking the left hander up, no run.

venu (viyer@sco.com) Congrats to Azzu. Great job. Hope he gets to 10k. Rams () To all the guys who say that Rahul cant play aggressively: Remember the match against SA in SA.. the infamous ODI where we saw Donald getting pissed off by Rahul batting Prem: vaas, pitches leg and moves it away, robin flicks and misses.

Prem: 47 off 5 1 the ask at this point, and vaas continues, to robin, yorker on off, dug out to long on and both of them fairly race the two, bringing up the 200 into the bargain.

Prem: vaas, pitching outside off bringing it in and robin defends.

B S Chawla (bschawla@hotmail.com) CONGRATULATIONS & CELEBRATIONS, Azhar! No one has any doubts on your batting talents - just know when to come in and how to play! CONGRATS! hriram () Damn. That's too bad for Azhar. Anyway, hope we still win this one with Robin and Jadeja at the crease Prem: that should bring in robin singh, on a wicket that suits his brand of short arm strokeplay. he will, though, need to let himself get set, which means jadeja has to take over for a while here. vaas to robin, down leg and called wide.

Naveen () Whenever people start writing azza off, he comes back with a strong one. But I don't think he must keep hitting like this. It is important that he stays till the end. Prem: century or no, the partnership with mongia brougth india back into the match, and his big hitting at the end ensured the ask rate didnt climb through the roof -- those two being the major highlights of this particular innings.

criclovers (hercules@cnnsimail.com) Great Azhar! Hearty Congratulations on yourRecord!Continue your work by giving us the taste of victory today. lawrence PAranidharan (lawrence_par@hotmail.com) Hi Raj, sure he is the one to get MOM Prem: next ball, vaas bang on off, azhar trying to run it down to third man, misses the line completely, and is bowled -- just four short of what would have been a very well deserved century.

Karun (pkaruna@hotmail.com) Instead of comparing Azhar and Dravid, they can some more chances to Dravid to see whether he is getting tuned to the one-day matches. What do you think? SB () Congrats to Azza!! Prem: the batsmen most likely to catch up are aravinda, with 7689 off 244 games and sachin, with 7457 off 203 matches. azhar meanwhile flicking vaas, off line of leg, two down to fine leg.

into the 42nd over, thsoe three sixes having really relieved the pressure on the batting side, azhar calling for some water now, lull in play. Prem: adas now around the wicket, azhar off drives and that is it, he is now the highest run getter in odis, he is the one with the most number of odis played, the most number of catches. so india now has the most wickets in tests, most runs in odis, most centuries in odis among other records.

Satish () Guys, U r missing something here. Dravid would not be criticized for playing slowly initially if he settles down and opens out later, as azza is doing now.... it;s when U consume a lot of balls to settle down and get out that Ur team is in trouble... Dravid has to build up after settling down...I am a big fan of Dravid and just wish he clicks... Raj () Obviously, Azhar is going to be the 'Man of the Match', If we taste today's win too. Deepak () AZHAR!!!CONGRATULATION, CONGRATULATION, CONGRATULATION on the WOrld Record from all of us Prem: ads to azhar, fires it on leg and azhar pushes one handed, finds midwicket, no run. ball five, down thet rack and there is the huge swing of the bat, hitting through the line, from outsdie off over long on, six more. predetermined shot, to his credit he went through with it and now one short of the record. clean hitting here, on all the three sixes and that one went out of the stadium, necessitating a change of balls.

ChalapathiRao (alcr@hotmail.com) Chopra can bat. But remember he is a bowler who can bat. Not a batsman who can bowl Prem: aravinda trying to bowl flat and wide of the stumps, ends up called for the wide down leg. next ball, jadeja down the track, on drives, single.

Kabal (kabal@hotmail.com) Abhi: Please watch Dravid's knock at Chennai and J'burg before we pass judgements. Since those knocks, he has been knocked around and admittedly not feeling confident. I maintain he is an asset in any form of cricket. Prem: aravind now coming on himself, bowling to jadeja who drives to cover, finds the cielder. next ball, the flick, great stop at midwicket, no run.

kris (srakri@diversion.com) time to applaude this guy, just 10 away milind (mnanal@hotmail.com) yes, i was also curious about this nikhil chopra. what kind of player is he? ChalapathiRao (alcr@hotmail.com) Chopra can bat. But remember he is a bowler who can bat. Not a batsman who can bowl Prem: after 40 overs, dead even both sides were on 185/4.

Prem: on off this time from jaya, azahr drives, gets one to sweeper cover to end the over, 5 came in it.

Kabal (kabal@hotmail.com) Sanosh: I disagree. Typically (of late atleast) Azhar goes one drop and gets out and then dravid comes in with 2 out and little on board. Prem: azhar drives inside out, finds cover, no run.

Abhi (abhisar@hotmail.com) I think the successive sixes from Azhar should end the comparison of his innings with that of Dravid's. Prem: jaya to jadeja, on middle, the on drive fetches the single. 66 off 74 the partnership tghhus far.

Prem: correction, azhar still a few runs off the target, and jadeja meanwhile works another single with the on drive, brings azhar back on strike, azhar goes to leg and pushes to off, gets one.

VAnandha (Anandha@jagat.net) Is Chopra a good bat? Anyone watched him in Domestic league ? Or do we have only Robin who is reliable! Anandha (Anandha@jagat.net) Is Chopra a good bat? Anyone watched him in Domestic league ? Or do we have only Robin who is reliable! unjeet () Ravi, gambles should be taken only when no options exist. With an early wkt down but under 5/over needed, why send Mongia at all? One needs a solid repair job at that point (read Dravid) and not pinch hitting. Ditto for sending Srinath. Why does Azhar panic as if we're looking at 8 runs/over? Azhar's time is really up - his captaincy is befuddl;ing to say the least! Prem: in contrast, azhar before this match, 301 matches, 8555 runs, 7 100s, 52 50s, average 37.85 and azhar now guides one thrpugh point off jaya, gets one more.

Prem: For the record, Desmond Haynes in 238 ODIs got 8648 runs with 17 100s and 57 50s at an average of 41.38.

Santhosh (sankri@cs.ttu.edu) Hi kabul. I agree that azzu played a little bit defensivily, But dravid will score like this even if he comes at a position that INDIA is 100/1 in 20 overs. Santhosh (sankri@cs.ttu.edu) Hi kabul. I agree that azzu played a little bit defensivily, But dravid will score like this even if he comes at a position that INDIA is 100/1 in 20 overs. Prem: those two sixes have brought the ask back down, so india can now afford to relax a fraction, azhar now 82 and just two short of the world record. single off th last ball, 15 in the over.

and again, back down the track, getting under the ball and swinging him high and wide over midwciekt, another six, both hit with a full swing of the bat and the power behind the swing carrying the ball over the fence. Prem: 19 off 31 jadeja with two fours, not really getting the signles today and azhar this time stands tall, sets himself on his feet and swings, high and hard over long on, another six and that should help remove the pressure -- he really wound up for that one.

Anandha (Anandha@jagat.net) India should plan to finish by 47th over instead of 50. 80 with 6 wickets is easy. So maybe it is time for one of the batsmen to chance their arm dogmatic () Prem....POST THIS MATE GUNJU...when is moodys gonna up the credit rating on INDIA....what do you guys really do...up the rating down the rating or what Prem: ball three, jadeja on drives, one more.

Abhi (abhisar@hotmail.com) I think its a right opportunity for India to prove that they can win w'out Tendu and they cam play as a team. Prem: 6.66 the ask, 80 needed off 72, and azhar gives d'sena the charge, swings him round, in the air but short of the sseeper, one more. jadeja flicks and finds midwicket, no run.

satya (sthiruvengadathan@casc.com) C'mon tushar, Sidhu might be fit & fielding well by his standards - but definitely not even by Indian standards. Maybe they should give VVS a chance to prove himself and they should give Pagnis or Jaffer a chance. Not Sidhu again - Anyway he's no good in swinging conditions Prem: last ball, on leg, full length, cramps jadeja, no run, just two in that over which qualifies as a very good one for lanka -- problem for india is here, this kind of thing drives the ask up and adds to the pressure, forces the batsmen to take risks and with that, the possibility of mistakes come up. they need to play here, which bowlers they are going to go after.

Shubho (shubho@purdue.edu) Ravi, the question is not of 1 pinch-hitter, but 2 in succession when the run-rate when the second came in did not warrant such... dogmatic () Prem in your eyes is murali and dharma a chucker... According to the cricket rules Unbiased opinion please Kabal (kabal@hotmail.com) While Azhar's knock is valuable, the same knock 67/115 would have been criticized if Dravid was batting. Prem and others, Comments ? Prem: jaya again, and jadeja sweeeps, but that is wide of leg, called, one more to the total.

Prem: into the 38th over here, jaya bowling to jadeja, the leg stump line forcing jadeja to play to midwicket, mahanama, their best fielder, in that slot, no runs on offer for the first four balls. ball five flicked, and again, ranatunga this time into the action, no run, very good over thus far.

criclovers (hercules@cnnsimail.com) Given this situation I would bet on India.What is your comment Prem?Who do you bet for India or SL? Alps () Hi THERE PREM:: WHO ARE OUT???? sandeep singh (sandy@hotmail.com) Prem never bets. He's the nicest guy I have ever seen. criclovers (hercules@cnnsimail.com) Given this situation I would bet on India.What is your comment Prem?Who do you bet for India or SL? Naveen (seenaveen@usa.net) These situations are so tricky. It seems as though we are cruising But just the one wicket and it will all be different. arvind (arvindn@udel.edu) gunjeet.thats right. its time azhar is stripped of his responsibilities. he is hardly an inspiratioinal figure, and even worse most often just a spectator. pitches like sharjah and bowlers like th epresent ones dont come too often B S Chawla (bschawla@hotmail.com) I would say ask Dravid to open in Test matches with Saurav at no. 3 followed by Sachin in no. 4, azhar at no. 5, and so on; if we continue with Sidhu as opener! Ravi (rkkondur) Those of you who are cribbingabout the unnecessity of sending Srinath after Mongia wouldhave said the same thing had Mongia failed. You should learn to take some things as gambles which unfortunately failed. Prem: jadeja on strike to dharma, one run so far in the over and two balls to go, flights one down leg and is called, was looking for the sutmping there but jadeja stayed put and a wide called. the next ball, outside off, jadeja cuts and misses.

milind (mnanal@hotmail.com) prem, first of all let me congratulate you guys for this great applet! Yes, india is well on course to win this game. i hope azar and jaddu keep their heads down for next 5 /6 overs and then it should be easy.. bejoy (bejunn@yahoo.com) we are definetly goin to win guys. Prem: dharma again, fires one down on leg stump line and azhar plays back. ball tthree, fast and flat on off, azhar off the back foot drives, finds cover, no run. ball four, on middle, flicked, quick single taken, jadeja running very fast and just beating atapattu's throw.

dogmatic () Totally agree with u GUNJU... AZHAR should not have been brought back as captain..long term implications are pretty bad but in BCCI's vocabulary long term is out of question Satish () Chawla>> abt fielders being stationed on the line, it's not just the captain's doing... he mainly directs a fielder to stand in a particular position... what abt the fielder, he can always walk a few paces while the bowler is delivering the ball.. Abhi (abhisar@rocketmail.com) I think, Amay Khurasia the solid lefty should be considered for the NZ tour. he should be given a chance, after his good performance for India A against Australia and also in Malasia. Vamsi (Vamnati@hotmail.com) Hi all . Hi Prem . I just joined the Group . Can anyone give the overview of the present situation . Prem: that's on paper, though, lot os life left in this game and dharma comes back on. bowling to azhar, who finds short midwicekt with the push, no run

SB () Azza- 64/108 balls!! Is he the same guy who scored 108/64balls!!?? Prem: zoysa again to azhar,bettter line, on off and finds the fielder at point on the push. single off the lastt ball, pushed by azhar wide of cover, and a good over for india that last one from zoysa. the catch for sri lanka is going to be who bowls the final overs -- they used up 7 from vaas so only three left of their most relaible bowler, dharma holds little terrors for the indians, jaya strays too far to leg to be depended on, idia now needs 84 off 84 and should be favoured to win from here

Ranga (rvinjamu@hotmail.com) If we win the match, it may prove Geoff Marsh's point that we can win matches even if Tendu fails sometimes. Naveen (seenaveen@usa.net) I hope we win after recovering so well Srini () Guys, I think Azza is going to eclipse Haynes record today.. Gunjeet (singhg@moodys.com) ...and while we're on the subject of changes...I think Azhar's captaincy has run its course. anyone else agree with me? Gunjeet (singhg@moodys.com) ...and while we're on the subject of changes...I think Azhar's captaincy has run its course. anyone else agree with me? tushar (tushar@hotmail.com) I think just becoz a guy is young and talented doesnt mean he gets in. Each place needs to be earned and valued. If senior players are fit and are the best at the slot that they are selected, I dont see any reason why they should be dropped because of their age. Lately, Sidhu has been keeping fit and fielding quite brilliantly. AP (appee2@hotmail.com) Prem what do you think about robin singh? Prem: 64 opff 108 balls azhar, zoysa now going round the wicket to the right hander and short again, azhar pulls, not getting hold of it too well but into the gap and before the sweeper can get there, two more.

Prem: india in 35, 155/4 and sl were 15t6/3. zoysa meanwhile making the cardinal error of pitching short, and wide of off, lots of room for the batsman, azhar, to swing his arms, the ball in the air but well wide of the fielder and through to the fence for four more.

Prem: india at this stage should have the edge, the ask under 100, just around the 6 an over mark and plenty of wickets in hand -- this pair needs to keep that ask rate around the same point heading into the 40 over mark, and then it becomes mathematical. zoysa to continue, bowls to zhar who finds cover with the push, no run.

dogmatic () A couple of sixes and fours would do nicely Vasant (svasant@yahoo.com) I think we are in a pretty good shape. 97/98 should not be that difficult to get especially not that Azhar has settled down. What do you think Prem? B S Chawla (bschawla@hotmail.com) Prem, what I told u earlier in SL's innings - Azhar normally places fielders well on the line, so that the single is there for the taking! Not SL! Prem: jadeja this time blocks, looking for the single on the off but the ball lands too close to the keeper for that single to be on. next ball, the flick, finds square leg, no run.

Kabal (kabal@hotmail.com) Prem: When we dont learn from our own mistakes it is too much to expect our team to learn from Lanka's field placings. Prem: swera to azhar, inexperience showing there as the offie drifts outside leg, azhar helsp it along to fine leg and gets one more.

Prem: into the 35th over here, sweera to azhar who is down the track, bowler drags it down short, azhar changes his intent and plays to mid on, gets the one and jadeja, next ball, drives in the same direction, one more.

Kabal (kabal@hotmail.com) Prem: When we dont learn from our own mistakes it is too much to expect our team to learn from Lanka's field placings. Gunjeet (singhg@moodys.com) why are assuming that Sidhu will remain first choice for the opener? I think its time to start fresh. I propose Jaffer with either Laxman or even Jadeja. mukhtar (mukhtar-khan@usa.net) I hope Azhar does his century today and places India on to a winning track! Prem: tushar:: rated a hard hitter, saw him belt a few but a patsy for a good international bowler, hits too much across the line for comfort. s'weera continues and jadeja gently turning it round and working the single.

SB () Shantanu> Do u think Sidhu wiil be picked for NZ tour!!?? Satya (sthiruvengadathan@casc.com) Shantanu>> I think Sidhu shouldn't be selected for NZ tour in the first place. It's high time they give a chance to taleneted youngsters dogmatic () BONZER OF A half century from AZZa And MONGIA Prem: 4.43 india's run rate at this point, and zoysa on leg to jadeja, short and played off the hips, gets one more to end the over.

Prem: the lankans still looking to keep down the singles, which is something india can learn from, they have 5 fielders isnide the circle at this point, the idea being to cut off singles and push the ask up. now it is 97 to get off 98, azhar on strike, outside off, the cut finds sweeper cover coming in, one more.

Prem: azhar off the back foot, finds cover with the drive, no run, into the 34th over here.

Amit (amit.shaligram@csfb.com) Any bets guys ? Anybody's game from here onwards I would still put my money on Lanka given India's propensity to throw away a good position Prem: one slip in place now, good thinking by aravinda for the new batsman, ball is on off, played to mid off and jadeja, walking into the shot, changes the walk into a sprint on contact and makes the single easy.

Shri (shrikant@goplay.com) Shantanu, Pagnis and Jaffer Dravid one drop Sachin Azhar Ganguly Mongia Srinath Kumble Prasad Harbhajan Singh Prem: zoysa being brought back by aravinda, leading as arjuna ranatunga leaves the field for a bit, azhar square drives, gets one more. jadeja on strike.

Srini () Shantanu, my choice will be Wasim Jaffer Prem: 38 runs short, azhar now, of breaking desmond haynes record for the highest aggregate in one day cricket.

Prem: restrained knock this from the indian captain, having to do the repair work after the indian openers fell cheap, and to his credit, after a couple of flicks across the lline that nearly had him lbw again and a hook that went over the keeper's head, azhar has applied himself to the task in hand.

Shubho (shubho@purdue.edu) What was the need for Srinath? Do we need 2 pinch-hitters??? Prem: ahzar, ball three, flicks and misses, no run again. another ball, another defensive push, and finally azhar's patience at an end, down the track and a huge swing of the bat, taking the ball from outsdie off and hitting over midwicekt, with the turn, gets six and that is his 50.

Shantanu Desai (saba@biharcrshantanu@bu.edu) Hey guys whom do you think should be picked as the second opener for Sidhu for the New Zealand tour?I would choose Pagnis. Prem: back after the break, picking up play with the game poised, india needing 107 off 108 balls with six in hand, which looks doable if this pair keeps its head. jadeja starts with an on drive, single off samaraweera's first ball, brings azhar, 49, on strike. the on drive, fielded by the bowler on the follow through.

Shri (shrikant@goplay.com) With one run required per ball there is no need for big hits. These two should play cool. The big shots can come after the 40th over.. And with Robin singh to follow, these two should set the platform for the big launch at the end. mobeen (rutgers.edu) azhar probably looking down the barrels,looks shaken by falll of 2 wickets,jadeja hopefully will a confident booster Umpire Venkat (mahenn@hotmail.com) Well, so far it's been fairly even, from now on the pressure will be on India , unless they get a few quick runs here. Not only have they lost an extra wicket but they have lost a batsman in Srinath who could make a significant difference in the end overs should the need arise for him to bat. Agarkar's performances so far don't inspire an awful lot of confidence since he's shown a greater tendency to heave than to play some calculated shots. So whould be fun to watch if it goes down to the wire. Satya (satyakvv@usa.net) Good thing ! we are not in the stadium. With our anxiety, we will get all the players out.. cool down.. few more overs.. Jadeja will be on track..which might give some confidence to Azhar... Prem: drinks out on the field, folks, taking a breather here.

rajesh () jadeja 4 : that was a long wait criclovers (hercules@cnnsimail.com) Jadeja and Azhar are very good record holding partners. They can get very quick singles and doubles. They should show their work now! PC () I wonder if Azhar needs to take a few risks and go over the top.. we could get choked off otherwise dogmatic () Howz samy's bowling any sign of chucking Prem: azhar, on 49, on strike here with one ball left in the 32nd, a gentle tap to midwicket, he wants the run but jadeja sends him back. no run. end of the 32nd over.

and again, identical shot, again using the fielder up close to his advantage, clearing it with a lofted on drive for four more. that makes a mess of that particular strategy, and next ball, jadeja flicks, gets one square on the on, good cricket. mobeen (eden.rutgers.edu) lot of overs remaining steady batting for the next 10 should do it Prem: again down leg, jadeja flicks, leading edge but along the ground back to the bowler. jaya, and this time jadeja down the track and over mid on, the fielder was well inside the circle, the batsman clears him and with no protection behind, the four was always on, good thinking by jadeja there.

Arun (sdfs) Hi guys .. this match seems to be another of indian loosing performance Prem: jaya continues, bowling to jadeja, on leg and he tries to play it down to leg, finds short fine leg.

arun (xyz@abc.net) Hi guys , i think it s going to be the same ususaal story with india loosing wickets quickly in the end whne the real need is ! ! Prem: azhar leaning forward, trying to play this one through cover but ranatunga very quick there, stops the single, the lankan strategy here obvious, cutting off the singles with fielders well inside the circle, forcing the asking rate up and waiting for the pressure to tell on the batsmen -- classic ranatunga trick that.

Sorab (sorab_dalal@dfci.harvard.edu) Hi Lovely innings by Mongia though its a pity he did not stay on longer. According to your commentary he was looking more comfortable than Azhar. IMO he should not be opening in the Tests but is much more valuable at # 6. Worth 20-40 runs per inning at that position. Sending in Srinath is an error. If they had to send in someone to throw the bat around maybe Joshi would have been the better bet. Anyway singles off every ball required now and hopefully we have the two best bats in the side for that task. Sorab arun (xyz@abc.net) Hi guys , i think it s going to be the same ususaal story with india loosing wickets quickly in the end whne the real need is ! ! zz (adsa@hotmail.com) they should play for singles atleast a ball and which they are doing righ now. is good for win. We need 4/6 in last 10 over that too if needed Rajagopal (vrrajagopal@hotmail.com) Now, the match winning patnership depends on this pair. Both Azar & Ajay have to do well to bring the asking rate down and to put India in comfortable position. Prem: jadeja onto the front foot, on drives, finds the fielder at midwicket. ball four, down the track but not getting to the pitch, forces the batsman to push back.

azhar batting 48 off 91 and now stepping back, hitting through cover, gets one more. Umpire Venkat (mahenn@hotmail.com) Now should that open the flood gates? BTW whose brain child could it be - sending Srinath in - Azza, Jadeja or Gaekwad? Well, there are a thousand ways to post-mortem that dismissal, nevetheless, a display of unnecessary tactic. Umpire Venkat (mahenn@hotmail.com) Now should that open the flood gates? BTW whose brain child could it be - sending Srinath in - Azza, Jadeja or Gaekwad? Well, there are a thousand ways to post-mortem that dismissal, nevetheless, a display of unnecessary tactic. Dhruba (dkalita@engin.umich.edu) When there is no need to be aggressive, I don't understnad why Srinath was sent. Too greedy approach kiils. Prem: is a favourite trick of the stumpers, give the umpire something else to think about and here, the umpire falls for it, the stumping itself was unnecessary given that both feet of the batsman were inside the crease. at the end of 30, sl were 130/3 and india are 128/4, a bit of a gap opening up again here.

mobeen () India now under no condition to go for the killer punch,things looking bleek afall of wicket might be just the hammer on the nail Prem: down the leg side, wide all the way, kalu cannily makes a stumping attempt and appeals to try and distract that wide call -- and it works, because the wide is not called, though jadeja had both his feet inside the crease.

kk (kulkarni.22@osu.edu) lets hope that azar & jadeja steer india out as always!!!! zah (zahir_ali@hotmail.com) oh yes ? ANd in Indian Team not the captain is resp. for every thing, but if loos then he is Prem: ball three, on middle and leg, jadeja flicks and gets it on the pad, no danger given the slant of the ball

Shri (shrikant@goplay.com) The way to win now is for Azza and Jadeja to play the game they play best.. tip and run.. Remember that these two have been involved in a 200+ partnership. And then again, given thier speed between wickets, getting 5 an over should not be tough with the spinnners on Prem: into the 30th over here, jaya continues, and azhar off ball two on drives, gets the one.

sanjay (schachad@promus.com) Well atleast Azhar did not get run out !!! I feel Robin would have been a better choice now. If Jadeja falls tons of tension on Robin then .. Jadeja is a bit more experienced .. also right left combo would be useful Prem: this one is overpitched, jadeja flicks and finds square leg, no run. 4.33 the going rate, 5.71 the ask and climbing, they need to ensure it doesn't go too far over the 6 an over mark.

Rams () criclovers : You wanna still screw it up by wanting azzu to hit 4s and 6s. there is much more cricket other than 4s and 6s Prem: sweera continues, and azhar tucks him behing square for the single. jadeja waiting on the ball, next up, plays to midwicket, gets one.

Prem: dharma back with sticking plaster under his chin -- turns out the ball hit him there when he dived to stop, off the last ball of his last over.

Umpire Venkat (mahenn@hotmail.com) Are we chasing 280+, I simply can't figure out the rationale behind sending Srinath in. Sure he is a big hitter when by the grace of God he manages to connect, but at other times he is at best a blind hitter- a great candidate for the spot the ball contest. ram () Srinath has never been a success as a pinch-hitter. I don't know what the Indian think tank is doing out there. Rams () Time and again we come up with some stupid strategies to put us back into deep trouble. Kudos to Indian Think Tank.Today it shouldnt be a problem with jad,rob still to come chanchal (chanchalg@hotmail.com) Prem,do you think azhar has got any cricket sense ? Prem: on middle turning to off, azhar flicks against the turn and one to mid on. india now needs to go at 5.59 -- the run rate going up as it does when the overs keep getting less. end of 28 and india 122/4.

Shantanu Desai (shantanu@bu.edu) Srinath has a tendency to get out stupidly.His batting is much better than what his scores suggest. Prem: So much for that -- the kind of nonsensical mistake tailenders make, and azhar adn sri are not used to running together, which set up that dismissal from atapattu's driect hit, brings jadeja to the crease and an on drive fetches him a single after azhar had flicked one square on the on the previous ball.

SB () I think Azza opted for the strategy used by Steve Waugh. He sent in Julian in Dhaka, Just for some quick runs. This strategy might work. But its a pure gamble!! rajesh (()) now this is pathetic cricket criclovers (hercules@cnnsimail.com) Now, Its time for Azhar to show his master piece of batting by hitting 4's and 6's and bringing his score equal to the no.of balls. dogmatic () Prem Some of the errors that are appearing on the window due to this pop up window netscape: X Error of failed request: BadValue (integer parameter out of range for operation) Major opcode of failed request: 12 (X_ConfigureWindow) Value in failed request: 0x0 Serial number of failed request: 90211 mobeen () that seems to be a bad decision why to change the order when things are going smooth.It might frustrate azhar as well if srinath stays on strike for long without scoring or probably chance of runout as srinathnis not the best runner between the wickets Prem: for now though it is azhar on strike to jaya, the on drive finds the fielder, bit of yes and no stuff and srinath sent back finally, but too late, the direct throw from mid on has him out of his ground.

Prem: at this point, if a wicket falls, it puts needless pressure on jadeja coming in now, india needing just 5+ has no need of a pinch hitter, so india here going into overdrive on strategy. sure, sri might hit a four or six or even more, but there really is no percentage to this strategy at this point in the game, so whatever happens, I would tend to disagree with this ploy.

aladdin (aladdin@hotmail.com) Hey, go easy on the captain azhar. I think he is a risky player by nature and he has done the perfect job thus far given the situation at hand. WE are doing well right now thanks to sensible batting by both players. Hopefully, they will continue for a bit longer and then try to pick up the run rate. mobeen (afaqih@eden.rutgers.edu) A bad time for a wicket to fall,just when the pressure was building on the indians a wicket falls adding to the pressure,jadeja should be in next Prem: rajesh:: at the start of this innings, azhar was 94 runs short of desmond haynes career aggregate in odis. interesting, they have sent srinath out now, not sure why since at this point, standard cricket is all they need. probably looking for a few big hits to bring the ask down, srinath flicks and a single.

PC () Er the run rate is beginnig to bother me just a wee bit... criclovers (hercules@cnnsimail.com) Very good work by Mongia!Successful Half century siddarth () i hink mongia should now open up. we are out of the fire and with robin and jadeja to follow we cane take ranatunga to the cleaners. Prem: dharma after that over going off the ground, though showing no sign of any injury so i guess that is just a rest break. samaraweera continues, and pitches leg which is as trange line for an offie, azhar helps him along and one more. s'weera tends to drop his hand at the point of delivery, which explains why he is offline so often. mongia finally falls, next ball, chipping but not getting hold of that one properly, finds mahanama at midwicekt, and he's gone after a superlative innings characterised by grit and determination, and much thought.

mihir (mihirj11@yahoo.com) hey prem whats the news on bhajju ,frankly the indian board is a bunch of wimps ,look at sl they include murali and dharma even when thier action is more suspect the board lacks conviction! Prem: flighted, full length on off, mongia winds up for an almighty heave but mishits, finds the bowler on the follow through, no run, to end over number 26.

criclovers (hercules@cnnsimail.com) Mongia marching towards his successful half century.He is doing his job oneway saved India's life!!! Rams () U guys cannot stop without finding a fault.Now azzu is called for playing for the record? Guys, grow up!!!!! Prem: azhar this time flicks, mahanama dives but doesnt stop cleanly, gets the single.

Prem: dharma in this innings not up to his usual mark, has been drifting too much to middle and leg and letting the batsmen have easy singles off the pads. azhar paddles, edge onto pad, lbw appeal but that is dharma's frustration at work, the edge was very clear.

dogmatic () JEEZ..... This is really crappy, I mean i dont care if the srilankan cricket authorities pick murali and dharma mannnn...these guys are throwing Itss so obvious ) Moreover, now Azhar has a target that he can play for.... Dravid plays slow irrespective of whether we play first or chase! Shiva anil (anil@indax.com) It's high time he does so.. (Azhar)... I wonder why a person with so much exp is playing this game!! Ravi Boppana (raviboppana@hotmail.com) I think Azhar played well for the conditions even though his strike rate is slow. Prem: 39/74 balls azhar, 50/60 mongia and he starts dharma's next over with another flick off the pads, gets one more.

Hari (polisetty@mailexcite.com) That's a meaningless comparision if you ask me. Azhar can step up the rate when he wants to nad we have seen it plenty of times. Right now there is no need to hurry because of the low asking rate. Rids (Rids@trilogy.com) Well, the Q is not whether Murali chucks or not. The Q is after him, none of the other SriLankan bowlers were Quesnd. With, India, the rest of the cricketing nations can screw up any of our bowlers career. Thats what's got to stop mandar (sathem@hotmail.com) Hey Prem, I should really thank you for providing us with ball to ball commentary. Its of great help for people like me here in US who cannot watch the matches on TV. Prem: India at the end of 25. 114/2 where sri lanka were 105/3, so the gap slowly opening up here.

Prem: mongia this time gently pushing dharma to mid on, the fifty, and it is easily one of his very best one day knocks, off 60 balls, lots of patience, application and thought going into that knock.

mobeen (afaqih@eden.rutgers.edu) Hi,looks like azhar has his sight set on the record.His strike rate is good enough that is what is required from him .Dravid on the other hand has a similar rate when runs ae to scored faster vinod () you're right pavan...this is the best site where you can comment about the things happening on the field..thanks Prem for such wonderful commentary...we all love you... Prem: samaraweera continues, not sure if ranatunga is not missing a bet here, i would around now have brought on aravinda who, like sachin, is a thoughtful bowler and has the knack of getting wickets. and with that push into the covers, india on to 113/2 which brings up the 100 of the partnership between these two, a life saver for the batting side, off 130 balls.

Raghu () Sudhakar, I wonder how many times we had seen Azhar with this strike rate. Rajeev (Rajeev_Baid@infinity.com) Time to get our hands together for a very good innings in some pressure. Doing almost a Gilchrist. He sure has improved in the past few matches. Time to get a 100 for himself. More importantly if he continues in the same fashion in the future we do have an multi-task man here. Good for the team. Means we can switch between a extra bowler or bat as required dogmatic () Prem, Has dharmasena ever been accused of chucking Prem: mongia down the track and there is the chip again -- just over the bowler's head, checking the shot to keep the ball short of the long off fielder, single, again the intelligent play at work there.

Mukesh (mbhatt@tnrcc.state.tx.us) both r playing good. I think Azhar should open up anil (anil@indax.com) Do U think they'll last thro the victory.. Indian? Prem: dogmatic:: yeah, the icc made some noises about dharma but the lankans picked him and challenged the umpires to call him, no one has.

madmax (motu_11@yahoo.com) Prem and fellow followers of indian cricket thank ur stars that mongia i repeat mongia and azhar are taking quick singles who can forget that famous run out involving these 2?? Prem: on middle and leg this time, and azhar flicks, gets the single. india going at 4.61, needing to go at 5.19 from here on which, as overs go by and wickets remain in hand, becomes less of a problem. mongia on drives the last ball, gets one more.

Sudhakar G (sudhakar@zebra.net) Azhar 34 off 64 balls... Had Dravid done the same, we might've seen a few comments here. Wonder what people feel about the strike rate of Azhar now!! Prem: mongia down the track and there is the chip again -- just over the bowler's head, checking the shot to keep the ball short of the long off fielder, single, again the intelligent play at work there.

anil (anil@indax.com) Just logged in ... how is India doin? Prem: dharmasena continues, and azhar the man on strike, in the 24th over and this time, some turn as the spinner gives it a tweak, azhar defends. next ball, the on drive with the shut bat face to keep the ball along the track, one more.

dogmatic () Seriously, Who out here thinks Murali doesnt throw the ball He is a CHUCKER... anil (anil@indax.com) Hi just in... how is India doin? pavan (psibal@Yahoo.com) pooja r u on rediff its a wonderful site to be on when cricket is on. yeh gully danada khel ney logo ko bahut diwana banaya hua hain. B S Chawla (bschawla@hotmail.com) Mongia has always shown tremendous fighting spirit. Azhar always has had a very relaxed attitude to the game. Because of this Azhar has had to face a lot of flack! He has tremendous talent and is still very quick. His game is very much suited for the dangerous 20 to 40 overs to keep on rotating the strike and getting singles. He should aim to come in at that time. No one doubts his capabilities as a batsman. Only he has to play to his strengths and know when to come in! As a captain is different thing altogether! karthik (kramanar@foxboro.com) Hi Guys, This is karthik . I just wanted to know if there is some site where we can watch the match live. The site at cricket.org is very slow and realplayer is not able to connect and it says that the link is not found. Seems like Mongia is enjoyinghis Role Rids (Rids@trilogy.com) Mongia is the man. He should go past his highest score here (69) he deserves it. Prem: goind:: sorry, that kind of query, not herre, pal, keep it for the weekly cricket chat. mongia meanwhile down the track trying to hit over midwicket, no room there, so he plays it to the fielder, no run.

Prem: samaraweera, to answer that one, has a short run up, slightly on the awkward side, high arm action, bowls flattish and turns the ball but no flight or variety, very ordinary. mongia down thet rack, drives, in the air but wide of midwicket and a single. next ball, azhar stays back and uses his wrist to run it with the spin behind square leg, one more. ball three, mongia onto the front ofot on driving with the turn, another single.

Giri (chgiri@mailcity.com) Prem, Why did Azhar choose to field first. Did he anticipate that the outfield would be slippery and make things difficult for the bowlers and fielders at night. Prem: dharma being handled quite easily here, mainly because he tends to keep bowling middle stump rather than off or just outside. 103/2 india in 22, sri lanka were 105/3 in 25, so india here pulling back to parity or better.

mandar (sathem@hotmail.com) I think these two should to play this kind of sensitive game, going for singles and an ocassional four. This will surely frustrate the Lankans. criclovers (hercules@cnnsimail.com) Azhar and Mongia have tackled the worse situation of 2 early wickets -the main wicket of India in their own way.They should get going in the same pace to drive India to victory. milman (milman@cyberspace.org) Prem>> i agree jaya is not a Shane Warne to do that () Lawrence >>Azhar's batting was last solid... some 5 years back!!! Shiva Deepak () Both the batsman are well set b ut just watch out the "run out" Guys Prem: mongia shaping to play inside out, correction, it is dharma bowling, he follows the batsman on that one. next time round, to the line of off and middle, mongia on his knee early, waits for it and swings the ball round behind square, gets two.

goind () Prem: can u describe SL fielding compared to Ind. What should we do to prepare ourselves for DaCup. Sorry to disturb ur commentary. Prem: muralitharan and srinath, side by side in the players box, having an animated discussion, from murali's hand waving, it looks like field placings are being talked off here, meanwhile, jaya continues and azhar leans back and plays to midwicket, gets the single. that brings up the 100, india getting there at 4.72 which is very good given the position at the fall of the two early wickets.

Prem: venkat:: no problem with the outfield, not lightning fast like dhaka but quite quick, the chip shot does tend to make the ball stop on pitching, sort of like the chip in golf.

Umpire Venkat (mahenn@hotmail.com) PREM, Is the problem with the sweeper outfield or with the shots. Most of them seem to be stopping where they fall. manu (kohlims@yahoo.com) i dont get it on cricinfo the guy said that there was an appeal for leg b4 and it was a leg bye Lawrence Paranidharan (lawrence_par@hotmail.com) hi guys, is anybody watching the live coverage? how is azar batting ? Is it solid? Lawrence Paranidharan (lawrence_par@hotmail.com) hi guys, is anybody watching the live coverage? how is azar batting ? Is it solid? Prem: short, outsdie off, azhar rocks back and hits through cover, square driving off the back foot, gets him two to the sweeper. samaraweera not really impressive here, little variation, no flight worth the name so the indians able to stay back, let the ball pitch and turn and play accordingly.

Prem: to give you the idea of the extent of the recovery, india 92/2 in 20, sl 93/3 at the same stage. Milman:: not a problem, because jaya is bowling around the wicket, and pitching leg, he doesnt turn it back in so you cant get bowled behind your back, his line is straight, outside off to outside leg. mongia down the track, chips over midwciket, gets one more.

Prem: 79 run partnership for the 3rd wicket, more to the point, into the 21st over. india recovering well

Prem: jaya this time goes on the offline and azhar shrewd here, just runnning it off the open bat face, gets two to third man, just four on the off side so there are lots of runs to be had there to jayasuriya's bowling.

Prem: jaya this time goes on the offline and azhar shrewd here, just runnning it off the open bat face, gets two to third man, just four on the off side so there are lots of runs to be had there to jayasuriya's bowling.

Giri (chgiri@mailcity.com) Prem, You are right. Mongia has risen upto the situation and really playing well. tushar (tushar@hotmail.com) Prem, Looks like we are coasting...Tendulkar and Ganguly would have had a whale of a time if they had been patient. With Murali not around( he never made a difference to us anyway) I think Lanka seems to be short of quality bowling. Sometimes their superlative fielding makes their bowling look good. Prem: jaya to azhar, who this time steps back to leg then on drives, gets one more. 5 on the on to the line on leg and just outside, the ploy being to prevent strokeplay, a standard ploy for the lankans and this time, mongia glancing fine, no touch but a leg bye anyway.

B S Chawla (bschawla@hotmail.com) Harry, why not Kapil Dev too - he is very fit and he can bat very well and even run the quick singles much better than some our guys in the middle! He was never tried too long as an opener in one-days - remember sachin got 3 consecutive ducks as opener at the starting but still got persisted with - in fact azhar never used kapil's batting ability! - no wonder he was instrumental in getting india back from the dumps in 1983 with his superlative knock which has yet to be equalled by any Indian! Prem: another advantage with a middle and leg guard here is that anything even fractionally outside leg will be called. there he goes again, wide number two in this over.

Prem: jaya to continue bowling, into the 20th over here and azhar the man on strike, gets one drifting to leg and flicks, misses. azhar and mongia at this point would do well to take a middle stump line, force jaya to bowl more onto the stumps. there is the wide, as jaya this time overdoes his slant across the batsman down to the leg side. ball two, rebowled, has azhar flicking and finding midwicket, no run.

Prem: this is a really thoughtful and hugely impressive performance from mongia, this time out. he's used his brains right through, stayed focussed and really switched the pressure back onto the lankans at this stage. azhar, meanwhile stays back to the next one, guides it to the left of point for the single. 3 in the over. GOIND:: yes it is, an extra and any runs scored off the bat added on as well.

Satish () Prem>> Fantastic batting, this by Mongia.... these 2 have played India out of the rut... let's see how they play from here on.... Rams () Hope Ranatunga doesnt opts for his negative leg side bowling by Jaya? It just cheapens him as a cricketer Shantanu Desai (shantanu@bu.edu) Ratgher than Gavaskar I would prefer if Kapil makes a comeback at least as a batsman if not as a bowler.He is younger than Miandad. Prem: s'weera to mongia and this time, he is down the track, covering the slant and chipping gently over midwicket, another single.

Prem: as the overs tick by, india recovering nicelyl here -- the more overs these two bat, the less the pressure on jadeja and robin, the batsmen to follow. 5.09 the asking rate here, as the offie bowls to azhar. samaraweera, and azhar plays with the turn, taking advantate of the line on middle, gets one more. s'weera to mongia, who plays with the turn, but finds midwicket, no run.

Prem: jaya, and azhar paddles, misses but the umpire calling wide and about time, too, jaya now consistelyly pitching outside leg. and next ball, the fine leg glance, single as mahanama chases it down from short fine.

goind () Harry, give it a break! guys are talking about Azhar to retire.. Why Gavaskar should mess up his reputation.. Prem: down the leg again, to mongia who leans forward this time, just shows his bat to the ball, lets it run off square of the fielder on the on side and another sngle.

Giri (chgiri@mailcity.com) moli, A batsman of Sachin's calibre can play in any position. Do u mean to say he can't play the seemers well earlier on in the innings because he fails once in a while. Umpire Venkat (mahenn@hotmail.com) Fickle Indian fans. Remember the same guys would have asked for Azza's blood hadn't the coup come off Prem: next ball, jaya on line of leg and azhar works it square on the on, one more.

Prem: jayasuriya to continue, round tthe wiccket to the right handers bowling a line outside leg with short fine leg in place -- wonder how long it will be before these two start paddling him fine. mongia, though, uses his brains here, with a predominant leg side field, he steps outside leg on this one, gives himself room and hits over extra cover, good thoughtful batting there and two more. it also forces jaya to try the middle line next up, and mongia cleverly moves to off this time and works the single to midwicket, very impressive batting this.

siddharth (sidrules@hotmail.com) whos coming one next after one of these guys gets out???? Sudhakar G (sudhakar@zebra.net) Hi Prem, missed the SL innings. How was our opening bowling? Did Agarkar learn his lessons of not bowling short? (can't seem to wait till the match report!) rsinha () Just couldn't resist dropping in a word for the Dravid fans. By now Dravid in the same situation would have batted India out of the game. Prem: outsdie off this time and azhar has the width he needs, plays it out square on the off, the sweeper there is wide and that gives the batsmen two more, to end the over, five came in it so quite good for the indians.

Harry (harry@anywhere.com) Do U guys think that Gavaskar should make a come back ???(like Miandad)I think that it is not a bad idea .. mooli () btw guys, what is the SL bowling lineupo to follow???? jaya and desilva!?!?!?!?!? looks like sachin should have come after the first few overs...... Prem: samaraweera getting some turn here, but his line is a bit off, pitching off which means he is turning into the pads of the indians and they love it there, mongia on drives and one more.

Prem: outsdie off, too much width on it and azhar square drives, brings in the man in the deep behind cover, gets one more.

Prem: back after drinks and we are going to look at the off spin of samaraweera, in for muralitharan. short run, easy high arm action, on off and mongia on drives, with the turn, single.

Umpire Venkat (mahenn@hotmail.com) These 2 already seem to have batted India out of toruble. The middle overs could be a tough proposition for SL considering Murli's absence srini (srini_neeluru@hotmail.com) Prem: Why do we have to compare to SL at each point, what do we gain from that? the strength of each side might be diff. dogmatic () Prem, Suggestions: 1) Could you spice up up the commentary with imitation of Boycs, shastri and sunny, also if you could do a maninder singh that would be really good Prem: again the line on middle, azhar this time tries to play on the off side but finds cover in the way, no run and that is drinks, it is also break time here for me, be back in two, guys.

Prem: jaya to mongia who is onto the front foot, on driving, in the air as he doesn't quite get to the pitch but the fielder there is pushed abck on the line, so the shot is safe and fetches one more. next ball, pitching middle drifting to leg, gets azhar on the pad as he flicks and misses but easily missing leg stump.

Giri (chgiri@mailcity.com) Krishna Kaliappan, I think Azhar would have thought about sending Mongia in, sufficiently and the decision is not by mistake Giri (chgiri@mailcity.com) Krishna Kaliappan, I think Azhar would have thought about sending Mongia in, sufficiently and the decision is not by mistake srihari (sri@mgsystems.com) Sachin fails. Time for India to show they succeed even when Sachin fails Srini (srini@esp.bellcore.com) Prem:Is this a test match??? India playing with 5 regular bowlers.--- I think it is time for Azhar to retire as he is not helping the cause of the team.Azhar was never a thinking captain. criclovers (hercules@cnnsimail.com) India's win is right now in the hands of Azhar.He should be back in his form to drive India to victory. Prem: thus far, dharma has proved the weak link, going for 17 in his two overs, meanwhile, jayasuriya overdoing the leg stump line, goes wide and is called for it, another extra

Prem: jaya bowling flat and fast on leg with four on that side of the wicket, ball two is helped along by azhar through square leg, one more.

Prem: to continue from the previous post, lanka went from 80/1 in 15 to 93/3 in 20, then to 105/3 in 25 and 130/3 in 30 -- in other words, the second fifteen overs only produced 50 runs, so india quite close to lanka, really, at this point. jayasuriya meanwhile comes on, bowling to azhar who finds shhort fine leg with a flick, no run.

Gopal (gkrishna@osf1.gmu.edu) Robin would turn out to be a better bowler in England given the helpful conditions there. Remember Mohinder? srini () Keeran,I think the idea of sending Mongia 1 drop is that he will do the pinch hitting job. According to you if mongia is sent to rotate the strike and keep the score board ticking, then I think Azza is better equipped to do that and I know Prem does not agree with me on this. tushar (tushar@hotmail.com) Prem, If Ranatunga opens up his field after 15, I hope Indian batsman cut down on the aerial shots and take their singles well and run hard for their twos.... Prem: bad ball again, on leg and azhar helps it along, one more and india 68/2 in 15, sri lanka were 80/1 at this point but the key to be kept in mind here is that from this point on, three quick wickets checked the lankans, so that is where india can catch up.

dogmatic () Hey prem What happened to Kanitkar Viraj (Bhatia_akash@hotmail.com) Prem, I've just come in. Could u just tell the scores. is the score board correct Prem: azhar this time off the back foot, playing round his pads to midwciekt, a rare misfield and that was a no ball as well, so one extra, plus two runs for that shot and one ball still to go in the 15th.

Prem: ball five, zoysa, palyed to cover and no run.

Krishna Kaliappan () I think sending Mongia at this is a good idea (By mistake, Azhar has taken a good decision). Keeping the situation in mind, I feel Mongia is playing extremely well. Azhar should watch from the other side and learn it from the young keeper. Prem: when mongia is asked to hit out, he rarely succeeds but in this role, playing with caution and hitting only the loose deliveries, he is doing a very very good job here. next ball, swung around, one more. the 50 of the partnership up, off 69 balls.

Santhosh (sankri@cs.ttu.edu) Hi Anuj.Ur choice i not bad. But it should be other way.That is joshi/kanitkar. I think Chopra is better bowler,we need him Prem: zoysa, ball three of the 15tyh and again, a very bad ball -- full length on middle which, when the batsman takes a step forward, is the halfvolley, and mongia gets under it and helps it over the bowler's head, hitting through the line and very straight, no one out there, four.

Prem: anuj:: kanitkar of late has been spraying the ball all over the place, too risky to include him in the all rounder's slot. mongia meanwhile on his toes, plays it down to square leg, but finds the fielder, no run.

Prem: zoysa, bad line, down the leg and azhar helps it along, gets the single behind square.

Prem: 17/37 to azhar, 25/29 to mongia, india still needing to go at 5.25 and zoysa being brought back on for vaas, for the last of the first 15 overs. bowling to azhar. on off, the flick misses, off the pad to slip and a no ball gives india the extra run.

keeran (keeran@engr.uky.edu) Who told Mongia is a pinch hitter. We can only say that he is played up the order. Check up his strike rate. It's always less than 80 %. I don't think that any pinch hitter scores at 80%. Mongia just hangs in there, just rotating the strike. That's what is needed now. Anuj (agarwal_anuj@hotmail.com) I think Kanitkar would have been useful in place of Nikhil as he is a better batsman, what do you think Prem? Prem: Anuj:: the scoreboard does say, India in 14 -- which givds you the number of overs, what are you on about, sorry, beats me.

A (indy@hotmail.com) Prem : You guys show the batsman score and india's score. Cant you also show the number of overs? Srini (bsrinivas@hotmail.com) Do you think sending in Nayan Mongia at 1 drop is a good idea ? Is it needed in this scenario when there is an early wicket and the score is not huge ? Prem your comments please Prem: thoughtful batting this, from mongia, india's rate up now to 4.12 and taking away the need, here, to do anything silly -- careful batting from here on can still pull this one off, given the relatively small size of the target. after those two hits, mongia reverts to the defensive push to the last ball, no run, ends the 14th over and just one more to go for the field restrictions to go off.

Prem: rajeev:: for one thing, i aint answering any questions, there is too much to do otherwise. as to kambli, just pointed out that he is still in early days of practise, not even in the bombay side, so no idea why his name keeps cropping up here. mongia meanwhile gets one of fuller length on off, converts it to a halfvolley, hits on the up and clears mid off, gets the four, india now going at 3.87 and next ball, on his knee and swinging over midwicket, gets the four, that area had been left vacant, ranatunga banking on dharma's line on or oaround off, and mongia takes full toll,

Prem: another ten overs of this and india should be in a much better position. meanwhile, time i would think for some applause for mongia -- with two wickets down, he is settling down there, not taking the risky route to quick runs, the last thing india needs now is another wicket going down, so mongia's wait and watch policy just perfect. dharma meanwhile to azhar, twice on the trot he flicks, and finds mahanama diving and stopping at midwicket. ball three played to mid off, single.

Srinivasan (bsrinivas@hotmail.com) Why is Mongia sent to do the pinch hitting job time and again when the first wicket falls so cheaply ? Is it not the time for consolidation ? Don't we have to send in a player who chan milk runs ? Take today's scenario, 246 is not a very big target. It is easily achievable. SB () With a Srilankan bowling lineup, I think if we could survive without losing wickets for next 10 overs, we are through easily!! Prem: vaas here into the 7th over of hhis spell, so he doesn't have too much at the end. next ball, pitches off, draws mongia into the push, leaves the batsman late, very lucky there not to get the nick as the ball just beats the outer edge. last ball, 13th over, on middle and mongia squares up, defends, to have india 48/2 in 13.

sandeep Singh (sandy@hotmail.com) No No Prem why should you escape our questions and concentrate on just the game? We all love you, Prem!!! arvin () Can people be patient and watch the game.. I would like only prem to speak and few who are really a good experts in this field... SB () My Ideal Indian X1 would be 1.Sachin 2.Ganguly 3.Dravid 4.Azza/Khurasia/Kambli 5.Jadeja 6.Robin/Khanitkar 7.Mongia 8.Kumble 9.Bajju/Joshi/any offie 10.Srinath 11.Prasad/Agarkar Never go with a batsman less!! Krishna Kaliappan () Mongia is a cool customer. He should play atleast upto the end of 30th over as I don't have confidence on Azhar. tushar (tushar@hotmail.com) Prem, I wonder what Mark Taylor wud have gone thru if he had been Indian skipper....I wish we cud just concentrate on winning the match from here on...instead of cribbing of non-inclusions of some players...246 is not a great target...If we are 100/2 in even 25 we are in good shape. Prem: vaas agaiin, to mongia, good ball that, skidding through on middle off a very full length and mongia bending at the knee, nice defensive techn ique on that one, getting right down to the ball. vaas again, to mongia, again the good line on middle and the push finds cover, no run.

Prem: vaas to mongia, no slip now, a short cover and short midwicket the two close in fielders and mongia pushes defensively to the slower ball on middle. 5.25 the ask now.

tushar (tushar@hotmail.com) Prem, I wonder what Mark Taylor wud have gone thru if he had been Indian skipper....I wish we cud just concentrate on winning the match from here on...instead of cribbing of non-inclusions of some players...246 is not a great target...If we are 100/2 in even 25 we are in good shape. Prem: vaas continues, outside off and azhar drives, one more wide of mid off.

Santhosh (sankri@cs.ttu.edu) Hello Mohit. Nice to have a comment on Ganguly and Azhar, but I am sorry to convey that you have the wrong opinion. The slow rate of azu and ganguly are for short while till they settle and that too in this position after loosing 2 wick. But dravid's different play( always defending at any position). Prem: krishnan:" no, bajju is not. guys, ease off on the questions, please, cant do it all, focussing on commentary therefore.

Prem: 47/2 india in 11.5, dharma to mongia, fast and flat on off and defensive push ends the over.

Jebasingh (Msjeba@aol.com) I hope these two will play a good innings for india and , India should have wone it. Lets talk about Rahul .. He is techie sound ... But we need runs in one days Intls.. We need Bedade/Kamli in the middle to get some quick runs for India What you say prem ???? Deepak () Remember, Azhar need arround 90 runs to break the WR. anybody seeing it today. Prem score please Prem: on off and azhar flicks, they take off for a quick single, dharma down the track, throws down the stumps but azhar just running the bat in to the crease, making his ground.

Deepak () Remember, Azhar need arround 90 runs to break the WR. anybody seeing it today. Prem score please Amit (amit.shaligram@csfb.com) India's best chance in this match would be to accumulate 40 - 45 runs over the next 10 w/o any further loss and then start accelerating Prem: next ball, on off and played defensively. ball four is on middle, mongia forward taking it on the full and working the single on the on side, square of the wicket

Prem: dharma again, and mongia down the track, gets right under it and lifts, high and clear of the long off fielder for a huge six. that one, he really had the shot predetermined, but moved down the track late, didnt telegraph his intentions, took dharma by surprise.

Prem: 5.30 the ask from here on, and ranatunga making the first of his bowling changes here, brings on kumara dharmasena to do what nikhil chopra did for india -- both bowl the same way, flat and fast and wicket to wicket, dharma here bowling to mongia. slip in place, ball one full and mongia drives, dharma dives and fields on the follow through.

Krishna Kaliappan (Krishna.Kaliappan@chiorg.unige.ch) Prem, Is Bajju joining the Indian team as the 15th member. b (ab@aol.com) Azza should go!!He plays goog in one match and then messes up 10. Tedulker wins game for India and Azz just does opposite. What has he personnaly done this year to win any match.. Prem: last ball of the 11th, vaas to azhar, on off and the attempt to flick to leg, finds midwicket off the top of the bat, no run, that ball was climbing at the batsman, cramping him. ends the 11th over, and vaas thus far has done a superlative job with the new ball. the key though is the middle, with murali not in the side.

Shriram () Azhar, resents it when people call him a lucky captain. Howver this whole year we have not won any matches because of him. SRT, Ganguly and others have contributed to our victories. It is time for Azhar to retire graefully. Forget about Haynes record, if he does'nt break it today. then he does'nt deserve to break it at all. SB () I agree with what bharat says. We need a proper composition. Make sure every player is utilized 100%. If not Dravid, have a batsman who can give an assurance to the innings!! mohit (mohit@rmi.net) i hope the selectors and dravid's critics have noticed the run rate of ganguly and azhar in this game! sandeep (sandy@hotmail.com) Hi Stephanie, I don't know why you are talking about Azza's retirement. He's still the fittest and I believe he still has the capability of winning matches. I'm proud to say that I'm a dravid-basher which means "a person who is against trying a continuous failure again again with the hope that it'll one day be successful enough to exploit the 1/100th probability of it." Prem: vaas again, to azhar, on off and again the drive, but this one was coming in with the arm, beats the shot, thick bottom edge takes it to mid off, no run.

Prem: vaas again, and azhar slashes outside off, gets bat on that one, no one behind the fielders in the ring on the off, four for that. drive played with bat well away from body, full flourish.

Mandar (sathem@hotmail.com) I think Azhar is not used to play any match winning innings unlike Ranatunga ;-)) Prem: vaas continues, and first up, gets azhar on the pad but the ball was pitching outside leg -- ti would have crashed into middle, but the pitch being outside leg, no danger for the batsman.

Prem: these two have to cut out the risky shots, mongia here showing the right attitude, squared up and defending to a lifter on middle. the trick here for the chasing side would be to bat out the overs to around the 25-over stage at least, without worrying too much about the runs as long as two, three singles are possible per over there is no real problem. lanka in 10, 48/0, india 35/2.

Amit (amit.shaligram@csfb.com) Indian cricket has become sketchy, a brilliant performance here and there but no real consistency and that is reflected in results. At the same time no one expects them to win each match, what we want to see is performance to match the talents Krishna Kaliappan (Krishna.Kaliappan@chiorg.unige.ch) Prem, I fully agree with Bishen Singh Bedi that when Tendulkar was captain, Azhar never supported him by playing some good innings. If at all he played some good innings, it is because of survival. But Tendulkar always gave more than 100% to his captain and that is the main reason for India's victory in the last one year. Azhar can never take any credit for the victorious 1998. Time has come for Azhar to retire atleast now so that Dravid, Kambli, Khurasia can think about their future. NJ () Prem> Did the Indians make any cardinal mistakes in the field positioning or the bowling line like they made against Lara and co.? sorab (sorab_dalal@dfci.harvard.edu) Hi Prem Why did Azhar insert the opposition again? Is it because he wants us to get more practice chasing? I missed the earlier part of the commentary. Also every successful ODI side has one batsman who will put his head down and play calmly in a crisis and I believe that Dravid is the best person for that. Kambli likes to play his shots and Bedade is not good enough Have not seen Khurasia so I do not know how good he is Sorab Srikanth (ragamsr@eng.auburn.edu) The more u see of Azhar these days, the more u have to feel that India is better off having a better batsman in the batting line up than him. There was time when as a fan, u had a feeling of assurance when Azhar was at the crease. But from the last year or two, there is more of a "when" feeling when Azhar goes in to bat, of course the occasional good knock but a 50 of 10 or 15 matches is not u want from your senior batsman.Bottomline, time for Azhar to go! Prem: this time the ball is on leg and lifting, azhar helps it down to backward square, one more.

Prem: Ooops, Azhar gets a short one, hooks, gets the top edge, the ball balloons exactly behind the keeper, that was off the splice of the bat with no footwork at all, but down to third man and four for it.

Srini (srini_neeluru@hotmail.com) Guys, atleast we have our most experienced player at the crease. Let's hope Azhar pulls off a miracle with a good knock. Prem: zoysa, ball three, outside off, mongia slashes, outer edge but ranatunga, like azhar earlier, dispensing with the second slip, that would have been an easy take for that fielder but in the evnet, one to the batsman down to third man.

Prem: zoysa again, short and lifting on off and mongia squares up, goes on his toes and plays the backfoot defensive shot out of the copybook, good batting there.

satish () Prem>>This is what I don't understand... U get a four off the first ball and then there are 5 dot balls.... why can't U take a single off at least one of them?? Soft hands.. wuick running... virtues which the Indians will never learn or so it seems Krishna Kaliappan (()) Prem, time has come for Azhar to silence his critics. But I am sure he will not do it. Stephanie Stein () I agree that Khurasia and Kanitkar should be given a chance. Isn't it time we bagan to talk about Azhar's retirement. It is always assumed that Azhar will be in the team. But isn't it time for the old man to go home and let some more talented batsmen like Dravid/Khurasia in. Prem: into the 10th over here, and zoysa to mongia, bad ball, half volley on off and mongia takes full toll, slamming it through mid off for four. that was a gimme ball, and mongia quick to seize on it.

bharat:: () Anandha: I would like to comment on your suggestion, with Dravid around and if used properly we have a good chance of winning, but with 2 down for 3 runs, and Dravid in both the batsmen are under pressure, dont underestimate the pressure one has when all are dying for his head, this is for all you Dravid bashers, is'nt it that both MOngia and Azhar are playing the same game like Dravid to stabilize the inning, with 2 in the hut. If this is appreciated why not Dravid, because he can alone do while today in his absence we need 2 to stabilize and still ar'nt sure whether we'll last 50 overs. ARE WE GONNA WIN THIS WAY. My worry is why cant we have a poper composition, atleast if you are sure you want to drop Dravid replace him witha batsman, Laxman cant play so why is he there, form Dhaka to Sharjah, just to please some stupid zonal selectore with no or little playing experience. Balan () Without Dravid, I feel that Indian tail starts from batsman No.3. All batsmen after openers are good supporting players. What they cannot do is to take main responsibility and win match for India. Mohit Bajaj (mohit@aol.com) Hi Sandeep, I fully agree with you. The problem with Dravid-fans is that they always keep on complaining about selectors even though the fact remains that he has been given a lot more chances than any other young aspirant despite his repeated failures. How long should a mature cricketer take to develop some of his abilities without blocking prospect of others. You are right about Badade. He was player who was not given wenough opportunities. I like him Prem: to whoever asked, for the nth time, kambli is still into the early days of his practise after breaking his ankle, he does not find a place even in the bombay ranji squad. meanwhile, vaas again, and azhar finds cover with the defensive push.

Prem: vaas again, this one on off and azhar drives, finds cover.

Prem: vaas again to azhar, and the batsman waves at one pitching off and leaving him, lucky to miss the edge. ball two though is middle and leg and azhar shuts the bat face again, gets the two behind square leg.

Prem: these tight overs will also have the effect of pushhing up the run rate required, thus in a sense compensating for the relatively low score put up by the lankans. last ball, played to square leg, no run.

() It was very very sensible to drop Dravid, as "classy" a batsman he is!!! Shiva Tanuj Kathpalia (tanuj@indolink.com) Will Dravid get a chance to play in this tournament??? I doubted. mooli () i agree with sandeep abt kambli, khurasia and may be badade.... Oh god! azhar has his highest in past 5 matches... also beats the aggregate in them!!!! ravi kartha (ravi@leland.stanford.edu) I agree with sorab's comment. ODI cricket is such that you cannot be expected to win every match. A team's chances of winning a match can vary from ball to ball depending on the play involved. What is important for India is to bring together a core group of 16 and use them consistently in various combinations to find a competent team of 11 for the World Cup. Prem: zoysa, two left in the over, to mongia, on off and played to cover, again finds the fielder, no run.

Prem: zoysa again, on off, mongia tries to run it past point but finds the fielder, atapattu in very quick and no run.

Prem: zoysa again, this one three quarter length and on middle and mongia defends.

Balan () Prem!! My comments are not coming up??!! Keeran (keeran@engr.uky.edu) Common guys stop talking about Dravid. No doubt he is great batsmen with sound technique like Sanjay Manjrekar. But when it comes to ODI who bothers about his technique. All we are bothered is quick runs, which he cannot do. Then why waste your time talking about him? Prem: zoysa to mongia, full length on middle and the batsman squares up and pushes defensively. 5.29 the asking rate now, two slips in place, first slip wide, second close to him but this one overpitched on off and mongia hits through the line, on the up but safe and wide of mid on, four to the fence in that direction hitting on the up.

Nel Porter (ani53@hotmail.com) Azhar has always had a dislike for Dravid. Perhaps professional rivalry. Remember, as soon as Azhar made a come back as captain last December in Dhaka, Dravid was fired. It has never been the same for Dravid since. Poor Dravid, he always comes in when the score is 7/2 or 25/3, and is screamed at for being "slow." I am not sure how else he should bat at that score. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be wiped out without Dravid in the world cup. Hey look, Azhar actually scored a run! tushar (tushar@hotmail.com) Prem, I guess if we can get to 60 in the first 15 without losing a wicket then we wud be still on target. I hope the two batsman in the middle dont try to take too many risks becoz of the 15-over field restrictions. tushar (tushar@hotmail.com) Prem, I guess if we can get to 60 in the first 15 without losing a wicket then we wud be still on target. I hope the two batsman in the middle dont try to take too many risks becoz of the 15-over field restrictions. DEEPAK (raven@hk.super.net) Hi Prem, If Azhar goes now, I am sure all will ask for his retirment. NJ () Prem> Are the articles you write read by the people who matter, viz. the Indian team. Or for that matter any articles which have some lessons? Is there any way to make sure they know what the paying spectators think of their performances? sandeep singh (sandy@hotmail.com) Why should we call Dravid if Sourav and SNT fail? Why should we not talk about Khurasia, Kanitkar, Kambli or Atul Badade? Prem: vaas to azhar, last ball of the over, bad line for once, on leg stump, azhar shuts the bat face, finds two to the backward square leg region to end the over, just two in it.

Raghu (raghupr@hotmail.com) Hi Prem, Do You see the impact of getting older on Azhar and his timing. Anandha (Anandha@jagat.net) Ok, if Dravid is around we wont lose a wicket. But would India win? So long as he cannot be a run a ball player after settling down India should not entertain Dravid. Prem: again the full line and length on off and azhar pushes to point, no run.

Balan () I don't find the logic behind having 5 Bowlers. When u underutilize Joshi, Y to have him. Tendu an Robin can easily share the 5th bowlers slot. Prem: on off again and azhar defends. hard work ahead for these two, after the indian bowlers bowled the side into a good position following the routine insertion. azhar, again, pushing defensively on line of off, finds mid off, no run.

Prem: vaas to azhar, ball two of the 7th, nice easy rn up and a quick high arm action, on off skidding through straight and azhar pushes to cover, no run.

bharat () Guys - I think, Azhar does his homework properly and relys on notes from the previous years, and he is confident about the correctness and dose'nt give a damn if he blunders time and again, he is too rigid to try any changes. I dont care if he gets a match winnign knock, even Kallis got it on his day, I do not expect this kind of school cricket from Azhar, if he likes he'll allow you to bolw else you cool your heels at the boundary, as he is nearing the fagend of his career, he is behaving more arrogant rather than rsponsive. He is a lucky captain but not a smart one. Thsi is not expected form a man who has created history by being the one to play maximum ODI in the history of the game. Sridhar (smanyem@hotmail.com) I think the target is not big enough to put pressure on a experienced guy like Azhar. The problem with Azhar is he wants to appear nonchalant and loses his wicket. Srilanka can only put pressure with their fielding set up. Apart from Vaas nobody is really capable of taking wickets. Prem, What does the srilankan scorecard look like? Thanks. Sridhar rao (nciaxp.gov) According to Marsh, Dravid is such a good batsman. But nobody selects him! Poor Dravid! Prem: ball one of the 7th, on middle and azhar shuts the bat face, finds square leg with the push.

Sorab (sorab_dalal@dfci.harvard.edu) Hi all I think that instead of trying to win every ODI that comes along and randomly chopping players in an attempt to do so they should concentrate on keeping a core group of 16 together so that by the time the WC comes along hopefully they will have learnt to play as a team. Prem: vaas to continue, his presence at the top of the bowling making a tremendous difference to lanka in the field as always -- really one of the premier opening bowlers in the world today.

Prem: mongia this time pushes on the on, finds square leg in quickly, the batsman going a long way across to off on that one, playing off to leg. next ball, outside off seaming further away and left alone.

Shriram () Why does Azhar insist on playing the flick. It is a tough shot to play early in the innings. not to mention that Azhar is getting old and has probably lost some speed and timing. the flick invariably leads to his downfall, though he plays it to god efect ssometimes in the middle overs. Shivaji (schatterjee@hss.hns.com) Why are we playing with only 4 batsmen ? And why does Azhar not bowl Robin - twice now ? Prem: zoysa again, with two slips and a backward point for shots square on the on, but this one is leg and middle, azhar guides it to midwicket, single.

Raghu (raghupr@hotmail.com) Hi Prem, I hope the BCCI and the Indian team would take something from all those analytical articles you(and the like ) have been constantly publishing Prem: zoysa again and azhar driving off the back foot, finds atapattu again, at point, no run.

Shriram (shriram@andrew.cmu.edu) Soem innovative thinking was required at this poit by India. They coul dhave sent Robin ahead of Azhar to see off the fast bowlers. Robin is slightly suspect outside off, but he has a great short arm pull which could be used againt the Left arm fast bowlers. Azhar would have been better in the slow overs. milman (milman@cyberspace.org) I think India is going to really miss Dravid today deep (deep@rocketmail.com) today azhar has a chance to lead by example... jerry (jmaguire@hotmail.com) Hi, I think the same batsmen need toplay till 30th over without losing a wicket and take it from there whatever the required runrate is from there. Prem: zoysa again, to the indian skipper, on off and played to point, atapattu in very quickly, no run.

Prem: zoysa to azhar, that one skidded through and off the thick inner edge of the defensive push, square on the on side, no run.

Prem: on off this time, mongia plays to cover, no run and India 16/2 in 5, sri lanka at this sage being 17/0.

Prem: vaas again, and this one is on leg, azhar flicks and misses, leg bye.

Prem: brilliant bowling here from vaas, pitching off, bringing it back in off the seam, cramping azhar and opening up the possibility of the lbw and ranatunga adding to the pressure with two slips in place. no ball gives india a run, vaas next up pitches outsdie off and straightens it off the arm, azhar defends.

jerry (jmaguire@hotmail.com) Hi, I think the same batsmen need toplay till 30th over without losing a wicket and take it from there whatever the required runrate is from there Srini (srini_neeluru@hotmail.com) Prem:I hate to say, I would like to have Ganguly & Mongia open for India, to frustrate the openers. The first 8 overs are critical in a one day match. Then bring in SRT, to cruise. Does anyone agree or am I wrong? Prem? Prem: vaas holds this one back, azhar pushes, plays too early, ball in the air but well short of the bowler on the follow through.

Prem: vaas again, to mongia, the fifth over in progress, the thick outer edge goes past piont for a single.

Prem: 13/2 in 4 overs and an all too familiar look to the scorecard, it's been this way for the last few games, and mongia first up gets the inner edge to vaas getting some inswing on line of off, ball flashes past leg stump, no run.

Prem: Shriram () India, has managed to put undue pressure on itself again. After losing both Ganguly and SRt it is going to be tough to pull this one back. At this point, if we had Dravid we might have stabilized and chased this score, however Azhar will come in now and become out, (most probably LBW) within the next few overs.!

Prem: azhar and jadeja are naturally freeflowing strokeplayers, this kind of recovery job, needed here, goes against the grain for them so this means a tremendous test for azhar, coming in off a bad run at dhaka.

Swami (swaminathan_v@yahoo.com) hi guys, it is nice to be like this. I am Swami. Yes india should win this match & prove that it is not depending on individuals Sridhar (smanyem@hotmail.com) Hi Prem, How can I see the Sri Lankan score card? Naveen (seenaveen@usa.net) I can safely say that now Ganguly has to play a big knock otherwise it's trouble all the way. What do u say prem? Prem: zoysa to azhar, on off and played defensively.

mohit (mohit@rmi.net) i feel prasad will be a better opening partner. Prem: zoysa again, and again, azhar flicks across the line, misses and is hit on the pad, this one outside line of leg, though.

tushar (tushar@hotmail.com) Prem, I dont think its a good idea to play with one batsman short. Why is Robin Singh being taken in only as a batsman? shantanu (shantanu@bu.edu) If I was Azhar I would send Srinath or Agarkar for some pinch-hitting. Shantanu Prem: Nayan Mongia, at three, and Azhar at the crease and first up, azhar takes it on the pad, bang in front of middle, huge appeal from zoysa, umpire turns it down but that was pretty close.

Prem: That dismissal was pretty predictable -- throughout his brief stay there, ganguly has been throwing his bat at the ball with feet nowhere in line, zoysa getting a wicekt for a ball that, if it had been left alone, would have been called wide.

Naveen (seenaveen@usa.net) Now India is really going to be tested. They will have to prove that they don't rely on Sachin alone -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sorab (sorab_dalal@dfci.harvard.edu) Hi Sanjay I disagree, Dravid has played many great oneday innnings, in SA and Madras just to name two. I think he needs to be playing regularly in the side as we will need someone like him in England if an opener falls early as just happened. Sorab Prem: vaas has a thing for sachin, has had his wicket 5 times in 20 tgries and meanwhile, there goes ganguly -- wide of off, chases it, and off the edge, the slip is in business.

Prem: that's better, on off and lifting and ganguly lifts his bat out of harm's way, watching it through all the way.

Naveen (seenaveen@usa.net) Now India is really going to be tested. They will have to prove that they don't rely on Sachin alone Sorab (sorab_dalal@dfci.harvard.edu) Hi Sanjay I disagree, Dravid has played many great oneday innnings, in SA and Madras just to name two. I think he needs to be playing regularly in the side as we will need someone like him in England if an opener falls early as just happened. Sorab Prem: That was the end of the over and zoysa continues and again, a no ball to start with -- zoysa needs to get on a better rhythm here, to give vaas the support he needs.

Prem: mihir:: slip, very wide gully, point, cover standing on the short side, mid off short and wide.

mihir (mihirj11@yahoo.com) PREM could u describe ranatungas field for ganguly when vaas is operating? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tushar (Tushar_Ashar@bsis.com) I think Prasad is better bowler I will vote for prasad. as opening partner. Prem: And that is precisely the problem with a truncated batting lineup -- an early wicket, and everything is thrown wide open. for india, a period of danger, with ganguly needing to settle down in a hurry and cut out the swish and miss stuff he has been indulging in thus far.

mihir (mihirj11@yahoo.com) PREM could u describe ranatungas field for ganguly when vaas is operating? mihir (mihirj11@yahoo.com) ()sorab i agree with u totally one -day or a test rahul dravid must be included ,that guy is pure class and everybody knows that class is permenant! Prem: and there goes sachin tendulkar -- vaas doing the damage, slanting one across the batsman, sachin launches into that one, gets the faint edge and Kalu holds easily behind the stumps.

Prem: on off and middle adn sachin onto the front foot, on drives, wide of the fielder, just the push and two more, not really hitting at that one, rather a push into the gap.

Prem: on off and middle and tendulkar pushes to mid on, gets the single, ganguly back on strike and this time, the drive to mid on, a misfield, and one to the batsman.

deep (deep@rocketmail.com) The target should not be problem if Indians just keep their cool...no rash s

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