Thursday, April 06, 2006

India vs England

England's Tour of India--4-0 Series Win for India Against England-2006



It all started from the Capital city . Delhi had always been a controversial evnue for ODI's. Keeping that aside, India made the fat lady cry for 39 runs which went in vain. India gain advantage 1-0 and the indomitable India's one-day march continues. The sun god had no mercy towards the players , especially the England players felt it too hard to manage on the fields.

But they didnt know this was just the beginning of their end... With key players Trescothick , Vaughan at home, the children of The English had to work really hard to beat a team which had the blaster Sehwag, the Wall Dravid, the sudden shine Yuvi, the yama Dhoni , the tornado Pathan and the list goes on...





With Bajji helping India win the firs ODi, it was Suresh Raina who did it this time . It was a splendid batting performance from this youngster . His stand throughout the innings showed nothing but confidence, the urge to win and a gold coin in the Indian's pocket. I will not forget to mention the support rendered by Dhoni which was another key factor for India's second victory. Even the well-behaved(did I say that???) Kiran more was impressed by Raina's performance.

Lemme right this before i forget it. Yes, u r rite, the new captain combo..Dravid and Yuvi. Though Dravid could not really contribute with his bat, it has been a great series so far for him as a replacement for the Bengal Tiger. His strategies has been good except for keeping Kaif in the

team. If Ganguly has been sent out of the squad for some reason, I feel the same rule is applicable to Kaif even.


I dont know what exactly is going on in Yuvi's mind. 2006 has been a great year for this guy. I still remember seeing him outside the boundary rope with the SAHARA bermudas and a t-shirt getting ready for his practise session when the selected 11's were fielding against the Aussies. Thats another reason why I want to say 2006 has been his own days... I could see lots of improvement in the way this guy is batting. His maturity level as a cricketer has changed to a good extent. Lets hope he takes over the torch from Dravid after world cup .

As a team, Team India has certainly improved in the recent past . Chappell has been good in identifying young talent and the support from the selection commitee( I didn't say Kiran More) has played a key role .

Info if you had missed:

ODI 1:

Date: 28/03/2006

Held at : Feroshah Kotla Stadium-Delhi

India 203 (Harbhajan 37, Kabir Ali 4-45) beat England 164 (Pietersen 46, Harbhajan 5-31) by 39 runs

Result: India won by 39 runs, Man of the Match: Harbajan Singh

ODI 2:

Date: 31/03/2006

Held at: Faridabad

49 overs India 230 for 6 (Raina 81*, Dhoni 38) beat England 226 (Pietersen 71, Strauss 61) by four wickets

Result: India won by 4 wickets, Man of the Match: Suresh Raina

ODI 3:

Date: 03/04/2006

Held at : Goa

India 294 for 6 (Yuvraj 103, Raina 61) beat England 245 (Collingwood 93, Pathan 4-51) by 49 runs

Result: India won by 49 runs, Man of the Match: Yuvraj Singh

ODI 4:

Date: 06/04/2006

Held at : Cochin

47.2 overs India 238/6 (Dravid 65, Yuvraj 48)beat England 237 by 4 wickets

Result : India won by 4 wickets again, Man of the match: Yuvraj SIngh for his splendid 48 and 2 crucial wickets.

With 3 more matches to go team India has already clinched this series. Well done India. I would be happy if India shines in other sports also the same way it does in cricket.

......To be continued :)

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