The Sri Lankan BP XI likes our new bowling attack

Phew. That scoreboard from India's tour match against the Sri Lankan Board President's XI does not make for pretty reading. When all the caveat-raising has been done and dispensed with, there are the numbers: 432/4 off 88.5 overs. With Zaheer and Sreesanth injured the shape of India's pace bowling attack for the tests isn't too clear, but even the spinners have combined to further obscure the picture, for Mishra and Ojha have spent down 50 overs for 253 runs and five wickets.

As far as slow starts go, this is a classic. For the Indians, that is.

Mishy googles 'em a bit

Mishra has now taken three very good wickets in this innings. Two with classic deliveries: the perfect, on-length, leg-break that netted Kallis yesterday and now, the lovely googly that has just netted De Villiers. Even his dismissal of Smith yesterday was a neat little trick (aided and abetted by Smith swishing across the line): Mishra pitched the ball on middle-n-leg and it spun just enough to have taken the off-stump. Always a pleasure to watch a leggie; even better when its on the fifth day hunting for a win.

A couple of AWOLs

Two quick notes (do I really need to say that? This is a blog, after all):

1. One thought that occurred to me after the third day's play ended was that India desperately needed Ishant Sharma to also take wickets at the top of the order. Thus far, its been all Zaheer's work. Sharma has been pretty much AWOL till he took Harris' wicket (and as I write this, Amla has just absorbed a nasty crack on his elbow by not turning away properly from a Sharma delivery sent down round the wicket; geez, that bruise and swelling doesn't look nice).
   
2. Mishra is off the field and his right arm is wrapped up in a bandage. Gee.
   

Stick 'em in close skip!

A few days ago, I penned a post over at Different Strokes, complaining about the lack of close-in fielders for India spinners. Last night Harbhajan again bowled without a backward short-leg (a position that has netted him wickets in the past), and could only watch as at least two deflections went in that region. Today he's has had that position manned. Mishra fortunately has the full ring: a slip, backward short-leg, a silly mid-off and a forward short-leg.

But now Sehwag is bowling with just a slip, and a forward short-leg, with South Africa trailing by 213 runs on the fifth day of a test match in a series in which India is down 0-1 and needs a win to retain their test ranking at the top of the table. Is it just me or does something seem wrong with this picture? India cannot lose this match. They can only draw it or win it. So why are there no close-in fielders for Sehwag?

I can't pretend to understand what is going on in Dhoni's head. Perhaps he's been, as my friend Satadru Sen said the other day, "riding without a helmet." (One charitable take: Dhoni reckons he doesn't want to be in a situation where he has to do any run chasing later in the day and thus is trying to not be overly aggressive; still, that favors the South African strategy of needing just to use up as much time as possible).

Update: Sehwag now has another man close in. Perhaps MSD did hear me.

Hullabaloo at Eden Gardens

9,209,43. What do you reckon comes next? Turns out, 35. The first South African wicket fell at 9. Then the second wicket partnership added 209. Seven wickets then fell in the space of 43 runs. And the tenth wicket partnership added 35 (a pretty sloppy show by the Indians this morning). All said, a topsy-turvy series of events. How I wish I had been able to watch the post-tea session as it unfolded yesterday. To think that Sharma and Mishra picked up their first wickets of the series, that Harbhajan put himself on a hat-trick again at the Eden Gardens (and a non-bogus one at that, given how awful Gilchrist's LBW was at Kolkata in 2001), that Zaheer triggered a run-out with a direct-hit, and that Harris paid the price for getting distracted by a fast bowler. All in front of a crowd of "only" 35,000, small for the Eden Gardens, and yet big enough to pack any ground in England.

There are lots of reasons to dislike living on the East Coast. Missing this test's post-tea session because of the timezones will get added to that list.

Needless to say, I've been looking forward to the Indian batting response in this test, starting with the openers, and the next hour or so should be enthralling. Viru has already started off with a bang.

If only Laxman Sivramakrishnan weren't commentating.

Mishra for #3

Amit Mishra could have scored himself a new nickname, Dizzy, had he played his cards right. Instead, he's gone and holed out to mid-off. Silly boy. You had a century there for the taking. When will you get such a chance again? The second test? Only if you get in again as a nightwatchman? What's that? That'll happen too? Fair enough. Still, Mishra's expression and body language as he walked suggests he knew just what he had consigned to the trash-heal (Gambhir's little shake of the head was another indicator).

OK, RD, your turn. Get on with it. Dizzy did his bit.