India makes it 3-0 at Mohali... yeh dil mange one more !!

I have all along been under a mistaken impression that Cinema is one industry (!) where one gets paid for flop shows ~ Indian Cricket is another ~ Indian Coach Duncan Fletcher has been extended and perhaps given more money after doing nothing ~ when India was unable to wipe out the tail and when Aussies tail wagged, the field placings exposed no-strategy and still you have Duncan Fletcher getting more !!

A 3-0 scoreline is boosting the sagging morale and ego of all ~ Indian fans are happy for sure .. never we have seen such a string of victories; the earlier ones came way back in 1993 against England and Sri Lanka.  The score line of the Mohali Test : India 499 (Dhawan 187, Vijay 153, Siddle 5-71) and 136 for 4 beat Australia 408 (Starc 99, Smith 92) and 223 (Hughes 69) by six wickets ~ will never reflect the right picture….

First it was a 4 day match ~ with the 1^st day fully washed out; then set a not so big total – at end of Over 20 Indians were 80 /2.  Virat Kohli 21* off 32 balls and Sachin Tendulkar 4 at the crease.  Australians like any other team resorted to wasting time ~ but could do little.  At 3.33pm began the final hour when India needed 45 off 15 overs – Team India should have won with 10 overs to spare, given the ways of modern cricket……….. Dhoni had other ideas… those who have been following Dhoni know of his penchant to take things to the last over and try striking mighty blows………   Over no. 29 produced 1 run – Dhoni was hardly putting bat to ball having made 2 off 13; then it boiled down to 27 off 7 – Dhoni 6 off 25 balls; Sachin 21 off 22; 17 required off 4 – not even an IPL finish, one thought.

By now Aussies were bowling the negative way, away from the reach of batsmen and Tendulkar walked down to Siddle ran a leg bye and was run out.  At last came the flourish – Jadeja hitting 2 fours and Dhoni finishing off with 3 boundaries.  Cricinfo reports that in 81 year old Test history India has won three consecutive Tests in a series only twice before. The first time was against Graham Gooch's England in 1992-93 and the second against Arjuna Ranatunga's Sri Lanka in 1993-94.  That makes the Mohali win more to celebrate, though India almost floundered chasing 133.  This Australians are no way closer to what normally they are – still the win would not take away the credit, is what we would like to say.  Australia's defeat meant they had lost the first three matches of a series for the first time since 1988-89, when Allan Border led his developing side to a 3-1 defeat at home to West Indies, a sobering gap of 25 years.

In the nearby Bangladesh, more tarnish to the game is happening. Nadir Shah, the Bangladesh umpire, has been handed a ten-year ban by the BCB on charges of corruption alleged by a TV sting operation in 2012. The decision followed an investigation carried out by the Bangladesh board. Sharfuddoula Saikat, the other umpire who was contacted by reporters posing as agents, was cleared to continue umpiring. Saikat had informed the BCB's umpires committee at the time of contact with whom he perceived to be agents, but his case had also been kept pending since October last year.

The sting, broadcast by India TV, claimed to have "exposed" several first-class umpires from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan who were allegedly willing to give decisions favouring players for a fee. In the sting, conducted in July and August 2012, the reporters claimed to belong to a sports management company and promised the umpires officiating assignments in events of all kinds around the world, largely domestic Twenty20 leagues.

Is there more under the carpet ?

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.