What a match…..

…and what a win !

A fairy-tale script (source: Cricinfo)

Considering it was a match that was almost canceled and was taking place in the shadows and the unhealed wounds of the terror attacks, no one could have scripted a better display of test cricket. That India won against incredible odds is a great cicing onthe cake, but the match itself was Test cricket at its best:  the patient innings building of Strauss, a dream debut opening over from Swann, the surprisingly welcome never-say-die attitude of the Indians, and of course – the brutal strokeplay of Sehwag at the end of Day 4. No other words to describe it other than a savage butchery of the English bowling attack that set up the final day. Sachin finally redeemed himself playing a knock to lead India to victory, and Yuvraj displayed fine compoosure in what could be his breakthrough test innings. Well done India.

And with Test matches like these, who needs 20-20 ?

Dont scratch yourself….

….err in the arm-pits. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the gesture is racist (apparently a monkey taunt) !!!!

Check for yourself and judge:

I won’t be defending Harbhajan if indeed he made monkey taunts, but if this is the picture that forms the basis of their accusation, it is a very weak one.

[Not justifying anything, but apparently the crowd was also having quite a go at him with shouts of ‘wanker’ (typically Australian) to ‘knob head’/’cut your hair’, a reference to his Sikh religion. Classy stuff.]

The Aussie press has really gone ballistics after their invicible team lost last night. Most of the reports keep focusing on meaningless stuff like how much the Indians celebrated e.g. how Yuvraj and Harbhajan cheekily started a mock shadow boxing round after Hayden was out (hilarious stuff IMO), rather than the game itself.

W hat a bunch of sore whiners.

Take this absurdity from Malcolm Comm whose list of Harbhajan’s past trangressions include:

Others included poking his tongue out in a one-day match against SriLanka and running most of the way to the boundary during the SydneyTest before doing several awkward rolls after dismissing Ricky Ponting

Now you cant stick your tongue out ?!! What about Brad Hogg then ?

And of course, Peter Lalor is at it again, this time raking up a bunch of pathetic excuses for Ricky Ponting’s slump in form.  I am too tired to fisk him, but Mohan at i3j3Cricket has done a pretty good job.