again?
Two tests in and two complete and utter thumpings handed out to the current ranked top test side. If you knew one of these sides was number one but didn’t know the actual standings then there’d only be one conclusion and that wouldn’t include India in the top 5.
So far we’ve had England put in twice, first time they declared twice and won by 196 runs, second time they found themselves at one point 124 for 8 and still managed to win by a whacking 319 runs inside four days.
And that’s one thing about this last test, with all the talk about the Indians being either undercooked or overcooked, England still have room for improvement. First inning was looking like the same old story of cruising after a win, laurel resting because the attack they faced wasn’t exactly the greatest ever seen. resulting in batsmen getting themselves out.
Then when the Indians batted Anderson was up to his old trick or sending down rubbish. Swann also has been an irrelevance in the series so far – but then so has Harbhajan, a player with over 400 test wickets – but seeing him pasted all round the park is something new. While Broad and Bresnan were doing OK with the ball it wasn’t until the former’s hat-trick that things clicked.
From then it seemed only one team was in it and one team seemed bothered to be in it. Indian heads dropped as England piled on 417 runs in a day, 187 of them between tea and stumps.
Yesterday looked like a forgone conclusion as soon as Dravid was out, even with Tendulkar showing some of his skill, with the Wall – Dravid – and Laxman already gone there wasn’t anyone going to stay around to help him to his 100th international ton never mind get anywhere close to knocking off 371 runs still required to square the series when Anderson got his bunny Sachin.
Just a shame that on Yorkshire Day that Bresnan didn’t get either his ton or the hat-trick he could have, still his first five wicket haul will partially make up for it.
So one more win to be top dog.