More cricket

I didn't finish what I wanted to say in my earlier post about cricket.

My impression of the Indian side is undoubtedly positive.  They are a great bunch of cricketers.  The young blood has definitely made for an enthsiastic side that is willing to push the envelope in order to win.  The fielding of some of the newer players, namely Yuvraj, Kaif, Harbhajan, Pathan, and Zaheer Khan is a revelation.  I mean, I used to see some pretty pathetic fielding efforts a few years ago.  But this bunch is good.  The few exceptions are Kumble, Ganguly and Tendulkar to some extent.  The old guns still retain a reluctance to develop the techniques required to be highly competitive fielders.  All in all, it is a much better fielding side - finally we have people who can win matches through their fielding.  Phew...

The running between the wickets of the Indian side is also very much improved.  The marked exception to this is Ganguly.  But again, generally, it has been great to watch the batsman take the battle to the fielders and challenge them regularly.

Finally, let me say that the cricket played by Sri Lanka and Pakistan against India was top notch.  India was hugely lucky to win the last match against Sri Lanka.  The Lankans did not hit any big shots.  On a wicket that was getting harder and harder to play on, Jayasuriya and his teammates simply kept rotating the strike and the scoreboard ticking.  They got 5-6 runs an over every over.  The asking rate never went above 6 until the penultimate over.  And they achieved this through singles, doubles and the occasional boundary - not by one man, but the entire team.   India got really lucky with that win - it should have rightly been Sri Lanka's.   We have much to learn from them.