The roller coaster ride for the Indian cricket team continues in England, from a bottomless pit in their final three Tests to a Himalayan peak in one-day internationals.
What happened to turn disasters into triumphs for the mystifying Indians? It can be summed up in two words – Suresh Raina.
Omitted from the Test squad, the cheeky left-hander and man of the match Raina scored a hurricane hundred off 75 balls, smashing 12 fours and three sixes at Cardiff in the second ODI after the first one was rained off.
Together with skipper MS Dhoni (52) he added 144 spectacular runs as India totalled 6/304.
Raina demonstrated to the demoralised Indian batsmen that England’s bowlers were playable – nay, smackable. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja went on to take 4/28 and India won the second ODI by 133 runs.
With their morale high, India won the third ODI at Nottingham by six wickets. Ravichandran Ashwin spun the ball viciously to grab 3/39 and England was dismissed for 227.
India replied with four for 228, Ambati Rayudu being the only batsman from either side to hit a fifty (64) and India won again with 42 balls remaining to lead 2-0 in the series.
The lowlight of this match for England was their fast-medium bowler Chris Jordan bowling an 11-ball over – 4, 1 (wide), 1, 1, 1, 1 (wide), 1, 1 (wide), 1 (wide), 1 (wide), 1 (leg-bye) – costing 14 runs.
Imagine, five wides in an over.
Will India continue their dream run or go back to their old evil ways in their next ODI in Birmingham, wondered the experts.
Not so. They were at their dazzling best in the fourth ODI. After dismissing England for 206, Indian openers Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan batted magnificently to put on 183 runs for the first wicket.
Rahane hit his maiden ODI century (106 off 100 balls, embellished with 10 fours and four sixes). Left-handed Dhawan matched him stroke for stroke as he smashed an unbeaten 97 off only 81 balls, belting 11 fours and four sixes. He ended the match by lifting a six as India won by a huge margin of nine wickets with 117 balls remaining.
At the post-match press conference Dhoni said he was happy with the way India had bounced back.
“The good thing is, we have kept improving from the first ODI on. That’s definitely a big positive. It was a good toss to win today [Tuesday],” he said.
“The fast bowlers bowled really well initially and gave us those early breakthroughs, because of which we were able to put pressure on their middle order. Overall, I’m very happy. Jinks [Rahane] also got a century. We got an opening partnership. So a complete game for us.
“It’s not about consolation prizes. It’s about winning the series. Once you have lost the Test series, there is no real point thinking about it, because it is done and dusted.
“With the World Cup coming up, it is very important we start doing well outside the subcontinent. We don’t think about what happened in the Test series and what will happen in the future series.”
India leads the ODI series 3-0. Whatever happens in the final ODI at Leeds this week, India has pocketed the win.
This is an excellent preparation for them for the World Cup starting in Australia and New Zealand next February. Or is it a false promise?
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Re my mention of England's Chris Jordan bowling an 11-ball over in the Cardiff ODI v. India last week, Rajesh Kumar -- the noted cricket statistician from India -- informs me that Pakistan's Mohammad Sami bowled the longest over in ODIs. It included 17 balls costing him 22 runs. There were 7 wides and 4 no balls in this 'marathon' over. It is the longest over in a one-day international. That over was bowled in Colombo during the 2004 Asia Cup v. Bangladesh. (It raised a few eyebrows, especially given the meaningless nature of the contest.) New Zealander Daryl Tuffey bowled second longest over in ODIs at Auckland on 26/2/2005. It was against Australia [Adam Gilchrist] with his opening over lasting 14 deliveries: 4nb, nb, nb, nb, wd, wd, 4, wd, 0, wd, 0, 0, 0, 0. So Jordan bowled the third longest over in ODIs last week. Any other instances, Roarers?
Dog's Breakfast
Guest
India have done well in the ODIs. Whether their performance can be pinpointed solely to Raina's inclusion is debatable. ODIs are India's forte and certainly not England's. The Indian batmen should've known the English bowlers were playable. They played them quite well in the first two Tests. Then they seemed to lose confidence (and the plot) when the English bowlers improved and got helpful conditions. It was a shame. I would've liked to have seen India build on the good work they did in those first two games. "Imagine, five wides in an over." Most bowlers are smart enough to get that done with one really bad ball that goes for four down the leg side.
Bobbo7
Guest
So true. India is to Test cricket what England is to ODIs...hopeless.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
This is great JGK; Richards to Ians. Thank you. Most impressed with your knowledge.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
JGK, Thanks for the link. From that I gather that John Hearne and John Briggs bowled to John Worrall and who else? It is James and not John Kelly. And please give details, John Snow and John (surname please?) against who? Garry Sobers and Tony Greig don't satisfy my criteria. Thanks for your interest and efforts.
JGK
Roar Guru
http://www.howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Matches/MatchScorecard.asp?MatchCode=0738 Stacky out first ball of the match and then Richards Collinge and Hadlee bowl to Ians Redpath and Chappell.
JGK
Roar Guru
This one close too! John and John batting against Gary and Greg. http://www.howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Matches/MatchScorecard.asp?MatchCode=0729
JGK
Roar Guru
This one close too! John and John batting against Gary and Greg.
JGK
Roar Guru
This match was similar: http://www.howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Matches/MatchScorecard.asp?MatchCode=0062
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Sad, but quite true, Ronan. Thank you, JGK, for your effort.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
How often do India do this though Kersi? So many times they are woeful in an away Test series but then paper over the cracks with a good performance in the following ODIs. Then when they return to India everyone just focuses on the ODI wins and conveniently forgets about the horrid Test efforts, meaning the Test lineup is never held accountable. I think this is one of the reasons that India continue failing away from home because, as long as they salvage pride in the limited overs games people look the other way.
JGK
Roar Guru
Not quite on point but in the 1934 Ashes, Bill Bowes opened the bowling against Bill Ponsford and Bill Brown a number of times (with Bill Woodfull further down the order).
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Don't worry, Hugo. Please don't go through151 editions of Wisden. These days CricInfo is the place to get all the answers in a hurry by asking statsguru. My friend Rajesh Kumar from India may also have the answer. I'd asked this question to arouse some interest among Roarers. You should be very proud that your granddad knew Eric Ravilious. I have all copies of Wisden since 1970, as also a few before that. Just now I looked at the woodcut jacket of Wisdens with a fresh perspective.
Hugo
Guest
Kersi - if you're asking me to research your question, I'd need to comb through all the Wisdens, which are probably online, since 1864. Incidentally, my grandfather knew Eric Ravilious, a WWII WAR artist and a very fine painter, whose woodcut on the jacket of Wisdens was/is well known to all cricket fans. You probably have several vintage copies.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Did anyone notice this bit of trivia? In the last two overs of India’s innings in the one-day international against England at Cardiff on 27th August 2014, two Chrises bowled to two Ravis; Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan to Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja. Two bowlers with the same first name bowling to two batsmen with the same first name in successive overs in an international cricket match is unique. Or is it?
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Hi Hugo, No, I have not read that version of cricket history. Very interesting. As the ad says, "From little things big things grow"! However, theses days cricket match duration is shrinking; from 5 days to one day to three hours!! In popularity, it is : from long things small things prosper. When Test cricket was first played on Sundays, Australia's Brian Booth was very much against it, being a lay priest.
Hugo
Guest
Hello Kersi - what a whirlwind the Indian team proved to be. No reason to think they won't crush everybody next February. BTW, came across an historical note you may or may not know - it appears that cricket started out as a children's game in SE England. Scholars have dug up a reference to the game of "crecket" dating from 1598. The first reference to adults playing the game is, so far, 1611. They know because it's recorded that some parishioners in W Sussex chose to play the game instead of attending church on Easter Sunday and were duly fined 12 pence each. Part of the fine went to pay for the church window one of the batsmen hit the ball through. Some things never change.