Well glaze my nipples in honey and call me Ritu. I saw England’s victory in Sri Lanka coming from a mile off but not in my wildest dreams, not even after consuming a mind-bending chilli, did I expect England to walk the first Test in India. Here’s what stood out to me during the first Test. Dom Bess: This tour was always likely to be defined by how well our spinners bowled. And didn’t they do well in Chennai! Dom Bess is turning into the proverbial golden arm. He doesn’t...
Channel 4 Disappointed To Find Flintoff & Pietersen No Longer Play For England
By Our Media Correspondent, Hugh Thousandandfiveashes CHENNAI, INDIA – A dismayed Channel 4 board were last night cursing their misfortune as they discovered that none of the team from the last England match aired on the channel in September 2005 would feature in the side taking on India in the first test. “When we signed a multi-million pound contract to bring test match cricket back to terrestrial television, we assumed the superstars of the 2005 Ashes would feature prominently. That was the...
Buttler and Pant: A Look At Cricket’s Most Existential Sitcom
Are you enjoying the first Test? I certainly hope so. Here’s Abhijato’s latest musings to add to the festivities … Buttler and Pant sounds like the name of a sitcom which never takes off. In this hypothetical show, Rishabh will be the Indian still getting used to life as he takes up a job at the local police station. ‘He’s got heart,’ a senior officer would declare before taking retirement – an ice-cool leader called MS – who did the same job Pant is now about to...
Will India Prove Too Strong For England?
Today Jack Swaby rounds off our pre-series buildup. Sadly, he feels that India will be too strong in home conditions. Having said that, there are some reasons for optimism. For example, he believes that England are in better shape now than they were the last time they visited India. Do you agree? I firmly believe that this England team is capable of special things and the second whitewash in consecutive visits to Sri Lankan shores fully affirms my belief. Any England team that secures a win in...
Will India’s Youngsters Eclipse Their Illustrious Predecessors?
Today we continue our build up to the 1st Test against India with a look at Rishabh Pant and the other Indian young guns. Thanks to new writer Sebastian Evans for this contribution … India’s stunning victory in Australia marked the maturing of the next batch of supremely talented Indian cricketers. And while they’ve had precociously talented teams in the past, this crop, with Rishabh Pant at its head, might just be the best yet. The annals of Indian cricket have long been marked by...
India’s Triumph In Australia
Today Alex continues our buildup to the India versus England series by looking back at India’s amazing triumph down under. What made the series so special? And what did we learn? The Australia – India Series was the one of the best series that Test cricket has seen for years. Although you could talk about the drama of the last Ashes in England, this series featured a team that was literally the walking wounded against a powerhouse team that nevertheless has significant holes. It made for...
