It is said that when you fall, the only way to go is up!
How true is that? When the Indian squad landed on South African soils a few weeks back, no one was prepared for the kind of clobbering they would get. The state of affair was at an all time low after the disastrous performance in the One day series and the moral of the team couldn’t be too high going into the test series.
When the test squad was announced, it came as a fresh breath of air. The Royal Bengal Tiger was back in the team and this time he meant business. He had a point to prove and Boy oh boy…did he do that or what! First innings of the match…India goes into bat and yet again they falter at the start. In walks a man who was last seen on the international test arena 10 months back. Slowly and steadily he built a foundation around which the Indian innings reached a respectable total of 249. Sourav Ganguly was back with a bang! With a score of 51 not out at the end of the innings he was the top scorer among the Indians. What a way to make a comeback! The tiger had responded with his bat and silenced his critics once again in style.
The proteas crumbled like a bunch of pins on the bowling alley being bundled out for 84 with Sreesanth (playing in his 6th test) taking his first 5 wicket haul. The Indian second innings saw the class of a ‘Very Very Special’ player once again. With an enviable 73 runs to his credit he made sure that the Indians reached a commanding lead of 401. With 2.5 days to go and 10 wickets to take, the Indians couldn’t lose from there. 18th December, 2006 will be remembered in the annals of Indian cricket for a long long time to come. India won its first test against South Africa on South African soil.
The test will be remembered for all sorts of reasons including young Sreesanth’s fiery temper and the equally daring and hilarious reply when challenged by Andre Nell, the comeback of one of the finest southpaws in the history of the game and a lot more.
The question is, “Are the Indian Tigers Back?”
How true is that? When the Indian squad landed on South African soils a few weeks back, no one was prepared for the kind of clobbering they would get. The state of affair was at an all time low after the disastrous performance in the One day series and the moral of the team couldn’t be too high going into the test series.
When the test squad was announced, it came as a fresh breath of air. The Royal Bengal Tiger was back in the team and this time he meant business. He had a point to prove and Boy oh boy…did he do that or what! First innings of the match…India goes into bat and yet again they falter at the start. In walks a man who was last seen on the international test arena 10 months back. Slowly and steadily he built a foundation around which the Indian innings reached a respectable total of 249. Sourav Ganguly was back with a bang! With a score of 51 not out at the end of the innings he was the top scorer among the Indians. What a way to make a comeback! The tiger had responded with his bat and silenced his critics once again in style.
The proteas crumbled like a bunch of pins on the bowling alley being bundled out for 84 with Sreesanth (playing in his 6th test) taking his first 5 wicket haul. The Indian second innings saw the class of a ‘Very Very Special’ player once again. With an enviable 73 runs to his credit he made sure that the Indians reached a commanding lead of 401. With 2.5 days to go and 10 wickets to take, the Indians couldn’t lose from there. 18th December, 2006 will be remembered in the annals of Indian cricket for a long long time to come. India won its first test against South Africa on South African soil.
The test will be remembered for all sorts of reasons including young Sreesanth’s fiery temper and the equally daring and hilarious reply when challenged by Andre Nell, the comeback of one of the finest southpaws in the history of the game and a lot more.
The question is, “Are the Indian Tigers Back?”
