5.30 P.M.
India plays for a D/L win
The Indian run chase started sedately. Both Sehwag and Gambhir eschewed risks for the first 10 over's. However, two quick wickets, one of Gambhir and another of Raina shook the stability of the innings.
Rohit Sharma and Sehwag were involved in a century partnership and just as India was cruising, two more quick blows – Raina and Sehwag dismissals made the going rocky for India.
Dhoni and the inform Yuvraj combined together to gnaw the advantage back for India. Dhoni took most of the strike and was careful. Yet the Indians managed to keep up with the run-rate due to Sehwag belligerence.
Dhoni timed the batting power play exactly and there was an immediate jump in the run rate. Along the way, in a clash of egos Yuvraj lost his wicket to Flintoff. Immediately after the fall of his wicket, Dhoni shut shop and in the fading light ensured that India was way ahead of England by the D/L method.
To no ones surprise, India was ahead of the England when bad light stopped play and it was later officially declared that India won by 15 runs.
India is 3-0 up in the 7 match series and looks set for a series victory.
1.00 P.M.
The third One-Day International at the Green Park in Kanpur got of to a delayed start due to bad light. The 45 minute delay means the is reduced to 49 over's each.
India expectedly brought Ishant Sharma in place of RP Singh, while Graeme Swann comes in for Steve Harmison for England.
England captain Kevin Pietersen won the toss for the second time in the series but unlike last time, he chose to bat first. This time wittingly or unwittingly he appears to have made the right decision as rain are forecast and the Indians batting second may have to scramble for runs to keep up with the run rate.
England at 102 for 1 in the 19 th over appeared to have positioned themselves for a substantial score, when Harbhajan lured Pietersen into hitting the ball into the waiting hands of Zaheer Khan. From then on, they struggled to raise their scoring rate and lost wickets at regular intervals.
Ultimately England scored 240 which is certainly under par. Nevertheless, India cannot take it easy. Batting second on a pitch that seems to be a remnant of the South Africa Test match and the added threat of D/L method coming into play, India has its work cut out.
The teams:
India:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh.
England:
Kevin Pietersen, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Samit Patel, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Graeme Swann.
6.00 A.M.
If you read as many news reports as I do then you will be surprised at the unanimity with which they say India are the favourites to win the Kanpur ODI. In fact quiet a lot of them harp on the dangers of complacency. I, however, believe, this match will be a close run affair.
England has certainly put in a much better performance in the second ODI. If not for Yuvraj’s double strike, England could have very well run away with the match.
Coming to the Kanpur pitch, curator Shiv Kumar has dashed all hope of a sporting pitch. In fact, he claims that the pitch will even see a 300 plus score - a record for the Green Park Stadium. Obviously, it is going to be a win toss bat first scenario.
BTW, the response to these ODI’s has been overwhelming. The crowd at Indore was lathicharged and the same happened in Kanpur when police officers resorted to lathicharging cricket fans that clashed to get tickets for Kanpur ODI. One is unsure about the fate of Test cricket however, going by the response for India England ODI series one can safely conclude that cricket is alive and well.
The BCCI has crassly announced that the selection of the team for the rest of the ODI’s after the Kanpur ODI. This is sure to keep the fringe players like Yusuf Pathan on tenterhooks. Let us hope it will not affect his performance.
Another interesting development is the availability of a fit Ishant for this match. In all probability, he will replace R.P.Singh.
A curious fact; the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) has insured the third one-dayer between India and England for a whopping Rs 3.15 crore to cover for any untoward incident, including a possible terror attack. Wonder what the significance behind this decision is.
India has effectively sealed the series with victories at Rajkot, Kanpur and Bangalore. This match should reveal how seriously India takes Dhoni’s aim for a series whitewash.
