As an ardent Dravid fan and supporter, I must admit that momentarily, it was leap of joy.

But the usual questions muddled the joy. Was this a stop  gap? Would this have happened if India were playing at home? What after this series? “Rested” again, or worse, just no word?

Someone else might have had a slap to offer to the torturers. But no, Dravid, merely admitted surprize and suggested some face saving reasoning – because he didn’t get a chance to tell the selectors of his intentions.

Much has been said about this by me, several times in the past, and by many others now. I will not add to that.

The best way respect India’s most devout team man , and a true ambassador of the gentleman’s game, would be to savor his ODI swansong.

Two and quarter days of fighting cricket. The remaining was trash. Add in some vaseline, Bell runout gate and all you get is a waste of time.

India’s 2nd innings was a joke. Laxman and Dravid perhaps were too frustrated and let the others do some of the cleaning. What did the others do? Sachin made another meaningless half century. Harbhajan forgot to feign injury while batting to score 40 odd. Dhoni and his ODI boys did the usual. There is no excuse for this.

One cannot blame the bowlers too much. They toiled hard on day 1 and on day 3 without support. Some of field settings at key times were the most defensive I’ve seen in a decade. It felt like we were back to the post-Azhar Sachin and second-innings-Azhar age. Granted, the bowlers caved at time, bowling outside off, wide, and making it easy for the batsmen to score. What was required was some unity and team spirit. There was nothing like that going on. Maybe that had to do with divisiveness on Bell run-out-gate.

Ganguly was right. This season will tell us just how good a captain Dhoni really is.

As after any drubbing, there are more questions than answers. But I don have one answer – India are losing this series.

I will eat crow if they level!

He’s now statistically on par with the greats – Gavaskar, Lara,et all.

Congratulations Dravid, the ego less mighty colossus! We have much to learn from you!

The English collapse and recovery, Broad’s hat rick , Laxman’s art, Dravid’s colossal century, Yuvraj’s comeback,  the Indian collapse all interspersed with a bit of Indian tadka – the Praveen Kumar rant and the Sreesanth antics.  A word must be said on the umpiring – while Erasmus has been inconsistent, Asad Rauf has been so accurate, its almost inhuman.

Day 3 will be key. So will Ishant. This day will decide who the winner of the Test will be, for this most certainly will not be Draw.

Cheers to Test Cricket! It is alive and kicking!

Dravid’s journey began at this very ground. One could almost call it his home away from home (by his own high standards, Dravid has never done well at home). That summer day in 1996, a young lad with a lot of expectation in those eyes, set out, maybe not specifically in search of a hundred, but nevertheless burst onto the scene. That day, he fell short by a few days. This day, 15 years from then, he made it! A century at Lords, – the home of cricket. A man on wrong side of 30s, having almost nothing to prove to anyone- for many a great deeds he has done in the years that have passed- but always something to prove to himself, Dravid will find his name in the famed hall where it belongs, with other mighty warriors. The war is always the same, only the manner different.

Many fans and ardent followers will have a deep sense of satisfaction – for a gentleman of the game. God bless the man who has brought much happiness to India!