On a day that seemed the best for batting, given the nature of the pitch, Delhi squandered what could have been a good opportunity while Kumble’s Rest of India did well with the ball and surprising fielded rather well too. I must add here that I didn’t expect much from ROI’s fielding, thus the relieved sense of surprise has set in. Of the Delhi batsmen, Aakash Chopra impressed the most and if you ask me, deserves another stint with India. He’s not exactly a youngster, but when did being 19 alone become the most important criterion for selection?
Munaf, I thought was very impressive and is perhaps another good option for the Indian attack. I have a feeling he might wrestle his way through this time. From the the Delhi’s side, Nanda impressed to pin down a decent-looking Dravid and a hungry Badrinath. A few of his overs really tested them.
On Rest of India’s batting front – Jaffer did it again and threw it away. Dravid is playing his normal grafty innings, getting closer to and closer to confident. Badri, on the other hand seems to be in a mood to make ammends for the mess he made on Day 1. If Dravid and Badri hang on and put up another 50-80 runs, the middle order can chip in. Something tells me that the second half of Day 3 can be the decider. The pitch’s bounce is getting lower by the hour and is not likely to have too many runs to offer. However, catches might also be harder to get as the match progresses. If ROI bat through tomorrow and put up a total of about 280-300 they could consider themselves to be on the top. I’m hesitant to be more certain as the wise will never write off a side with Sehwag in it. Anything less than 300 will be gettable with time but will require effort. If Sehwag and Chopra fail, it may be the end for Delhi.
VM\'s Random Ramblings 
Good to see Dravid scoring.I hope he gets a chance against Aussies.
@kshitij, yep, it is good. I’m pretty sure he’s in for the series against the Aussies. My feeling is that if he does well against the Aussies, another lifeline will be thrown which might last for pretty much the whole of the next season, unless bad form torments again.
Well VM… its the second time Delhi has blown it first being with the visiting Pkaistan first class team. Both Kaif and Badri blew their chance away though it is quite certain that one of these two willbe on the benches for the upcoming series.
Nanda was pretty good… very impressive…. I liked what I saw of his action. Dravid is certainly in the dumps… he seem to be struggling consistently for close to a year now and that cannot be a lack of form patch but a certain decline. I don;t think he will be able to grind his way out of this hole anymore. Chopra certainly put in a whiff of his presence… good for him indeed.
@Scorpy, I was not impressed with Kaif at all. Still the same jumpiness. On Dravid though, I’m still holding on to my bit of hope. I’m now starting to wonder if the IPL had anything to do with this disaster he’s dealing with now. He was not like this even against SA in March or against Aus in Jan. Can a batsmen of his caliber “forget”/not know where his off stump is? I seriously cannot understand this.
VMM,
He has lost the ‘feel’ of the ball. Either he is playing by rote or reading the ball from the pitch (not following the ball from the point of release).
All said and done one cannot but appreciate his grit. Imagine scoring 50’s. 60’s while struggling.
@Ott, sad but true. It’s his spirit that I admire him most for.