Tuesday, 27 November 2012

A physics lesson

So after an amazing, incredible, KP rehabilitating, early-rising, table-thumping, cereal-spilling, wife-waking England win in Mumbai its off to Kolkata for the 3rd Test with more momentum than a Higgs bosom particle (I am never sure what momentum is in cricket but the England players think it's good to have, so that's all you need to know - though you should really try to find out more about Higgs boson - that is important). India don't play many Test matches in Kolkata but when they do they seem to know where to find their momentum and what to do with it.

In each of the last three Test matches at Kolkata (against West Indies, South Africa and Pakistan) India have scored over 600 runs in their first innings - whether they batted first or not - and won the last two Tests by an innings. MS Dhoni in particular knows how to get his own batting momentum going in Kolkata - he averages well over 100 there - so maybe it will be his turn to play the important captain's innings. MS is under some pressure from the Indian press for the team's and his own performances, and being a gritty kind of guy, don't be surprised if he doesn't make some commentators eat their words with a gritty innings.

MS says he wants to play on hard, bouncy wickets like the one in Mumbai as he relishes the challenge in playing against 'fast' spinners like Monty and Swanny. Not sure his team mates would agree with this sentiment having been made to look like, well, England batsmen usually look like when playing spin in the sub continent - bemused, befuddled and begone. Surian Botham, who does know a thing or two about winning in India, has bet a night's supply of claret that the Kolkata wicket will have less bounce than a beach. It looks like momentum will be important after all.


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