Really Now,Mahela
A little rich coming from someone whose team was part of this monstrosity. And why would India want to inflict additional pain on its bowlers knowing how “positive” Sri Lankan cricket is generally. Much better to get some batting practice for the bowlers too, right? Coz that is the only skill that comes in handy on most subcontinental pitches.
It’s important that we play aggressive cricket.
Hahaha…you are kidding me, right? Aggresive cricket…I will not be holding my breath for that dear Mahela. It’s not something you guys do, so don’t joke around.
Even in the previous Test we went for the kill.
You have gone for the kill? What is the “kill” here? Test matches, bowlers?
Go back and do what you do do best. Make centuries on flat tracks. Oh, congrats on breaking Don’s record btw.
if the lankans were that keen on a result, did they HAVE to get 640 odd, 500-550 could have been a sporting declaration no?
First Sanga and now Mahela,
the lankan seniors have positively gone nuts.
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Megha Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 17:43
True Prafs…I’ve never known SL to play an aggresive brand of cricket (barring their ODIs in the late 90s).
I am going through Test records as I type, and I am yet to find a team that declared their 1st innings with a deficit…Eng, SA, Aus, you name it. What is Mahela smoking?? Jeez…
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Tifosiguy Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 20:35
Meg
I haven’t looked it up, but I think NZ declared while in deficit in the Gabba test against Aus in the 01 series. Tugga then set them a target of 280 odd of 75 overs, after batting for 20 ovrs I think.
Was one cracking game.. NZ came within 10 runs of overhauling that target.. Think they shut shop once Cairns hold out on the long leg boundary off Lee ( or was it Mcgrath ??) Memory fades me…
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Megha Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 20:51
whoa…right ye are. Cairns c Ponting b Lee
They did it once before too. Hobart ’97.
The one team I did not check the stats for
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Tifosiguy Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 22:11
That 2001 series was something special what NZ achieved. For all talk of India being Aus’s main opponent then, that NZ team were the ONLY one to go toe to toe with the full strength Aus squad and NOT lose in Aus.
I did forget the Hobart test in 97. Just checked the score card and some memories comes back from that game. Guess NZ got thumped in the other two tests in that series, and hence this game forgotten !!
Was spoilt for good cricket then.. Shame about the piss poor cricket on offer lately..
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Megha Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 23:55
I remember some Aussie player saying (was it just before this ’01 series?) that if there was one team they actually respected, it was the Kiwis. And India was treated as a serious opponent mainly becoz Aus has not won in India until then. And then when India won the test in Adelaide, that sort of cemented this idea of India being a “challenger”.
Had the Kiwis lost a home series to Aus by then? It seems really long since we had an Aus-Kiwi series…has it been that long?
Tifosiguy Reply:
August 3rd, 2010 at 09:38
NZ played a series against Aus in Aus two seasons ago and lost the two test series 2 – 0. Aus repeated the dose on NZ this year in March in NZ. They also play each other in ODI’s for the Chappell – Hadlee trophy. It’s just that the quality on offer isn’t that great.
As to the India being challengers to the dominant Aus team – is it really true ??? I have my opinions on it. Suffice to say I don’t believe in it
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Megha Reply:
August 5th, 2010 at 16:59
Hmm…I don’t remember these series u mention at all :-/
Anyway, why am I not surprised that you don’t agree that India was a serious challenger to Aus
…SOME day I will have to open a comment thread here for that discussion 
prafs
2 Aug 10 at 17:24
The Lankans have always talked big and fizzled out when they’re not playing at home. Heck they even made their ace bowler being called for chucking an issue of national pride, thereby opening the door for numerous others to chuck. They love to rant. Be it about the umpiring, the weather, the hotels, the crowd.
But what really pisses me off is our team shows absolutely no signs of paying them back on the field. The bowling is atrocious and the batting seems to grind to a halt as soon as Sehwag gets out. The others need to keep scoring at over 3 an over even when they’re batting with Sehwag. It shouldn’t be too difficult with spread fields and defensive bowling from a Lankan “attack”.
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Tifosiguy Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 20:31
Megha/Mahek
SL have always played the ‘we are always wronged’ card for everything under the sun. They get away with this portraying the all friendly demeanour and frankly how anyone falls for this is beyond comprehension.
What grates is that these lot keep moaning that they don’t have enough chances outside of Asia, frankly with their deplorable record is it worth giving this lot a three test series ? Save for Sangakkara, the rest of them are pretty pathetic once the ball bounces beyond their ankles.. Wonder if Mahela read the latest article from S. Rajesh on Cricinfo – he would then shut up and not boast..
What a bunch of pansies..
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Megha Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 23:48
Cheers guys
Mahela/Sanga make me miss some good ‘ol Aussie sledging…at least they look like they can back it up with watchable cricket…
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Mahek Reply:
August 3rd, 2010 at 01:31
Well Mahela would simply say he doesn’t have a good record outside Asia because he hardly gets to play in those conditions. Not that it changes anything, he’s still an incomplete batsman as far as I’m concerned.
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Tifosiguy Reply:
August 3rd, 2010 at 09:09
That argument for Mahela falls flat on the face when you compare his avg outside Asia with that of his good mate Sangakkara. Even with minimal chances it’s clear as daylight who is better !
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Mahek
2 Aug 10 at 17:52
i would be frustrated too to no get triple on that road…
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Megha Reply:
August 5th, 2010 at 17:03
I’m sure SLC will oblige him with another opportunity to play at SSC soon, SP…
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straight point
3 Aug 10 at 07:56
Good catch, Megha.
That scorecard came to my mind the moment I read the word monstrosity. These folk have gone crazy. Maybe they should focus on “being positive” themselves. Lets see where that positive goes when Sehwag gets past hundred!
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Megha Reply:
August 5th, 2010 at 17:06
Cheers VM..they have an opportunity to play some “positive, aggressive cricket” tomorrow, if they so please..i have a feeling that #SLplaysAggresiveCricket is going to be a popular hashtag on twitter this Fri-Sat
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vmminerva
4 Aug 10 at 17:22
Aptly said Megha…Am glad to know that I am not the only one who noticed the forever victimized presence Lankans depict…
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Megha Reply:
August 5th, 2010 at 17:26
Anusha, I’ll be keeping track of Sanga/Mahela now…they’ve been talking rubbish for sometime…
On second thoughts, maybe I shouldn’t..I should save what’s left of my sanity :-/
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Anusha
5 Aug 10 at 16:12
Possibly they have never played aggressive earlier so its no point they can just change it over night.
I suppose they were just trying for Jayasurya to get 300+. but from the scorecard it seems all were around to score 100′s. really shame.
If we look Hayden’s comment on Brian Lara’s 400, “Hardly Aussies would break that record, doing such will just make the test draw”.
One should learn that.
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Megha Reply:
August 9th, 2010 at 15:27
Sure Hitesh, they might not be able to change overnight…but then they really should refrain from making comments on “aggresive cricket”.
And chasing batting records is a reason i don’t hold Lara in much esteem either…so SL’s batting records dont mean anything to me.
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Tifosiguy Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 18:40
*cough* *cough* *splutter* SRT and records rings a bell Meg ??
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Megha Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 19:21
I don’t think SRT has chased records/batted selfishly as much as Lara TG
actually, he is nowhere near Lara in this respect..
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Tifosiguy Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 00:10
Megha
Please tell me you are kidding with both statements :
1. Lara batting selfishly – seriously ??? based on what ? That one innings of 400 ??? Maybe you haven’t considered the fact that innings came in the fourth test in the series against England, when WI were 0 – 3 down ??? It possibly was the only way WI could have avoided a whitewash..
More than gobsmacked that you consider or think of Lara as a selfish batsman..
2. As to SRT NOT chasing batting records – !!!!!!!!!!! Yep words just fail me here !!
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Megha Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 11:23
That makes the two of us TG…I’m speechless too…
Tifosiguy Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 22:41
We both might be speechless BUT for polar opposite reasons
Save for the respect we share for Dravid, there really isn’t anything we agree upon
Just brillaint..
Megha Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 13:01
Hahaha…but that alone is enough for us to co-exist peacefully
Hitesh
6 Aug 10 at 04:21