What do you reckon now, Col? India 195 for 8 and England looking at a first innings lead. This game could still go either way, but England are favourites now.
For 8 now. Clearly I was wrong about India, neither of these teams have a reliable batting line up. Moeen with 4 wickets in 16 balls. Ashwin’s attempted reverse sweep up their with Jennings’ attempt to do nothing as worst shots of the match.
I knew they were still very vulnerable to a swinging ball, but they're supposed to be able to play spin! Not very good for the best team in the world. I'm not watching, but if Moeen is getting a lot of turn on day 2, it's going to be tough batting last against him and Rashid.
At last all out with a lead of 27... 10 minutes for England to bat....odds on being 1 or 2 down by close?
They survived & now need a decent start!! Good comeback from England & any ones guess who will win this, think we just have the edge with India batting last on a wicket taking spin.
Need to bat 5 sessions and set target around 300 which should be ample on this wicket..... Cracking good series....
It has been an exciting series, but mainly because of poor batting from both sides. A shame we let them get a lead, but 200 could be tough to get batting last.
How about a bet Col? I'll have England and you can have the number one team in the World. Loser sends twenty quid to the winners chosen charity.
Too close to bet on Strolls. India gained a small lead on first innings, hence I make them slight favourites. Really hope England can bat for most or all of tomorrow and put India under real pressure batting last.
It's the closeness that makes it a good bet though, isn't it? You make India favourites and I reckon England are in front. Ah well, never mind. I find it interesting that you are always so ready to talk the England cricket team down when you have criticised others in the past for doing the same with the football team.
Don't really care whether you find it interesting or not to be honest. Fact is, England have been quite poor as a test side for a while now. I just say it as I see it, as I do with the England football team. I always want England to win, whatever the sport (I was cheering on the England women earlier as they hammered Wales) and I'll be very happy if England can win this test. I reckon they have a good chance with India batting last. All depends on how we bat tomorrow.
I don't doubt that you want England to win Col, you just always overdo the pessimism regarding the cricket team. Your pompous post (when England were in the ****) about the series panning out exactly how you thought it would (England getting thrashed presumably) is looking a bit silly as we speak. I would have thought you might have learned a lesson from getting the second Test so wrong! Have some positivity, it makes winning more fun. (Admittedly, it makes losing harder)
England cricket team in the 90s really were worth being pessimistic about at test level - OK batsmen and usually ineffective attack. Better at one day games because Gough was a specialist. I'm not truly in touch with tests today (probably 2009 ashes was the last I really followed) but we seem to have a good bowling line up these days which makes it more random if the batsmen are erratic.
You need to get a life Strolls, instead of constantly analysing everything I say and taking any opportunity to point out that I may have predicted something slightly wrong! Some may call that trolling mate. I happen to think that you view the England cricket team through rose tinted glasses, whilst I am more realistic, not pessimistic. As I said, England have a fair chance of winning this as India have to bat last on a turning wicket. I make India slight favourites as they are the better side and the test is in the balance. I really hope that England can bat all day, which should be enough to clinch the series. Right, I'll leave you to micro examine all that for future reference.
