General

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/525931.html

That came as a pleasant surprise from Harsha. Harsha’s biggest problem as a commentator has been his inability to state an opinion. It just is not possible to sit on the fence for every single issue, something that Bhogle has been able to do remarkably well for so long. Given that, this piece is refreshing.

When England retained the Ashes a few months ago, what stood out was the planning that went into that campaign. Apart from hard physical training that left the team really fit, it also involved a number of practise matches in Australian conditions. England was there almost two months in advance and ensured that by the time the first test started, they were as ready as they were going to be. Contrast that with India’s pre-series preparation that involved 1 match in which half our players either did not play or played a miniscule role. It is impossible to fly into completely foreign conditions and adapt immediately.

Sanjay Manjeraker

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/525909.html writes an interesting piece about injuries and how they can be prevented with a bit of effort. He sites the example of Kapil Dev, and it’s truly amazing how he played continuously for as long as he did especially when you consider that Kapil was a pace bowler. His line about some players citing injury the moment their form suffers is clearly directed at Harbhajan Singh. I must say I agree with him 100 %. Singh was able to come out and bowl for a few over with this so called ‘abdominal strain’. How he can be ruled out of both tests this early remains an absolute mystery. The only good thing is that his absence is probably a blessing in disguise.

The Northampton match starts today. Sehwag is back and that is reason enough to see how things unfold. Let’s hope India are able to carry some kind of momentum into that third test next week.