Second chance
After the debacle at Lord’s, much hope is now pinned on the second Test between India and England
Abhijit Chatterjee

WHAT went wrong with India in the first Test against England at Lord’s? Probably everything which could go wrong even after the spin of coin went Dhoni’s way when it mattered the most. The famed Indian batting line-up failed to fire in both innings and the only bright spots in the otherwise dismal show was Rahul Dravid’s unbeaten century in the first innings and the defiant 78 by Suresh Raina in the second, where the Indians held on for nearly 100 overs before succumbing to the intense pressure applied by the hosts.

One might rue the absence of bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan for most parts of the match but then an injured fast bowler would always be a liability for any team. Zaheer had started wonderfully with quick wickets of Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss on the first day of play and was troubling the Englishmen most of the time. But the speedster sustained a hamstring injury soon after the first spell that left the Indian attack in disarray.

The most fervent Indian supporter, and there was no lack of them even in the grandstands of Lord’s, would find it impossible to dispute England's superiority in this Test. They batted through the toughest conditions in the Test on the first day and then set the course of the match right through all the five days. As India were left licking their wounds, the only area of concern for the hosts was their catching as they floored as many as five catches in the course of the match. But luckily it did not make much of a difference in the final analysis.

England outplayed the No.1 Team India by 196 runs to clinch the historic 2000th Test, securing a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. Before the start of the game, all the hype in the Indian camp was whether Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar would be able to reach his century of centuries at the Mecca of the game. That did not happen, as the English bowlers held sway on both occasions that India batted.

Sachin failed to fire when India probably needed him the most and a century at Lord’s (which every international cricketer strives for) has probably eluded Sachin Tendulkar forever. Though he showed sheer class during the 34-run knock in the first innings, his discomfort was quite evident in the second innings when India were required to bat out the fifth day in their 458-run chase. While it can be said that most of the Indian batsmen are tired and jaded after their recent tour of the West Indies, Sachin, who had opted for some rest at the conclusion of IPL 4 and did not tour the West Indies, should have taken over the burden of stewarding the Indian batting when it was most needed.

As Indian skipper Dhoni said after the match, everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for India in this match. But, as they have shown on their route to becoming the top-ranked Test side, they are pretty good at moving on and are capable of bouncing back, provided all the players put their heads together and go ahead and perform their assigned tasks The one area which should be worrying the Indian gameplan is the miserable form of front-line spinner Harbhajan Singh. The Turbanator had a miserable test at Lord’s and he will have to fire all cylinders if India have to match up to the hosts in the remaining three games.

Jest jelly beans!

Trent Bridge in Nottingham was the venue of the infamous jelly beans mystery that came to haunt the already sour contest between India and England in 2007 after the tiny nugget of sugar-coated confectionery appeared at the short leg fielding position, infuriating India's tail-end batsman Zaheer Khan and sparking an extraordinary bat-waving bust-up.

So much had the "incident" incensed Zaheer that he had walked up to Kevin Pietersen at gully and brandished his bat menacingly.

"When I was batting, there were some jelly beans on the crease, so I chucked one off the wicket," he had said. "When I played the next ball there were again some jelly beans on the wicket. So obviously there was someone throwing it on the wicket, which I didn't like. So, I just went up to them and said, 'Guys, what's this all about. I'm here to play cricket.' And they came at me. And I just sort of felt upset. And I just reacted."

Surprisingly, Zaheer didn't go after Alastair Cook, fielding at short leg, but directed his ire at Pietersen at gully. "I didn't know where exactly it was coming from," he said. "Maybe, I picked the wrong one (Pietersen) but I was just not bothered at that time. I just felt it was insulting. It was definitely from a fielder because if it was placed unknowingly, it shouldn't have come there again when I removed it."

Paul Collingwood preferred to get cheeky when asked about the incident — "I think he prefers the blue ones to the pink ones," but Zaheer didn't think there was a comical side. Fired up, Zaheer had sparkled alone. He snaffled up wickets in the morning and swung the match India's way with the second new ball.

Courtesy: cricinfo

Teen taste buds
Nina Lakhani

TEENAGE GIRLS have the unhealthiest diets, with fewer than one in 10 eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, says a Nutrition Survey, the results of which have reinforced fears about long-term health problems. Boys fare slightly better, eating on an average more than three portions of fruit or vegetable every day — half a portion more than girls of the same age. Young children, aged between 18 months and three years, eat the most fruit and vegetables of any age group. The vast majority of teens and adults ate no oily fish during the four-day diary period, despite efforts to promote its benefits. The survey is funded by the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency, UK. Health experts are worried that people of all ages are continuing to eat too much saturated fat, which increases the risk of obesity, stroke, heart disease and several cancers. High quantities of these fats are found in red meat, dairy products, processed foods and ready-made meals. The study group ate a third more meat and meat products (such as pies and pasties) than 10 years ago.

— The Independent

Getting to the bottom of it!
Pilates can work wonders for the buttocks

Kate Middleton’s sister Pippa has revealed that she owes her bums to the daily workout at pilates classes in a small studio near her London apartment.

Now, her curves will soon be available to all after her pilates coach Margot Campbell signed a book deal with publisher Hodder following a fierce bidding war.

Diana Beaumont of the Rupert Heath Literary Agency approached Campbell to write the book on pilates after hearing that Pippa Middleton was a visitor to her studio after the royal wedding.

"There were a number of excited publishers who wanted to take the book off the table, and Hodder came in with an offer we liked," the Telegraph quoted Beaumont as saying.

Though it is not clear whether the book will feature an endorsement by Middleton, Campbell confirmed that the book would be published in January 2012. — ANI