Champions Trophy: India vs England - India win, but not very convincingly

I thought India bowled extremely well. Pathan was right on the money and Munaf was quick. Definitely wasn't the best of pitches, and the ball kept rising and sinking at times. However England's first 3 batsman feel to LBW's, which indicates poor form and technique rather than anything else. I felt Ian bell's LBW was extremely unfair. Darryl Harper made a mistake as the ball was going about 6 or 7 inches above the stumps.

As far as Flintoff goes, I think its silly to waste a batsman like him by sending him one down. He is not anew ball batsman and Munaf and Pathan exploited his nervousness.

England is such a weak side on paper. Owais Shah or Alistair Cook should have been in the side. Dalrymple and Yardy are decent players, but they certainly don't seem like the kind that can score the big runs when it matters.

This is a terribly weak England side. They really need to figure out their technique before they match Australia. The Aussies will not just try to beat them, but they will make every effort to humiliate the English by thrashing them convincingly. There is no doubt in my mind, that Australia will retake the ashes unless things improve drastically for England.

As far as India goes, I fell asleep after they bowled out England, so I can't vouch or comment on their batting. But I was impressed with Dravid's field settings in particular. Munaf bowled well and the rest of them did not try anything funny or fancy. They kept their line and length, kept things tight, and waited for the English batsman to make mistakes. It was easy to see that England had lost all hope while they were batting. Perhaps they should have played out their overs and made the most of the game, but towards the end, they just kept throwing their wickets away and getting caught out on long on.

I also thought it was a cool decision by Dravid to bowl first. He said that since they were playing 2 spinners, it would be easier to grip the ball in the first inning rather than deal with the dew at night. That's pretty sweet reasoning.

During the game, it was also funny how the camera kept focusing on Shahrukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra. I know they are celebrities and all, and they have to be different. But what the hell are they wearing. Shahrukh, especially, looks so cheap...