NUMBERSOle Miss outgained A&M 490 to 342 yard from corse178's blog
The first time I really noticed Ravi Shastri was via a scorecard I pored over on June 19, 1983. Shaquill Griffin Womens Jersey . A day earlier, Kapil Dev had authored a cricketing miracle in Tunbridge Wells against Zimbabwe. My dad, my uncle and I were parsing the scorecard to get a handle on how the game had played out.We habitually disagreed on everything cricket, but the family quorum was unanimous on one point - Ravi Shastri, who had scored one run off six balls and given away seven runs in his only over, was a waste of good food.Our judgement was vindicated - he didnt play another game in that World Cup. My sister, who had a poster of Shastri on her bedroom wall - with two unsightly slits in the middle from when she had ripped it out of a magazine without regard to the staples - lost interest.The Benson & Hedges World Championship, two years later, reinforced our visceral dislike. When he scored 2 and 13 in the first two games, we nodded in agreement with common consensus - he was in the team only because of Sunil Gavaskar. When he scored 51 against Australia, we contrasted the 94 balls he faced against Kris Srikkanths innings of 93 off 115 - now thats how you do it. In the final against Pakistan, we vented in disgust as he used up nearly half the innings to stodge his way to 63 not out, mostly by flicking the ball off his hips, while at the other end Srikkanth buccaneered his way to 67 off just 77.My sister ooh-ed in delight as she watched Shastri collect the keys to the Audi that marked his coronation as the Champion of Champions. We three aah-ed in disgust. Dad thought Srikkanth should have got it; my uncle advocated Laxman Sivaramakrishnan; and I made an impassioned case for the charismatic Sadanand Viswanath. Anyone but Shastri, really. He is selfish, we agreed. Limited. Boring. Cant bat. Cant bowl. And in the outfield, god, by the time he condescends to bend down from that great height…Five years later I was a young editor at Mid-Day and Harsha Bhogle was our man in England. Shastri had responded to Graham Goochs monumental 333 in the Lords Test with a century of his own, but was shaded by Mohammad Azharuddins electric 121 off just 111 balls. Then, in the third Test, Shastri batted for nine-plus hours, faced 436 balls, and scored 187.It was a monument to true grit. So? Do you like grit in your eye?Watching Shastri bat is like admiring the Qutub Minar: tall, timeless, solid, Bhogle wrote then. You admire it for the virtues, not for its style.I clipped that piece and mailed it to Dad. I remember the response, in his laboured cursive: Have you seen the Qutub Minar? You can look at it for all of two minutes. After that, its just this thing thats there… In the mental gallery of cricketers I have followed, first as fan and then as reporter, that remark captions the image of Ravi Shastri - just this thing thats there. Who in hell admires something simply because it exists?And yet, even as I attempt to distil my atavistic dislike into words, a contrarian highlights reel plays out in the back of the mind. It starts with a 19-year-old landing in New Zealand on February 20, 1981 - one day before the first Test against Geoff Howarths side. His debut series, which began with a maiden to the New Zealand captain, saw him shade the likes of Richard Hadlee, Lance Cairns and Kapil as the highest wicket-taker on either side.In the space of the next 18 months his grit - that word again - saw him climb up the batting ladder from No. 10, through every single position, all the way up to No. 1. He joined forces with Mohinder Amarnath to save the first Test of the 1984-85 tour of Pakistan, and followed it up with a century, part of a 200-run partnership with Sandeep Patil, in the next. Back home, he scored what was only the second ODI century by an Indian, after Kapils iconic 175 not out against Zimbabwe. And he followed up that century against Australia, in Indore, with another hundred two months later, against England in Cuttack.His 142 in Bombay set up a Test win against England; his encore was another century in the third Test, in Calcutta, that anchored a record-setting 214-run partnership with Azharuddin. He batted on all the five days of that Test, his 111 taking him the better part of seven and a half hours.Those highlights sum up the quintessential Shastri - a monochromatic player whose monumental presence at one end allowed the stars the freedom to shine at the other. But there was more to his play than that single note, just as there was more to his batting than the utilitarian push off the hips, enshrined in lore as the chapati shot. In a Ranji Trophy game in early 1985, he scored his first 100 off just 80 balls and then raced to his double-century in a further 43, including the storied over off left-arm spinner Tilak Raj that disappeared for six consecutive sixes. It was the fastest double-century in first-class cricket then; it remains the joint-fastest till date - who woulda thunk, huh? In the final of the 50th year of the Ranji Trophy, in 1985, he took a match-winning 4 for 91 and 8 for 91 to go with a fighting 76 in the second innings to earn Bombay their 30th title.I can get plenty of first violinists, ace conductor Leonard Bernstein once said. But to find one who can play second violin with enthusiasm - thats the problem. Yet if there is no one to play second fiddle there is no harmony.When he had to, Shastri could step up and lead the orchestra. But he was an equally committed second fiddle - to Srikkanth, Gavaskar, Viswanath, Vengsarkar, Azharuddin and Tendulkar among others with the bat; to the likes of Siva and Maninder Singh with the ball.The highlights reel spins its way to Bridgetown 1989, where Shastri was at the receiving end of one of the greatest sledges ever. It was on a venomous Kensington Oval track, against an attack led by Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, abetted by Ian Bishop, the most recent addition to the overstocked arsenal of brutal pace. Facing a 56-run deficit in the first innings, Shastri came out to bat with India 0 for 1 (Sidhu). Marshall, in the midst of a masterclass in the lethal beauty that is true pace, produced a ripper that bored into Shastris groin. The fielders crowded around Shastri as he writhed on the ground. Desmond Haynes bent low and, in a voice of infinite concern, said Ravi, that girl you were to date tonight, can I have her number? You are no use to her now, maan! Shastri laughed as he writhed in agony. And then he got back on his feet and played one of the most defiant knocks by an Indian, ever - an epic that lasted close to seven and a half hours, in which his first 17 runs took nearly three hours, even as Arun Lal, Vengsarkar, Azharuddin, Manjrekar and Kapil were scythed down at the other end. He took everything the pace quartet could throw at him, and ended with a Man-of-the-Match century in a lost cause.The reel winds down in a soft whirr of nostalgia, and the rational part of me recognises that enduring legends have been constructed of less compelling material. Perhaps if he had walked off into the sunset after that last Test, against South Africa in Port Elizabeth in December 1992… Perhaps if he had left me to savour the memories, to miss him a little on the innumerable occasions when the team could have done with a bit of his doggedness, his grit, his guts… Perhaps then, in the light of the rear-view mirror, admiration would have been unalloyed.But no, he came right back, an over-loud presence in the commentary box spraying a limited set of stock phrases, like so many tracer bullets, all over the action. And he reminded me of what he used to do on the cricket field - make very little go a very long way. A rare and valuable quality, no doubt - and I admire hate the man for it.Illogical, yes. Irrational, certainly. But that is how it is, and I cannot explain why. The closest I can get is to recall the English poet Tom Brown. Caught in some schoolboy mischief by John Fell, dean of Christ Church college in Oxford, and challenged to extemporaneously translate a famous Martial epigram to avoid expulsion, Brown produced this:I do not like thee, Doctor Fell The reason why, I cannot tell; But this I know, and know full well I do not like thee, Doctor Fell.Thats my problem - the reason why, I cannot tell. Maybe if this argument were to go right down to the wire… Ethan Pocic Womens Jersey . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Tedric Thompson Womens Jersey .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. http://www.theseahawksnflfanatic.com/c-69-seahawks-nazair-jones-jersey.aspx . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- When Mississippi coach Hugh Freeze saw Shea Patterson win a state championship as a high school junior he walked away with a man crush on the quarterback.Safe to say hes still crushing on Patterson after his performance Saturday night.Patterson threw for 338 yards and two touchdowns in his debut and Gary Wunderlich made a 39-yard field goal with 37 seconds left to lift Mississippi past No. 10 Texas A&M, 29-28 on Saturday night.The Rebels pulled the redshirt off Patterson, the highly regarded recruit, to start in place of Chad Kelly, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last week.Ive recruited this kid since he was a ninth-grader and Ive kind of always known that he has that `it quality, Freeze said. The guy just makes plays. He doesnt get rattled a lot.Mississippi (5-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) trailed by 15 entering the fourth quarter before Patterson got going.A 13-yard touchdown reception by Josh Reynolds put A&M up 28-19. Patterson then connected with Van Jefferson on a 32-yard reception for his second TD pass of the quarter to cut the lead to 28-26 with 5:17 remaining.A&M (7-3, 4-3) had to punt and Patterson moved the offense into position for Wunderlichs winner.The Aggies had a chance to win it late, but Jake Hubenak had a pass intercepted by Deontay Anderson to secure the victory. Hubenak was making his first start this season in place of Trevor Knight, who injured his shoulder last week.I put it on me, Hubenak said. I think it didnt do a good enough job in the second half.Early in the fourth quarter Patterson looked like he was channeling A&M Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel when he scrambled to one side, avoided the rush and ran the other way before launching a 6-yard touchdown pass to Damoreea Stringfellow to get Ole Miss within 21-13.Its crazy, my first start -- Johnny Manziel was my favorite player growing up, Patterson said. Its ironic that I get my first start at Kyle Field. Its awesome.On their next drive Stringfellow reached out with his right hand and tipped the ball with his fingertips before reeling it in with one hand for an eye-popping 40-yard reception.There were several key points but that was certainly one, Freeze said. Hes one of the most talented kids Ive ever coached ... it was a phenomenal catch.Akeem Judds 21-yard run made it 21-19, but the two-point conversion failed.The Aggies led 21-6 at halftime thanks to two touchdown runs by Keith Ford. Nazair Jones Youth Jersey. he Rebels had turnovers on their first two possessions of the second half, but Texas A&M couldnt convert either of them into points. Patterson threw an interception on the first one and Jason Pellerin was sacked and fumbled after that.They just made some great plays at crucial times and they got one over on us, Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett said.THE TAKEAWAYMISSISSIPPI: Patterson showed why he was the No. 1 rated dual-threat quarterback recruit by Rivals last year, and should make Ole Miss fans excited about his potential for next season. But first hell look to get the Rebels a win over Vanderbilt next week to make them bowl eligible for the fifth straight season.TEXAS A&M: Hubenak couldnt make plays in the second half and the Aggie struggled with tackling yet again. Hell have to improve if Texas A&M hopes to beat LSU in two weeks and salvage this season that started out with six straight wins before the Aggies dropped three of their last four games.INJURY REPORTTEXAS A&M: LB Armani Watts was injured in the first quarter and didnt return. Watts had to be helped off the field and wasnt able to put any pressure on his right leg. Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin did not give an update on his condition.KEY NUMBERSOle Miss outgained A&M 490 to 342 yards and piled up 30 first downs to just 13 by the Aggies. Texas A&M converted just six of its 14 third-down attempts and was 0 for 2 on fourth-down tries.Those two fourth down opportunities ended up costing us, Sumlin said. The ability to get either three points on either one of those, or a touchdown, in a game like that is a big deal.POLL IMPLICATIONSTEXAS A&M: The Aggies will certainly fall a few spots after losing to an unranked opponent. However they might not tumble that far since three teams ahead of them in the poll also lost on Saturday as well as a handful of teams below them.UP NEXTMISSISSIPPI : The Rebels visit Vanderbilt next Saturday.TEXAS A&M : The Aggies take a break from SEC play by hosting Texas-San Antonio next Saturday before wrapping up the regular season against LSU on Thanksgiving night.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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