Sub Catching Practice

England 283 all out
v India 417 all out
England 78-4
close on Day 3

Monday 28 November 2016

Played at Mohali

Twitter @ball_sup

11 Indian Beer Ticks

The Cricket

I'm going to say truly awful. Absolutely nothing going for England. Drops. Misses. Asleep in the field. 7-2 fields. Petulance from bowlers (Rashid, that's you that is) on misfields, etc. Finger pointing. Arms waving. Chin scratching. Double Teapots.

Below par for the first innings. The game has gone away from them. India have put on 97 for the Seventh wicket. And 114 for 8, 9, 10. Look. I can't tell England HOW to bat better. But, it's one trick time. You concede a lead of 130 odd. Then it's just Maths. A hundred for one. Parity at two down. You just might get something out of it. Even if it's only pride. Four down for 78. Bad Maths.

Alright. Credit Ashwin. He's had a great match. But, the Moeen dismissal was sub-catching-practice. If he'd lobbed that to you in the warm up. You'd have said “stop taking the piss, hit it properly”. Looked awful.

Oh, and our Spinners are supposed to Hoover The Tail. They didn't. (Even get close).

The Beer

And, the next Tricity Brewpub is The Brew Estate. Bar bit at the front. Outdoor area at the back. Brewing kit in betwixt. Four listed. Four on. Intriguingly, both a German style & a Belgian style Wheat Beer. Like England, I've missed a trick there. I should have ordered 'em both at the same time & had a Wheat Off. (ABVs were listed, but didn't make any sense, so I've ignored them).

The Premium Lager was OK. Better than industrial, identikit lager. But, a bit tame. I will say, it's the first time I've felt I've tasted a Hop in the country. All in all, too sweet for my taste.

I was too tied up piling into the Veggy Biryani and Dal Makhani and Raita to get any good notes on the Belgian Wheat. But, it were a good 'un.

Local Colour

Some of the Indian fans are very poor blaggers. We're in The North Pavilion. 1,000 Rupes for all five days. Call it twelve and half quid. Not the cheap seats. But, not top of the range either. The Indians from the cheap seats like to blag in. To avail themselves of the shade. Salute. But, then, once in, all they do is draw attention to themselves. Sitting in seats being reserved while someone is in the toilet. Squeezing in next to someone when there are rows & rows empty. Get the Mobile out. “We're up here” (Waves). “No, here” (Waves). Handling everything the Hawkers bring round. Bags of crisps, Sarnies, popcorn, vague pasty things, cardboard cups of pop. All picked up, scrutinised, Hawker interrogated, produce rejected. Drawing attention. Amateurs.

I, of course, love everyone of the Mad Bastards. KOHLI day (2) tomorrow (if reached).

410/839