Play the situation

England 477 all out
lost to
India 759-7 declared
England 207 all out
by an Innings & 75 Runs

India win the Series 4-0

Tuesday 20 December 2016

Played at Chennai

Twitter @ball_sup

32 Indian Beer Ticks

Today’s Cricket

Very, very disappointing. Someone needs to remember the plot. You play the situation. If you need quick runs to set up the declaration or perish the thought, win it, then play aggressive inventive shots. If you need to bat all day to save it, don’t. “He’s an aggressive player”. Read, “he’s an inflexible one trick pony, & the trick ain’t all that”.

Liam Dawson has got a beauty from Amit Mishra. The wrong ‘un of wrong ‘uns. Dawson appears in the scenario as a Kipper. That’s the way it goes, dust yourself down. Root has played the sweep, missed it, gone. Bairstow & Rashid have played lofted shots. In the land of Jadeja. Currently, one of the best outfielders on the park. He’s prowling. Kohli is shifting him. It’s obvious. Play the situation. Rashid plays one of those wristy flicks. Can’t make the boundary with that sort of shot. Gone. The pair of them. But, fucking Jennings. He’s dumping reverse sweeps. He’s premeditating dance downs to Ashwin & Jadeja (ffs). Has he never seen a game from the stands. You’re a walking wicket Pal. So, he comes down, he doesn’t get there, he’s forgot to play the aggressive shot, he’s donked it back to Jadeja. He’s gone.

What do they say in the Rooms? What do they say at breakfast? What do they say in the huddle? If they can’t work it out their sens’. One of the backroom boys has to tell ‘em. Don’t get out to an aggressive shot. Or you’re gone. Mental.

That said. Irresistible India. On fire. Kohli, Ashwin & Jadeja at the top of their game. Skills & attitude. Coming at you. All the time. Karun Nair turns his maiden century into a Triple - Sobers & Bobby Simpson. Even the seamers banging it in. Salute.

Looking forward

Cook has done the right thing. Gone away from the madness. With his decision on the Captaincy pending. Although, it should be Strauss & Bayliss at the end of the day. My head says - keep him. But, he needs an appraisal. If it’s his team - he needs to hear some hard truths after that fiasco. The core of the team will (presumably) remain Root, Stokes, Bairstow & Broad. And, I’ll stick Cook in - Captain or not. Anderson’s days are numbered. He’ll play sometimes. He’ll be successful in English conditions. I’d have Woakes as my third seamer. Realistically, we’re not going to play a second spinner very often until Sri Lanka 2018. And, realistically, Moeen will be the first choice spinner. Rashid, Dawson, Leach, Ansari - all back in the box please.

Cook’s partner remains a thing. We/ they are too quick to laud a player on a small number of innings. Hameed is the new new kid on the block. Three Tests. Six innings. He’s got an awful long way to go. Duckett has been, gone, waiting to come again. Jennings has a Century to his name. And, there’s all the others they’ve tried. Currently, our eggs are in the basket of a kid with three Tests behind him. Good luck with that.

And, then, for the English Summer, aren’t we a batsman & a seamer light. The seamer list includes Ball, Wood, Finn - is Plunkett still in there?

There’ll be some nonsense about getting Jennings (at 3 or 4) & Hameed in. Or about getting Duckett & Hameed in. Maybe Ballance is done now. Got a bright future ahead of him as Yorkshire Captain. I think James Vince may be done. Hales is still out there. Buttler is the man with the shirt (but only because Moeen was at 4). Can we really see Buttler at 4?

I suppose the depressing thing is it’s the same fellas who have been shocking here. With a bit of mixing up. But, go 180. They’ve not become bad players. Well, unless you define BAD as someone who can’t play the situation.

The Last Indian Tick

It’s quite good fun actually. Staring through the grill at the beer cases lined up in the back of the kiosk. To see what has slipped into the Tamil Nadu State Monopoly supply chain today. Once you see it, you have to persuade the Guvnor to sell it to you. He’s (there are no She’s in this fandango) programmed to sell you what is in the fridge. A choice of one is a choice. According to him. Finally, you have to turn the bottle around to show him the “Pay No More” Manufacturer's Recommended Price. Rather than pay the add a few Rupes on price he has plumped for.  Partly, the fun ends there. As when you get it home, it will be identikit sweet dross. But, we suffer. As we are committed Ball Suppers.

Appollo Distilleries, Max 11000.

Indian Beer Wrap

Well. I’ve got to say it. The Beer Scene is riddled with the Mad Indian Bastard bureaucracy & nonsense that much of this lovely country is. Tamil Nadu still has the feel of a post prohibition set up. A State monopoly on sales & distribution. No way a BrewPub or Micro could get on the Gravy Train. We were only one night in Delhi. But, that has some tax or licence or approval bollocks. Which means all the BrewPubs & Micros are over the border in Gurugram in Haryana. Internet research throws up intriguing ideas. Bangalore looks superb for Beer.

Mumbai is basically Crazy. How anyone can live there I don’t know. But, it’s vastness & aspirational nature means it does have a restaurant, club, bar, foodie scene. In the Woodside Inn, I saw haircuts, beards & “trousers” that would get a buzz going in Shoreditch. Thankfully, a Beer Scene is never far behind. But, fuck me. Some of those places were hard to find. I guess you “have to be in the know”. Or get your driver to take you right to the door.

And Chandigarh/Mohali proved a lovely surprise.

I’m going to say - Ingredients. Who knows? I’m guessing India is good at growing Wheat. Because in the main the Wits & Weizens were right on it. But, the downside is that most of the IPAs & West Coast Pales were seriously underhopped.

I’ve been to India twice before. But, I really didn’t know what to expect on the Beer Front. But, I’m having that as a success. 32 Ticks. Four BrewPubs in Chandigarh/Mohali. Three BrewPubs in Mumbai. One bar specialising in Indian Micros in Mumbai. And, the TASMAC offies in Chennai.

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