Kritik und Lob » ser.We just got messy, Paul said of the Memphis r

Test cricket is a difficult place; you fight and fight session after session, but then you happen upon days like the fourth day in Indore when everything begins to seem easy. Its like enjoying that last stretch of the marathon when you know nobody is going to chase you down. You can relax, you can let your thoughts wander, you can contemplate what you are about to achieve, think of all the training and the hard work, plan your celebrations. On Tuesday in Indore, as New Zealand finally gave in, India got to enjoy that home stretch where everything went to plan. They didnt even have to keep at those plans for long. That, though, began later in the day.When you take a 258-run first-innings lead and bat again primarily to let the pitch deteriorate more, it can make for two-three sessions of cricket where you can look away, read the newspapers and wait for the declaration. Teams stronger than New Zealand have played the waiting-for-declaration game because there is no motivation left for them, but the morning session featured one final push from New Zealand. There were soiled shirts from desperate dives, direct hits, fielders running in from long-on and deep midwicket to back up throws. New Zealand were not going to roll over and die, they were not going to let India race away to a declaration. Every economical over would mean less time to survive, though it was anyway going to be a massive ask whenever they were going to begin batting one last time.It wasnt quite a lark in the park for Indias batsmen. There was one man with an injured shoulder, just given a career lifeline through injuries to two other openers. There was no way he was going to stroll through this. The next Test is almost a month away; the other openers are liable to regain fitness, so Gautam Gambhir had this last chance to press a claim. There was another man who has suffered because, of late, he has not converted his struggles on the teams behalf into big innings for himself. Cheteshwar Pujara wanted a century after having failed to convert ten scores of over 20 and six over 40 into hundreds.The New Zealand resistance had to break at some point. Having retired hurt on day three, Gambhir came back to get himself a fifty to go with his 29 in the first innings. Pujara showed power and deft touches to finally get to his hundred. Virat Kohli, the captain who might have put him under pressure earlier, duly waited for him to get to that landmark and declared immediately after. It wasnt all easy, as Pujaras soiled shirt, from dives to make his crease for the runs he wouldnt always take, showed.Then, given 45 overs plus a day to survive, New Zealand finally parted ways with their spirit. Suddenly, it all became too easy. Every plan India might have made in the lead-up to the series or on the fly began to work as if to provide them a highlights reel.All series, Indias quicks have gone around the wicket to try to trap Tom Latham lbw, falling over and on the crease. All series, Latham has proved a hard nut to crack, the only New Zealand batsman to reach 50 in each of the Tests. Mohammed Shami is the man to execute this plan as he did it in Kolkata, but here, Umesh Yadav did it, only more emphatically. Latham just missed a straight ball on the angle.Kane Williamson resumed one final duel with R Ashwin just before the tea break. Ashwin has left the cut open for him, getting him bowled twice when he has tried to play that shot. This time, he opted for a silly point, which meant he had one man fewer on the leg side, only five now. Williamson hit him for two boundaries there. Ashwin came back after tea with the original plan, just the slip, cover and mid-off, reinforcing the leg side, taking away the freedom Williamson had exercised earlier. Soon enough, he went back, played circumspectly and was out lbw. Out to Ashwin all four times he has batted, all four times off the back foot.Ross Taylor came out hitting like he had nothing to lose. He hadnt. He played some excellent shots that might have put India on the back foot if they werent so far ahead. You wondered if it would have made any difference if Taylor had played so freely with the games in balance. Then again, would he have been able to enjoy this freedom, which nothing to lose brings, when the games are actually in the balance?Taylor used his feet well, drove gracefully, picked gaps, but then a small field change brought about his dismissal. He had just driven a full Ashwin offbreak through cover for four. Ashwin packed that area. One ball later, Taylor chose to hit into the leg side, and was bowled when sweeping. Ashwins farewell celebration suggested it had been too easy.Martin Guptill has had a wretched series. Not being the most comfortable batsman against spin, he didnt need the added misfortune of getting out caught because his boot lobbed the ball up, bowled off his elbow, and run out by the bowlers unintended deflection on to the stumps at the non-strikers end when he had actually batted well to score a half-century. He resisted for 60 balls here, but fell to the old Ravindra Jadeja strategy: bowl at the stumps, let some turn, let some go straight on. Guptill lbw to the straighter one.By now, the word had spread in Indore that India could wrap the match up on the fourth day itself. The smallest crowd of the Test soon swelled into a rambunctious appeal and celebration almost every ball. Catches began to fly exactly where fielders were placed. The only ball that stayed low hit the stumps too. New Zealands batsmen, after all their desperate fight, started playing crazy shots. Ashwin and Kohli began to work the crowd. This was the time to savour all the hard work. To plan your dash towards the stumps you want as souvenirs as soon as the last wicket falls. One home Test series down, three to go. Fake Jerseys For Sale . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. Cheap Jerseys For Sale . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. https://www.jerseysforsalechina.com/ . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Jerseys For Sale . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. Authentic Jerseys For Sale .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Los Angeles Clippers are concentrating on developing a better defensive identity.On Friday night, they made life rather miserable for the Memphis Grizzlies.The Clippers caused 19 turnovers -- 17 on steals -- and forced Memphis into 37 percent shooting before holding off a late Grizzlies push for a 99-88 victory.Our defense is something, right now, that we can hang our hat on, said Chris Paul, who had 27 points and 11 assists for the Clippers.The offense, we have to find it, said Paul, who also had six steals. Wed love to have everything clicking, but Im just happy that our defense is pretty good.Blake Griffin added 14 points and 10 rebounds. J.J. Redick scored 12 points for Los Angeles while DeAndre Jordan grabbed 21 rebounds.The Grizzlies chipped into a Clippers lead that reached 21 points in the third quarter, scoring nine straight points in the fourth. Memphis eventually pulled within 93-86 with less than a minute left, but got no closer.We just got messy, Paul said of the Memphis rally. We didnt take care of the ball.Mike Conley led Memphis with 30 points and 10 assists, while Marc Gasol added 21 points and nine rebounds. Whether it was the Los Angeles defense or poor execution by Memphis, the Grizzlies never really seemed to keep pace with the Clippers.The Grizzlies only salvation was scoring 31 points in the final quarter, connecting on 10 of 18 shots, Conley hitting two 3-pointers.We need to be where theyre at, and were not, said Memphis forward Zach Randolph, who finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. We have a lot of work to do. Tonight, they were the better team, and I give them credit.TIP-INSClippers: Los Angeles started the game connecting on its firsst six shots.dddddddddddd... Los Angeles converted the 19 Memphis miscues into 30 points. . The Clippers bench, which averages 40 points a game, had 22 through three quarters before ending the game with 36.Grizzlies: Memphis coach David Fizdale, who was upset with officials through much of the first half, drew his first technical as a head coach with 3:57 left in the second quarter. Rookie official CJ Washington did the honors. ... Gasol, who was only 3 of 18 from the field in Wednesdays win over New Orleans, started 1 of 11 Friday. ... Memphis lost its first home game of the season.HELPING HANDPaul became the Clippers franchise leader in assists early in the second half, passing Randy Smith, who had 3,498 in his Clippers career. Asked about the milestone, Paul initially said: Its cool, then added of the assists: Ive got the easy job. All I have to do is pass it to somebody. Theyre the ones that have to make the shot.HELLO OLD FRIENDIncluding the postseason, the Grizzlies and Clippers have played 31 times since the start of the 2011-12 season, the most of any Memphis opponent over that span.BAD BOYS, BAD BOYSEntering Fridays game, the teams had been assessed 32 technical fouls over the last 20 games. Griffin has six, while Paul has four and Jordan three. Randolph leads the Grizzlies in techs over that span with three. Fizdale was the only one to draw a technical Friday.UP NEXTClippers: Travel to San Antonio to face the Spurs in the second game of a road back-to-back.Grizzlies: Face the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday in the third game of a four-game home stand ' ' '