India lose 3-4 to England, ODIs 2007

The 'final' match at Lords has concluded with India failing to post a good score.
However, this is not the equivalent of a 'finals' of a tournament, because the 7th match, although a must-win for both sides, was an avoidable-must win. This is quite different from finals as in other tournaments as it has to be played as such. In this case, both sides missed chances to finish the series prior to the last game. India could have won 4-2 (the Stuart Broad chase with Bopara for 100 runs with only 3 wickets remaining hurt them bad), and England could have won 4-2 as well (after posting 316 they lost a close one).

This 7th match however, should not be counted towards stats about 'India's performance in finals', since every series-game affected the ulitmate equation, not just the final match (as can be in finals of other tournaments, where you can win all matches and lose the finals). In a 7 match series one must look to get their best team performances in the early half, to put the must-win-to stay-alive burden on the other side (like India beat Sri Lanka at home two years back 4-0). In a tournament which has a finals after a league, you can try to reserve your best for the last- that is if you can afford to sail past the league phase.

However, all in all India did well in all three tournaments (vs South Africa in Ireland won 2-1; vs England Test series won 1-0; and vs England ODIs lost 3-4). Tendulkar adjusted his game to the conditions brilliantly, and he is still the key to India's success in ODIs and Tests. He can retire when he feels like, as India still struggle to find reliable players in ODIs (with strike rates above 80, and who can anchor the innings).

May be the ICL will have answers? Also there is some good news for parents- they need not take their children for a circus- as the biggest circus takes off in South Africa- the Twenty20 World Cup, where most teams have yet to play 10 international matches. I cannot wait for the day when all 11 are batsmen who can bowl- perhaps like Gayle and Jayasuria- and perhaps a Mascharenas as in this ODI series in England.

Good luck,
I cannot wait to get my hands on the iPodtouch- it has a Wifi browser and the pinch interface of the iPhone.
Saumil