Virender Sehwag: India should be upset with us

The end of another one-sided contest was swift with the Australians snapping up the final four wickets in an hour to skittle India for 201 and inflict an eighth away Test defeat on the trot for the demoralised tourists.

The series drubbing comes after they were similarly hammered 4-0 in England last year, but speaking after the latest reverse, stand-in captain Sehwag claimed that India could take inspiration from the lows suffered by hosts Australia in recent years.

"It happens, if you look at the Australia team also they were struggling a year back and they lost the Ashes and they got out on 47 in South Africa so it happen with every team, so we have to rebuild the team and we'll think about it."

He conceded that India's cricket-obsessed fans had every right to be disappointed with their underperforming idols but pleaded for support.

"I think they should be upset with our performances, and I totally agree with them. This is the time the fans should back the players. When we won the World Cup, everyone was happy. Everybody was cheering for Team India. Now is the time we need support from fans. They should back their own team.

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Virender Sehwag: India should be upset with us

The end of another one-sided contest was swift with the Australians snapping up the final four wickets in an hour to skittle India for 201 and inflict an eighth away Test defeat on the trot for the demoralised tourists.

The series drubbing comes after they were similarly hammered 4-0 in England last year, but speaking after the latest reverse, stand-in captain Sehwag claimed that India could take inspiration from the lows suffered by hosts Australia in recent years.

"It happens, if you look at the Australia team also they were struggling a year back and they lost the Ashes and they got out on 47 in South Africa so it happen with every team, so we have to rebuild the team and we'll think about it."

He conceded that India's cricket-obsessed fans had every right to be disappointed with their underperforming idols but pleaded for support.

"I think they should be upset with our performances, and I totally agree with them. This is the time the fans should back the players. When we won the World Cup, everyone was happy. Everybody was cheering for Team India. Now is the time we need support from fans. They should back their own team.

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V England Sri Lanka: five things Alastair Cook should crack

Boost KP

Kevin pietersen denies it plans the retirement of the 50-over cricket recently but his admission that he would not be a central contract if he did suggests he looked into the level of detail to take such a decision.

Pietersen enjoys T20 and the challenge of Test matches but needs to rediscover the old glories in more than 50 games.

What makes it feel part of the decision-making process while boost his ego by stressing that it is important to the team is Michael Vaughan way and others received the best of him in years.

Introducing the new Alastair Cook

It is not the amount of tracks but that will be necessarily account for Cook, the style in which he scores.

A quick 20 or 30 shots at the top and a positive attacking in the Powerplay intent would be more beneficial and to silence the skeptics, that half a century ground off.

Cook has nothing to lose to be positive. It strikes and gets it shows at least acknowledged his weakness and attack in the future.

There is also a four other games of the series.

Nail down a place in the side

Stuart Broad was abandoned on the border at a point in its hammering by Sri Lanka, a position where it is difficult for a captain influence proceedings.

Cook is no Panther field and overflowed a few chances in this summer slips already.

A good option for Cook is positioned on or mid off, where it can move closer to the bowling.

It can get a feel for how they are bowling and draw in how they think.

Ignoring the skeptics

Cook knows y skepticism generalized on its place in the team for a day, but it is let go.

We have seen that by how he survived his slump in Test cricket last year and his England players say that it is an impressive person in the meetings of the team.

It is his chance to show the enormous work.

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Stuart Broad v Tim Bresnan: The expert verdicts on who should start for England at Lord's against India

There were reasonable signs for him in that game. He got the ball through at good pace in the first innings when the wicket seemed to be quicker.

He then bowled a good eight-over spell in the second innings against Somerset, which really got him going. He could have picked up more than just the one wicket. As it was he dismissed their best player - Marcus Trescothick - so you have got to be happy with that.

That said, I don’t think Stuart’s performance in that game will be hugely influential on whether he plays at Lord’s.

If it had gone particularly badly it could have affected him, but ultimately it’s down to conditions at Lord’s and whether the selectors want a swing bowler or a more bouncy bowler against India.

England seem to have demonstrated on a number of occasions the faith they have in him. They talk a lot about the confidence they have in him, so this is the time to show it.

Andrew Gale (Yorkshire captain)

I like to pick people who are in form and Tim showed in the recent

one-day series against Sri Lanka that he is definitely the man in form at the moment.

People might have thought that he would be a little bit under-cooked after his injury but he came back and found his rhythm straight away. That’s a big thing and so, if it was my call, I would probably go for him ahead of Stuart Broad.

Tim bowled really well for us in our County Championship match against Worcestershire at Scarborough last week. He hadn’t bowled in a

four-day game for a while but he put the ball in good areas consistently throughout, he got four wickets in the first innings and he also contributed well so we were delighted with him.

He would probably have liked to have played a couple more four-day games but most of the England boys have not played any four-day cricket since the recent Test series against Sri Lanka.

Tim probably has the edge over Stuart Broad as a batsman. He’s been very solid with the bat for us this season.

He made 87 in his first championship match against Hampshire back in May and he also got 41 in the first innings against Worcestershire last week so he is consistent.

He’s also probably a bit more consistent with the ball than Broad. Tim bowls a fuller length than Stuart and gets the ball to swing.

But he’s a versatile bowler because he also has the ability to reverse swing the ball.

He did that to great effect in the Ashes series in Australia last winter where he played a key role and that versatility makes him a slightly different bowler to Stuart and a good performer when it matters most.

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Letters to the sports editor: West Ham fans should get down to Withdean

As a cricket follower and player from the age of eight I have one particular memory of Trevor Bailey.

The year after his match-saving partnership with Willie Watson in the Lord’s Test of 1953, I was taken to a talk he gave in Norwich.

Having taken to the stage to long applause his first words were “thank you for that warm applause but I am more used to hearing ...” and he gave the audience a slow handclap!

David Stannard, Norwich

Sorry, no one could stop Don Bradman in full flow

The late Trevor Bailey provided me with one of my earliest sporting memories. At Southend in 1948, the Australians amassed 721 all out in a day against Essex.

Essex hopes were briefly raised when Bailey eventually broke a long opening partnership, then skittled the great Australian Keith Miller first ball.

The only problem was that Miller was followed by Don Bradman, who hammered 187 – perhaps encouraged by the pats on the back we small boys had given him when the captains went out for the toss.

Rod Williams, London

England anthem must be Land of Hope and Glory

The national anthem is sung at the beginning of all England international matches. May I suggest that this is no longer appropriate. The national anthem relates to the United Kingdom where the Queen is Head of State. It does not relate to England on its own.

Both Scotland and Wales have their own national anthems and it really is time we sorted out one for ourselves. To this end may I suggest the second verse of Land of Hope and Glory.

Tony Smith, Pembury, Kent

Rooney’s overhead kick was ‘dangerous play’

For a long time I have puzzled why it is that overhead kicks –like Wayne Rooney’s – are allowable in the penalty area for an attempt (or scoring) of a goal whereas if carried out elsewhere on the pitch they would be deemed “dangerous play” with a boot adjacent to or about to take off an opponent’s head.

David Cheffy, Hedge End, Southampton

More officials would help at the scrum, Brian

Having listened to Brian Moore banging on about the amount of time taken up with scrums because of the tricks that hookers perform, would it not be a good idea to introduce an extra official to take the opposite side to the referee.

It is invariably where the referee cannot see that most naughty business is carried out!

John Bown, Bridgwater, Somerset

Gray’s irritating Glaswegian gabble

Without entering into the debate concerning female officials, I would like to comment on Andy Gray.

I have always been irritated with his efforts which are mostly incoherent, guttural gabble containing mangled grammar and some weird vocabulary.

We seem to be plagued with far too many other Glaswegian presenters all with similar problems of poor communication out of all proportion to the English listeners.

Why does this happen and who is responsible for appointing them?

AAB Wood, Storeton, Wirral

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The ashes of 2010: Ricky Ponting declining but England should strike Captain Australia at their peril

Both have the courage of their convictions. Once they made up their minds, it is apparently nothing in return. They have passed characters, before appearing to be stubborn and stubborn.

They are both a friable bits when it's irrelevant interviewees, and they come from States that are atypical in their country as a whole – although Tasmanian have generally tend to be more humble than the Texans, I guess.

There are many Australian who think bigarrées like Bush, especially if he led his country to a third party without precedent will be defeated cendres.Jeff Ponting inheritance Thomson is probably the most virulent dissident.

Ponting is not a bad guy - he whistled as he walked window in 2009 with the amazing grace.

England will not write him off again.It can be 35, but it is an uncontested world-class in Australia player still have.

Its powers may be declining to 35, but there still average eight tests 46.66 this année.Et victims could short ball hook, line and sinker of late, but his class and stubbornness is fully capable him see extend his love story with lots of Australian test (it averages 60 at home, compared to 48 away) and Brisbane (where its average test is 66, reaching 100 against England).

In the first round of review of ash from 2002-2003, he scored 123 to Gabba.Quatre years later, he struck 196.Andrew Strauss is most unlikely to give a first use of this time, Nasser Hussain as eight years ago.

The main task of the Ponting will be to lift the spirits - there is no doubt that Australians are not also floating routine and coax the 20 wickets relatively inexperienced attack.

It is obvious playing for England against the Australia in Hobart tourists have deeper resources - would the inclusion of Chris Tremlett and Ajmal Shahzad instead of James Anderson (at least in Australia conditions) and Steve Finn, actually weaken the side?

But even the Australia attack will want their chances if they defend against England in Brisbane-485_,_492 totals and 602 for nine declared somewhere in the region of their three sleeves-first test last.

And for that to happen, Ponting is always human...

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