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am Bradford and coach Doug Pederson labelling him the perfect fit, the franchise still needs depth at QB.Philadelphia hold the No 13
The world became a strange place on Wednesday. The last thing you expected to happen came over, sat down and gave you a big fat kiss. A bit like Bugs Bunny; that wascally wabbit always comes out trumps.Rajkots events may not trouble the wider public, but from the moment the coin fell in Englands favour, India were in unfamiliar territory. At least as far as recent memory goes. Virat Kohli has been able to win seven out of seven tosses since his first match in charge at home. Only once had he chosen to field, in the rained-out draw against South Africa in Bangalore a year ago. Every other time he and his men put runs on the board and won the game.Here, Alastair Cook called heads. It came down as heads. England batted for the rest of the day. India became a set of Elmer Fudds for the rest of the day: clumsy to start with and unthreatening for large parts.The dropped catches - three in the first half-hour - should be held against them. But they cant be faulted for effort. R Ashwin did get his offbreaks to drift and dip. Ravindra Jadeja did trap the batsman in his crease. Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav did generate reverse swing. So what was missing? Why did they concede 311 runs and the first century scored by a visiting batsman since 2013?Scoreboard pressure. India had to make do without it.The Saurashtra Cricket Association was hosting its first Test. The schedule has been arranged in such a way that the fourth and fifth days fall on the weekend to encourage a large crowd to come over. So, measures were taken to avoid quick finishes or meandering run-fests, both of which are common when domestic teams play Ranji Trophy first-class matches here. The pitch was dressed up with patches of grass, and in between there were several bare patches. This led to some variable bounce, but crucially there was very little turn.So the three spinners - Ashwin, local boy Jadeja and Mishra - had almost nothing to work with.Since 2015, particularly at home, they have come on with a horde of close-in fielders. Slips, silly points, gullies, leg gullies, short legs. A veritable group of bandits ready to swindle the batsman of his confidence. Additionally, until now, India had batted first in six out of seven matches. That meant their bowlers were given a pitch which had been worn down by a lot of cricket, ranging from 68 to 169 overs.As a result, there had been a lot more turn to exploit. There could be awkward bounce as well. Then, factor in Ashwin and Jadejas talent for maximising natural variation. Thats a heck of a lot for a batsman to handle. The immediate thought in such a situation is: Why not get off strike? Thats easier said than done. As former Test opener Aakash Chopra has articulated before, manoeuvring the ball into gaps on a turning pitch is very hard. Opening the face brings the slips into play. Closing the face invites the risk of being dismissed in any number of ways. Bowled by the dip, lbw while playing across the line. Caught off the leading edge.Okay, do something drastic then. Hit out. Upset their rhythm.Seems simple enough, yes. But theres a psychological deterrent - in the back of your mind, you always know a false shot might not only be the end of you but of your team too. In the final innings in Indore, New Zealand went from 80 for 2 to 138 for 9 after Ross Taylor was bowled playing an awful sweep.These are the devastating advantages of scoreboard pressure. And India had none of it in Rajkot.So Kohli, having to manufacture some, operated with in-out fields. With the lack of turn, though, Joe Root and Moeen Ali were able to nudge the ball into the gaps and keep the score ticking along. Their 179-run partnership included only 14 fours and a six - essentially 62 runs in boundaries - all the rest came via singles and twos. They still maintained a run-rate of 3.70.And when Kohli tried to bring men up to make the rotation of strike difficult, Root and Moeen deliberately went over the top and Indias captain had to go on the defensive again. It was beautifully paced cricket, with a distinct lack of frills. Only late in the day, when Root was past his hundred and Moeen was approaching his own, did they break into the toy cupboard and pull out the reverse sweeps or advance on Jadeja, he who fires them in at 90kph, and smack him into the sightscreen.In 62 overs of spin, India could manage only six maidens. Thats less than 10%.Having to bowl first, India wanted to be on the money, and preferably not the 500- or the 1000-rupee variety, which went defunct overnight and are to be replaced. There were encouraging signs. Cooks outside-edge was an affable guest star in a half-hour episode of When Shami And Umesh Bowl Well Together. Ashwin out-thought young Haseeb Hameed and Ben Duckett. India went to lunch happy despite the dropped catches.But it was England who were ahead of the game, with no scoreboard pressure on them, and faced with a pitch on which their own seamers could prove to be the danger, thanks to reverse swing and a bare patch of uneven bounce on a good length. Root and Moeen tucked into every over of spin that was bowled. One of them will return on Thursday hungry for more. China Jerseys Outlet . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. China Jerseys NFL Authentic . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. http://www.chinajerseyspaypal.com/ . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. China Jerseys Wholesale .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. China Jerseys For Cheap . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history.Three quarterbacks find themselves looking for a new team, for a variety of reasons. Former Heisman Trophy and Offensive Rookie of the Year winner Robert Griffin III will leave the Washington Redskins this spring. After a stellar first season, where RG3 led his franchise to their first play-off appearance in five years, injury and controversy have outweighed performance and he finds himself no longer required in Washington.San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick appears to have grown disillusioned with life in Northern California. The five-year veteran was benched midway through last season and, despite new head coach Chip Kellys insistence that he wants Kaepernick around, the player is weighing up his options across the league. Footage of RG3 clearing his locker in Washington earlier in the offseason To say Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has never really got going in the NFL would be a colossal understatement. Following a celebrated collegiate career with Texas A&M, including winning the Heisman Trophy in his freshman year, uncertainty immediately surfaced over Manziels professionalism as well as his ability to lead a team and learn a playbook.Off the field issues, including an ongoing domestic assault case as well as numerous alcohol-related misdemeanours, have led the Browns to announce they plan on severing ties with Manziel as soon as the new season officially begins on March 9.With no real outstanding QB talent in this years draft, teams may be tempted to look at free agency for a solution to their quarterback woes. Ins & outs Our live blog has all the latest news Dallas Cowboys This is how Tony Romo reinjured his shoulder last season The Cowboys had a very disappointing year and a lot of those problems were at the quarterback position. Tony Romo is the face of the franchise and a good starter in Dallas, having been with the team since 2003. However the veteran is 36, is due to have further shoulder surgery this summer, and is a high-risk injury liability.When Romo was unavailable the teams production fell away drastically, and head coach Jason Garrett will need to have a contingency plan. Cowboys management were impressed with draft prospect Carson Wentz after his Senior Bowl and Combine performances. However, if they decide to go for experience ahead of potential, RG3 may be the option they move for.Owner Jerry Jones was a big fan of Manziel before he was eventually drafted to the Browns and he may be willing to take a chance on the 23-year-old, who excelled in Texas as a college athlete.Houston Texans Brian HHoyer could find himself replaced Even though they made the play-offs, Bill OBrien had a rough time with the quarterback position last year.dddddddddddd As we saw in the opening sequence of NFL Hard Knocks, the head coach made an impassioned plea on behalf of his QBs, to give them a chance and show the world they could play. However, halfway through the first game starter Brian Hoyer had been benched for Ryan Mallet. By the end of October, Mallet had been released from the team altogether.Without a particularly high draft pick, and needs in other areas, Griffin or Kaepernick could be an answer to the Texans problems. OBrien, a former quarterbacks coach, may see either signing as an opportunity for a cut-price, potentially franchise quarterback.Cleveland Browns Watch Johnny Manziel throw his first touchdown pass of the season. With a new management structure in place at Cleveland, the Browns are eager to usher in a new era of success for the franchise. They have already committed to releasing Manziel and will need to replace him with a consistent, if not world class, passer.The Browns have the No 2 pick in this years draft and, with Tennessee settled on Marcus Mariota as their quarterback of the future, Cleveland are expected to have their pick of the board. However, this QB draft class is weaker than in previous seasons so it wouldnt be a surprise if the Browns made a play for Kaepernick or Griffin.Kaepernick has experience at the top level which may help rookie coach Hue Jackson. He has been to the Super Bowl and has the ability to move the chains. The Browns are crying out for reliability and they might just find it in Kaepernick.Philadelphia Eagles Sam Bradford highlights Despite the Eagles re-signing Sam Bradford and coach Doug Pederson labelling him the perfect fit, the franchise still needs depth at QB.Philadelphia hold the No 13 pick in this years draft, and that may be enough to secure the third-best QB. However if its not, and fans are left once again with an injured Bradford and no back-up of real note, Pederson may quickly find himself on the hot seat in Philly.Los Angeles Rams Rams may want to improve upon Case Keenum Having moved 1,800 miles to return to their first home, the LA Rams will be looking for their first play-off appearance since 2005. Can they do that with Case Keenum under centre?Head coach Jeff Fisher was a big fan of Manziel coming out of college, and still believes in the potential of Johnny Football. Its not inconceivable that Fisher brings in what he hopes will be his Hollywood quarterback. 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