Taking two points off India would have been great but in the end, the outcome was fantastic. Not just for the fans lucky enough to be there at the Chinnaswamy but fans around the world watching the match on television. There was some wonderful batting on display as well as beautiful bowling from Bresnan and Zaheer. While chasing a 300-plus score there always is the potential risk of losing. And as well as we were playing, it was one of those matches where even the loss of a couple of wickets could mean that you are in for it! And we nearly were.
The wicket was good and the a good start was crucial, which Strauss and I did provide. After the second ball Strauss strode over to me and said, 'this wicket is flat' and that meant if we batted well we could chase the score. I think we could have gone a long way but I was unlucky to get out. Happily for us, Strauss was absolutely magnificent. So was Sachin, but it was Strauss's day and he was brilliant. This was the best he has ever played.
Ian Bell then joined him and batted brilliantly too. Fortunately for him and us, he was given a reprieve with that leg-before decision going his way. None of us even knew that rule existed! We were coasting along until the batting power play, which always results in wickets. Sachin went during batting power play and we lost Strauss and Bell. It's a conundrum that is really hard to explain; if we could figure it out we would do something about it!
Next up for us is Ireland on Wednesday. It will be important for us to concentrate on what we do best- perform well and stick to the game plan. We aren't looking at it as an easy game, just a different kind of test. We will make sure we do our best and not worry too much about who we are playing. That's when you can get caught up in things and slip. Â We want to keep the momentum going so that we can play our best cricket in the knock-outs. There are definitely some improvements we can make in our catching, bowling and fielding. It's a good thing that the batting is going great at the moment. The positive thing is we have not lost a game yet and to keep improving would be the best recipe. By the way, if you want to know more about what I'm up to, you can follow me on Twitter: @kevinpp24!