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The 2006 Hutch Cup saw India keen to average their defeat
in the recent Test series against the old enemy, Pakistan.
Rahul Dravid's exciting Indian team responded with a feast
of one-day batting brilliance which fans will treasure for
years to come. Who can forget Mahendra Singh Dhoni's murderous
77 in the third match at Lahore, or his all-out assault on
the bowlers at Karachi? All the big hits are here. There are
also vintage Tendulkar knocks to savour - a brilliant 95 at
Lahore, as well as a sublime ton - in a losing cause - in
the nail biting curtain-raiser at Peshawar. Add to that invaluable
and consistent contributions from Yuvraj Singh and Rahaul
Dravid, and you've an Indian battling collection to treasure...
Some
sporting clashes are capable of generating real passion but
none more so than when India faces up to Pakistan at cricket.
The rivalry between these two teams is fierce and fraught
- this isn't just a cricket contest, it's a battle that often
wraps national pride up with sporting prowess to produce scorching
matches.
Which
brings us, very neatly, to the contents of this DVD which
collects highlights from all five The Hutch Cup 2006 One Day
Internationals between these two teams along with some match
statistics and player cards to produce a disc that really
catches the emotional character of the games. Blood, sweat
and tears underscored by the sound of leather on willow -
and that's before the spin tales its toll.
Highlights
come courtesy of Dhoni and Tendulkar with fine support from
Yuvaj Singh and Dravid although it's a little unfair to single
out individuals as the five matches captured on this disc
are all about team work and team spirit.
Sadly,
the games are presented in 4:3, rather than 16:9, and without
the addition of some of the latest whistles and computer graphic
bells we've come to expect thanks to Channel 4 and now Five,
but that's a minor quibble. The game's the thing of course
and there's 200 minutes of first class action on this DVD.
It
may be a 'no frills' release but who really cares when you
get to see such excellent cricket?
Anthony
Clark
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