Good game Iain. Great to see you taking the time to post these blogs.

well wrote mate! u really gave yr best...but i think its difficult for u guys to save this one...if u do....then it wud be an achievement in itself....all the best!

nice blog....
the way you got rid of gautam gambhir was gr8 thinking,though he was on you for most of the time...
Situation is great for India unless the weather do something...

i can feel how tired you feel just reading your last para :P Good job bowling again, great ball to VVS... well it takes a very very special bowl to take out VVS specially in this form. Dont think india is goin to bat for more than an hour tommorow, and it should be your 7th day running to be bowling in the morning, So good luck hope you guys get all out by tommorow so you can get your well deserved rest a day earlier.

"Chasing 500 will be nigh on impossible" - Never say never, you got 600 last game and sure the momentum isn't with you atm, but if the top order actually do something for a change, who knows. Good luck.

HI Iain, Great Last spell man, specially the delivery on which u got rid of VVS. It was awesone. U will find most Indian batsman in trouble with that kind of sharp incoming delivery.On fourth day i hope u will bowl more in cutters. NZ in trouble but u have very good chance for some more scalps, so be a bit oppertunist ang get them. Best of Luck

Iain, you beauty !! What a delivery to get rid of VVS - a Very Very Special delivery. Good to know you don't know how you got the ball to do that much, for it would cause a sleepless night to MSD & Yuvi if you knew how to get the ball to do that much !! Well done, but I guess it would be difficult for you to bat out 5 sessions now on with a target of over 600 !! Good luck, mate !!

nice bowling mate ! 2 excellent deliveries 2 get rid of gambhir and VVS...

Iian, the ball that got Laxman was a beauty. That's what Test cricket is all about - seeing pace bowlers bowl their heart out.

Good one Ian. I am sure you would be happy to take two good batsmen like Gambhir and Laxman. Good work. Keep blogging. Reading your blog, we feel that we are in the ground playing with you. Keep up the good work. - Sree

you rock man..no other words but hats off to your spirit, seriously!! even if you lose the series 2-0, you gave a rewal good fight and all the matches were interesting!!

Mate, game is nicely poised towards India now. From this stage, however win for NZ is impossible. Anyhow, keep up the pace and attack by bowling straight. Anyhow, series win for India is confirmed. Good on you mate for your honest inner feelings.
Cheers
Venki - Sydney

Good blog Iain.. keep up the good work.. looking forward for more of your blogs..

Hei man, don't you sleep. How do you have so much energy to keep you awake and do this posting? Anyways you were just complaining.

hey...your blogs are interesting and has a good fan following in my office(i guess at 50 are regular readers).It gives a real feel of whats happening out there in the middle.The next time you play in Chennai I will put up a THANK YOU O'BRIEN sign for you.Keep going and fight hard.But I want India and your spirit alone to win.Hard Luck.

i love the little insider snippets to a cricketer's life, like what happens between the breaks, after play etc. keep it up mate!

Hey mate. Have to say I'm incredibly impressed with your series so far. You are incredibly underrated and your stats are just as good as Ishant sharma's. Was really impressed when I saw you practice batting during the tea break on the second day and it paid off with your highest test score. Congrats and keep up the good work.

A very very speciall delivery to dismiss very very special laxman. Indeed the ball was drifting off the deck in the last session. You probabaly had your spell of the series.Keep it up!!!

nice to see you picking up some wickets. good luck for the rest of the game

Great blog dude ...... thnx fr the updates everyday ..... congrats fr getting 2 of my favourite player's wickets........

hi Ian... dont know why u guys feel so proud for a draw... your coach too said the same thing that NZ wil go for a draw.. wats there in a draw man.. you guys need to go for a win.. i feel there is not much difference between 1-0 and a 2-0 loss... so go and try for a win... Draw is nothing.. this shows the attitude of NZ.. sorry.. the difference between the sides is not only the talent but also the attitude.. really cant understand why NZ are trying for a draw at this moment.. This attitude of proffessional sides may bring the down fall of test cricket...

Good job w the wickets today, Iain. Keep your positive outlook and take good care of yourself, this match can wear one out big time. Please leave Dhoni and Yuvraj alone tomorrow, Dhoni is my favorite. I wish you luck for the next 2 days and please keep on blogging even after this series. I have really enjoyed reading these.

"and you never know, I might pick up a couple more wickets".. that's the spirit my boy that's the spirit... good luck

Well Iain, for your sake I hope India bats a little longer and a little more aggressively, so that you get a chance to take a fiver. I think from all the NZ bowlers in this series, you deserve it the most! Well bowled mate, but hard luck: the percentages are in favour of an Indian win—99% India win, 0.999% draw, 0.001% NZ win (See, I'm being generous and giving you guys a chance to win!)

good attitude, and great ball to get VVS.

Hi Iain, We will pray for the rain to save your team ;)

Well Ian .. your last paragraph doesn't look very positive to me.. hmmm.. we can understand that.. you have given ur 100% for 14 days on a trot for wat is going to be a losing cause.. but u r fortunate enough to play against one of the best sides in the cricketing world today.. you can take a lot of learning from this series.. keep ur head held high as this is not going to be the end for u guys.. keep playing the same way u did in this series and success is not too far away for u to taste.. afterall patience and perseverence do matter the most!! hats off for ur wonderful competence and good luck for ur future endeavours..

Dear Ian, congrats on your 2 wickets today, both were awesome stuff. I reckon India will touch 600 lead and ask NZ to bat

A tough day at the office,maybe a few tough days at the office.I do offer you commisserations,there will be days when your energy levels are lower than they were today,and you pick up a "five fer"and win a test match.Again,a blog that does provide an insight int the mind of a fast bowler,toiling against odds.

one generally has a feeling that if you get a chance to impose follow-on, you should, particularly when that team has scored just about half of your total. but from your blog i get to know how drastically wrong it can go. spending 6 or 7 days continuously on the field with just a little break doesn't look great. could have Dan done the otherway round!!!

Iain I am indian,but I would like to congratulate you.Iain your new ball attack is funtastic today,escpecially the dilivery to Luxman.Good luck next day

Hi Iain, I must you you are too optimistic, its sometimes better to be, however to be more realistic as well would avoid any disappointments.

I had mentioned on your earlier post as well, you sometimes seem to do lot of marketing for your own self. Its quite evident from 'normally I have more than enough of that spirit..' Sometimes you need to admit honestly, which is lacking from your post, however its good enough to read.

As I see, NZ can look forward to chase somewhere around 600+. It would take a towering effort from some of your batsman, especially Jesse, Taylor or even Dan himself down the order, to save this match, somewhat like Gambhir did for India in Napier.

Although, its tough for you guys to survive Zaheer and Bajji for last 3-4 sessions, I wish you guys all the luck to save this test..!! (am not being sarcastic)

Ian I just love reading your blog.The only thing that lag in your team is batting.I dont see much problem with bowling.If u want to win any match-batting,fielding,bowling shud be top class,But the batting of newzealand batting is very poor.No one attacks.All the best for rest of the 2 days.

Undoubtedly you were the pick of the NZ bowlers today.Nice deliveries to get rid of the two set batsmen.However,even a draw seems to be most unlikely against the formidable pace attack of India.Anyway,Keep hitting the deck hard mate.!! cheers....

Great to read the views of someone on the field. India can surely pile on the pressure but a Kiwi comeback can be expected.

Lain you have done a great job after being physically dipperesed and totally weak good come back.and the wicket of vvs laxman was awesome.

A tough day indeed, but congrats on picking up Gambhir (that lbw appeal was classic), because this guy is in prolific form and is known to really go on after hitting that 100 mark. As for Laxman's dismissal, well, that was just one of those balls that can only really be described as an absolute gem, top effort mate! Glad to see you consistently reaching that 140km/h mark too, because your work ethic in this match and in this series has been highly admirable. Keep running in hard and hitting that deck and you'll surely be rewarded with a few more wickets in the bank and that well earned rest! Best of luck for tomorrow mate!

Come on Ian, dont think like that. Bowl em out cheaply in the morning and two days to get 500 odd... can be done, especially if Ryder and Rossco get going. Keep up the good work into the wind mate.. all the best!

You certainly has that famous KIWI spirit that keeps you going. The delivery that got rid of VVS was probably the best ball you've bowled on this tour. The LBW of Gambhir was a good one too.

Coming to the match situation, i dont think India would bat for a long time. They will give their bowlers plenty of time to get Newzealand out in the second innings. A lead of 500 is more than enough. They would probably bat for 45min to an hour and score a quick 70 run to set a target of around 600. Your batsman have to bat for almost 2 days to save the game. It will be very very difficult on this pitch and against this attack. If you can draw the game that would be almost a miracle.

All the best..

A little pessimistic don't you think? I would have thought that being one down in the series, you guys would be trying to get India out as early as possible and try to chase the target down. lets face it, you have nothing to lose, and as we saw in that match vs England, if a player really gets going (in that case Nathan Astle) any target seems within reach. Come on guys, lets be positive!

Nice comments and extremely funny without any exaggeration, Ian you are cool man!!!!!

The one that got laxman was a beauty.I really love the way your write your blogs and eagerly wait every day to read your honest opinion on the day's play.Good luck for tomorrow Iain!!

NZ should take cue from how India did at Napier to save the Test match. Technique and temperament of NZ newcomers will be put to test. If they pass this Test they will have made a significant progress.

I was hoping you would get a 5-for in this series but at the same time, I did not want it to interfere with a series win for India, so I am now praying that you get 3 more wickets and make it a 5-for, it would be good for India also as they will not have to worry about criticism regarding the timing of the declaration.

it is great to see u bowling with new ball. That was awesome delivery u got out vvs. But the way Indians are playing, no chance for your team to win. But better luck in next series. Hope u will get position in top 10 of ICC Rankings and help ur side to win in all formats.

Good blog Ian, liked the details about what you had in the breaks - Coffee pill, protein bar.. Always wanted to catch up much more off-field stuff of International cricketers like the food details and also your discussion with VVS. Thanks for sharing those details with us, expect more in your blogs to come..

i think indians played well today more bcoz it is a flat track neither swing nor seam only new ball seamed a bit.i think kiwis bowled short stuffs today.short stuff in these track means hit me ball.gambir played really well he is a great prospect for indians.he is a solid operner along with dashing batsman sehwag ,gambir is good in all forms of the cricket.t20,test and one dayers.he was sucessful in ipl last year and after that he never look back more than 300 runs in 4 consecutive test series,againt aussies,srilanka,england and newzeland .again u were too short in the first 2 session ian.but again u bowled really well with the new ball got the big wicket of gambir and laxman.tommorow i think indians will play 1 hour and then they will declare .again it is a tough task for kiwis to save a test now.but they have to bat well they have to do what indias did to them in the 2nd test batted 2days.i hope kiwis will do the same.hoping for the best for kiwis tommorow .all the best 4 u & kiwis.

Once again, inswingers did the trick for you Iain. With a bit of luck, should have picked up Dravid beginning of the day.

Iain, don't try too much hard tommorrow!!!!!!
keep it simple
try 2 bat an hour in ur 2nd inngs rather than picking both(msd,uv) guys
bcoz they just want 600lead
after that dhoni's "magic" will begin!!!!!!
so try 2 learn batting tips from faty(ryder) 2 dis night!!!
so all d best....

Hello Ian! I should say you really bowled well after lunch. But, I was really amazed with the wicket of Rahul Dravid. I mean the way McCullum took that catch was absolutely unbelievable. To be honest you guys should have batted first in this Test match considering the fact that your team had to bowl so many overs in the last match. I can understand how mentally draining it is for a bowler like you to continuously bowl and each time expect to get the batsmen out.
One suggestion for you guys, I think Daniel needs to bowl a lot many overs than what he usually does. He can also bat higher up the order to strengthen the middle order. He is such a good cricketer and has the capability of picking up so many wickets. I think he needs to come early on if the pace attack doesn't work well initially in the game. He seems to be a lot under pressure as a captian and that may the reason for his reluctance to bowl more and bat up the order. Goodluck to you guys. I really like your blog.
Cheers!!

Well mate. your bowling indians with new ball particularly the delivery get rid of Lakshman was fantastic. keep it up. your good attitude will give more and more wickets.

Great blogging Ian. I'm amazed that despite all the work, you can take time out to blog this well. Enjoy your posts.

hai Ian brother....It was really sad to see ur people toiling hard to earn a victory here..But the new ball did give u an opening..the laxman dismissal was superb and dravids catch was fantastic..hats off to Mecullum

We have great chance to win the match and the series. Only One thing save you that is rain. so u people just do your best. If you manage for a draw that will be a moral victory for u.

Dude , well done . I am a daily reader of ur blogs , good to see u, taking time out of your tiring schedules to pen down your personal thoughts. Tough 2 days ahead mate, time for kiwis to really show character.

Ian, you are an amazing lively honest cricketer.
you will get a lot of success in your career....

Nice and honest comments...

hi lain,
you really bowled well today, especially with the new ball. It was good to see you backing gauti when yo took his wicket. quiet a gud spell with the new ball. And if you guys hope for a draw your top order should fire( which is not the case in this series). well, anyway all the best for rest of the days...

hey bro, good to see you taking off to post.
the delivery that got Laxman was a beauty.
take it easy now...

You have true sportsmanship, I wish you best of luck in your cricketing carrier

From Iain O'Brien's (B)logs

Circa 2009
It is day-6 and we have been bowling non-stop.

Admittedly, it has been a good old fashioned hiding, something that we better get used to - thus confided Captain Vettori over dinner tonight. Apparently, his beard had started to grow back.

After a minute's pause, someone from the farthest end of the table in a polynesian accent chimed in with "We must be men of destiny, which is why we are bowling in New Zealand rather than the dustbowls of the subcontinent".

That was it. Suddenly everything seemed to fall into place. Cultural assimilation was complete.

Prayers offered by that kid from Dunedin and son of Stu Mccullum had indeed been answered. Darkn Clouds of fortune had started to gather. I pitched one just outside of the stumps. The ball kept curling in and in and in until it hit the off stump. The battle was instantly won and the enemy defeated. The divine had intervened.

The omen couldnt have been missed by the enemy camp.

Well bowled today, mate ...got two well settled batsmen out, Lax & Gambhir ... Maybe u can bowl a negative line tomorrow in order to waste time, but a win for India seems rather inevitable ...I think Jeetan Patel cud have come in useful on a 4th day pitch. Its a rather brown pitch this time around at Basin Reserve, NZ has been way too hospitable towards the Indians ...mind you , this match has been won (almost) by the Indian bowlers , so a fast track might have yielded the same result ..

wish you a good night sleep!

Great to see you writing Ian...its an interesting blog and very unique...hope u keep the effort up and dont slacken on the writing..and the ball to get laxman was a peach...well done mate...keep bowling tough mate

PS. Amazing catch by McCullum , never seen anything like it, Dravid wud hv been thinking of tucking it away for a single, instead , it stuck in McCullum's gloves...

Firstly, fantastic effort Iain, I was right there to see that ball to Laxman and had no idea what happened, the reply explained it all, hitting the seam hard and it payed off, well done and I will be there tomorrow to watch you clean up the tail. Awesome Blog aswell, thanks for taking the time :). I'm sad to say to all the Indian fans here, (and there seems to be a million) that you are forgetting one important component to any test in Wellington. No matter what the forecast, there is always a chance for substantial amounts of rain, and there was already a dodgy looking period today when it was raining just up the road in Newtown. The test can be saved by our top order doing their job and just one or two sessions of rain, a very feasible situation (well the rain at least, our top order has left alot to be desired of late.) Good luck boys, there is still some intrigue left in this one.

congrats iain ! it's great to see a fast bowler bowl his heart out.
your expression on dismissing VVS was priceless !
also nice to note the good relations between the rival team members.

To be in the field for so many days in itself is a very difficult thing. On top of that the kind of spirit you showed and the cutting edge you brought with the second new ball was amazing. You should be proud of your effort. Looking forward to you taking more wickets tomorrow.

the dismissal of VVS was an unplayable and one-in-a-hundred-balls thing,No great batsman would've defended his timber. we are blessed with good piece of cricket today,well throughout the series too.keep it up!!

great job Ian. This is simpley superb stuff.
Saving this match might be tough as well. I would say it might be either win or loss, later is 90%.

Nice on dude .... Good job with the wickets of Gambhir and Laxman ... also, you showed great courage when batting against the bouncers. I'm rooting for India but I hope you do well. Good Luck!

i am an Indian fan.But seeing the effort of you guys I hope you guys will take the remaining wickets of Indians rather than giving up and waiting for an declaration.You really bowled will and this is the best performance of NZ bowling through out the test series.Though I hope India to win the test match quite convincingly.

You are playing against a superior team. Getting twenty wickets against their batting is not easy.Well! you have made the task more difficult trying to bowl too short generally.There have been few great short deliveries in this match. The one that got Sehwag and the one that got Mac. The deliveries that were pitched up have done better.Somehow, coaches have made the mistake of assuming that Indian batsmen are suspect against the short stuff. That is far from true. Vettori has been sorted out. I do not see him scoring too many runs consistently against the fast men. A few bouncers and he is pushed back.I am not happy with the way Vettori has bowled under the conditions. He seems more like stopping runs than taking wickets.An odd great delivery and the rest is mainly variation aimed at stopping the batsmen from scoring.He does not look like a bowler who can run through a side.Your higher order will need lots of luck against the new ball attack of India. Only then maybe..

Lain, VVS Laxman ball was a really good one, test is won if you can have many of such balls coming inn more often, remember McGrath

You did a great job Ian. Laxman's out was beauty of a ball and above all I like your temparament on the field (no sledging).
Good luck mate

Dude well done today great balls to get rid off Gambir & Laxman. Just one piece of advise just be consisent with your bowling soon or later you will get rewards for that. All the best for tommorrow.

All the best for tomm

Lain : Nice blog. We all crazy cricket fanatic can appreciate how much endurance is required to play this sport at this high level. Hope you have a good rest tonight and have a good session tommorow. However 5 sessions or more to play and save test match is pratically impossible. The big problem you guys have in this tour is the form of top 3 batsmen. Mac, Gupt, Flynn never were convincing to give a confident start and carry on for days. They need to step up and bat for atleast 3 sessions to save the test.

great delivery to get vvs! all the best for tomorrow

good to see your blog, we keep waiting for it , and it is great to know how the game is played from a players perspective. I understood how tough it is to play one whole day of cricket from your blog. Do you read our comments? Do you get encouraged by what we are saying.
Have a nice day, you seems to be a good person and a good cricketer.

bye

Now only I understood... O'brien planned to leave NZ team and join in "Cricinfo" website as a commentator and blog writer. He is concentrating more and spending more time in doing that. Simply throwing balls in the field and by luck some of the batsmen are getting out. When he really concentrate about his bowling, who knows there may be a world record of 10 sixes in an over (4 extra sixes in 4 no balls).

Thanks for sharing your experience of what you went thru physically and especially mentally after being in the field for so long. It was really touching to read. It is rather easy to type out are suggestions. i have non. God Bless!

Awesome spell for VVS. I appreciate your attitude and energy for blogging despite an exhausting day. Keep up dude I am an Indian fan but we appreciate good cricket and respect it.

Well done Ian...what a delivery to get rid off Laxman. And I am just admired by your honesty when you said that you don't know how could you bowl that sort of a delivery. But I really don't see you guys even coming out with a draw in this one. Probably it would be better to GO for whatever India ask you to chase. I mean who knows with the kind of form Jesse is in and if two or three guys stand up and give him good support, we might be in for something interesting on the last day.
All the best Ian... I hope you get more wickets on the 4th Morning.

Hey Ian,

Great post.

Here's my two cents on what NZ do ...

Keep a 7-2 field on the off side and bowl with the quicks out side off ... do this for as long as India bats.

Dhoni won't declare without a set total which only he knows, so make it tough for him to get it. The reason why he won't declare is that they are already 1-0 up, so no need for a "sporting" declaration.

Now NZ need to save the match, and who knows, even win it. But to get to the more probable conclusion of the two, i.e., match drawn, you need to slow things down tomorrow.

And as for the 5th day, 11 men doing the rain dance just might work !!! :)

Good Job Iain,i had a question for you do you have any connection with Ireland as your last name seems to be an irish?,any ways i like the spirit in which the game is played its completely opposite to when India plays with Aussies you know what i mean!! Do you really know guys like Chris Harris,Cairns,Mccullum have got more fans in India than in kiwi.The current indian team is strong and kiwis have got few players who have started their careers so you guys should feel proud of yourself for this performance in field and keeping check on indian batsman and getting few wickets.Will you please reply back on this blog and let us know whether you read our comments?
Thank you

Hi Ian, great delivery to get rid of VVS. and a good plan to break the WALL(Rahul Dravid). Very Interesting post today. The match, today is as interesting contest as this post. You need to get better, bby bowling to the best batsmen around. perfection matters always. Hit the deck hard and frustrate the indians. one more wicket needed for your five wicket haul in the match. Hope you have a great day tomorrow.

Nice blog about the day. Nice bit of bowling with the new ball and a very special delivery to get rid of VVS

Hope you guys manage to save this test :) Fully expect MSD to go for the jugular

Hey Ian, Lovely writing.Keep it goin.Must be real frustrating to be on field for so long.You and Martin seem the ones to have posed questions to Indians.Danny doesnt seem to be his usual self.I love supporting the underdogs and I am supporting u guys(I am Indian by the way).I dont see a better time to make history by you guys than now. Go ahead, You guys can do it....

Hi dude, I would say that you are "the pick" of the bowlers from kiwi...What a final over you bowled yesterday with consistently hitting 140 and above..Bowling out Laxman was special..Mate..please do tell SIR Richard Hadlee, that India is not winning matches only in India and we are capable of more than that..I still remember the quote he made that Srilankans are far better side than Indians...We would like to dedicate this test series win to him if I am not jumping my gun too early..Anyways ..best of luck for two more days...

Hi Brien, I read your blog everyday and it is too good. I have a suggestion for you - I can see you most of times pitching the ball short but today was an exception that is why you succeeded picking wickets. More you pitch the ball up chances of getting wickets is also more. You can't get these indian batsmen out pitching short.

Lain Sir,
I am too young ( 12 yrs) to advise you or suggest you. However, I like your approach of being determined to do well all the times . Its a tough game and tough do survive and succeed eventually.
As of now India looks favourite ,however , miracles do happen at times and rain gods do play their part. I would wish India wins ,however, a fight till last will ensure cricket wins.
Good Luck.....

Ian Obrien, set aside those momentary brilliance, this Indian team made you look like pedestrians. Most of the times Bowler had no clue how to attack or contain the batsman. The audacity with which our lower order smashed you guys around the park tells the whole story, how far NZ cricket is behind India in all departments. I feel so funny when you guys go cheer a wicket, when you know you are 500 runs behind and to bat in 4th innings of a test match (Laxmans wkt yesterday, your celebration was so juvenile)Have some more realistic sense abt the match...

Nice blog. Good to see you pick up some wickets; but I think it will be tough to save this one. Good Luck!!!

Wow! How often do you see a fast bowler admitting 'it happened' rather than 'I did it', after clean-bowling one of the greats of the game with an absolute beauty. All this while, I used to read his blog but never felt like commenting. Today, this man has earned my respect for lifetime. It takes a big big heart to say these things out in the open as honestly as you do, Iain. No matter how big you make it on the cricket arena in your career, I know I'll talk about one genuine sportsman for as long as I live - Iain O'brien from New Zealand.

this one's for baz,ian... convey him my congaratulations for taking a catch which i think is very very seldom taken in the international arena.. You guys are undoubtedly the best fielding side in the world, unlike ours'!!!! Continue the good work and Congrats to rossco too for his amazing catch to dismiss the little master..

Oh all the way in this test series you guys have fielded and fielded and fielded.. I think the biggest mistake you guys did was to select field in 1st innings.. u came from 3 days on field and again went back on field.. But its been a graet series and I hope thers some more action in this game now.. rhough, right now its one sided contest.. Goog blog mate.. well done.. good luck

I keep coming here... like your spirit of the game.. absolutely loved Baz's genius to get rid of Dravid, Dan's flight to Tendulkar, and your in-deeper to Laxman! May be you too are not sure how you got that to deviate so much on this track, but that's how it mostly is with great catches/bowls. I am sure Warnie didn't know he will actually get Gatting round his legs with a delivery that probably pitched 3 feet outside leg :)

I am an Indian staying in Delhi, but that day, in the second test when you dropped Gambhir off Dan, the look in your face was killing me, so much so that I actually wanted Gauti (Gambhir) to get out soon after that.

Ryder and you have a great future; keep up the good work!

Well done mate - i never knew who was Iain O'Brian before this series - but will follow you now, good to know new zealand found someone other than bond to bowl at 140 K... keep up the good work

Brien,

Go for a win. As someone pointed out, there is no difference between 1-0 and 2-0 loss. Have a positive attitute and try to level the series. The positive attitute will generate interest and bring great justice to the test cricket. Challenging tough opponent with a killer instinct is a way for success. Good luck.

Hi good performance Iain. It seems ur bowling attack is ok.. its ur batting tht's suffering. Of the 4 innings u guys batted till now, in 3 of them u folded meekly. Only in one did u bat first on a true pitch and posted a big score and put some pressure on the Indians just by the sheer volume of runs. I think that was ur biggest chance. Mark Richardson wrote tht u needed a green top - i dont think so, u need a good batting wckt and to bat first. I dont see ur batters having any chance in front of zaheer and ishant on a green top. The indians not withstanding their weakness on a pacer friendly wicket wud still be a little better. Anyway, good piece of bowling to get laxman. keep it up.

Keep blogging mate - I hate this tour is coming to an end, but will you be blogging after this tour. It will be great to read your blogs....

your spell to get rid of Laxman and Gambir was exceptional mate...Hope you can get a couple of quick wickets to make the match litte interesting towards the end of the match. Go Iain go.

Well bowled Ian. Good old fast bowling. That ball to Laxman was unplayable. It shows however good you're, you get that kind of ball, there isn't much you can do except walk back. I think India will at most bat till lunch. MS and YS should probably get some T20 style batting practice before IPL. 3 birds with one stone. 1. Batting practice against quality bowling 2. Score runs fast 3. Declare ASAP and leave 5 sessions for Kiwis to climb the mountain. I feel Bhajji will be key on day 4 and Khan, Ishant and Munaf will be key on day 5 with reverse swing. Good game so far...

Hi Ian,

Great bowling, take some rest, please relax and stretch out a bit, should have batted first. Hoping to see you in the IPL, but I know you need a well deserved rest. It as been an awesome series so far, hats of to the entire Black Caps. Cheers Mate

Amazing deliveries to get VVS and Gauty out. Well done Ian, but India will win this

U really bowl with ur heartout... great to see such commitment on the field, even after being in the field continously for so long.. all the best for day 4 and 5

Ian, I always enjoy reading your posts. Liked this one, since you mentioned some of the supplements you take to keep your energy up. Looking forward to more of those 'inside tips' to know how top level sportsmen keep themselves in shape during the gruelling times.

Hi Ian You won the hearts of lot of indians becoz of your openness in your blog "sports is all about winning hearts" YOU WON THAT Don't mind if you lose the series hats off to you !!!

Hi, try the level best and boost your side to level the series.

gud bowling Ian but bro sorry for losing the grip on the match

when i first saw iain in australia before this series,where aussies were struggling a bit against him,i was sure he will be the biggest challenge for the great indian batting line up!
i can say,for me iain has lived up to my expectation.
well,thank you iain for let me see things from your point of view,your views on game;thank you for writing up regularly.
unlike india australia,there is no ON FIELD-TENSIONS between kiwis and indians,i am glad to see that,after all it is a game.
I hope we will see your blogs timely.may u become most successful bowler of new zealand!!!

Nice blog Iain, it is really nice to read a blog written by a player who is actually facing the battle. I personally loved reading your blog and found it better than news paper articles. Wish you a good day tomorrow. Play well :-)

Brien,
its god to read your blog. not trashing the opposition team players and giving them due respect. I think its you attitude will take you a long way in the game of cricket. I wish you all very best and achieve more in the world of cricket.

Believe me Iain, Its very negative approach if NZ batsmen think they have to just defend India bowlers for 5 sessions...Its easier said than done against world class spinner like Harbhajan on a 5th day wicket.
Also all NZ batsmen will have to play well to achieve such a great feat.
If NZ can get out of this hole it will be awesome for NZ's confidence but I don't see that happening...According to me India will win this match well before the last session of the Match.
Well bowled Iain in the series...It was great watching India-NZ battle...
Kudos to India for winning series after 41 years!
Till next time its advance Goodbye Iain.

Time to shift focus on IPL2 & T20 WC.

I am not sure you observed, you now have taken six out of seven top-order wickets (Gambhir, Sehwag, Dravid, Sachin, Laxman, Dhoni) in three test matches. Take Yuvraj tomorrow and you will make 7/7. This test series was amazing to watch and hard luck for NZ mate.

Kudos Iain on that ball with which you knocked out VVS' off stump. Not many can manage that when our local boy VVS is in such a fine nick.
The one you got Guatam Gambhir with was also a good one though not in thesame class as the one for Laxman.
You have a point about India batting on... but the more they bat on the more your guys will be tired and may not be able to stand up at the crease! LOL!
Wish you good luck and hope you guys give a good fight but in the end, like our Indian films, let the India team win!!! :)

what took you so long to find laxmans stumps. he is so loose on the drive and you made him look like a batting God that he is not.

Hi Mate, U bowled two of the best deliveries in the series today. The two in dippers that fetched u the wickets were really good.

Hi Ian,
Daily I am reading your blogs and when seeing you the next day on TV makes me a feeling that we have chat yesterday. Please keep on writing the blogs every day even if it's a good or bad day.

Best of Luck for getting more wickets on the 4th day.

Joshy from Dubai

Brien... i have a complain. I feel u r biased at times and do no justice to the effort put in by the opposite team. you must respect that and admire it. For eg you dint mention a word about Gautam Ghambirs effort in this blog. that disappoints me everytime i read ur blog

It was realy nice to read ur blog. I wish u all the best for ur carrear.

Ian, I have 2 memories of you from this tour. One the delivery you bowled to knock off dravid and second one is the delivery that you knocked off VVS today. Two exceptional deliveries in a long long time from a NZ seam bowler. I wish you could do like this consistently in the future and I'm sure you be rated one of the skilled and maybe the best. Just keep going Ian, good job. I sense that NZ will fight out the last innings but doubt if they could save it. Good luck to the NZ team for playing with great spirit without any ugly incident unlike the aussies! You guys set example for great sporting professionals.

Raj

gr8 work ian....ur bowling is really awesome nd it was a really very special delivry to laxman

one of the best entries here, Ian...hey! u said VVS came upto you..u didn't write much about the talk with him...do tell us how the men in blue behave beyond the field...i mean, do they show any kind of attitude stuff after their success there ? i hope not...

Hey mate, we LOVE you ... I was at the game in Auckland, the one-dayer which NZ won and I was really happy for my country...one thing I pray to almighty, that the visit to NZ would rub on to "some" of the Indian cricketers and make them as humble and full of humility as you and most of the others (not all though)in NZ. AND you are a great team, hard luck at Napier but it is all in the game and that is why, this is such a great game. All the best.

nice one today..simple n crisp..
Tht delivery was deserving a wicket as it got one for you. You seemed good along with Frank...otherwise your attack looks very simple and sober..

i see indians playing couple of hours more to take it to 600 and have a go at you guys..pad on Iain

Iain..... I am afraid you people go 2 down this series...lead is growing and your batting has collapsed in first innings, now you work out at net on batting to go for match you did well with ball but team will need contribution somehow with their bowlers in batting too,I suggest you to give time on batting....hope newzealand will end this series 1-1....

Hi Ian, i will have to acknowledge the fact that this blogging from you will attract cricket lovers and its a feel of actually talking to you thru this blog.
n especially i like the fact that you r truthful abt ur feelings. all the best mate, but still i know that we (INDIANS) will win n i think u deep in your heart also know that..

Hey Iain! You are the only bowler in the side (except of course the ever reliable Chris Martin) to trouble the Indian batting machine! Hope to see you in action in India soon......I bet you will have many supporters in India. On a seperate note, I think it was pretty good on you and VVS to have talked about the in-dipper that got him out. Such spirit between two rivals is always a welcome sight!

Hi Ian, well done mate on the VVS wicket esp. Good to see you've taken time off to blog though it's been a tough day for you. Seem to be making lot of friends,indians too. Something which worked in India's favour was probably the non- availability of Shane Bond and the tormentors in the last series, Tuffey and Simon Doull. Get Bond back and NZ can boast of a good bowling line- up. All the best for the next two days, tough though it may seem. Keep up the good work and hope you pick up many more VVS wickets over the rest of your career. bye for now.

Good job pal. Well those two wickets of yours of Gauti and VVS would have only delayed the inevitable but would've done enough to lift your spirits personally. What I think is that India would try to bat the first session and score about 100-120 runs and get the lead in excess of 650 and give there bowlers 5 sessions or 150 overs(if weather permits) to bowl the Kiwis out as with a lead of over 650 and 150 overs to survive with Req.Rate over 4 would be enough to demoralise the Kiwis and would almost nullify any chance of a NZ win. So with India dictating terms,hope that India could once again create history under MSD and an opportunity for MSD to add another feather in his cap.Chak De India !!

Well, well Iain, your last two blogs have been slightly better than the previous overtly self-centred ones. These come at a good time too when I was doubting if you had the stomach to talk good about the opposition when they are really doing good. Nice to read the snippets which were exactly what attracted much public over here at the start. But hey, what was all that talk amongst commentators about banning your blog so that you concentrate more on your cricket? Like I had said before, know your priorities Iain. I know it feels good to be commended and all this is kind of addcitive but I seriously feel you are overdoing a bit by blogging the whole five days of the match, especially when you should get a much needed rest and have a fresh mind.
Awesome ball to get Laxman out and even more appreciation for the McCullum catch.
Just one want to say one thing. Be realistic Iain. And you have jinxed your team. Whatever you say never happens. So prolly you wont get 2 wickets tomorrow and lose.

Hey Ian u bowling was really great, am sure ual get a 5 wicket haul by tomorrow...good luck

Well done, great stuff. Great batting, from india, great bowling from u guys, and a great day of test cricket. I wish you all the best in the future. Good luck in whatever you do, even if it be going for a win in this test match

You silly oh brien. You still did not get what MS thinks. He will think of drwing the match. He will bowl you out and will 2-0. Watch out !

@ Yashovardhan You write good for a 12 yesr old! I foresee a bright future for you soon. All the best for your life, kiddo.
@Others who are ignorant about facts - Guys, Iain is 33 years old! Martin has been NZ's consistent overall & the best bowler in the series. Kyle Mills only had a one off bad tour. Else he wasthe best prior to the tour. Tim Southee is seen as a find for the future. Franklin will edge ahead on batting and vice-captaincy. So when Bond returns, the only person getting out of the team is Mr. O'Brien. Anyways, he doesn't have age behind him to play another 15 years and get 500 wickets. Atleast do your reseacrh before commenting.
@Iain Give you best effort for one hour mate. Concentrate more on cricket now, esp batting. Forget blogging. Hope you get enough rest to rejuvenate yourself at Derbyshire with your wife. Have a good time there. Oh, and be more realistic than insanely optimistic. Good couple of wickets and good glove work. Fatman needs to "ryde" hus luck now.

Iain,

Great effort from you yesterday and thanks for the blog, it helps to see the real human side of you guys. Good luck

As a New Zealand supporter I'd rather see you bat with the intent to win then try and bat out for a draw. You're 1-0 down and ranked 8th, what really do you have to gain from a draw?

India shouldn't bat on at all. They have a huge lead and the weather is dodgy. Bad light may end things early today and Tuesday could be a washout. I hope they ignore the forecast - NZ's only chance of avoiding a 2-0 result.

well mate, never seen such an hostile pace attack by a NZ fast bowler before,you continously hit the deck with the speed of above 140 kms/hr now thats something amazing!Good job Ian.
Well if your team carries the same spirit as of yours(and for sure i know they would) who knows you could end up creating an history by winning the test match at the a Basin Reserve(nothing wrong in being optimistic):)
well all the bast mate :)

Hey Iain,

Nice one, the Laxman sneak-through!! The older guys always have a problem with the in-coming ones.. you see their minds are used to being nonchalant about such deliveries and to whipping them past mid-on through squareleg (Yup, they Can do that!!) during their youth.. but when age catches up, that little gap between, is enough for the ball to sneak through... but still, good show and at least you would have something to talk to your grandkids with pride about.... about tomorrow, i think Dhoni should bat on till lunch and just let your team soak in the misery like pickles... is a tough game, cricket - just like life. and no-one gives or gets a quarter. so, chin up and take it on the jaw, dude! tell yr cap'n (i was rather surprised to see him look deflated.. he's a Great Great guy, Vettori is!) to go easy on himself and just try something totally unexpected. he needs to be told that making a good sparring partner for this Indian team is Great enough!!! AMEN. God Bless...

Well done mate. Its a great piece of bowling...the way you picked VVS it was amazing bowling... Problem with NZ team is Tailenders at both side(top and bottom), they need few good batsman at the top who should give good early platform.

Be warned Iain, with a lead of 500+, Dhoni will probably try to hit as many sixes as possible. Yuvraj would be the one to target as he is being scrutinized and he is not in very good form. The tail will be easy if you utilize Vettori and just bowl yorkers and bouncers at the tail end.

Hey Iain,

I don't mean to take anything away from you, you did put in splendid effort in the field. You're one of the kiwi bowlers who is full of spirit in almost any conditions, although I miss the services of Mr.Bond. However, this post is a relay message to Baz: Much salutations to you sir, it's not always pleasing to see innovations in cricket. But the way you took down The Wall simply got me awestruck. We, here in India, try to pull it off pretty often, when playing underarm gully cricket, but to actually get it right on an international scene in a proper cricket match is much appraisable. Hats off to you again.

And, keep blogging. Stay fit and stay around for long.

Dear O' Brien:

Indians did a good job, because I think these a very good bunch of players, consistent and adjusted to the situations better than before, bowling to these players must be really hard for you and team mates. You should have tried bowling on middle and leg rather than outside the off stump, let them attack, let the ball fly into those safe hands.
Better luck next time.

I won't rate your bowling effort as great.Yesterday you were bowling average.You have the speed,most of the times you were either too short (Most of the times predictable) or too full.Gambhir was defending and driving easily so was dravid and Laxman.

You have the pace instead of banging the ball on the pitch try high release and dropping the wrist,make use of conditions and pitch.I was in basin yesterday and watched your every ball closely.You got rid of Laxman by a beauty no doubt but you can do so much better.

lain, very nice bowling yesterday. I love how you always try to stay positive in any situation. I just wish that shane bond was still in the team to make things little more challenging for the Indian team.

Iain,

Superb ball to get rid of VVS. That ball and seeing Sachin walk out to bat will be memories I'll take with me from my first trip to an international Test match. It was nice to see you taking time out to sign autographs for the fans at fine leg between deliveries - something your team mate Tommy could learn from. Loving this Blog. Keep it up.

Good blog Iain. As I predicted start of the series, india will take the series 2-0. This test could be one of the highest run defeat. From hereon there is only one result possible, from my view, which is indian victory. All The Best!!!!

geeze, you can tell Indians love cricket...look at all your comments! From another Kiwi, nice work, hope the bowlers don't have to bat today :)

Iain, I have great respect for the NZ bowlers. All of you have worked extremely hard this series. Unfortunately, most of the top order batsmen have frailed dismally without even giving a fight.

@Subhashis - yes, India are clearly a better overall team (perhaps the best in the world at the moment), but why the hell shouldn't the Kiwi players celebrate when they pull off something great? Should they just shake their heads and say "oh, it was just luck, we'll never be any good?" Stop being such a biased idiot.

I like your bowling action. Get some techniques to work it out

Guys...the name's Iain not Lian or Ian....

This has been a 1 sided series to be frank, except for the 2020 and the 2nd test. Always knew Taylor would be a player to watch out for in this current NZ outfit but Ryder's done well too. I would have liked a more seaming (bowler friendly) wickets to see the Ind lineup being challenged. It's a well deserved win for team nonetheless.

So then... finally all over from bowling point of view.. enjoy watching your batsmen trying to save the game.

Hey dude, good work by u.,keep it up.B-)

You are really eclectic. Being able to blog while your team is playing. Have you ever got into any trouble because you accidentally revealed something in your blog which should not have been said.

ur going to loose.. dont matter if u win it will be 1-1 series tied...

Good luck for tomorrow....

Keep up the good job O'Brien.You are one of the most well behaved cricketer's on the field.I appreciate your approach to the game & also your blogs.Good luck.

good going mate, keep it up

this is a tough one to save mate...mainly as NZ depends on couple of individual performances and not like Team India where everybody chips in (like the tail enders did in the first innings)....moreover..you guys have been on the feild for 16 sessions staring from the second test, except for your short first innings batting..this takes a toll on you body..but anyways well done guys..but sorrry this Indian team is just too good for you...kpee up the spirits

Iain... You true sportsmanship reflected when you congratulated Gautam for his outstanding knock.. You are doing a great job. Continue to pen down all the incidents and go on!!!

nice blog! but well u guys looked pretty helpless in the field...though uv given all uv got...ask u what? how come vettori is bowling so few overs lately? i mean he's a spinner first of all and perhaps the most experienced among u guys...is it his recent form??

Iain, Good luck with your batting tomorrow. Wish you get a long innings to get past your 19.
The delivery to VVS was a peach. Bad luck on your over to Yuvi. Why din't you try a slower one to him. He has been rusty to the slower ones.

Put martin and you up order you guys are our best bats

Thanks for the blogg Ian. You are a breath of "fresh air" on the scene. A Kiwi who can bowl well at 140 kph +. That last over the other night was 141 to 145 brilliant. Keep going it's great to watch.

your blog is very good 2 read mate...wen i first saw u bowling in Australia,i thought you are something special and you proved that with a peach of delivery to VVS.. the wicket of Dravid in Hamilton was a great deliverytoo..try bowling more balls like those and i am sure you could take the mantle of spearheading your bowling attack

Hi Iain
Nice blog
I am amused by your approach towards bowling....
my suggestion is that if u gonna have a match with india go for lot of in-cutters, sure u will receive huge rewards.