According to sources close to Praveen Hinganikar, the curator at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur,  prior to today’s Test, he felt that had come up with a “good sporting wicket”.

Well, congratulations Mr Hinganikar. It’s certainly a wicket.

The source said: ”The wicket will have good carry and the batsmen will also love batting on this wicket. The spinners will come into effect from day two onwards, but the pacers will get good bounce throughout.

“So I can say it is a good sporting wicket and we will see a good Test match here which will last for five days.”

After watching the first day’s play, it is clear that unless the pitch changes dramatically, batsmen are going to hate batting on this wicket.

Ishant Sharma showed the pitch was full of low and uneven bounce, but there was minimal turn for the spinners.

If the BCCI still felt India required a pitch that turned from day on in order to level the series, they were going to be seriously disappointed.

It is tough to buy a run out there, and although Dhoni will be happy with his side’s effort at restricting England to 199/5 at the end of the first day, he will inevitably be concerned.

The first worry will be the lack of a second seamer after Ishant Sharma looked dangerous, taking the first two wickets and reducing England to 16-2.

Secondly, Dhoni will wonder what England’s seamers will manage to pull out of the wicket, particularly given Anderson’s efforts in the last Test and India’s frail batting.

And what about Sachin? Rumours abound that this could be his last Test match, but it would take a truly monumental effort for him to pull-off a stunning last hurrah on this pitch.

Dhoni can take peace, however, from the fact that Steve Finn will not be taking to the field in this game.

Kevin Pietersen had to show a lot of uncharacteristic restraint to battle it out for his 73 from 188 balls, and later described it as one of the hardest pitches he has ever played on.

He said in the press conference: “It’s the toughest I have played Test cricket on, in terms of playing strokes. I have no clue what the wickets going to do from here on.”

Whether it will change dramatically as we move into days two and three is impossible to tell, but if England’s run rate of 2.05 is indicative of anything, it’s that it’s not going to be an exciting run-fest.

I was at Esher on the November 23 to watch my first live women’s rugby game, England v New Zealand.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew more than my dad who asked if they played tag rugby, and a national newspaper reporter who told me ‘I had to double-check the rules were the same’.

It was a close game which finished 16-13 and afterwards, I interviewed England fly half Alice Richardson.

The almost full-capacity crowd were in good voice, standing for the national anthem and cheering every England point.

By the time I met Richardson, I was well and truly sold on women’s rugby.

I was impressed by the tackling. These women get stuck in, and after I watched a New Zealand player being pulled out of a tackle by her arms in the first five minutes, I knew this was going to be a hard-fought match.

England women were far more entertaining than their male counterparts, not turning the match into a kicking contest, but instead intent on scoring tries.

Both sides looked to apply pressure from the whistle, and the intensity never diminished. It was a truly outstanding contest between the best-ranked side in the world, New Zealand, and England who beat them 2-0 in a three match contest last year.

Sadly, despite the women’s game starting soon after England men’s stunning win at Twickenham on December 1, the crowd did not stick around.

It’s a shame, because women’s rugby should be celebrated as a spectacle equivalent to the men’s.

It’s tough, occasionally brutal, and very entertaining.

This is a live blog from the Paris Diamond League. Feel free to send me messages on twitter @sarahcrobinson or leave a comment.

21.00

One of the most eagerly anticipated events of the night will surely be the men’s 100m which sees Lemaitre come up against Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin, fresh from the US trials in which they both secured their place in the Olympic team. Gatlin achieved a personal best of 9.80 in that race, the fastest time ever for a man over the age of 30.  It was also the third fastest time in the world this year, after Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt. Excitingly, Gatlin believes he has ‘got more left in the tank’.

Gay is progressing with his fitness after an injury and said: ‘I feel good at the moment. I ran a bit short to take the win at the American trials, especially against Justin Gatlin, who’s done a massive amount of work this season, especially as regards his starting phase. However my 2nd place (9’’86) is the best result I could achieve that day’.

Other highlights are likely to include 800m world record holder David Rudisha, who ran the quickest time of the year in New York last month. The 5000m will see a match up between some of the fastest men over this distance this year, where Kenyans Isaiah Kiplangat Koech and Vincent Kiprop Chepkok take on the Ethiopeans Dejen Geberemeskel and Tariku Bekele.

The women’s 100m hurdles will see the seemingly unbeatable Sally Pearson take on the USA’s Danielle Carruthers as well as Britain’s Tiffany Porter.

British interests also include Dai Greene in the 400m hurdles, and his battle with current world leader Javier Culson is sure to be a fascinating one as we build up to the Olympics. The second fastest man this year, Bershawn Jackson also competes. Christine Ohuruogo will be hoping to bring her season’s best to under 50 seconds in the 400m in a line-up which is missing some of the fastest women this year. Lisa Dobriskey, recently named in the British Olympic team runs in the 1500m, whilst Shara Proctor lines up for the women’s long jump.

The Diamond League will be live  from 7pm BST on the BBC Red Button and online (assuming the BBC doesn’t have the same technical problems it had last time I tried live blogging). Or you can follow my live blog here from just before 7. If you want to tweet at me at any time, you can do so at @sarahcrobinson or you can add comments to the bottom of the blog post.

One of the most eagerly anticipated events of the night will surely be the men’s 100m which sees Lemaitre come up against Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin, fresh from the US trials in which they both secured their place in the Olympic team. Gatlin achieved a personal best of 9.80 in that race, the fastest time ever for a man over the age of 30.  It was also the third fastest time in the world this year, after Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt. Excitingly, Gatlin believes he has ‘got more left in the tank’.

Gay is progressing with his fitness after an injury and said: ‘I feel good at the moment. I ran a bit short to take the win at the American trials, especially against Justin Gatlin, who’s done a massive amount of work this season, especially as regards his starting phase. However my 2nd place (9’’86) is the best result I could achieve that day’.

Other highlights are likely to include 800m world record holder David Rudisha, who ran the quickest time of the year in New York last month. The 5000m will see a match up between some of the fastest men over this distance this year, where Kenyans Isaiah Kiplangat Koech and Vincent Kiprop Chepkok take on the Ethiopeans Dejen Geberemeskel and Tariku Bekele.

The women’s 100m hurdles will see the seemingly unbeatable Sally Pearson take on the USA’s Danielle Carruthers as well as Britain’s Tiffany Porter.

British interests also include Dai Greene in the 400m hurdles, and his battle with current world leader Javier Culson is sure to be a fascinating one as we build up to the Olympics. The second fastest man this year, Bershawn Jackson also competes. Christine Ohuruogo will be hoping to bring her season’s best to under 50 seconds in the 400m in a line-up which is missing some of the fastest women this year. Lisa Dobriskey, recently named in the British Olympic team runs in the 1500m, whilst Shara Proctor lines up for the women’s long jump.

In Michael Johnson: Survival of the Fastest, Michael Johnson embarks on a fascinating personal journey to try and discover what enabled him to become the fastest man in the world, and achieve world records in the 200m and 400m. He continues to hold the record for the fastest 400m in history.

In the documentary, he makes a controversial link between slavery and speed. ”Is there a clue in our history that would explain our athletic ability?” he asks.

Michael Johnson makes discoveries about his connection to the slave trade

Michael Johnson is a very charismatic host, and it is easy to follow him on his journey as he explores his own family history. He always knew he was descended from slavery, and now looks to unravel the full story. In so doing, he asks if this story enable him to become one of the fastest people on earth.

Johnson admits that it is a potentially dangerous question to ask, as it links athletic ability with some sort of forced, unnatural selection.  During the horrific period of slavery, only the strongest would survive en route from Africa to the Caribbean. In some cases, ‘strong’ women and ‘strong’ men would be forced by the slave masters to reproduce in order to produce strong children.

In Jamaica, 90% of its people are descended from slaves. Jamaica was the last stop for the slave ships, and was, as Johnson describes, “the dumping ground for the most troublesome slaves.”

Johnson asks whether other factors played a part in Jamaican sprinting success. One teenager suggests it is yams and bananas. Another says it is their determination to prove themselves to the world. Dr Herb Elliot, doctor to the Jamaican sprinting team, says it is because they simply want to win.

But Johnson believes there is more to it than this, and that slavery played a big factor in determining the athletic genes of slave descendants. Indeed, Johnson finds that these genes are not always positive, and descendants from slaves are more likely to suffer from prostate cancer and diabetes.

Another aspect Johnson explores is the advantage of a diverse gene pool. Slaves were forced into groups of people across Africa who would otherwise never have met and reproduced, and it mixed together an incredibly diverse range of genes, with a large pool of potential talent. As Johnson himself discovers how many of his genes are descended from Africa, he remarks that he’s ”hopeful that what I’ve discovered and been able to present will provoke some thought.”

Through an intriguing combination of science and history, Johnson has unlocked a very controversial, and yet seemingly logical argument about a link between sprinting and slavery. “It’s undeniable in my opinion that there has been some effect of slavery on the athletic ability of slaves,” he says. Indeed, in Beijing 2008, every man in the 100m final was a descendant of the slave trade.

Michael Johnson: Survival of the Fastest is an excellent documentary, and can be viewed on 4oD.

In the Olympic Games there are few certainties. Gold medal favourites may false start, a world record holder might succumb to injury, the baton is easily dropped during a relay.

But one expectation likely to be fulfilled is that a Kenyan will win a long distance race. In recent times, Kenyan athletes have dominated marathons and half marathons, and often have appeared invincible.

Adharandand Finn, a regular writer for the Guardian and Runner’s World decided to uproot his family to live in Kenya. By running on Kenyan soil, training with Kenyan athletes and hopefully learning the secrets of what makes Kenyans such excellent runners, Finn hoped to improve his own times.

Published earlier this year, ‘Running with the Kenyans’ reveals a personal journey as well as a fascinating insight into the Kenyan way of life.

Running is not a hobby in Kenya, Finn discovers. It is a potential promise of a better life, where you can make enough money from winning one race to pay the rent for three years or more. If you are good enough, you could be selected to race abroad, to run in world Championships, in the Olympics, to become well-known throughout the world. In Kenya, people do not run to keep fit or because it’s fun. They get up at 5am, run along the roadside and up hills because, if any talent is spotted, it could completely change their life.  What is most startling is how many Kenyan people have given up their jobs to become full-time athletes.

Finn’s book is full of intriguing characters, each with their own running stories. “What is your time?” turns out to be an incredibly common phrase throughout the country, as each runner’s fastest time is a massive source of personal pride.

Runners will easily be able to connect with Finn’s feelings as he battles pain, heat and the strong urge to just give up in order to beat his personal best time by a matter of seconds.

The ‘secrets’ to what make the Kenyans so good will also be of interest to those who regularly get up at 6am to run around their local park. Does running barefoot really make a better athlete? Is eating ugali the key to fast times? Or is it time to just give up, because the Kenyans simply have better running genes?

‘Running with the Kenyans’ will appeal to anyone with an interest in athletics. This is not a book on ‘how to run better’. It is a man’s journey through the dark streets of Iten, trying to keep up with some of the fastest runners in the world. It is a interesting study of Kenyan culture, and gives insights into just why Kenyan athletes are likely to dominate the Olympics for years to come.

The Newsroom had a lot of potential. It is created and written by Aaron Sorkin, the man behind the multi-Emmy winning series The West Wing, and Academy Award nominated films The Social Network and Moneyball. But it has been panned by the critics, being described as ‘smug’ and ‘intellectually self-serving’.

When The Newsroom is good, it’s really pretty good. When it gets bad, it leaves you wanting to switch it off and watch The West Wing, just to remind yourself that Sorkin can do better.

The Newsroom begins strongly. The show’s main protagonist, Will McAvoy, portrayed by Jeff Daniels, is a cynical and desperately unlikable man who decides to tell students that America has fallen in to disrepair. The character’s personality in that first scene draws you in. That is, until, the cheesy music sets in. Whoever is responsible for the composition needs to turn their attention to children films instead.

This cheesy, and overtly patriotic-seeming music cuts in at numerous moments, making what was a serious scene a bit of a joke. ‘Let’s reclaim the fourth estate!’ cries MacKenzie McHale (yes, that really is her name) as the cringe-worthy overly-dramatic music plays underneath. Sorkin is well-known for his lengthy monologues, but those in The Newsroom threaten to become preachy and frankly, unrealistic. The speeches found in The Newsroom contain all the things you’d wished you’d said in hindsight, but weren’t articulate enough to say just right at the time. These characters though, have perfected the sanctimonious speeches with no rehearsal necessary.

The opening speech is purely, and intentionally, a lecture directed to the show’s audience. ‘You are all failing America, blah, blah, but here’s how we can improve it, blah, blah’. Many of Sorkin’s lines appear to be delivered just to get across his own views. Self serving? Just a bit. Over the top and unrealistic? A lot.

It is all too easy to criticise, however, and there are some highlights. Many (male) characters are intriguing and well-formed. Jim Harper (played by John Gallagher) is a fun and quirky character who is likely to become a fan favourite. Equally, Neal Sampat (Dev Patel) looks to be a promising character, and it is interesting to see Patel in an American TV show.

The female characters are less pleasing. Maggie Jordan’s (Alison Pill) storylines revolve around her relationship rather than her job. She is whimpering and lacks a backbone of her own. MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer) may stand up for herself, but she constantly looks apologetic for her and Will’s relationship status. It is strange, when you compare The West Wing’s strong female characters, CJ Cregg, Abbey Bartlet and Amy Gardner to name just a few, to these weak female characters of The Newsroom.

Indeed, The Newsroom seem to be fighting to insert relationship storylines. Whilst relationships between characters in The West Wing emerged effortlessly, those in The Newsroom are thrust into the viewer’s face with as much subtlety as a full-blown sex scene right in the middle of the office. The introduction of Maggie and Don Keefer’s (Thomas Sadoski) relationship, for example, is a very unprofessional fight in the middle of the newsroom. It just seems completely unnecessary and only makes the characters seem a bit pathetic.

The main plot, once it gets to that stage, is fun to watch. It is a curious insight into a newsroom involved with a major news story. And the twist half way through leaves you wondering where exactly this show has the potential to go. The answer is, that it could go many places in many intriguing ways. It is in these moments, when the characters are actually doing their jobs rather than dealing with their relationships, when the show comes to life. Sadly, there is not nearly enough of it.

If the critics are to be believed, the show gets worse rather than better. Despite reasonable viewing figures, The Newsroom just does not seem up to HBO’s usual high standards. Aaron Sorkin is well-known to cut others out of the writing process. It is not difficult to imagine that he would have refused any constructive advice from HBO also. The Newsroom could have been so easily improved. With the exception of some key, wonderful moments it falls completely flat to the point of embarrassment.

But I’ll tune in next week. Because when The Newsroom gets its lines right, it is highly entertaining.

I’m giving live blogging a try, by blogging through the Samsung Diamond League, live from New York, featuring Tyson Gay’s first competitive race in nearly a year.

21.10

Over the years, the general public have learnt to expect exceptional live coverage from the BBC. Its broadcasts from Wimbledon have always been nothing short of first-class, it handled the royal wedding with ease, and Proms always inspires and educates its audiences in equal measure.

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee has been one of the most highly anticipated events of 2012. The BBC has presented it as such. And yet, the BBC did not live up to its reputation and provided sub-standard, celebrity presenter-driven nonsense, not in-keeping with the marvelous event.

The Thames flotilla was an impressive sight, with small rowing boats to larger elaborately decorated vessels, to the wonderful royal boat. When the BBC’s cameras focused on the river, they showed an amazing sight of boats stretching across the full width of the Thames. The weather was poor, but it was nonetheless incredibly enjoyable to watch.

A marvelous event, aside from the BBC's coverage

The BBC, however, sadly lost the plot during much of its coverage.

There were technical problems, particularly with the music from the London Philharmonic Orchestra towards the end of the event. Huw Edwards said the weather interfered with the technology. This should not excuse the fact that the Beeb should have been all too aware of the possibility of rain, and made sure their technology was well-protected to enable excellent, consistent coverage. It rains every year at Wimbledon, but they successfully handle their sound and video quality then.

From the start, the BBC made sure its favourite presenters were in prime positions, including Sophie Raworth, Matt Baker, Tess Daley and Alex Jones. Indeed, they did what they were instructed to do. Unfortunately, these instructions involved interviewing the parents of Jubilee babies, a discussion of coronation chicken, and constant ramblings about the rain.

There were some truly wonderful boats on the Thames, including one manned by Sir Matthew Pinsent, Sir Steve Redgrave and disabled servicemen and women, which Clare Balding wonderfully introduced. These moments, on board this boat, highlighted what the Jubilee was supposed to be about; stories. Yes, there is the story of the Queen and the royal family. But underlying that, were the stories of Great Britain. Those rowing and sailing down the Thames each had their own stories. Stories were largely neglected in favour for the BBC’s presenters each getting some pointless and needless air time.

The BBC provided no back-stories for those rowing the Thames in some extraordinary looking boats

It would have been impossible for the BBC to have a camera on every boat. But it would not have been impossible for them to have done some research on the people on-board the boats and even carrying out some interviews with them over the last few weeks to fill spaces during their coverage. It would have been fascinating to hear the stories of the injured servicemen and women, for example. To hear the horrors they faced in Iraq or Afghanistan and to learn why they were selected to row down the Thames for the Jubilee. They probably could have even cut to a few clips of the Queen down the years without taking away from the atmosphere.

It would have taken more time and effort than sending a few comedian onto a boat to crack a few awful jokes, but it would have been befitting of the event and made it more engaging.

The commentary was equally awful, and even Stephen Fry commented on it.

Has the BBC ever presented a more mind-numbingly tedious programme in its history? “HRH the queen” said the first ignorant presenter. HRH?

— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) June 3, 2012

In truth, the commentators were filling gaps and had nothing to say. Instead, the audience were consistently and reliably informed that it was raining, and that it was a spectacular event.

One commentator even had the gall to say that the only way you could appreciate the atmosphere was to actually be there, in London. It seems they didn’t believe they were capable of conveying the atmosphere to their television audience, and instead indicated that perhaps the audience shouldn’t even bother with their coverage at all.

The flotilla looked truly amazing

As the Orchestra boat reached Tower Bridge, we were reliably informed that they had been playing all afternoon. Had they? Really? The BBC only allowed us to glimpse that boat once until it got to Tower Bridge. It would have been wonderful to cut out some of the presenters’ constant chatter and replace it with the wonderful sounds of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

A spokesman for the BBC said: ‘We’re very proud of the quality and breadth of the BBC’s coverage of this extraordinary event.’

Unfortunately, they have very little to be proud of. Large numbers of people indicated on Twitter than they had switched from the BBC to Sky.

The BBC simply believed its own hype. It believed its presenters were more important than the stories of ordinary people rowing down the Thames. They chose cheap gimmicks over making the effort to do some research.

They need to up their game before the Olympics start, because then, there will be no Sky for the audience to turn to.

Releasing a first album must be difficult. Releasing the second and trying to live up to the hype of the first, must be even harder. But releasing a fifth album, after a long hiatus, knowing that your ever-loyal fans cannot wait to hear it, must be quite a challenge.

Yesterday, Matchbox Twenty announced their first album in ten years would be released on 4 September.

We are ready to announce the new record is called NORTH. Everywhere on Sept 4. Listen for the new single ‘She’s So Mean’ in the weeks ahead

— matchboxtwenty (@MatchboxTwenty) May 17, 2012

‘North’ will be their fifth album. In between Matchbox Twenty projects, lead singer Rob Thomas and guitarist Paul Doucette have worked on their own solo projects. Now though, Matchbox Twenty has to live up to the success of their last four albums and release a record that lives up to the hype.

Part of Matchbox Twenty’s long-lasting success, created in part by Rob Thomas’ truly extraordinary lyric-writing talent, is their ability to produce songs that their listeners connect with. As Rob Thomas describes in Matchbox Twenty concerts: ‘As you get older you realise that everybody’s a little bit f***** up, but that’s ok, because the enlightened people realize this, the people you feel sorry for are those who don’t realize this yet.’

It is these people – those that are ‘enlightened’ – that connect most with the band’s songs, and are those that have stayed with the band since their formation in 1995.

Thankfully for the fans, Matchbox Twenty have realised how much the new album will mean and have said: ‘It’s a real important record for us. We haven’t done anything in a long time. The older we get, the more we realise and appreciate the good fortune we have to do what we do at this level. Realistically, how many more times do we get? So we’re going to really make this record the one we want it to be.’

So, can Matchbox Twenty live up to the success of their last four albums (the last of which was a greatest hits record with four new songs) and produce an album that sounds both fresh but true to their own, original sound? Stay tuned for a review in September.